Li Xian walked home in the dark, his steps precise and his direction accurate, unaffected by the darkness. When he pushed open the courtyard gate, he suddenly stopped.

The house was quiet and dark, yet there was the sound of breathing.

He gently placed his prey on the ground, his gaze growing colder in the darkness.

He gripped the sickle tightly, a fierce glint in his eyes, and walked over quietly.

As he approached, he recognized the person by the moonlight and froze.

That little, pitiful-looking person huddled up with their knees drawn up to their chest—who else could it be but Xu Nuo?

Li Xian threw down his sickle and strode over.

Upon hearing the voice, Xu Nuo quickly looked up. When she saw who it was, she wiped her face with surprise, but her voice was still trembling with tears: "Li Xian, you're back."

Seeing her looking like she'd been bullied, Li Xian assumed something had happened to her at the Chang family's house. He squatted down and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Nuo asked him, "Do you still have the ring you took?"

Li Xian hadn't expected her to ask about the ring, and replied, "I buried it in the back mountain."

Xu Nuo quickly shook her head: "We can't bury it, I have to put it back in the lake."

He looked at her tired face and asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Xu Nuo told him about her dreams over the past few days with a feeling of grievance and pitifulness. She mentioned that when she woke up, there was a puddle of water on her hand, and her eyes turned red with fright: "I was so scared."

If I hadn't woken up in time, would I have really drowned in my dream?

Although Li Xian had never believed in these things, seeing that she was truly terrified, he immediately stood up and said, "You go back first, I'll put the ring away for you."

Xu Nuo grabbed his sleeve and sniffed, "No, the one who tied the knot must untie it. I have to put it back myself."

His gaze fell on her legs: "But your legs..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nuo immediately stood up and even jumped around a couple of times to show him: "I can walk now, it doesn't hurt at all."

Despite the recurring nightmares, Xu Nuo's leg miraculously recovered, though she still felt a slight pain when walking.

Rather than being haunted by a ghost, Xu Nuo felt that she could just endure it for the time being.

…

Li Xian went to collect his prey at night and buried the ring while he was at it.

It was too dark at night, and the mountain path was difficult to walk. She could hardly even see the path clearly, let alone climb up the mountain. He said in a low voice, "I'll go up the mountain to look for you. You wait for me here."

A hand tugged at his sleeve, and a pitiful voice said, "I...I want to go with you."

The wind was strong at night, and Xu Nuo was still shivering slightly from the cold despite wearing a coat.

Li Xian pursed his lips, his voice sounding somewhat unnatural: "It's difficult to walk up the mountain."

Xu Nuo ignored it. She looked around. It was pitch black, and she could hear rustling sounds from time to time. She persisted, "But I'm scared to be alone."

Grandpa Li Xian's houses from the landlord era were all distributed to poor peasants. The one that was left was obtained by his parents after they were sent back to labor camps.

There wasn't even a yard; there was only a bedroom and a drafty, dilapidated room.

Xu Nuo sat outside his room waiting.

Before she could speak, Li Xian had already opened the door. He didn't go in, but instead told her from the doorway, "Go inside and wait for me, I'll be there soon..."

Xu Nuo took a few steps inside. The room was dark, and she couldn't see the direction. She walked towards the place where he had placed the crossbow. Li Xian whispered, "Be careful."

Xu Nuo was pulled back a few steps by a force, bumping into his firm and warm chest, and subconsciously reached out to grab the hem of his clothes.

She peeked out and asked, "What's wrong?"

His face stiffened slightly, and his eyes held a hint of lingering fear.

The walls were covered with crossbows of all sizes, sharp enough to pierce wild boars. If she were to run into those sharp bamboo spikes…

His eyes darkened, and he pulled her to the bedside, solemnly instructing her, "My room has many dangerous hunting weapons. Don't move around, just wait for me here."

Xu Nuo nodded obediently.

Li Xian stepped outside, then, still feeling uneasy, rummaged through the box and took out a candle, which he then lit.

The candlelight flickered, and Xu Nuo was so frightened that her eyes filled with tears.

Lighting a red candle in the middle of the night is one thing, but what are those bat-like things on the wall?

She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, her voice trembling with tears: "Li Xian, I want to go with you."

Li Xian shook his head: "No."

As she walked out of the room and prepared to close the door, Xu Nuo said again, "Li Xian, then come back quickly, I'm scared to be alone."

Perhaps she was genuinely afraid, for her voice trembled slightly at the end.

The tall figure stopped, paused in the darkness for a moment, then suddenly sighed, walked back, and blew out the candle.

Let's go.

Xu Nuo immediately wrapped himself in his clothes and stood up, nodding obediently.

Once outside, Xu Nuo realized she couldn't see the road clearly, so she followed Li Xian and asked, "It's so dark, will we be able to find our way?"

Li Xian nodded, knowing she might not be able to see the way clearly, and carefully led her along.

After walking for a few minutes, Xu Nuo was a little tired and her feet hurt. Afraid that there were ghosts in the mountains, she dared not lean against the wall. She could only reach out to pull on Li Xian's sleeve. But she felt a sharp pain in her wrist and her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Li Xian immediately let go as soon as he touched her, but he didn't expect to hurt her. He frowned in annoyance.

He was beaten up as a child, and as an adult he rarely let anyone get close to him; his actions always outpaced his thinking.

Xu Nuo raised her wrist and blew on it twice. Seeing him lean closer, she took the opportunity to grab his sleeve and whispered, "Are we almost there?"

Her voice wasn't loud to begin with, and when she spoke softly, it sounded like a kitten meowing.

Li Xian hesitated for a moment: "You can speak loudly."

Xu Nuo looked around fearfully, her big eyes filled with terror: "No, what if there's a ghost?"

As she spoke, she leaned closer to him.

How cowardly!

Li Xian smiled almost imperceptibly and said, "Ghosts generally don't grab children. If they were to grab one, they would grab me first."

His original intention was to comfort Xu Nuo and tell her not to worry, that even if there were ghosts, they wouldn't take her away. However, Xu Nuo actually had a picture flash through her mind: Li Xian being taken away by a ghost, and then she walking alone on the mountain path. She was so scared that her legs went weak, her left foot stepped on her right foot, and her body swayed. Luckily, she was quick-witted and grabbed Li Xian's arm to prevent herself from falling.

Otherwise, he would have rolled down the hillside.

Li Xian was also startled. He quickly steadied her and whispered to her, "Walk properly."

Because of his anxiety, his voice sounded unusually fierce. Xu Nuo's little mouth pursed into a small boat shape, and she pulled it back in a wronged manner, but couldn't help but pout it again, with a sob in her voice: "Don't be fierce, I'll walk carefully."

Li Xian was taken aback; a man who hadn't blushed in over twenty years suddenly turned red in the face.

Xu Nuo whimpered, "Hurry up, I'm scared, ouch."

Li Xian turned to look at her.

The path up the mountain was difficult to walk, and Xu Nuo could already feel a slight pain at the point where her bones were broken, but she dared not stop and could only grit her teeth and continue walking.

Li Xian glanced at her legs, frowned, and said, "You can't walk anymore. I'll take you home."

Xu Nuo shook her head in fear: "I don't want to."

"Keep walking, do you want to become a cripple later?"

In no mood.

Xu Nuo said pitifully, "But I'm scared, I don't want to be alone."

Li Xian's eyes fell on her feet, his gaze somewhat dark.

Xu Nuo suddenly cried out, "Ouch!"

She tugged at his sleeve: "Li Xian, can you carry me on your back?"

Li Xian's brow twitched: "If someone sees us..."

He stopped; at that moment, no one would see him.

Xu Nuo pitifully shook his clothes again, thinking that she would have to beg or plead with him to get his help, but he just squatted down silently.

Just as Xu Nuo was about to climb up, she glanced back and cried out, "I... I'm afraid there are ghosts behind me."

This is such a hassle.

Li Xian turned around, and a pair of strong, powerful arms reached under her legs and lifted her up in one swift motion.

Xu Nuo thought the male lead was going to carry her down the mountain like a sack, so she quickly patted his shoulder and said, "Don't carry me, I'm afraid I'll throw up."

Li Xian didn't carry her on his back, but held her in his arms like a child.

Xu Nuo was petite, and when she landed in his arms, she didn't feel heavy at all.

Xu Nuo felt a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, she didn't have any other solutions. Anyway, she was now a cripple and had to rely on others. Li Xian was her future brother-in-law, so it wouldn't be a problem. Just as she was about to thank him, she noticed that Li Xian's brows were furrowed and his expression was very serious.

Xu Nuo wanted to ease the awkward atmosphere, so she tentatively asked, "Am I very heavy?"

He strode up the mountain, his tone somewhat stiff: "No."

That tone definitely implied that she was being criticized for being heavy. Xu Nu pouted and said angrily, "I'm not heavy at all!"

Li Xian frowned and explained helplessly, "It's too light."

Just like a kitten.

Xu Nuo then chuckled and said, "I eat a lot! Let me tell you, Xu Yan is an excellent cook; he makes me delicious food every day."

"You eat like a kitten?"

Xu Nuo glared at him unhappily.

Wow, someone actually attacked her personally? Just because she's tall doesn't mean she's so great.

Waaah, it's amazing that people are tall.

She gave a disgruntled snort and ignored him.

Before long, we arrived at our destination.

Li Xian placed the person under the tree and prepared to dig for something. Xu Nuo followed him like a little quail, grabbed his clothes, looked up at him and said, "I want to stand next to you."

Li Xian's eyelashes trembled a few times. He picked up the small shovel tied to his leg and quickly dug into the soil. Before long, he indeed dug out the ring.

He handed her the item, but she didn't take it. She covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers. Seeing that the ring was still like a stone and there was nothing wrong with it, she said fearfully, "Keep it with you for now, and give it to me later."

Li Xian nodded, put the things in his pocket, picked her up and walked down the mountain.

Xu Nuo asked curiously, "How do you know so much about the mountains?"

Li Xian didn't speak.

After a long while, Li Xian said, "I am the descendant of landlords and rightists."

These days, a brand can make someone lose face for life, let alone Li Xian, who has two.

He thought that this girl from the city probably didn't know that he had a bad class background, and once she did, he would be just like everyone else.

At first, they trampled on it indiscriminately, but later they kept their distance.

He didn't look at her, but he held his breath slightly in the darkness.

What will she do?

Tell him to let go and get away from her? She'd rather die than let him interfere?

Or will she throw a tantrum and cry or yell?

He gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Unexpectedly, a hand gently grabbed the side of his clothes, and her voice fell on his ear: "I know, I knew from the beginning."

He knew that Li Xian's father was a PhD who had studied in the United States. When landlords were being denounced, his grandfather was executed, but his father was studying abroad and thus escaped.

However, fate played a cruel trick on them. After returning to China to work, Li Chengyan and his wife were labeled as rightists because of their status as descendants of landlords and because of a fabricated diary. They were sent back to their hometown to undergo labor reform.

Li Xian was just an infant when he was young. His mother died in the third year of his labor reform. Li Chengyan struggled to support her, but she couldn't hold on any longer and died when Li Xian was fifteen years old.

His breath hitched.

Did she know?

"Then why..."

Li Xian couldn't bring himself to ask why he gave him the ring after knowing the reason, why he let him ride in the oxcart after knowing the reason, and why he came looking for him.

Xu Nuo knew what he was thinking, and she also knew the shadow that his background had cast on him. She sighed and patted his shoulder: "Li Xian, people can't choose their own background. You were just unlucky and suffered a lot, but you survived and grew up. You can decide your own life. As long as you don't give up, you can live a good life."

Li Xian remained silent for a long time. Xu Nuo didn't want him to stay immersed in this memory, so she tried to change the subject: "You still haven't told me? How come you're so familiar with this place?"

It was a casual question, yet his expression turned cold.