Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Her eyes sparkled.
There was a little dust on Zhang Jingxian's cheek, and a leaf was hanging on her head because she climbed a tree to pick plums. When she saw Xie Yun still staying in her house, she looked quite stunned with disbelief.
What does it look like?
Xie Yun remembered the oriole whose wings he had pinched not long ago. His black eyes widened, with anger and surprise intertwined, but revealing more confusion.
At this moment, the woman standing motionless at the door looked very much like the oriole.
He stroked his fingertips, wanting to strangle her lifeblood as hard as he did to the oriole, to see her tremble in fear.
But on the surface, the curve of Xie Yun's lips did not change at all.
"It's getting dark. Next time, Ah Xian, remember not to come home so late. It makes me worried."
He called her name again, his tone gentle as if the two had known each other for a long time, or even had a close relationship.
The black cat meowed in confusion. Zhang Jingxian calmed herself down, put down the pheasant and pheasant eggs, and breathed slowly.
"My dear, why are you still here?"
Shouldn't the village elders take the nobleman back to their own homes by now? Xie Yun had no shortage of wealth. To put it in an exaggerated way, the robe he wore could easily be exchanged for a cartload of millet and wheat in the city.
If we wait until those people from the previous life come to us, there will be more benefits.
Zhang Jingxian couldn't understand why the village elder could invite a doctor from the city and live in his home to recuperate, with someone serving him respectfully. For Xie Yun, that would be more to his liking, right?
"Ah Xian saved me, but you don't want me to stay in your home?"
"Yes...I don't want to."
The air seemed to stagnate at that moment. Xie Yun stared at her coldly. Zhang Jingxian gritted her teeth and repeated the reason that no one could find fault with.
"My dear, you are a man, and I am not married yet. It is not appropriate for a man and a woman to live together."
She shook her head, the dust on her cheeks very noticeable.
"Besides, my hometown has an ox cart, which will be convenient for you to go to the city to seek medical treatment or do other things in the future."
Zhang Jingxian patiently analyzed with him that living in her hometown had many conveniences, but staying here would bring her many troubles and difficulties.
"That sounds great," the man nodded casually, seemingly persuaded by her words. But the next moment, he suddenly changed the subject and said in a cold tone, "But after hearing that I had lost most of my memory, the village elder was quite disappointed and looked hesitant. I think it's best not to trouble him."
In fact, Xie Yun not only told the village elders about his amnesia, but also hinted that he might never find his family again.
He had a serious leg injury, lost his memory, and had no relatives or servants by his side. After taking out his only piece of broken jade to express his gratitude to Doctor Meng, the village elder Liu Erbo and others, he mentioned that it was inconvenient for him to move, and the village elder gave up the idea.
Therefore, Xie Yun stayed.
"But it is really not convenient for me to let you recuperate at home. I still have to collect a bushel of millet and wheat in the autumn and work hard to support myself." Hearing this, Zhang Jingxian was silent for a moment and lowered her eyes. Don't bother the village elder, so can you bother her?
Did he think she was soft-hearted and easy to manipulate?
"That woman told me something. It turns out that the reason you're still unmarried, Ah Xian, is related to your cousin." Xie Yun pretended not to hear. He raised his eyelids and spoke slowly. "Although I've lost most of my memory, I seem to have some recollections of the war four years ago. For example, where did the soldiers conscripted from various parts of the country go at that time?"
Four years ago, Zhang Jingxian's cousin Zhang Rushan and twelve other young men from Xishan Village were drafted into the army and have not been heard from since.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jingxian's breath stopped. The woman he was talking about must be Aunt Qin.
In her previous life, after those people came to reveal his identity, she asked him many times to help find her cousin.
However, she mustered up the courage to leave her hometown for him, but in the end she only received a cold response.
"You are not allowed to meddle in military affairs at will."
At that time, Zhang Jingxian was very lost and frightened. Later, some things happened and she was completely disappointed. She chose to leave quietly.
Until her death, she still didn't know whether her cousin was dead or alive, or where he was.
Now, Xie Yun said that he knew news about his cousin.
Zhang Jingxian pursed her lips tightly, feeling like a poisonous snake slowly crawling behind her and hissing in her ears.
She felt cold all over, and her fingers touched the familiar short bow. As long as she placed the arrow, aimed at him and pulled the bowstring like last time, she would not be fooled by him again.
You won’t feel aggrieved, you won’t be sad, and you won’t die in a foreign land.
At this moment, a plum rolled to the ground.
The purple-red fruit rolled forward and stopped right at Xie Yun's feet.
Zhang Jingxian stared at the plum. The taste of three parts sweet and seven parts sour instantly brought her back to her senses. She lowered her head and whispered something.
"I will take good care of you, my dear. I only hope you can tell me where my cousin is."
"Ah Xian saved my life, and I will tell you everything I know."
Xie Yun achieved his goal and bent down to pick up the plum. The sticky juice on his slender fingers attracted Huang Ying's attention.
A small bird with golden feathers flew down from the treetops and circled around Zhang Jingxian and her in mid-air.
Seeing this, the bored black cat beside him suddenly became energetic. It bent its body slightly, wagging its tail, and prepared to pounce on the yellow warbler.
“Chirp!”
The yellow warbler was so frightened that it flapped its wings desperately and landed on Zhang Jingxian's shoulder.
Seeing that his human friends were about to protect the noisy bird, the black cat shook his long whiskers, turned around and ran into the mountains and forests.
After this little episode, Zhang Jingxian finally regained her composure. She took out another plum and put it on the ground, letting the oriole peck at it.
Xie Yun watched her every move without blinking, suddenly threw away the plum and reached out to her.
"This is for Ah Xian."
Zhang Jingxian took a deep breath and wanted him to stop calling her name, but she tried hard to convince herself to be patient. She had to know her cousin's whereabouts, even if it was just a word.
"My dear, your things are too valuable. I cannot accept them." Her eyes fell on his palm, which was a piece of deep black jade, smooth and delicate, without any patterns.
It was previously inlaid in Xie Yun's hair crown, and was also taken down and given to her in the previous life.
Zhang Jingxian liked it very much and was reluctant to sell it.
She looked at him. Now without the crown, the man's long hair was only partially fixed by a wooden hairpin, and the rest was scattered on his shoulders.
If it were darker, a timid person might have thought he was the incarnation of a mysterious mountain ghost if they saw him.
This time, Zhang Jingxian refused to take it. She always felt that anything that had his scent on it was poisonous.
"Use it to exchange for food and medicinal herbs in Wuyang City. Doctor Meng said my leg injury is difficult to heal. Even if I insist on treating it, it will cost a lot of money."
Xie Yun closed his eyelids, his expression and tone unchanged, even though the pain in his legs reminded him all the time that it was very likely that he would never be able to stand up again and be his original self.
"Don't worry, my dear, it will be cured."
Since it was to heal his legs, Zhang Jingxian did not refuse anymore. She took the black jade from his hand and put it on herself.
As if her action of accepting the black jade pleased the man, Xie Yun smiled, glanced reservedly at the living creatures on the ground, and said that she was hungry.
"Excuse me, Ah Xian, I'll take a walk in the yard."
He turned the wooden wheel, carefully avoiding the uneven bluestone, and looked at the courtyard surrounded by a fence.
Everything was simple and unorganized, but fortunately, all the flowers and plants in front of me were full of vitality and had a wild charm. Even the fence was covered with red, pink, white and purple morning glories, which were quiet and beautiful under the sunset.
Zhang Jingxian was busy in the kitchen, boiling water, bending down to clean the pheasant, washing the plums and mushrooms with water, and then cutting the chicken fat to fry wheat pancakes and eggs.
At the door, Xie Yun's gaze returned to her, his eyes unclear.
Before she knew it, Zhang Jingxian had prepared her evening meal: fragrant mushroom and pheasant soup, salad cucumber, a few fried eggs and wheat cakes.
The delicacy that was originally intended for one person to enjoy alone was placed on the wooden table, but was eaten up by the two of them.
Wheat cakes are rough, but if they are fried with eggs, even though Xie Yun is extremely picky about food, he can't say no.
The pheasant soup with mushrooms is even more delicious, served with cool cucumbers, without leaving any trace.
As night fell, Zhang Jingxian lit the candlestick and finally asked about the whereabouts of her cousin Zhang Rushan.
"I promised to keep you at my home and take care of you. Please tell me some news first."
The dim candlelight did not illuminate the room very brightly. A woman in a plain linen robe sat opposite Xie Yun with a serious look on her face.
The dust on her cheeks had been washed clean, but perhaps due to negligence, the leaf on her head was still there. Its emerald green color and clever placement seemed to add a touch of embellishment to this ordinary farm girl.
There was complete silence all around. Xie Yun recalled what he had learned about her past from that woman and chuckled softly.
"You're willing to break up with your uncle and his family just to avoid marrying your cousin, yet you still care so much about him. Ah Xian's actions are truly baffling."
"Don't you want to be a widow after getting married?"
"No!" Zhang Jingxian suddenly turned her head away, but did not answer why he was unwilling to marry her cousin.
Will anyone understand? A woman's simple persistence.
She wants to live with the one she truly loves and live the life she wants, instead of obeying the arrangements of her elders and letting them decide the rest of her life for her.
"Your cousin, he's still alive."
Four years ago, in the battle of Huainan alone, more than a thousand soldiers were killed or wounded, which meant that thousands of families lost sons, brothers and fathers.
Xie Yun didn't know the exact location of an ordinary young man in Xishan Village, but he was sure that the person was still alive.
Because he strictly stipulated that the families of all soldiers who died in battle must be informed and compensation money and food must be paid.
On this point, Xie Yun believed that no one would dare to go against his wishes.
"The village has not received a single grain of food, so my cousins and the others are still alive." Hearing this, Zhang Jingxian sniffed and laughed happily.
Because of this, she no longer felt disgusted with Xie Yun.
She stood up, her eyes sparkling.
"Thank you, my dear!"
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Muah, if you like it, please add it to your collection~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
