A refreshing herbal scent wafted over, and before Jiang Yuchen could react to what was happening, Shen Yuan tackled him to the ground. He lay on the damp grass, his eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the girl on top of him.
What...what is she trying to do?
Why did she suddenly jump into his arms?
Could it be that she liked him too much and couldn't control herself, so she couldn't suppress her feelings and threw herself into his arms?
Jiang Yuchen pursed his lower lip, his nostrils filled with the fragrance of Shen Yuan. He was stiff all over, afraid to open his eyes, his cheeks burning, and he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.
Shen Yuan is being so proactive!
Is it not a good idea for him to push her away so rashly?
After all, girls are easily embarrassed, and this initiative may have exhausted all her courage. How could he push her away? That would be too hurtful to a girl!
Jiang Yuchen gently raised his hand, tentatively holding it in mid-air. At this moment, should he embrace Shen Yuan and gently pat her back?
But... they have no marriage agreement, no family ties, and are of different genders. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for them to hug each other so abruptly?
Jiang Yuchen lowered his hands.
After all, a woman's reputation is of paramount importance.
He's still young, and his marriage is entirely arranged by his parents. He can't give her a home yet, so it's best not to do anything that might cause misunderstandings for the girl. After all—
Jiang Yuchen hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly felt a cool sensation on his cheek, as if some liquid had dripped onto his face.
Jiang Yuchen puffed out his cheeks, wondering if Shen Yuan had cried, when he felt something cool and slippery brush against his face.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Shen Yuan sitting on him, holding a water snake that was two arms long in her hand. A dagger was stuck in the snake's head, and its dark red tongue, like a dead earthworm, hung limply on the snake's sharp teeth.
Tick-tock—
Tick-tock—
Thick, foul-smelling, dark green liquid dripped down the snake's head and landed on Jiang Yucheng's white satin robe with gold flowers.
"Aaaaaah!!! There's a snake! There's a snake! Help—"
Jiang Yuchen screamed, shoved Shen Yuan aside, scrambled to his feet, and rushed toward the carriage as if his life depended on it.
The servant quickly protected Jiang Yuchen.
Jiang Yuchen hid inside the carriage, touched the bile on his face, and felt another chill run down his spine.
He huddled in the carriage, trembling like a leaf, until the servant comforted him: "Young master, don't be afraid, Miss Shen has already killed that water snake! It's alright now!"
Jiang Yuchen finally calmed down.
He carefully pushed the car window open a crack and looked at Shen Yuan not far away.
Shen Yuan squatted on the edge of a small pond next to a willow tree, used a dagger to pry open the head of a water snake, skillfully took out its gall bladder, and washed it in the water.
The cool moonlight fell from Shen Yuan's hair, and the girl's face was calm, with no superfluous emotions in her eyes.
After cleaning the snake gallbladder, Shen Yuan wiped it with a handkerchief and then stood up.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuchen shuddered again.
He shouldn't be afraid of that water snake.
What's more terrifying than a water snake is actually the lichen!
When Shen Yuan walked to Jiang Yuchen's carriage, Jiang Yuchen had already washed his face again. When he saw Shen Yuan coming over, Jiang Yuchen did not get off the carriage, but only poked his head out of the window.
"You...you're a girl, and...you're not afraid of snakes!"
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "I'm a herb gatherer. Snake gallbladders are excellent medicinal materials. Over the years, I've killed at least five hundred, if not a thousand. What's there to be afraid of?"
Jiang Yuchen choked.
Are all female herb gatherers this fierce?
"How could you be so dense? Didn't you even notice the snake in the grass behind you? It crawled all the way up your clothes to your waist, and you didn't even see it!"
As Shen Yuan spoke, she shook the water snake's corpse again.
Although this snake is not venomous, a bite from it can cause pain for several days.
Jiang Yuchen saw the snake in Shen Yuan's hand and slammed the window shut in fright: "You...you only wanted the snake gall for medicine, right? You've already taken out the gall, why haven't you thrown this snake away yet?"
Shen Yuan: "It's such a waste to throw it away. I'll make you snake soup tomorrow morning!"
"I won't drink! I won't drink!" Jiang Yuchen roared. "I want to go home! I want to go home! Quickly, turn around and go back to Jinling!"
The coachman and his servant also wanted to return to the city, but they had already come so far that they couldn't get back in a short time. Besides, it was almost dawn, and they were still awake and extremely sleepy, making it impossible for them to continue their journey.
All I could do was advise Jiang Yuchen to rest here for the night and return to the city tomorrow morning.
Jiang Yuchen dared not sleep here. What if new water snakes came out of the pond?
But it was true that it was difficult to travel in the dark. Jiang Yuchen hesitated for a long time before finally giving in. He asked the coachman to move the carriage far enough away from the pond and willow trees, then lit firewood around the carriage before going to sleep.
Shen Yuan rested in her carriage for two hours.
As dawn broke, she emerged from the carriage, feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Seeing that Jiang Yuchen's carriage was still parked not far away, Shen Yuan, who was obviously still asleep, took out a small pot from the carriage and started cooking.
In his sleep, Jiang Yuchen suddenly smelled the aroma of millet porridge.
He groggily opened his eyes, pushed open the car window, and saw Shen Yuan sitting under a willow tree by the pond, wearing a light green apron, bending over and stirring something in a pot.
After having a servant bring water to wash his face, Jiang Yuchen changed his clothes and then got out of the carriage.
He walked towards Shen Yuan, where the aroma of the food grew even stronger.
But thinking of the snake soup that Shen Yuan had mentioned last night, Jiang Yuchen stopped three steps away from Shen Yuan.
He craned his neck to peek at the small iron pot next to Shen Yuan: "What are you cooking?"
"Breakfast is millet porridge, green vegetables, and a plate of fried food. Would you like to have some with us?" Shen Yuan looked at Jiang Yuchen and the coachman and servant behind him.
The servant rubbed his stomach and stepped forward without hesitation: "Miss Chen, are there any for us too?"
"Yes." Shen Yuan nodded. "There's extra!"
"Thank you, Miss Chen!" The servant hurried to get bowls and chopsticks. Although they had brought some dry food, nothing beats a hot bowl of congee and side dishes.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuchen shouted, "Bring me my bowl and chopsticks too!"
"Alright, young master!"
The servant quickly brought bowls and chopsticks. In addition to the bowls and chopsticks, they also rummaged through the carriage and found two jars of pickled vegetables and a dish of fried peanuts, which they placed on the small wooden table.
Everyone sat around the table.
Jiang Yuchen, holding his bowl, pointed with his chopsticks at the bright green vegetables on the plate, the variety of which he couldn't identify, and asked, "What kind of vegetable is this? I've never seen it before."
Shen Yuan said, "It's lamb's quarters, I just dug it up from the grass over there."
"Wild vegetables?" Jiang Yuchen paused with his chopsticks. Wild vegetables were too bitter and not tasty at all. He shook his head, then turned his chopsticks and picked up some fried food from the plate next to the amaranth.
It's coated in flour and deep-fried, looking golden and crispy, and sprinkled with dogwood powder; it should taste delicious.
Thinking this, Jiang Yuchen picked up a piece and put it in his mouth—
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