Chapter 63
Gu Ran quickly entered the last digit of the coordinates. Without having time to carefully explore the space after the opening of space grid No. 3, he immediately moved Pei Liuniang out of the workshop.
Fortunately, she acted quickly and moved Pei Liuniang out of the workshop before she opened her eyes.
Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, at least the person was awake.
"You...are Gu Erniang?"
Pei Liuniang struggled to stand up, her face full of confusion, doubt, and surprise. She then looked around, "Is this a miasma forest?"
"Yes, I went into the mountains today and saw you fall into a trap. Are you okay?"
Gu Ran told her about how he went into the mountains to hunt and discovered Pei Liuniang. He also explained that the trap she fell into was set by him to avoid her suspicion.
"Why are you in the miasma forest? And you're injured?"
When Pei Liuniang heard that it was Gu Erniang who saved her, she looked at Gu Ran for a long moment, then listened to her question. After a moment's silence, she said, "I met a madman and was beaten by him."
Madman? There's a madman in Lantau Forest?
She has been going in and out of the Lantau Forest for several months, but how come she hasn't seen any madmen in the forest?
Gu Ran was skeptical.
"No, there is a madman in this forest, but on the island opposite..." Pei Liuniang paused here and then started coughing.
"Tell me slowly, you're still injured." Gu Ran urged hurriedly, "I've applied medicine to all the injuries I saw outside, but I don't know if you have any other injuries? Are they serious? If not..."
Gu Ran stopped talking here. She saw blood oozing out of Pei Liuniang's hand as she covered her mouth with her hands to cough.
Is it that serious? He's even coughing up blood. Is his heart and lungs injured?
"Pei Liuniang?"
"It's okay, I can hold on." Pei Liuniang looked at the blood on her hands and wiped it on the ground. "Is there any water?"
“Yes, yes.”
In order to cope with the night in the cave, Gu Ran had already taken out some things that might be needed for camping in the mountains from the workshop and prepared them in advance.
The pot for boiling water, the bowl for drinking water, and the jar for cooking food were all put aside.
The hot water had been boiled long ago and stored in space compartment No. 8. Gu Ran took a bowl and put it in it. After testing the temperature and finding it was not hot, he handed it to Pei Liuniang. While she was drinking the water, he fanned the dying campfire and added some firewood to make the fire burn more vigorously so as to keep her warm.
It's really cold to spend the night in the mountains.
Gu Ran turned around and touched the bamboo basket he usually carried on his back. In fact, he used the bamboo basket to take out the quilt that was used to cover the bed in the workshop, and then draped it over Pei Liuniang.
"Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Pei Liuniang was originally feeling chilled by the cold wind, but suddenly she had a quilt on her body and felt warm immediately.
She glanced at the soft quilt hanging on her body, and after hearing Gu Ran's words, she looked up, her eyes reflecting the firelight, bright and clear.
"But I didn't bring anything into the mountains, just some dry food, so I can only make do with what I have."
Actually not.
She has a lot of food in her space, it's all filled up, but she just doesn't want others to know.
Gu Ran placed the jar that was originally filled with hot porridge next to the campfire in a pretentious manner. He also took out some dried meat, tore it into pieces and threw it into the porridge, and added some shredded ginger.
When the weather is cold outside, eat more ginger to warm your stomach and body.
After stirring it evenly with chopsticks, he said, "Fortunately, I cooked the porridge just now. Would you like some porridge?"
Pei Liuniang looked at Gu Ran steadily and nodded.
So Gu Ran took back the bowl she had drunk water from, filled it with meat porridge using a large spoon, and handed it to Pei Liuniang along with chopsticks.
Pei Liuniang saw that she was the only one who had a bowl, "You, don't want to eat?"
"What time is it now? I've eaten a long time ago." Gu Ran grabbed the bamboo tube filled with hot water and took a sip, telling Pei Liuniang to eat without worry.
After being injured and unconscious for so long, Pei Liuniang was indeed hungry, so she did not refuse and slowly drank the whole jar of meat porridge.
The porridge cooked outside can be so delicious.
After eating her fill, Pei Liuniang's complexion regained some of its rosy complexion. She watched Gu Ran pick up all the used bowls and dishes and put them back into the bamboo basket.
Gu Er Niang actually brought so many belongings with her when she went into the mountains. She was very thoughtful.
However, she was just a single woman, and the fact that she dared to enter the miasma forest was really impressive.
"Feeling better?"
After Gu Ran put all the things into the bamboo basket, he walked to Pei Liuniang, picked up the other half of her quilt, covered himself with it, and reached out to add some firewood to the fire.
Pei Liuniang's body stiffened and her breathing stagnated for a few breaths before she went to look at Gu Erniang.
Gu Ran didn't get an answer, and at this time he glanced at Pei Liuniang from the side. Seeing that the quilt on her was about to slide down, he helped her pull it up, and then asked with his eyes:?
Pei Liuniang nodded stiffly.
"Then go to sleep. I'll keep watch and return to the village early tomorrow morning to find a doctor for you."
Pei Liuniang was startled for a moment, then shook her head: "You sleep, I'll keep watch."
"You are a wounded person, you should just rest well. Why are you keeping watch all night?"
"I'm not sleepy."
"Even if you're not sleepy, just close your eyes. You'll fall asleep as you close them."
"But, the miasma forest is dangerous. What if..."
"There's no danger. I've been in this forest many times and nothing has happened. I can even hunt. Otherwise, how would I have found you?"
Although Gu Ran said this, he was still unsure and a little nervous.
Every time she went into Dayu Lin, she was fully prepared. Even if she stayed overnight, she would stay in the workshop. Of course, she had never encountered any danger.
So she had no idea how dangerous the island forest was at night, nor did she want to experience it.
But now Pei Liuniang is there, so I have no choice but to spend the night in the lime tree forest.
She prayed that there would be fewer animals, big and small, coming out in winter, so she could spend the night safely.
Seeing that she was determined to do so, Pei Liuniang said nothing more. She leaned against the wall of the cave and looked at her deeply again. Seeing that she was still signaling for her to close her eyes and rest, she slowly closed her eyes.
But his hands were still clenched into fists, without any relaxation.
Gu Ran just sat aside, roasting the fire, stirring it from time to time and adding some firewood to keep the bonfire from going out. Seeing that the bonfire was not enough, he took advantage of Pei Liuniang's closed eyes and quietly took out some charcoal.
The charcoal fragments were also prepared in advance in the morning and placed in the workshop, just in case there was a need to make a fire when spending the night in the mountains. I didn't expect that they would come in handy now.
Perhaps Gu Ran’s prayers were effective and nothing happened during the night.
At dawn, Gu Ran yawned and gave his quilt to Pei Liuniang, who was still sleeping leaning against the mountain wall. He didn't expect that such a slight movement would wake her up.
"woke up?"
Of course, Pei Liuniang would not tell her that she had not slept all night either, she just had her eyes closed, so she opened her eyes at the slightest noise.
He nodded.
"Can you hold on?"
"Can."
"Then let's heat up some steamed buns and drink some hot water before we set off."
Gu Ran took out a few white flour buns and used a jar to boil some drinking water that she had put in a bamboo basket last night. After the two of them finished eating slowly, Gu Ran packed up all the things and put them in the bamboo basket. When she put away the bedding, she found that the bamboo basket could no longer hold anything.
At the bottom of the bamboo basket were the mountain things she had obtained after entering the mountain as a disguise: several winter bamboo shoots covered with mud, two wild rabbits, and pots, jars, bowls and other things on top. On top of that was the quilt she had taken out of the workshop last night. It seemed unreasonable, didn't it?
After all, when we usually go into the mountains, we put all our things in the workshop, so there is no need to put them in bamboo baskets, which is so troublesome.
Gu Ran was embarrassed for a moment, then silently reached into the bamboo basket, and then took out a few straw ropes from the workshop, asked Pei Liuniang to roll up the quilt, tie the ropes, and then carry it on her back.
It’s the experience I learned when I was just an exile!
While watching Gu Ran tying the quilt onto his back, Pei Liuniang went to pick up the bamboo basket.
"What are you doing?"
"I'll carry this."
"Why are you carrying someone on your back when you're injured?" Gu Ran said unhappily. He put the quilt on the bamboo basket, tied it with a rope, and then carried it on his back.
Tsk, that’s a bit heavy!
She hadn't carried such a heavy bamboo basket for a long time.
She picked up the hoe in one hand and reached out to Pei Liuniang with the other, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly. "Can you walk?"
Pei Liuniang paused again, her ears turning red as she looked at Gu Ran holding her hand.
"Pei Liuniang, are you feeling unwell?"
Pei Liuniang came to her senses and shook her head.
"Can you walk by yourself? Or do you want me to..." carry you?
Gu Ran turned around and glanced at the things on her back. If she couldn't walk, she would have to carry them by herself.
"No, I can walk."
As it turned out, Pei Liuniang could walk, but she walked very slowly and had to stop to rest after walking a certain distance. It seemed that she was seriously injured.
But Pei Liuniang was also stubborn and refused to be carried by Gu Ran, so Gu Ran could only support her and walk slowly, and finally gave her a hoe as a crutch.
"I say, what happened to you? How did you get beaten up like this?" Gu Ran asked as he helped her around the swamp and through the woods. "What did you say about a madman earlier?"
Pei Liuniang looked at Gu Ran holding her hand and lowered her eyelids.
"Do you know that at the end of this miasma forest is the river path?"
"Know."
Gu Ran remembered the island forests he saw every time he took a boat to the county town while sailing on the river.
She had even seen the Wujiang River from the edge of this forest!
"I'll go to the island across the river from this miasma forest."
"You mean, Dunzi Island?"
Gu Ran also knew about the broken island where the two rivers converge. He would pass by this Dunzi Island every time he went to the county town.
Pei Liuniang nodded.
"I went to this island, but there was a madman on the island. He was very powerful, and he was the one who beat me up."
So she had to escape. When she hurriedly boarded the boat to leave, the madman caught up with her. In a panic, she was chased to the edge of the miasma forest. With no other choice, she could only rush into the miasma forest with injuries.
However, he didn't expect that he fell into a trap while searching for a way to survive in the miasma forest.
Gu Ran heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that the person who injured Pei Liuniang was on Dunzi Island, but at the same time he was also worried that if Pei Liuniang could escape into the miasma forest, that madman would not continue to chase her.
Then she wondered, is there anyone on Dunzi Island? How come she had been in Xiaxi Village for so long and had never heard of this? And, "If that's the case, why would you, a woman, go to Dunzi Island and provoke others?"
Pei Liuniang opened her mouth, but this time she said nothing and closed it again.
Gu Ran glanced at her, thinking she didn't want to talk, so he didn't plan to ask any more questions. Unexpectedly, Pei Liu said again: "I'll go find someone."
"oh!"
Seeing that Pei Liu was obviously resistant to this topic, Gu Ran wisely just nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Pei Liu saw that Gu Ran didn't ask any more questions, so he didn't say anything else.
It would normally only take half an hour to get out of the forest, but this time, it took almost a whole day. When Gu Ran helped Pei Liuniang back to Xiaxi Village, the daylight had gradually dimmed.
When Pei Liuniang was in the shallow forest, she saw the strange pavilion outside the forest.
It looks like a tower, but it doesn't look like a tower.
He remembered that this thing didn't exist when he came to Xiaxi Village last time, but although he was puzzled, he didn't ask any more questions.
Gu Ran helped Pei Liuniang pass the windmill house. When they finally reached their own small house, he let her go and opened the door with his key, saying, "Go back to your room and rest first. I'll call a doctor for you."
It would take another half an hour to reach Donglin Township. We had to get there before it got completely dark, so we had to go to the home of Village Chief Wu to borrow a donkey cart.
"No need." Pei Liu shook his head.
"No need? You were beaten by that lunatic until you coughed up blood, and you still don't need it?" Gu Ran looked at Pei Liu and couldn't help but wonder if her brain was damaged or because she was penniless?
"This isn't the first time I've been injured, so I know what to do." Pei Liu pressed his chest and looked at the hands that opened the door. "Could you please take me in for a few days until I'm well again?"
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood.
Pei Liuniang, like herself, probably lives alone in Qinghuai Village. I'm afraid that if she goes back, there will be no one to take care of her.
Gu Ran thought again that if he was injured like Pei Liuniang, he would probably have to lick his wounds by himself, and at most he would have a big orange dog by his side to pet him. Besides empathizing with Pei Liuniang, he couldn't help but feel a little more pity.
"Okay, you can stay here with me and take good care of your injuries. Don't think about anything else."
"Then I would like to thank Gu Erniang."
Gu Ran closed the door, helped Pei Liuniang to the west wing, and then lit the lights before it got completely dark.
After washing and resting, she went to the kitchen to light the fire in the stove, and then boiled water while preparing tonight's meal.
Pei Liu was injured. Seeing that she was coughing up blood, her spleen and lungs were damaged. Naturally, she had to make some food that was nutritious, easy to absorb, and could reduce swelling and pain, and help disperse blood stasis.
I immediately decided to prepare some more soup, but it was too late to make it tonight, so I just drank one of the ready-made dishes in the space: bamboo fungus chicken soup. As for the dishes, I just had taro-flavored spareribs, steamed blackfish, and stir-fried asparagus.
They were all ready-made dishes, so Gu Ran was not in a hurry. He washed and cooked the rice first, and then put the bamboo fungus chicken soup into the jar. He had to wait for a while before taking out the other three dishes and re-plating them, so that if Pei Liuniang ran into the kitchen and saw that he had cooked so many meals in less than half a minute, she would not become suspicious.
After the hot water was ready, Gu Ran scooped some into the wooden tub used for bathing. After adding cold water and feeling the temperature was just right, he carried it to the west wing and knocked on the door: "Pei Liuniang?"
In the wing room, Pei Liu closed the door and locked it, then he breathed a sigh of relief and took off his outer robe, revealing his slender but strong body.
On the fair skin, old and new wounds were mixed together, mottled. On the chest was a purple bruise, which was also the most serious one.
Pei Liu stretched out his hand and frowned.
That old madman, looking at an old and frail man, was not only good with the sword, but his boxing skills were also not to be underestimated. He suffered a great loss this time.
I wonder where this old madman came from?
Pei Liu carefully checked the wounds on his body again and found that except for the bruise, the others were caused by the sword. There were no other serious injuries, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging from the old madman's skills, if he were a few years younger, I'm afraid he would have died this time.
Fortunately, no matter how brave he once was, he is no longer the same.
But unless it is necessary in the future, it is better not to provoke this old madman!
Pei Liu was thinking about this when there was a knock on the door. He heard Gu Erniang calling him. He quickly pulled his clothes together and put them on. He opened the door and saw her and a bucket of hot water.
"You're injured, so it's not easy to bathe. I can only wipe it off first." Gu Ran said, handing her the box containing ointment. "Do you want my help?"
"No, I can do it myself."
"Also, your clothes are dirty, change into another set!" He handed her another set of clothes.
There were inner clothes, outer clothes, thick rabbit-skin socks, and the black fur coat made of bamboo rat fur that she had not had time to wear yet.
"It might be a little big, but I don't have any other clothes right now, so I'll just have to make do with this."
What Gu Ran gave was exactly what Pei Liu needed, so he did not refuse. After thanking Gu Ran, he carried the medicine box and hugged his clothes, watching Gu Ran help carry the bucket of hot water into the west wing.
"Hurry up and we'll have dinner later."
"good."
Pei Liu closed the door again, his eyes fell on the new clothes, and he pursed his lips lightly.
It turns out that having an accomplice is such a good thing!
While Pei Liu was washing up, Gu Ran quickly took out the dishes he had selected from the compartment in space number eight, put them in bowls and plates, and pretended that they were freshly cooked.
The unburned firewood in the stove was not extinguished. It was directly pushed into the charcoal basin with fire tongs. After adding charcoal, it was moved to the main hall in two batches.
He heated up the hall for a while and then had his meal there. After the meal, he placed one charcoal brazier in his room and the other in Pei Liu's room.
The charcoal brazier had just been put away, and Daju, who had been hiding in her room, finally walked over to her and rubbed her with his cat head.
"I know, I know. I'm going to feed you fresh food, right?"
Daju was originally a civet cat that was used to wandering outside. Even if she was not at home for a few days, she knew that no one would feed her, so she knew to go outside to find food. When the weather was cold, she would stay in the cottage more often. Every time she left, Gu Ran would put more dried fish in the cat's bowl in advance.
Afraid that she didn't have enough to eat, she would ask Mrs. Lin Er to come over and help feed her.
The first time a full bowl of dried fish was left for her, Daju had no self-control and ate it all in one go. So Mrs. Lin thought her food was gone and diligently made cat food for her every day.
In just a few short days, the originally skinny big orange cat became fat like dough, with shiny hair, and it grew into a real big orange cat.
While feeding Daju, there was a movement in the west wing. Gu Ran saw Pei Liu carrying used water into the hall and intending to pour it out in the backyard.
The originally disheveled Pei Liuniang has now been cleaned up and restored to the nice young lady she remembered.
Especially the black fur coat. After she put it on, the ill-fitting clothes fell loosely, which added a lazy and noble air to her.
Gu Ran's eyes lit up and he sighed in his heart: Good-looking people really look good in anything they wear.
"Didn't I tell you that injured people shouldn't do such rough work? Do you still want your wound to heal?" Gu Ran stood up and took it. "Please sit down. I've prepared the food. Let's eat!"
After Gu Ran finished speaking, he carried the bathtub to the backyard outside the main hall.
The backyard has now been developed by her bit by bit. The green onions and ginger that she planted at the beginning have all survived. She also planted some chives, betel leaves and other plants, which are also thriving.
It's just so cold today, so everything is wilted.
However, there are still a lot of tuber roots buried underground, and they can still grow in the spring of next year.
Gu Ran poured the water into the ditch, and when she returned to the house, she found that Pei Liu had already brought out all the food she had prepared for tonight from the kitchen and placed it on the table.
"Are these the ones?"
"Here are these!" Gu Ran said, "Eat them first if you're hungry. I'll put the tub in the tub and then come over."
But after she put the bathtub away and scooped water to wash her hands and came into the hall, she found that Pei Liuniang was still sitting upright. She had not picked up her chopsticks, but had asked the chairperson to take the seat first, and the bowl at her seat was filled with hot soup.
A bowl of soup before meals is her dining habit.
It seems that Pei Liuniang took this little thing to heart and even remembered to serve herself first!
Gu Ran's mood suddenly became cheerful. He picked up the soup that Pei Liu had served him and asked Pei Liu to start eating. Pei Liu then picked up his own bowl. He was originally going to open the pot to get some rice, but after a pause, he also filled a bowl of hot soup to warm himself up, just like Gu Ran.
Gu Ran smiled.
Since it was not the first time for both of them to dine together in the cottage, they finished the meal in harmony.
When sending Pei Liuniang back to her room to settle down, Gu Ran also brought in the charcoal brazier.
I didn’t sleep all night in the mountains yesterday. Now that it’s getting dark, I’m going to catch up on some sleep while I’m full and satisfied.
After Gu Ran finished washing up and returned to the room with the charcoal basin left for him, he remembered the space he opened yesterday.
It’s space grid number three!
A space that could accommodate her.
So I went into the workshop and took a look at this newly opened space.
Six hundred cubic meters, and she can move in and out freely. That is to say, if she spends the night in the mountains in the future, she won't have to sleep uncomfortably in such a narrow space in the workshop.
When you go out, you don’t have to pile all your things in the workshop to make it messy.
However, it is not as convenient as space grid No. 8 in storing items, and can only maintain freshness for 30 days.
That is one month.
It can also be used as a transitional warehouse. When there are extra things to stockpile, they can be placed in space No. 3 first. When the one-month deadline is up, some space will probably be cleared in space No. 8, and then the food that needs to be kept fresh in space No. 3 can be moved there.
From this perspective, this space cabinet is extremely convenient.
It's like she has a portable multi-functional warehouse!
After looking around the space in compartment number three, Gu Ran returned to his bed with satisfaction. When he got into bed, he thought of Pei Liuniang again.
Although Pei Liuniang said she was going to Dunzi Island to look for someone, Gu Ran was skeptical.
As early as when he was in exile, he had seen her killing people and processing rabbits, and he had already suspected that Pei Liuniang was not just an ordinary lady from a wealthy family.
What kind of madman have you provoked now? Look at the wounds on his body, they are all sword wounds.
She actually dared to confront the man with a sword. Who is this Pei Liuniang?
She even wondered, could this person be Pei Liuniang?
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