1. Chapter 1 Picked Up
Zhangjia Village is located in the southwest of Kunshan. The rolling mountains are like a guardian god, nurturing the people here.
Because it is backed by the mountains, Zhangjia Village is not considered poor. Young and strong men can always go to the mountains to hunt some prey, and even children can pick some fruits and wild vegetables in the mountains.
A steady drizzle had been falling for seven or eight days, and the sky still hadn't cleared up. Xiaoxiao sat in the thatched cottage for a long time, feeling a heavy weight on her heart.
She hated rain, and it was on such a rainy day that grandma fell and she never opened her eyes again.
She missed her grandmother and her brother. Her brother had been on the battlefield for more than a year and no one knew when he would return.
Xiaoxiao lay in front of the window, sitting there in a daze for a long time, until her stomach started rumbling again, and then she came to her senses.
In order to save food, she has only had one meal a day recently. It was not even dark yet, but she was hungry again. When the rain became lighter, Xiaoxiao put on her hat and carried a small bucket to the stream to try to catch any fish.
Because it was still raining, there was no one outside. Under the gray sky, Xiaoxiao's thin figure looked particularly frail.
She was unlucky today and still caught nothing. As it gradually darkened, Xiaoxiao put away her net and fishing rod in frustration. When she was about to leave, she saw a person washed ashore, only a dozen steps away from her.
Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't exactly a brave person; she used to be afraid to even sleep alone. It was only in the six months since her grandmother passed away that she gradually adapted.
Xiaoxiao plucked up her courage and walked towards the man.
As I got closer, the man's handsome face came into view. His eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were tightly closed, his skin was as cold as jade, but his lips were an abnormal red, as if made of blood.
Xiaoxiao had never seen such a handsome man. For a moment, she thought she had encountered a fox demon in the mountains. She subconsciously held her breath and was stunned for a while before she realized that he was injured.
She mustered up her courage and called out, "Hello."
The man didn't move or react at all. His luxurious robe was stained with blood and water, and he looked a little shabby.
Xiaoxiao squatted down tentatively and touched the tip of his nose, fearing that he had stopped breathing like his grandmother.
Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his warm breath. She plucked up her courage and shook the man's shoulders, but he still showed no sign of waking up.
Xiaoxiao was in trouble. The rain got heavier and the crackling raindrops hit the man one by one. He was unconscious and the wound on his waist and abdomen was still bleeding. The wound looked very horrifying. If nothing was done, he might lose his life from excessive blood loss.
Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment and tried to lift him up, but failed. His legs were so weak that Xiaoxiao had no way to lift him up.
She was so anxious that sweat broke out on the tip of her nose, and her hat fell to the ground. The raindrops as big as beans soon wet her hair.
Xiaoxiao covered his injured area with her hat and ran back home carrying the bucket. She pushed out the cart, which was made by her brother three years ago and could be used to carry some things.
Xiaoxiao took great pains to drag him onto the cart. At this moment, a porcelain bottle rolled out of his arms. The ground was wet and the bottle fell to the ground with a dull thud. Xiaoxiao picked up the bottle.
There was no doctor in the village, and if you wanted to see a doctor, you had to run ten miles to the town. Xiaoxiao had no money to hire a doctor, so she pulled a cart and brought him home.
There are only three thatched houses in the house. One is the kitchen, and the other two are used for living. One is for her brother, and the other is for her and her grandmother. Her brother's house is leaking, and it is raining now. Xiaoxiao directly pushed the man into her and her grandmother's room.
After all this trouble, the sky was completely dark, the rain was getting heavier, and when lightning struck, the barking of dogs could be heard from the village from time to time.
Xiaoxiao lit a candle in the dark and moved him to the bed.
The man's robe was wet and he had wounds on his body. It was impossible for him to lie there. Xiaoxiao took off his outer robe and his inner clothes, leaving only his underwear.
Under the dim light, the man's jade-like skin was completely revealed. He looked thin, but his body was very strong. The knife wound on his abdomen looked very hideous.
The knife wound was very deep and was still bleeding. Xiaoxiao didn't dare to look at it any longer. She picked up a clean handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood around it.
Her brother often went hunting and was often injured. The family was poor and could not afford expensive medicinal herbs. Xiaoxiao still remembered which herbs had the effect of stopping bleeding. There happened to be some left at home, so she took the herbs.
By the time they applied medicine to him and bandaged his wound, half an hour had passed. Xiaoxiao was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back. She poured a bowl of water and gulped down two bowls before she felt her stomach feel a little better.
Xiaoxiao finished drinking the water, went to the bed and looked at him.
The man's face was as white as jade, and his eyes were still closed. Even though he was seriously injured, one could still see some fierceness in him. Xiaoxiao had never seen such a handsome man, and she couldn't help but look at him again and again.
She lay at the head of the bed, watching silently for a while, and only went to sleep when she saw that he showed no sign of waking up.
There was only one bed in the room, so she simply brought in some wheat straw, spread it on the ground, and then put a mattress on top of it and slept directly on the ground.
It was still raining outside. The endless rain made Xiaoxiao a little breathless. She hugged her grandmother's clothes tightly and fell asleep unknowingly.
In the past six months, she has been alone at home. She is scared every time she goes to bed. Although the person she suddenly picked up has an unknown origin, Xiaoxiao still feels at ease.
She was finally not alone anymore.
By the second half of the night, the rain finally stopped completely.
Xiaoxiao was worried about something and didn't sleep well. After waking up, she went to check on the bed.
The man was still unconscious. Xiaoxiao only took off his underwear before going to bed and did not touch his pants, which were still very wet. Seeing his flushed face, Xiaoxiao felt a little worried and reached out to touch his forehead.
His forehead felt very hot, and it actually broke out in his head. Whatever he feared came true.
Xiaoxiao's eyes swept across his wet trousers, and a look of struggle appeared on her fair and tender face.
After hesitating for a moment, she pulled down his pants. Even though she didn't see anything, the twelve-year-old girl already had gender awareness.
Her face felt a little hot, and she groped for a cloth to carefully wipe his wet legs. After drying them, she poured some of her brother's white wine and wiped his body.
She didn't know how long she had been rubbing, and only when she noticed his temperature had dropped did she breathe a sigh of relief.
After daybreak, Xiaoxiao quietly gathered up the straw and mattress, put on her backpack, and went out, planning to go up the mountain.
The road is not easy to walk on after the rain.
At this time, parents do not allow their children to go up the mountain. Even if there was food at home, Xiaoxiao would not go up the mountain. The food left for her by her grandmother was almost gone, so Xiaoxiao could only find something to eat as soon as possible.
She pressed her empty stomach and walked up the mountain carefully.
Because of the continuous light rain for several days, there are many more mushrooms and fungus on the mountain than usual. Xiaoxiao had a good harvest today. After a few hours, she almost filled the entire backpack. It is a pity that she did not find any precious medicinal herbs this time. She only found a few plants of ground lily and half-branched lotus.
Despite this, she still felt satisfied, and her eyes were brighter when she went down the mountain.
As the road was slippery, it was very difficult to go down the mountain. Xiaoxiao was carrying a bamboo basket of things and walked very slowly. When she finally arrived at the foot of the mountain, the sun was about to set. The fiery red afterglow dyed the entire sky and covered the mountains and forests with a layer of orange and yellow color.
Xiaoxiao wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose. At this moment, she heard the children fighting. Her heart tightened and her body subconsciously became alert.
She hesitated for a moment, then hid in the woods with the bamboo basket on her back. She did not come out until the noise of the children's fighting faded away.
Her home was in the northwestern corner of Zhangjia Village, a little distance away from the stream. When she was about to see the three thatched houses, Xiaoxiao saw the group of children running towards her again.
When she tried to get away quickly, she was already seen.
When they saw her, the group of people stopped laughing. The little girl in the lead was about the same height as Xiaoxiao. Her name was Zhang Ying. The other children were all wearing gray coarse cloth clothes, but she was the only one wearing a light green dark-flowered, double-breasted, narrow-sleeved jacket with a silver hairpin in her hair.
She is the little granddaughter of the village head. As the only girl in the family, she is very favored at home. She always has candies in her pockets. She is the most dazzling person in the village, and many children like to play with her.
She had never liked Xiaoxiao, and when she saw Xiaoxiao, she didn't look happy either. She immediately pinched her nose and said sarcastically, "What bad luck!"
Of course, she wasn't the only one who felt unlucky. Another girl followed suit, pinching her nose and saying unhappily, "You stink so bad, and you still have the nerve to go out!"
Xiaoxiao frowned and ignored him.
She quickly walked around them, wanting to go home as soon as possible, but someone grabbed her bamboo basket. The little boy said angrily, "You want to leave? You haven't given me the good stuff yet!"
As he said this, he went to pull Xiaoxiao's backpack.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
