Chapter 49 The Tug-of-War Between Eight and Eighteen Years Old
...
"Brother, there are many sweet wild fruits on the mountain. Could you help me pick them?"
"There are many herbs on the mountain, and I'd like you to help me pick them."
Eighteen-year-old Tu Yao made the same request to him as eight-year-old Tu Yao.
Suddenly, Nan Ke's chaotic emotions from the morning calmed down.
He took off his glasses and chuckled to himself.
Just as Chen Shu said, she is truly amazing.
Although he has amnesia, he can accurately grasp everything he does and every word he says.
He nodded and said calmly, "Okay."
Chen Shu immediately called the person away and couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking?"
Nan Ke's naturally gentle eyebrows curved slightly.
"Didn't you say that I should accept her?"
"Since she wants me to go with her, I'll agree."
Chen Shu retorted angrily, "I told you to accept her, not to agree to her request!"
Having served as Nan Ke's attending physician for nearly ten years, he must know that Nan Ke's biggest problem was that eight-year-old Tu Yao tricked him into that deep mountain, leaving him to endure a month of hardship alone.
Ten years have passed, but the psychological trauma remains.
If Tu Yao were to make any move to abandon him, even unintentionally, it would be an adventure for Nan Ke.
Nan Ke smiled, "But I want to agree."
He was quite curious to see how eighteen-year-old Tu Yao would treat him on the same trip.
Chen Shu pointed out precisely: "You are now like a stubborn, dead duck, having exhausted all other options, and can only use one last hurdle to test her."
They didn't even consider whether this challenge would ruin them.
He advised, "But there's no need for that. You're already getting better. Can't you take it slow?"
Nan Ke suddenly stopped smiling, and said in a slightly serious tone, "Let me figure it out one more time, and see which Tu Yao she really is."
"This time, I will make a careful judgment."
After that, he completely submitted.
The statement fell silent.
After hanging up the phone, Ma Zhiyuan went back to talking to Tu Yaosuan.
"Why do you always hang out with people who have a lot of scandals?"
"It's one thing for Tu Chaoxi to be your idol, but you only just met that other person, and you're already so close to him that you're asking him for help."
That Nan Ke is the same. Is he learning from Tu Chaoxi? He clings to Tu Xiaomao and keeps doing it until he clears his name.
He checked the recent public opinion yesterday and found it strange, since he admitted to plagiarism and arson on the very first day.
After netizens discovered that he was an orphan, they began to speculate whether there was a hidden story behind it.
Ma Zhiyuan said sourly, "Do you guys just like good-looking people?"
Tu Yao blinked: "Teacher Ma, don't be angry. Netizens have praised you too."
Ma Zhiyuan was taken aback, then smacked his lips: "What did you praise me for?"
Tu Yao opened her phone and swiped out a message.
Ma Zhiyuan leaned closer to look and read it aloud, word by word.
"Is Teacher Ma as energetic as someone from Cambodia... huh?!"
"Tu Xiaomao!"
Tu Yao quickly covered her head and ran behind Nan Ke!
Wen Yu and Jiang Ye reacted quickly, each blocking one of Ma Zhiyuan's sides!
"Teacher Ma, calm down! Calm down! My sister didn't mean it."
Enraged, Ma Zhiyuan brandished his claws and shouted, "You brat! She did it on purpose! Let me go! It's either me or her today!"
Tu Yao tugged at Nan Ke's sleeve and grumbled, "Then Teacher Ma has to stick close to me. How about this, you come and help me pick herbs too!"
"Dream on! I'm not helping you!"
"Hmph! Then Teacher Ma can go farm! I'll check when I get back! If not a single one is planted properly, I'll scold you!"
After saying that, she ran over, grabbed Nan Ke's arm, and then turned and ran away aggressively!
Wolf Fang immediately followed suit.
Ma Zhiyuan: !!!
When they stopped, Tu Yao had already led her people into the mountains.
She was panting and glanced behind her: "Alright, alright, Teacher Ma didn't catch up."
Nan Ke was also covered in sweat from running. Looking at his arm, which was red from being gripped so tightly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
I looked up at the mountain.
The mountains in Xianhe Village are not very high, but they are all adjacent to each other and covered with lush vegetation, like an endless maze.
Listening to the chirping of insects all around, Nan Ke had a fleeting illusion of returning to ten years ago.
Tu Yao casually picked two yellow apricots, wiped them, and handed them to him: "They're wild, so they might not taste very good, but they'll quench your thirst."
Two apricots were spread out in her palm.
Nan Ke moved her fingers, took it, but didn't eat it.
He vaguely remembered that when he was eight years old, Tu Yao led him to pick a tree full of bright red fruit.
Nan Ke suddenly asked casually, "Do you like to eat these fruits?"
Tu Yao was taken aback, then shook her head: "I don't like it."
Why don't you like it?
Ten years ago, Tu Yao described how much she loved these beautiful, sweet and sour fruits, hoping her second brother would pick a basketful for her to take home.
But ten years later, Tu Yao casually tossed away an apricot and turned to leave: "Because fruit is worthless, herbs are more valuable."
Her voice was muffled, and her tone carried a hint of stubbornness, making it clear that she genuinely disliked it.
Nan Ke subconsciously continued, "So, do you like wearing pretty clothes? Do you prefer wearing dresses or...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he fell silent again after seeing Tu Yao's floral dress. After a while, he gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
She murmured, "You really do seem different from her..."
Tu Yao couldn't help but turn around and glance at him, saying resentfully:
"I not only like picking herbs, but I also like cooking, I like skirts, especially floral clothes, I like eating candy, especially sweet chocolate, I don't like pine nuts, I don't like picking wild fruits, I don't like going to school, I'm disobedient, I always make Aunt Luo angry, and I take Big Fatty to collect cow dung and play in the mud, causing trouble every day!"
So they're completely different!
After saying that, Tu Yao held her breath and continued walking forward with her head down.
As I walked, I felt a little sad again.
She didn't say that to sever ties with the "Tu Yao" in Nan Ke's memory.
She used the body of "Tu Yao," and even amnesia couldn't sever her ties with this "Tu Yao," but she also had her own subtle persistence.
She liked to pick herbs, herbs that could be sold for money, herbs that could cure the wolf-tooth master's illness.
They also like to grow wheat and corn that can feed the whole village, and button mushrooms that can earn the whole village more money.
But I don't like fruits that are sometimes sour and sometimes sweet, whose performance is unstable and worthless.
Even though she is occupying "Tu Yao's" body and is the one who owes her something, she selfishly hopes that one day more people besides Tu Chaoxi will be able to distinguish between her and "Tu Yao".
...
Nan Ke keenly sensed that Tu Yao was somewhat unhappy.
She was probably annoyed by his questions.
But without needing anyone to comfort her, as soon as she entered the deep mountains, she put aside her emotions, skillfully squatted down, moved a plant, and carefully put it into her basket.
Seeing Langya squatting to one side, he explained earnestly, "This is not a medicinal herb, it's just ordinary Murraya paniculata, which can repel mosquitoes. Doesn't your master live in the mountains? There must be a lot of mosquitoes there."
“I have some dried mugwort and lemongrass at home. I’ll make a medicine sachet for him and you can take it with you.”
Wolf Fang understood, and excitedly darted in and out of the bushes before running off again.
Nan Ke stood to the side, silently watching her.
The next second, she added in a muffled voice, "I'll make one for you too."
Nan Ke was slightly taken aback: "Aren't you angry with me?"
Tu Yao picked another one and whispered:
"You've given birth."
"Your room is next to our village's reservoir. Even though it's autumn, there are still a lot of mosquitoes. You can just hang it by the window."
"How about I give you two? One to hang by the window, and one by the door. Your room is quite small, so two should be enough."
"Oh, right."
Tu Yao tilted her head back and asked in confusion, "Is there any flavor you don't like?"
Nan Ke looked at her quietly, and suddenly calmed down.
The next second, a smile naturally and spontaneously appeared from the inside out.
He couldn't help but cover his eyes. Eight-year-old Tu Yao, eighteen-year-old Tu Yao...
It's actually quite easy to tell.
He just never dared to tell the truth.
Eight-year-old Tu Yao is a clever and sophisticated egoist who is flexible and adaptable in order to maximize her own interests.
For example, she sweet-talked Tu Chaoxi into giving her the odd jobs she earned to buy a pretty dress, and then made him take the blame.
But beneath Tu Yao's unconventional exterior lies an exceptionally gentle nature.
She is like a perfectly round dewdrop, always self-consistent, innocent, harmless, and brimming with natural, gentle vitality.
Nan Ke felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of resignation and compromise.
He smiled slightly: "...There's no flavor I don't like, you can put it anywhere."
Tu Yao nodded, but the next second, her eyes suddenly changed, and she looked at him with some wariness and vigilance.
"Don't move!"
Nan Ke was slightly taken aback: "What..."
Before he could finish speaking, he watched as she slowly got up and backed away step by step.
Nan Ke's heart sank as he drifted into the air.
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