Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
At the village, the boy put down the firewood and invited Lin Che and Gu Jingze to go in. This village was not a large one; it seemed that they could see the other end with one look. Some people had already built brick houses but there were still a few dilapidated mud houses among them. As everyone was preparing for a meal at this time, the smoke from the kitchen chimneys rose in spirals, causing them to feel as if the earth was up in flames.
Lin Che looked around and felt as if she had not lived properly for a long time.
When she looked at this village again, she felt that this was the real world whereas her own life felt like a dream.
To be honest, her life had turned into a dream ever since she met Gu Jingze.
The life she was living now was one she had never thought about. It was also a life that was more and more removed from actual life.
She sighed and looked on as the boy took her inside. He said, "My name is w.a.n.g Dong. You can just call me Dongzi. My grandmother is inside."
The old woman held a walking cane for support. Her hair was gray and she looked to be in her eighties.
"Dongzi, why did you bring someone back without telling me beforehand? We have no more rice at home."
Dongzi said, "I'll go to the shop to buy some now. Grandmother, they were kidnapped by some thugs. That man seems like he's about to die."
"Oh my goodness! It's the devil's work, really. Quick! Help him inside so he can lie down," the old woman hastily said upon seeing Gu Jingze.
Dongzi said, "My father went into town to pick up my sister from school. They will be back in a while. You can rest here first. I'll go and buy rice."
Lin Che quickly thanked him. After thinking for a bit, she took a watch out of her pocket.
She had simply taken it off the shelf when Li Mingyu had gone shopping with her at the mall back then. She did not even ask how much it cost but it was definitely expensive.
She asked, "Is there a pharmacy here?"
"We only have a small pharmacy at the front of the village."
"Take this. Look, it's made of platinum. Can you ask if this can be exchanged for some medicine and bandages?"
Dongzi looked at it and said, "This watch is so pretty. It must be very expensive. I still have money inside. I'll just go and buy medicine."
Dongzi pushed the watch back to her. Lin Che pondered for a bit before saying, "Then, I'll give this watch to you. If you bring it to the city, you should be able to p.a.w.n it for a sizeable sum of money. This is a branded watch from Switzerland. Even if you can't exchange it for a lot of money, you'll get at least a few hundred."
Dongzi glanced at it and did not want to take it. Lin Che said, "Please accept it. Otherwise, I will really feel very guilty. I feel bad about causing you so much trouble."
Dongzi was left with no choice but to say, "Then, I'll take it first."
Lin Che smiled at him.
After Dongzi left, his grandmother brought a pail of water and a towel to them so that Lin Che could wipe Gu Jingze down.
Lin Che looked at Gu Jingze. Then, she looked down and soaked the towel in water. She squeezed it dry, pulled Gu Jingze's hand towards her and wiped the back of his hand. She felt both upset and worried.
There were so many dirt stains all over that she could not see the extent of his injuries.
However, every scratch on his hand felt like a needle p.r.i.c.king her heart.
"Gu Jingze, you must get better. Get better, do you hear me…" She mumbled, lowering her head to remove his clothes so she could wipe him.
Although there were no large wounds, there were small scratches and bruises everywhere. In particular, there were many at his chest and his stomach. It was obvious that he had been punched and beaten but she could not tell whether there was any internal bleeding. His stomach was still soft when she touched it, so even if there was any internal bleeding, it was probably not serious.
She felt slightly relieved. Nevertheless, heart ached for every injury on his body.
When she finally wiped his face clean, the old lady looked at him from the side and said, "Goodness gracious, what a handsome child. Why would anyone beat him so badly?"
Hearing this, tears p.r.i.c.ked at Lin Che's eyes. She said to the old lady, "Because that gang of people is evil."
The old lady said, "Heaven truly pities and protect us. But how did you b.u.mp into these kidnappers? Are you alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I'm alright."
Just then, Dongzi's father came back with Dongzi's younger sister. They were extremely confused upon seeing Lin Che and Gu Jingze who was lying here with wounds all over his body.
They only understood what was happening after the old lady briefly explained to them.
Dongzi's father was a little reluctant. He looked at the two of them and said softly to the old lady, "Dongzi is really too much. He doesn't even know who these people are but he brought them home."
The old lady said, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-storied paG.o.da for the G.o.ds. We can't leave a person to die."
"We don't even know if they are good or bad people. There are so many conmen out there now."
On the other hand, Dongzi's younger sister was immediately interested in Gu Jingze. The twelve-year-old girl said in surprise, "Wow, this older brother is so beautiful." She walked towards them with a spring in her step and kneeled down beside them. She looked at Gu Jingze who was in a deep sleep and said to Lin Che, "Older Sister, my name is Younger Sister w.a.n.g. Who is he? Is he your husband?"
Lin Che nodded vigorously. "Yes. He's my husband."
The little girl looked at Gu Jingze in admiration and actively wanted to help look after Gu Jingze.
Seeing this, Dongzi's father shook his head helplessly. Then, he scoffed and walked out.
The old lady sighed and said to Lin Che, "His wife, Dongzi's mother, was tricked by outsiders into leaving the house to work. She never returned home after that. Thus, he gets worried when he sees outsiders. No need to bother with him."
Lin Che said, "Of course not. In the first place, we're the ones who are intruding. His concerns are not unreasonable either."
At this moment, Dongzi finally came home.
"Older Sister, I bought these for you. Take a look and see which ones are useful."
Lin Che went over to take a look. The medicines were all antibiotics. She could probably use some of them.
Lin Che put the medicine on the bandages and wiped Gu Jingze's wounds with them. She saw Gu Jingze frown as if he felt pain in his sleep, so she exerted less force. However, it was inevitable that some of the large wounds would make him feel unbearable pain.
In the end, he whined and suddenly opened his eyes.
Lin Che quickly held his hands. "Gu Jingze? Does it hurt? I'll be a little more careful."
Gu Jingze grasped her hands tightly and looked at the person before him vigilantly. His gaze relaxed when he realized that it was Lin Che.
"Lin Che?"
His voice was husky like the depressing sound of rain.
Lin Che quickly nodded. "It's me, it's me."
Gu Jingze let out a breath of relief. He wanted to get up but Lin Che immediately pushed him down. "Your body is heavily injured. Even though we've escaped now, we're in a nearby village. We don't know when they will catch up with us. Gu Jingze, how do you feel? Are you still hurting anywhere?"
Gu Jingze merely sat up quietly and stretched an arm out to pull Lin Che into his embrace.
Lin Che inhaled the scent of his body and her mind jolted. It seemed that her many days of worry had vanished with the wind the moment she entered his embrace. She froze for a moment before hugging Gu Jingze tightly as well.
She really did not want to experience something like this again. She never again wanted to feel such worry and to be in a situation where she could lose him any moment.
