Whenever it rained, Ji Tong’s grandmother’s legs would ache terribly, and she had been lying in bed for half the day.

In the evening, the rain grew heavier, pouring down like pillars. Last night Ji Tong had dragged He Feng into conversation until the middle of the night, so the next day she was too sleepy to keep her eyes open. After lunch, she climbed into bed to sleep, and if Zhou Xin hadn’t called her, she probably would have slept until dark.

Zhou Xin had hit someone with her car and was currently at the hospital. The phone was filled with noisy arguing and quarreling, so cacophonous that it was hard to hear her speak. Zhou Xin cursed as she walked to a less crowded area, her voice becoming clearer, “Why isn’t your grandmother answering her phone?”

“She’s sleeping – probably didn’t hear it because her phone was under her.”

“Mom hit someone and is now at the hospital. I have more things to deal with later, so I’ll be back late. Don’t wait for me.”

“Okay. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Are grandmother’s legs still hurting? Don’t let her cook – I’ll order takeout for you two.”

“No need, I’ll just make some noodles.”

“That works too. Be careful.”

“Don’t be anxious either. Handle things slowly, and drive carefully on your way back.”

“Okay, okay. Mom has to hang up now, we’ll talk later.”

“Goodbye.”

Ji Tong hung up the phone and went to check on grandmother’s room. She was still sleeping, with faint snoring sounds. So Ji Tong quietly closed the door, put on an apron, and went to the kitchen to find noodles and wash some vegetables. Her cooking skills weren’t great, but she could manage simple things like cooking porridge and noodles.

She was chopping scallions when He Feng appeared silently beside her, quietly watching her concentrate on her work. Ji Tong put the scallions in a small bowl and turned to get water, only then noticing He Feng, “When did you arrive?”

“When you were chopping scallions.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I was afraid of startling you and making you hurt your hand.”

Ji Tong turned on the stove to boil water, leaning against the counter to look at him, “How come you came to find me on your own today?”

“It’s raining, so I wanted to check on you.” He paused, then added, “Don’t want to see me? Then I’ll leave.”

“Don’t go.” Ji Tong straightened up and unconsciously reached out to grab him, grasping at air. Her fingers curled and she quietly lowered her hand, “Don’t leave.”

He Feng didn’t move, “What are you making?”

“Grandmother isn’t feeling well again, so I’m making dinner – cooking noodles.”

“Cook more.”

“You want to eat too?” Ji Tong said with a smile.

“Will you burn some for me?”

“Sure.”

“It’s too much trouble, forget it.”

“How about you possess my body and eat a little? Taste my cooking.”

Under the brim of his hat, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, “I don’t need to eat. Hurry up and cook – the water’s boiling.”

Ji Tong took out a bundle of noodles and put them in the pot, adding seasonings and vegetables. He Feng watched the white noodles in the pot intently.

Ji Tong glanced at him and waved her hand, but He Feng stared at the pot without moving.

“What are you thinking about?”

He Feng was quiet for a while, then said, “I remembered when you used to make noodles before, and Qing Yangzi and I spent a long time on the noodles nearby.”

Ji Tong’s face reddened as she listened. He Feng was reminiscing about noodles, but her mind was full of what happened before and after making noodles. She controlled her heartbeat and quickly tried to divert her attention, “Right, Qing—”

She swallowed the rest of her words halfway through. Regardless of whether Qing Yangzi had died in that raid or not, she shouldn’t ask these questions and make him more sorrowful.

“I’ll burn some for you. It’s no trouble – you seem to really want some.”

He Feng looked away at her, “Next time.”

Ji Tong’s ears turned red under his gaze. Damn it, why was she thinking about those things again?

He Feng knew what she was thinking. If this continued, her ears would probably be more cooked than the noodles in the pot, “You cook. Be careful. I’ll go out for a bit.”

Ji Tong nodded, stirring the soft noodles randomly with chopsticks.

Just as they were done, grandmother came out following the aroma, “Tongtong, why are you cooking?”

“Mom isn’t coming home for dinner, so we’ll just eat something simple.” Ji Tong carried out a bowl, “Go lie down, I’ll bring it to you.”

“I won’t lie down anymore. My legs suddenly stopped hurting – usually they ache for two or three days.” She lifted her feet and muttered to herself, “They don’t hurt at all, and I feel particularly energetic. What’s going on?”

“Be careful, don’t fall.”

“It must be your grandfather protecting me.” Grandmother was full of energy and went to the kitchen to get chopsticks, “Let me taste little Tongtong’s cooking.” She slurped a big mouthful, “You didn’t put enough salt.”

“Should I add more?”

“This is just right – it’s good to eat lightly.”

After dinner, Ji Tong gathered the bowls and chopsticks to wash them, but grandmother stopped her, “I’ll do it. Go back to your room. I feel completely comfortable now, like my meridians have been cleared.”

Ji Tong was pushed aside, “Alright, call me if you need anything.”

“Go on, go on.”

He Feng was standing in Ji Tong’s room, holding a book.

“My grandmother’s legs suddenly got better, and she told me to come in and rest.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t use some kind of magic power, did you?”

“It’s not called magic power.”

“Then what’s it called?”

“Ghost power?”

“Then you can help people cure illnesses.”

“No, it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. It’s just temporarily better.”

Ji Tong looked at his book – it was actually high school mathematics, “Where did you get this textbook?”

“We have bookstores too.”

“…” Ji Tong found this incredible, “Does the underworld have college entrance exams too?”

“Not really.”

Ji Tong had an ominous feeling, and sure enough, the next second she heard He Feng say, “Starting today, we’ll study together. I’ll supervise you – no slacking off.”

“…”

…

Ji Tong was dejected all day.

She had scored fourth place – just missing it by so little!

Zhou Xin picked her up from school, seeing her hanging her head dejectedly, “What’s wrong? In a bad mood?”

“Didn’t do well on the exam.”

“Wasn’t it fourth place?”

“Mm.”

“That’s already great! You were out of school for most of the year, and this was your first exam in so long. Mom is very satisfied.”

Ji Tong looked out the window and sighed mournfully, “Just two points short.”

“What do you mean two points short?”

Ji Tong knocked her own head, “I clearly knew that problem! How could I be so careless!”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t hit yourself. Study slowly, don’t rush. Whatever you can achieve is fine. Don’t pressure yourself. Even if you can’t get into a good school later, ordinary universities are fine too. Mom just wants you healthy and happy. Don’t think too much – just do your best in everything. The results don’t matter. Did you hear me?”

Ji Tong responded perfunctorily.

This was the first time she so desperately didn’t want to see He Feng, yet she was afraid that if he knew she had scored fourth place, he really would never come again.

There was still a month until the next exam.

Thirty days – that was too long.

She sadly took a shower and lay sprawled on her desk looking at the test papers. The more she looked, the angrier she got, and she crumpled them all up and threw them in the corner.

“Why throw them away?”

Ji Tong immediately turned around and saw He Feng standing at the door. She pursed her lips, “I lost.”

“The results came out?”

“Mm.”

“What rank?”

“Fourth.”

“Only one rank short.” Seeing she was about to cry from sadness, He Feng said, “That’s not bad either. Then as originally agreed, three questions.”

Ji Tong looked up at him excitedly, then immediately lowered her eyes, “Forget it. We agreed on third place – I admit defeat.”

He Feng smiled, “So serious.”

“A bet is a bet.”

“Then I’m leaving?”

Ji Tong looked at him helplessly with furrowed brows. He Feng came to her side and said gently, “Top three was your bet, top five was my bet. In your case you lost, but in mine I won. What do you want to know? Ask away.”

“But—”

“Relax the first time. Next time, I’ll be strict.”

“Then I’ll ask.”

“Go ahead.”

Ji Tong gripped her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms, and asked, “How did you die?”

“I died of illness.”

“Illness? You died of illness at thirty-five?”

“Mm.”

“What illness?”

“Is this the second question?”

“Yes.” Ji Tong looked at him seriously, “I want to know.”

“Accumulated fatigue and illness – head, heart, limbs, internal and external injuries. I’m not clear on the specific illness.”

“Left from fighting wars?”

He Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes showing amusement, “The third question?”

Ji Tong quickly shook her head, “I won’t ask that.”

“Think clearly before asking.”

“I want to hear about what happened after you returned to the stronghold that day, from beginning to end.”

“We fought a battle and lost. The Japanese bombed us, burned everything, and killed everyone.” He Feng was too calm – when mentioning these events, there was no emotional fluctuation, as if he were talking about things completely unrelated to himself, “Although they didn’t have many people, their weapons were advanced. The stronghold already lacked guns and ammunition – we couldn’t win. We couldn’t hold out for long. Defeat was inevitable.”

“Then how did you survive?”

“I was shot and knocked unconscious by an explosion. When I woke up, Qing Yangzi had taken me to hide in a small cave in the Western Mountains. The wound was infected and I had a fever – nearly died there. Fortunately, Qing Yangzi knew a bit about herbal medicine and somehow managed to save me. The Japanese didn’t find my body and searched all over the mountain. As you know, there were many traps and mechanisms in the mountains, especially in the Western Mountains. Initially they rushed in recklessly and suffered twice, so they didn’t dare venture in carelessly anymore. They slowly searched inward. Qing Yangzi and I were almost discovered when Bai Ge appeared.”

“Then what?”

“He saved us but died tragically under the devils’ guns. At that time, I was determined to fight the little devils to the death, but Qing Yangzi disagreed. Though younger than me, he was much more level-headed in situations. He said as long as the green mountains remain, there would be opportunities for revenge later. I disagreed, so he knocked me out with one punch and carried me away. When I woke up again, I was already at the foot of the mountain.”

Seeing her indignant expression, He Feng smiled, “Want to continue listening?”

Ji Tong nodded.

“The devils wanted the coal mine. They didn’t kill the brothers in the mine but forced them to work day and night without rest, killing those who resisted. Qing Yangzi and I stayed at a friend’s house in the countryside for a while. After my wounds healed, we went to find Second Uncle – do you remember him? The one who gave you the knife.”

“I remember.”

“Second Uncle didn’t have many men – just over a hundred. We quietly entered the mine at night, killed dozens of guarding devils, seized their equipment, then joined with the brothers inside to blow up the mine tunnels. Tanaka Hisatomo and his men were stationed at Lei Village. By the time they heard the commotion and arrived, it was too late. Later we fought another fierce battle. In the end, fewer than ten of us survived, but at least we wiped them all out.”

Ji Tong clenched her fists, angry and chest-tight, “Then what?”

“After settling everything, I went to your house to find you. Your father deliberately provoked me, saying you had been drowned in the pond. I didn’t believe it at first, but when I couldn’t find you anywhere, I spent two days searching underwater. Later your fourth brother found me and told me you had gone to Suzhou, so I went to Suzhou to look for you, but still couldn’t find you.”

“I went back to look for you. I went up the mountain through that secret passage you told me about, but the stronghold had been burned down and everyone was… Later I can’t remember anything – what happened, where I went, I can’t recall any of it.” Ji Tong sighed, “They were too hateful.”

“So you must study hard and make yourself strong, so others won’t dare bully you. Just like the slogan posted in your classroom – study for the rise of China.”

Ji Tong sadly slumped over the back of her chair, her head drooping.

“Alright, questions answered. You should study now. I also need to go out on patrol.”

“I can’t focus on studying now.” Ji Tong raised her head, looking at him with emotion. Suddenly her nose stung and tears welled up in her eyes, “Don’t go. Stay with me a while longer.”

“Don’t cry.” He Feng crouched down, looking up at her, smiling gently and speaking softly, “Your personality is so different from your past life.”

“Hm?”

“The you from before was covered in thorns, your eyes full of worries, with a head full of schemes. Compared to then, you’re much more innocent now, and much more fragile too.”

Ji Tong blinked, holding back tears, “Don’t you like it anymore?”

“No matter what you become, my feelings for you will never change.”

“But have you thought about this – I am her, but I’m no longer purely her. She’s just a memory to me.”

He Feng looked at her sad expression and suddenly disappeared. Ji Tong’s body shook as she looked left and right, thinking he had left, “He Feng.”

“He Feng—”

The little white dog on the bed suddenly flew up, floating in mid-air.

Ji Tong looked at it in surprise, “He Feng?”

The little white dog hovered motionlessly in front of her face.

“Is that you?”

Its soft little paw reached out and touched her forehead.

In that moment, Ji Tong’s mind went blank, but tears poured out like spilled water, unstoppable.

The little white dog wiped away her tears.

Just as Ji Tong was about to hug it, the little white dog fell to the ground. He Feng materialized before her, “Alright, time to study. Time is precious – it shouldn’t be wasted on melancholy and dwelling on the past, which serves no purpose.”

“…”

Ji Tong picked up the toy dog, dusted it off, and put it back on the bed, “What about you?”

“Going out for a bit.”

She responded with a dejected “Oh.”

“Then I’ll come back to keep you company.”

…