When someone stays in one place for a long time, they inevitably develop various attachments. Her debt to the Xi Lin family was now one of her attachments.
After adjusting the blanket corner for Xi Lin Chen, Qing Xia looked around the room, then slowly walked out. The moment she left, the youth on the heated bed suddenly opened his eyes, completely alert—hardly like someone who had just awakened.
Outside the window, there was a faint glimmer of light. The long night was about to pass. Aunt Doihua always rose early, and from the eastern side came the sound of a door opening. The youth lay on the warm bed, his expression somewhat dazed.
One year!
He whispered in his heart: Father, Mother, elder brother, sister—it had already been one year.
Early the next morning, Banbuer and Nakedo were clamoring to go hunting in the mountains. Upon hearing this, Qing Xia was slightly moved, realizing it was nearly New Year again.
Today the northern lands were suffering from heavy snow disasters. Many places had experienced severe blizzards, and not only the Mulian tribe, but even the Northern Xiongnu from the northwest frequently came to raid and plunder the villages in this area. Just a few days ago, they had heard that a small tribe near the Mulian territory had been ransacked. Aunt Doihua didn’t want her two sons to go and spent a long time trying to persuade them. Seeing her extreme worry, Qing Xia stepped forward and said, “Forget it, I’ll go with them.”
The Banbuer brothers were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately cheered their approval. Aunt Doihua had always believed that Qing Xia was a capable person, so seeing her go along, she felt somewhat reassured and said with a smile, “Then go early and return early!”
The western room door creaked open. Qing Xia turned her head and saw the youth wearing Banbuer’s cotton clothes, standing in the doorway. Though his complexion was still somewhat pale, it no longer looked as terrible as when she first met him.
Walking forward a few steps, she saw the youth was about the same size as Banbuer, already nearly as tall as Qing Xia herself. Qing Xia looked at him with a gentle smile and said softly, “I’m going to accompany the Banbuer brothers into the mountains to hunt. I’ll be back tonight. You stay here and heal your wounds properly. Don’t wander around, understand?”
Right after speaking, she suddenly realized her words sounded rather commanding and harsh, so she quickly added, “Is that alright?”
Whether in her previous life or this one, Qing Xia had never been so cautious with anyone. Xi Lin Chen’s mouth curved slightly, and he smiled beautifully and gently, saying, “Alright, be careful.”
Qing Xia was slightly stunned, momentarily feeling as if Xi Lin Yu was standing before her. She became a bit absent-minded and lost in random thoughts, then followed Banbuer and Nakedo on horseback into the mountains.
It must be said that Xuda Lie was an excellent hunter. The three of them worked hard all day and only caught a few pheasants and one rabbit. Qing Xia had confidently followed the two boys, only to discover that once they reached their destination, she was practically a burden. The two laughed at her endlessly, and she returned home filled with indignation.
That evening, Qing Xia stubbornly sought out the village’s old hunters and spent half the night asking theoretical questions. Though Xi Lin Chen wasn’t seriously injured, he had many minor wounds and had been resting in the room. Seeing Qing Xia’s red face and thick neck, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly. When Qing Xia saw that even he dared to laugh at her, she became even more depressed, skipped dinner, and went straight to bed.
The next morning, Banbuer and Nakedo absolutely refused to take Qing Xia along again. Qing Xia shamelessly followed them anyway, returning with the same dejected expression. This situation continued for over ten days. Finally, one day, Qing Xia successfully hunted a leopard, sweeping away many days of dejection and finally regaining her pride.
Since leaving the army, Qing Xia hadn’t felt such competitive spirit for a long time. That evening, sitting under the oil lamp, she stared blankly at her wrist that had been scratched by the leopard, suddenly becoming lost in thought, feeling as if she had already grown old. In a flash, it had been nearly two years.
“Are you injured?”
A light voice sounded behind her. Qing Xia suddenly turned around and saw Xi Lin Chen standing at the door, lifting the room’s curtain, holding a porcelain bowl in his hand. He said naturally, “May I come in?”
For some reason, facing this youth who wasn’t yet fourteen, Qing Xia always felt inexplicably nervous. It wasn’t because of his brother and sister, but because the child himself carried a trace of otherworldly, ethereal air. This extraordinary, refined temperament always unconsciously reminded Qing Xia of someone. She smiled and agreed, pulling out a stool and placing it in front of herself.
“Sit.”
Xi Lin Chen sat down, placed the porcelain bowl on the table, and naturally took Qing Xia’s wrist. He frowned slightly, then used his little finger to dab some ointment from the bowl and applied it to Qing Xia’s wound.
“Ouch!” Qing Xia was caught off guard, feeling a sharp pain in her hand, and cried out softly.
“Does it hurt badly?” Xi Lin Chen raised his eyebrow slightly and lifted his head. His eyes were bright and sparkling like brilliant stars as he asked gently, his face showing deep concern.
Apart from the initial slight pain, there was soon a cool sensation. Qing Xia quickly shook her head and said with a smile, “Much better. You’re so skilled.”
“You haven’t forgotten what my family does, have you.” Xi Lin Chen said lightly, picking up the white silk cloth nearby and skillfully winding it around Qing Xia’s wrist in circles. His movements were practiced and flowing like clouds and water, like an expert physician with many years of experience.
Qing Xia’s heart felt a pang of sorrow. She changed the subject and said, “You should call me sister like Banbuer and the others do.”
Xi Lin Chen paused in his movements, lowered his head, raised his eyebrow slightly, glanced at Qing Xia, and said nothing. He just curved his mouth and chuckled softly.
“Hey!” Qing Xia called out in dissatisfaction, “What kind of attitude is that?”
Xi Lin Chen tied the final knot, stood up, gently patted Qing Xia’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Rest well, don’t let it get wet, and it will heal in a few days.”
With that, he carried the medicine bowl and walked out.
Qing Xia pouted in frustration, thinking to herself that this boy was becoming increasingly disrespectful toward her. Was this how one treated their life-saving benefactor? The cool sensation on her arm was indeed much better than before. After several days of hard work, Qing Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief. She slowly climbed onto the warm heated bed, yawned, and drowsily fell asleep.
This morning, while helping Aunt Doihua process the game, Xi Lin Chen returned from Aunt Hanba’s house next door, dragging a huge roe deer. Upon seeing this, Qing Xia quickly went to take it from him and asked, “Where did this come from?”
“Aunt Hanba insisted on giving it to me.” Xi Lin Chen remained the same as always, smiling gently at everyone, his eyes half-closed like a pool of warm spring water.
“Oh,” Qing Xia nodded and said, “You must be tired. Go in and rest.”
“No,” Xi Lin Chen shook his head, rolled up his sleeves, and sat where Qing Xia had been sitting. He said to Aunt Doihua, “Auntie, let me help you.” He then picked up a pheasant and skillfully gutted and cleaned it.
Aunt Doihua rubbed her hands embarrassedly and said nothing, just smiled kindly. Recently, Xi Lin Chen had been treating people’s illnesses in the village with miraculous results, quickly gaining fame in the surrounding area. Qing Xia knew that Xi Lin Chen didn’t want to freeload here, but she still didn’t want him to be too conspicuous. Although this place was thousands of miles from Southern Chu, as a former agent, she knew well that if a country wanted to eliminate someone, no matter where you hid, it would be difficult to escape the country’s surveillance network. However, seeing Xi Lin Chen’s increasingly spirited and smiling face day by day, she didn’t voice her concerns. She thought that at worst, she’d take him away from here—she didn’t believe that with her protection, Chu Li’s assassins could find an opportunity.
Or perhaps Qing Xia held a certain confidence within her heart. She believed that no matter what, Chu Li would never harm her. She also knew this thinking was dangerous and might someday bring her great misfortune, but she still secretly believed it in her heart and couldn’t convince herself otherwise.
A comfortable environment indeed breeds complacency. Qing Xia smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“No, no, you’ll hurt your hands doing it that way.” Aunt Doihua suddenly called out. Qing Xia quickly looked over and saw Xi Lin Chen working without even looking, his knife dancing like magic over the pheasant, cutting with complex, dazzling techniques.
With a swoosh, Xi Lin Chen smiled and flicked his hand, and the entire chicken skeleton was removed while the intact meat fell into the wooden basin in one piece.
Aunt Doihua stared at Xi Lin Chen’s hands in amazement, let out a long breath, and said incredulously, “It’s just like magic! Truly worthy of being Jema Agu’s brother—the sister is capable, and the brother is capable too. Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and mice’s children know how to dig holes.”
Qing Xia found this comparison quite amusing and covered her mouth to laugh.
“Mama! Mama!” Amouye suddenly rushed in with a group of children from outside, shouting loudly.
Aunt Doihua sat up straight, looked at her young daughter and said, “Amouye, what’s the matter? Why are you in such a rush?”
“Mama!” In the span of a year, Amouye had grown a head taller, her hair braided neatly, looking very lovely and cute. Pouting her small mouth, she said loudly, “I heard the old priest at Xunda Temple say that Banbuer and Nakedo went to the recruitment office in the county to enlist, and if they’re accepted, they won’t come back!”
“What!” Aunt Doihua suddenly stood up, so anxious that tears nearly fell as she said frantically, “What can we do? Those two rascals, what can we do!”
“Auntie, don’t worry.” Qing Xia also stood up, knowing this was no joke, and quickly said, “You wait at home. I’ll go to the county and drag them back.”
Aunt Doihua looked at Qing Xia, her eyes showing hopeful light, and said gratefully, “Then Jema Agu, you must bring those two back.”
“Don’t worry.” Qing Xia took the large fur coat that Xi Lin Chen had just handed her, draped it over her shoulders, and said to him, “You and Auntie stay home, don’t go out. The Mulian people have been restless lately, so be careful.”