Jian Yi did nothing to Feng Jiu’er. He simply continued to carry her on his back, walking toward the village.

Before long, he settled in at a villager’s home.

A few small pieces of broken silver secured two sets of clothing, one room, and a modest amount of food.

When Elder Sister Mei came in carrying steaming hot dishes and rice, Feng Jiu’er was so moved she nearly wept.

It felt as though she had not eaten a proper hot meal in a very long time.

Though it was nothing more than a dish of vegetables, a dish of pickled greens, a fish, and a bowl of congee, simply looking at it was enough to whet her appetite — she could have swallowed it all in one mouthful.

“Eat slowly. Mind you don’t choke.” Jian Yi offered a timely reminder. He had never seen anyone eat in such a disheveled state.

Jiu’er paid him no attention. After so many days of wild fruits and dried rations, a hot meal and hot dishes had become something she could scarcely have dared dream of — fit for the finest delicacies of the mortal world.

She only wished she had given Elder Sister Mei a little more silver just now. It felt deeply inadequate.

Elder Sister Mei returned carrying two pails of water, a warm smile on her face. “Young lady, please don’t mind — we don’t have a proper bathing tub here. Make do as best you can.”

“Elder Sister Mei, don’t stand on ceremony. You’ve already taken such wonderful care of us — thank you so much.”

Feng Jiu’er was in no position to be particular about anything right now. Having hot food to eat, hot water to sponge down and wash up with, and a chance to properly tend to her feet — that was already a rare luxury.

Jian Yi was even less inclined to be fussy. He was accustomed to a life of plain fare and simple surroundings, and had never been fastidious about such things.

When Feng Jiu’er finished her meal, he moved the clothing and the water pails to a suitable position, then stepped outside to stand guard at the door.

The room was small. Not far past the doorway was the main hall, and beyond that a small courtyard.

Elder Sister Mei was busy in the courtyard. When she saw Jian Yi come out, her face broke into its warm, kindly smile again.

“Young gentleman, why aren’t you going in to help your wife? The young lady’s foot is injured — she really can’t manage on her own in there.”

Help Feng Jiu’er — but Feng Jiu’er was in the middle of bathing and changing clothes…

Jian Yi’s face flushed faintly. He shook his head. “It’s… not convenient.”

“What could be inconvenient about it? You’re husband and wife — there’s no need to be so shy.”

Jian Yi had no way to explain. When they had first arrived, Elder Sister Mei had asked whether they were husband and wife.

At the time, not wanting to go into lengthy explanations, he had simply given a vague nod.

In any case, in a strange village like this, he could not let Feng Jiu’er stay alone in a room at night.

Calling themselves husband and wife made things easier to manage.

He had simply not anticipated that Elder Sister Mei’s words would now create such an awkward situation.

Elder Sister Mei, however, seemed to have figured something out. She adopted a knowing expression.

“Newlyweds, are you? Oh my — at a time like this, you really should go in and help, young gentleman. It’ll do wonders for the affection between you.”

Elder Sister Mei, worried their feelings for each other were not strong enough, actually came over herself and moved to push Jian Yi inside.

Inside the room, Feng Jiu’er had just finished wiping herself down. When she heard the conversation outside, she was so startled she immediately scrambled into a frenzy trying to put on her clothes — and in her haste she accidentally knocked over the wooden pail of water, leaving herself in a complete mess.

Outside, hearing the commotion, Jian Yi grew slightly anxious and called out at once, “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“No, no, don’t come in — nothing’s wrong, nothing at all.” Feng Jiu’er called back in a panic.

But Elder Sister Mei said, “Don’t rush, young lady — your foot isn’t healed yet. Young gentleman, come in and lend her a hand.”

“No, Elder Sister Mei, I — ” Jian Yi wanted to stop her, but Elder Sister Mei was just an ordinary village woman. If he pushed her away and misjudged his strength, he could easily hurt her.

And somehow, Elder Sister Mei reached out and pushed the door wide open.

“Don’t come in!” Feng Jiu’er was frightened out of her wits — she had not fully dressed yet.

Jian Yi was even more flustered than she was. It was plain to see the woman was not yet dressed.

He was a grown man — how could he possibly look?

He instantly went rigid, and would sooner die than turn around.

Elder Sister Mei frowned, looking completely baffled. “Why all this shyness?”

Jian Yi refused to go in no matter what, so Elder Sister Mei had no choice but to enter herself and help steady Feng Jiu’er, who had nearly fallen over.

“Young lady, your foot is still injured. How can you manage all this on your own?”

“I’m fine, I’ll be all right in a moment.” Supported by Elder Sister Mei, Feng Jiu’er settled into the chair.

Her clothes were on at last. She let out a breath of relief and glanced toward the doorway. “You can come in. I’m decent.”

Jian Yi hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped inside.

Feng Jiu’er was indeed decent — but the room itself was in complete disarray.

He went over and picked up the wooden pail.

But Elder Sister Mei promptly took it out of his hands. “All right, all right, I’ll tidy this up. You keep the young lady company.”

There was still a puddle of water on the floor. Elder Sister Mei and Jian Yi worked together for quite some time before they managed to get the room reasonably clean.

“Just a moment — I’ll fetch something for the young lady.” Elder Sister Mei picked up the wooden pail and stepped out briskly.

Jian Yi stood where he was, looking slightly at a loss. “Just now… I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Feng Jiu’er was of course aware of what had happened just now. Faced with someone as warm and enthusiastic as Elder Sister Mei, he had not known what to do, and that was understandable.

She sat on the bed and shifted her foot inadvertently. Her ankle immediately flared with pain.

“Are you all right?” Jian Yi walked over. When he caught sight of her small bare foot, his face reddened at once, and he hastily turned his gaze away.

Propriety between men and women was something people in this era took very seriously — Feng Jiu’er understood that well enough.

But this man’s sense of it seemed even more severe than most. He felt guilty just for glancing at an ankle?

She could only sigh with resignation and curled her lip. “What are you shying away from? You were just carrying me on your back — does that not count as physical contact?”

The words were said without thought, but they landed heavily on their listener.

In an instant, Jian Yi’s whole body went stiff, as though only now did it fully strike him — the two of them had truly been in physical contact today.

At the time he had not given it a single thought. All he had known was that her ankle was injured and there was absolutely no way she could walk to the village on her own.

She had seemed so desperate for something hot to drink and something hot to eat, so without a second thought, he had simply carried her down.

Now that Feng Jiu’er brought it up, the sensation came rushing back — her soft body pressed against his back.

So this was what physical contact felt like.

Jian Yi’s face blazed a red so deep it was nearly dripping blood. His whole body ran hot, and even his palms had broken out in sweat.

Feng Jiu’er studied his expression, more and more puzzled the longer she looked — yet she could not quite make it out.

“Hey…”

But Jian Yi clenched his fist and said urgently, “I’m stepping out for a moment — I’ll be right back!”

Like a gust of wind, the man had vanished from her sight in the blink of an eye.

Feng Jiu’er narrowed her eyes, at a complete loss for words. Surely he wasn’t actually fixated on this whole business of physical contact, was he?

But her foot truly hurt right now. And he had run off — who was going to go find some medicinal herbs?

Without herbs, applying the needles directly would be enough to hurt her to death.

When on earth was this scatterbrained man coming back? It really hurt!