Chapter 17: The First Visit

Chapter 17: The First Visit

Nalan Jinnian watched as that small hand pulled his large one, running all the way down the mountain. At that moment, a sensation of numbness seemed to drift through his hand that had long been devoid of feeling.

He allowed her to lead him forward.

Warmth pulled Nalan Jinnian all the way to the foot of the mountain in one breath. She let go of his hand, bending over with heavy breaths, her hands resting on her knees as she gasped for air.

Exhausted, she simply sat down on the ground against a tree.

In contrast, Nalan Jinnian remained composed, his breathing not even slightly labored.

Looking at the flushed, panting Warmth, Nalan Jinnian felt her body was truly too weak. "Are you alright?"

His clear, magnetic voice was like a spring stream flowing through the heart in midsummer, instantly refreshing the spirit.

Only then did Warmth realize that she had dragged him down the mountain as well!

There was absolutely no need for that!

Ignoring her breathlessness, Warmth sat up straight. To mask her blunder, she said with great seriousness, "I'm fine. *Cough, cough*... Would you like to sit at my house for a bit? I can check your pulse to see if the medicine is working."

"That would be good." Perhaps her medicine really was effective; he thought back to that tingling sensation in his right hand just now.

Warmth: "..."

She thought he would refuse.

She was just being polite.

But never mind; she would have to come up the mountain every day to treat his hand from now on. Bringing him home now gave her an excuse if her family saw him.

Thus, Warmth led him home.

Fortunately, her house was located at the end of the village, not far from the great mountains, so few people saw them.

When Warmth returned home, her family had not yet arrived. She opened the courtyard gate. "This is my home. Please, enter, sir."

Nalan Jinnian stepped inside with elegance.

He couldn't help but scan his surroundings. This was his first time entering such a bamboo-built farmhouse.

The house and the courtyard walls were made of bamboo, and the ground was fresh yellow clay.

Everything looked so new; even the bamboo was still green.

"Did you just move in?" He remembered that there used to be a thatched hut at the foot of this mountain.

"Yes, just a few days ago." Warmth pulled out a bamboo chair from beside the wooden table in the courtyard. "Please, have a seat."

Only two rooms had been built so far, both used as bedrooms, making it unsuitable for hosting guests. She could only have him sit in the courtyard; after all, he would likely leave soon.

After speaking, Warmth turned to pour him some water.

Nalan Jinnian sat down casually, one hand resting nonchalantly on the table. His features were exquisite and cold, possessing an innate, commanding nobility.

His posture was such that one might mistake his bamboo chair for a dragon throne.

The Big Gray Wolf quite自觉ly jumped onto a nearby chair and sat properly.

Warmth brought out two bowls of water. Looking at the man and the wolf, she felt they made the small farmhouse courtyard look like a grand imperial palace.

She paused for a moment, walked over, and placed the two bowls in front of them. "Please have some water, sir. Forgive my rudeness, but we have no tea in my house."

When a guest arrives, one should serve tea. Since she had none, she could only offer him a bowl of water.

Warmth figured he probably wouldn't drink it, but whether he did or not was his business; she couldn't be impolite.

Nalan Jinnian looked at the coarse earthenware bowl filled with crystal-clear water. The craftsmanship was rough, but it was visibly clean.

He was accustomed to drinking tea and had never tried plain water, nor had he ever used a bowl to drink. Nevertheless, he picked up the bowl with that beautiful hand as if nothing were out of the ordinary, drank every last drop with unhurried grace, and then set the bowl down.

"..." Warmth was so stunned she forgot to react. Was he really that thirsty? He had actually finished a whole bowl of water without leaving a single drop!

The Big Gray Wolf also finished the water in its bowl.

Nalan Jinnian saw her staring at him blankly. Did he need to critique the water after finishing it? He simply said, "The water is very sweet."

The Big Gray Wolf nodded and wagged its tail: It was indeed sweet.

Warmth: "..."

"Uh, that is mountain spring water. It is indeed a bit sweet. Would you like more?"

Nalan Jinnian shook his head. "No, thank you."

If he drank another bowl that size, he would be full!

A moment of silence fell between them. Warmth felt somewhat frustrated: *Don't they know it's time to leave?*

Yet, certain someone was completely oblivious, perfectly at ease.

"Let me check your pulse!" After checking his pulse, she could hurry him along. Warmth felt that with him here, things were far too awkward.

"Alright." Nalan Jinnian placed his left hand on the worn but very clean wooden table.

Warmth sat beside him, placed her hand on his pulse, and checked it seriously.

Nalan Jinnian watched that pale, thin hand. As her fingertips rested on his pulse point, her skin felt icy.

This girl's body was too weak; she was nothing but skin and bones.

He thought of the information Lin Xing had found: she was born with a deficiency, sickly and frail, known by the local villagers as a "plague god" and a "short-lived soul," a native of Wen Village. Furthermore, because she had fallen into the water a few days ago, her condition had worsened and she was near death. Fearing her bad luck would affect the eldest grandson's fortune, the father's concubine had driven the family out of the main house to live in this newly built bamboo shack.

How could someone who had been bedridden for years and couldn't even treat her own body cure his poison? And how did she even recognize emerald raw stones? Nalan Jinnian pondered this.

At that moment, Warmth withdrew her hand, interrupting his thoughts. "The medicine is working; much of the residual poison has cleared. Continue taking this medicine for three more days, and I will begin acupuncture for you tomorrow."

"Alright." Nalan Jinnian pulled his thoughts back. He glanced again at the bamboo house. This structure would be hit by wind from all four sides in the winter; how could anyone live here?

Seeing that neither the man nor the wolf showed any intention of leaving, Warmth said, "If you don't mind, sir, please stay for a simple meal! Big Gray Wolf and Xiao Hei brought back a lot of prey."

Just as Nalan Jinnian was about to refuse, the Big Gray Wolf was already nodding like a head of garlic, then turned to nod vigorously at him.

Nalan Jinnian: "..."

It seemed Big Gray was very eager to stay and eat?

"In that case, I shall trouble you, Miss." Big Gray was likely sick of the food prepared by Steward Yuan.

To be honest, Nalan Jinnian was also sick of it.

Warmth: "..."

This man truly had no concept of being polite, did he?

"Then please wait a moment, sir." Warmth stopped agonizing over it. She had already promised to make something delicious for Big Gray Wolf and Xiao Hei.

She turned to get to work.

Warmth first went to boil water, intending to prepare the wild chickens caught by the eagle.

Then she went to pick some vegetables, washing them along with the herbs she had gathered that morning.

By then, the water had boiled. Warmth was about to pour the water from the large iron pot into a wooden basin to start plucking the chicken feathers.

Nalan Jinnian had walked over at some unknown point and pulled her aside. "Let me do it!"

He was genuinely worried that her small frame might spill the scalding water from the pot onto herself.

Warmth was about to say it wasn't necessary.

Since one of his hands was inconvenient, she saw him use his free hand to grab the handle of the iron pot with a cloth, lift the entire pot of water, and pour it into the wooden basin.

Fine. Even with one hand, he was more useful than her with two.

"Thank you. Please, go sit down, sir! I can handle the rest."

Nalan Jinnian did not refuse; he didn't know how to do anything else anyway.

Warmth's stove was a temporary structure built in a corner of the courtyard. It had no walls, let alone a roof, so Nalan Jinnian could see everything she did.

Nalan Jinnian just sat there, quietly watching her work.

At that moment, the courtyard gate opened, and Wen Hou shouted loudly, "Nuan-er! We caught a lot of snails! Is the food—"

Wen Hou's sentence trailed off when he saw that the man and the wolf standing in the courtyard had vanished!

"Who are you? Why are you in my house?" Wen Hou asked, his face full of suspicion.