Chapter 3. Saving a Life
Gu Jiao went to the mountain to gather firewood—not only because they were running low, but also to find something to eat.
They weren’t starving to death yet, but they were close. Xiao Liulang might survive a few more days on their current rations if he ate alone, but with her included, it wasn’t enough.
The late autumn sky was high and clear, the air crisp, with not a cloud in sight.
The sky above was an unusually deep blue—clearer than any she had ever seen. The air was so fresh it lifted her mood.
She had no idea how she ended up here. Maybe the lunatics at the research institute would think of her eventually. Most of them were probably grinding their teeth, angry that she disappeared without sending in the latest research results.
Officially, she had been a medical doctor at M University’s research lab. In reality, she was a special forces operative. She joined the organization at eighteen, and every academic credential she had was a cover for her true identity.
She never planned to spend her life covered in blood. She had promised the organization that after completing her last mission, she would leave.
Then the plane crash happened.
Thinking back, maybe the crash wasn’t an accident at all.
But what did it matter now? She was already dead. She couldn’t go back for revenge.
And no one would mourn her.
Her parents divorced when she was two, both started new families, and she had always been the extra, unwanted child.
In a way, she and the original owner of this body were similar. The original owner’s parents died early, and the Gu family treated her as an unnecessary burden.
Even if the original owner died, no one would genuinely grieve for her.
Gu Jiao let out a bitter laugh. Her expression grew cold.
Since it looked like rain could start anytime, she didn’t go deep into the forest. Even so, she found a decent amount of food—mushrooms and wild wood-ear fungus growing on tree stumps.
The wood-ear fungus was thick and plump, covering nearly half a stump. She picked the largest ones.
Clearly, villagers had logged here before; there were many tree stumps, and many with fungus growing on them.
Her basket quickly grew heavy.
After finishing with the mushrooms, she started chopping dry branches. She tied the branches and her basket together with rope and prepared to head back.
She had just turned around when she suddenly heard a squelch beneath her foot—followed by a faint, weak groan.
She blinked, slowly lifted her foot…
“No way… I can’t be that unlucky…”
Taking a deep breath, she looked down.
There, half-hidden in the weeds, lay an elderly man with white beard… whom she had stepped on and knocked unconscious.
“……”
Why was a person lying in a ditch?
And why did she have to step on him, of all things?
Gu Jiao stepped right over him without hesitation.
Two seconds later, her face returned to blank calm.
“Let me say this first—I’m not saving you because of conscience.”
“Kwaaawk!”
A pheasant trapped in the tied-up sack beside the old man flapped violently.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at the sack. It instantly went still.
She looked at the old man again. A clear shoeprint was stamped across his face. It was honestly hard to look at.
His clothes were simple—he looked like an ordinary villager.
But at the same time… there was something indescribably dignified about him.
She put down her firewood and checked his pulse.
She had studied Western medicine at school, but she had also apprenticed under a Chinese medicine master for five years during an undercover mission.
From his pulse, he had no serious illness. He likely caught a cold, developed a high fever, collapsed by the ditch—and his left arm was dislocated.
She opened her medicine box, took out an ice pack, and placed it on his forehead.
Then she realigned the dislocated joint, split a branch, tore his clothing, and used it to immobilize his arm.
She checked his temperature again—it was still high. So she injected a fever reducer.
Nearby was a small thatched shelter for villagers resting in the mountains. She carried him there.
His fever started to drop. He would wake up soon.
Gu Jiao stood, preparing to leave—but before going, she left him her umbrella.
“Just so you know, I don’t treat patients for free.”
Then she took one sack of pheasants and casually walked off.
***
When she reached home, it began to rain.
Soon, the rain poured down heavily. The layered mountains and little village huts blurred behind a veil of misty rain.
Gu Jiao headed straight to the kitchen.
Xiao Liulang had already washed the dishes, cleaned the stove, and even brought in the laundry.
Gu Jiao put down the firewood and the sack, then opened the cupboard. Something was off.
“…He finished everything?”
She had left quite a bit behind.
Who knew someone that skinny had such an appetite?
Was it because he was a growing boy?
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow.
She tied up the pheasant, sorted the small and big firewood logs, and separated the ones that needed chopping.
By the time she finished chopping, evening had arrived. The rain showed no sign of stopping. The room was damp and cold. She looked for the brazier to warm herself, then suddenly thought of something and walked to Xiao Liulang’s door.
“Do you want me to bring the brazier for you?”
She asked softly.
There was no response.
She asked again.
Still nothing.
Gu Jiao pushed the door slightly and peeked inside.
Under the yellow lamplight, the thin young man had fallen asleep over his shabby desk, his hand still holding a book.
The book was yellowed and patched with oiled paper where the cover had torn.
Studying in a rural village like this was unimaginably difficult. Especially for Xiao Liulang—who had been exploited by the Gu family and the original owner. He couldn’t even attend school and had to study alone.
Gu Jiao hesitated, then quietly took a cotton-padded coat from the wardrobe and draped it over him.
***
Xiao Liulang did not wake until midnight.
He had been losing sleep for days, but he hadn’t expected to fall asleep at his desk. When he opened his eyes and saw the cotton coat covering him, his brows furrowed. A trace of wariness passed through his eyes.
He looked at the book in his hand—then at the faint crackle he heard.
He turned.
A brazier sat on the floor.
His once-cold room was now warm.
He stared at the brazier in silence.
There was only one brazier in the house. If she gave it to him, Gu Jiao wouldn’t have one.
Meanwhile, in her room, Gu Jiao hid her medicine box under her blanket, curled up like a cocoon, and went to sleep.
It was a bit chilly, but after the day’s exhaustion, she fell asleep quickly.
*
Gu Jiao rarely dreamed.
But that night, she did.
In the dream, a doctor arrived from the town. Xiao Liulang went to see him for treatment, but a commotion broke out at the clinic. Many people were hurt.
Because Xiao Liulang limped, he couldn’t run away fast enough. His previously uninjured leg was slashed by a criminal’s knife.
The injury didn’t kill him, but it made him miss the exam three days later.
Gu Jiao found her dream strange. She hardly ever dreamed—let alone about a man.
“Was I… worried about him?”
She rubbed her chin, puzzled.
But a dream was just a dream. She didn’t take it to heart.
Dawn was approaching. A few stars still twinkled in the sky. Today looked like it would be sunny.
She couldn’t remember the last time she woke this early. In her past life, she worked at the research lab, and everyone who knew her knew she was a complete night owl. Her research and surgeries were mostly done in the afternoon, and the missions the organization assigned her rarely required daytime activity.
She could wear her own clothes today.
Last night, after bringing the brazier to Xiao Liulang’s room, she had quietly dried her clothes by the hearth. She’d moved so quietly he never woke.
Gu Jiao went to the backyard, drew water, and washed her face.
Xiao Liulang’s door was open—but he wasn’t inside.
She was surprised. She thought she had woken early, yet someone had beaten her to it.
She walked around the house. Aside from one missing water bucket near the jar, she found no sign of him.
She looked at the half-full water jar and rubbed her chin silently.
The latch on the front door was still in place. That meant Xiao Liulang had gone out through the back kitchen door, then locked it from outside. That way, strangers couldn’t enter, but she could still leave through the front door.
After washing up, she returned to her room, applied ointment, and took an anti-inflammatory pill.
Still no sign of Xiao Liulang.
She put the last remaining cornmeal noodles into the pot—this was their final bit of food.
She planned to sell the pheasant in the town for provisions. But the original owner had never left the village, so Gu Jiao didn’t know the road to town.
The noodles still needed time to cook, so she grabbed a broom and swept the courtyard, her room, and the main hall. She skipped his room.
Yesterday, she had only washed half the clothes. The rest were still in the wardrobe. She carried them all to the backyard and tossed them in a basin.
This dynasty did have soap—she had seen peddlers selling it—but most villagers were too poor to buy it. Instead, they used soap pods from trees.
Gu Jiao crushed the pods, spread them over the clothes, and beat them with a stick until fragrant foam rose.
The pods weren’t that effective, but Gu Jiao’s determination was stronger.
Finally, a pocket tore open.
“……”
By the time she finished washing, the water in the jar was nearly gone.
The noodles were ready. She prepared cornmeal dumplings and set them in the pot to steam.
Still no Xiao Liulang.
There were only two wells in the village. One was very old, on the far end of the village. The other was closer to them, but already dried. So if he went to fetch water, he must have gone to the new well at the village entrance.
It was farther than the pond she fell into yesterday—dozens of steps away. A normal person could make a round trip in about fifteen minutes, but with his bad leg plus carrying a full water bucket, it might take half an hour.
But even that time had long passed.
Gu Jiao stood by the stove, staring at the front gate.
Finally, she opened the door and stepped outside.
