The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: No Matter What, Cannot Lose

Ji Huan said guardedly, "You made this hairpin yourself, and the sentiment is precious, but I copied that book by hand, too. That makes us even, so no need for thanks on either side."

Song Jing froze for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

But seeing Ji Huan cherish the hairpin, unable to put it down, and hearing her say she liked it, an indescribable feeling bloomed in Song Jing’s heart.

It was a soft, warm feeling, at once bittersweet and swelling, that filled him with the urge to lay bare the secrets of his heart to her.

It took a great deal of effort to push the impulse down, so he changed the subject.

"I only learned about your housewarming when I returned this afternoon. I... I’m only just now coming to congratulate you. You aren’t angry, are you?"

Ji Huan replied playfully, "If you’d waited until tomorrow, I might have been. You know how it is—once the time has passed, the opportunity is lost. It is a little late today, but I’m feeling generous, so I won’t hold it against you."

Song Jing played along, offering her a cupped-fist salute. "My thanks for your forbearance."

There was a tacit understanding between them.

It wasn’t that Song Jing couldn’t have come, but as an unmarried man visiting a woman living alone, a rash appearance would have invited trouble and gossip for Ji Huan.

Ji Huan was thinking the same thing. It was a good thing Song Jing hadn’t come. If he had actually shown up during the housewarming party, and others had seen or heard him, the news would have spread throughout Dafeng Village by the next day. Then, it would have been impossible for either of them to clear their names.

After seeing Song Jing out, Ji Huan latched the courtyard gate and went straight to the west room of the main house to check if Dabao had kicked off his blankets.

The sight gave her a start—the heated bed was empty.

She rushed to the east room and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the figure lying on the heated bed there.

"Dabao, Dabao..."

Dabao had been getting sleepy even before the Hu Family left. Ji Huan had distinctly carried him to the west room, so how did he end up in her room in the blink of an eye? ’Is the boy sleepwalking?’

Ji Huan went to the edge of the heated bed and gently shook Dabao. "Go sleep in your own room. The bed in there is warm, too."

The room was toasty warm, and Dabao was in a deep, groggy sleep, refusing to wake no matter how much Ji Huan shook him.

Ji Huan stopped trying to wake him and decided to do what she’d done before: simply carry him back.

She tried to lift him a couple of times without success and realized something was wrong. Then she noticed Dabao was clutching the bedding with both hands, refusing to let go.

Ji Huan understood. ’He’s pretending to be asleep.’

Torn between amusement and exasperation, she gave his little bottom a swat.

"Get up and go back to your room. If you keep faking it, I’m going to get serious."

But hearing her threat, Dabao only squirmed further under the covers. His eyelashes fluttered, but he refused to open his eyes.

’Talk about closing your eyes and pretending it’s dark. This is a perfect example. He’s already been caught, but he’s still playing make-believe.’

Ji Huan was exhausted and had no intention of dragging this out with him, so she simply hauled him up.

Unable to continue his act, Dabao let go of the bedding and threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

Ji Huan was slightly taken aback.

Although Dabao’s condition had improved, he had never willingly thrown himself into her arms like this. He wasn’t a child who tried to get his way by being difficult, so his behavior today was certainly strange.

Ji Huan gently pushed him back. Seeing his head hung low, she cupped his small face and made him raise it to meet her eyes.

Before Dabao could even react, her own heart clenched painfully.

"What’s wrong, Dabao? Why are you crying? Are you feeling sick?"

Dabao’s eyes were a little red, and Ji Huan couldn’t be sure if he had been crying.

Her first thought was that he was sick, so she quickly reached out to feel his forehead.

His temperature was normal, and he didn’t seem to be in any discomfort.

Then she recalled how he’d run from his own room to hers, and his little act just now... and it all clicked.

"Are you scared? You don’t want to sleep alone, do you?"

Dabao kept his eyes downcast and didn’t speak, but this time, Ji Huan was patient enough to wait him out.

Finally, Dabao nodded.

Ji Huan sighed in relief, but at the same time, she felt a headache coming on.

She had planned it all so perfectly: as soon as the new house was finished, she and Dabao would sleep in separate rooms.

’But he really is still so young,’ she thought. ’He’s only five. Of course he’d be scared to sleep alone. I was afraid of the dark and ghosts when I was little, too.’

’But he’s a boy. It’s not right for him to keep sharing a bed with me...’

She agonized over it so much she felt like she could tear her hair out. How wonderful it would be to have a search engine right now. At least it could tell her the "best age for a child to start sleeping in their own bed."

Her rational mind told her she shouldn’t spoil a child, but there was always a gap between theory and practice. When it came to Dabao, she always found herself compromising and giving in unconditionally.

In the end, Dabao won, of course.

Ji Huan went to the west room to fetch her bedding. When she came back, Dabao was already lying perfectly straight on the pillow beside hers, still clutching his toy lion.

His little head tilted to the side. He peeked at her as she came in, then immediately turned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.

"..."

’Oh, well,’ Ji Huan thought. ’It’s so cold anyway, it’ll be warmer with two of us.’

’Once this winter is over, I’ll make him go back to his own room, no matter what.’

Song Jing tried his best to walk lightly, and the sound of the door opening and closing was nearly inaudible, but he still alerted the person inside.

"Where did you go?"

As the question was asked, an oil lamp was lit.

Song Jing’s body stiffened slightly.

He stood where he was for a moment before slowly letting out a breath and pushing the door open to go inside.

"Nowhere in particular, just... went for a walk. Why are you still awake?"

Mrs. Meng was propped up in bed, her gaze fixed on Song Jing. "Tell Mother the truth. Are you not confident about this upcoming examination?"

She assumed that her son had gone out so late because he was under immense pressure and couldn’t find an outlet for it. He had never done this before.

Song Jing sighed. He had lost count of how many times Mrs. Meng had asked him this, and how many times he had given her the same answer.

"Rest assured, I won’t let you down."

But the deep furrows in Mrs. Meng’s brow didn’t ease in the slightest.

"How can I rest assured? I heard the fourth son of the Ji Family used his connections to get into the county school early. Doesn’t that make his success a sure thing? What about you? What are you going to do? Why don’t you go ask your teacher for help? Isn’t he your biggest supporter? If he won’t help you, then go beg Mr. Ji Liantang to get you into the county school, too. As for the silver, I’ll get it from your uncle. The entire clan is waiting for you to become an official, he wouldn’t dare refuse..."

"Mother!" Song Jing cut her off, trying his best to keep his voice steady. "We don’t need to rely on connections, and we don’t need anyone else’s silver. I can do this. I will definitely pass. Can’t you just believe in me?"

No matter how much Song Jing tried to reassure her, Mrs. Meng remained deeply anxious.

"It’s not that I don’t believe in you... but you must pass the exam and become a Scholar before you can even think about becoming a higher scholar or an Advanced Scholar. Only then can we leave Dafeng Village... Jing’er, promise me you won’t lose! No matter what, you have to win this and bring me vindication! Let those people see... just let them see..."

She clenched her jaw, and her eyes began to lose focus. It was as if she were being torn apart by violent emotions, her words growing more and more incoherent.

Song Jing quickly poured a cup of water and helped her drink, then patted her back to help calm her breathing.

After a while, Mrs. Meng finally settled down.

As if waking from a dream, she gave Song Jing a surprised glance, then seized his arm and snapped, "What are you doing in here? Go study!"

Her grip was immense, her nails digging deep into his flesh.

Song Jing’s brow twitched, but he didn’t cry out in pain. He merely nodded and said, "Alright, I’m going."

He helped her lie down again and blew out the lamp. As he closed the door, he could still hear her muttering to herself in the darkness.

"...You must pass! Do you hear me? Don’t let us become a laughingstock... No slacking, go and study... You must pass..."

His heart, which had been soaring just moments before, felt as though it had been yanked out of the sky by an invisible string and slammed into a pit of mud.

Song Jing stood in the courtyard, gazing around blankly. After a moment, he pushed open the door to his own room.

It was already the dead of night, but he didn’t head for his bed. Instead, he lit the oil lamp and sat down at his desk.

For some reason, he suddenly felt weary.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and opened the book Ji Huan had given him.

The clean pages, the script that deliberately mimicked his own, and the familiar crabapple blossom mark at the very end.

As he looked at it, some of the strength that had drained away seemed to return.

"At least..." he murmured softly.

The night deepened, and the candlelight flickered. The silhouette of a figure hunched over a desk, writing furiously, was cast upon the paper-paned window, not stopping until the eastern sky began to pale with the light of dawn.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!