The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: We’ll Go Together

"Go on inside. Lock your doors and windows tight at night. No matter what you hear, don’t panic, and don’t be afraid."

With that said, Song Jing raised his hand toward Ji Huan, as if to brush the snowflakes from her hair.

He stopped halfway, realizing the gesture was too forward.

His hand paused in mid-air, and he waved at her instead.

"Well... I’ll be going."

"Mm, you... stay safe."

Song Jing turned and walked away, his figure gradually receding down the path he had come.

As Ji Huan watched the trail of footprints stretch into the distance, a sudden impulse surged within her.

The impulse compelled her to call out, "Song Jing!"

Song Jing stopped and turned to look back at her.

In those few short moments, Ji Huan had wrestled with her thoughts and come to a final decision.

"I’ll go with you."

She was worried. Though Song Jing was quite level-headed, his classmates might not be. What if someone got hot-headed and incited the others to do something rash, like throwing an egg against a stone... She didn’t want anything to happen to Song Jing, and she also genuinely wanted to see if she could do her part for the Northern Pass.

The look on Song Jing’s face was undoubtedly one of surprise.

But after just a moment, it melted into a warm smile.

"Alright. We’ll go together."

Ji Huan understood him and supported everything he did. Just as he respected Ji Huan, he, in turn, wouldn’t stop her from doing what she wanted.

Besides, with Ji Huan around, a better idea might emerge.

Ji Huan went back inside, packed as quickly as she could, and after locking the door, took Dabao to the Hu Family’s home.

When the members of the Hu Family learned she was going to town at a time like this, they all disapproved.

"It’s chaos out there right now! How can a young woman like you be running around all over the place!" Widow Xie was the first to object.

Hu Liang chimed in to object, "I hear Juyong Town is more than half empty. Everyone who can has gone back to their village to hide, and others have headed for the county seat. Even if you have something truly urgent, it doesn’t have to be right this second. You should wait and see how things play out."

"Aunt Xie, Liangzi, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m not going looking for trouble, I just want to do what little I can. I’ll be back soon, I promise."

Her attitude was firm, so no matter how much Widow Xie and Hu Liang disapproved, there was nothing they could do.

"Then you’d better be back as soon as you can. Don’t you worry about Dabao; he’ll be fine here."

Ji Huan nodded and crouched down to look at Dabao.

Dabao’s little face was tense, his dark eyes filled with anxiety and hurt. He clearly wanted to go with her.

But it truly wasn’t practical. There were no carts headed to town at this time; the only way was to walk. It was a long trek through the snow, and it would be a struggle for her to manage it alone. Carrying Dabao on her back, she’d probably collapse from exhaustion halfway there.

Besides, Ji Huan wanted to take this chance to build Dabao’s independence.

The events of the past few days had made her realize that Dabao was too dependent on her. This was both a good thing and a bad thing.

’What if one day I’m gone, or something happens to me... Natural disasters and man-made calamities are unavoidable. When that day comes, Dabao will have to learn to live on his own.’

Ji Huan stroked his cold little cheek. "Wait here for Big Sister to come back, okay?"

Dabao’s little brow furrowed into a squiggly line. He lowered his head under Ji Huan’s gaze and, after a moment, gave a slight nod.

Ji Huan smiled, relieved, and wrapped him in her arms. "Dabao, you’re the best boy. Big Sister will be back as soon as she can."

After leaving the Hu Family’s home, Ji Huan hurried toward the village entrance.

To avoid any unnecessary misunderstanding, Song Jing hadn’t followed her to the Hu Family’s home, waiting at the village entrance instead.

Fortunately, it was still early, and since every household had its doors shut tight, no one saw her on the way.

From a distance, Ji Huan saw the tall figure standing under the banyan tree and quickened her pace.

As she drew closer, Song Jing pointed at her and burst out laughing.

Ji Huan wore a look of resignation.

Widow Xie hadn’t been able to talk her out of going, so she had insisted that Ji Huan change into Dacheng’s new cotton-padded coat.

The new coat had been sitting in storage ever since it was made. Hu Dacheng had originally planned to wear it on New Year’s Day, but he hadn’t had the chance to put it on yet.

She was quite a bit taller than Dacheng, but country folk tended to make clothes on the large side so they could be worn for an extra two or three years. When the clothes got too small, they would add a strip of fabric to the bottom, and just like that, they’d be good for a few more years.

Dacheng would have had to roll the sleeves up twice to wear this coat, but it fit Ji Huan perfectly.

Still, she found it rather disheartening.

’This body has been too badly neglected. Judging by my frame, I shouldn’t be short, but nearly half a year has passed without any sign of a growth spurt.’

’Thankfully, I’ll only be sixteen after the New Year. I still have plenty of room to grow.’ This was how Ji Huan comforted herself.

After she’d changed into the coat, Widow Xie had also tied up her hair, put a hat on her head, and wrapped a scarf around her. At a glance, she really did look like a young man.

That’s why Song Jing reacted the way he did upon seeing her.

His laughter left Ji Huan feeling a little glum.

Song Jing knew when to quit while he was ahead and tried to recover. "Actually, you look... really good like this."

Ji Huan ignored him, lowering her head and trudging forward.

’I’m so bundled up you can only see my eyeballs. Good-looking, my ass.’

After so many consecutive days of snow, one could only imagine how deep the drifts on the road were.

The first half of the journey was manageable, but during the second half, Ji Huan’s stamina began to fail, and she repeatedly stumbled into deep pockets of snow.

The deepest hole nearly swallowed her whole. If Song Jing hadn’t been right there beside her, she would have been in real danger.

After a moment’s hesitation, Song Jing took her by the arm.

"...You’ve said it before: desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m more familiar with this road. Follow my steps, so you don’t..."

Ji Huan was panting. She was exhausted, and the wind she gulped down made her windpipe burn.

She was terrified of falling again, so she nodded without the slightest hesitation.

In this rotten weather, out in the middle of nowhere, you couldn’t even see a ghost, let alone a living person.

So there was no need to be overly cautious or worry about propriety.

For the rest of the way, the two of them walked onward, supporting each other.

Though Song Jing claimed he was just afraid she’d fall into another hole, he was actually lending her most of his strength. With him guiding her forward, the walk became much easier for her; in contrast, fine beads of sweat were now breaking out on his forehead.

Ji Huan felt a little embarrassed; after all, she hadn’t intended to come along just to be a burden.

"Maybe I should just walk on my own," she said, trying to pull away.

But Song Jing didn’t let go. "You barely weigh a thing. I’m not tired. Don’t be stubborn—save your strength for when it’s really needed."

Ji Huan was helpless and could only listen to him.

She was very curious, however.

’People always talk about frail scholars. Although Song Jing was tall, he was on the slender side and usually looked like a refined, gentle scholar. So why wasn’t his stamina the least bit weak?’

As if reading her mind, Song Jing resolved her confusion.

"You’ve probably heard my story. After my mother and I moved to Juyong Town, we rented a room. They called it ’in town,’ but it was worse than our house back in the village. It was only big enough for two beds and a table. It never got any sunlight, so it was perpetually dark, and you could never get rid of the musty smell. And whenever it rained, the roof leaked everywhere."

At this, he smiled, as if he’d recalled something amusing.

"One summer, it poured for days on end. At night, there was thunder and lightning. We used every basin we had to catch the leaks, and I had to stand on tiptoe in a corner by the head of the bed—it was the only dry spot. I stood there all night. Later, I learned the phrase ’a single tile for shelter.’ The ancients said knowledge and action must be unified. I suppose even a torrential downpour has its purpose."

Ji Huan felt a pang as she listened, and she deliberately joked, "To hear you talk, I’d have thought you liked the rain."

"No." Song Jing shook his head firmly. "I hate the rain."

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