The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Her Goodness

When the carriage arrived at Dafeng Village, Ji Huan had intended for them to stop at the village entrance, but Song Jing insisted on taking her all the way to the Hu family’s home.

With the sky dark and the snow so deep, he was worried about her walking back alone.

Ji Huan was tempted to tease him. ’The first time we came back late at night together, he certainly wasn’t this much of a gentleman.’

In the end, however, she kept the thought to herself.

’She was well aware that some things had changed between them, but now wasn’t the right time to bring it up.’

The carriage stopped when they were just four or five steps from the Hu family’s home. Song Jing jumped down first, then reached out to help Ji Huan alight.

Once her feet were on the ground, Ji Huan finally looked over at Lu Yu, who had been quiet for quite a while.

She found him puffed up like a toad, glaring resentfully at her and Song Jing.

Ji Huan hesitated a moment before asking, "I thought you’d stuffed something in his mouth..."

Song Jing replied with a straight face, "Just stuffing something in his mouth wouldn’t be enough to shut him up. You have to use other methods to handle him."

Ji Huan was thoroughly impressed. She didn’t know what method Song Jing had used, but results were all that mattered.

Lu Yu’s resentful expression had morphed into one of grief and indignation.

’The two of them standing there side by side, looking at me like I’m some kind of monkey at a show! And are they really going to talk about me like this right to my face?!’

He felt incredibly angry and hurt. It was as if his mouth had a will of its own, desperate to fly open and give them a piece of his mind.

Fortunately, a shred of reason remained, and he quickly clamped his mouth shut.

Ji Huan took the hint and said, "You two shouldn’t linger. Hurry on back. You wouldn’t have had to make this extra trip if it weren’t for me. I wanted to help, but it looks like I just ended up causing you more trouble."

The last part, of course, was directed at Song Jing.

Song Jing shook his head in disagreement. "Without you, we’d probably still be completely stuck. You gave us such a brilliant idea and helped us out immensely. How could you possibly be trouble?"

Ji Huan couldn’t help but smile.

Song Jing smiled along with her. "Alright, let’s drop the formalities. But on the way here, Li Guanchun kept reminding me to ask if there was anything else we should pay attention to."

In just half a day’s time, Li Guanchun, who was known for being a bookworm, had come to see Ji Huan in a completely new light. He thought she was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted.

Ji Huan thought carefully, but it seemed there wasn’t anything else of major importance.

"Actually, there is one small detail."

It had just occurred to her, so she reminded Song Jing that they should remember to bring some things to set up the venue when they departed the next day.

"Set up the venue?"

Song Jing looked puzzled for a moment, but then it dawned on him. He clearly understood the crucial point.

"I’ve heard my teacher mention that storytelling is popular in the Southern regions. Any respectable teahouse or tavern will almost certainly have a storyteller, and they’re always so full that carriages crowd the entrance and not a single seat is empty. I imagine that besides the skill of the storyteller, the environment is also an essential factor. With wine to drink and tea to sip, shielded from the cold and hunger, people will be in a much better mood to listen to a story. In other words, no matter how captivating your tale, if it’s scorching hot or a blizzard is raging, I’m afraid no one will be willing to stop and listen."

"Brilliant!" Ji Huan gave him a thumbs-up.

Song Jing didn’t know what the gesture meant, but combined with her exclamation, he guessed it was a form of praise, and the smile on his face grew wider.

"It’s because you guided me to it."

Standing off to the side, Lu Yu, who had been relegated to the background along with the oil lamp, finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"Are you two finished yet? Do you even remember there’s another living person standing here? It’s really cold!"

The carriage had stopped right in a draft, and Lu Yu was shivering from the cold.

Song Jing turned to glance at him. Just as a flicker of hope ignited in Lu Yu, Song Jing looked away again.

Lu Yu was so angry he could have spat blood. ’Forgetting a friend at the sight of a girl,’ he cursed internally. ’He’s heartless!’

Ji Huan cut to the chase. "You can set up a simple awning. The villagers can bring their own stools. As for getting them to come out of their homes, you can ask the village chief for his cooperation."

They would only be visiting each village once or twice at most, so relying on the classic "to find out what happens next, tune in for the next installment" cliffhanger to slowly build an audience was clearly not an option.

Having the village chief summon everyone was a semi-official, semi-compulsory approach, but as long as the story was exciting enough, the villagers were unlikely to complain.

Besides, this was, in a way, doing a favor for the village chiefs, so there was no reason for them to refuse to cooperate.

Having said all that needed to be said, Ji Huan urged them to leave quickly. She could hear Lu Yu’s teeth chattering.

Even though she was only a few steps away, Song Jing insisted on watching her walk back and knock on the door before he and Lu Yu drove the carriage away.

On the carriage, Lu Yu asked Song Jing, "Aren’t you going to go tell your mother?"

Song Jing was silent for a moment. "It’s not necessary."

Lu Yu didn’t press the matter. He rubbed his hands together, blew on them to warm them up, and then went back to his usual mischievous self.

"Hey, so that’s Ji Huan, huh?" He nudged Song Jing’s arm, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "You know, *the one*... eh?"

Song Jing ignored him, but Lu Yu kept chattering on anyway.

"Honestly, her features are nice, but she’s a bit on the skinny side. Overall, it’s not like she’s some celestial beauty, so how did she catch your eye? Is it because she has good handwriting? Because she’s smart? Oh... I get it! You like the ones with hidden depths!"

Song Jing glanced sideways at him, his tone uncharacteristically stern. "Do not make fun of her."

Lu Yu immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.

The last time Song Jing had used that tone was when they were children, first starting their lessons at a private school.

Back then, he had only repeated what others were saying about Song Jing’s mother being a madwoman, and Song Jing had thrown him to the ground and beaten him so badly he’d lost two of his front teeth.

Song Jing turned to look ahead. The oil lamp cast only a dim, murky light, yet he felt as if he could see far into the distance.

Just as the wind now chilled him to the bone, the thought of a certain someone made a place in his heart feel warm.

He subconsciously raised a hand to cover the spot.

’No one else needed to know how wonderful Ji Huan was.’

The door was pulled open after only two knocks. Seeing Ji Huan standing outside, Widow Xie cried, "Thank heavens, you’re finally back!"

With that, she grabbed Ji Huan and pulled her inside.

Ji Huan was baffled. "What’s wrong, Aunt Xie?"

"What’s wrong? You need to go see Dabao! He was fine for the first half of the day, but this afternoon he started waiting by the courtyard gate and refused to move, clearly waiting for you. When it got dark and you still hadn’t returned, he tried to run outside. Thankfully, Hu Liang had Dacheng watching him, and they managed to stop him."

They stopped him, but his condition flared up. He was wailing inhumanly and wouldn’t let anyone get near him.

Ji Huan’s heart clenched violently. Before Widow Xie could finish speaking, Ji Huan broke into a run toward the main hall.

Hu Liang, his younger siblings, and his nephew were all crowded at the doorway of the east room.

When he saw her come in, he pointed inside and whispered, "He’s in there. We don’t dare go in. The moment we do, he just..."

Ji Huan didn’t wait to hear the rest. She lifted the door curtain and entered the east room, and was immediately met with a piercing shriek.

No lamps were lit in the east room; it was pitch-black.

Based on the sound, Ji Huan determined that Dabao was likely in the corner of the room, near the foot of the bed.

She felt her way toward him, calling his name.

But Dabao, lost in his own distress, didn’t react at all.

Whether because his throat was raw or he had no strength left, his voice came in fits and starts, yet it was exceptionally shrill and horrifying—like the sound of a shovel scraping the bottom of a pot, or the wail of a small, wounded animal.

The sound made Ji Huan’s heart twist in pain. She accidentally knocked her leg against the corner of a stool.

Ignoring the sharp, lancing pain, she hurried closer.

When she finally touched the small figure in the corner, Dabao’s reaction intensified. His flailing arms and kicking feet landed several solid blows on Ji Huan.

Paying it no mind, Ji Huan pulled him tightly into her arms.

"Dabao, Dabao, it’s me. Your sister’s back..."

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