The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: All Is Well

Ji Huan was halfway there, basket in hand, when she heard a rustle behind her.

She stopped and looked back. No one was there.

Her gaze lowered. Lying in the grass about two steps away was a little white fluffball.

Its two small ears were perked up, and it clearly thought it was well hidden, completely unaware that it had flattened a whole patch of grass around it.

"Ding," Ji Huan called out.

The tips of the ears in the grass twitched.

Ji Huan counted to three in her head, and the little fluffball came toddling toward her.

It stopped obediently in front of her, tilted its head, and gazed at her with wet, limpid eyes. It was the very picture of cuteness.

However, Ji Huan was immune to its charms. She grabbed the scruff of its neck and lifted it straight up.

Suddenly airborne, Ding didn’t panic. Its four short legs paddled like a turtle’s as it looked left and right, seeming to find the experience quite amusing.

’Dumb as a box of rocks!’

Ji Huan couldn’t be bothered to look at it. She tucked it under her arm and kept walking.

"I’m starting to seriously suspect your father was a Husky. How else could you have been born so dim-witted? But I’ve been looking for over a month now and still haven’t found any dog that looks like he could be your dad..."

Dahuang’s four puppies were all surprisingly good-looking. They were also all pure white, making them nearly impossible to tell apart at a glance.

But Ji Huan could recognize Ding instantly for one simple reason—he was dumb.

The other three all looked sharp and clever. Only the youngest, perhaps deprived of oxygen during a difficult birth, was like a little fool, unbelievably goofy all day long.

And maybe it was because he remembered Ji Huan saving his life right after he was born, or maybe it was because he could never fight for a spot to nurse and Ji Huan always helped him cut in line, but for whatever reason, he was exceptionally clingy with her.

As soon as he learned to walk, he was relentless. He followed Ji Huan everywhere, his little legs unsteady. He’d take a step and fall, yet he never seemed to tire of it.

It forced Ji Huan to be on edge every time she lifted her foot, terrified that a moment’s carelessness would result in her stepping on him and flattening him.

Now that he was a bit bigger, he was completely out of control. Not only did he follow her everywhere, but if she tried to stop him, he’d yelp his head off.

And today, he’d upped his game and learned how to follow her secretly.

"If you’re smart enough for this, how come you can never beat your brother and sisters to the food? And you call yourself a boy."

Ding didn’t understand. He just looked up at Ji Huan with his doggy face, his little tongue lolling out, looking happy and dependent.

Ji Huan no longer had the heart to scold him.

To be honest, she wasn’t the type who had a natural way with animals. At home, Dahuang and the other three puppies all preferred to stick close to Dabao.

Only Ding liked to follow her around.

Although Ji Huan always tried to treat them all equally, in her heart, she had a soft spot for this little dummy.

The little dummy sneezed, his back half dangling in mid-air, swinging like a pendulum as he was carried to the earthen hut.

The door to the earthen hut wasn’t locked. More accurately, it was never locked.

After all, besides the tramp, there was nothing inside worth stealing.

And even if some fool did go in, the tramp’s face was enough to ward off evil spirits.

Besides, this hut was even more remote than her own home. The stir caused by Dabao’s grandfather’s death had also led to all sorts of wild rumors spreading through the village, so very few people dared to come to this area now.

As soon as she entered the hut, Ji Huan’s brow furrowed.

The tramp was leaning against the wall, staring at his right hand. He retracted his gaze when he saw her come in.

Ji Huan put Ding on the floor, walked to the side of the kang bed, and set the basket down on the kang table with a CLATTER.

"You’re letting my words go in one ear and out the other again, aren’t you? I’ve told you so many times, the lack of feeling is normal. Be patient. Don’t rush it. Now is not the time for exercise. If you’re really that bored, you can try to move the joints in your left hand and right foot, but only your fingers and toes. Simple movements like raising your hand and leg are also okay."

Actually, saying all this was a bit redundant. His right foot was in a cast and his left hand was wrapped in thick gauze. He couldn’t make any large movements even if he wanted to.

The reason she repeated herself tirelessly was that the tramp was just too much trouble.

Although he did follow Ji Huan’s medical advice, he always found ways to test his limits, or situations he felt he had a handle on and could control.

And even when Ji Huan found out, there was nothing she could do about it.

He would apologize if he pushed her too far, but he’d be back to his old tricks the next time.

’I don’t know where he gets all these ideas. He must have been the type who’s impervious to both threats and persuasion in his past life.’

Ji Huan placed the food on the kang table one by one. Besides the meal and bone broth, there were also large dumplings.

Noticing there were no eggs this time, the tramp’s expression relaxed slightly.

Ji Huan used her chopsticks to hold a large dumpling up to his mouth.

He opened his mouth, took a bite, and paused.

"Does it not taste good? It’s a chive and egg filling."

Seeing that he didn’t take a second bite, Ji Huan found it a little strange.

’The tramp really likes eggs, doesn’t he? He finished every last bite of the steamed eggs, egg custard, egg drop soup, and egg pancakes I made for him before.’

"Or do you not like chives?"

The tramp slowly shook his head. "It’s fine."

’Fine is fine.’

"You can’t eat too much fried food yet, but I saw you like eggs, so I brought you two. Eat slowly, there’s no rush."

The tramp’s chewing paused for a moment. He only continued when he saw Ji Huan looking over.

"AWOO! AWOO!"

Ding smelled the fragrant aroma and grew frantic. He pawed and jumped below, trying to get up onto the kang bed.

Ji Huan refused to spoil him. She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up again.

"Are you even a dog? You don’t even know how to bark properly. What kind of weird sound is that?"

Ding whimpered twice, not the least bit ashamed, and stared intently at the chive and egg pocket on the kang table that hadn’t been eaten yet.

A flicker of movement in the tramp’s eyes.

Ji Huan cut him off before he could speak. "Don’t worry, they’re all for you. Ding is still young and can’t eat just anything. He won’t fight you for it."

The tramp closed his mouth, no longer wanting to say anything.

After he finished eating, Ji Huan packed everything up as usual. As she was about to leave, she saw Ding was still pawing at the foot of the kang bed.

’So young, yet so shameless when it comes to food.’

Seeing the tramp also staring at Ding, an idea sparked in Ji Huan’s mind.

The tramp had been lying in this hut for six or seven days. Although she brought him meals and Hu Dacheng visited a few times a day, he was alone most of the time.

Unable to walk, unable to move, and with no one to talk to—that kind of life was far more grueling than the physical pain of his injuries.

If she left Ding here to keep the tramp company, it should help him pass the time a little more easily.

Unfortunately, she had barely taken a step to sneak away when Ding noticed. Thinking it was a game of hide-and-seek, he pounced excitedly and bit the corner of her skirt.

Ji Huan was exasperated. She also felt he was still too young to be tasked with companionship. After a moment’s thought, she decided to take him with her.

’No big deal. I’ll just bring the little dummy with me every time I come to deliver food from now on.’

The next day, it was almost noon, and Hu Dacheng still hadn’t appeared.

Ji Huan thought it was because they were swamped with customers after reopening the stall from its temporary closure.

But that afternoon, Widow Xie came looking for her with an anxious expression, crying "This is bad!" the moment she walked in the door.

After hearing the whole story, Ji Huan wasn’t particularly surprised.

"You’re saying the Cao Family has also set up a stall in town to sell hot and spicy soup?"

"That’s right!" Widow Xie practically gnashed her teeth.

And to think she had been at home, foolishly waiting for the Cao Family to send the marriage annulment notice. Who would have thought that the Cao Family would use this time to not only start selling hot and spicy soup, but also steal their spot!

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