Chapter 4: Saving People
Gu Jiao went out to chop wood, partly because they really needed it, and partly because she wanted to find something to fill her stomach by going into the mountains.
Although their family was not so poor that they couldn't afford to eat, they were still struggling to make ends meet. Xiao Liulang could probably support himself for a few more days, but with her added to the equation, things were tight.
It was deep autumn, and the sky overhead was particularly blue, a shade that Gu Jiao had never seen before. The air was fresh and invigorating, not a hint of pollution in sight.
She had no idea why she was here or whether the crazy people at the research institute would miss her. Most likely, they would be angry that she disappeared without giving them the latest research results.
But in reality, Gu Jiao was not just a medical doctor from M University, she was also a secret agent. She had joined the organization when she was eight years old, and all her experiences since then had been to cover up her true identity.
Of course, she had no intention of living the rest of her life as a killer. She had made a deal with the organization that this would be her last job, and she would leave after it was done. But then the plane crashed...
Now, it was pointless to dwell on the past. She was dead, and she couldn't go back to seek revenge.
No one would mourn her passing. Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and each of them went on to start a new family, leaving her as the unwanted child.
In a way, her fate was similar to that of the original host. The original host's parents died early, and she was also unwanted in the Gu family.
When the original host died, no one truly mourned her passing.
Gu Jiao smiled bitterly, her brow furrowed.
She didn't venture too deep into the forest for fear of the rain, but even so, she found a lot of good things: mushrooms, fungi, and wild wood ear growing on tree stumps.
The wood ear was fat and thick, covering almost half of the stump. Gu Jiao picked the largest ones.
This area had clearly been deforested by the villagers, and there were many tree stumps like this, producing a lot of wood ear.
Gu Jiao picked them one by one, and before long, her basket was full and heavy.
When she had picked enough, Gu Jiao stopped and chopped some dry branches, then tied them together with the basket using a rope and put them on her back to prepare to head down the mountain.
However, as soon as Gu Jiao turned around, she suddenly felt a squish under her foot, as if she had stepped on something.
Immediately, she heard a muffled groan, very weak and frail.
She blinked her eyes and slowly moved her leg away.
"This can't be that unlucky..." she thought.
She took a deep breath, lowered her head to take a look, and saw an old man with white whiskers lying in the grass, knocked out by her footstep.
Gu Jiao: "..."
How could there be someone lying in the ditch?
And how did she manage to step on him by coincidence?
Gu Jiao, with a clear conscience, crossed over him.
But within seconds, she came back expressionless.
"Let me make this clear, I'm not rescuing you out of kindness."
"Kakaka--"
In a tightly bound bag next to the old man, a wild chicken flapped its wings and made a sound.
Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow, casually glanced at the bag, and it immediately stopped moving.
Then she looked at the white-whiskered old man in front of her. His face still bore the imprint of her foot, which looked very painful.
Looking at his clothes, he seemed like an ordinary villager, but there was an indescribable air of majesty between his eyebrows.
Gu Jiao put down the firewood on her back and began to take his pulse. She had studied Western medicine in school, but later, in order to carry out a very special task, she infiltrated the home of a renowned traditional Chinese medicine master and studied under him for five years.
From his pulse, she could tell that there was no serious illness in his body. Gu Jiao speculated that he had contracted a cold wind and suddenly developed a high fever. He had accidentally fallen into a drain and dislocated his left arm.
Gu Jiao took out her small medicine box from her backpack and applied an ice pack to his forehead. Then she put his arm back in place, chopped a piece of wood, tore off his clothes, and immobilized his arm.
After completing these procedures, Gu Jiao took his temperature again and found that it was still high. So she gave him an injection to reduce his fever.
There was a small grass shed nearby where villagers rested when they went up the mountain. Gu Jiao moved him there.
The fever subsided, and the man soon woke up. Gu Jiao got up and left the mountain. Before she left, she left her umbrella with him.
"I don't treat people for free."
With that, she took a bag of wild chickens and left.
As soon as Gu Jiao got home, the rain started to fall heavily. The distant mountains and the grass sheds in the village were all shrouded in rain and mist.
Gu Jiao went straight to the kitchen.
Xiao Liulang had already cleaned up the dishes and the stove, and put away his clothes.
Gu Jiao put down the firewood and bag, opened the cupboard to take a look, and wondered, "Have you finished eating?"
She had left quite a lot.
"I didn't expect that boy, despite his thin appearance, to have a big appetite. Is it because he's at the age of growing taller?
Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows and found a cage to put the wild chicken in. She separated the small firewood from the large firewood and picked out the ones that needed to be chopped separately.
By the time she finished chopping the firewood, it was already evening and the rain still hadn't stopped. The room was damp and cold. She brought a brazier and planned to warm herself up. Suddenly, she thought of something and walked to Xiao Liulang's room, lightly knocking on his door.
"Do you want to warm yourself up by the fire?" she asked softly.
There was no response from inside the room.
She called out again, still no response. Gu Jiao saw that the door was slightly ajar, so she gently pushed it open and peeked inside. She saw a thin and frail figure sleeping on the old table under the dim oil lamp.
He was still holding an unfinished book in his hand. The book was obviously yellowed and the cover was cracked, patched up with oiled paper.
It was tough to be a scholar in the countryside, especially for someone like Xiao Liulang who couldn't even attend a private school. He had to rely on himself to gain knowledge, under the constant pressure from Gu's family and his former master.
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then walked over lightly and took a cotton coat out of the cabinet to drape over him.
Xiao Liulang woke up in the middle of the night. He hadn't slept well the past few days and didn't expect to fall asleep on the table. When he opened his eyes, he found himself wearing an extra cotton coat. His brows furrowed and his eyes flickered with suspicion.
He looked at the book in his hand, and suddenly heard a crisp sound. He turned his head and saw a burning brazier on the ground.
The cold and lifeless room was suddenly warmed by the fire.
Xiao Liulang's gaze fell on the brazier, showing a thoughtful expression.
There was only one brazier in the house, and after giving it to Xiao Liulang, Gu Jiao had none left for herself.
After hiding her small medicine box, Gu Jiao quickly crawled into her own bed and wrapped herself up like a silkworm.
Perhaps she had exhausted herself during the day, and despite feeling cold, she fell asleep quickly.
Gu Jiao had not dreamed in many years, but tonight she had a dream. She dreamed that a doctor had come to town, and Xiao Liulang went to see him to treat his leg. However, there was a medical dispute at the pharmacy where the doctor worked, and many people were accidentally injured.
Xiao Liulang limped on one leg, unable to run faster than anyone else, and was suddenly chopped on the other leg by someone. Although the injury did not take Xiao Liulang's life, he missed the exam three days later."