The box wasn't big and looked very worn, as if it had been knocked and fallen heavily somewhere. It was uneven, the paint peeling away. Anyone who didn't know would think it had been picked up from some garbage heap.
But it was this small, shabby box that began to stir up feelings of familiarity deep down within Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao numbly opened the box, and upon seeing the medicine inside, her mind was buzzed.
Really?
Her first-aid kit!
How did it end up here?
"Am I dreaming?"
Gu Jiao pinched herself. It hurt! Not a dream!
The box was real, and the herbs inside were all authentic!
Gu Jiao recalled that the small first aid kit was with her when the plane crashed. Could this be the reason it ended up here?
Just... why was it so worn out? Where was the lavish golden shine?
When the first aid kit was still shining like gold, Gu Jiao despised it for being ugly. Now that it was all battered and torn, Gu Joa found it even uglier.
However, despite a surge of fondness from deep within, Gu Jiao hugged the box tightly and whispered, "Sister will never find you ugly again... Sister will take care of you from now on."
Gu Jiao carefully wiped the kit. Fortunately, only the exterior was damaged. The contents weren't harmed at all.
Gu Jiao took out few gauze pieces and a bottle of saline solution from the kit to disinfect her injury. She then applied an anti-inflammatory ointment. She swallowed two anti-inflammatory pills and initially thought that she had to dress the wound but later realized it was unnecessary.
After dealing with her injury, Gu Jiao felt hungry. She put the first aid kit into the cabinet, intending to look for something to eat in the kitchen. But before that, she needed to change into clean and dry clothes.
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, walked through the hall, and knocked on Xiao Liulang's room door.
"What is it?"
Xiao Liulang's cold voice came from inside the room.
Gu Jiao said, "I want to borrow some clothes from you. I have nothing clean to wear because all the overshirts in the wardrobe are not washed."
Xiao Liulang didn't respond for a long time until Gu Jiao thought that he wouldn't lend her any clothes. But then the door opened, and Xiao Liulang handed a clean robe to her.
The robe wasn't made of quality fabric, and the color had faded, but it was starched and very clean.
In the past, Gu Jiao would never wear a man's clothes. But the situation was out of her control, and she had no choice. If she didn't wear this, would she have to wear those moldy clothes in the wardrobe?
After changing, Gu Jiao washed her dirty laundry on the fly and went to the kitchen.
The kitchen was quite clean, probably tidied up by Xiao Liulang.
The rice storage was empty, but as Xiao Liulang had said, there was half a jar of cornmeal left. Not only that, but Gu Jiao also found two chicken eggs and a bunch of spring onions in the cabinet.
Gu Jiao took out the chicken eggs and made two cornmeal egg pancakes. She sprinkled cut spring onions on top and made a small pot of cornmeal soup with the leftover batter.
Gu Jiao carried the meal to the main hall.
Xiao Liulang's room door was ajar.
In her memories, the two of them always ate separately—Xiao Liulang would usually leave a bowl of rice for her when he cooked. But most of the time, she would eat at the Gu family's.
Gu Jiao hesitated, then knocked on Xiao Liulang's door.
"What is it?"
Xiao Liulang's cold voice came from inside.
Gu Jiao said, "I've made dinner, do you want to eat together?"
Gu Jiao rarely cooks, and when she does, she won't cook for him either. So he planned to wait until Gu Jiao had left before he would cook his own meal.
Xiao Liulang eyed his closed door suspiciously.
"If you don't want to eat, I'm eating now." Although Gu Jiao was willing to wait for him, she was so hungry that she could faint at any moment, and she needed to replenish her energy urgently.
She had just sat down and hadn't picked up her chopsticks when the door creaked open.
Xiao Liulang came out.
Xiao Liulang did not come out to eat.
However, when his gaze fell on Gu Jiao, he paused, noticeably surprised.
He had picked out a robe that he didn't wear anymore for Gu Jiao, but it was still too big for her thin frame, making her look clumsy.
Perhaps for convenience, she had tied up her hair and rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender, fair-skinned neck and thin wrists.
Without her usual arrogant madness, she sat there quietly, focusing on her food.
She didn't seem like herself anymore.
Xiao Liulang's gaze lingered on her for a moment, but in the end, he looked away indifferently.
At this point, Gu Jiao noticed him, saying to him, "You're here. Come on, sit down and eat."
Another set of bowls and chopsticks were set opposite Gu Jiao, indicating that she had indeed prepared food for Xiao Liulang both times and not just casually inviting him.
However, Xiao Liulang didn't move.
Gu Jiao knew what he was worried about. The original host and he had a poor relationship, and her suddenly cooking for him will raise suspicions. But Gu Jiao couldn't explain that she was no longer that person.
After deep thought, Gu Jiao said, "We are running short of firewood. If you don't eat now, we'll have to waste more firewood to heat it up later."
Perhaps it was her words that swayed Xiao Liulang. After contemplating for a while, he finally sat down opposite her.
At the beginning, when Gu Jiao first met Xiao Liulang, she was stunned by his appearance. Otherwise, she would not have brought him back. From others' perspectives, Gu Jiao's contempt for Xiao Liulang was due to his leg disease, but she saw it differently.
Gu Jiao was not as naive as her past self. There were aspects the original host did not fully understand, but a mere memory review helped Gu Jiao to figure things out.
Xiao Liulang, it seemed, had deliberately provoked the original host.
He didn't want to consummate their marriage with the original host and didn't want her to get close to him.
In fact, she felt the same way.
Although she verbally teased him, she probably couldn't bring herself to do anything further.
Gu Jiao was soon full. After washing her dishes, she took a basket and went out.
Xiao Liulang did not ask what she was going to do, and she did not say. That's how it was between them.
To her surprise, as Gu Jiao approached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "I wasn't lying earlier. We're almost out of firewood. I'm going to the Back Mountain to chop some before it gets dark. There might be rain later, if I don't come back, remember to bring in the clothes."
Xiao Liulang stared at her intently.
The old Gu Jiao would never notice the changing weather, let alone tell him where she was going.
After Gu Jiao left, only Xiao Liulang and the untouched meal remained in the house.
Since the household was living in poverty, no matter how much Xiao Liulang disliked Gu Jiao, he wouldn't waste food.
Frowning, he picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of spring onion egg pancake.