Upon seeing Lin Ruanyuan's leg being struck, Bai Cheng'an became extremely agitated.
As he looked at the servants he had knocked to the ground, his black eyes were as fierce as a hawk's.
"Get out!" he growled, and the dozen or so servants, helping each other, scrambled away, leaving their wooden sticks behind.
Seeing their pathetic state, Lin Ruanyuan would have laughed if not for the sharp pain in her leg.
"Let me take a look." Ignoring the fleeing servants, Bai Cheng'an knelt in front of her and lifted her leg to roll up her pant leg.
"Wait... wait!" Lin Ruanyuan winced and held her pant leg.
"I need to see how bad the injury is!" Bai Cheng'an pried her hand away, but his movements were gentler.
Knowing how delicate a young woman's bones are, he was worried her leg might be broken from the blow.
Seeing his anxious expression, Lin Ruanyuan felt a bit like laughing.
He was so protective and worried, he truly looked like a concerned husband.
The spot on her calf where the stick had struck was red and swollen, looking worse than the bump on her forehead that had already started to subside.
Luckily, her bone wasn't broken, and Bai Cheng'an breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's not too bad. We have some herbs at home for swelling. We'll apply them when we get back. Can you stand? It's getting late, we need to head back soon."
Seeing the mist in Lin Ruanyuan's eyes, Bai Cheng'an felt a pang in his heart. He carefully helped her up, but she gasped in pain.
"Looks like you can't walk," Bai Cheng'an said with a frown.
"But... but..." Lin Ruanyuan started to protest, but Bai Cheng'an had already fetched her basket.
"I'll carry you." His deep voice was gentle yet firm as he put the basket on her back.
He then tossed the pot into the nearby bushes. "We'll leave the pot here. I'll come back for it tomorrow when I have time."
With that, he bent down and hoisted Lin Ruanyuan onto his back.
Caught off guard, she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
Her soft body pressed against Bai Cheng'an's back, her arms encircling his neck completely.
Luckily, Lin Ruanyuan was tall with long arms; otherwise, Bai Cheng'an might have been choked by her grip.
"I'm not that fragile," Bai Cheng'an said steadily, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"Huh?" Lin Ruanyuan asked, confused and still in pain.
"You don't have to hold on so tight. I won't let you fall." Bai Cheng'an touched her tightly clasped hands, his voice a bit hoarse.
Lin Ruanyuan quickly loosened her grip, awkwardly laughing as the tears that had been welling in her eyes finally fell.
The tears landed on the back of Bai Cheng'an's neck, and feeling the cold, he realized they were her tears.
"If you're really scared, you can hold on, just not so tightly," he said, thinking his words had made her cry.
"No... no need," Lin Ruanyuan's heart softened at his sincere concern. Such a man was rare indeed.
Maybe she should try to make him her real husband?
It was the third time in recent days she'd had this thought.
Amused by her own silly notion, she felt a bit helpless.
She'd accepted his jade pendant, and now she wanted to keep him forever. People would call her a terrible person, but maybe that's just who she was.
Bai Cheng'an's pace was quick, and without needing to slow down for Lin Ruanyuan, they arrived home swiftly. He gently placed her on the bed and busied himself preparing the herbs to reduce swelling and relieve pain.
"Bear with it; I need to massage the bruises out."
Rolling up her pant leg, Bai Cheng'an looked at her with his dark, sincere eyes full of concern.
"Okay," she whispered.
"If it hurts too much, you can pinch me," Bai Cheng'an said.
After giving his cautious instructions once more, Bai Cheng'an's earnest demeanor made Lin Ruanyuan struggle to suppress her laughter.
She wasn't that delicate to need to pinch him. After all, in her previous life, she was an assassin with countless wounds large and small all over her body, and she had always endured them herself.
Now, with just a minor swelling, she wasn't about to act so delicately as to pinch someone to divert her attention.
But reality proved her a bit too confident.
As soon as Bai Cheng'an's hand touched her injury, she felt a wave of pain. With his steady pressure, each pang stimulated Lin Ruanyuan's nerves evenly.
It hurt, really freaking hurt.
Her body's eyes didn't obey her at all. Despite her best efforts to endure, tears flowed involuntarily.
Crystal tears fell on the ground, her leg, her clothes, and even one or two drops landed on Bai Cheng'an's hand as he rubbed her injury.
The man crouched on the ground pursed his lips tightly, silent but his grip seemed to lighten a bit.
After massaging for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Bai Cheng'an slowly stopped. He applied the herbs and looked up again into her bright eyes.
"Rest for a while. I'll go prepare something to eat. If you're tired, you can sleep. I'll call you when dinner's ready."
Concerned that Lin Ruanyuan's leg might hurt too much for her to lie down, Bai Cheng'an was about to help her into bed.
Lin Ruanyuan gently pushed his hand away and chuckled softly.
"I'll... just sit for a while."
If she lay down now, she probably wouldn't feel like eating dinner.
"Alright, if you feel uncomfortable, just call me." Seeing she preferred sitting up, Bai Cheng'an didn't insist.
Watching this easy-going and earnest man before her, Lin Ruanyuan's crazy idea began to stir again.
Taking an inch when given an inch—that's what they say about her.
The cabin wasn't large, and Lin Ruanyuan sitting on the inner bed could clearly see the man busy outside.
He swiftly boiled white rice in a pot and cleaned and sliced the piece of pork he had bought.
As he was cutting, he remembered something, hurried outside, and returned after a while.
When he entered, he glanced at Lin Ruanyuan half-leaning against the wooden bed, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
It wasn't until they were eating that Lin Ruanyuan learned what he had gone to do.
"I wanted to find the scallions and cilantro you used for dipping meat yesterday. I looked around but couldn't find them."
He had thought Lin Ruanyuan had picked them from outside like she did with the rest of her approach.
Lin Ruanyuan frowned. Smiling sweetly at him, she started to leave.
"Don't go; I just copied your yesterday's seasoning sauce with garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Make do with it." Lin Ruanyuan paused, taking his hand gently, and stuck a slice of boiled pork into his mouth.
When it came to eating anything, he had concerns about this girl's not used to boiled pork.