Chapter 7: Someone Climbs the Wall

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Jiang Yuan, however, showed no intention of continuing the conversation. Instead, he asked Xie Guanniang, "Is it okay to have chicken noodle soup for lunch?"

Xie Guanniang was somewhat surprised; this was the first time Jiang Yuan had actively started a topic rather than passively answering her questions. She smiled and nodded, "Sure."

The young girl's radiant smile and soft, sweet voice made Jiang Yuan's heart pound loudly and rapidly with just a glance at her.

His ears flushed slightly red, and his body seemed to act on its own will, lowering his head quickly before his brain could command it, fixing his gaze firmly on the chicken. He dared not look at Xie Guanniang even once more.

Noticing his discomfort, though unsure why, Xie Guanniang tactfully stood up and left.

After a good nap in her room, it was time for lunch.

A steaming bowl of chicken soup with glistening oil droplets, a whole chicken leg stewed until tender and falling off the bone, hand-pulled noodles that were slightly yellow but elastic, and fresh, tender green spinach—all combined into a large, mouthwatering bowl of fragrant chicken noodle soup.

"You eat first. There’s more in the pot if you’re still hungry." Jiang Yuan placed the big bowl and wooden chopsticks on the table, planning to return to the kitchen to eat his own portion.

"Hey, Ah Yuan." Xie Guanniang called out to him. "You should eat here too. It wouldn’t be right for me to freeload while you, the host, have to squat in the kitchen every day."

Jiang Yuan stopped and glanced at her. "Men and women are different."

Xie Guanniang argued playfully, "Then why did you pull me out of the river yesterday? Why did you bring me into your house?"

Jiang Yuan broke out in a sweat. "Saving a life is a matter of life and death... I..."

He trailed off, feeling awkward. Saving a life was one thing, but bringing someone into his home...

"I don’t care. If you insist on eating in the kitchen, I’ll bring my bowl and chopsticks and eat with you there."

The young girl tilted her head up, her fair and rounded chin slightly raised, her clear autumn-like eyes blinking rhythmically. Even when being stubborn, she was utterly adorable.

The familiar, deafening heartbeat echoed again, and Jiang Yuan fled to the kitchen like escaping. But he didn’t dare stay there long, fearing Xie Guanniang might really bring her bowl and chase him into the kitchen.

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Meeting the young girl’s clear gaze from afar, Jiang Yuan carried his own bowl of chicken noodle soup into the main hall.

He sat opposite Xie Guanniang, at the farthest seat from her, and tried to maintain his normal tone, "Eat."

Xie Guanniang obediently nodded, "Okay."

The two sat across from each other like enemies separated by a great divide, finishing their lunch.

Though Xie Guanniang ate with relish, her appetite was small. Eventually, Jiang Yuan swiftly scooped the extra noodles into his own bowl.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yuan went out briefly. Before leaving, he reminded Xie Guanniang, "Bolt the door tight. Besides me, my sister, the local head, and Doctor Chen, don’t answer the door for anyone else, no matter who it is."

Thinking of Wang Sanhu, who had ill intentions towards her, Xie Guanniang nodded vigorously twice.

People like Wang Sanhu were disgusting, but Xie Guanniang was sure he wasn’t the only one with such designs.

She had no intention of ending up like those unfortunate girls—losing their innocence and being forced to either become nuns, take their own lives, or endure humiliation at the hands of those who schemed against and harmed them.

After Jiang Yuan left, feeling that a wooden door and four mud walls were insufficient protection, Xie Guanniang decisively ran to the kitchen and retrieved a kitchen knife and a wooden stick.

Though she had never formally trained in martial arts, having been an orphan in her past life and born into chaotic times this one, she had some courage and skill in fighting and killing.

With her makeshift weapons ready, Xie Guanniang didn’t retreat to her room to hide; instead, she moved a stool and lazily basked in the sun in the courtyard.

The early May sunshine was gentle, making the warmth on her skin very pleasant.

She was dozing off in the sunlight until the sound of knocking and voices at the gate suddenly made her open her eyes.

Judging by the slightly aged voice, the person knocking was most likely an older woman. She repeatedly called out, "Open the door! Is anyone there? Why is the door bolted in broad daylight?"

After listening for a while, Xie Guanniang heard no other voices and no introduction from the woman, so she decided to ignore it.

The woman called for nearly half an hour, but no one inside responded. Muttering, "What’s going on?" she turned to look at the young man who had come with her.

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The young man had an honest, kind face. He was shorter than Jiang Yuan but considerably heavier.

In these times, it was quite rare to see a commoner who had managed to fatten himself up like this.

Catching the woman’s pleading glance, he lowered his voice and said, "I’ll go get a ladder."

The woman nodded and turned back to continue knocking hard while calling out.

What she didn’t know was that Xie Guanniang, who had been listening intently nearby, also heard his voice.

Though the distance prevented her from catching the exact words, the strange behavior of these two— the woman trying to get her to open the door after Jiang Yuan left, while the man hid nearby pretending not to exist—was enough for her to be certain they had ill intentions.

Gripping the knife and wooden stick she had placed aside, Xie Guanniang silently crept into the wood storage room nearest the main gate.

Outside, the man quickly brought a ladder. After leaning it against the courtyard wall and checking its stability, he began to climb.

When someone’s head suddenly appeared over the wall, Xie Guanniang instinctively tightened her grip on the stick and knife.

" What are you doing?" A sudden icy, grating question froze both the woman and the man in place.

Jiang Yuan, carrying two chickens in a straw rope sling, three rabbits, and a light bamboo basket on his back, stared coldly at the young man who had climbed his wall and was about to hand the ladder into his courtyard with the woman’s help.

The young man, caught on the wall, turned pale with fright. The woman was equally terrified but was smarter than her son.

She repositioned the ladder against the wall and then turned, forcing a smile at Jiang Yuan that was more painful than crying. "Oh, it’s you, Jiang Yuan. So you went out after all. I’ve been calling for a long time at your door but no one answered. I thought something had happened."

She signaled her son to come down and said to Jiang Yuan, "I just called my son over to help open the door and see what’s going on."