“How dare you hurt Ah Heng—I’ll beat you to death today!”
With that, Ah Zheng threw a brutal punch.
A sharp pain exploded in Chunhua’s mouth—she felt like several teeth had come loose. Blood spurted from her lips.
She struggled to get free, but another punch landed and made her head spin.
She looked into the man’s bloodshot eyes, terrified to her core, and began screaming for help without thinking.
“Xiao Cui, Ah Fang—help me, please help me!”
These two had always been Chunhua’s lackeys, often helping her do bad things, but now, faced with such a terrifying scene, neither dared to step forward. They even backed away a few steps.
In that moment, Chunhua felt utterly hopeless, her heart sinking into despair.
“You two wretched wenches! Standing by while I’m in danger—just wait, I’ll make you pay for this!”
“Shen Zhengyu, if you dare beat me to death today, people from the residence will surely come to kill you tomorrow!”
Ah Zheng showed no reaction upon hearing this, just threw another punch coldly. “Then let them come. If one comes, I’ll kill one. If two come, I’ll kill them both!”
Nearby, Gu Heng was stunned speechless by the shocking scene.
For over ten years, Ah Zheng had always been a gentle, refined young man. The most rebellious thing he’d ever done was skip class with her. When had he become like this?
What on earth had he gone through during the time they lost contact?
Seeing that things were getting out of hand and someone might die, Gu Heng didn’t hesitate any longer. She rushed forward and stopped him.
“Ah Zheng, teaching her a lesson is enough. If you end up killing her, that’s a serious matter!”
Maybe it was her warm hand gripping his that calmed him. He took a deep breath and finally lowered his fist.
“You’re Chunhua, right? Let me warn you—if you dare report this to your family, I will kill you.”
At these words, Chunhua burst into tears, nodding repeatedly. “I won’t say a word, I swear! Please, let me go!”
Only then did Ah Zheng finally stand up.
Right in front of everyone, he pulled Gu Heng out of the room and returned to his own.
As soon as he sat down, he felt the wound on his back tear open again.
Unable to suppress it, he let out a muffled groan.
Seeing this, Gu Heng didn’t have time to question his drastic change in personality. He, like her, had once been close to death. Now that he had lost his memory, a change in temperament was probably to be expected.
She helped him to the bed, laid him down, and unwrapped the torn cloth around his wound, preparing to reapply the medicine.
But the moment she saw the injury, she felt as if her own back was hurting too.
Her own wounds, though scary-looking, were only caused by tree branches scratching her.
But Zheng’s back looked as if he had been stabbed—flesh torn open, bloody and gruesome.
Gu Heng suddenly felt faint from the sight.
Noticing her hesitation, Ah Zheng spoke in a low voice.
“Did I scare you? If it’s inconvenient, I can bandage it myself.”
This brought Gu Heng back to her senses. She sighed deeply. “I was a little scared, yes. I don’t know what you went through during the years we were apart. Not only are your injuries terrifying, but your temper has also become much more explosive.”
At that, Ah Zheng suddenly looked uneasy.
Gu Heng was the first person he saw after waking up, and the only one who knew who he was.
She had suffered grave injuries herself, yet in the freezing snow, she still chose to save him for the sake of their childhood bond.
She must have liked the person he used to be, right?
But now he had no memory—if even his personality had changed into something unlikable, would she… abandon him?
That thought made Ah Zheng feel nervous. His mood sank.
“…I don’t even know what I was like before.” He clutched the blanket nervously. “Was I… a gentle person?”
Hearing this, Gu Heng smiled.
“Yes. Ah Zheng, you were the most good-tempered person in the whole neighborhood. But as the older brother, of course you got angry sometimes.”
“Really?”
“Mm. I was sickly as a child, and the butcher’s son across the street had a bad temper. He always made fun of me… said I was an unwanted child.” Gu Heng’s voice softened as she remembered. “One time, you overheard him. You picked up a rock from the street and said you were going to avenge me—beat him to death with it.”
Ah Zheng listened quietly.
Even though he had no memory of what Gu Heng described, for her, he was willing to imagine it as true.
“Later, Uncle Shen came and stopped you. But even after we grew older—when we were already ten—you still never gave that boy a kind look.”
At that, Ah Zheng, for the first time, felt a sense of recognition.
“Someone like that deserves a beating. If he dares bully you again, I’ll crack his head open.”
Gu Heng laughed, just as she finished dressing his wound.
“Alright, get some rest for today. If we ever return to Changle County, it won’t be too late to teach him a lesson.”
She stood and walked to the door, but suddenly remembered something and turned back.
“Your injuries are too severe. Don’t be so reckless next time. Hurting others isn’t the worst thing—I’m more worried about your health.”
Ah Zheng felt as if a feather brushed across his heart.
He looked toward the doorway, where a beam of light shone through, illuminating half of Gu Heng’s figure. She looked like a goddess descended from the heavens.
He nodded instinctively and said, “Alright.”
***
Around noon.
A little maid brought food.
Gu Heng had been starving, but the chaos of the morning made her forget about eating.
As soon as the maid set the tray down, she hurried away.
Inside the room, Gu Heng overheard the maids whispering outside.
“Why did it fall to you to bring her food today? Aren’t you afraid of offending Sister Chunhua?”
“Of course I’m afraid! But she and that man she brought are so fierce. If I don’t bring them food, I might get beaten!”
The other maid snickered. “Don’t overthink it. Sister Chunhua runs this entire manor. We’re just here to deliver food. As for what kind of food, that’s up to the kitchen.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng’s face changed.
She got out of bed and walked to the table. The moment she lifted the lids, a foul, rancid stench hit her straight in the face.
“Ugh…”
They dared to serve food this spoiled?!
Hearing the noise from inside, the two maids outside fled like the wind, terrified of being dragged in for questioning.
Gu Heng felt a sudden surge of anger.
Though she had always been an adopted daughter, often met with cold stares from the madam and her legitimate children, she had never lacked food or clothing thanks to her mother’s favor.
But now they dared to insult her like this?
Worse—if the food delivered to her was spoiled, wouldn’t Ah Zheng’s be the same?
With that thought, she rushed to the next room.
As soon as she pushed the door open, the stench hit her. And Ah Zheng—completely indifferent—was just about to drink a bowl of soup!
Gu Heng dashed forward, snatched the bowl from his hand, and slammed it onto the table.
“This disgusting slop—you were really about to eat it?! You’ll get diarrhea!”
Ah Zheng was startled, still holding his hands as if the bowl were there. At her words, he slowly lowered them.
“But if I don’t eat, I’ll go hungry…”
That made Gu Heng even angrier.
“Don’t worry. With me around, you’ll never starve! So what if my allowance is cut off? I’ve got two hands and two feet—don’t tell me I can’t even get us a meal!”
With that, she stormed out, slung a basket over her back, and headed for the mountains.
She wasn’t strong enough to hunt today, but gathering wild vegetables and fruits? That she could manage.
It had snowed a few days ago, but the sun had been out lately, so the mountain trails weren’t hard to walk.
As she walked, she picked fruits. Just when she was about to head back, she spotted something—dendrobium!
Her mother had told her about this. It was a rare and valuable herb, both a food and a medicine!
Gu Heng excitedly gathered some, then decided it wasn’t too late to head to the nearby town to sell it. That way, she and Ah Zheng could afford meals.
In town, she found the biggest apothecary. As soon as she took out the dendrobium, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up and he walked over eagerly.
“Miss, the quality of this dendrobium looks excellent! Are you selling?”
Those were exactly the words Gu Heng wanted to hear.
Perhaps because of her fair features and refined air—even in rough clothes—the shopkeeper mistook her for a young lady out adventuring and treated her respectfully.
They quickly reached an agreement: five taels of silver per stalk, for a total of fifty taels.
For Gu Heng, this was a fortune.
In these times, ten taels of silver could feed an average family for a year. With this, she and Ah Zheng wouldn’t go hungry.
What’s more, the mountain had plenty more dendrobium. If she could never return to the magistrate’s household, she could start a small business. The herbs would be her starting capital.
After carefully hiding the silver on her person, Gu Heng left. She had intended to go straight back, but in the end, her hunger won out, and she bought an oil cake to eat.
After eating, she thought of Ah Zheng and Zhao Momo, so she bought two more.
In addition, when passing by a small stall, she picked out a white jade hairpin.
After Ah Zheng fell off the cliff, he had nothing. These past few days, he had only been tying up his hair with a simple ribbon. With this jade hairpin, he could now properly fasten his hair.
Unexpectedly, just as she returned to the manor carrying the items, she saw many people looking at her with scornful expressions—some were even pointing fingers.
“I think this Second Miss might really be a bringer of misfortune. Whoever treats her well ends up plagued by disaster. Not only did she curse her own Yiniang to death, but now the only person on this zhuangzi who’s kind to her—Zhao Momo—also fell down a hillside!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Heng’s expression tightened. She hurried forward and grabbed the maid who was gossiping.
“Where did Zhao Momo fall?”
Frightened by Gu Heng’s stern look, the maid pointed with trembling hands, “In the small forest to the west. There are lots of fruit trees there. She went to pick fruit and accidentally fell.”
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