By the time Gu Heng found Zhao Momo, she had already been lying at the bottom of the hill for quite a while.
It was winter, and she was poorly dressed. She was now shivering from the cold. On top of that, she had twisted her ankle and couldn’t move, so she had been stuck there all this time.
When she saw Gu Heng arrive, tears immediately streamed down her face.
“Thank you, Second Miss… I thought I was going to die here today.”
Thinking of the faces of those people she had encountered at the manor’s gate, Gu Heng felt a surge of anger.
“Momo, while you were at the bottom of the hill just now, did you call for help? Did anyone try to help you?”
Hearing this, Zhao Momo’s face darkened, and her voice dropped low. “I was originally left here by your Yiniang. This zhuangzi was long ago taken over by people sent from the main household. Before you arrived, they were already making things hard for me. It’s no surprise they didn’t come to rescue me.”
Gu Heng was furious.
“These people, once they received favors from above, they forgot who they are. This Baixue Manor was, after all, my Yiniang’s property. How can they just take it over like this—and even bully the elderly who remain!”
But then, a wave of helplessness washed over her.
Now, she was alone here. Zhao Momo, the only one she knew, was elderly, and she was also caring for the sick Ah Zheng.
At this point, just surviving on this zhuangzi was already difficult.
But no matter what, she swore she would take the manor back and not let others run wild here.
Gu Heng took an oil cake from her chest and handed it to Zhao Momo. It had been tucked close to her body, so it was still warm.
Zhao Momo’s eyes trembled at the sight, and she almost didn’t dare accept it.
“Second Miss, you’re also living a hard life now, and the household has cut off your monthly allowance. I can’t take this cake. You should eat it yourself.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng stuffed the cake directly into her mouth.
“Eat. Only after eating will you have the strength to get up. I’ll help you walk back.”
Zhao Momo’s tears flowed freely.
She had lost her husband and child more than ten years ago and had lived alone on this zhuangzi ever since. Few had ever shown her kindness.
She swore that since Fu Yiniang was gone, she would take good care of the Second Miss.
The two of them took half an hour to climb back to the manor. After applying medicine to Zhao Momo, Gu Heng let her rest.
Then Gu Heng entered Ah Zheng’s room.
Seeing he was already awake, she happily pulled out an oil cake from her chest and presented it like a treasure.
“Ta-da! Look what I found—food!”
Ah Zheng, who had been lying in bed dazed, immediately lit up when he saw her. He clapped enthusiastically.
“You’re back, Ah Heng. Let me see what you brought.”
He took a bite of the oil cake—and was instantly amazed.
These days, he had barely eaten anything at the manor. This warm, greasy cake instantly delighted his taste buds.
“It’s delicious!”
Seeing his reaction, Gu Heng lifted her chin proudly. “Of course! Who do you think I am?”
Then she sat by his bed and took out all the money she had earned today, showing it off like a treasure.
“I went up the mountain to dig for wild fruit and actually found rare dendrobium orchids. I sold them for a good sum.”
Thinking aloud, she continued, “If we can’t return to the county in the future, we’ll use this money to open a shop in town. You’ve been good at painting since you were young—we can open a painting studio…”
She counted the silver and sighed, “But fifty taels might not be enough. I’ll have to go up the mountain again tomorrow.”
After quietly listening to her, Ah Zheng suddenly lowered his head.
“But I’ve lost my memory. I don’t remember being good at painting…”
He looked up cautiously. “If I told you I can’t paint anymore, would you be angry with me?”
Seeing his tentative expression, Gu Heng suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
Now that he had lost all his memories, it was only natural he wouldn’t remember the skills he used to have.
Right now, she was the only person he knew. If even she said hurtful things, how cruel would that be?
So she smiled, pinched his cheek, and said, “It’s okay. You’ve just forgotten. Until you remember, we can try other businesses!”
Blushing from her pinch, Ah Zheng muttered, “Then tomorrow when you go up the mountain, I want to come too.”
Gu Heng immediately shook her head. “You’re still badly hurt. You can’t move around.”
But when he heard that, his eyes turned red.
“You said we used to be neighbors, childhood friends, always doing everything together. Now that we’ve reunited, you won’t even let me go with you?”
Gu Heng had never seen him like this—so fragile and pitiful.
In the past, Ah Zheng was always strong and independent, never needing sympathy or pity.
This was the first time he had shown such vulnerability in front of her, and it made her feel a little guilty.
No choice—she was the one who brought him here, after all. She could only spoil him.
Gu Heng sighed. “Alright, alright. But you have to promise me not to make any big movements, or you’ll tear your wound.”
Ah Zheng nodded, his eyes especially innocent. “Okay. I’ll just follow behind you quietly. I promise not to misbehave.”
Seeing how obedient he was, Gu Heng smiled and took out the white jade hairpin from her chest.
“Since you’ve been so good, this is your reward for today!”
As she spoke, she reached out to tie up his hair.
A faint fragrance from the girl enveloped him, making Ah Zheng feel slightly uncomfortable. He shifted a bit.
“How about I do it myself…”
“Don’t move!”
Gu Heng held down his wiggling body and scolded him, “If you move, your hair will come loose!”
At that, Ah Zheng could only sit still obediently and let her fuss over him.
After a while, Gu Heng finally finished tying his hair.
She brought over a bronze mirror and held it in front of him. “Look—doesn’t this look much neater?”
At that moment, Ah Zheng stared at his reflection in a daze.
This face was very familiar, but for some reason, he felt he used to like wearing black.
Since coming to the manor, Gu Heng had only given him white clothes to wear, saying he had always dressed like this before.
But since she liked it, he was willing to listen.
Whatever she said—he’d listen.
***
The next morning, the sky was bright, and it was a sunny day.
Gu Heng had just finished washing up and stepped outside when she saw Ah Zheng already waiting in the courtyard.
When she first found him, he had been gravely injured, barely able to move. Now, sitting there in a fresh change of clothes, he looked much better.
As soon as he saw Gu Heng, he smiled and took the basket beside him, strapping it to his back.
“Ah Heng, let’s go!”
Gu Heng still had concerns—his back was badly injured, and carrying the basket might hurt the wound.
Instinctively, she reached to take the basket, but he dodged her several times.
“Ah Heng, I’m badly injured. Carrying this for you is the only thing I can do. You’re not going to take even that away from me, are you?”
His eyes shimmered with tears as he spoke, as if he’d be devastated if she insisted.
Gu Heng held her forehead.
She could see now—this man had become an expert at acting pitiful after losing his memory.
Fine. If she couldn’t win the argument, so be it.
“Alright, you carry it.”
Soon, the two of them were heading up the mountain. The path was relatively safe, but just as they were approaching the place where dendrobium orchids grew, Ah Zheng’s expression suddenly turned cold.
When Gu Heng tried to keep walking forward, he quickly grabbed her hand and whispered, “Don’t go.”
Gu Heng looked at him, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
“There are wild animals nearby.”
Before she could ask how he knew, Ah Zheng had already turned and shielded her in his arms.
Startled, Gu Heng looked back—only to see a wild wolf glaring at them with fierce eyes, ready to attack.
In that instant, fear gripped her.
She couldn’t imagine—if she had encountered this wolf alone yesterday, she’d probably already be dead.
But now, both she and Ah Zheng were still injured. Whether they could fend off this wolf was a real question.
Unexpectedly, what happened in the next second left her utterly shocked.
She saw Ah Zheng pick up a stone from beside him and hurl it—hitting the wild wolf’s hind leg right on target.
The wolf howled in pain and staggered for a moment. Ah Zheng leapt forward, pinning it under him.
He actually smashed the wolf’s head with his bare hands!
Blood splattered all over his head, making him look terrifying.
Yet Ah Zheng didn’t stop. For some reason, when the blood sprayed out, he felt a faint thrill inside.
He punched it again and again, not stopping until the wolf was completely still.
In that moment, it felt like everything around him had gone silent—eerily quiet.
When he turned around, he saw Ah Heng frozen in place, too scared to utter a word.
A wave of intense fear surged in Ah Zheng’s heart.
He looked down and saw blood all over his hands and body.
He was trembling with fear.
In Ah Heng’s eyes, he was a gentle scholar—yet now, he had just killed a wolf in front of her.
Would she be disgusted by him?
The thought made him feel like he could no longer keep his hands from shaking as they pressed down on the wolf’s body.
Just then, Gu Heng finally snapped out of it. She rushed forward, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood from his face, asking worriedly, “Are you hurt? Did the wound on your back reopen?”
Ah Zheng tried hard to steady himself, but his voice still trembled slightly.
“I’ve become like this now… will you blame me?”
The next moment, he felt her hands cupping his face.
The girl’s eyes were as soft as water, gazing at him directly.
“Why would I blame you? If you hadn’t been here today, I’d already be dead. I should be thanking you for saving my life.”
Sensing that Ah Zheng was still trembling, Gu Heng gently embraced him.
“I know you’ve lost your memory and everything around you feels strange and unsettling. You feel different from the person I used to know. But that’s normal.”
“After all, it’s been years since we last saw each other. In that time, you must have experienced things I don’t know about—things that changed you. And that’s okay. People don’t stay the same forever. Now you have the strength to protect yourself and others. I can only feel proud of you.”
Hearing those words, Ah Zheng suddenly felt his nose sting. Tears fell.
Just moments ago, he was brave enough to kill a wild wolf with his bare hands—but now, he crumbled in her arms and wept uncontrollably.
“Thank you… Ah Heng…”
