Zhao Wendong’s heart leaped with joy, and he quickly ran toward the sound of Zhao Wenjun’s voice.
As he drew near, he saw Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou crouched on the ground, their butts high in the air as they gathered around something, staring at it with curiosity. Zhao Wendong sidled up to look with them.
The soil in this spot was unusually soft and loose, with a few cracks on the surface. A small, dark-yellow nub about two centimeters wide, looking like a miniature potato, poked out from the ground. This was what the two of them were staring at.
The nub was covered in fine, downy hairs, which were easy to miss if one didn’t look closely. Zhao Wendong was ecstatic. ’That’s it! We’ve found it! This is the wild ginseng we’ve been looking for!’
"Who found it?"
"Er Gouzi found it. Wendong, come take a look! Is this ginseng?"
Zhao Wendong patted Er Gouzi on the back and gave Zhao Wenjun an affirmative nod.
"That’s right, Big Brother. It’s ginseng. Here, step aside. I’ll do the digging!"
Zhao Wendong didn’t dare let the other two handle it. When digging for ginseng, breaking even a single rootlet meant a huge loss. He was the only one with experience, so he had to do it himself. Zhao Wenjun and Zhao Ergou watched as Zhao Wendong meticulously dug away the surrounding earth. Nearby, Zhao Wenwu sat with his back to the gorge, listening to the SPLASHING of the water in the hot spring pool. For some reason, he felt his entire body flush with heat and squirmed uncomfortably on the rock.
Jin Xiuying soaked in the warm spring water, goosebumps rising on her fair skin. Every pore on her body seemed to open up in that moment, and even the pain she felt began to subside. Through the thin white steam, her gaze fell from time to time on Zhao Wenwu, who was squirming on his rock as if he had ants in his pants.
’The once-prominent Cui Family is now down to just me.’ The memory of her father, telling her to live on as he lay dying, was still vivid in her mind. Her family had sacrificed themselves to help her escape across the border into Dragon Country.
’I thought I was safe, but two of them still tailed me. I was about to be violated, my body disposed of, and my head taken back as a trophy... then, this simple-looking fellow suddenly appeared and saved me.’
’And now he’s helped me get rid of those pursuers, giving me back my freedom.’ Although he was a bit oafish, perhaps a little slow—one might even say foolish—for some reason, Jin Xiuying wasn’t put off by him in the slightest. In fact, just having him near gave her an immense sense of security.
’Was it because he risked his life for me? Or was it his pure, untainted heart that moved me so deeply?’
She was a woman who dared to think and act, the daughter of a war hero. ’Since fate arranged for me to meet Zhao Wenwu here and be granted a new life, and since this man has already branded himself so deeply onto my heart in such a short time, what am I hesitating for?’
There was also the practical side of things. She was at a dead end. As someone who knew Dragon Country well, she understood that without identity papers, she would be discovered quickly. The Zhao family’s home was her best refuge. His brother, Zhao Wendong, was especially formidable. From the way he shot those men and calmly disposed of their bodies, to how he seemed to know her background like the back of his hand, she had a gut feeling that this family might be her best hope for survival.
"Zhao Wenwu!"
Jin Xiuying’s voice echoed from the pool, soft and carrying a peculiar, indescribable tone.
Zhao Wenwu’s body went rigid. He didn’t dare turn around, wondering why the woman behind him would call out to him right now. Staring at the ground, he asked nervously.
"What is it?"
"Come over here for a second!"
"What?"
Zhao Wenwu froze. He might not be the sharpest, but he still understood that men and women were different and that there were boundaries to be respected.
"I said, come over here!"
"Oh, okay!"
Zhao Wenwu felt his face burning. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground as he walked to the edge of the hot spring. The moment he glimpsed a long, fair leg, he squeezed his eyes shut in a panic.
"Wh-what do you want?"
"Hee hee hee!"
Jin Xiuying, who had been feeling a bit shy herself, couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Zhao Wenwu’s beet-red face and tightly shut eyes. Her bashfulness about being naked in front of him evaporated. ’Since I’ve already decided to spend the rest of my life with him, what is there to be conflicted about?’
Jin Xiuying slowly turned around, presenting her fair back to Zhao Wenwu, and said softly.
"Brother Wenwu, can you wash my back for me?"
"Oh, s-sure!"
Zhao Wenwu cracked his eyes open. His vision filled with an expanse of pale white skin. He felt his heart leap into his throat, and his trousers suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.
"Th-there’s no towel."
"Use this."
Jin Xiuying handed him a small piece of her underclothing. Zhao Wenwu took it and slowly began to wash her back. The instant his rough palm made contact with her smooth skin, a shiver ran through both of them.
"Brother Wenwu, do you have a wife?"
"N-no!"
"Can I be your wife?"
Zhao Wenwu’s hand froze. Jin Xiuying slowly turned to face him, revealing herself completely. She looked at him bravely, awaiting his answer.
Zhao Wenwu took one glance and felt an unbearable heat surge through him. Not daring to let his eyes wander, he forced himself to fix his gaze on her pretty, delicate face.
"Brother Wenwu, why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t want me to be your wife?"
"No, that’s not it! I do!"
Zhao Wenwu said hurriedly. Jin Xiuying’s curiosity was piqued. She was confident in her looks, so ’Why would he refuse me when I’m offering myself to him?’
"Then why didn’t you agree, Brother Wenwu?"
Zhao Wenwu bit his lip and said slowly.
"Because... because I’m a f-fool!"
"I know they all call me a fool. I... I don’t want people to laugh at you, too."
Zhao Wenwu’s every word struck a chord in Jin Xiuying’s heart, making her feel both happy and heartbroken. ’What’s wrong with being a fool? Maybe only a fool could possess such a pure heart. He’s worried about me being laughed at, so he bravely admits his own shortcomings. How sincere can a person’s feelings be!’
"I don’t care if you’re a fool, Brother Wenwu. If I become your wife, will you be good to me?"
"Yeah! I will!"
Zhao Wenwu nodded immediately. ’Of course you have to be good to your wife if you have one! Just like how Dad is to Mom, how Big Brother is to his wife, and how Third Brother is to that messy girl!’
SPLASH!
With a splash of water, Jin Xiuying stood up, completely exposing her body to Zhao Wenwu. But she didn’t care. In just a few short days, she had faced death and seen her family destroyed. ’Now, I just want to tell my parents in heaven that I’ve found a man who will shelter me from the storms and be good to me for the rest of my life. I have a home again!’
The sight was so dazzling it nearly blinded Zhao Wenwu. He felt his nose begin to itch, as if he were about to get a nosebleed. In the next instant, Jin Xiuying’s lips were on his, pressing against his mouth. Zhao Wenwu’s eyes flew wide open, like a startled deer.
Passion burned like fire in the gorge, the air thick with the aura of spring. Outside, the atmosphere was just as feverish. Gazing at the excavated wild ginseng, Zhao Wendong and his brothers couldn’t help but cheer and jump for joy.
"My God, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a ginseng plant."
"It’s huge! It must be a hundred years old!"
Zhao Wendong shook his head. ’I dug up a few in my past life and learned a great deal from the veteran leaders of the old generation of ginseng hunters.’ This plant they’d just unearthed was at least one hundred and fifty years old. Its body had shrunk a little because it was winter; ginseng hibernates, too.
Seeing their masters so happy, the three dogs and Xiaobai also trotted over, circling them excitedly. An idea suddenly struck Zhao Wendong. He held the freshly dug wild ginseng up to their noses, letting each one take a good sniff, then commanded loudly.
"Go, find!"
Instantly, the four little animals scattered, frolicking off in all directions and sniffing everything in sight.