Chapter 19: The River’s Embrace and a Grandmother’s Tale of Security

Less than ten li south of Moxuan Market Town and near Tianmen Village, a great river flowed.

It stretched north to Tianyu City, continuing directly to Mohe City, the transportation hub of Huangbei Prefecture.

To the south, it emptied straight into the shores of Luohai, forming a vast sandbar at its mouth. This river truly traversed the entire Huangxia Empire. It bore a name of poetic beauty: Tianyuan River.

The river not only irrigated the farmlands along its banks but also yielded abundant aquatic resources.

Early that morning, Yao Tian, brimming with enthusiasm, brought Wu Xiyu to one of its tributaries, eager to showcase his skills before the girl he admired.

Yet, as he rolled up his sleeves, his hands rubbing together in anticipation, he subtly noticed her distraction. She sat quietly on the ground, like a doll, her eyes devoid of their usual sparkle.

“Xiyu?”

Even when he called out loudly, she only murmured a listless, “Mm,” in response.

“Hey,” Yao Tian set down his fishing gear and plopped down beside her, asking with concern, “You seem a bit down. What’s on your mind?”

“Mm.”

“Xiyu?”

“Mm.”

Seeing her respond so dully, Yao Tian nudged her forcefully. “Are you possessed?” he asked.

Wu Xiyu finally snapped out of it, forcing a faint smile. “I was just thinking about something…”

“Are you worried about He Junan’s injuries?”

“Partly… yes.”

“Ah, don’t worry so much. I reckon he’ll be up and hopping about in no time,” Yao Tian said, rising to retrieve his fishing gear.

“You’ll need to watch closely later; I’m going to catch all the bighead carp in this tributary. Miss this spectacular moment, and you’ll regret it!”

With that, he crouched down, fiddling with his fishing rod, while Wu Xiyu, oblivious, continued to lose herself in her thoughts.

***

“Come, child, make yourself at home,” the elderly Qiu Ruoqu said, slowly approaching the wooden table.

“Let the menfolk talk amongst themselves; we’ll have our own chat. Keep this old woman company, pass the time.” With a gesture, she sat in the grand armchair and beckoned Wu Xiyu over.

Wu Xiyu offered no resistance, a radiant smile gracing her face as she obediently took a seat opposite the old woman.

“Grandma, may I ask you a question?”

“Go on.”

“Since Grandpa was a stranger from Donghua, what made you decide to marry him back then?”

Hearing her question, the old woman didn’t immediately answer. After a moment of contemplation, she offered a serene smile.

“Truth be told, when two people want to be together, they don’t overthink it. They’re drawn to each other, their hearts gradually grow closer, and then, naturally…”

She paused, pouring herself a cup of tea. “If I had to pinpoint what made me develop feelings for him, it would be a certain feeling.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“Security.”

“Security… I wouldn’t have guessed. Was Grandpa a very strong man back then?”

“He was as far from ‘strong’ as can be.”

“Then what exactly was that feeling?”

“Let me tell you from the beginning…”

In those days, Moxuan Market Town was struck by a considerable plague. My father was busy treating patients from dawn till dusk, while I spent my days deep in the mountains, ensuring a steady supply of life-saving herbs.

Gathering herbs, gathering herbs, gathering herbs…

During that period, I felt possessed, my mind consumed solely by collecting herbs. One day, as I was foraging, I heard an unusual sound that startled me into immediate hiding.

Only when the surroundings grew quiet again did I cautiously peek out. To my surprise, there was no wild beast, but rather a raggedly dressed man.

He sat foolishly on a rock, clutching a pile of strange books and pamphlets he’d found somewhere, weakly calling out, “Is anyone there? Are the police comrades around… Is anyone there?”

He noticed me, his gaze blank and unseeing, while I stood frozen, staring back. Like wooden statues, we remained in a stalemate for a long time.

After an unknown duration, seeing that I meant him no harm, he couldn’t resist breaking the silence. “Are you filming a TV show?” he asked.

I blinked, utterly bewildered. “Huh?”

“If I may be so bold, did you get separated from your crew? Want to walk together?”

“Crew…”

He tried to approach me, but I kept backing away. Heaven knew what this strangely-dressed man might do. In a moment of carelessness, my foot slipped, and I nearly tumbled down the slope. “Ahhh—”

“Watch out!!!”

Instinctively, he lunged forward, but couldn’t stop himself, accidentally pushing me down the slope. Fortunately, I only twisted my ankle in the end. After that incident, we were officially acquainted.

Though my sprained ankle made every step difficult, the herbs still needed gathering; each stalk was vital to countless lives.

Upon hearing about the plague, he offered to help, volunteering to collect the herbs himself. In exchange, I would find time to prepare some dry rations for him to eat.

Day by day, our relationship transformed. He became my dedicated herb gatherer, and I became the one who prepared his three meals. For a long time after that, I hardly ever worried about the herbs.

This good fortune, however, didn’t last. Small cuts began to appear on his body—some like blade gashes, others like abrasions from hard objects. Tiny blue crystalline grains also adhered to the skin around the wounds.

To heal his wounds, I diligently applied medicine every day. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, no matter what I did, new wounds would appear the next day. Older wounds would inexplicably fester and turn black, even oozing a pale fluid.

Finally, unable to suppress my worry, I seized an opportunity to ask my father during a meal.

After hearing my description of the wounds, he analyzed them as scratches caused by sharp rocks, noting that such injuries often left behind sand and dirt from the rock surface.

The blue crystalline grains, he suggested, might be blue salt frost from sea cliffs. If the wounds weren’t cleaned promptly, they could fester and ulcerate, and in severe cases, even prove fatal.

My mind went blank after hearing my father’s words.

By the time I regained my senses, I was already rushing out of the house like a madwoman, plunging into the pitch-black, impenetrable forest as if possessed. I found him there, burning with fever and barely clinging to life.

“Ugh…”

He saw me, but couldn’t speak, his condition seemingly having deteriorated to a critical point.

Without a word, I followed the sound of water to a nearby stream, carrying cup after cup of fresh water. Under the moonlight, I cleaned his wounds, over and over again.

After countless trips, I finally finished treating all the scrapes. The moment my taut nerves relaxed, exhaustion swept over me like a sudden gust of wind, instantly claiming my consciousness.

When I awoke the next day, I found a tattered piece of clothing draped over me. He, meanwhile, was curled up beneath a large tree, shivering like a wild boar from the cold.

It was probably from that moment that I began to develop feelings for him, the events of that night lingering in my heart.

Only much later did I learn that herbs in the forest had become increasingly scarce, and to meet my needs, he had risked his life to gather them from treacherous cliffs, which was why his body was constantly covered in scrapes.

Soon after, the plague in the town finally stabilized. I disguised him as a Huihua tribesman and secretly brought him home.

My father, a doctor since childhood and a truly benevolent man, welcomed him wholeheartedly upon learning he was homeless, showing no hint of rejection.

Over time, he became a part of our family, and we spent a wonderful period living peacefully together.

One day, a group of bullies, taking advantage of my father’s absence, stormed into the clinic, intending to abduct me and force me into concubinage.

He was beaten to the ground by the bullies’ henchmen, while I was forcibly pinned to the bed.

Just as they were about to succeed, no one expected that this seemingly helpless man would, with his bare hands, lift the scorching hot medicine stove.

While everyone’s attention was fixed on me, he brought it down fiercely on the bully’s head. The boiling medicinal liquid instantly drenched him.

To this day, I vividly recall the comical sight of the bully howling and rolling on the ground.

Ignoring the searing pain in his scorched palms, he seized a nearby guillotine blade and swung it wildly at the bully’s henchmen. “Stay away from her!” he roared.

Thanks to him, I was spared the greatest humiliation of my life. In the end, watching his frantic, desperate figure, an indescribable emotion swelled in my chest.

In that very moment, a thought flashed through my mind: ‘Perhaps the happiness of my latter half of life… could be entrusted to this man.’

“This story…” Wu Xiyu blinked. “Grandma, I still don’t understand where the ‘security’ comes in?”

Qiu Ruoqu offered a relaxed smile. “In this world, only two kinds of men will protect you at all costs, think of you constantly, and never hesitate when it comes to you.”

She paused, gazing at her reflection in the teacup, a rare, joyful smile gracing her lips. “One is a father, and the other… is naturally a man who truly loves you.”