Zhang Baogui, looking utterly embarrassed, scratched his head. “Yingzi is amazing. She saved me once when I went up the mountain before.” He shifted uncomfortably, recalling the incident. After the commune announced they’d buy villagers’ vegetables, he, eager for money, had rushed to the mountains. But he’d never picked mushrooms before and had no clue which were poisonous. If Tong Yingzi hadn’t warned him, he would have eaten something deadly. Later, they often went mushroom picking together, and Tong Yingzi taught him a great deal. She knew precisely which mushrooms were poisonous and their levels of toxicity. Zhang Baogui admired her greatly.
Xu Ying was also surprised by Tong Yingzi’s extensive knowledge of mushrooms. Seizing the opportunity, she praised her. “Sister Yingzi, you are so awesome!”
Under Xu Ying’s sparkling gaze, Tong Yingzi suddenly felt shy. “I also learned from a doctor,” she explained. “My mother is in poor health and needs medicine every few days. Our family is poor and can’t afford it. Fortunately, there’s a kind lady in our village who taught me about herbal medicine and told me to go up the mountain to dig herbs for my mother’s illness.”
Xu Ying nodded, understanding why Tong Yingzi was so knowledgeable. Xu Ying herself knew many mushrooms, but she’d learned from her master. Now, she pretended ignorance, soaking up all the information Tong Yingzi shared.
Zhang Baogui listened intently, a serious expression on his face. Xu Ying, meanwhile, decided to play hooky, trailing a few meters behind the two. It was undeniable; watching Tong Yingzi and her uncle, they truly looked like a couple.
With only the three of them there, Xu Ying felt compelled to orchestrate something, or her trip to the mountain would be wasted. The two were still engrossed in their mushroom lesson, one teaching, the other earnestly learning. Neither noticed Xu Ying lagging several meters behind. Perhaps Xu Ying was too deep in thought, for she didn’t even notice the extra person and a wolf now trailing behind her.
It wasn’t until Huo Chen called out to her that Xu Ying, perhaps with a guilty conscience, jolted. Her eyes wide with fright, she clutched her chest. “Huo Chen, you scared me to death!”
The corners of Huo Chen’s lips curved upward, a hint of tenderness in his eyes. “Why are you running up this mountain alone? Don’t you have to go to work?” When he mentioned this, Huo Chen’s eyes dropped slightly, a flicker of grievance crossing his face. He’d gone to the restaurant a few days ago, only to find Xu Ying was on a business trip. After waiting for days, she finally returned, but then he was told she’d gone home to rest. Huo Chen, enduring the longing, rushed back to the village, only to find Xu Ying had gone to her grandmother’s house. He could only follow the mountain path towards Zhangjiacun, searching for her. Now that he saw Xu Ying, a strange light glinted in his eyes, unable to tear his gaze away from her.
Xu Ying, seeing Lao Hui, the wolf, looking lively, exclaimed, “Huo Chen, can you lend me Lao Hui for a moment?”
Huo Chen nodded. When Xu Ying saw his agreement, she suddenly beamed, her eyes sparkling like stars. She bent down and stroked Lao Hui’s head. “Old Hui, can you help me scare those two people?”
Huo Chen glanced at the distant figures, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. He was about to give Lao Hui instructions when he saw the wolf already sauntering slowly towards the two, its tail wagging. Tong Yingzi and Zhang Baogui continued their walk into the mountains, their backpacks slung over their shoulders.
Xu Ying put a finger to her lips, shushing Huo Chen softly, but HouChen seeing her mischevious cat like stance smiled brightly, a luminous smile that lit up the dim world like stars in the night sky. Xu Ying was momentarily stunned, her eyes fixed on Huo Chen’s face.
Then, a scream echoed from the distance. Xu Ying spun around, covering her mouth in surprise. It was so mortifying, so utterly mortifying! Her little uncle was so terrified that he lay in her little aunt’s arms, looking utterly frightened. Her little aunt even patted his back soothingly. Tong Yingzi found Zhang Baogui’s reaction amusing. The wolf clearly had no intention of attacking them, yet it had scared him witless. She gently patted Zhang Baogui’s back. “It’s okay, the wolf ran away.”
Zhang Baogui’s eyes were red as he poked his head out of Tong Yingzi’s arms, still looking terrified. After scanning his surroundings and confirming the wolf was gone, Zhang Baogui’s anxious heart finally settled. Turning his head, he saw Tong Yingzi looking at him with playful eyes. Zhang Baogui’s face instantly flushed crimson. When he remembered the softness he had just buried his head in, his face turned the color of a pig’s liver.
He couldn’t speak properly, stammering, “Tong Yingzi, I will be responsible for you.”
Tong Yingzi was initially surprised by his words, but then something clicked, and her face changed drastically, her dark skin gradually growing hot. However, due to her complexion, her sudden change wasn’t clearly visible.
“Zhang Baogui, you are shameless!” Tong Yingzi burst out.
Zhang Baogui flinched at her sudden shout, quickly replying like a wronged little wife, “Yingzi, don’t be angry. I already said that I would be responsible for you, and besides, I just got in touch with you and didn’t do anything.”
Tong Yingzi was even more mortified that he had actually said such a thing. Looking at Zhang Baogui, she raised her hand and punched him.
Xu Ying was alarmed, wondering what her uncle had done to provoke such anger in her aunt. Sure enough, one of Zhang Baogui’s eyes was already bruised, and he looked utterly pathetic. “Then what do you think we should do?”
Tong Yingzi snorted. “I don’t look good, I have a bad temper, and my mother is still sick. I won’t leave my mother alone. If you want me to get married and take care of my mother and my brother, I will be with you.” With that, she quickly ran off.
Before Zhang Baogui could fully recover his senses, she had already vanished.
Xu Ying rushed over. “Uncle, what did you say to Sister Yingzi? Why did she run away?”
Zhang Baogui scratched his head, a somewhat unnatural expression on his face. “I said I wanted to marry her.”
Time seemed to freeze. Xu Ying stared at her uncle in disbelief. “You, you’re not joking?” Isn’t this progress a bit too fast?
The system chimed in, sounding exasperated. “[Unhappy, unhappy, these two people were destined to be married. It was just because of your rebirth that the trajectory changed a bit, but the marriage is still there. Now that you have brought Yan Yuan back, the two of them will be together again, but your uncle is really awesome, much more shameless than some people. Life is only a few decades long. Of course, you should express your love in time. Enjoy it for a while!]”
Xu Ying felt there was something seriously wrong with the system’s last few sentences.
“Uncle, what do you think about what Sister Yingzi said?” Xu Ying asked impatiently.
“She said she was not good-looking and had a bad temper. She also said that her mother was in poor health and she had to support her mother. She also had to take care of her brother and mother after she got married. But she has a really bad temper. Look at the spanking she gave me. It hurts me to death.”
According to the system, Tong Yingzi was capable and extremely smart, destined to lead her uncle to a better life. She was an incredibly good girl. Supporting her mother was what she should do. Why couldn’t a married daughter who can help her mother? Even if she was married, she was still her mother’s child, nurtured through ten months of pregnancy. Anyway, if it were her, if someone didn’t let her take care of her parents, then she would rather never get married in this life.