Although Gu’er had left the house, she had no idea where to go. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

’Finding a way to make money isn’t that easy. If it were, everyone would be rich by now.’ Now that she couldn’t sell wild vegetables anymore, she really couldn’t think of any other way to earn money.

Gu’er headed toward the back mountain. She still wanted to go up and take a look.

Just as she left the village and reached the path leading to the back mountain, she was startled to hear someone call her name.

Gu’er jumped, quickly looking to the side. There was a ditch beside the road, and beyond it lay a forest filled with many trees—pines and cypresses, all of them thick and tall.

The person had come from the woods. It had never occurred to her that someone would be here. Of course, it would be impossible to spot someone hiding in such a dense forest if they didn’t make a sound.

Watching the young man climb out of the ditch, Gu’er was stunned. She never would have expected Liu Yuan to show up here.

’Just last night, she had been thinking about him and Sun Jiaming, and today she ran into him right here. What a coincidence! Shouldn’t Liu Yuan be in the city? Why would he be in the woods on the path to the back mountain?’

"Gu’er."

Liu Yuan stepped in front of Gu’er and called her name, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Brother Liu Yuan, what are you doing here?"

Her eyes were wide with surprise; she truly hadn’t expected to run into Liu Yuan here.

"I came to visit my aunt today. They’re all taking their afternoon nap right now, so I came out for a stroll and ended up here. I didn’t expect to run into you."

Liu Yuan answered, his eyes fixed on Gu’er’s expression.

Gu’er didn’t doubt him. Liu Yuan’s explanation seemed plausible, and she didn’t want to overthink it.

"It’s hot over here. Let’s stand over there to talk."

Liu Yuan pointed to the woods where he had been standing.

"Okay."

Gu’er nodded. They were standing on the road directly under the hot sun. ’I’m used to it, but Liu Yuan is from the city and probably can’t take the heat.’ So, Gu’er agreed to his suggestion.

In truth, Liu Yuan was worried about Gu’er getting sunburnt. Her skin wasn’t fair, but it wasn’t dark either. ’Still, most girls prefer to have fair skin,’ he figured, ’and Gu’er is probably no different.’ So he didn’t want her to stay out in the sun.

Gu’er and Liu Yuan stood in the shade of the woods, a few steps apart.

Liu Yuan studied her.

"Sister Gu’er, why haven’t you been to the city to sell wild vegetables these past few days?"

Liu Yuan tried to sound casual, but the intense way he stared into her eyes betrayed his concern.

The truth was, Liu Yuan was here today because he had been waiting for Gu’er in the city every day with water for her, but she never showed up. The first day, he thought she would surely come the next. When she didn’t, he waited another day, but she still didn’t appear. He started to get anxious. ’What if something happened to her? What if she’s decided not to come to the city anymore? Then I won’t be able to see her.’

Liu Yuan hadn’t slept well last night, tossing and turning as he wondered why Gu’er hadn’t come to the city. Today, he couldn’t stand it any longer, so he made up an excuse to come visit his aunt.

He had asked around discreetly and was relieved to hear that nothing had happened to Gu’er. But his relief was quickly replaced by a longing to see her. Going directly to her home was out of the question; after all, he had no connection to the Zhou family. So, he had spent the morning wandering around the village, hoping to run into her, but with no luck.

After lunch, while everyone else was taking their afternoon nap, he slipped out again. He figured he wasn’t likely to run into Gu’er in the village itself. He thought for a moment and recalled Gu’er once mentioning that on days she didn’t go to the city, she would go up the mountain. So he came to this path to wait for her.

He’d be thrilled if he met her, but if not, there was nothing he could do but come back in a few days with another excuse.

To his surprise, he had actually run into her. Liu Yuan’s heart hammered with a mix of nerves and excitement.

"An auntie asked me to help her at her house the other day, and I forgot to tell you, Brother Liu Yuan. I’m so sorry. You must have gone to bring me water, didn’t you? I feel terrible for making you wait for nothing. You don’t have to go anymore, Brother Liu Yuan. The vegetables are almost out of season, so there aren’t many wild ones left to sell. I probably won’t be going to the city for a while."

Gu’er apologized sincerely to Liu Yuan. She really had forgotten to tell him at the time, and she felt quite bad about it.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. It can’t be helped if the vegetables are no longer in season. Don’t worry about it. Whenever you do go to the city again, I... I’ll still bring you water."

For his last sentence, Liu Yuan had originally wanted to say, "I’ll keep you company," but he changed his mind, afraid Gu’er might read too much into it.

"Thank you, Brother Liu Yuan."

Gu’er thanked him from the heart. Liu Yuan was genuinely kind to her. Bringing her water might seem like a small thing, but there was a warmth and kindness in the gesture that she couldn’t ignore.

"Why are you out in this hot sun instead of taking a nap? Are you heading up the mountain?"

Seeing the conversation stall, Liu Yuan quickly tried to find something else to say.

"I slept too much last night, so I’m not tired enough for a nap. I wanted to go up the mountain to see if I could find anything to sell for some money."

Gu’er didn’t try to hide her intentions.

"Then let me go with you. This mountain is huge; it’s not a good idea for you to go alone."

Liu Yuan wanted to go with Gu’er.

Gu’er glanced at him. ’His clothes seem fine for climbing, but he’s a city boy. Can he really handle hiking up a mountain?’

Gu’er told him what to expect on the mountain.

"I can handle it. Don’t underestimate me. I do plenty of manual labor at home too."

Liu Yuan thought, ’If a girl like Gu’er can do it, why can’t I?’

Since Liu Yuan was insistent, Gu’er couldn’t very well refuse him. And so, the two of them walked toward the mountain, chatting as they went.

"Hahaha, really? I never would have guessed you were so mischievous as a kid, Brother Liu Yuan."

As they reached the foot of the mountain, Gu’er let out a laugh like tinkling bells. Liu Yuan had just told her an amusing story from his childhood.

Gazing at Gu’er’s smiling face, as beautiful as a flower, Liu Yuan was mesmerized. It was the first time he had seen her laugh so freely. Her features were completely relaxed, making her so dazzling he couldn’t look away.

Liu Yuan stared, completely forgetting to walk. He was utterly captivated.

At first, Gu’er didn’t notice, but when she realized Liu Yuan was staring at her, her face instantly flushed red. Having already lived one life, how could she not understand the meaning behind his gaze?

Gu’er felt her heart flutter in a panic, mixed with a sense of frustration. She didn’t want to get romantically involved with Liu Yuan. ’It’s not good to let something develop when you know it’s impossible.’

"Brother Liu Yuan."

Gu’er called out his name.

"Ah? Oh, yes, I’m here."

Liu Yuan snapped back to reality, realizing he had just been staring intently at Gu’er. He was so embarrassed that even his neck flushed red. ’I’m a grown man, how could I just stare at a girl so openly? What must she think of me?’

’Gu’er... will she be angry? Will she get the wrong idea? Did she guess what I’m feeling? And if she did, what will she do?’

In that moment, Liu Yuan felt a mix of elation and panic. He had no idea how Gu’er felt about him.

"Gu’er. Liu Yuan. What are you two doing here?"

Just as the flustered Liu Yuan was about to say something to Gu’er, another voice suddenly broke the silence.