This place held many memories for her.
Although she had grown up living deep in the mountains with her grandfather, they were from this village. They had moved to the mountains to make it easier to gather medicinal herbs.
Chu Jinian was kind and warm-hearted, and the villagers held him in great respect. Chu Lingzhi remembered that when she was little, every time she came down from the mountains with her grandfather, the villagers would greet them warmly and invite them to stay for a meal.
The memories were beautiful, but the ache in her heart came from knowing that the dearest person in those memories was no longer by her side. Just as Chu Lingzhi was sinking into melancholy, lost in her recollections, a warmth spread across the back of her hand.
She withdrew her gaze, looked down, and saw Nangong Yehen's large hand covering hers. She froze for a moment, then lifted her head, meeting his tender, affectionate gaze.
His eyes were like poison—once you looked into them, you became addicted. At that moment, Chu Lingzhi felt as if she had been hooked, unable to pull her gaze away.
Nangong Yehen curled his lips into a faint, reassuring smile. "Don't overthink it."
"I'm not overthinking," Chu Lingzhi said, her voice choked with emotion. She was only thinking of his family.
"Look at our son, how happily he's playing." Nangong Yehen glanced outside.
Chu Lingzhi followed his gaze and saw Chu Junyu and Nangong Yichen playing with the village children. Since Chu Jinian had passed away, outsiders rarely entered the village—especially wealthy people driving cars and dressed in fine clothes.
So their arrival quickly drew a crowd of curious villagers.
Seeing these familiar yet unfamiliar faces, Chu Lingzhi was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. There were many people she recognized but couldn't name. Still, none of that mattered now. She was here today as a stranger. The people here had no idea she was the dark-skinned little girl from years ago.
Chu Lingzhi pushed open the car door and stepped out. Before she could close it, a woman with rough, dark skin approached and asked enthusiastically, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Chunyan Jie!
Chu Lingzhi suppressed the excitement surging inside her as she looked at the woman before her. She remembered her—Fu Chunyan, the straightforward, loud-voiced, yet incredibly warm-hearted woman.
Fu Chunyan stared at the ethereally beautiful Chu Lingzhi. "Hey, I'm talking to you."
Fu Chunyan found the girl's gaze a bit strange, so she asked, "You're not one of my relatives, are you?"
Her question made the gathered villagers burst into laughter.
Just then, Nangong Yehen got out of the car. Seeing him, the villagers' eyes lit up—they found him extraordinarily handsome. The villagers rarely watched TV, and even when they did, they didn't pay attention to major international news, so Nangong Yehen's face was unfamiliar to them.
"Hey, this big brother is quite handsome," Fu Chunyan said, scanning Nangong Yehen before asking, "Handsome brother, who are you looking for?"
Her question sent the villagers into another round of laughter. Fu Chunyan was nearly fifty years old, yet she was calling Nangong Yehen "big brother"—how could they not laugh?
"We're not looking for anyone," Chu Lingzhi said. She turned and glanced at Nangong Yehen. "We came here to gather some medicinal herbs."
"You've come to the right place for medicinal herbs." Fu Chunyan pointed at Lizhu Mountain—the very mountain where Chu Lingzhi had once lived. "That mountain is full of wild medicinal herbs. You should find what you need there. But if you go up now, you might get eaten by wild beasts."
"That's right," a little boy added. "Wolves and wild boars come out every night."