Chapter 28: I Will Come for You
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When Chen Gengsheng saw Chi Mu, he stammered, “Y-you have a g-girlfriend? Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
Aunt Chen clicked her tongue and looked Chi Mu over carefully.
The young woman had delicate features and fair, tender skin. Aunt Chen forced a smile. “Ningli brought his girlfriend home? When are you planning to get married?”
Chi Mu smiled. “Soon.”
“Little girl, how much bride price do your parents want? Ningli’s family isn’t well-off. Don’t make things difficult for him.”
“My parents don’t want a bride price.”
“They don’t?”
“No. I’ve already prepared a house and a car. We’re just waiting to get married and move in.”
“Is Ningli marrying into your family?”
“No. The child will bear his surname.”
“You silly girl, you’re the one giving everything!”
“Oh, it took me forever to win Ningli over. He’s handsome and capable. You have no idea—there are enough women chasing him to form a line from here to the village entrance. Some women want to support a man, but they don’t even get the chance!”
“…”
Aunt Chen was rendered speechless.
Her own son had married a country girl, draining the family’s savings and leaving them buried in debt.
Yet when Ningli married, his bride was a city girl who demanded no bride price and even brought a house and car with her. Comparing people was enough to make one furious!
Still, when she remembered that Ningli was crippled, she felt somewhat comforted.
At least her own son wasn’t disabled.
At that moment, Fu Ningli rose and poured Chi Mu a glass of juice.
Aunt Chen stared at him.
“Wasn’t your leg crippled?”
Lu Baihui finally got a chance to speak. “I was trying to tell you that earlier, but you kept interrupting me. Our Ningli’s leg has healed. Little Chi cured him. She’s a doctor.”
In the eyes of the villagers, doctors, teachers, and civil servants all held the finest occupations.
Aunt Chen fell completely silent and obediently went back to eating chicken.
After the guests left, Fu Ningli washed the dishes while Chi Mu examined Lu Baihui’s eyes.
She washed Lu Baihui’s eyes with holy water, then treated her with acupuncture, applied medicinal herbs, and wrapped her eyes in white gauze.
“By tomorrow morning, you’ll be able to see again. Just remember not to let your eyes come into contact with water.”
“All right.”
Lu Baihui took Chi Mu’s hand. “Little Chi, I know you aren’t Ningli’s girlfriend. But I can see that Ningli cares a great deal about you. Tell Grandma the truth—do you have feelings for him?”
Chi Mu truly had no intention of pursuing a romance.
She answered honestly, “No.”
Fu Ningli stood at the kitchen doorway. Hearing that, he withdrew the foot he had just taken forward.
Then he heard his grandmother press on. “Really?”
Fu Ningli held his breath.
Chi Mu’s voice slowly sounded. “I—”
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“Crash!”
A sharp sound drowned out Chi Mu’s voice.
Fu Ningli turned back in frustration and saw Si Zhenghong gazing mournfully at the bowl shattered on the floor. He shook his head and went over to deal with it.
“Don’t pick it up. I’ll clean it.”
…
The next day.
Chi Mu removed the white gauze from Lu Baihui’s eyes.
Facing the sunlight, Lu Baihui slowly opened her eyes.
The dazzling whiteness blurred into indistinct patches of light, which gradually sharpened into the flawless outline of a girl.
Lu Baihui opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak for a long while.
Chi Mu raised a hand and waved it in front of her. “Grandma, can you see?”
“Yes, I can see!”
Lu Baihui cried out excitedly, “Little Chi, I can see you! Where’s Ningli? Let me look at him!”
Fu Ningli stepped forward. “Grandmother, I’m here.”
Lu Baihui reached up and touched his face, her wrinkled hand trembling faintly. “You’ve grown so tall. You’ve really grown into a fine young man. Your eyes and brows look like your mother’s. If only she were still here…”
“Grandmother, don’t cry. Your eyes have only just healed.”
“All right, I won’t cry. I’m not crying. I’m just happy.”
Lu Baihui wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then took Chi Mu’s hand again. “Little Chi, you healed Ningli’s leg and restored my eyesight. I truly don’t know how I could ever thank you.”
“Then have Ningli take me out for a meal. I’ll choose the most expensive restaurant!”
“Haha, all right, all right!” Lu Baihui laughed.
Leaning against the doorframe, Fu Ningli watched the old woman and the young girl holding hands and chatting animatedly. He, too, laughed softly.
It seemed that wherever Chi Mu was, laughter and happiness followed.
That was how it was in his home.
And it was the same at his grandmother’s house.
…
That afternoon, when they left the village, Lu Baihui stuffed the trunk of their car full of fruits and vegetables.
Chi Mu drove the heavy-laden car back to Hai City.
Fu Ningli watched helplessly as the car entered Xihua Garden. His disappointment was obvious.
“Didn’t you say I could take you out to dinner? Why did you drive back to my place?”
Chi Mu unlocked the car door. “I have something to do tonight. You can treat me another day.”
“I may be leaving Hai City.”
“Where are you going?”
“The Capital.”
Chi Mu was silent for a moment, then smiled. “Then I’ll come find you the next time I’m in the Capital.”
There was not the slightest hint of reluctance in her voice.
Fu Ningli looked deeply at her. “That’s why you should let me take you out sooner. If you still haven’t arranged it by the time I leave, I’ll come find you myself.”
With that, he opened the door, got out, and walked toward the building entrance.
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The dim streetlights stretched his shadow long across the ground. It slanted away from him, lonely and desolate.
Watching him, Chi Mu felt a strange ache in her heart.
But the feeling soon vanished as a large bag of medicinal herbs brought her back to reality. She had to hurry back to the Divine Physician Hall to process them. If she was too late, they would wilt.
At the Divine Physician Hall.
The moment Ji Yu saw Chi Mu return, he leaped toward her. “Sister Mu, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!”
“How’s the shop?”
“Everything’s going wonderfully!”
Ji Yu beamed with pride and circled Chi Mu, eagerly asking her about everything that had happened.
Then Chi Mu noticed a young girl in the shop. She looked very young.
“Did you hire her?”
“No. I picked her up by the roadside.”
Chi Mu stared at him in disbelief and pulled him aside. “First you picked up a lame dog and two cats on the verge of death, and now you’ve started picking up people? Where did you find her? How?”
“On the suburban road leading to your house. She had collapsed there alone. I was afraid someone might hurt her, so I quickly brought her back to the car. She’s an orphan with no one to rely on, and the shop needed another pair of hands, so I let her work here. We provide her with food and lodging.”
“She’s an orphan? You checked carefully?”
“Of course. Her name is Qiu Ke, and she’s very well-behaved.”
The girl seemed to realize they were talking about her. She raised her head and gave Chi Mu a shy smile. With her sweet, doll-like face, she certainly looked meek and gentle.
Chi Mu curved her lips slightly and walked toward the girl.
Her scrutinizing gaze settled on her.
The girl worked quickly and neatly. Her slender fingers were pale and smooth, like white jade. Though she was supposedly an orphan, she did not look like someone who had suffered much hardship.
Wait.
Not ten fingers.
Nine.
The girl was missing the little finger of her left hand. The fractured bone was smooth and even, clearly the result of being severed by a sharp blade.
Chi Mu narrowed her eyes. She drew her gaze away from the missing finger and returned it to the girl’s pale face.
“Your name is Qiu Ke?”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Ji Yu said he found you by the roadside. Tell Big Sister how you ended up unconscious there.”
“I don’t remember. I only know that my name is Qiu Ke and that I’m an orphan.”
“Oh, you’ve lost your memory? Then how do you know you’re eighteen?”
“I have an identity card. I calculated my age from the date of birth on it. I’m eighteen this year.”
“…”
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