No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 3

“You should drink this medicine first. It’d be bad if you caught a chill.” Wan Niang held out the porcelain bowl to Yang Lulong.

The strong herbal smell made Yang Lulong instinctively frown. She had only drunk Chinese medicine once or twice before, and it was the bitter kind. She really didn’t want to drink it again. But seeing that it had been specially prepared for her, she took the bowl, closed her eyes, held her breath, and gulped it all down. It was just as bitter as she remembered.

Wan Niang watched her scrunched-up face, which reminded her of Sister Zhang’s daughter, Erni, whenever she drank medicine. Wan Niang’s lips twitched into a smile.

“Thank you,” Yang Lulong said softly. The bitter taste in her throat was awful.

“What’s your name?” Wan Niang’s clear dark eyes looked at Yang Lulong, her gentle brows arched.

Yang Lulong avoided her gaze, feeling shy. “Yang Lulong…” she said awkwardly.

“My name is Wan Yu. You can also call me Wan Niang.”

Wan Niang’s friendliness made Yang Lulong feel pressured, so she just said, “Thank you for saving me,” out of politeness.

“It’s a healer’s duty to save people. There’s no need to thank me.”

“…”

“…”

With that, silence fell between them. Wan Niang looked at Yang Lulong, seemingly expecting her to say something, but Yang Lulong didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t meet her eyes, so she just stared at the patterns on the blanket. The atmosphere was awkward.

“Do you remember… where you fell into the water?” Wan Niang broke the silence.

Yang Lulong stared at the blanket, trying to figure out how to answer.

“…I… I’ve forgotten,” she said, looking up. She met Wan Niang’s concerned gaze for a split second before quickly looking away.

“Then… do you remember where your home is?”

Home… maybe she could never go back, or maybe there was never one to begin with…

Images of her father, stepmother, and younger brother, along with her blurry memories of her birth mother, flashed in her mind. She regretted not saying goodbye to them and not sending her brother her well wishes for his marriage. After a moment of thought, she simply shook her head, indicating that she had also forgotten.

Wan Niang saw her bowed head and sad expression, and a feeling of pity welled up inside her. She gently stroked Yang Lulong’s head. “Get some rest first. You’ll remember eventually…” she comforted.

“Wan Niang!” a voice called out. It was Brother Zhang and the others who had returned.

Brother Zhang and Xiao Wen came into the room naturally.

“You’re awake,” Xiao Wen said to Yang Lulong, who was sitting on the bed.

“Waking up at a great time, too. You’re getting a huge bargain,” Brother Zhang mumbled under his breath. Only Xiao Wen heard him. She nudged him with her elbow, telling him to stop talking.

Seeing them, Wan Niang quickly introduced them.

“This is Zhang Long. We all call him Brother Zhang.”

“And this is Xiao Wen. She runs errands for the villagers and often helps me deliver medicine to everyone.”

“Hello,” Xiao Wen greeted Yang Lulong politely.

“…” Brother Zhang wasn’t as friendly and just gave a casual wave of his hand.

“Thank you both…” Yang Lulong didn’t know what else to say besides expressing her gratitude.

“Her name is Yang Lulong,” Wan Niang added for her.

“Can we call you Xiao Yang?” Xiao Wen, with her lively personality, gave Yang Lulong a nickname so quickly.

“Sure…” Being watched by others made Yang Lulong uncomfortable.

Sensing her discomfort, Wan Niang quickly interjected, “What about that thing Sister Zhang wanted you to bring me earlier?”

“It’s outside! You’ll never guess what it is,” Xiao Wen said, pulling Wan Niang by the hand and heading out.

Only Yang Lulong and Zhang Long were left in the room. Yang Lulong didn’t dare to look at him. She could feel the strong hostility radiating from him.

“If you try to take advantage of Wan Niang, we won’t be so nice,” he said, leaving her with a baffling statement before following the others out of the room.

“Little chicks?” Wan Niang held up a basket filled with several little chicks.

“Sister Zhang’s hen just hatched them recently, and she said she’d give you a few to raise.”

“But I don’t know how…”

“You can feed them with some weeds and they’ll be fine. It’s just… a little troublesome to clean up after,” Xiao Wen scratched her head awkwardly. “Oh, by the way, where is Xiao Yang from? Her clothes are so nice, she must be from a wealthy family, right?”

“She doesn’t remember,” Wan Niang replied.

“Hmph… She’s probably faking it,” Brother Zhang said dismissively.

“Hey!” Xiao Wen nudged him again. “I’m sorry, Wan Niang. You know how he is with Qian Yuans.”

“It’s okay. I’ll go find a place to put these chicks down first.”

“Well, we’ll get going now. Just call us if you need anything.”

“Okay, see you later.”

On the way back home.

“Honestly, you’re so blunt,” Xiao Wen began to lecture Brother Zhang for not being more tactful.

“I was just telling that Qian Yuan to be careful. I’m also thinking about Wan Niang’s safety, you know,” Brother Zhang retorted angrily.

“Not all Qian Yuans are like that. You don’t even know what kind of person she is, so why do you hate her so much?”

“Most of them are, aren’t they? Don’t you remember what that guy Wu Yu did to your Sister Fang? I’ve been to town more than you, and I’ve seen more Qian Yuans. I know exactly what they’re like. They’re all lecherous and two-faced. Hmph!”

The mention of “Sister Fang” made Xiao Wen pause for a moment, but she continued, “You’ve never met a female Qian Yuan. What if she’s different from the others?”

“A female Qian Yuan is still a Qian Yuan. She has all the qualities they have, none of which are good. We should be cautious. Wan Niang hasn’t fallen for anyone in all these years, and she has no experience. I’m worried she’ll be deceived by this outsider.”

“But… I kind of feel like Wan Niang might actually be interested in her.”

“They’ve only just met! How is that possible? Wan Niang isn’t some naive girl who’s never met a Qian Yuan before…”

“And she’s not bad-looking, either.”

“If she dares to deceive Wan Niang, I’ll break her legs!”

Yang Lulong spent the whole day lying on the bed. With no phone, no TV, and no form of entertainment, she was either daydreaming or sleeping. It was incredibly boring.

She wiggled her toes and found that her legs seemed to be working. She decided to try and get out of bed.

When she left the room, the sun was setting. The fiery red sunset had painted the clouds a brilliant crimson.

She took a look at the small courtyard. In one corner, there were some small vegetables used for cooking, and on the other side, there were lots of herbs, clothes, and bedding drying. It was both orderly and full of life.

“Cheep, cheep, cheep…” The little chicks chirped away, not afraid of people at all. One of them even ran onto Yang Lulong’s foot. She looked at the fluffy yellow chick, bent down, and gently held it in her hand, stroking it carefully. The other chicks gathered around her, pecking at the hem of her robe, looking hungry.

Wan Niang returned at that moment, carrying a basket full of things for the chicks to eat.

She saw Yang Lulong had already become friends with the little chicks and found her motionless stance, trying not to step on them, to be very endearing. With a smile, Wan Niang handed the basket to her. “You can help me feed them. I’m going to make dinner.”

“Oh…” Yang Lulong took the basket and watched Wan Niang’s busy figure disappear into the kitchen. Soon, a wisp of smoke began to rise from the roof.

Yang Lulong scattered the food for them and suddenly felt the need to use the restroom. She didn’t dare ask Wan Niang where it was, but she spotted a small room in the corner that looked like a latrine.

She quickly went over to check, and it was indeed a toilet.

But as she was about to use it, she froze. What was this? How could she have this? She touched her chest. She was a woman, so why did she have this?