Chapter Nineteen: Truly Envious

Suddenly, the world fell silent. Neither Ye Zelan nor Chu Yun spoke; for a moment, both were at a loss for words.

Ye Zelan felt embarrassed, awkwardness tying her tongue.

Chu Yun, on the other hand, simply thought there was nothing much to say to Ye Zelan.

At last, when Chu Yun was about to leave, he remembered the medicinal herb he was searching for still hadn’t turned up. He asked, “Ye Zelan, when you were out gathering herbs today, did you go into the woods?”

Ye Zelan shook her head. “No, why do you ask?”

“I’m looking for a herb called blue ginger. It’s very rare and demands very specific growing conditions, usually found in the shade of the forest. Since you didn’t go into the woods, you wouldn’t have picked any. I suppose I’ll have to search for it myself,” Chu Yun explained.

Ye Zelan’s eyes brightened. “A herb that grows under the shade? Are you talking about the one with purple blossoms, long leaves, and roots that smell faintly of camphor?”

Chu Yun quickly recalled the features of blue ginger and nodded eagerly. “Yes, that’s the one! Do you have any?”

“Not in my basket, but I have some at home. I always thought it was a medicinal plant, so I dug some up to keep at the house. But everyone insisted it wasn’t, even Boss Wu refused to buy it. So, I just left it at home to dry out. I’m not sure if it’s still any good,” Ye Zelan replied.

“Of course it is!” Chu Yun smiled. “Where do you live? Please, take me there.”

“All right.” Ye Zelan agreed, shouldering her basket and preparing to lead Chu Yun to her home.

But as soon as she took a step, a sharp pain shot through her injured leg, and she nearly collapsed.

Seeing this, Chu Yun hurried to support her.

Ye Zelan’s body, unsteady, fell softly against Chu Yun, pressing close.

Chu Yun’s arm instantly felt something remarkably soft.

Ye Zelan’s cheeks flushed crimson; she quickly tried to step aside, only to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

Chu Yun picked up her basket. “Let me carry your herbs for you.”

“Thank you.” Face still rosy, Ye Zelan handed Chu Yun the basket.

With a basket on each side, Chu Yun felt a little awkward as he walked. Ye Zelan followed slowly, inching her feet along. Her leg injury was worse than expected—on flat ground she managed, but on the slightest unevenness, she wobbled and fell.

Chu Yun glanced back. “Can you keep going?”

Ye Zelan hesitated. “Maybe… Chu Yun, could you help me walk?”

At this point, she had no room for concerns about propriety. Besides, Chu Yun had just sucked the snake venom from her wound—a far more intimate act.

Coming from the modern world, Chu Yun was open-minded; he’d often helped his female comrades before. Unfazed, he handed her basket back and supported her as they walked on.

Ye Zelan’s house lay some distance away. By the time the sun hung high overhead, they still hadn’t arrived.

If it were closer, Ye Zelan wouldn’t have bothered bringing a pot along.

Chu Yun, realizing it was time for lunch, took out two flatbreads and handed one to Ye Zelan.

She looked at him in surprise. “Chu Yun, is this your first meal today?”

He shook his head. “No, this is my second. I had one before I left this morning.”

Ye Zelan was even more astonished. “What? You already ate once? And you’re eating again now? So soon…”

Knowing that people here rarely ate three meals a day, Chu Yun interrupted with a smile, “I eat three times a day—morning, noon, and night. It’s healthiest that way. Eating only twice, or even once, isn’t good for you.”

Ye Zelan was stunned, her face full of envy. “Three meals a day would be wonderful. But who wouldn’t want that? You saw it yourself yesterday—I spent days gathering herbs, sold them to Boss Wu, and got only two coins. It barely bought enough grain for six meals. Three meals a day? There’s no way.”

Chu Yun felt a flash of irritation. “You have the nerve to say that? If you’d sold your herbs to me yesterday and made a deal, I wouldn’t have needed to go up the mountain today, and you’d have earned far more than two coins.”

Ye Zelan smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t know you were really a doctor before. I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll sell all my herbs to you.”

Chu Yun nodded. “Glad you understand.”

Then he handed her the flatbread. “I can see you’re still hungry. Take this. As long as you keep gathering herbs for me and help introduce other gatherers, you’ll never go wanting.”

“Thank you.” Ye Zelan took the bread and began to eat. As Chu Yun had guessed, she hadn’t eaten much earlier and was still hungry. The bread filled her stomach, and the feeling was wonderfully satisfying. Hearing Chu Yun talk about eating three meals a day, she couldn’t help but feel envious.

She thought, how happy she would be if she too could eat three times a day.

Chu Yun, unaware of her thoughts, noticed she was still hungry after her flatbread and split a third one in half for her.

He continued to support her on the way home.

Having eaten Chu Yun’s bread, Ye Zelan felt less wary of him. For convenience, she leaned closer as they walked, pressing against him more tightly.

This meant their bodies were often in close contact, and Chu Yun was constantly aware of a gentle, pleasant softness.

“Father, I’m home!” Ye Zelan called out as they approached her courtyard.

A plainly dressed middle-aged man, a pipe clamped between his teeth, stepped out of the dilapidated thatched hut.

Seeing Ye Zelan injured, he immediately put down his pipe, concern clouding his face. “Lan’er, what happened to you?”

But when he saw Chu Yun supporting her—the most notorious troublemaker in all of Chu Family Town—his expression turned fierce in an instant.

“You rascal! What are you doing? Let go of my daughter at once!”