The valley was deathly still, without even the chirp of cicadas. Two figures lay sprawled beneath a massive tree. Now and then, a wild dog slunk past, sniffed around them, and slunk away again.
Wild dogs preyed only on the dead; they dared not touch anything still clinging to life.
Nangong Yunshang grimaced in pain as she struggled, and after a long moment, she finally pried open her eyes. Her mind remained blank for a while longer until awareness of her dire situation crashed over her. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the agony racking her body, and began shaking Tao Chuyi.
“Chuyi! Chuyi, wake up! Don’t sleep anymore, Chuyi!”
No matter how vigorously she shook, Tao Chuyi gave no response.
Panic-stricken, Nangong Yunshang’s tears spilled over. Chuyi had cushioned the fall from such a height with her own body—could it be…
She shoved the thought away. “Chuyi, please wake up! I’m so scared.”
Somehow, one of those pleas must have pierced through, for Tao Chuyi suddenly opened her eyes. They stared blankly ahead, devoid of any spark.
“Chuyi, you’ve finally woken!” Nangong Yunshang cried out in delight. “I…”
Her words trailed off as her tears flowed even harder. She wiped at them furiously, but they kept coming, like beads sliding off a snapped string.
A year earlier, she would never have believed anyone who told her she’d one day shed tears over a simpleton like this.
A droplet splashed onto the back of her hand, and Tao Chuyi finally stirred. She scrunched up her mouth and let out a wail.
“Sister! It hurts! Chuyi hurts!”
That set them both off. They sobbed together for quite some time, with Tao Chuyi howling the loudest of all, her cries echoing skyward like a banshee’s. Nangong Yunshang reined in her tears first.
“Where does it hurt, Chuyi? Tell your sister.”
Tao Chuyi’s eyes swam with tears, her nose bright red. With great effort, she raised her hand and pointed to her left leg.
“Can’t… move it.”
Nangong Yunshang’s worry deepened. She reached tentatively for the leg, but Tao Chuyi shrieked in agony at the lightest touch.
Had it snapped clean in two?
Out here in these godforsaken wilds, miles from another soul, not even a traveler in sight—how could they cry for help?
After satisfying herself that her own limbs were intact, Nangong Yunshang hoisted Tao Chuyi onto her back and lurched onward, her steps unsteady. She weaved from side to side and nearly tumbled more than once, yet she pressed on without pause.
If Chuyi’s leg went untreated, it could be crippled for good.
Tao Chuyi, clinging to her back, reached up and patted Nangong Yunshang’s head. “Sister, don’t be scared. Chuyi will protect you.”
Nangong Yunshang managed a tearful laugh. “Mm, sister’s not scared.”
Sensing how hard the going was, Tao Chuyi tried to wriggle down and walk on her own, but that was impossible. Nangong Yunshang steeled herself. No matter what, she had to save Chuyi.
With Tao Chuyi still on her back, she staggered to the edge of a dirt path. Vaguely, she spotted someone approaching and shouted at the top of her lungs. Sure enough, the figure noticed them.
The newcomer was a white-haired old man dressed in threadbare homespun, a bamboo basket slung over his shoulder.
“Miss, what happened to you…”
“I’m desperate,” Nangong Yunshang blurted. “My husband’s leg is broken, and we’re strangers in these parts—no idea where to find a doctor.”
Desperation made her heedless of whom she was dealing with. Anyone who could save Chuyi was a saint in her eyes.
The old man eyed them both, then glanced at Tao Chuyi’s leg. “I’m the doctor for this village. If it won’t offend you, come back with me.”
“Thank you, kind sir!”
After thanking him profusely, they trailed the old man through the woods to a humble farmhouse. An elderly woman was sweeping the yard; when she heard their tale, she bustled about preparing a room and fetching supplies.
Once Tao Chuyi was settled, the old man checked her pulse and inspected the injured left leg.
“Miss, your husband’s lower left leg is fractured, but it’s nothing to fret over—this is a bone that mends nicely.”
He stroked his beard. “I’ll pack it with herbal salve and splint it firm. Keep it dry, no more tumbles, and try not to move about. It’ll be right as rain.”
Nangong Yunshang bowed her head in gratitude. “Thank you so much. I… I have no silver on me. Please, take this instead.”
She fished out her jade pendant to serve as payment, but the old man wouldn’t hear of it.
“You and the young master must hail from fine stock—that jade’s worth a pretty sum. My modest fee couldn’t touch it. Call it providence; no charge this time.”
Since he wouldn’t budge, Nangong Yunshang tucked the jade pendant away.
It turned out this was Old Luo, the sole doctor in Market Fair Village, and his wife was Granny Luo. The couple had devoted their lives to healing the village folk right there in their home. But fate had dealt them a cruel blow when their son plummeted to his death gathering herbs on the mountain. Grief-stricken though they were, they carried on with their good works, true to their calling.
To speed the mending, Old Luo prescribed a course of medicine: half an hour after each meal, three times daily, for at least a fortnight.
Tao Chuyi’s wound wouldn’t heal overnight, so Nangong Yunshang resolved to stay put in the village for the time being. Their clothes were ripped and bloodied, so Granny Luo dug out an old dress of hers from her younger days, along with her late son’s garb, for them to wear.
Even in a plain homespun skirt pinned with a wooden clasp, Nangong Yunshang’s natural grace shone through—she stood apart from all others.
“You’re a real beauty, miss,” Granny Luo said, appraising her. “This old body of mine’s never laid eyes on anyone quite so radiant.”
Nangong Yunshang dipped her head. “You flatter me, Granny.”
Granny Luo glanced toward the inner room. “That husband of yours… he seems simple in the head, doesn’t he? And you…”
Her look said it plain: How does a beauty like you end up with a fool?
After all her time around the Tao family father and daughter, Nangong Yunshang had shed some of her old stiffness; the fibs rolled off her tongue with ease.
“Honestly, Granny, my family used to do well enough until hard times hit. They shipped me off to my husband’s house to bring them luck, so that’s how I ended up married to him. His folk are loaded—gave my family a fat bride price for the privilege.”
Granny Luo’s eyes softened with pity. “Such a waste of a lovely girl.”
Nangong Yunshang smiled. “It’s not so bad, really. I was bitter at first, sure, but my husband treats me right. He’s simple, I’ll grant you that, but good-hearted—worth a hundred of your smooth-talking hypocrites.”
Granny Luo nodded vigorously. “Couldn’t agree more. It’s character that counts. You rest now; I won’t keep you.”
Nangong Yunshang saw Granny Luo to the door, then turned back to find Tao Chuyi gazing at her with wide, woebegone eyes. Her left leg was swaddled like a holiday rice dumpling.
“There now, be good. You’ll be right as rain soon enough.”
Nangong Yunshang settled on the bed’s edge and stroked her head with fond affection.
Tao Chuyi burrowed straight into her arms, fussing a bit before finally drifting off.
Freeloading without pitching in sat ill with Nangong Yunshang, so whenever Old Luo stepped out, she’d help Granny Luo with the yard work or mending.
“Put that down, miss—let these old bones handle it,” Granny Luo scolded, snatching away the broom. “Ladies like you weren’t born for chores.”
Nangong Yunshang only laughed. “No trouble at all, Granny. We’re guests eating your food and sleeping under your roof—if we don’t lend a hand, what kind of moochers does that make us?”
“You’re too kind to even think it.”
Granny Luo tugged her over to sit. “This yard hasn’t seen such life in ages. Ever since my boy passed… sigh. It’s been so quiet I can hardly bear it. I keep busy to fend off the memories.”
For the first time, Nangong Yunshang truly felt the depth of ordinary parents’ love. They sought so little—just the chance to keep breathing, all the more precious when denied.
As she kept Granny Luo company in talk, Tao Chuyi hobbled out on crutches, hopping along on one leg like a rabbit.
Nangong Yunshang caught sight of her at once and rushed over to steady her. “I told you to stay put. Why won’t you mind me?”
Tao Chuyi looked put out. “Chuyi is hungry.”
Granny Luo couldn’t help but chuckle. “We’ve got corn cakes in the kitchen. I’ll fetch some for the young master—hope our country fare suits you.”
The Luo household boasted no fancy meats, only corn cakes and freshly steamed sweet potatoes. Tao Chuyi wasn’t one to fuss over food, so long as it wasn’t too outlandish.
Granny Luo watched her tuck in with such gusto that joy lit her face, a rare grandmotherly warmth blooming as if this were her own child at table.
“Slow down, young master—plenty more where that came from.”
Tao Chuyi paused mid-bite and blinked. “Chuyi’s name is Chuyi.”
Granny Luo’s smile deepened. “Very well, then Chuyi it is.”
Nangong Yunshang chimed in, “And you can call me A-Yun, Granny.”
“Done.”
Granny Luo fussed over their meal, lost for a moment in the fancy that she was tending to her son and his bride.
Old Luo’s remedies proved their mettle. In mere days, Tao Chuyi’s cheeks regained their healthy pink flush, though her leg would need more time—and crutches remained a must.
“Sister, where’s Old Uncle?”
Nangong Yunshang set aside the empty medicine bowl. “Off gathering herbs and chopping wood.”
Tao Chuyi nodded solemnly. “When Chuyi’s better, Chuyi will chop the wood for him.”
Nangong Yunshang laughed softly. “What a good girl you are, Chuyi. So let’s get that leg mended first.”
A sudden racket erupted from outside, growing louder by the second. The two women exchanged a glance and went to investigate.
Three half-grown urchins had trashed the yard’s dried herbs, knocking over the bamboo basket in the process.
“Mercy me! The little monsters!”
Granny Luo clutched at her chest, fit to be tied.
Nangong Yunshang hurried to support her. “Sit down, Granny—don’t excite yourself. What in the world is this?”
Granny Luo jabbed a finger at the culprits. “Last month, some new neighbors moved in—bandit stock, through and through. Won’t farm or work a day, just beg from folk. If no one hands over scraps, they help themselves.”
The three brats rolled their eyes at Granny Luo and pulled faces.
Nangong Yunshang moved to shoo them off, but one of them yanked the jade pendant from her person and clutched it triumphantly, laughing like a fiend.
“Give it back!”
However, the three little rascals scampered to the doorway. Not only did they taunt her and refuse to hand it over, but a man arrived right on their heels, clearly their father or guardian.
Nangong Yunshang extended her hand. “Are those your children? Return my jade pendant!”
The man turned out to be even more shameless. He snatched the jade pendant and tucked it into his robe.
“Miss, you’re clearly loaded. What’s the big deal about sparing a little for us? You have such an unfamiliar face. Might I ask which household’s young lady you are?”
With those words, he brushed the children aside and stepped forward.
Granny Luo seized a broom. “You dare try anything, and this old lady will fight you to the death!”
In that instant, a shadow shot forward even faster than she did.
Tao Chuyi hopped ahead on one foot. The uneven gait did nothing to slow Tao Chuyi down. With the crutch raised high, Tao Chuyi swung it straight at the man.
“You dare bully my big sister? I’ll beat you to death!”
