Chapter 4
Paradise
For dinner, Zhao Zhan cooked a pot of chicken congee in a crock pot, pancakes, green vegetables, and a dish of scrambled eggs.
“Should I carry you back to your room?”
Zhao Zhan scooped the rice and washed his hands before squatting down in front of Yue Jiaojiao. “Do you want to eat in the room?”
“I don’t really feel like going,” Yue Jiaojiao shook her head, a few strands of her hair sticking to her cheeks as the wind blew. Her voice was gentle, “It’s very stuffy in the room, and the blanket hasn’t been sunned yet. The whole room reeks of mold, I want to get some fresh air outside.”
“It’s my fault.”
For the first half of the month, Jiaojiao had been lying on the bed and showed no signs of waking up. Her medical expenses were too expensive if he brought her to the hospital. Other than taking care of her, Zhao Zhan spent the rest of his time on the mountain.
While she was recuperating, the doors and windows had been closed. It was obvious that staying there for a long time would not be comfortable. Moreover, he had not been back for a long time to open the windows, so the room had a musky smell.
Zhao Zhan regretted that he had not been careful enough.
“Put this on.” Zhao Zhan returned to his room and found a piece of tanned leather to gently drape over Yue Jiaojiao’s back. He then placed the dishes on the table one by one. “Although it’s just autumn, the wind at night is still a little chilly.”
“You’re weak, you need to wear warm clothes.”
As he spoke, he brought the spoon to Yue Jiaojiao’s lips with practiced ease. “Have some porridge to warm yourself up first.”
Although Yue Jiaojiao was a little delicate, as her name suggested, she was only picky about the taste and not the ingredients when she ate. The pork rib soup he had made during the day had been more than enough for her. Now, she did not hesitate when the porridge that Zhao Zhan was handed over.
Most of the porridge would have the fishy smell of meat if it were not cooked well. However, for Zhao Zhan’s cooking, every grain of rice was soft and mushy. It was just right. It was wrapped in the fragrance of the chicken and vegetables. It was not too greasy, but just right to bake the rice.
The vegetables and eggs were perfectly preserved, and their original color had been kept.
Although it wasn’t a glamorous meal, every dish maintained the most simple taste, completely unlike modern times. Not only did the ingredients themselves have too much catalytic residue of medicine, but even the dishes were mixed with various ingredients.
Yue Jiaojiao ate too much. She kept her mouth shut while eating, and only her cheeks moved.
For some reason, Zhao Zhan thought of the rabbits that ate grass on the mountain.
Seeing that Yue Jiaojiao was slumped in the chair after eating her fill, Zhao Zhan quickly cleaned up the kitchen and squatted in front of her. “Do you want me to help you walk around the courtyard to digest your food?”
Yue Jiaojiao thanked him and stretched out her arm.
He said he was going to help her walk around the courtyard, but Yue Jiaojiao had broken her leg. She had barely moved twice when she cried out in a coquettish voice, she was unable to bear the pain. Zhao Zhan was so anxious that his forehead was covered in sweat as if the person who was seriously injured was himself. In the end, he cuddled Yue Jiaojiao in his arms and took her to see the scenery in the courtyard.
Zhao Zhan’s thatched house was located at the easternmost part of Willow Village, and there were no other houses around.
Behind the thatched house was the majestic sunset beyond the mountain. At this time, the sky was completely dark, and the luxuriant trees stood tall.
It was as if there were only the two of them left in this world, and it was paradise.
Yue Jiaojiao leaned into Zhao Zhan’s embrace, her voice naturally sweet. “I still don’t know your name?”
Zhao Zhan gulped. He didn’t dare to stick too close to the little girl and was afraid that she would fall. He was even more nervous than when he usually goes up the mountain to hunt. Even his voice was very tense. “My name is Zhao Zhan.”
“My name is Yue Jiaojiao, you can call me Jiaojiao.” Yue Jiaojiao smiled, “But I don’t know anything else. My brain must have been damaged and I can’t remember anything, so may I stay here and trouble you for a while longer?”
Zhao Zhan’s heart ached a little when he heard her light tone, but what followed was a feeling of joy.
Does that mean she would stay here until she remembered something?
Spurned by his own thoughts, Zhao Zhan tried to salvage the situation by awkwardly consoling her, “You can stay as long as you want. I can take care of you.”
Perhaps it was the environment that gave birth to such thoughts. Yue Jiaojiao didn’t deny that she had actually been a little flustered by it.
He looked clumsy and nervous in front of her as if he was silly, but he was considerate and quick in doing things.
“The wind is getting stronger, should we go back?”
Zhao Zhan realized that she was in a daze and was afraid that she would be sad because she had lost her memory. He hurriedly interrupted her thoughts. “Are you sleepy?”
Yue Jiaojiao stopped in her tracks and turned around in Zhao Zhan’s arms with great effort.
Afraid that she would fall, Zhao Zhan’s two arms nervously wrapped around her.
“Zhao Zhan,” Yue Jiaojiao’s voice was soft as she raised her head to look at him. Her voice was clear and a little aggrieved. “I want to take a bath. I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t.”