Su Qianqian hadn’t finished her thoughts when the door to the house where she remembered that warm old man lived suddenly opened by itself.
An old man holding a wine gourd walked out.
He had just come out to pick a few garlic shoots, but as soon as he stepped outside, he spotted two disheveled little girls standing at the village entrance, lost and bewildered—one had no shoes, and the other had bloodstains on her clothes!
“Whose little girls are you? How did you end up so dirty? Oh dear, why is there blood on your clothes, and you—where did your shoes go?”
The old man looked at the two delicate-faced girls, and couldn’t help but show the concern of an elder as he worriedly examined the obviously troubled children.
“That, we…”
“Gurgle—”
Su Qianqian wanted to explain, but both their stomachs growled at the same time.
“Never mind for now, come to Grandpa’s house and eat first, we’ll talk after you’ve had something. How did things get like this? Sigh… two poor kids.”
With that, the old man went back into the house and called out, “Old lady, bring out a couple more bowls and chopsticks, there are two hungry little girls here!”
Su Qianqian and Chu Youtong exchanged a hesitant glance.
Su Qianqian nodded, and the two of them walked into the house together…
Seeing such adorable little girls, the old couple took an instant liking to them.
Noticing their rumbling stomachs, they quickly made extra dishes and cooked more rice for them.
“This is delicious! Old Lady Wang, another bowl, please!”
Chu Youtong raised her bowl high—this was already her third helping of rice.
Su Qianqian coughed and nudged Chu Youtong’s waist—wasn’t she eating a bit much?
But the old couple was delighted.
Old Lady Wang took Chu Youtong’s bowl to refill it, only to find that the rice had all been eaten up.
Clearly, they had underestimated the appetites of the two children and hadn’t cooked enough.
“Hehe, good, eat more so you’ll grow tall. There’s no more rice, but have some more dishes!”
“Okay!”
Su Qianqian watched as Chu Youtong wolfed down her food helplessly.
Though she herself didn’t eat little, at least… she seemed a bit more civilized.
“Where are you two from? I couldn’t possibly have missed seeing two such beautiful girls around here. And that bloodstain… sigh, I’ll take you to see the village doctor later.”
Old Man Li looked at the blood on Su Qianqian’s clothes, obviously worried—just what had these girls, who were even younger than his own grandchildren, been through?
Chu Youtong was still busy shoveling food into her mouth and didn’t respond.
Su Qianqian was racking her brains for an excuse, but Old Lady Wang gently said, “My poor dears, you must’ve suffered a lot. If you don’t want to talk, don’t force yourselves. Eat more, and later let Qing He have a good look at you.”
The moment Su Qianqian heard the name “Qing He,” it felt as if a mist in her memory was suddenly blown away!
Memories of a girl named “Qing He” gradually became clearer—a pair of gorgeous yet lifeless eyes, a cold yet somehow gentle face.
“She seems very important…” Su Qianqian murmured softly.
She remembered this person and felt they were likely closely connected, but couldn’t recall any specific experiences.
Very soon, Chu Youtong and Su Qianqian had eaten their fill.
Chu Youtong changed into a pair of not-so-pretty but at least well-fitting shoes.
The old couple had a habit of hoarding things—even shoes their granddaughter wore more than a decade ago had been kept, and now they’d come in handy!
“Ha, I told my grandchildren we’d need these someday, but they never believed me!”
Old Man Wang stroked his beard with satisfaction as he watched Chu Youtong put on the shoes.
Worried about the bloodstain on Su Qianqian’s clothes, the two elders took the girls to find the village doctor, Qing He, right after the meal.
Qing He lived near the center of the village.
Her house wasn’t large, but it had a small, neat courtyard.
When they arrived, they saw a young girl dressed in plain blue clothes, sitting with her eyes closed at a small table in the courtyard, sorting medicinal herbs.
She seemed surprised to have visitors at this time, and “looked” in their direction—even though, when she opened her eyes, they were utterly devoid of light…
“Qing He, come quickly and check on this little girl! She’s been coughing up blood!”
“Don’t worry, Old Man Wang. Let her come over here—I’ll check her pulse…”
“All right, all right. Su Qianqian, hurry over and let her have a look. Qing He might be blind, but her medical skills have always been top-notch!”
A swirl of complicated emotions rose within Su Qianqian.
Who was she really? She could only remember her name and that she was important, but why…?
While pondering, she walked step by step to Qing He’s side.
Seeing Su Qianqian’s nervous demeanor, Chu Youtong quickly followed.
Qing He placed her hand on Su Qianqian’s wrist and carefully felt her pulse.
Soon, she turned to the two elders and said, “There’s nothing seriously wrong with them. Leave them with me—I’ll brew some medicine for them.”
After nodding, the two old folks gave them a few more words of elder-like advice before heading home together.
Once the two elders had gone far, Qing He suddenly said, “You two came from outside, didn’t you? Why would children so young end up in such a dangerous place?”
“How do you know that?”
Chu Youtong was shocked, immediately pulling Su Qianqian protectively behind her.
“No need to be nervous. Although it’s rare, there are still a few who end up lost in this place. You two are lucky—being lost here means you’ll at least survive for quite a while. Most people, I’ve heard, can’t even get this far.”
As she spoke, Qing He continued sorting her herbs—despite her blindness, she moved even more deftly than someone who could see.
Chu Youtong found this person both mysterious and dangerous.
Not knowing what to do, she looked to Su Qianqian for guidance.
Su Qianqian herself was still hesitating…
Though her memory was fuzzy, it was highly likely this girl had a deep connection with her past life, and perhaps held the key to escaping.
And now, with her appearance so changed, it would be odd if Qing He could recognize her immediately.
Maybe… she could try to prove her identity, and persuade Qing He to help them find a way out, or at least keep them safe here… but what if she was wrong, and their relationship wasn’t good?
That could be very dangerous.
Su Qianqian steeled herself and decided to take the gamble:
“Yue Ci…”
That was the name she remembered as important to Qing He.
The moment “Qing He” heard the name, her hand froze—the herbs in her fingers slipping and falling to the ground.
This was her true name, a secret she’d only ever told one person…
Qing He quickly reached out and began feeling Su Qianqian’s face, tracing it carefully.
It was soft and pleasant to touch, but completely unlike what she remembered…
And so, both of them fell silent…
Chu Youtong, watching from the side, was baffled.
Without thinking, she blurted out,
“No way, you have old flames even in a place like this?!”
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