Chapter 17: The Ground Is Cold, Let Me Help You Up

Zhong Xiaoxiao wanted to say more—about Song Xingzhi, and about the fragments of information she had gathered or pieced together herself.

However, Zhang Chunxue’s heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand; a sour, swelling ache left her struggling for breath. She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and forced a smile to interrupt her daughter.

"Alright, alright, enough with all that nonsense," Zhang Chunxue said, her tone as level as she could manage as she quickly changed the subject. "Hold Yuanyuan properly, and be careful not to let her catch a chill. This child is precious."

Hearing this, Zhong Xiaoxiao’s attention shifted immediately, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes! Mom, I understand!" She wrapped her little niece more tightly, pressing her face against the swaddling clothes to feel the softness and warmth.

The two walked one after the other, heading further upstream along the riverbank. Here, the pools were deeper and the water clearer, revealing swaying water weeds and the occasional small fish darting by. Zhang Chunxue stopped, set her bamboo basket and net on the bank, and deftly rolled up her pant legs, revealing her thin but sturdy calves. The icy river water looked bone-chilling.

Seeing this, Zhong Xiaoxiao felt a pang of heartache and stepped forward. "Mom, the water is cold. Let me go in! I’m young, I don’t mind the freeze!"

Zhang Chunxue turned back, seeing the sincere concern on her daughter's face. Her heart warmed, but she put on a stern expression. "Nonsense! Where is the logic in a mother standing on the bank while her daughter wades into cold water? You just hold Yuanyuan and stand back. Don't let the water splash on the baby."

Zhong Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, knowing she could not sway her mother, her eyes turning slightly red.

Zhang Chunxue leaned against a rock on the bank with one hand, holding the small net with the other, carefully probing the water. The stones in the pool were slick, and she nearly slipped several times. She held her breath, her eyes fixed intently on the movement beneath the surface.

After a while, her persistence paid off. "Splash!" With a quick, practiced motion, she scooped a palm-sized crucian carp into her net. Soon after, she caught another, slightly smaller one. A look of joy crossed Zhang Chunxue’s face. She fumbled in the crevices of the rocks for a while longer and even managed to catch a few plump loaches.

She climbed back onto the bank, satisfied, her feet covered in mud and freezing cold. "Mom, you caught them!" Zhong Xiaoxiao cheered.

Zhang Chunxue poured the fish and loaches into her bamboo basket. Seeing them jumping about, her mood lifted considerably. "Yes, not a bad haul after all!"

Because her feet were soaked and her shoes were muddy, she simply carried the shoes in her hand, shouldered the basket, and walked back with Zhong Xiaoxiao. As the mother and daughter made their way back to the village, the morning mist had mostly dissipated, and the daylight grew bright. Zhang Chunxue walked barefoot along the field ridges; although it was rough on her feet, she paid it no mind.

Just as they reached the gravel path at the entrance of the village, she felt a sharp pain in the sole of her foot, as if she had stepped on something jagged. "Hiss—" she gasped, coming to a halt.

Zhong Xiaoxiao quickly steadied her. "Mom, what is it?"

Zhang Chunxue lifted her foot to look, only to see a gash on the sole caused by a sharp stone shard, bright red blood welling out.

"Mom! You're bleeding! It's such a deep cut!" Zhong Xiaoxiao’s face turned pale with fright, her voice trembling.

Zhang Chunxue frowned but waved it off dismissively. "It’s nothing, just a small wound. We’ll just press some wood ash on it when we get home." She had suffered far worse injuries in the past.

Just as they turned a corner, they ran straight into Song Xingzhi, who was returning from washing clothes. He carried a bucket of freshly laundered items, clearly having just come from the river. Seeing Zhang Chunxue and Zhong Xiaoxiao, he froze, instinctively wanting to look away. But the moment his gaze dropped, he saw the wound on Zhang Chunxue’s foot, and his expression changed instantly.

Song Xingzhi’s voice deepened. "Your foot is injured? Why are you letting it bleed like this without treating it?" He set down the wooden bucket and knelt to inspect it.

Zhang Chunxue instinctively pulled her foot back, feeling uncomfortable. "It’s fine, Clerk Song. I just scratched it by accident."

Song Xingzhi knitted his brows, his tone brooking no argument. "This is not a small matter! In this weather, if a wound isn't treated properly, it will easily become infected!" He stood up and picked up the bucket. "Come with me to the river to rinse it off and bandage it properly."

Zhang Chunxue’s heart skipped a beat, and she shook her head quickly. "No, no, there's really no need to trouble Clerk Song. I'll treat it myself when I get home." She truly did not want to have too much contact with him, especially in public.

Song Xingzhi looked at her evasive gaze, sighed inwardly, and his voice softened with a hint of bitterness. "Chunxue... Sister-in-law, I know you may not hold me in high regard, but you must treat this wound immediately, or you will be the one to suffer!" He paused, his voice turning gentler. "We are all fellow villagers; even if there were nothing else between us, I cannot just stand by and do nothing when I see this."

Hearing him say this, Zhang Chunxue found it difficult to refuse him firmly, and the stinging pain in her foot made her hesitate. She bit her lip and finally gave a low "mhm," a tacit agreement.

Seeing her consent, Song Xingzhi led her toward the nearby riverbank, and Zhong Xiaoxiao followed closely, holding the baby.

When they reached a large, clean blue stone by the river, Song Xingzhi asked Zhang Chunxue to sit. He then carefully took her foot in his hands. Zhang Chunxue felt her cheeks burn, and her toes curled inward. Song Xingzhi, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment, used the cool river water to carefully wash the mud and dirt from around the wound. His movements were incredibly gentle, as if he feared causing her even the slightest pain.

Once it was clean, he took a brand-new white handkerchief from his jacket pocket, carefully pressed it against the wound, and then tore a strip of clean fabric from the lining of his own freshly washed jacket—which still carried the scent of soap—to carefully bandage her foot.

Watching him with his head bowed in concentration, Zhang Chunxue felt a strange tremor in her heart.

After the bandaging, Song Xingzhi looked at her still-damp feet and, to her surprise, took off his own coat to use the dry inner lining to wipe her feet clean. Then, he picked up her cloth shoes from the side and gently helped her put them back on.

Zhang Chunxue was completely stunned; she had not expected Song Xingzhi to be so... bold! This gesture was far too intimate!

Startled, she looked up abruptly at Zhong Xiaoxiao. Fortunately, little Zhong Yuanyuan, perhaps hungry, had started fussing and crying. Zhong Xiaoxiao was busy trying to soothe the baby and had not noticed the scene at all. Zhang Chunxue breathed a secret sigh of relief, though her heart continued to race.

"There, Sister-in-law." Song Xingzhi finished and looked up, his expression growing even more tender. He reached out a hand toward her. "The ground is cold. Let me help you up."

Zhang Chunxue looked at his outstretched hand—a hand with clear knuckles, warm and strong.