028. Comprehension, Sixth Sense

Being able to step out of the cramped house and mingle with the villagers felt utterly fresh and interesting to Jing Qingxin. She entered the room with lively steps and called out cheerfully, "I'm back!"

Throughout the morning, Gao Shen had been poring over the contents of military books, pondering every page. With each book he read, he was deeply shaken anew. He had never imagined that strategies could be arranged in such ways. Last time, Jing Qingxin had brought him three books; these last few days, aside from eating, drinking, sleeping, and applying medicine, he had devoted himself entirely to reading.

This was already the third book, and Gao Shen had almost finished it. Fortunately, his comprehension was quite good, allowing him to absorb the material quickly. For others, just one book’s content might take days to understand.

Though he was reading intently, his sharp ears caught the light footsteps of Jing Qingxin. Raising his eyes, he saw her smiling; evidently, her first outing today had been a pleasant experience!

Seeing her joyful expression, Gao Shen couldn't help but feel a hint of happiness himself. It seemed his decision had been right! Though she was born into a privileged environment, she adapted quickly to rural life.

"Did you encounter anything unusual?" Gao Shen asked in a low voice. She was a stranger, suddenly appearing in the village, and he worried that the village women might gossip, saying unpleasant things. After all, the two of them—an unrelated man and woman—were living under the same roof; such arrangements did invite questions about propriety.

"No, not at all. I went into the village with Aunt Li and her family, chatted a bit with the villagers, then went with Xiao Mei to the hillside to pick wild vegetables," Jing Qingxin briefly recounted her morning.

Then she added, "Let's talk later. I need to freshen up; I dirtied my skirt."

"Alright," Gao Shen nodded. He was glad that Jing Qingxin could adapt to village life. As long as she could stay longer, everything else was up to her.

Jing Qingxin returned to her bedside, drew the curtain, and found a white floral blouse and a pair of black trousers. When she went to meet others in the village today, she noticed that most people wore dark colors—black or grey—except for a few educated youths who wore blue.

Curious, she had asked Xiao Mei about it. She learned that at present, clothing colors were mostly limited to black, grey, white, blue, and occasionally red, which was usually reserved for weddings. The most popular color was military green. If anyone managed to get a set of military green clothes, they would be considered quite fashionable.

This explained why Jing Qingxin's appearance this morning had drawn so much attention—not only her looks and demeanor, but also her green outfit, which naturally attracted all eyes.

Looking at the clothes she had bought, Jing Qingxin was glad she hadn't chosen anything too bright. Although they were somewhat different, she could still blend in well enough. For example, while picking vegetables and chatting, Xiao Mei had asked where she bought her skirt, since no one in An Town had ever seen anything like it.

Jing Qingxin simply replied that she got it in the city. For villagers whose thoughts were simple and honest—though not without a bit of curiosity—they wouldn’t think too deeply. Most had never left the village, rarely ventured to the county, and as for the city, they hadn’t seen much at all. Who would care whether she spoke truth or not?

Quickly, Jing Qingxin changed into the blouse and trousers, re-tied her ponytail, wiped the mud off her leather shoes with a cloth, and prepared to take the dirty clothes back to wash in a machine.

Looking at her clothes, she recalled Xiao Mei’s longing and tenderness. Jing Qingxin wouldn’t mind giving her a pretty outfit—after all, girls love beauty by nature—but the ones she brought were tailored to her own size. Xiao Mei was much shorter, so they wouldn’t fit; she would have to wait until next time to pick something suitable.

Jing Qingxin had a fondness for the Li family—Aunt Li, Xiao Mei, and the others. She could sense their kindness and honesty. She was usually accurate in judging people, almost as if she had a sixth sense.

Since she couldn’t give clothes this time, she thought to share some food instead—a more practical gesture, as in these times, food was paramount!

Jing Qingxin rummaged around and took out a box of medicinal pastries. However, the packaging was too conspicuous, so she could only take the pastries out individually—yet she had nothing to put them in. She’d wait until lunchtime, then use a bowl to hold them. For other foods, she chose some with less obvious packaging. The Li family had always lived in this remote mountain village, so these foods would seem like exotic treats from the big city.

Once everything was ready, Jing Qingxin went over to Gao Shen’s bedside. Seeing him still engrossed in his book, she asked gently, “How is your reading going?”

“Almost finished!” Gao Shen replied.

“All three?” Jing Qingxin asked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Gao Shen to read so quickly; it had only been two or three days.

“Yes, I can understand them all, so I read faster. Besides, I spend all day in bed, nothing else to do but read and pass the time,” Gao Shen said casually, though his tone couldn’t hide a trace of bitterness.

“Would you like to get out of bed and try walking? Sit in the courtyard for a while. The sunlight is just right—not too harsh. Some sunshine would do you good,” Jing Qingxin suggested. After several days of applying medicine, it was time to try moving a bit.

Gao Shen closed the book and nodded. He felt her suggestion was good. He’d had enough of sitting in bed all day; some sunshine would be nice. Most importantly, he wasn’t alone.

He got out of bed and slowly made his way to the courtyard, still wary of putting weight on his left foot. He tried gently touching the ground, relying mostly on his right foot.

Jing Qingxin picked up a stool and walked slowly behind him, just in case she needed to help. She sensed Gao Shen’s pride, so unless he asked, she didn’t offer support—simply following behind would suffice.

Seeing Gao Shen walk steadily to the courtyard on his own, Jing Qingxin quickly set the stool for him to sit and rest.

Noticing the sweat on his forehead, Jing Qingxin reached into her pocket and produced a pink embroidered handkerchief, handing it to him. She had bought it while shopping for clothes, spotting it at a small stall. In her own time, young people rarely used handkerchiefs, but thinking it would be practical for this era, she had purchased two.

This novel was first published at Xiaoxiang Book Court. Please do not reprint.