While still on the boat, Liu Ming'an had overheard fellow travelers talking about an ancient tree in Jinzhi City that was over a thousand years old and considered a lucky charm by the locals.
At the time, Liu Ming'an was suffering from severe seasickness, so he didn't pay much attention. Now that he had eaten well and regained his spirits, his curiosity was piqued, and he dragged Jiang Ning along to see it.
The pair set out in the early evening, wandering around the city and inquiring about how to get to the Capital City. They had a quick dinner of two bowls of wonton soup at a street stall before leisurely making their way to the ancient tree.
As darkness fell, Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning bought a rabbit-shaped lantern and carried it as they walked towards the ancient tree.
What made this ancient tree extraordinary wasn't just its longevity, but also the fact that it was a red bean tree.
"Exquisite dice and red beans, do you know the bone-deep longing?"
The locals referred to it as the "Tree of Yearning."
So when Jiang Ning reached the tree, she wasn't surprised to find it covered in red ribbons.
"Oh, if only we had known to buy a ribbon to hang up too," Liu Ming'an said, looking at the red strips fluttering in the wind with regret.
Jiang Ning smiled but said nothing.
By now it was dark, and snow had started falling again. The ancient tree stood in a remote corner of Jinzhi City near the riverbank, with few people around.
After circling the Tree of Yearning, Jiang Ning looked at the increasing snowfall and suggested, "Let's head back."
Liu Ming'an nodded, reaching out to brush the snow from her hair, only for new snowflakes to settle there moments later.
Worried that Jiang Ning might catch cold, Liu Ming'an looked around for something to shield her from the snow. He spotted some low-growing shrubs nearby with large leaves.
Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming'an say, "Wait here for a moment," before watching him stride into the thicket, heading straight for one particular tree.
Instantly understanding Liu Ming'an's intentions, Jiang Ning felt an irrepressible warmth spreading through her heart.
The thicket was difficult to navigate, with some branches as tall as a person and possibly thorny. Jiang Ning stood at the edge of the path, watching Liu Ming'an make his way through, a deep smile playing on her lips.
"Ah Ning!" Liu Ming'an suddenly called out, his voice urgent. Then he abruptly crouched down.
Jiang Ning's heart tightened, fearing something had happened to him. She quickly picked up the lantern and stepped into the thicket.
When she was about five or six steps behind Liu Ming'an, Jiang Ning saw clearly that there was a person lying motionless on the ground, with a faint smell of blood in the air.
A murder case?
While Jiang Ning was still considering how to persuade Liu Ming'an not to get involved, he had already started examining the person's condition.
Jiang Ning sighed inwardly, almost forgetting that her scholar was a good person – after all, that's why he had bought her and brought her home in the first place.
"Ah Ning, he's still alive! Just injured!" Liu Ming'an's excited voice rang out again as he lifted the person from the ground, preparing to carry him on his back.
"You want to save him?" Jiang Ning asked, already knowing the answer as Liu Ming'an had started walking towards the path with the person on his back.
"Ah Ning, if we leave him here, even if he doesn't die from his injuries, he'll freeze to death. If I hadn't encountered him, that would be one thing, but now that I have, I couldn't live with myself if I just ignored him," Liu Ming'an said earnestly, aware of Jiang Ning's cold-heartedness.
Jiang Ning relented internally and held the lantern up to illuminate the person on Liu Ming'an's back. It was a young man with purple lips from the cold and dried blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Let's go to a medical clinic then," Jiang Ning said, leading the way with the lantern. She remembered seeing one nearby when they had passed through earlier.
Dropping him off at the clinic would be enough, Jiang Ning thought. He was just a stranger, and whether he lived or died was up to fate. She certainly wasn't going to waste her spirit spring water on him.
However, fate had other plans. The clinic was closed. Jiang Ning knocked on the door for a while, but there was no response.
"Let's try another one. There was another clinic on the street where we had wonton soup," Liu Ming'an said, already starting to walk in that direction.
That clinic was quite far, and it would probably be closed by the time they got there. Jiang Ning looked at the beads of sweat on Liu Ming'an's forehead and made a decision, stopping him. "Let's take him back to the inn. We'll assess his condition – if it's not serious, we can call for a doctor in the morning. If it's severe, I'll save him."
Liu Ming'an was taken aback. "Ah Ning, you know medicine?"
"I can save him," Jiang Ning said with certainty.
"Then why didn't you earlier—"
"He's nothing to me. I don't care whether he lives or dies. I just don't want to watch you trudging through the snow carrying someone back and forth. Consider it his lucky day – I'm fulfilling your act of kindness," Jiang Ning explained patiently.
Liu Ming'an stared at Jiang Ning for a moment before breaking into a smile.
"Ah Ning, you're wonderful!" Jiang Ning heard him say.
The inn was not far. Liu Ming'an carried the man back to their room and laid him on the bed. Jiang Ning then sent him downstairs to fetch hot water.
Once Liu Ming'an left, Jiang Ning placed the candle by the bedside to get a better look at the injured man.
He was dressed all in black, his face pale. His heartbeat and pulse were present but weak.
The wound seemed to be in the abdominal area. Not knowing the extent of the injury, Jiang Ning took out a dagger from her space and cut open the man's clothes.
There were three knife wounds in total. Two were shallow, but the one on the lower left abdomen was deep, with flesh turned outward and still bleeding.
This man is really lucky to be alive! Jiang Ning thought.
Given the depth of the wound, under normal circumstances, he would have died from blood loss long ago. But he was injured on a bitterly cold winter day, and the low temperature had slowed his blood flow, allowing him to survive long enough to encounter the kind-hearted Liu Ming'an.
Jiang Ning had promised Liu Ming'an she would save him, and she wouldn't go back on her word. However, she couldn't let him recover as rapidly as she had – it would raise suspicions.
So Jiang Ning fed him two drops of spirit spring water.
Yes, just two drops.
Not a drop more.
At that moment, Liu Ming'an returned with a bucket of hot water. Seeing the wound on the man's abdomen, he was shocked. "Ah Ning, his injury looks severe."
Jiang Ning, not wanting to say much, simply reassured Liu Ming'an, "Don't worry, he won't die. Go ask the innkeeper for some needle and thread, scissors, strong alcohol, and clean gauze."
Although Liu Ming'an couldn't understand what these items were for, he obediently followed her instructions and soon returned with everything.
Jiang Ning soaked the gauze in alcohol and cleaned around the wound. The sting of the alcohol caused the injured man's body to twitch slightly.
Then Jiang Ning threaded a needle, heated it over the candle flame, and instructed Liu Ming'an, "Hold the candlestick up so I can see his wound clearly."
Liu Ming'an did as he was told, bewildered, and then watched as Jiang Ning began to stitch the open wound.
"Hss!" The unconscious man's body involuntarily shuddered, a faint sound escaping his throat as his tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
"You're awake?" Liu Ming'an asked excitedly, holding the candlestick.
Hearing the voice, the man glanced at Liu Ming'an, his eyes dark and wary, seemingly assessing his situation.
"We found you injured in the snow and brought you here," Liu Ming'an quickly explained, seeing the man's caution.
The man only looked at Liu Ming'an vigilantly, not speaking, then turned his head to look at the other person in the room.
Jiang Ning saw his pupils contract sharply when he clearly saw her face. An expression of shock flashed across his features, his mouth opening and closing without sound.
Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes. She could clearly see that the man's lips formed two words.
It's you!