"Will you marry me?"
Yao Ling never thought there would be a day when she would be the one who proposed a marriage to a man. But, she had no other choice. She needed his protection, and in a way, she was his savior.
Yao Ling"s mind flickered back to the first time she met him. She was walking in the forest near her village, trying to gather some herbs for her mother. When she found the herbs, she heard a groaning voice. It was low and subtle, but still, the sound was caught by her sensitive ears.
She froze, a bit scared. Yao Ling tried to listen again, thinking she was mistaken. It was a man"s voice and looked like he was in pain. "Look for the voice"s source or not?" she thought. After a few seconds, she decided to look for it.
Yao Ling had to break through a dense bush before she found him. She gasped in surprise, looking at his condition. She could only see blood and even his face couldn"t be seen. Fortunately, she wasn"t afraid of blood, otherwise, she would faint. He was unconscious and she didn"t know what to do.
She was only fourteen and pet.i.te in size. That man was tall and muscular. She had no idea how to bring him back home. Yao Ling decided to find a few big trunks and bind them with the rope that she brought. With all of her energy, she tried to put him on the bound trunks. She was sweating hard and almost lost all of her energy, but she couldn"t give up or this man would die. It was against her conscience.
She didn"t forget to collect her mother"s herbs before she dragged the man all the way to her village. She had no idea how could she do it or where all of her energy came from. Fortunately, both Yao Ling and her mother lived in the outskirt of the village. There would be no gossip about this stranger, but she didn"t know for how long. At least for now, in her mind, she could nurse him, Whether he was alive or not, it depended on his own luck.
After she arrived at her house, Yao Ling called her mother. "Mother, please help me!"
Jiu Lan, Yao Ling"s mother went out quickly and saw her daughter standing beside a bonded trunks. She couldn"t see clearly what"s on it, so when she saw it was a b.l.o.o.d.y man, she gasped in surprise. "What happened to him?" she asked.
Yao Ling shook her head. "I have no idea. When I found him, he was already like this. Can you save him, Mother?"
"I need to look at his condition first. Let"s bring him inside first!" Then Jiu Lan helped Yao Ling, both took the unconscious man inside their house and put him on their bed. "Go fetch clean water!" Yao Ling nodded and did what her mother told her to do.
Actually, she already knew what to do without instruction. Her mother was the village"s doctor and she learned a thing or two from her. Hopefully, her mother could save this man. When she came back with clean water, her mother was thoroughly checking the man"s condition. Yao Ling quickly cleaned his blood and she was surprised.
He… was handsome. His long black hair was in contrast with his now-pale face. His prominent cheek was reddening, due to the high fever. His long nose and thin lips complimented his face perfectly. His sick face didn"t even make him less handsome. And his body… it molded perfectly. He might be practicing martial arts.
Yao Ling quickly removed her indecent thought, slightly blus.h.i.+ng. Luckily, her mother didn"t pay her any attention. "How is he, Mother?"
Jiu Lan sighed in relief, "I can save him, but it will take a long time. His head isn"t in good condition. I think it hit a rock pretty hard, so he might lose his memory or become an idiot. We can only know when he wakes up."
Yao Ling could only hope for the best. They nursed him until he regained consciousness. Just like what Jiu Lan had predicted, he lost his memories. Fortunately, he didn"t become an idiot. They knew that man had nowhere to go, but for a strange man from unknown origin to live with two women, it was inappropriate. They supposed they could make up a story for the villager that this man was a distant cousin.
"Pst…" Yao Ling called the man. He looked at her blankly. Everything seemed surreal for him. He didn"t know who he was, didn"t remember his family. It seemed meaningless.
Yao Ling knew that he felt hopeless, so she tried to take his mind away. "What should I call you?" Yao Ling grinned at him, cheering him up.
The man only stared at the girl in front of him. She was beautiful. Her big eyes made her look cute. She hadn"t lost her chubbiness and combining with her pointed nose and plump lips, he knew she would be a beauty in a few years. She was the first thing he saw when he woke up. It made him feel like she was his suns.h.i.+ne.
"I don"t know," he answered carelessly. He wanted to know his real name, but it was impossible. Before he could get back to his depression, he heard a melodious voice.
"How about I give you a name?" She asked softly. "For a new life. Just think of yourself is being reborn. Stay with us. How is that sound?"
She gave him a new hope. He nodded and asked her, "What"s your name?"
"I"m Yao Ling." After answering him, she thought for a moment. Then she said two words, "Yao Ying."
Yao Ying. He thought to himself and chant the name. He liked it. "Yao Ying, it is."
Yao Ying and Yao Ling.