A ray of sunlight shone into the simple room, and the sky in Yabei Village began to dawn.
Chen Lin woke up early, chopping firewood in the yard. Firstly, he hadn't slept well last night; Chen Lin felt it was too cold sleeping on the floor. Secondly, he was waiting for Aunt Wang to return.
He didn't have to wait long before Chen Lin saw Aunt Wang walking in from the entrance of the village.
Aunt Wang gradually approached Chen Lin, "Little Lin, you're up so early today!"
Chen Lin was overjoyed to see Aunt Wang return, "Yes, Aunt Wang," but then Chen Lin's face turned embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head and spoke haltingly, "Um, Aunt Wang, I need to ask you for a favor."
Aunt Wang saw Chen Lin's bashful demeanor and felt like laughing, "Little Lin, what is it that you need your aunt to help with that makes you so shy?"
"Um, it's just that, I saved someone yesterday and I need some help. Help... help..." Chen Lin stopped short every time he reached the last word.
Aunt Wang saw Chen Lin becoming more and more timid and found it increasingly amusing. She began to joke, "If you don't tell me what kind of help you need soon, your aunt will go home to rest. I've been tired all night."
Chen Lin heard Aunt Wang say she was going home and became flustered, his face turning red. He gathered his courage and finally said, "I picked up a woman last night and wanted to ask Aunt Wang to help her change her clothes."
After Chen Lin finished speaking, he quickly added, "The clothes are borrowed from Aunt Wang. We don't have any women's clothes at home. But don't worry, Aunt Wang, I will definitely return them!"
Aunt Wang smiled, "What is it I thought was such a big deal? So that's it. Of course, Aunt can help, but you know our family is quite poor, so I don't have any nice clothes. Don't complain then."
Chen Lin quickly waved his hands, "No, no, I'm already grateful enough."
Afterward, Chen Lin waited at the yard entrance while Aunt Wang went home to pick out a dress.
Aunt Wang chose a coarse hemp cloth garment from her home and walked out, "Let's go, Little Lin. This is practically the best clothing I have."
Chen Lin glanced at the garment and knew that given Aunt Wang's family circumstances, this was indeed a good piece of clothing. "Thank you so much, Aunt Wang. Please come inside quickly."
Aunt Wang and Chen Lin entered the house. Chen Lin pointed to one of the rooms, "The woman is in that room. When I found her, she was covered in blood."
Aunt Wang entered the room and saw a woman lying on what was originally Chen Lin's bed, her clothes stained with large patches of blood. "Oh dear, how did this girl get so badly injured?" Aunt Wang exclaimed in surprise, then quickly regained her composure. "Little Lin, you wait outside the room."
Chen Lin agreed from outside the room, "Okay!" Then, Chen Lin added, "Aunt Wang, please be gentle. The woman is still injured."
From inside the room, Aunt Wang's voice came again, "Don't remind me, can't you trust Auntie?"
Chen Lin scratched his head awkwardly, muttering to himself, "That's right. Most of what I know about women, Aunt Wang taught me."
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Aunt Wang finally came out of the room. "Little Lin, I'll take this dress back to wash and mend it first."
Chen Lin had originally planned to wash and mend it himself, but Aunt Wang took charge. Chen Lin trusted Aunt Wang, who was skilled at sewing and mending clothes, and readily agreed, "Okay, okay."
Aunt Wang walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped.
Chen Lin asked doubtfully, "What's wrong, Aunt Wang? Is something wrong?"
Afterward, Chen Lin saw Aunt Wang give a meaningful smile. "Little Lin, you cut that hole in the girl's clothes, didn't you?"
Chen Lin immediately remembered what had happened last night, and his face gradually turned red. He quickly denied it, "What happened last night wasn't what you think. I was just applying medicine. I originally wanted to find you, but you were out for something last night, and I couldn't find you."
Aunt Wang listened, her smile undiminished. "Little Lin, if you've seen a girl's body, you have to take responsibility. I didn't teach you all those things for nothing back then."
Chen Lin's face was still red, and he stammered, not knowing what to say, because he had indeed seen things he shouldn't have seen last night.
Aunt Wang didn't wait for Chen Lin's reply and walked away with a smile. "Alright, Little Lin, Aunt won't tease you anymore. But that girl is indeed beautiful. You need to seize the opportunity."
Seeing Aunt Wang leave, Chen Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then hurried back into the room to check on the woman's condition.
Chen Lin saw that the woman was still lying peacefully on the bed, her breathing steady. What was different from before was that she was wearing a new set of clothes, and her aura no longer seemed so otherworldly.
Chen Lin looked again at her beautiful face. She had long, black, lustrous, and smooth hair, meticulously styled into an elegant bun and adorned with exquisite hair accessories: leaf-shaped silver ornaments and blue flowers, exuding refinement. Her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, her eyes closed. Her nose was small and delicate, her lips were rosy pink, and her overall complexion was fair and translucent.
Chen Lin withdrew from the room. He went into the yard, picked up a water bucket, and set off for the village well.
Chen Lin had been busy all morning. By noon, as he returned to the house to prepare a meal, he heard some movement.
Chen Lin followed the sound and found that the woman lying in his room had woken up. However, the woman could only move; she couldn't sit up.
Chen Lin excitedly approached the woman, "My dear, you're finally awake!"
A faint voice came from the woman's mouth, "Did you save me?"