Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress-Chapter 2014 - 2022: Gratitude at the Second Watch (3)

"Princess Zhao Qing sent someone to kill us, but those assassins have already been dealt with by me."

Talking about tonight’s assassination, I couldn’t help but secretly rejoice in my decision. If I hadn’t taken Yanran and her brother away, they might have been met with misfortune by now. However, although they escaped this time by luck, there’s no guarantee they won’t be schemed against by Princess Zhao Qing the next time. For the long-term plan, that old woman from Zhao Qing cannot be left alive.

I was contemplating, my gaze becoming gloomy, when suddenly a gentle voice came from the side: "Are you hurt? Come with me to the fire pit, let me take a look at you!"

I moved my arm a bit and laughed, saying: "I’m fine, really, you don’t need to worry about me."

However, Yanran was not assured. When we returned to the campsite, she pulled me next to the fire pit and carefully examined me, looking extremely nervous.

Under the firelight, she looked at me with concern, only wearing middle clothes without even a Beizi, her long hair softly draped over her back, not yet tied up.

Seeing her little face so tense, I felt a warmth in my heart and laughed, saying: "Silly girl, I’m not a dummy. How wouldn’t I know if I’m hurt? Rest assured, I’m fine."

Seeing my repeated assurances, Yanran finally started to relax. She turned and entered the horse carriage, and after a while, she came out again with a wet handkerchief. She knelt down beside me and began to wipe my face with it.

I was startled by her action, my body stiffening, forgetting to dodge. But she did not find it inappropriate at all, seriously wiping me as if doing the most important thing in the world.

After a few wipes, her breathing suddenly hitched. When I looked closely, Yanran’s face was already full of tears.

"What’s wrong?" I was startled by her rolling tears and, in a panic, held her cold little hand.

"I’m sorry... it’s my fault for dragging you into this, straining your relationship with Dong Qi, and almost getting you killed because of us..."

Her thin shoulders trembled, crying so hard she was almost gasping for breath.

This frail appearance inadvertently tugged at my heartstrings, making me feel a heartache for her. To cheer her up, I coaxed her: "How can you say it was dragging me down? If it weren’t for you, I might have been schemed into marrying a daughter from the Dong Family. If I mistakenly married such a woman, it definitely would be a life worse than death for me. So, you didn’t drag me down; you’re actually my benefactor. Just now, when I saved you, it’s like returning a favor, so you don’t need to feel grateful, nor guilty." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Yanran knew I was trying to make her happy. Being sensible, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and said: "Regardless, you saved us. Not only did you rescue us from the sea of misery, but you also protected us from being hacked to death. Your kindness, my brother and I will never forget. If one day we have the ability to repay you, we will do so no matter what it takes..."

That night, Yanran didn’t sleep. She insisted I take off my clothes and ventured into the dark to the creekside to wash them, later using a torch to dry them. When I awoke in the morning, I found a set of dry, clean clothes laid beside me, with my precious sword.

"Morning!"

Upon seeing me awake, Yanran hastily put down the shopkeeper in her hands and said: "Breakfast will be ready soon, you can sleep a while longer, and I’ll call you when it’s done."

"Breakfast’s ready?" I asked curiously.

I remember that the few pancakes and several eggs she brought yesterday were all eaten. Where could she find breakfast now?

"Yes!"

Yanran pointed to the ground and shyly said: "I picked some mushrooms and plan to wash and grill them later. I remember when we lived in the Capital, your family’s Eight Blessings Barbecue Restaurant sold grilled mushrooms, which tasted incredible. I just don’t know if I can make them right."

I looked at the mushrooms on the ground and immediately laughed.

Luckily, I woke up early. Otherwise, if this silly girl had eaten these mushrooms, her little life could have ended.

"These are poisonous mushrooms; you can’t eat them. Eating them can be fatal."

Having grown up in the countryside, I’ve gathered mushrooms countless times, so I’m very familiar with the types of mushrooms. Unlike Yanran, who grew up in the city and only knows the shape of mushrooms but nothing about the different kinds.

"What?"

Yanran was dumbfounded, her beautiful little face showing a cute daze. "These mushrooms are so good-looking, how could they be poisonous?"

I squatted down and pointed at the mushrooms to tell her that the prettier the mushroom, the more poisonous it is, and the more beautiful, the more toxic it can be. I also recounted some stories I heard in Mu Family Village about people who unfortunately died from eating poisonous mushrooms.

Yanran listened very carefully. At the end, she even enviously said to me: "I never expected your childhood to have such experiences, it sounds really interesting!"

As she spoke, her expression became gloomy because her childhood was very pitiful. When she was little, she and her mother were hidden away by Prince Consort Dong in a small courtyard that never saw the light of day. Throughout the whole year, they couldn’t go out once. Not only that, but they had to live every day in fear, dreading that Princess Zhao Qing might find out about them, which would spell certain death for them!