Chapter 13

In the kitchen, I took out a knife and placed it on the dining table, then slid it over to the young lady.

The people around looked bewildered at the sight.

I scratched my head and carefully said,

"Miss, I'm sorry, but this is all I can give you."

The atmosphere became awkward and uncomfortable with my words.

Of course, it was natural for the atmosphere to be like this if the gift I brought was a kitchen knife.

‘Still, I did my best to prepare...’

Honestly, this wasn't my fault.

The usual order was to secretly do favors for each other and then exchange gifts at the end.

This was all due to the sudden suggestion of a gift exchange by the head of the household.

But people who are usually generous often have the flaw of not paying attention to small details.

What could I do? I had to understand.

The 500 nyang I had received increased my understanding.

If they wanted me to continue a good relationship with their daughter, they should have given me a heads-up.

That way, I could have prepared something, right?

It was obvious that a hastily prepared gift would be strange. I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Despite my efforts, when the young lady received the gift and opened it, she looked like she had received a 100-won eraser.

Seeing her expression, I couldn't just hand over the gift as it was.

So, I chose to focus on the packaging.

After all, the packaging is half the gift.

Some might think, "What packaging after already giving the gift?" but the internal packaging is more important than the external one.

Even a simple item can gain value with a good story.

Storytelling.

I decided to spin a tale.

"Though it may seem like a simple gift, it's the first knife I ever used when I started cooking. It's a masterpiece that can slice tofu as thin as a hair, and it saved me from vicious bandits during my travels..."

As I continued the story, the head of the household suddenly asked in a surprised voice,

"Is that your first cooking knife, or rather, your first kitchen knife?"

"Yes, that's right. It's my first kitchen knife, indeed."

While trying to remember where I had left off in the story, the head of the household looked very satisfied and said to his daughter,

"Chung-a, you've received a very precious gift."

"Yes, Father. Thank you. Such a precious gift..."

‘But I haven't even started the storytelling yet?’

I hadn't even mentioned that it could cut silk as fine as thread or paper as thin as a leaf, and yet the story was already believed.

‘It can even cut through a pig's bone in one go...’

I don't know which part of the story touched the father and daughter, but seeing their very satisfied expressions, I felt relieved.

After the final gift exchange, the group said their goodbyes and left the inn.

"When I visit your family, I'll pass through Chongqing on my way to Hubei. I won't be able to visit again, but I'll send someone, so please wait for them."

"Yes, sir. I understand. Miss, take care of yourself. Oh! Miss, please take this letter as well. I wrote it out of concern."

I had intended to give her a letter about her allergy and precautions, but I had forgotten amidst the knife exchange. I quickly took it out from my clothes and handed it to her.

She took the letter without a word, her face blushing, and carefully placed it in her bosom before leaving with the group in the direction of the capital.

‘I added some humor to make it more interesting, so it should be fine even if she finds out the details of her condition.’

I clenched my fist and waved it to encourage her as she walked away.

***

On the road from Qingtian to Mianyang, under a large mulberry tree to avoid the scorching sun, Zhuge Qing was at a loss with her right hand.

She repeatedly put her hand in her bosom and then quickly pulled it out, or fumbled with her chest and then fidgeted with her fingers, unable to keep her hand still.

Her eavesdroppers' giggles reached her ears.

"Miss, just check it."

"Yeah, just take a look."

The eavesdroppers, who knew why Zhuge Qing couldn't keep her hand still, encouraged her to find out and resolve her curiosity.

Only then did she realize what she was doing.

She hadn't even noticed that her hand was moving like that until the eavesdroppers pointed it out. She quickly moved her hand to pretend to adjust her clothes and said,

"What are you talking about?"

She tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but the eavesdroppers' eyes seemed to see right through her.

And her father's cough.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

When Zhuge Qing turned her head to look at her father, he was staring at a distant mountain.

This was probably his way of saying he was curious and wanted her to check it.

Finally, Zhuge Qing pretended to give in and put her hand in her bosom, carefully taking out the letter he had given her when they parted.

Her hand trembled as she held the red envelope.

The eavesdroppers' giggles echoed again.

After giving the eavesdroppers a glare, she carefully took out the letter from the envelope.

Her heart raced as she saw the red paper.

When she unfolded the paper, the moment they first met came to mind.

The unusual man who had told her that her eyes were like a lake.

Having never received such a compliment before, as her eyes resembled her mother's, who was from the north, and no one else had ever praised her like that.

She had only heard people whisper about her eyes being haunted or possessed, but never like a blue lake.

The poetic and beautiful way he described her eyes made her body tremble.

Her face turned even redder at the memory.

Honestly, even as she held the letter and read its contents, she wondered if it was all a dream.

Since the moment she was saved, she had been in a daze.

It was natural for her to be half-dazed after the continuous shock of the news she had received since waking up.

The voice that reached her ears in her daze.

"At least you were saved, and the cause of your illness was revealed. Even if it can't be treated, you can now live a normal life..."

"Still, the fact that the innkeeper touched your chest and kissed your lips while saving you must not be known by you."

"Of course not!"

The clever Qing understood what had happened from the eavesdroppers' conversation in her daze.

The only people in the inn were herself, her father, the two eavesdroppers, and the innkeeper.

She immediately understood what had happened.

The man had revealed the cause of her illness, so even though it couldn't be treated, she could now live a normal life, eating delicious food.

And the fact that the innkeeper had touched her chest and kissed her lips in front of her father while saving her.

She didn't know how such a method could save someone, but the feeling of gratitude for revealing the cause of her illness and saving her life quickly turned into a deep sense of despair.

Her mind and body sank into a deep abyss.

Even if it was for her sake, the fact that her chest was touched and her lips kissed in front of her father was unbearable.

She had only caused trouble to her father and the elders of the family, and now she had to endure such a humiliating experience.

She felt that her life was truly pitiful.

Qing, with dead eyes, lowered her head and began to cry.

"Ah, Miss?"

"Oh my, did you hear everything we said?"

The eavesdroppers started to fuss, and a moment later, her father came in.

His gentle voice quietly reached her ears.

"Qing, have you ever heard of a medical technique that can bring the dead back to life?"

His gentle hand stroked her head.

Qing sniffled and shook her head, unable to speak with her swollen tongue.

"I personally confirmed that your breath had stopped. But that man brought you back to life."

His voice was slightly trembling.

‘But what’s the point of living like this?’

When she looked at her father with such a gaze, he said,

"Qing, I know it's hard to accept that you were mistreated by a stranger, but listen to what your father has to say. That man risked his life to save you."

Qing looked up at her father, surprised by the mention of risking his life.

Her life had been on the line, but there was no reason for the innkeeper to risk his life.

‘What life?’

"That man scolded me, asking if I knew the reason for your illness and if I had only raised you with love. Ha ha."

Qing was startled by her father's words.

She was a bit worried about the man.

‘Surely he’s not dead already?’

"I couldn't let him touch your body or kiss your lips, but he shouted that he would save you. Even when he faced my killing intent, he didn't stop trying to save you."

‘Oh... He must have died trying to save me...’

He had seemed like an ordinary civilian, but to face her father's killing intent for even a moment?

He must have died from a stopped heart.

Qing buried her head in the bed again.

She felt even more sorrow knowing that a perfectly fine man had died because of her.

At that moment, as if reading her thoughts, a voice reached her.

"He's still alive."

When Qing turned her head in relief at the news that the man was still alive, her father asked,

"That man has both merits and faults now. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qing nodded.

The man had risked his life to save her, which was a merit, but touching her body and kissing her lips was a fault.

"Listen carefully. If you have any bad thoughts or if you are sad about the man touching your body, I will go and kill him immediately."

The trembling candlelight confirmed that he was serious.

"Your sadness means that his fault is great, and a man who has committed a capital offense must die..."

Qing grabbed her father's arm and shook her head.

Her father then asked with a sly smile,

"Do you want to make him a man of merit?"

Qing quickly nodded.

But she immediately regretted it, realizing she had fallen for her father's trick.

Now, if she showed any sadness, her father would go and kill the man, so she couldn't show any sadness.

"Then, as you wish, I will erase the man's fault as soon as he wakes up."

Her father was about to leave the room when he turned back as if remembering something.

"Oh, by the way, Qing, if the man's fault is erased, what reward should I give to the man who risked his life to save his daughter? With such a great merit, I should give him the most precious thing in the world..."

With those words, her father quietly left the room.