Chapter 3

This box is not very big, and it looks extremely worn out, as if it had been severely battered and bruised somewhere, with dents and scratches, and the paint has peeled off. Anyone who doesn't know better might think it was picked up from a garbage pile.

However, this small, battered box stirred up an infinite sense of familiarity in Gu Jiao's heart.

Gu Jiao hesitantly opened the box and saw the medicines inside. Her mind buzzed.

No way?

Her medicine box!

How did it end up here?

"Am I dreaming?"

Gu Jiao pinched herself, and it really hurt! She wasn't dreaming!

The box was real, and the medicines inside were all genuine!

Gu Jiao remembered that the small medicine box was with her when the plane crashed. Could it be because of this that it ended up here?

But... how did it get so battered and worn? What about the blindingly shiny gold color?

When the small medicine box was still shiny and golden, Gu Jiao thought it was ugly. Now that it was battered and worn, she found it even uglier.

However, the overwhelming sense of familiarity made Gu Jiao hug the box tightly: "Sister won't think you're ugly anymore, and I'll be good to you from now on!"

Gu Jiao carefully wiped the small medicine box. Fortunately, it was only the exterior that was damaged; the contents inside were all intact.

Gu Jiao took out a few pieces of gauze and a bottle of saline from the medicine box, disinfected her wound, and applied an antibacterial ointment. She then took two anti-inflammatory pills. She thought she would need to bandage it, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

After treating her wound, Gu Jiao felt hungry. She put the medicine box in the cabinet and planned to go to the kitchen to find something to eat. But before that, she needed to change into a clean, dry outfit.

Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then walked through the hall and knocked on Xiao Liulang's door.

"What is it?"

Xiao Liulang's cold voice came from inside the room.

Gu Jiao said, "I need to borrow some clothes. The outer garments in the cabinet haven't been washed, and I have nothing to change into."

Xiao Liulang didn't respond for a long time. Just as Gu Jiao thought he wouldn't lend her any clothes, the door opened, and Xiao Liulang handed her a set of clean, dry robes.

The material of the robes wasn't very good, and the color was a bit faded, but they were very clean.

In her previous life, Gu Jiao would never have worn a man's clothes, but the situation was dire. If she didn't wear these, would she wear the moldy clothes in the cabinet?

After changing, Gu Jiao washed the dirty clothes and then went to the kitchen.

The kitchen was quite clean, as if Xiao Liulang had tidied it up.

The rice bin was empty, but as Xiao Liulang had said, there was still half a jar of cornmeal. Moreover, Gu Jiao found two eggs and a bunch of scallions in the cupboard.

Gu Jiao took out the eggs and made two cornmeal and egg pancakes, sprinkling them with chopped scallions. She also used the leftover batter to make a small pot of cornmeal dumpling soup.

Gu Jiao carried the food to the hall.

Xiao Liulang's door was slightly ajar.

In her memory, the two of them always ate separately. When Xiao Liulang cooked, he would leave a bowl for the original owner, but the original owner usually went to the Gu family to eat.

Gu Jiao paused for a moment, then knocked on Xiao Liulang's door.

"What is it?"

Xiao Liulang's cold voice came from inside the room.

Gu Jiao said, "I made dinner. Do you want to eat together?"

Gu Jiao rarely cooked, and even when she did, she never made a portion for him. So, he had planned to wait for her to finish and then cook his own meal.

Xiao Liulang looked at the closed door suspiciously.

"I'll eat if you don't," Gu Jiao said, wanting to wait for him, but she was so hungry that she was almost fainting.

She needed to replenish her strength quickly.

Gu Jiao had just sat down and hadn't picked up her chopsticks when the door creaked open.

Xiao Liulang walked out.

Xiao Liulang wasn't there to eat.

However, when his gaze inadvertently fell on Gu Jiao, he paused.

The robe he had given her was one he no longer wore, but it was still too big for her. Her slender, frail body made the robe look loose and a bit clumsy.

To make it easier to work, she had tied up her hair and rolled up her sleeves, revealing a segment of her white, slender neck and thin wrists.

Without her usual arrogance and madness, she sat quietly, eating the food in her bowl seriously.

She didn't seem like herself at all.

Xiao Liulang's eyes paused for a moment but then moved away coldly.

At that moment, Gu Jiao noticed him and said, "You're here. Come and sit down to eat."

Across from Gu Jiao, another set of chopsticks and a bowl were placed, showing that she had genuinely made food for Xiao Liulang.

However, Xiao Liulang didn't move.

Gu Jiao understood his concerns. The original owner and he didn't get along, so suddenly making food for him was indeed suspicious. But Gu Jiao couldn't explain that she was no longer the same person.

After some thought, Gu Jiao said, "We don't have much firewood left. If we don't eat now, we'll have to waste more firewood to reheat the food later."

Perhaps these words touched Xiao Liulang, and he finally sat down across from her.

When the original owner first met Xiao Liulang, she was stunned by his appearance, which was why she brought him back. In the eyes of others, the original owner's dislike of Xiao Liulang was due to his leg disability, but Gu Jiao saw it differently.

The original owner was foolish, but Gu Jiao wasn't. Some things the original owner couldn't see clearly, Gu Jiao understood by reviewing her memories.

Xiao Liulang was deliberately provoking the original owner.

He didn't want to consummate the marriage and didn't want the original owner to get close to him.

Actually, this suited her just fine.

Even if she teased him, she couldn't bring herself to do anything with him.

Gu Jiao quickly finished eating and took her bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen, then came out with a basket.

Xiao Liulang didn't ask what she was doing, and she didn't say. They always acted this way.

Unexpectedly, when Gu Jiao reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "I wasn't lying. The firewood is almost gone. I'll go to the back mountain to cut some more before it gets dark. If it rains and I don't come back, remember to bring in the clothes."

Xiao Liulang looked at her deeply.

The original Gu Jiao wouldn't have noticed the change in the weather or explained her whereabouts.

After Gu Jiao left, the house was left with Xiao Liulang and the food on the table, which he wasn't sure he could eat.

The family was poor, and even if Xiao Liulang didn't like Gu Jiao, he wouldn't waste food.

He frowned, picked up his chopsticks, and took a piece of scallion and egg pancake.