"Qin Jian, you’re finally back. My ankles have gone numb." Tian Niu’s loud voice instantly woke An Hao up.
She rubbed her eyes and as soon as she saw the entrance to the village, she insisted that Qin Jian shouldn’t carry her any longer.
"You’ve injured your foot, and you can’t just walk around carelessly now." Qin Jian refused to put her down, casting a cold glance at Tian Niu.
"There’s no buts, sister-in-law. Listen to Qin Jian, we are only a few steps away from home," Tian Niu hurriedly spoke in favor of Qin Jian, having just received a warning from him.
An Hao knew it was useless to say anything. If he wanted to carry her, he’d just carry her.
It was just that she’d feel somewhat embarrassed upon seeing the villagers.
Qin Jian carried An Hao into the village, walking towards the small bridge where he saw a person standing from afar.
His eyesight was exceptional, and he recognized at a glance that it was the same girl named Song Yueqin whom he had met in the city last time.
At the same time, Song Yueqin also spotted him. She ran over excitedly but upon seeing An Hao on his back, jealousy welled up in her heart.
However, she suppressed the sour feeling and called out, "Big Brother Qin, Big Brother Tian."
"Isn’t this the girl from the city last time..." Tian Niu couldn’t remember for a moment.
The incident from the city was a particularly embarrassing one for Song Yueqin, and not waiting for Tian Niu to recall, she quickly introduced herself, "Song Yueqin! My name is Song Yueqin!"
"Right, right! It’s you." Tian Niu said.
Song Yueqin managed a forced smile and turned her gaze towards Qin Jian, "Big Brother Qin, why are you carrying An Hao? Aren’t you exhausted? Your forehead is all sweaty."
"Not tired," Qin Jian said, looking ahead, not even giving Song Yueqin a glance, as if she didn’t exist.
Qin Jian always behaved towards unfamiliar women, women who were unrelated to him.
"You say you’re not tired, but look at all that sweat. Let me wipe it off for you." Song Yueqin took out her handkerchief from her pocket and attempted to wipe Qin Jian’s sweat off.
He deflected her with a raised hand, "You’re blocking my view."
Rejected, Song Yueqin’s attempt of kindness met with cold indifference, and she felt very wronged, "Big Brother Qin, I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to help you wipe off some sweat."
Before Qin Jian could respond, An Hao couldn’t help but purse her lips in a chuckle.
So Song Yueqin could be disgraced too. In her last life, Song Yueqin acted all high and mighty, stepping on her when she was down, humiliating her and arrogantly telling tales of her blissful life with Qin Jian, twisting a knife in her heart as if she wished for her downfall.
She had lived a life worse than that of a dog before Song Yueqin.
Now, to start all over again, and to see Qin Jian treating her so coldly, as if he were a block of ice, how could An Hao not be pleased?
She was a person too, not Saint Mary, especially when seeing her past life’s rival for the man’s affections reach out to Qin Jian again and being rejected so bluntly. She would be odd not to be thrilled.
"Big Brother Qin, I’m sorry you’ve had to go to such trouble." An Hao took out a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Thankfully, I ran into you, or with my injured foot, I wouldn’t have been able to walk back from halfway up the mountain even by nightfall."
"Your foot’s injured?" Song Yueqin then turned her attention to An Hao, noting that her foot was indeed swollen quite badly, which made her feel somewhat more at ease.
It seemed that Qin Jian was merely kind-hearted, seeing that An Hao was hurt and thus carrying her.
"Big Brother Qin, you actually carried her such a long distance." Song Yueqin said carefully with a smile, "You really are warm-hearted."