It was she who was scared, yet she spoke in a forceful tone, "Jin Zijin, you better scold me! But you can’t leave me here alone, I’m a patient, and it’s not right to abandon a sick family member. Otherwise, I’ll go to the Governor’s Office and sue you!"
She was determined to cling to him, even though she knew it was selfish.
He didn’t owe her anything, did he? On the contrary, it was her who had burned down someone’s house and been taken care of by him for so long, so she was the one in debt to him, right?
Of course, deep down, Gu Youyou did not harbor the idea that husbands must support their wives, a notion which would be deemed perfectly normal in the eyes of others, but Gu Youyou didn’t think the same way.
In her eyes, men and women are equal, and the effort put in must be equal as well.
Others could owe her, and she would remember it, but she couldn’t owe others, that was the assertiveness she developed from a young age.
So Gu Youyou was feeling very uneasy now.
Jin Zijin was also uncomfortable with her clinging to him, his back stiff, not daring to move a muscle.
He could feel the slight tremble of the soft body behind him, its coldness seeping into his heart, chilling his core.
That sensation made him feel so comfortable, as though he had found an oasis in the scorching desert, making it impossible for him to leave.
He needed that oasis of water to relieve the dry heat encompassing his body and his parched throat.
The ice-cold, ostensibly boneless little hands climbed around his waist, touching his hot skin, its coldness shocking him awake.
He pried her hands off, turned around to look at her, and asked in a low voice, "Are you scared?"
Gu Youyou was stunned, then glared at him angrily, "Nonsense, how could I possibly be scared?"
If Gu Youyou were scared, could she have survived this long?
"But you are trembling!"
"I’m cold, haven’t you noticed I’m warming myself on you?"
What a stubborn mouth, Jin Zijin thought.
After a moment’s consideration, Jin Zijin said softly, "Where did your mind go? I’m not blaming you. It’s just that it’s going to be dark soon, and I need to gather some firewood to bring back, otherwise, it will be very cold tonight."
Upon hearing this, Gu Youyou blinked her eyes, looking at him with delight yet with a touch of uncertainty in her slight frown.
After a moment, she said, "I’ll go with you!"
She might not know how to make a fire, but surely she could gather firewood? Her body was almost fully recovered, she could move freely, so she didn’t want to be looked after by him any longer, doing nothing.
She was no longer the superior head of the Gu Family from before, was she?
Jin Zijin didn’t object, but simply nodded slightly and let her follow.
The mountain path was rough, but thankfully, there were plenty of dry branches and firewood not far from the cave.
Gu Youyou followed clumsily, with some difficulty.
Climbing mountains and picking herbs used to be fine for her; her previous body had great physical fitness, and she could manage two or three days in the mountains with no issues, but this body was far too weak; just gathering some firewood left her exhausted!
Jin Zijin took the bundle of firewood she had gathered and then led her back.
"We might live here for a while until the new house is ready, so if you’re not comfortable, you can go back to the Gu Family first."
"No way!" Gu Youyou negated without a second thought, "I don’t want to go back there, I’ll just stay in the cave with you!"
Back when she used to gather herbs in the mountains, she had spent nights in the wilderness too. But she was wealthy and had hired two locals to guide her and carry her luggage, tent, and so forth; living in a cave was indeed a first for her.
Jin Zijin nodded and began to start the fire.
The cave was small but very dry, and the fire started quickly.