Dong Huiying looked up and saw a man resembling a scholar. He was dressed in a faded blue garment washed to the point of oldness, with a patch sewn onto the sleeve and a green cloth wrapped around his head. He carried a bamboo basket on his shoulder, filled with herbs gathered from the mountainside.
There he stood, like a poplar tree under the clear sky, with a gentle breeze flowing past - a blending of refinement and verdant beauty.
Doctor Xiao glanced at Dong Huiying sitting under the tree, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Is the young lady here all by herself?"
This girl looked to be only about eleven or twelve, delicately petite, yet she was brave enough to spend the night alone in the mountains.
Dong Huying was about to respond when suddenly, a booming thunderclap echoed, followed by rapid and heavy rainfall.
Doctor Xiao jumped with fright at the sound of thunder. As the rain began to fall, he quickly dashed toward Dong Huiying, looking for a spot under the tree to avoid getting drenched.
The corners of Dong Huiying’s mouth twitched.
Afraid of getting struck by lightning while taking cover beneath a tree?
She scrambled to her feet and noticed a cave not far away. Braving the rain, she dashed towards it.
Had he been too abrupt, startling the young girl?
"Crack!" A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, followed by a thunderous clap so loud that it was deafening.
Doctor Xiao’s face turned pale with fear.
Dong Huiying looked at Doctor Xiao with a touch of resignation.
Taking a deep breath, Doctor Xiao thought to himself, was it any wonder the young lady had run so fast – not because he had frightened her, but because she had anticipated this situation all along?
Dong Huiying took out a clean piece of clothing and wiped her wet hair. Her stomach growled twice, and she thought, fortunately, she had not gone hunting. Otherwise, even if she had roasted pheasants and rabbits, the rain would have made it impossible to eat. Maybe the rain would have extinguished the fire before the pheasants and rabbits were even cooked.
All in all, she found another excuse for her laziness.
It’s just that the growling of her stomach, though not a problem if she were alone, became a tad embarrassing with another person present. She couldn’t help but feel a bit mortified. Then, feigning nonchalance, she rubbed her stomach, leaned against the cave wall, and pretended to rest with the demeanor of ’I’m not hungry at all.’
Doctor Xiao gave her an amused look. This young lady was quite entertaining.
"If the young lady does not mind, I still have half of a grilled fish left over from noon. It’s just that it doesn’t taste very good after cooling down and is a bit fishy," he said.
Dong Huiying scratched her head, "Thank you, but no need."
Hearing her decline, Doctor Xiao let the matter go. However, he was a bit curious, "How come you’re alone in the mountains? Where are your parents, your guardians?"
"I—" She nearly wanted to spit blood!
The wind and rain outside intensified, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Dong Huiying looked at Doctor Xiao gloomily. Could she admit that she was an adult? Despite being 164 centimeters tall and not bad-looking, no longer the little black imp from before but now a fair-skinned dough, she could’ve been considered quite the beauty in her original world, but here, why was she so often mistaken for a child?
Dong Huiying was somewhat speechless.
Yet, recalling the robust Dayuan women, she shivered at the image.
She’d rather remain this short forever than transform into a fearsome female warrior standing over one meter eighty. That would truly be too terrifying.