Chapter 126

Chapter 126

Sitting Up

"Hmph, the back mountain isn’t hers! Who does she think she is?" Lin Nannan was Han Yan’s sore spot—just mentioning her name made Han Yan fly into a rage, making her putty in Yu Yuning’s hands.

The two followed a narrow path up the mountain, not running into anyone along the way.

Though they claimed to be gathering wild vegetables, neither carried anything except for the small basket Yu Yuning had brought just for show.

Lin Nannan ran into them as she was preparing to descend the mountain. She carried a full load of herbs and mountain goods, along with a wild rabbit hanging limp in her hand, which made Han Yan’s eyes go wide.

Yu Yuning eyed the slender woman before her, a flicker of competitiveness flashing in her eyes. She wondered if she could defeat Lin Nannan and test her mettle.

But with Han Yan present, she couldn’t make a move. She had to restrain herself to avoid tipping her off.

The hostility in Yu Yuning’s gaze didn’t escape Lin Nannan’s notice. She glanced at her dismissively, figuring she could kick her aside without breaking a sweat—not even worth her time. Without giving them another glance, she walked right past them like they weren’t even there.

Han Yan started to say something but was stopped by Yu Yuning.

This pleased Han Yan. "Don’t give her the time of day," Yu Yuning whispered. "Ignore her, or she’ll start trouble and think you’re an easy target."

Han Yan held back from picking a fight with Lin Nannan, snorting in response.

A trace of disdain flashed in Yu Yuning’s eyes. Mission accomplished, she talked Han Yan into heading back down.

Han Yan had no interest in gathering wild vegetables and readily agreed to leave.

Lin Nannan was moving fast. By the time they reached the mountainside, she was already far ahead.

"She’s carrying such a heavy load, yet she walks so fast. That’s impressive strength!" Yu Yuning remarked, said with genuine admiration.

Han Yan bristled at this. "She just relies on brute strength, like some kind of wild woman. Even grown men can’t take her down—she’s kicked them flying before."

She hadn’t witnessed it herself but had heard the stories.

Yu Yuning’s expression turned grave. She was relieved she hadn’t acted rashly earlier—otherwise, she could’ve wound up dead or in bad shape.

After obtaining the information she wanted, she shared it with Li Zhang and declared firmly, "Neither of us is a match for her. Our only chance is to use weapons."

Frustrated by their lack of progress, Li Zhang nodded. "Then let’s plan it out. We’ll act in the next few days."

Yu Yuning was all for it and agreed right away.

……

After returning from the mountain, Lin Nannan handed the herbs to Lu Yuan, who, restless by nature, had taken up learning herbalism from her and was now quite skilled.

Lu Ming, impatient and lacking attention to detail, was far more interested in the rabbit Lin Nannan had caught, practically salivating at the thought of eating it.

As Lin Nannan entered the house, he sat beside Lu Yuan, chattering excitedly about how amazing his sister-in-law was—their family now enjoyed meat every few days.

Even when his elder brother had been well, they hadn’t lived so lavishly.

Lu Yuan found his babbling unbearable, her head buzzing with annoyance…

"You’re back?" Lu Hang, now sitting up, greeted Lin Nannan with a warm smile as she entered.

Lin Nannan raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sight of him sitting. "You sat up on your own?"

"Yeah!" Lu Hang couldn't suppress his excitement and explained, "I just felt like I had some strength, so I thought I'd try—didn’t expect it to work!"

"That’s great!" Lin Nannan replied without batting an eye, completely unfazed.

Truthfully, Lu Hang had been able to sit up for a while now, but since he hadn’t realized it, she kept quiet about it to avoid startling him.

Lu Hang chuckled at her composure. "Could I already sit up before this?"

Lin Nannan looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to guess her thoughts.

"Your look of disapproval was plain as day—hard not to notice," he said, amused.

She rubbed her nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No need to push yourself. You can wait until you’re a bit stronger..." She felt she should explain.

Lu Hang laughed softly. "I know. I want to take this progress step by step..."

Lin Nannan smiled, believing his words.

No one else could truly grasp what this meant—only he could feel it deeply.

A man who’d been paralyzed, helpless in bed, gradually regaining strength, sitting up on his own, standing, walking, and until he was back to his old self—this transformation was something he wanted to experience fully.

"Alright, I’ll let you figure it out. I won’t spoil it for you," Lin Nannan replied before sitting by the bed. Since he didn’t need help drinking, she noticed the empty cup of water and realized he had drunk it himself.

"I have something to tell you," she said. "They’re gearing up to strike."

Lu Hang’s expression darkened instantly. "What happened?"

She recounted the earlier encounter and scoffed, "That person was too weak. I could’ve dropped them with one kick."

"The whole village knows how strong you are. If they’ve scouted you out, they won’t confront you head-on. If they have weapons..." His voice was laced with worry.

Lin Nannan cut in smoothly, understanding his concern but explaining, "If they’re going to act, it’ll be in the back mountains. They have their own fears, and that’s my domain. Even with weapons, dealing with me won’t be easy."

Lu Hang took a deep breath to steady himself before insisting, "I hear you, but I’ll still worry. Nan Nan, let A Jian or A Da go with you, alright? Even if you handle them, you’ll need backup, won’t you?"

Lin Nannan, initially reluctant, considered that they might not come alone. Dealing with the aftermath alone would be troublesome, so she nodded. "Fine, but tell them to keep a low profile. No tipping them off."

If she couldn’t catch the mastermind, she’d at least deal with the troublemakers in the village. That way, the household wouldn’t have to stay on edge—especially with ill-intentioned neighbors nearby. Keeping cool was impressive enough.

"Don’t worry, they know what to do." Lu Hang could only sigh, especially amused by Lin Nannan’s dismissive attitude toward A Jian and A Da.

But the truth was, Lin Nannan really was stronger than them, so A Jian and A Da could only accept it without protest—who could argue when they were outmatched?

"By the way," Lu Hang added, slyly nudging, "if you think A Da or A Jian have shortcomings, you could give them some pointers. They might be more helpful to us later."

She pursed her lips but didn’t refuse. "After the harvest."

Relieved at her agreement, Lu Hang then asked hopefully, "By then… will I be able to stand?"

*You can stand right now...* Lin Nannan swallowed the words and instead said sternly, "If you want to stand, cooperate properly. Don’t go doing anything reckless. If you fall and hurt yourself beyond repair, don’t blame me."

The progress was shocking enough—she didn’t want to draw any more attention.