Chapter 59 Dream

Chapter 59: Dream

Jian Ru knew he was dreaming but couldn't wake up no matter how hard he tried.

In the dream, he couldn't open his eyes or breathe. Icy, murky water flooded his nostrils and mouth, carrying a bitter, metallic taste of blood.

His chest felt tight and painful, as if it were about to burst.

He struggled to surface, but his clothes were heavy and dragged him down. Despite using all his strength, he couldn't move.

Branches or rocks scraped against his body. It hurt, but not too much—he was already choking on water, nearly losing consciousness.

A dull thud echoed in his ears, followed by something crashing into him, making Jian Ru shudder violently.

In that instant, Jian Ru felt the only warmth in the entire freezing river. What had collided with him was another person—alive.

This thought flashed through Jian Ru's hazy mind. Then, in that moment, with the last bit of strength he had left, just before the person was swept away by the current, he clenched his fingers tightly, managing to grab a piece of slick, wet fabric sliding past his fingertips.

His hand grew heavy, and Jian Ru was dragged downstream faster. Before completely blacking out, he had only one thought: he must hold on tight and never let go.

Jian Ru’s eyes flew open. He was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest. He gasped for air, trying to relieve the intense suffocation from the dream.

The near-death experience left him trembling slightly even after waking. For a while, he couldn’t tell what was dream and what was real.

It wasn’t until he vaguely saw an arm wrapped around his stomach in the darkness that Jian Ru’s panicked, floating mind settled back into his body, and all his physical sensations gradually returned.

Behind his neck, Li Jintong’s warm breath brushed against his skin. His back was pressed against the other’s chest, and he could feel the faint rhythm of another heartbeat.

The soles of his feet rested on Li Jintong’s insteps, and the backs of his knees rested against the other’s bent legs.

Jian Ru closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and felt alive again.

He wanted to hold the hand resting on his abdomen but was afraid of waking the other. In the end, he only gently grasped a corner of the other’s sleeve, finally feeling completely grounded.

Recalling the dream, it had felt terrifyingly real.

Jian Ru clearly remembered losing consciousness the moment he was thrown into the river, only waking up later on the riverbank downstream.

But the dream made him realize it was likely a form of self-protection, his mind blocking out what happened in the river. If not for that, he wouldn’t be left with such a deep-seated feeling that drowning was agonizing.

At this thought, Jian Ru clenched his teeth tightly, a wave of hatred surged through him. He wished he could tear Jiang Maocai and Zhang Jiao apart with his bare hands.

Jian Ru began unconsciously rubbing the back of his hand, over and over, until the skin there ached, yet he still didn’t stop.

Just then, the person sleeping behind him stirred. Jian Ru froze, thinking he had woken the Second Young Master. But the other only raised his hand, pulling Jian Ru closer, his palm resting again on Jian Ru’s lower abdomen, before falling back into even, deep sleep.

Jian Ru carefully placed his hand back on top of the other’s, and the turmoil in his heart gradually subsided, the hatred slowly fading away.

Li Jintong had experienced the agony of drowning in the river with him. Thankfully, both of them had survived and made it to today together.

Jian Ru felt much calmer.

He would seek revenge—he wouldn’t rest easy otherwise. But it couldn’t interfere with his and the Second Young Master’s life now.

Jian Ru pondered this for a while until he finally had a plan. Then, wearily, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

…

The next day, at the clinic, Jian Ru discreetly asked someone to deliver a message. A while later, the person returned and caught his eye from the doorway. Jian Ru found an excuse to step out.

Not far behind the clinic, on a stone bridge, a middle-aged man with only one arm was waiting. Despite his disability, the man’s eyes were sharp and alert, and his remaining arm was muscular and strong.

Jian Ru walked over, and the two exchanged some words. Then, Jian Ru took out some silver pieces from his money pouch and handed them to the man. The man refused at first, but after some polite refusal, he finally accepted.

They spoke a while longer before exchanging bows and parting ways.

…

Two days later, early in the morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Jian Ru got up. The Second Young Master got up right after him.

Jian Ru turned and said softly, "I prepared most of the things last night. The remaining tasks don’t need your help—Xiao Ning and I have it covered. You should sleep a bit more."

The Second Young Master shook his head. "I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep anyway. I’d rather get up and help you both."

Hearing this, Jian Ru didn’t insist. He dressed first, then went to the outer room to get hot water. He poured it into a basin and tempered it before calling the Second Young Master over to wash up.

Even though it was summer, they still used warm water for washing up in the small courtyard. The Second Young Master’s health had improved significantly, but Jian Ru didn’t dare take any chances. Besides, warm water was better for him too. Ever since he’d gotten a fever from eating something cold, his elder sister had warned him that women and male spouses shouldn’t get too chilled during summer, or it could cause problems for them in their old age.

Letting the Second Young Master help with chores was another matter. Jian Ru had gotten a feel for when he was tired and would make him rest appropriately.

He could tell that, aside from working at the clinic, the Second Young Master enjoyed doing household tasks. If Jian Ru tried to shield him from everything, the Second Young Master wouldn’t say anything or show it on his face, but he’d actually be unhappy inside. He disliked being coddled.

Letting him do some work as exercise while keeping him happy—why not?

Today, they were going back to the village to pay respects to Jian Ru’s parents. Yesterday, Madam Li had the main kitchen prepare smoked pig and sheep heads. His elder brother and second sister had bought plenty of assorted fruit. Along with the incense, candles, paper figurines, and paper horses that his elder sister had helped arrange, the carriage was packed to the brim.

Now, Jian Ru was wearing his everyday work clothes, sleeves rolled up as he stir-fried dishes in a large wok. The Second Young Master was adding firewood to the stove, while Xiao Ning washed vegetables in a big basin beside the counter.

The weather was too hot; otherwise, they would have prepared the food yesterday to bring along today. But making it in the morning would still work.

When others made offerings, there were specific rules for each dish, mostly hoping the deceased elders would bless their descendants with health and prosperity. Every dish had to follow tradition. Jian Ru didn’t adhere to such customs. He cooked what his parents had loved eating while they were alive, wanting to give them a proper, hearty meal.

As for blessings, Jian Ru didn’t expect anything from his parents. If they could take good care of each other in the afterlife and not be bullied by other ghosts, he would be happy. He would live his own life well.

When Jian Ru shared these thoughts with the Li family, Madam Li scolded him for being foolish but didn’t interfere too much. After all, they were Jian Ru’s parents, so it was his decision.

When the Second Young Master found out, he pondered for a moment and smiled. "Xiao Ru’s thinking is unconventional. I’ve studied for so many years, yet I’m not as open-minded as Xiao Ru."

Jian Ru loved being praised, especially in such a refined manner. His clear, bright eyes curved into crescents, and he couldn't suppress a smile.

Seeing him like this, the Second Young Master found his spouse utterly adorable and couldn’t resist gently stroking his cheek with his fingertips.

Once the dishes were done, they were packed into food containers and loaded onto the carriage.

Xiao Ning went back to his room to pack his things. His home wasn’t far from Jian Ru’s village. Jian Ru had promised that after dropping them off, Xiao Ning could visit his own family and had even prepared some food for him to bring along. The kid was thrilled.

The Second Young Master and Jian Ru went inside to wash the grease off their faces and change into going-out clothes.

When both were ready and the Second Young Master was about to leave, Jian Ru stopped him. "Wait."

He stepped forward, stood on his toes, and adjusted the Second Young Master’s collar, smoothing out a wrinkle on his lapel. Only then did he say, "Let’s go. We should stop by the main house first to say goodbye to Mother and Elder Sister."

After bidding farewell at the main house, Madam Li gave them a few more instructions before they boarded the carriage driven by Xiao Ning and set off.

Madam Li was still a bit worried, gazing after the departing carriage. Jin Hui held her mother’s arm and said, "It’s just one night away. They’ll be back tomorrow."

"Besides, Xiao Ru is better at taking care of people than we are. He’s sensible about everything. Look how energetic little brother is now—no need to worry unnecessarily."

Her reasoning was sound, but her words weren’t very comforting. Madam Li glared at her eldest daughter, though she knew she was overthinking things. Shaking her head, she went back inside.

...

In the carriage, watching the dense forests on both sides of the official road and the increasingly familiar scenery, Jian Ru recalled himself riding in the carriage with Granny Jin back then. That day in the carriage, he had even shed tears over the uncertainty of the future.

Upon learning about this, the second young master had specifically asked and comforted him.

At that time, they had just gotten married and weren't close yet, but the second young master was already very caring toward him—he truly was a very gentle person.

Now, traveling this road again, Jian Ru felt no particular trepidation about returning home. His only remaining ties to that village were his parents.

When they reached the vicinity of the village, they didn't head straight there but first went to the neighboring village.

Most of Jian Ru’s relatives lived there, and he hadn’t originally planned to visit them.

Before he left the village, he had barely been in touch with these relatives. They were afraid that Jian Ru wouldn't make ends meet and would come to borrow money from them.

Jian Ru bore them no ill will, but he also never intended to rely on others.

However, the second young master said that when Jian Ru was at his lowest point, these relatives had still managed to pool money to help him through the crisis. Although it was a loan and Jian Ru had repaid it all, offering help in times of need was still rare. So, the two of them went door to door in the neighboring village, bringing gifts.

Actually, Li Jintong had another consideration. Jian Ru’s parents were buried in the village, and the old house and farmland were also here, so they would inevitably return occasionally in the future.

Although Jian Ru had married into their family, how well the Li family treated him was known only to themselves. Outsiders only saw the surface and likely still looked down on him with skepticism.

No matter how strong Jian Ru’s personality was, he was still a slender and delicate man.

Since there were relatives in the neighboring village, it was better to stay on good terms with them. It didn’t need to be overly warm, but at least it would show others that Jian Ru wasn’t alone and vulnerable to bullying.

With this in mind, Li Jintong was particularly attentive when interacting with those relatives.

They had all heard about Jian Ru’s marriage, and seeing how much he had changed this time and that he had brought so many gifts, they were all delighted.

They also saw that the second young master of the Li family was nothing like the rumored consumptive but was instead handsome, gentle, and polite, which made them feel closer to Jian Ru.

After leaving the neighboring village, they took a detour to drop Xiao Ning off at the entrance of his village before the couple headed toward Longevity Village.

Now, with the second young master driving the carriage, Jian Ru didn’t stay cooped up inside the cabin but sat outside next to him. As the carriage swayed, he swayed along, his shoulder occasionally bumping gently against the arm of the person beside him.

The second young master turned to look at him and asked, “Isn’t it too sunny?”

Jian Ru shook his head and said, “I want to keep you company.”

Hearing this, the second young master smiled, turned around, and took out one of his own outer garments from the pack. He shook it out and laid it over Jian Ru’s head to block the scorching sun.

Jian Ru tugged the garment to the side, sharing half of it with the second young master. Together, they held it up to shield themselves from the sun, chatting as they drove the carriage, and leisurely made their way into the village.