Not a human? Could it be?
Ran stopped in disbelief. Hearing Smoliv's voice today, she had a bold guess. She took a deep breath and asked carefully, "May I ask who you are?"
"I am the old plum tree beside this child!" The old voice answered again, clearly revealing its identity.
Ran then noticed a thick plum tree not far from Smoliv. She walked over quickly and asked in disbelief, "Was it you speaking just now?"
"Of course it was me!" The old voice sounded a bit cold, as if it were human and would roll its eyes at Ran now.
Ran never expected that this world had plants with independent intelligence. She looked at it with curiosity and asked, "Why did you say I was deceiving the child?"
"Hmph! Isn't it true?" The plum tree snorted heavily with a cold tone. "I admit you have some skill, but coming here was probably just luck. Finding this place again will be very hard."
The environment here is complex. It's hard to locate this place accurately a second time. If you couldn't find it again from the start, why make a promise to the child? Letting it hope and then be disappointed.
Ran heard a hint of sadness in the words, as if someone had made a promise to it before but never fulfilled it.
She pressed her lips and said to the plum tree, calming Smoliv, "Since you knew I came here just now, you must know I am not an ordinary person. A place ordinary people can't find, I have my way to find it."
"So since I promised Smoliv, I will keep that promise!"
She looked at Smoliv and reassured him, "Smoliv, trust me, I will definitely come to find you!"
"Mm! I trust you, sister!" Smoliv's soft voice was full of trust.
"I hope you can keep your word!" The plum tree said, then fell silent.
Ran knew it had no ill will. After hesitating, she walked up and slowly stretched out her hand, pressing it on the rough plum tree trunk, sending some of her energy to it.
"Ugh~"
The plum tree did not expect her to send it energy, letting out a comfortable moan.
Her energy was very beneficial to plants. After Ran withdrew her hand, the plum tree seemed reluctant to let go.
Having received her energy, it could not refuse her but shook its crown with new branches to show thanks.
Ran glanced at the time and saw it was late. She had to say goodbye to Smoliv and the plum tree, carrying her bamboo basket down the mountain.
As night fell, the deep mountain was full of tall trees and thick bushes. Though plants guided the way, the path down was still hard to walk.
Ran was careful all along. Because it was dark, many animals that avoided daytime came out. When she reached the foot of the mountain, her basket already held three rabbits and two wild chickens. She also secretly put in two fish and some wild onions and wild ginger she had picked before to add flavor when cooking later, and to have an excuse for carrying them.
Just as Ran reached the foot of the mountain, she saw a firelight coming this way.
She looked curiously but could not see clearly because it was dark.
After taking a few steps forward, the torchbearer came up to her. Ran saw it was someone she least expected.
"Simeon? What are you doing here?" Ran's eyes widened in disbelief.
He should be at the academy now. Why was he here?
"I saw that you still hadn't gone home this late, so I thought I'd come over to check," Simeon said as he naturally took the bamboo basket from her back.
"Why are you back today? Did something happen at the academy?" Ran asked curiously.
"Mm, we had a small test today, so the teachers gave us a three-day break," Simeon explained gently.
But he didn't mention that he was supposed to come back tomorrow. It was already quite late, and the road home wasn't safe.
Still, for some reason, he couldn't wait and ignored the teachers' advice, driving the carriage straight back.
"That's great!" Ran said with a smile. "You're lucky this time. I caught a rabbit and a wild chicken in the mountains today. Tomorrow I'll cook them for you. I promise it'll be a flavor you've never had before."
"Sounds great! I'll be looking forward to the meal!" Simeon smiled and nodded.
The two of them walked home. Simeon placed the basket in the woodshed and said, "Ranran, go wash up. There's food left for you in the kitchen. Hurry and eat something."
Ran didn't expect that Simeon had even left her dinner, so she quickly walked to the kitchen. She opened the lid of the pot and saw a big bowl inside with two steamed corn buns and some stir-fried greens with meat slices.
Although the food was simple, Ran felt warm inside.
She washed her hands, picked up one bun, and took a bite.
Even though the bun was a little cold and hard to chew, she still thought it tasted delicious.
Is this what it feels like to be cared for?
Before she came here, even when she went out every day to search for supplies, her family never thought about saving her a meal.
They always assumed without guilt that since she was out searching, she must have had plenty to eat.
But they had no idea she was going hungry every day.
She never thought that after coming here, someone would care whether she had eaten or not and would save food for her.
After finishing her meal, Ran washed the dishes and put them away.
Since she had already soaked in the hot spring in the valley earlier today, she just quickly washed up before pushing the door open and going into her room.
As soon as she stepped in, Ran was caught off guard by the beautiful sight in front of her and stood frozen, not making a sound.
Simeon had just finished bathing. His hair was loose around his shoulders, and he wore a light-colored sleep robe that hung loosely on him, revealing his fair and delicate collarbones. His firm chest was partly visible.
He held a book in his hand and leaned lazily against a chair, reading seriously by the flickering candlelight.
Maybe her stare was too intense. Simeon seemed to sense it and looked up at her. Seeing her standing there in a daze, instead of getting upset, he smiled pleasantly and asked in a low voice, "Why haven't you come in yet?"
"Ah! Oh! Right!"
Ran didn't expect to be caught. Her face suddenly turned red, her cheeks flushed, and her heart pounded rapidly.
Simeon thought she looked adorable like this and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Hearing his deep and pleasant laugh, Ran felt her face grow even redder.
She quickly closed the door and rushed toward the bed.
Right now, all she wanted was to wrap herself tightly in the blanket and forget that awkward moment just now.
"Ran, how could you be distracted by a man's looks? You were staring at him like you were in a trance! Before the apocalypse, you saw so many handsome guys on your phone."
"How can you be this easily tempted?" Ran silently scolded herself. But still, the scene just now was too much for her to resist.
A handsome man under the light, his clothes slightly open, that fair skin, defined collarbones, and strong chest muscles — what woman could stay calm in front of that? She already showed great self-control by not reaching out to touch him. "I've been away these days, and I don't know if you've been practicing the calligraphy I left you."
"Now that I have time, write something for me so I can see if you've improved." Just as Ran was about to walk away, Simeon suddenly called her. He looked at her gently as he spoke.
"Oh, okay!" Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Ran turned back, sat down on the other side of the desk, picked up the pen and paper, and began writing neatly according to the characters in the copybook. Simeon looked at the delicate writing on the paper and nodded in satisfaction.
He hadn't expected her to be this talented, learning so many characters just from a copybook. It was a pity she was a crippled man. Otherwise, she would've been able to achieve something great.
But still, Simeon frowned slightly as he noticed the pencil she was holding. He picked up a calligraphy brush and handed it to her. "Ran Ran. Try writing with this."
"I don't know how to use a brush," Ran said softly, glancing at the calligraphy brush in his hand. "You should still practice writing with it." Simeon placed the brush into her hand, then walked behind her.
He gently reached out and held her small, fair hand with his large, well-defined one. He guided her strokes as he taught her how to write each character. Ran didn't expect him to suddenly grab her hand.
Her cheeks flushed red, and the calm heartbeat she had just recovered quickly sped up again. In the quiet room, Ran could almost hear the sound of her heart pounding wildly. No matter what she did, she couldn't calm down.
Because they were standing so close, Simeon could smell the fragrance on her body. It was a mix of floral and woody scents, fresh, with a hint of subtle allure. It made him want to get even closer.
Realizing his dangerous thoughts, Simeon suddenly snapped out of it. He took a deep breath and tried to suppress them. Then he silently stepped back and let go of her hand.
He cursed himself in his heart for actually having such thoughts about Ran. Once he sat back in his chair, Ran finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Right now, all she could smell around her was his clean scent.
She quietly looked up and saw him sitting calmly, reading without any sign of discomfort. It made her feel a little uneasy. Though she couldn't tell if it was disappointment or something else.
She took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she picked up the brush again and continued practicing.
She had practiced for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to write properly. The characters she wrote were always messy and smudged.
"I'm done!" Ran dropped the brush in frustration, her small face scrunched up in annoyance. "Calligraphy is so hard! Simeon, can I stop practicing it?"
Simeon had been quietly observing her. Now, seeing her round little face all wrinkled in frustration, he couldn't help but smile. He picked up the large character she had written and glanced at it.
He tried to hold back but still ended up laughing softly. "Don't laugh!" Ran reached out and snatched the paper from his hand. She crumpled it up and threw it into the nearby wastebasket.
For someone who had never practiced calligraphy except during school classes, it was just too difficult to do well. "Take it slow!" Simeon saw she was truly upset and quickly stopped laughing. He gently comforted her, "To write well, the most important thing is the grip and the way you move the brush."
"I'll be home the next few days. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you how to hold the brush. You're very smart, so if you practice a lot, I believe you'll pick it up quickly."
After saying that, he saw she still looked a little down. So he glanced at the time and said to her, "You must be tired from going up the mountain today. Go get some rest early."
"What about you? Aren't you going to rest?" Ran looked at the dark sky and asked. "I'm not sleepy yet. You go ahead and rest."
He picked up a book from the desk and continued studying seriously. Seeing how focused he looked, Ran didn't want to disturb him. She tiptoed to the bed, quietly took off her outer clothes, and slipped under the blanket.
She wrapped herself tightly and moved close to the corner of the wall. She looked at the large space still left between them and finally closed her eyes. She thought with everything that had happened today, she might not be able to fall asleep.
But not long after, her breathing became slow and even. Sitting at the desk, Simeon heard her steady breathing. He set down his book.
Even now, he still couldn't calm down. He got up slowly and walked over to the bed. He sat down and looked at her peaceful sleeping face.
He couldn't help but think of the sweet scent he had just smelled. He raised his hand slowly, wanting to touch her soft red cheek. But before he could reach her, he pulled his hand back quickly.
He stood up abruptly, glanced at her with a complicated expression, then turned and left the room. Simeon didn't understand what was going on with himself. Wearing only thin nightclothes, he stood at the doorway, staring blankly at the night sky.
He didn't feel cold at all. He shook his head, trying to shake out the chaotic thoughts in his mind. But no matter what he did, it didn't help.
Ran's image kept appearing in his head. After a long time, Simeon finally turned and went back inside. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the sleeping Ran with a complicated look.
He let out a helpless sigh. "I can't believe that after being so clever all my life, I ended up being completely under your spell." He always thought he was a bookworm focused only on studying.
That was why he had politely rejected the affection of his teacher's daughter. But now he realized he was actually... After understanding his own feelings, Simeon felt much better.
He lifted the blanket and lay down on his side. He rested his head on one hand as he quietly watched her beautiful sleeping face. He raised his other hand and gently touched her smooth, pale cheek.
His fingertips slowly brushed over her skin. Then he touched the tip of her nose and finally tapped lightly on her full red lips. Staring at her soft and full lips, Simeon suddenly felt thirsty.
He unconsciously swallowed, his throat moving slightly. His eyes darkened as a dangerous urge surfaced. Realizing what he was thinking, Simeon quickly looked away.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop thinking any further.