Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 926: I Have a Girlfriend

For some reason, her shoes were nowhere to be found, nor were her pants. At the edge of the creek, Song Ying only managed to find her shirt. She hastily put it on and staggered to follow Luo Qiu.

Carrying someone while walking was quite cumbersome, so it wasn’t long before Luo Qiu opted to carry Gan Hong on his back.

Gan Hong was strong-willed and managed to hold on without losing consciousness, but she lacked the energy to speak and her face was as pale as paper.

The grass on the ground was sharp, and before long, Song Ying’s legs had several tiny cuts from it. Additionally, her ankle, injured from her attack on the wild man, greatly hindered her mobility.

Yet she didn’t say a word or cry out in pain during the journey. She was afraid that if she stopped to complain, it would delay Luo Qiu and put Gan Hong in more danger.

She hadn’t had the chance to ask Luo Qiu how he had survived and why he was still holding a hunting rifle—this deadpan guy seemed to turn mute whenever others didn’t inquire about him.

They walked for perhaps ten minutes, but it felt to Song Ying as though they had been traveling for half a century.

Luo Qiu suddenly halted. “We’re here.”

Both Song Ying and Gan Hong were taken aback, looking ahead. As Luo Qiu took a few more steps, they saw a small wooden house in front of them.

The house was primarily made of wood, situated on flat ground. Surrounding it was a cleared area enclosed by a fence, but the ground was overgrown with weeds, suggesting it had been uninhabited for quite some time.Luo Qiu entered first with Gan Hong on his back. Once inside, he realized the wooden cabin was even more rudimentary than he had imagined.

There was no electricity here; the only source of light was from a fire.

In the center of the floor, there was a pit with a pile of firewood, over which rested an old iron pot. Steam was rising from it as something was cooking inside.

Luo Qiu set Gan Hong down and laid some dry grass on the ground. He then found some branches and planks, using the rope found in the cabin to secure Gan Hong’s back.

“Let’s do a simple treatment for now,” Luo Qiu said softly, looking at Gan Hong.

Gan Hong could only blink to acknowledge she understood. She realized the conditions here were very basic, and being able to stabilize her spine was already quite good.

“Don’t just stand there; go sit by the fire.” Luo Qiu turned to assess Song Ying. “Although it’s quite warm, this place is damp, so it’s better to dry off a bit. Otherwise, you might catch a cold.”

Song Ying instinctively nodded. Suddenly, she realized something.

She wasn’t wearing any pants, and her shirt was a bit short. As a result, she awkwardly pulled at her shirt, trying to stretch it down to cover her thighs.

It still felt insufficient. Gritting her teeth, she noticed Luo Qiu was no longer looking at her and had opened the lid of the iron pot.

He poured out some boiling water from the pot into a container that looked like a clay pot, likely found in the wooden house.

“Wash your wounds with warm water later,” Luo Qiu said, moving the pot of hot water in front of Song Ying and pointing at the cuts on her legs.

“Th-thank you,” Song Ying managed to say.

“Thank me for what?” Luo Qiu smiled faintly.

Song Ying bit her lip, then struggled to say, “Thank you for saving us.”

“But would you save me if I were in your position?” Luo Qiu asked.

“Y-yes…” Gan Hong’s weak voice came from behind.

Luo Qiu glanced back and then looked at Song Ying, who, this time, simply nodded in response instead of speaking.

“Then you don’t need to thank me,” Luo Qiu said.

Song Ying sighed; she had to admit that Luo Qiu was the most challenging type for her to deal with. The Song family thrived on rough tactics, and most of the people she had encountered while growing up were of a brutish nature.

Although Song Haoran was also polite and gentle, he was different from Luo Qiu… Song Haoran was more of a rogue, albeit with a touch of elegance; “elegant rogue” would be an apt description.

She couldn’t dwell on it. Song Ying sighed inwardly and then looked around the room. She decided to change the subject. “By the way, what’s going on? This house… and your hunting rifle?”

Luo Qiu blinked. “Me? Seems like I was lucky. After falling, I got snagged by a branch and didn’t get hurt. But it took quite a bit of effort to get down.”

“Lucky to be alive…” Song Ying frowned, thinking Luo Qiu probably had been thrown from the car when it went off the cliff, landing somewhere else.

But that meant he shouldn’t be too far from where she and Gan Hong had fallen… This damn fog was quite inconvenient.

“As for this house, I stumbled upon it,” Luo Qiu looked around and continued, “It seems to have been here all along. I thought it was convenient, so I decided to use it for now.”

Song Ying didn’t pick up on anything odd in his words but still felt something was off.

“This house was probably inhabited by a hunter?” Luo Qiu speculated. “There are some hunting tools here, and I found a usable hunting rifle. When I heard some strange noises outside earlier, I took it with me. What did you encounter? It looked pretty big—was it a bear?”

“You shot at something you didn’t even know what it was?” Song Ying was taken aback.

“Shouldn’t I have?” Luo Qiu asked curiously.

“Ugh…” Song Ying shook her head. “Forget it. But I think you wouldn’t want to know what that thing was… You probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

Luo Qiu chuckled lightly. “If zombies exist, and there’s also a Mr. Blind who can wield flying swords, I think I can handle it.”

Song Ying said, "It's a wild man, with long hair, carrying a big stick, and he's incredibly strong!"

"Is that so..." Luo Qiu nodded, then fell silent. Not long after, Gan Hong, who had been lying behind them, suddenly closed her eyes.

Song Ying anxiously crawled over to Gan Hong's side and tentatively checked her breath with trembling hands.

"Enduring isn't as good as temporarily fainting; at least it allows the brain to relax," Luo Qiu said softly, while producing a strip of cloth soaked in hot water.

"I can handle this," Song Ying said as she snatched the hot cloth from Luo Qiu’s hand and began to carefully wipe Gan Hong’s face.

"Are you hungry? I made something to eat," Luo Qiu suddenly said.

"Food?" Song Ying was taken aback and instinctively looked at Luo Qiu.

Actually, there was something like a kitchen in this house; the central fire pit seemed to be used mainly for heating and boiling water... Luo Qiu had walked over to a stove.

The fire in the stove had not gone out, and upon lifting the lid of a large pot, a rich aroma wafted out.

Soon, Luo Qiu returned with a wooden bowl filled with food from the pot. It looked like something akin to a stew or borscht.

Song Ying couldn't help but furrow her brow and said, "This place looks like it hasn't been inhabited for at least ten years... Where did you get the food?"

"There are some wild vegetables outside that are edible," Luo Qiu replied nonchalantly. "As for the seasoning, I found some sugar and salt in the house... What's the problem? I couldn't exactly run to the market and buy things, then come back here, could I?"

That made sense...

Unable to resist her hunger, Song Ying picked up the bowl of mixed stew and took a small sip, then began to gulp it down—almost burning her tongue in the process.

It must be because she was too hungry; even leftover food from the night before tasted delicious... So it wasn’t just the flavor of the food... Why was it so good?

However, could there really be that many edible wild vegetables in these desolate mountains? What were those corn kernels? And onions...?

Seeing Luo Qiu walk back to the stove to fill another bowl, Song Ying was somewhat impressed by his abilities. "You seem quite knowledgeable about survival skills in the wild. Aren't you afraid of picking poisonous mushrooms?"

Luo Qiu replied casually, "When I was a kid, I spent a summer at a two-person camp with my dad. I learned some skills back then."

"A two-person camp?" Song Ying was taken aback.

Luo Qiu continued, "I don’t remember the details clearly; I was quite young at the time. My dad's friend invited him to do something there, it seemed to be a military group stationed deep in the forest. My dad was worried I would be bored during the summer, so he brought me along. It was quite an interesting experience. I remember we encountered a lost little girl, but I wonder what happened to her later."

"This story sounds a bit familiar..." Song Ying looked at Luo Qiu oddly and suddenly joked, "Then the little girl must have remembered you deeply from that day on, never forgetting you over the years, and no matter how excellent other men were, none could replace you. One day, she finally met the little boy from back then and began a vigorous pursuit, right?"

"Do you like reading comics?" Luo Qiu asked suddenly.

Song Ying pouted and snorted, "What does that have to do with you!"

"Do you want more to eat?" Luo Qiu smiled.

Reluctantly, Song Ying pushed out the empty second bowl she had eaten from.

Luo Qiu took it directly and said, "In a bit, feed some food to Gan Hong too; replenishing her energy is a good idea."

"Got it," Song Ying nodded.

Actually, aside from his annoying poker face, this guy wasn't too bad... At least he wasn’t overly lecherous.

...

After feeding Gan Hong some food, she seemed to look a bit better, but perhaps it was just an illusion since she had still not woken up.

Song Ying, exhausted, sat beside the fire with her knees hugged to her chest, her clothes had dried long ago. She rested her head on her knees and silently watched Gan Hong.

This situation had persisted for some time.

Outside, the thick white fog had dissipated significantly, leaving only a thin layer that barely allowed for distant visibility.

From outside the house, the sound of chopping wood could be heard—Luo Qiu had said he planned to make a fire outside to create smoke. If there were rescuers, they should be able to see the smoke and find their way here, which was a good idea... As for why there were still branches in the abandoned house after so many years, Song Ying had no more thoughts on it.

Not long after, Luo Qiu walked in. "The fire is lit; we just need to wait."

"Okay," Song Ying casually replied.

Luo Qiu brought some boiled water in a wooden cup. "Want to drink some?"

"Um." Song Ying took it but only held it in her hands without drinking. She suddenly asked, "You... really don't plan to stay with the Song family, do you?"

Luo Qiu retorted, "Setting aside the matter of the old master of the Song family, isn't your own desire that I leave as soon as possible?"

Song Ying was momentarily at a loss for words... Indeed, her attitude had been lukewarm, even somewhat antagonistic. But once she had personally verified that Luo Qiu indeed had the Song family's bloodline, it became a bit more complicated.

The Song family's education was quite strict, especially regarding familial affection. Unfortunately, Song Ying had no peers; she was the only one of her generation.

Suddenly...

"Do you know why I suddenly pulled you out for a joyride last night?" Song Ying looked at Luo Qiu.

"Was it what you said in the car?" Luo Qiu thought for a moment, "You suddenly wanted to keep me around... Why? Was it really just for your grandfather, so even someone you disliked could be accepted?"

"I don't dislike you anymore... actually." Song Ying didn't look at Luo Qiu this time. "Though I can't say I like you, I just feel you can be accepted... Don’t overthink it! I just think that if the current Song family could have one more person, it would at least be a good thing. People are generally selfish; they would rather share things with their own family than benefit outsiders. My grandfather has always hoped the Song family can thrive."

"I don’t need these things," Luo Qiu shook his head. "Whether I leave or stay won’t affect my relationship with the Song family. Since this bloodline exists, I think it doesn’t matter if I stay or not. Historically, brothers separate and each forms their own family. There's no need to live together, right?"

"So you really don’t plan to stay?" Song Ying suddenly said.

Luo Qiu nodded directly.

At that moment, Song Ying bit her lip and suddenly said, "What if my grandfather insists on marrying me to you?"

Luo Qiu opened his mouth... The old master indeed had such plans? And it seemed he had already discussed this with Song Ying? If that were the case, then Song Ying pulling him out for a joyride last night seemed to make sense.

Moreover, her words in the car seemed to imply more... Could it be about this matter?

"I have a girlfriend."