《《蛮族之花》 Flower of Wilderness》Yina_bubbles

7、第 7 章 Stran

　　Before dawn had fully broken, Suyuan was awakened by a heavy cough. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and waited until the discomfort passed, but the dull ache in her head remained. The air had grown noticeably colder overnight, and Suyuan knew what that meant. Winter was coming. Her body had always been more sensitive to changes in the weather than other people. Whenever the seasons changed, her weakness became worse, and the cold seemed to settle into her bones. She had learned not to complain about it. There were simply some things she could not change.
　　Suyuan slowly sat up and reached for her cloak. Her head still felt heavy, but she forced herself to stand. "Ayao, wake up." Ayao stirred beneath her blanket. "Miss... it's still dark."
　　"We're going to the river."
　　Ayao immediately opened her eyes. "The river? At this hour?"
　　"We need more fish before it freezes."

　　That was enough to make Ayao climb out of bed. They had already prepared dried meat and vegetables for winter, but fresh fish would make their meals much better, especially for Shuran. Once the river froze completely, there would be no easy way to catch any.The two girls quietly left the courtyard before the palace became busy. They followed the familiar hidden path through the trees, carrying their fishing rods and a wooden bucket between them. The morning air was cold enough to make Ayao shiver.
　　"Miss, you should have stayed in bed today," Ayao said worriedly as they walked.
　　"I'm fine."
　　"You coughed so badly this morning."
　　"It was only because of the cold."
　　Ayao frowned. "That's exactly why I'm worried."
　　Suyuan smiled faintly. "Then catch enough fish so we can return quickly."
　　When they reached the river, the sun had only just begun to rise above the distant mountains. A thin mist hovered above the water, and the surface was already colder than it had been a few weeks ago. Suyuan sat carefully near the riverbank while Ayao prepared the bait. They had chosen a quiet spot hidden by reeds and trees, far from the usual paths used by the tribesmen. For a while, there was only silence. The fishing line floated gently on the water. Ayao yawned and Suyuan glanced at her. "If you fall asleep, I'll leave you here."
　　Ayao immediately straightened. "I wasn't sleeping!"
　　"You were."
　　"I was concentrating."
　　Suyuan couldn't help laughing softly.
　　Then the fishing line suddenly moved.
　　"Ayao."
　　"I saw it!"
　　Ayao grabbed her rod excitedly, but the fish escaped at the last moment.
　　She stared at the empty hook in disbelief.
　　"It got away."
　　Suyuan smiled. "You pulled too quickly."
　　"Then you try."
　　Suyuan took the fishing rod from her.
　　After several attempts, they finally caught one fish, then another. It wasn't a great haul, but it was enough to make the journey worthwhile.
　　"We can make another soup for Her Highness," Ayao said happily.
　　Suyuan nodded. "Let's catch one more and go home."
　　She shifted closer to the water, carefully lowering the line.
　　The riverbank was damp from the morning mist.
　　She didn't notice the loose patch of earth beneath her foot until it gave way.
　　"Miss Yuan!"
　　Ayao's voice rang out.
　　Suyuan lost her balance and slipped into the river.The freezing water startled her, and the current immediately carried her away from the bank. Ayao dropped the fishing rod and rushed toward the river, but the bank was too steep for her to reach Suyuan safely.
　　"Miss!"
　　Suyuan tried to steady herself, but her body felt strangely heavy. The cold made it difficult to move, and her head began spinning.
　　Then—
　　A figure suddenly appeared from the opposite side of the river.
　　He had been concealed among the trees, dressed in the simple dark clothing of an ordinary tribesman. The moment he saw the girl struggling in the water, he didn't hesitate. He jumped into the river. Ayao could only watch in shock as the stranger fought against the current and reached Suyuan. One arm caught her before the current could carry her farther.
　　"Hold on."
　　His voice was calm despite the rushing water. Suyuan barely managed to open her eyes. Through the mist and blurred vision, she saw a young man holding her securely as he guided them toward the riverbank.His clothes were plain, but there was something unusual about him.The way he moved.The confidence in his voice.
　　Even the way he looked at the river, as though he had nothing to fear from it.
　　Suyuan couldn't understand why. She had never seen him before.
　　The stranger finally reached the bank and helped her onto solid ground.
　　Ayao immediately rushed over.
　　"Miss!"
　　Suyuan coughed and took several unsteady breaths.
　　"I'm... fine."
　　"You almost scared me to death!"

　　Ayao quickly wrapped her cloak around Suyuan. The stranger stood a short distance away, water dripping from his clothes.Suyuan looked up at him. "Thank you."
　　He said nothing at first, his gaze briefly settled on her pale face before he looked away. "You shouldn't be standing so close to the river."His tone was rather blunt.
　　Suyuan raised an eyebrow, "I know that now." For the first time, the man's expression softened slightly.Ayao looked between them suspiciously.
　　"Who are you?"
　　The stranger paused.
　　"I'm just passing through."
　　Suyuan studied him quietly. Just passing through?His clothes certainly looked ordinary.But there was something about him that didn't fit, a common tribesman wouldn't move like that and ordinary travelers rarely carried themselves with such quiet confidence. Before Suyuan could ask anything else, the man turned away.
　　"I should leave."
　　"Wait."
　　He stopped.
　　Suyuan looked at him.
　　"You saved my life. At least tell me your name."
　　For a brief moment, the stranger looked back at her.
　　Then he gave a faint smile.
　　"You don't need to know."
　　With that, he disappeared into the trees.
　　Ayao stared after him.
　　"What a strange man."

　　Suyuan remained silent.
　　She watched the place where he had vanished, her fingers tightening around the cloak wrapped around her shoulders.
　　For some reason, she had a feeling that this was not the last time she would see him.
　　She just didn't know that the seemingly ordinary stranger who had pulled her from the river was someone she was never supposed to meet this way.