With a flick of the fishing rod, a plump grass carp leaped from the water, scattering a spray of droplets.

“Wonderful!” Qi Yue clapped her hands in applause.

Chang Yunqi reeled the fish in close and placed it gently into the basin of water that Qi Yue held ready.

“It’s all set,” Qi Yue said, turning to hand the basin to the waiting maidservant, then urged A’Ru, “Quickly now, get the fire started.”

Just behind them, charcoal, a wire mesh, and small dishes filled with various seasonings were already laid out.

A’Ru responded with a low murmur and crouched down to tend to the coals.

“Toast the Sichuan peppercorns, grind them into a fine powder—it’s a pity we don’t have chili peppers…” Qi Yue murmured to Chang Yunqi, glancing at the small dishes. “I still have jars of chili paste back at my courtyard. If I’d known you were coming, I’d have asked you to bring some along.”

Chang Yunqi laughed softly as he cast his line back into the pond.

Meanwhile, Qi Yue had already begun roasting the fruits and vegetables.

Facing the water, Chang Yunqi listened to the light, cheerful conversation between Qi Yue and A’Ru behind him.

“Hey, here you go,” Qi Yue called from the rear.

Chang Yunqi turned to see her offering him a string of roasted garlic cloves.

“Truly,” Qi Yue smiled at him, “with so much exquisite food and such beauty all around, who could possibly wish for death?”

Chang Yunqi was momentarily speechless, managing only a smile as he accepted the garlic.

Before long, the servants, following Qi Yue’s instructions, had washed, scaled, and sliced the fish. Qi Yue took charge of the grilling herself. The servants watched, wide-eyed with curiosity, having never witnessed such a method of preparation.

“Here, you all try some,” Qi Yue laughed, handing a piece of the grilled fish to the maidservant.

The maidservant flinched in surprise, shaking her hands and backing away repeatedly.

“I dare not, I dare not, my lady,” she stammered.

Qi Yue did not press the issue.

“Let me do it,” A’Ru said, taking over the task from the maidservant.

Qi Yue nodded, gathered a few pieces of grilled fish, and went to sit beside Chang Yunqi.

“Here, Third Brother, there isn't much to entertain with here, so have something fresh,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, Eldest Sister-in-Law,” Chang Yunqi replied, hesitating for a moment before placing his fishing rod by his feet.

“What is everyone at home saying?” Qi Yue inquired, taking a skewer of fish for herself.

Chang Yunqi’s movements paused subtly.

“Eldest Brother said you came here to recuperate,” he stated.

“Does everyone actually believe that?” Qi Yue pursed her lips dismissively.

Chang Yunqi spun the skewer between his fingers.

“Of course not,” he shook his head, then looked at Qi Yue. “Sister-in-Law, do not fret. I will find an opportunity to speak with Father about it.”

Such a good child, Qi Yue was deeply moved that she hadn't even needed to ask.

“Thank you, thank you so much. Do eat quickly now, tell me if you’d like anything else,” Qi Yue said, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she offered him the skewer she held.

Chang Yunqi smiled, accepted it, and began to eat slowly.

Qi Yue turned and called to the maidservant.

“Go catch a chicken, have it thoroughly cleaned and brought over here,” she instructed, then looked back at Chang Yunqi. “I’ll make a beggar’s chicken for Third Brother.”

The mention of the name caused Chang Yunqi’s movements to halt again.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Qi Yue laughed, having seen right through his thoughts. “Beggar’s chicken is a delicacy; I’m not indulging in self-pity. You’ll know when you taste it—this skill isn’t something I usually display before just anyone.”

Chang Yunqi smiled, lowered his head, and returned to eating the meat skewer in his hand.

As they were chatting, a sudden clamor drifted from not far away, punctuated by a child’s wail.

“Help! Someone is drowning!”

Both Qi Yue and Chang Yunqi stood up instantly.

The pond was vast and crescent-shaped, and the cries were coming from the curve of the outer edge.

“Damn those brats, sneaking off for a swim again!” the maidservant exclaimed, slapping her thigh loudly. “Hurry, save them!”

Before her loud shout faded, Qi Yue was already sprinting towards the source of the noise.

Chang Yunqi started, then hastened after her.

A’Ru dropped what she was holding and ran after them.

When they arrived, they saw Qi Yue, still running full tilt, vault directly into the water.

A’Ru let out a sharp scream that cut through the cries of the four or five other children nearby.

Chang Yunqi’s face turned ashen. Standing at the edge of the water, he clenched his hands so tightly his knuckles turned white, watching the woman dive beneath the surface like a fish.

The pond water was murky and choked with weeds; nothing could be seen below. She said she wasn't seeking death, she said she didn't want to die—then this must mean she knows she can succeed.

“Young Madam, Young Madam!” A’Ru scrambled towards the water’s edge, weeping hysterically.

If Chang Yunqi hadn't stopped her in time, A’Ru would have crawled right in.

By now, villagers were also arriving, shouting and calling out.

Qi Yue resurfaced, supporting a child of about seven or eight years old in her arms.

“Quickly, quickly!” Several villagers jumped into the water to receive the child from her grasp.

Soaked to the skin, Qi Yue was pulled out by A’Ru and Chang Yunqi.

Before A’Ru could speak, Qi Yue pulled away from them and rushed to the child’s side.

The boy’s face was ashen, and he lay motionless.

The adults turned him over, slapping his back. He sputtered out a little water, but remained unconscious.

“It’s no use, he’s not breathing,” several adults declared with shakes of their heads.

At that moment, the child’s parents arrived, crying out and throwing themselves forward.

“I’ll do it!” Qi Yue called out, simultaneously quieting the distraught parents. She knelt down, placed the child across her lap, opened his mouth, and tilted his head back.

Everyone watching stared blankly, unsure of what this woman was doing.

“No heartbeat,” Qi Yue stated, checking the artery. She laid the child flat and bent over to begin chest compressions.

The onlookers watched in stunned silence as the woman pressed and pushed on the child’s chest several times before leaning down to place her mouth over the boy’s.

A wave of shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Quiet!” A’Ru shrieked. “Our Young Madam is saving someone!”

The words "Young Madam" and "saving someone" momentarily silenced the scene. Everyone stared dumbly at the beautiful, drenched woman in the center, repeating the motions of compression and mouth-to-mouth rescue.

Is this how one saves a life?

Time seemed to stand still. Suddenly, the child’s body gave a violent spasm, followed by a series of coughs as he expelled more water.

“He’s alive!” the villagers shouted in unison. The boy’s family wept with overwhelming joy, clutching the child to their chests.

“Take off his clothes, wrap him in something clean, and keep his chest warm,” Qi Yue said, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, sinking onto the ground.

“Yes, yes!” the villagers responded frantically, scrambling to tear off their own outer garments to wrap the child. They clustered around him and hurried him towards his home.

Chang Yunqi unclasped his outer robe and draped it over Qi Yue, covering the contours of her slender, exquisitely shaped body beneath the soaking garment.

“Young Madam,” A’Ru knelt before her, on the verge of tears again. “You nearly scared this servant to death! How could you possibly—”

“How could I what?” Qi Yue looked at her and managed a smile. “I know how to swim, and I’m quite good at it, too.”

Saying this, she shook her fist and smiled slightly, but the chill of the late autumn air made her tremble despite herself.

“Hurry back and boil hot water,” Chang Yunqi called out to the frightened and flustered maidservants.

The group finally snapped out of their stupor and stumbled back towards the house.

“Thank you, Madam, for saving our child’s life.”

Qi Yue watched the country couple kneeling and bowing in her courtyard, smiling kindly as she urged them to rise.

But the couple dared not rise, remaining on their knees.

“Keep a close watch on him over the next few days for any coughing, phlegm, or fever. If anything occurs, come find…” Qi Yue started to say ‘come find me,’ but a wry smile crossed her face as the words caught in her throat. What use would it be to find her? She knew how to treat pneumonia and such, but without medicine, without her usual instruments, she was nothing. “…Go find a proper doctor to examine him.”

The couple hastily agreed, bowing and murmuring their thanks again.

“Please go back now. Children are bound to be naughty. Don’t scold or beat him too severely. I imagine after this scare, he won’t dare again,” Qi Yue said kindly.

The couple bowed one last time before finally standing and backing away, never daring to look up fully.

“Here is some meat and vegetables, Young Madam instructed us to give these to you to nourish the child,” one of the maidservants, who had been waiting nearby, said as she handed them a basket.

“This, this, how can we possibly accept this?” The couple was terrified and tried to refuse.

“Take it. Our Young Madam is a kind-hearted soul,” the servant insisted.

The couple finally accepted the basket, bowed again towards Qi Yue’s courtyard, and departed, wiping away tears and offering endless gratitude.

Inside the cramped, low-thatched cottage, many neighbors had gathered, talking amongst themselves. When they saw the couple return, they immediately crowded around.

“She gifted us so many things,” the wife said, holding up the basket for them to see, tears still tracing paths down her cheeks.

“Truly a benevolent soul,” everyone sighed.

They then went to check on the child. He was fine now, merely pale from the shock. The neighbors expressed their amazement once more.

“And she just pressed on his chest, then blew breath into his mouth, and that brought him back?” someone asked, still astonished by the event.

“Exactly! I felt him,” another insisted. “The little rascal had no breath, his body was already cold…”

“You don’t understand,” an elderly man coughed, interrupting them.

Everyone turned towards him.

“Third Elder, please explain. What rare thing was that?” they urged the oldest and most respected man in the village.

The old man squatted outside the doorway, gazing at the dried leaves and twigs the autumn wind was whirling across the courtyard.

“She breathed a breath of immortal air into that boy,” he declared solemnly. “She prolonged the life of that child.”

Qi Yue accepted the ginger soup A’Ru handed her and looked over at Chang Yunqi, who was sitting beside her.

“Third Brother, did you come specifically to see me?” she suddenly asked.

This abrupt question startled A’Ru so much she nearly dropped to her knees, and Chang Yunqi appeared quite at a loss.

“It’s getting late; don’t let this delay your important business,” Qi Yue continued with a smile. “I’m fine. I used to go swimming whenever I had spare time.”

A’Ru coughed softly. She knew perfectly well whose ‘past’ Qi Yue was referring to, but Chang Yunqi did not. What sort of respectable girl swims casually? Especially one who was once a beggar…

Fortunately, Chang Yunqi’s focus did not drift there.

“Yes,” he looked up, seeming to have settled on a decision. “When I heard about you, Sister-in-Law, I felt uneasy.”

A’Ru’s heart jumped into her throat again.

Chang Yunqi smiled faintly at his own words.

“You cry too easily, and you’re timid. You don’t dare speak up when trouble arises, so I came to check on you,” he explained.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Qi Yue smiled. “Thank you, Third Brother. Though I feel a bit stifled by my situation, I’m not at the point of seeking death. Please don’t worry.”

Her lighthearted reply brought a smile to Chang Yunqi’s face as well, reminding him of the misunderstanding that had occurred when he first arrived.