Chapter 4 — Reborn On The Night Of Fraud

Khuong Mien Mien's heart warmed slightly: "Are you worried about me?" Trinh Du turned away: "Don't be too sentimental."

“I keep wanting to go there!” She laughed and picked up the basket, "Unless you move back to my house."

“…”

“Just kidding!” Khuong Mien Mien walked briskly, "Bring me meat buns tonight!"

As soon as she closed the door, the smile on her face immediately disappeared. Shrapnel, cutting long grass, Vuong Kien Quan's strange hostile attitude... none of these things were in the biography of his previous life. How many secrets are still hidden on Trinh Du's body? In the buffalo barn, Trinh Du slowly peeled off the candy paper and put the cheap candy into his mouth. The sweetness spread on the tip of his tongue, he bowed his head and opened the notebook, next to the name "Khuong Mien Mien", drew a small question mark. In the following days, Khuong Mien Mien became a regular visitor to the buffalo barn. Every morning, he would sneak in food and come back in the evening to change the medicine. Although Trinh Du still had a cold face, he no longer chased her away, and sometimes even ate the food she brought. That afternoon, as usual, Khuong Mien Mien carried the basket to the buffalo barn, but from afar she saw a group of people gathered there. Her heart immediately jumped into her throat.

“Beat this bourgeois dog to death!”

“Let him be guilty of stealing rice!”

In the middle of the crowd, Trinh Du was tied up and pressed to the ground. Vuong Kien Quan was swinging a leather strap and hitting him continuously. The corner of the man's lips were bleeding, but he did not moan, just stared at the person who was beating him with gloomy eyes.

“Stop!” Khuong Mien Mien rushed into the crowd, “What are you guys doing?”

“Mien Mien, get out of the way!” Vuong Kien Quan grinned cruelly, "This guy stole wheat from the warehouse, caught in battle!"

There are indeed a few scattered ears of wheat on the ground. Khuong Mien Mien sat down and picked up a flower, then suddenly burst out laughing:

"Vuong Kien Quan, you lied and didn't need to prepare it in advance? The dew on this rice hasn't dried yet, it's clearly just been plucked from the field!"

The crowd began to stir. Someone picked up the rice flower to see, sure enough, it was true.

"Furthermore," Khuong Mien Mien continued to attack, "the lock to the warehouse was broken yesterday, and the captain said it was just fixed today. Do you want to go check to see if there are any signs of picking the lock?"

Vuong Kien Quan's face was as red as pig liver. At that moment, Trinh Du suddenly coughed violently, a mouthful of blood spraying straight to the ground.

“Trinh Du!” Khuong Mien Mien rushed over, removed the rope, and discovered that the wound on his back was torn again, blood staining his shirt red.

“Quickly take me to the medical station!” Someone shouted.

“No way!” Wang Jianjun stood in front of them, "He's pretending—"

“Get away!” Not knowing where Khuong Mien Mien got the strength, she pushed Vuong Kien Quan aside, "Who is responsible if someone dies?"

Maybe her eyes at that time were too scary, Vuong Kien Quan actually stepped aside to make way. Khuong Mien Mien helped Trinh Du stand up and slowly walked towards the medical station amid everyone's complicated looks.

“Why…” Trinh Duu's voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

Khuong Mien Mien clasped her hands to support him: "Because I believe in you." Trinh Du's body paused for a moment, then his whole body leaned against her. The sunset stretched their shadows, like two tree trunks leaning against each other against the wind and storm. What Khuong Mien Mien didn't know was that, in the hand that was pressing against her body, Trinh Du was clutching a handful of candied fruit — her favorite. It was something he had specially exchanged from the cooperative store today, originally planning to give it to her as a surprise. Khuong Mien Mien held a bowl of steaming red sugar water and stood hesitantly in front of the buffalo barn door for a long time. Last night, after Trinh Du was injured by Vuong Kien Quan's group, she risked her life to drag him to the village medical station. Doctor Ly stitched the wound and prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine, but Trinh Du refused to stay and escaped to the buffalo barn in the middle of the night.

“What a stubborn person!” Khuong Mien Mien stomped her feet, finally gritted her teeth and pushed the door open.

Inside the dimly lit buffalo barn, Trinh Du was facing the door, shirtless, changing medicine. When the bandage was peeled off, she clearly saw that the fierce wound on her back had scabbed over, but the surrounding area was still unusually bruised.
\deer?" Trinh Du turned around, his eyes as sharp as knives.

“It's me.” Khuong Mien Mien quickly raised the bowl of sugar water, "Doctor Ly said this is good for blood..."

Trinh Du's face softened a bit, but his eyebrows were still furrowed: "Didn't I tell you not to come anymore?"

"If I hadn't come, no one would know if your wound would rot!" She angrily placed the bowl of water on the wooden chest, "Drink quickly!"

Trinh Du did not move, just quietly looked at the bowl of steaming hot water, his eyes full of unpredictable alertness. Khuong Mien Mien's heart lightly "popped".

— It's broken, does he think he's drugged again?

As expected, Trinh Du laughed coldly: "What is it this time? Anesthetics? Or aphrodisiacs?"

“You!” Khuong Mien Mien was so angry that her eyes turned red, "If I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have risked my life to save you last night!"

Trinh Du didn't answer, just raised his hand to hold the bowl, brought it up to his nose to smell, his eyes still full of caution. Khuong Mien Mien felt both resentful and angry, grabbed the bowl of water, raised her head and took a big gulp: "Look! It's not poisonous!" The hot sugar water made her tongue numb, tears almost falling. But she still stubbornly glared at Trinh Du, her lips red from being burned. Trinh Du's eyes changed. He suddenly grabbed her wrist, the force of his grip made her feel pain: "Khuong Mien Mien, what do you want to do?"

"I..." She opened her mouth, finally tears fell uncontrollably, "I just... don't want you to die..."

Trinh Du was stunned. The two were silent for a few seconds before he let go, took the bowl of water, tilted his head back to drink.

“Are you satisfied?” His voice was hoarse.

Khuong Mien Mien wiped her tears and took out a bottle of medicine from her shirt: "The wound needs to be applied again." This time Trinh Du did not refuse. He sat with his back to her, his solid body clearly visible in the dim light. Khuong Mien Mien carefully dabbed the medicine on a cotton pad and gently applied it to the wound.

“Does it hurt?” She asked softly.

”…No pain.” Lie. She clearly felt his muscles tense.

“Why did Vuong Kien Quan target you?” She asked while applying the medicine.

Trinh Du was silent for a moment then replied: "His father wanted to please the superiors in the district and use me as a sacrifice." Khuong Mien Mien's hand stopped. In his previous life, Vuong Kien Quan's father and son were indeed on Trinh Du's revenge list.

“Are they… still causing trouble?”

“Yes.” Trinh Du's voice was cold as ice, "You should stay away from me."

Khuong Mien Mien did not respond, just quietly wrapped the bandage.

“It's done.” She packed up her medicine and suddenly remembered out something, “Ah yes, this is for you.”

She took out a small cloth bag from her pocket, inside were a few mint candies.

“Doctor Ly said the medicine is bitter, eating this makes it better.”

Trinh Du looked at the candies with complicated eyes. "…Thank." Finally he spoke softly.