Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

"We don't need to be so polite between us." Before Ding Wanru could finish speaking, a long wolf howl suddenly came from the depths of the distant mountains.

Her expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly grabbed Chen Yongqiang's sleeve: "Brother Yongqiang, it's getting late, let's hurry down the mountain."

"Okay, let's go!" Chen Yongqiang put away the wild ginseng and was about to turn around when he heard a cry of surprise behind him.

Ding Wanru slipped on the gravel and fell forward.

Chen Yongqiang reacted quickly, grabbing her arm with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist with the other.

Even so, Ding Wanru gasped in pain as a piercing pain shot through her ankle.

"Did you sprain your ankle?" Chen Yongqiang looked down to check.

Ding Wanru's injured foot barely touched the ground, she dared not put any weight on it, and she leaned almost entirely on Chen Yongqiang, her hands gripping his shoulders.

Chen Yongqiang steadied himself and made her more comfortable leaning against him. "We need to take care of this first."

"I have clover in my medicine basket. Crush it and apply it to reduce swelling and pain," Ding Wanru reminded.

Chen Yongqiang followed her instructions and took out clover from the medicine basket. He rubbed it in his palm until the leaves oozed a dark green sap. Then he lifted Ding Wanru's trouser leg and applied the herb to her already swollen ankle.

"Bear with it, you have to rub it in hard for the medicine to work."

Ding Wanru bit her lower lip, feeling his warm palm pressing gently on her wound. Although it hurt terribly, she felt inexplicably calmed down.

Chen Yongqiang looked at Ding Wanru's swollen ankle, then glanced at the winding path leading down the mountain, and decisively squatted down: "You can't walk like this, I'll carry you down the mountain."

Ding Wanru's cheeks flushed, and she stammered, "This...this won't do..."

"It's getting dark, and it's not safe in the woods. Besides, with your foot like that, if you walk a few more steps, you might not be able to walk at all tomorrow." Chen Yongqiang's tone revealed his male chauvinism.

Ding Wanru pursed her lips, knowing he was right. She hesitated for a moment, then finally blushed and leaned against his broad back.

Chen Yongqiang supported her knees with both hands and easily lifted her up, jokingly saying, "Dr. Ding, you're too light. You'll have to eat more in the future."

Ding Wanru was indeed much lighter than Lin Xiulian, and Chen Yongqiang carried her without any effort.

Hearing him say that, Ding Wanru mustered her courage and asked in a low voice, "Do you men... all like women like Sister-in-law Mei'e, who are more voluptuous?"

This question made Chen Yongqiang pause slightly. He had to admit that Liang Meie's mature and voluptuous figure had a strong attraction for any normal man.

Chen Yongqiang gave a vague reply: "Not entirely, each has its own advantages."

On the way down the mountain, the two chatted casually.

Ding Wanru leaned against his broad back, inhaling the scent of his sweat and masculinity, and momentarily forgot the swelling and pain in her ankle.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes not far ahead, and a grayish-brown hare darted out and squatted in the middle of the path.

Chen Yongqiang immediately stopped and lowered his voice: "Shh, there's a wild rabbit."

He gently knelt down. "Dr. Ding, please come down first."

Ding Wanru immediately understood, slid off his back, stood on one leg, and didn't dare to breathe.

Chen Yongqiang took the musket off his shoulder, checked the percussion cap and powder, and then aimed the gun.

"Bang!"

A gunshot shattered the silence of the forest, a puff of white smoke billowing from the muzzle. A wild rabbit in the distance rolled over once in response, then lay still.

"I hit it!" Ding Wanru forgot her foot pain and exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Yongqiang first helped Ding Wanru sit down again on the rock next to him, then quickly walked over, picked up the wild rabbit that weighed at least three or four pounds, and came back.

"Good luck, now we have dinner sorted. We'll give you some rabbit meat to nourish yourself, and the skin can be used once it's tanned."

Seeing his nimble movements and the joy of his achievement, Ding Wanru's fondness for him grew even stronger.

Chen Yongqiang hung the rabbit on his waist, picked her up again, supported her with one hand, and continued walking down the mountain.

It wasn't until she emerged from the woods and saw the rooftops of the village houses that Ding Wanru realized she had walked this mountain path far too quickly.

"We're almost there," Chen Yongqiang reminded them, looking at the scattered lights in the distance.

Ding Wanru gave a soft "hmm," a hint of reluctance rising in her heart.

She really wished this road could be longer, so she could walk like this for the rest of her life.

"What are you two doing?!"

He Jun's angry roar suddenly came from the fork in the road, his eyes wide open as he stared at the two people who were pressed tightly together.

Upon hearing this, Ding Wanru blushed and whispered to Chen Yongqiang, "Brother Yongqiang, please put me down first. I can walk by myself."

Instead of letting go, Chen Yongqiang lifted her up a bit, saying, "We're almost home, a few more steps won't make a difference."

Seeing this, He Jun became even more enraged and rushed over with a machete in hand: "Chen Yongqiang, have you no shame! Put Dr. Ding down right now! Does he need you to carry him?"

Chen Yongqiang continued walking, tossing out, "She sprained her ankle and can't walk."

Ding Wanru buried her burning cheeks even lower, but a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

She clearly heard Chen Yongqiang say "carry it home," not "carry it to the door."

Seeing that Chen Yongqiang completely ignored him, He Jun flew into a rage, rushed forward, and grabbed Chen Yongqiang's arm: "I told you to put him down, are you deaf?"

Chen Yongqiang stopped and turned his head to give him a cold look: "Let go of my hand!"

Ding Wanru panicked and didn't know what to do. Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two men, she hurriedly tugged at Chen Yongqiang's sleeve.

Seeing Ding Wanru's embarrassed expression, He Jun released his grip, but still glared fiercely at Chen Yongqiang: "I'll be waiting for you at the intersection ahead! Anyone who doesn't come is a coward!"

Chen Yongqiang didn't reply at all, and carried Ding Wanru straight to her house.

He settled Ding Wanru on a bamboo stool in the yard, then took down the wild rabbit and handed it to her: "This is an old mountain rabbit; the meat is firm, so it will need to be stewed for a while."

Ding Wanru quickly declined, saying, "You can exchange it for a lot of money in town."

Chen Yongqiang hung the rabbit under the eaves, saying, "It's getting dark, where are we going to sell it? Your foot injury needs nourishment, this is perfect."

As he spoke, he untied the water bottle from his waist, inside which was a centipede.

Ding Wanru then accepted the rabbit: "Soaking that epimedium in wine alone... is good for a man's health." As soon as she said this, she lowered her head in embarrassment, her ears turning red.

Knowing that the girl was shy, Chen Yongqiang didn't refuse any further and hung the water bottle back on his waist: "Okay, then I'll go back first."

He turned to step out the door, but Ding Wanru called out to him urgently, "Brother Yongqiang! You... don't take He Jun seriously. He's just a troublemaker. It's not worth getting angry with him."

Chen Yongqiang turned around and gave him a calm look: "Don't worry, it won't happen."

As expected, He Jun was waiting at the fork in the road at the village entrance.