1 Will You Marry Me? (Part 1)

"Will you marry me?"

Yao Ling had never thought there would be a day when she would be the one to propose marriage to a man. However, she had no other choice. She needed his protection, and in a way, she was his savior.

Yao Ling's mind flickered back to the first time she had met him. Just like usual, she was walking in the forest near her village, trying to gather some herbs for her mother. When she found the herbs, she suddenly heard a groaning voice. It was only a low and subtle voice, even so, the hoarse voice couldn't escape her sensitive ears.

She froze, feeling a bit scared. Yao Ling tried to listen again once again, thinking that she was probably mistaken, or it was just a part of her imagination. She was pretty sure that it was a man's voice and it sounded like he was in pain.

'Should I look for the source of the voice or not?' She thought to herself. A few moments passed, she finally chose the former and decided to look for it.

Yao Ling had to break through a dense thicket of bush before she found him. She gasped in surprise at the sight of his awful condition. There was blood on almost every part of his body, she couldn't even see the man's face clearly. Fortunately, she wasn't afraid of blood, otherwise, she would probably faint before she could do anything to help him. He was unconscious, she didn't know what to do.

Yao Ling was only fourteen and petite in size. The man was tall and muscular. It was not the scary muscular type, but due to her petiteness, the man seemed very big. She had no idea how to bring him back home.

Yao Ling decided to find a few big trunks -- well... as big as she could manage to lift -- and bind them together with the rope that she had brought along, just in case she met a mishap. With all her energy, she tried to put him on the makeshift stretcher. She was sweating hard and almost lost all the energy she had left. Nonetheless, she couldn't give up or this man would die! It was against her conscience.

She didn't forget to collect her mother's herbs before she dragged the man all the way to her village. She had no idea how she did it or where all her strength had come from, but Yao Ling made it to her house -- well... despite the few times she felt like fainting.

Fortunately, Yao Ling and her mother lived on the outskirts of the village. There would be no gossip about this stranger -- at least for now, but she didn't know for how long. Gossip always spread easily among the villagers, especially if it involved strangers. It was all due to curiosity.

At least for now, in Yao Ling's mind, she should nurse him and help him recover. In the end, his life or death would depend on his own luck. She didn't care about stupid gossips. To her, a human's life was certainly a more important matter.

After she arrived at her house, Yao Ling called her mother. When she didn't get any reply, she called out a bit loudly, almost yelling. "Mother, please help me!"

When she heard the anxiety and urgency in her daughter's voice, Jiu Lan went out quickly. Yao Ling rarely shouted. That's why she knew that something important must have happened to make her daughter behave differently. When Jiu Lan saw her daughter standing beside a man whose face and body was covered in blood, she gasped in surprise.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

Yao Ling shook her head. "I have no idea, Mother. When I found him just now, he was already in this condition. Can you save him, Mother?"

"I need to check his condition first. Let's bring him inside first!" After saying that, Jiu Lan helped Yao Ling bring the unconscious man inside their house and put him on their small but clean bed.

"Go fetch clean water!" Jiu Lan instructed Yao Ling.

Yao Ling nodded and did as her mother told her to without complaining. Actually, she already knew what was supposed to be done without any further instructions. Her mother was the village's doctor and Yao Ling had learned a thing or two from her. Hopefully, her mother could save this man. When she came back with a bucket of clean water, her mother was already thoroughly checking the man's condition.

Yao Ling quickly cleaned the man's face and body. She was surprised when she saw his clean face.

He… was a handsome man. His long black hair was in contrast with his now-pale face. His prominent cheeks were reddening, due to the high fever. His long nose and thin lips complimented his face perfectly. His wan face didn't make him less handsome. And his body… it was molded perfectly. He could have been practicing martial arts, but he wasn't overly bulky.

Yao Ling quickly chased away her indecent thoughts, slightly blushing in embarrassment. She had never seen such a fine specimen of male. Luckily, her mother wasn't paying her any attention.

"How is he, Mother?"

Jiu Lan sighed in relief. "I can save him, but it will take a long time. His head isn't in a good condition. I think his head probably hit a rock pretty hard, so he might either lose his memory or become an idiot. We can only know for sure when he wakes up."

Yao Ling could only hope for the best. They nursed him until he finally regained his consciousness. Just like what Jiu Lan had predicted, he lost his memories. Fortunately, he didn't become an idiot. They knew that man had nowhere to go, but for a strange man of unknown origins to live with two women, it was... inappropriate. They supposed they could just make up a story for the villagers, that this man was a distant cousin.

"Pst… pst..." Yao Ling called the man. He looked at her blankly. Everything seemed surreal for him. He didn't know who he was and didn't remember his family. Life seemed meaningless to him.

Yao Ling knew that he felt hopeless and depressed, so she tried to cheer him up by talking to him. "What should I call you?" Yao Ling grinned at him, giving him her full attention.

The man only stared at the girl in front of him. She was beautiful. Her big eyes made her look cute. She hadn't lost her chubbiness, but together with her pointed nose and plump lips, he knew she would be a beauty in a few years. She was the first thing he saw when he woke up. It made him feel like she was his sunshine.

"I don't know," he answered sadly. He wanted to know his real name, but it was impossible. Before he could get back to his depression, he heard the melodious voice talking to him once again.

"How about I give you a name?" she asked, softly. "For beginning a new life, you will need a new name. Just think that you are reborn! Stay here and live with us. Think of us as your new family. How does that sound?"

The girl gave him new hope. He nodded and softly asked, "What's your name?"

"I'm Yao Ling." After answering him, she thought for a moment. Then she said two words- "Yao Ying."

'Yao Ying,' he thought to himself and repeated the name a few times inside his mind. He liked it. "Yao Ying, it is," he said, finally.

Yao Ying and Yao Ling- such a sweet combination.

---Edited by: L0v3lamb and Larkspur---