CHAPTER 132: CHAPTER 132: THE SCENT OF ALBIZIA ON HER BODY

Wen Jianan supported Ningwan as they searched for a cave.

The girl’s leg was also injured, making walking inconvenient, and she put all her weight on him. Clearly, he should have been very tired, yet he felt more nervous than tired.

Was it the mountain’s scents, or the fragrance coming from the girl?

He could always catch a vague, indescribable scent, somewhat like the smell of mimosa flowers.

"What are you doing?"

Ningwan glanced sideways, noticing Wen Jianan leaning closer to her, almost touching her hair, and frowned as she asked.

Wen Jianan had unconsciously moved closer to Ningwan, wanting to get a clearer whiff of that fragrance, to truly determine if it was coming from her.

Suddenly, her voice startled him, causing him to back away nervously.

He even forgot he was supporting her and involuntarily let go of his hold.

Ningwan quickly grabbed a nearby tree to steady herself, nearly falling down as he suddenly released her.

"Wen Jianan, what are you doing?" Ningwan asked again, frowning in displeasure.

Wen Jianan felt guilty.

He could only explain coldly, "I smelled something stinky, and it seems to be coming from you."

Ningwan: "..."

You’re the stinky one, your whole family is stinky.

Could it be that during the fall, I accidentally rolled into some animal dung?

Ningwan quickly lowered her head and sniffed herself.

There was clearly no odor at all.

"Where’s the stink? You’ve got a dog’s nose! It’s probably the smell of the mountain. Who cares about that now? Even if it stinks, so what? Just hurry and help me find a cave before some wild animal comes and drags you away."

Wen Jianan burst into laughter, "Do you think I’m a three-year-old kid? Trying to scare me with that."

"Howl howl."

Suddenly, there was a low growl of a wild animal.

Wen Jianan’s face turned white with fear and he quickly supported her, "Let’s go now."

Ningwan smirked, watching his nervous demeanor, and thought, with such courage, he claims not to be a child?

"Wait, help me bring that grass along."

After walking a while, Ningwan suddenly spotted a plant by the roadside and hurriedly instructed Wen Jianan.

Wen Jianan glanced at it; it was just ordinary wild grass.

"Why bring it?"

"Just do it," Ningwan did not explain.

Wen Jianan had no choice but to pull it up and put it in his bag, then continued helping her search for a cave.

Initially, Wen Jianan seriously doubted if there was even a cave in this place.

But since Ningwan insisted, he had no choice but to go along with her search.

Unexpectedly, after a while, they really found one.

The cave was not large, barely able to fit two people.

Who knew what kind of animal had previously lived there, as it had a very bad smell.

Ningwan said, "Now this is truly stinky, but it’s okay, take out the wild grass I asked you to pick earlier. Light it, and the smell will go away."

Wen Jianan skeptically took out the wild grass, lit it with a lighter, and indeed, it caught fire.

Even though it was just very ordinary wild grass, it emitted an unexplainable scent.

And after smudging the cave with it, the unpleasant odor fused with the cave’s stench to become another scent.

This new scent wasn’t stinky at all and even had an indescribable fragrance.

"What’s going on?" Wen Jianan asked.

Ningwan explained, "This type of grass doesn’t emit any fragrance on its own, but when combined with the smell in the animal dung, it produces a unique fragrance. Didn’t Professor Wen teach you that?"

Wen Jianan snorted, "He never had time to teach me. I’ve been left at relatives’ houses since I was small. When would he have time to take care of me?"

"You’re his only son, so he definitely cares about you. But if you feel otherwise, I, as an outsider, shouldn’t say much. After all, your own feelings are the most genuine," Ningwan said.

Wen Jianan looked at her in surprise, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.

Ningwan asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wen Jianan shook his head, snapping back to reality, "Nobody’s ever spoken to me like you have. They all just say that since I’m his only son, he must care about me, and I should let go of my grudges. How could I be angry with my own father? But no one’s ever said that my feelings are the most genuine."

"Who wouldn’t stand on the moral high ground to criticize others? You don’t have to pay attention to what those people say. Caring about other people’s opinions leads to a very tiring life."

"You talk like you’ve experienced so much, as if you’ve already seen through the vicissitudes of life," Wen Jianan said with a chuckle.

Clearly, she was just a young girl, yet her words carried such an old-soul wisdom that made people feel strange.

Ningwan had already sat down and took out some hemostatic and pain-relieving medicine from her bag to apply it herself.

As she applied the medicine, she spoke, "My parents died in a car accident when I was six. I got disfigured, with half my face ugly beyond description. I was sent to live with relatives in the countryside for over a decade. My face only fully healed a few years ago. Living for so long with such an ugly face, falling from a little princess into the mud, do you think I’ve not experienced enough or seen through the vicissitudes of life?"

Wen Jianan was speechless.

His eyes darkened, and he said nothing as he walked over to help her with the medicine.

Ningwan pulled back, "No need, I can do it myself."

"Can you see the injuries on your back? Do you have eyes and hands growing on your back?" Wen Jianan asked.

Ningwan had already applied medicine to the small wounds on her legs and arms.

But her back did hurt a bit, and she indeed couldn’t see it.

After all, she didn’t have eyes or hands growing on her back.

"Thank you," Ningwan said, handing him the medicine bottle.

Wen Jianan sniffed it, recognizing it as herbs for promoting blood circulation, hemostasis, and pain relief. The ingredients were complete but also bold.

"Who made this for you? The combined effects of some of the herbs are too strong," he said.

"I made it myself. I know it’s strong," Ningwan replied.

Wen Jianan had nothing more to say and simply applied the medicine for her.

However, seeing the blood oozing from the wounds on her back, his hands trembled when reaching out, and he ultimately hesitated to proceed.

"Take off your clothes yourself; I can’t apply the medicine with you wearing them," Wen Jianan said softly, his face blushing.

Fortunately, Ningwan didn’t turn to look at him, and boldly undid her clothes. She removed her outer garments to reveal half of her back.

She was only injured at the shoulder, so the medicine only needed to be applied there.

Wen Jianan didn’t expect her to be so straightforward, not the slightest bit bashful.

Now it was his turn to blush deeply, feeling awkward.

"Are you embarrassed?" Ningwan asked, without turning around, as if she had eyes on her back, seeing through his thoughts.

"I..."

Wen Jianan wanted to deny it, but looking at her fair jade-like back, the scars bore an indescribable ascendancy.

His heart pounded, and he found himself unable to speak the words of denial.