Chapter 167 - Recollection

Jing Tian smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly. "I tried to protect not only you but also all of us.

"Anyway, your guess earlier was right. The kidnappers didn't plan to let us go after getting the money so they didn't even wear a mask. Nanyang and Gu Yan kept crying and that annoyed the kidnappers. They wanted to beat the girls so I shielded them. I told them to not bully the kids. Therefore, they took their anger out on me instead.

"Since they hadn't gotten the ransom money, they only beat me to half dead. When they were done, they tossed me to that corner."

I held him tighter. His hands were very cold.

"Did the kidnappers beat the other kids?" I asked. 

Jing Tian shook his head. "They were too scared to cry anymore. Jing Ning coaxed Nanyang and Qu Hao coaxed Gu Yan. The four of them stuck together, they didn't come close to me because they were afraid of blood. Only you didn't seem to mind. You explored the cave without a care in the world. Nanyang scolded you but you ignored her. It was you who found that hole."

I smiled. "I was so clever!"

Jing Tian patted my head with a doting smile.

"When you climbed out from the hole, the other 4 didn't notice, much less the kidnappers. I was the only one who saw you climb out. I thought you were going to leave us but soon you came back, all covered in dirt.

"The other 4 complained about the dirt so you stayed with me. You started to tell me stories. Nanyang and Gu Yan complained that you were too loud so you whispered them to me instead. Whenever I felt like falling asleep, you would shake me awake." Jing Tian sat down at the spot where he lay years ago. He leaned his head against the wall and he looked at me affectionately.

I chuckled. "You shouldn't be so touched. I probably wanted you to stay awake to listen to my stories. After all, you couldn't move and so you had to listen to me, unlike the others."

Jing Tian laughed. "Later, when I caught the fever, you were also the first to discover it. You went to seek help from the 4 but Gu Yan pushed you away. She said they couldn't help you so you should stop disturbing them." Jing Tian's voice darkened. "So you turned to shout at the kidnappers. They came in with whips. They didn't only whip you but Jing Ning and the rest as well. They didn't even take a look at me and left.

"Because you caused them to get whipped, they hated you even more. Jing Ning and Qu Hao even beat you for it. Nanyang and Gu Yan soon joined in. Even so, you didn't cry, you curled up into a ball and let them." Jing Tian tidied my hair and sighed sadly.

"Probably I realized crying wouldn't solve the problem or I was already used to being beaten up." I shrugged. Thinking back, I was not really a crier, be it in my past life or this one.

"I was too weak to stop them. Thankfully they were just children and they soon got tired. They kicked you over to my side and separated themselves from us.

"My head was a mess from the fever and I was very thirsty. I felt like I was going to die when a flow of cold water entered my throat. I swallowed it greedily but that was not enough. Regardless, I couldn't move or even open my eyes.

"Soon, another flow of cold water came. This repeated many times. Even though there were only several mouthfuls each time, they added up quite a lot. When my thirst was quenched, the sun was up and the kidnappers were starting their breakfast. I woke up and saw you covered in dirt and scratches. You looked at me with sparkling eyes."

Jing Tian touched my face gingerly like there were still wounds there. His eyes were overwhelmed with guilt.

"I immediately understood who had been taking care of me. I looked at the small hole and then at you. You nodded excitedly and proudly. I used all my strength to reach out to hold your hand. Then I found the small bamboo tube in your grasp. I finally understood why there were only small mouthfuls each time. Nanxing, do you know how touched I was?" Jing Tian's eyes watered.

I tilted my head to look at him. "Touched enough to marry me?"

Jing Tian patted my head with a smile. "I'm ten years older than you. Plus we were just children, why would I think that?"

"Hmph!" I snorted to show anger.

"You were young but you knew the importance of water. To help me with my fever, you sneaked out to fetch the water for me when the kidnappers were not looking. You even managed to pick back some berries. I knew how hungry you were, but you insisted on me eating them.. Nanxing, can't you remember all that?" Jing Tian looked at me with hopeful eyes.