BT70sTMUMP Chapter 2

The Person in the Book

The combination of being injured, scared, and the shock of traveling through time was too much for Su Su, and she blacked out.

Lin Chuan felt the girl’s small head droop against his neck and his entire body stiffened. He was twenty-five years old and had never been this close to a woman before.

However, he had no other thoughts. With all that was going on, he would rather get down the mountain as soon as possible.

Today, he had taken a shortcut to get home earlier, but the dangers of the mountains were known only to those living nearby. At night, there were not only wolves but also bears. Even for him, it would be difficult to get out if he encountered one, especially with a strangely dressed, delicate girl on his back.

But Lin Chuan was the top soldier in the entire region. Even with someone on his back and carrying a large backpack, he moved swiftly and soon reached the edge of the village.

Although carrying a woman on his back was a rescue mission, he still observed the village from above to ensure no one saw him before quickly slipping into his home near the mountain.

The Lin family was new to the area, having moved to the small mountain village after a flood devastated their hometown. They had no special status in the village, nor were they ostracized; they were just poor because of their large family.

Lin Chuan’s silent entry into the house startled his family. They watched in shock as he placed a girl dressed in red, which looked like a cotton-padded jacket, onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and set down an enormous backpack.

“What’s going on here?” Lin’s mother asked, lighting an oil lamp. Her eldest son had rarely come home since joining the army, and this was his first time this year. How did he come back with a… wife? Although her son was engaged, she wasn’t very fond of the girl. If he brought a new bride home on his own, that wouldn’t be bad.

With this thought, she happily slapped her son on the back and laughed, “So, you’ve brought your wife home?”

Several little heads peeked through the door, and her seventeen-year-old second son asked, “Mom, is this my sister-in-law?”

Lin Chuan rubbed his temples and said, “She’s not your sister-in-law. I’m engaged, remember? Now, all of you go to bed.”

Lin Hai, wary of his older brother, hurriedly took his younger siblings to bed.

Lin’s father frowned and asked, “If she’s not your wife, why did you carry her back?”

“I found her in the mountains,” Lin Chuan explained to his mother. “She seems to have injured her leg, mom.”

“Alright, let me have a look” Lin Chuan’s mother responded. The Lin family was kind-hearted, and upon hearing that the girl had been found and likely in trouble, they felt compelled to help. Their son had done the right thing.

Lin’s mother immediately fetched some hot water and carefully removed the girl’s warm-looking leather shoes, placing them aside with a remark, “These shoes are lined with fur. They must be expensive.” She then noticed that the girl’s cotton pants were tight and also lined with fur, elastic, and easy to roll up.

“Oh my, this girl is so fair-skinned, even more so than our youngest daughter,” she said.

Lin Chuan, who had been skeptical about the girl’s background, glanced at her legs after hearing his mother’s comment. They were indeed very fair. Realizing his thoughts were straying, he quickly refocused and pulled the large backpack towards him.

“What are you doing? You can’t go through a girl’s belongings,” Lin’s father admonished.

“I’m a soldier. Her attire is suspicious, and she mentioned a signal earlier. I suspect…” Lin Chuan trailed off, continuing his search.

Lin’s father remained silent. Given the recent end of national turmoil, strict management was still in place. Knowing his son was a battalion commander in the army, he trusted his judgment. However, he felt uncomfortable with his son going through the girl’s belongings and lit his pipe, choosing to ignore.

“I think you’re overthinking it. What could such a young girl do? Thankfully, her injuries aren’t severe. Old man, go find the ointment I used last year when I got hurt,” Lin’s mother instructed.

“Alright.”

Lin’s father went to fetch the ointment while Lin Chuan, not finding anything suspicious, eventually came across a stack of file folders. He opened them and quickly understood the girl’s identity, then closed the chest with a sigh of relief.

“Is she no longer suspicious?” his mother asked.

“No,” Lin Chuan replied briefly. He still took another glance at the girl on the kang, realizing she was an extraordinary university student. Such a rarity.

It was indeed peculiar for a young woman to end up in their remote village.

With that thought, he turned and went out to gather firewood and cook some cornmeal porridge. Whether or not he ate didn’t matter, but the university student would surely need something to eat when she woke up.

Father and Mother Lin had no way to deal with their son who didn’t like to speak. After treating the girl’s injuries, they found a small quilt to cover her and then discussed what to do next.

As it was getting dark, it was probably impossible to find the village captain to make arrangements now. They decided to let the girl stay at their house. Fortunately, their adopted daughter’s little room was still available after she got married. Once the girl woke up, they could clean it up, and it would suffice for one night.

Just as they were thinking about this, the little girl on the kang slowly woke up.

Su Su had now confirmed that she had travelled to a period story and had been saved by the infatuated man in it.

The infatuated supporting character, Lin Chuan, was a real soldier, not an actor or someone in costume as she had initially thought. However, he was indeed quite pitiful in the book.

Ten years ago, his family had an engagement with the heroine’s family. When the heroine came to the countryside, she applied to come here to be taken care of by Lin Chuan’s family. The Lin family was honest and helpful, ensuring she stayed at the educated youth camp to avoid suspicion while still assisting her with work. The heroine was admitted to university within a year, becoming the only college student in the area. The Lin family was proud of this for a long time.

However, the heroine’s family valued boys over girls and did not provide her with money for college, so all her expenses were covered by Lin Chuan.

Later, the heroine secretly fell in love with the male lead, Lin Dong He, who was the village captain. Although Lin Dong He was currently the village captain, he was actually the son of a high-ranking military officer who had been left in the village during the war and raised by the Lin family. He was soon to return to the city to live.

As for Lin Chuan, after struggling to support the heroine through her studies, he was cruelly abandoned with the excuse that love is free and they were young people in the new era who should not be bound by old ideas. Due to his age, he couldn’t find a suitable woman and ended up marrying a young widow.

This young widow was unfaithful and, during the heroine’s triumphant return to the village, was caught having an affair. Subsequently, the heroine and the male lead forced her to her death. This caused the Lin family to be looked down upon by the villagers, and the two old parents, unable to withstand the blow, died one after the other. The family then dispersed, leaving a once good home in ruins. As for the unfortunate Lin Chuan, although his career was successful, he never remarried. He was constantly called upon by the heroine for help, who insisted on recognizing him as a brother and had him solve various problems for her.