Chapter 1 — Contract Husband (1)

Zhao Xi had a secret. Three years ago, she had discovered a deep valley hidden in the mountains, where no-one had set foot in years. It was lush with flourishing herbs and flowers, like a fairyland that had been created just for her.

She loved it there. Whenever someone tried to persuade her to get married, she would hide in the secret valley for a few days until the pressure wore off.

When a woman reached a certain age, it was impossible to avoid unsolicited advice on marriage. People she knew, people she didn’t, even people from the neighboring village would try to play matchmaker for her. It bothered her so much that she would run away up into the mountains, leaving the clinic behind.

However, she was eighteen years old now, undeniably an adult. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, they had a point. If she kept putting it off now, it would be even harder to find someone to marry her when she got older.

Sometimes, when enough people had been nagging her about it, Zhao Xi would stare at the yellowing leaves and think, it’s getting cold. Perhaps it’s time to find someone to warm my bed.

The entrance to the valley was narrow and remote, hidden by grass. Zhao Xi pulled back the hanging rattan and crossed the long underpass. When she reached the valley proper, she called out softly.

Something giant crashed towards her, crushing the weeds in its wake. It leaped forward at the last second, pinning her to the ground. Zhao Xi tried to break free of the giant creature but to no avail, it was too strong. Although it had grown a lot over the last few years, the beast still behaved like a cub, clinging to her like it would its mother.

Ping An was a black bear she had found as a cub and raised secretly in the valley. Zhao Xi could barely hold him when he was an infant; it was impossible to do so now. As a fully grown bear, he was three to four times her own weight and pressed on her like giant rock, squeezing the air out of her lungs and making her face flush red. She couldn’t breathe. Was that one of her ribs cracking?

She couldn’t shift the giant bear off completely, but she could reach his head. She touched the sides of his giant head and found a swelling along the side of his mouth. He must have stolen a honeycomb and been stung by the angry bees while she’d been away.

Black bears loved honey, and Ping An was no different. He’d always try to steal some whenever he found it and come away with a stung snout. Honey was rare in the mountains, so Zhao Xi would try to bring some from the stores in the village whenever she could.

Ping An’s body was bulky and he had thick skin. He’d been stung so many times by now that he wasn’t scared of the bees anymore, as the stingers couldn’t get through his skin. His face and mouth weren’t so fortunate. He always left his honey-raiding with a miserable, swollen face.

Zhao Xi touched the swelling gently. Ping An let out a bellow of pain and rolled off her to the side, letting her up at last. The poor beast seemed to be in great discomfort from his wounds. He lay next to Zhao Xi, licking his paw and looking at her pathetically, as if begging for comfort.

Zhao Xi recovered her overturned medicine basket. Ping An had almost smashed it during his exuberant greeting. She took out a bottle of plaster and began applying it carefully to the bear’s face. Whenever she pressed too hard, he would hide behind her hands and try to lick her fingers. His tongue was barbed, so she wouldn’t let him lick her, pressing down to keep him still. Then the bear would shrink away from her and wail pitifully.

Really, despite the fact he was the biggest predator around, king of the valley, he still acted like a child in front of Zhao Xi, like he’d never grown up.

When she was done applying the medicine, she walked around him, examining the rest of his body to make sure he hadn’t picked up any other injuries or parasites. He was fine, so she gave him a light pat on the rump, telling him to go play.

Ping An bolted down to the stream to fish. He’d been living in the valley for some time now and knew it well. The river flowed down from the mountain and branched out into smaller streams. The bear would wait at a particularly small tributary for the fish to come. He was a patient animal. When he wasn’t catching fish, he would wait for Zhao Xi near the valley entrance. He rarely strayed far from that spot, in case he missed her.

He’d first come to the valley as an injured cub, squeezing through the small crack. The valley was an ideal place to heal his wounds, safe, and was abundant with food. The bear had no reason to leave. After two years, he’d grown so big that he was no longer able to fit through the valley entrance, so there he stayed.

Food was never a worry. The valley was surrounded by mountains with plentiful resources, and Zhao Xi kept him company whenever she came to visit.

The valley was vast, so she had taken the liberty of planting some herbs in a sheltered spot and even building a small cottage to stay in once in a while. She felt at home here.

Ping An is catching fish, she thought. I should start a fire to grill the fish later.

Most animals were territorial about their food and Ping An was no different in the beginning. He would deliberately use his barbed tongue to scratch at her hands when she came too close, warning her away from his food. After that, she had visited left often and stopped bringing honey. The bear was clever; he soon learned that pleasing Zhao Xi would make her more likely to bring him honey.

It was a bright, fresh day, and a lucky one for catching fish. Ping An caught one in no time, and laid it down in front of Zhao Xi like he was presenting a treasure to an empress. Zhao Xi stroked his head approvingly, then took the fish.

She rolled up her sleeves, beginning to prepare it for cooking. She had just filleted it and removed the organs when a bright flash of light stung her eyes. It wasn’t the reflection of sunlight on the water, but something on the shore. She looked again and the light flashed once more.