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Chapter 398. First Encounter with the Sculptor

"Grandma Aoba?"

Jiang Jianxin repeated the name to himself, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

The title of the third timeline is Aoba God. Now, upon hearing "Grandma Aoba," she subconsciously begins to ponder the connection between the two.

Where is the old woman you mentioned now?

She leaned slightly forward, her voice very gentle:

"You're badly injured. How about I take you to find her?"

Jiang Jianxin was handsome, yet his brows exuded a heroic air. Just standing there quietly, he was like a gentle breeze sweeping across a hillside, or the bright moon shining among the pines.

That gentle and open demeanor inexplicably makes people feel at ease, wanting to get closer and to trust.

The girl had been curled up in the shadows, like a wary young animal.

But the older sister in front of me seemed to be shrouded in a warm and reassuring light.

She hesitated for a moment, clutching the tattered hem of her clothes, before finally nodding timidly, her voice barely audible.
"it is good."

Jiang Jianxin squatted down and gently carried the little girl on his back.

Noticing that she was only supporting herself with her elbows and refused to lean completely against his back, he gently persuaded her:
"You're injured, so just lie there like that. You don't need to force yourself to keep going."

The little girl turned her face to the side and said softly and shyly:
"Your clothes... are so white, they'll get dirty on me."

Jiang Jianxin hadn't expected her to think that way. She simply smiled slightly and said nonchalantly:

"It's okay, the clothes can be washed again. You'll reopen the wound on your arm if you prop yourself up."

As she spoke, she gently supported the little girl's back with her hand, letting her rest comfortably on her shoulder.

"Which way to go?"

The little girl hesitated for a moment before timidly extending her thin finger and pointing in a certain direction.

"Okay, hold on tight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Jianxin carried her on his back and hurried towards the place he was pointing to.

……

"clatter--"

With a soft rustling of his clothes, Jiang Jianxin carried the girl across the pile of waste and landed steadily on the relatively flat road ahead.

She looked up at the house the little girl had pointed to—

It was a small shack that could barely be called a shack, pieced together from old wooden planks, scrap iron sheets and plastic sheeting, looking fragile and shabby in the wind.

Although the shed itself was very simple, the waterproof tarpaulin covering the roof was laid out flat and neatly, and the plastic shed used as a partition in front of the door was also set up in a proper manner.

Most strikingly, a row of potted plants, of varying heights, supported by several rusty iron frames under the eaves, were full of greenery and scattered flowers, stubbornly growing in this drab corner.

You can tell that the people who live here are still living their lives earnestly.

Jiang Jianxin crouched down and put the girl down, watching her run unsteadily into the house, her cries tinged with tears drifting back:
"Mother-in-law—!"

"Eh--!"

A hoarse response came from inside the shed.

The curtain was lifted, and an old woman peeked out shakily.

She wore a faded but very clean shawl over her shoulders and an old but not tattered black pointed hat with a striking green leaf pinned to the hatband.

She opened her arms and gently pulled the girl who was running towards her into her embrace.

"How did Miaomiao get hurt like this..."

Her voice trembled, filled with heartache: "Quick, sit down in the chair, Grandma will wrap it up for you right away."

Jiang Jianxin followed behind Miaomiao and stepped into the house with his head down.

As soon as the shed door closes, a warm, comforting scent wafts out—the smell of home, a blend of old fabrics, dried herbs, and the faint glow of charcoal.

The room was extremely small; you could see the roof just by looking up. Several plastic panels of varying shades were stacked on top of each other, covered with old cotton felt of uneven thickness.

Sunlight seeped through a few worn edges, drawing hazy beams of light in the dim air, where tiny dust particles floated silently.

Although it's not the dead of winter here, it's certainly not warm either.

The room was hastily divided into two sections by a faded floral curtain. The walls were made of spliced ​​wooden planks and compacted waste materials, not even the most basic brick and stone structure.

Yet, in this corner that barely offered shelter from the wind and rain, Jiang Jianxin clearly felt a strange, almost tangible warmth.

She subconsciously looked up to look for a stove, but there was indeed no stove in the room that she could see from one end to the other.

Although he couldn't find a stove, Jiang Jianxin noticed a stone shrine on a wooden cabinet near the inner room.

It is small in size, but exceptionally exquisite.

The stone has a delicate and warm texture, and exudes a calm luster that is out of place with the dilapidated surroundings, like the same material used for church statues.

The front of the shrine is not carved with any deity's face; instead, it features a clear outline of a green leaf.

The surface of the leaves is covered with fine gold leaf, and a soft, deep green light flows around the edges. The light is not dazzling, but it pulsates slowly like breathing, enveloping the simple wooden cabinet in a layer of peaceful warmth.

Because it was so exquisite, Jiang Jianxin couldn't help but step forward and bend down to examine it closely.

"Haha, hello there! I think my carving turned out pretty well, right?"

A soft female voice came from behind.

Jiang Jianxin turned around and saw a woman in a long gray coat standing quietly by the curtain.

She was thin and pale from a long illness, but her silver-gray eyes were clear and gentle.

With her hands in her coat pockets and wearing black gloves, she raised one hand and waved it gently when Jiang Jianxin turned around.

"Hello, ma'am. I am Grant, the sculptor."

Her voice carried a faint smile as her gaze fell upon Jiang Jianxin's clean attire, so different from the surrounding neighborhood:

"Judging from your appearance, you seem to be a clergyman... Are you a messenger from a nearby temple?"

Jiang Jianxin shook his head, thought for a moment, and said:
“I am a nobleman, not a messenger of the gods.”

Summers said her tone had an air of old aristocracy, so if she said she was a commoner, it would probably arouse suspicion as soon as she opened her mouth.

Therefore, it would be better to fabricate a noble identity directly, at least so that one would not be mistaken for a divine messenger.

"So that's it."

The sculptor said that there was no malice in the woman's words; she was just chatting casually.

“I have met many people from the temple and helped carve statues in the homes of many nobles. They look very different from you.”

Jiang Jianxin nodded. She didn't have much to chat about, nor did she want to talk about these things, so she replied hastily:
"Oh, is that so?"

Before the woman could speak, she steered the conversation back on track:

"Did you carve this shrine?"

"It looks exquisite."

The woman nodded and smiled:
“My mother-in-law saved my life before, so I carved a shrine for the god Aoba out of the stone used for church icons and gave it to her.”

Seeing the puzzled look on Jiang Jianxin's face, the sculptor instantly realized that her words made no sense to the nobles.

Then the woman added with a wry smile:
"You may not know this, but there are no large hospitals in the commoner area like in the noble area. They are all small clinics, and all these commoner doctors are believers in the God of Blue Leaf."