Chapter 32 Revealing One's Feelings

Without the disturbances from the Marquis's mansion, Aman's days of recuperating were exceptionally pleasant, except for the daily dressing changes.

Aman's injuries are mainly in her knees. In addition, her right arm was also severely bruised because it was tied behind her back. It has been in a lot of pain and is so weak that she can't use it.

With his right hand immobile and his left hand struggling to apply medicine, not to mention bandaging, the task of changing the dressing undoubtedly fell to Fu Yunxiu.

As for why it wasn't steamed buns, don't ask. The answer is that he's clumsy and can't do it well.

Therefore, such a spectacular sight can always be seen in Wutong Garden every evening.

The man looked serious yet gentle as he carefully applied the ointment to the wound with a cotton swab.

The woman kept her eyes tightly shut out of fear, but her flushed cheeks and her rounded toes, which were barely curled up, betrayed her thoughts.

"Alright." After tying the last knot, Fu Yunxiu nodded in satisfaction, then calmly packed his things.

Of course, if you ignore his ears, which are so red they're almost dripping blood.

The two were close together, and Aman could feel the faint scent of pine resin emanating from him. This made her heart pound, and she didn't dare to look at him for long. She could only shift her attention to chatting with him.

"I heard from Mantou that the young master has been painting lately?"

"Mm." Fu Yunxiu nodded, but his hands continued moving.

"That's amazing!" Aman exclaimed, her eyes filled with envy.

She discovered that it seemed there was nothing that could stump the young master; he always seemed to know everything.

She's good-looking, talented, knows some martial arts, and can paint. Unlike her, she only has a superficial understanding of everything she learns. She finally managed to earn some money by growing vegetables, but now even that job is gone.

I haven't been to the backyard for a few days, so I don't know how her newly planted vegetables are growing, or whether she's watered them properly as she asked.

Fu Yunxiu didn't realize that Aman's envious gaze was because she envied his talent for everything. He thought she also wanted to paint, so he said, "If you want to learn, I can teach you."

"Really?" Aman's eyes lit up.

"Of course, once your injury has almost healed."

“Okay.” Aman nodded vigorously, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, curving like a waning crescent moon.

Seeing her laughing so happily, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but admire Aman's ability to endure pain. She could still smile after having such a large piece of flesh removed.

For Aman, whether he's happy or unhappy, it's still a day, so he might as well laugh more, at least it's good for his health.

Fu Yunxiu would paint in between taking care of Aman, and he would paint for four or five days at a time.

It wasn't until the sixth day that he finally finished a painting.

Mantou helped him hang the painting on the screen. Fu Yunxiu sat and looked at it from right to left, but he was not very satisfied with either.

I feel like something's missing.

"Mantou, what do you think?" Fu Yunxiu asked for his opinion.

The steamed bun tilted its head and stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what was missing.

It's just a winter mountain scene with snow-covered peaks, jagged rocks, and withered pines and cypresses.

As the saying goes, experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show. Mantou really couldn't see anything wrong with it, but he thought the scene was strangely realistic, making him feel cold just looking at it.

Fu Yunxiu originally wanted to refine it further, but after looking at it all afternoon, he still couldn't find a place to start writing.

Well, that's fine. Perhaps he's become rusty from not painting for so long.

"Mantou, go to the bookstore tomorrow and see if any shops are willing to buy your paintings."

The next day, after having breakfast, Mantou took the painting and went out.

Hearing the door close, Aman felt even more itchy and lay on the bed groaning, "Young master, I'm so bored~"

Because of her leg injury, she hadn't been able to get out of bed for five days. Mantou just brought her food every day and then boasted about how beautiful the young master's paintings were, but she still hadn't seen them.

"Young Master~"

Ah Man's constant chatter disrupted Fu Yunxiu's plans to settle down and read for a while, preventing him from having any peace and quiet.

"Young Master~"

After Aman called out for the fifth time, Fu Yunxiu finally sighed helplessly and pushed his wheelchair out of the room.

Since Mantou wasn't there, and due to the strict separation of men and women, Fu Yunxiu couldn't go directly into Aman's room, so he could only sit by her window.

Beneath the half-open window, the man's black hair cascaded down his back, his eyebrows were like swords and his eyes were like stars. Dressed in white, his clothes were as white as snow. Against the backdrop of red walls and green tiles, he looked like an immortal from a painting.

Yes, her young master must be an immortal. He has descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation, just like in the stories, where one must go through many hardships before ascending to immortality.

Aman was so engrossed in watching and thinking that he forgot to look away for a moment.

Fu Yunxiu's hand, gripping the book, bulged with veins. He held back for a moment, but finally couldn't bring himself to say it, "Aman."

"Hmm?" Aman asked instinctively.

"Turn your eyes away."

"Oh." Aman looked away, his movements fluid and natural, his expression as if he hadn't been the one staring at the person just now.

Even though he was used to Aman's shamelessness, Fu Yunxiu was still slightly shocked by her. But what could he do? Her leg was still injured.

With a sigh, Fu Yunxiu turned his attention back to the book, but before he could read more than two lines, the room was filled with sighs again.

A few breaths later, Aman's bewitching voice pierced the ears again, "Young Master~"

Now, just hearing those two words makes Fu Yunxiu feel a chill run down his spine.

“I have books here,” Fu Yunxiu said.

“But I can’t read.” Aman didn’t want to read, so she started to negotiate with Fu Yunxiu, “Young master, why don’t I get out of bed and walk around? I think my legs are almost healed.”

"No." Fu Yunxiu refused sternly. The doctor said that Aman's leg needed to rest, and getting out of bed too early might damage the internal organs.

"It's so boring staying in bed." Aman felt like her bones were about to crawl with worms from all the idleness. She had never been this bored since she was born.

"Why don't you read to me, young master?" Aman suggested again. She saw that the young master was engrossed in reading, so she figured the content must be quite expensive.

Fu Yunxiu was almost driven to the brink of exasperation by her. He was just about to say that if she could just calm down, he would read a book to her himself when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

"Young master, someone is knocking on the door." Aman's eyes suddenly lit up.

Fu Yunxiu was speechless. He just had a problem with his legs, not that he was deaf.

It's obvious she has a lot of free time.

Fu Yunxiu pushed the wheelchair to open the door, thinking that Mantou had returned because of something, but when he opened the door, he was surprised to find that it was Zhao Hu.

"I've come to see Aman." Zhao Hu carried a basket covered with a cloth, so the contents couldn't be seen. On top of it were two oil paper packages, and judging from the patterns on them, they seemed to be pastries from Siweizhai.

Zhao Hu looked somewhat unhappy. After explaining his purpose, he pushed open the door and went in without waiting for Fu Yunxiu to speak.

Aman was bored in the room when she heard a strange voice and couldn't help but ask, "Young master, who is it?"

Zhao Hu was just worried about not being able to find Aman's room. Upon hearing Aman's voice, a look of joy appeared on his dark face, and he replied, "Aman, it's me."

Zhao Hu followed the sound and saw Aman through the window. His smile widened. "I heard from Mantou that you were injured, so I came to see you."

"I'm fine." Aman sat up with a smile. Seeing this, Zhao Hu quickly went back into the house to stop him, "Don't sit down, be careful not to touch your wound."

Fu Yunxiu was already somewhat disgusted by Zhao Hu's uninvited suicide, and now seeing him swagger into Aman's room, his brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a fly.

But adhering to the principle of treating guests as guests, Fu Yunxiu couldn't say anything and could only go to his room with a cold face to pour tea.

Inside the room, Zhao Hu stood by the bed, looking at Aman's still somewhat pale face with a pained expression.

Aunt Hua hadn't seen Aman set up her stall these past few days, and guessed it might be because that young master Fu wasn't feeling well and was holding her back.

Yesterday, while delivering tofu to someone, he happened to run into Mantou, who was buying steamed buns on the street. He asked him what happened and found out that Aman was injured.

It was only then that he learned that this Young Master Fu was actually the exceptionally talented and famous eldest son of the Marquis's mansion in Yongzhou City.

Although Zhao Hu was surprised, after all, according to rumors, the eldest son of the Marquis's family was highly valued by the family, which was quite different from the person in front of him. But this was someone else's business, and he didn't want to interfere.

Although Mantou didn't explain why Aman was injured, the injury he sustained at the Marquis's residence seemed to be related to this Young Master Fu.

Seeing Aman's legs wrapped up like steamed buns, Zhao Hu's expression was really unpleasant, so his tone when speaking to Fu Yunxiu became a bit harsh.

Especially seeing him sitting there blankly after serving the tea, looking like he was on guard against him, made Zhao Hu even angrier.

If he were truly worried about Aman, why would he let her suffer such a serious injury?

"If Young Master Fu has nothing else to say, could you please excuse us for a moment? Ah Man and I have something to discuss."

His tone was unfriendly, and even Aman couldn't help but look up at him, "Brother Zhao?"

Fu Yunxiu glanced at Zhao Hu, whose disgust for him was already obvious.

Remembering that Mantou had mentioned running into him on the street yesterday, Fu Yunxiu could roughly guess that he was standing up for Aman.

Since this was all due to his own negligence, Fu Yunxiu had nothing to be dissatisfied about. He glanced at Aman, told her to call him if she needed anything, and then pushed his wheelchair out.

After he had walked a little further away, Aman asked Zhao Hu with a puzzled look, "Brother Zhao, is there some misunderstanding between you and the young master?"

Otherwise, why would their attitude be so bad?

When they used to run a stall together, the two of them, while not exactly inseparable, got along fairly well. But today…

His dissatisfaction was palpable.

"What misunderstanding could there be? It was his fault to begin with." Zhao Hu snorted coldly, seemingly unwilling to talk about Fu Yunxiu anymore, and changed the subject abruptly, "By the way, how serious is your leg injury? Have you seen a doctor? What did the doctor say?"

A-Man was a little confused by the barrage of questions and could only answer them one by one, "It's not serious. The doctor has seen it. It's just a minor injury. I need to rest for a few days."

They all need to rest; how can it not be serious?

Zhao Hu knew that Aman was only reporting good news and not bad news. Seeing that her face had become thinner in just a few days, Zhao Hu could no longer bear it.

"Aman." Zhao Hu took two steps forward, his excited expression causing Aman to involuntarily shrink back a few feet.

But Zhao Hu clearly wasn't going to give him a chance to back down, and said bluntly, "Aman, how about I take care of you from now on?"

His voice was extremely loud, almost a shout, which stunned Aman. It took her a long time to come to her senses. "Brother Zhao, what did you say?"

But Zhao Hu ignored her questions and said to himself, "I know it might be a bit rash for me to say this now, but I really mean it, Aman, I...I like you."

"Brother Zhao?" This was the first time in Aman's life that a man had confessed his feelings to her. She was completely stunned, her mind going blank.

Looking at his dazed expression, Zhao Hu found her even more adorable and became even bolder. "Aman, I'm sincere. I've inquired about your current status. Redeeming you from the Marquis's mansion is easy, but restoring your slave status will require some effort. But that's alright, I'll work hard to earn money and help you regain your free status. Then you can stay away from the struggles of the Marquis's mansion, not have to serve anyone, and live a peaceful life. We can then have two more children, a son and a daughter, to enjoy your company."

"Brother Zhao, please stop for a moment." Seeing the longing look on Zhao Hu's face as he spoke of this idea, Aman was completely stunned.

She was only in a daze for a moment, how did he end up having a child?

Zhao Hu was interrupted and looked blank for a moment before realizing that he had said so much and Aman still hadn't replied.

"Aman, what do you think?" Zhao Hu asked hopefully.

Aman couldn't bear to hurt him, so she could only politely decline, "Brother Zhao, I don't have any plans to get married for the time being."

“I know you’re still in mourning, but that’s okay, I can wait. We’ll get married after your mourning period is over. I will definitely protect you and won’t let you get hurt.” Zhao Hu said with a pained expression.

The most urgent task now is to get Aman away from the Marquis's mansion, that cannibalistic place.

“Brother Zhao,” Aman saw that he was immersed in his own world and seemed unable to understand her meaning, so she could only solemnly tell him, “What I mean is, thank you for your affection, but I am not the right person for you.”

"..." Zhao Hu was stunned for a moment before he understood what Aman meant.

“But you…I…” Zhao Hu seemed unable to bear such a blow; his dark face showed embarrassment and resentment.

Aman continued, "Moreover, I am not only a maid in the Marquis's mansion, but also the young master's concubine. I didn't make that clear to you before."

With just a few words, Zhao Hu felt as if the sky was about to fall. It was bad enough that the girl he liked didn't like him back, but she was also another man's concubine. "But, but, he's a sickly man, and a cripple."

Zhao Hu was unwilling to accept this. Aman had said that he had only been in Yongzhou for a short time, and he was certain that there was nothing between the two of them.

However, seeing the blush that appeared on Aman's pale face after she talked about it, Zhao Hu's last glimmer of hope was completely shattered. "So, you like him, right?"

Aman didn't say anything, but Zhao Hu took that as tacit agreement.

He suddenly remembered Aunt Hua's reminder.

It turns out that everything was foreshadowed; he was simply blind and unable to see the truth.

Compared to Aman's status as a concubine, Zhao Hu found her affection for Fu Yunxiu even more unacceptable.

He used to think that he was good at walking and had the ability to make a living, so he could always be superior to that person. But now it seems that he had lost completely from the very beginning.

"Sorry, I don't know." Zhao Hu tried to force a smile, hoping not to look too embarrassed, but the smile was more painful than bitterness.

Aman felt a little sorry for him. To be honest, Zhao Hu was a really good person, but when it comes to feelings, who can say for sure?

I don't know when I fell for him, I don't know when I started liking him, and I don't know when it became like I couldn't live without him.

"I'm sorry, Brother Zhao." Aman lowered his head, feeling very guilty.

Zhao Hu waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing. I should be apologizing to you for causing you trouble."

He asked tentatively, "Can we still be friends after this?"

“Of course,” Aman said.

"That's good." Zhao Hu suppressed the urge to cry. "Then you should get some rest. I won't bother you anymore."

When Zhao Hu came out of Aman's room, he had reached his limit. He was about to wipe away his tears when he saw Fu Yunxiu sitting by the window of the east room, looking at him coldly.

Instantly, the tears in Zhao Hu's eyes turned into anger, and he stormed up to Fu Yunxiu and warned, "I'm warning you, if you dare to treat her badly in the future, I'll be the first to beat you up."

Fu Yunxiu looked puzzled, but after he finished speaking, he left without a trace, waving his sleeves.

However, all the nonchalance and persistence crumbled the moment the door closed.

"Wow..." The only woman he liked ended her life before it even started.

Zhao Hu covered his face and burst into tears.