Chapter 59 May the grace of care allow me to continue receiving medication.

Lin Shutang couldn't help but shudder, vaguely recalling the wild wolf he encountered at night when he followed his father through the mountains when he was young.

His eyes were so cold and indifferent, making people's hair stand on end when he stared at them, as if he could bite off their necks at any moment.

"I...I..." saved you.

Lin Shutang opened her lips, trembling for a long time. The second half of her sentence seemed to be tied in knots. Just as she was about to say it, she saw the boy's pupils tremble, his bright black eyes covered with a layer of white. Then his body went limp, and his head drooped into Lin Shutang's neck.

The cool tip of his nose touched her neck pulse, and his faint breath made her feel a little itchy. Lin Shutang stared blankly at the top of the tent, feeling his hand holding her neck loosen slightly.

Something had soaked his chest...

"Oh my goodness! How did this wound reopen?" Doctor Zhang tore open the boy's clothes, looking at the dark wound oozing bright red blood. His sallow face turned ashen.

He turned to look at Lin Shutang with a blank expression. The latter slowly lowered her head and whispered, "He mistook me for someone who wanted to kill him."

"This kid is still quite energetic despite his serious injuries!" Doctor Zhang frowned, nodded understandingly, turned back, and while re-bandaging the wound, comforted Lin Shutang, saying, "I'll add some cartilage-softening incense to his medicine later, and I guarantee he won't be able to move tonight."

Um, this...

Glancing at Lin Shutang's hesitant expression, Doctor Zhang snorted coldly, "Don't worry, it's harmless."

Lin Shutang nodded obediently.

At night, as usual, Lin Shutang took care of Shen Yun.

Whether it was the effect of the cartilage-softening incense or the wound reopening, the boy had been unusually quiet these past few nights.

Lin Shutang was so relaxed that when she changed the towel she was using to cool him down that night, she was caught off guard to see that the boy had opened his eyes again.

His eyes were only drowsy for a moment before a murderous intent suddenly rose within them.

Lin Shutang was terrified. Almost at the same time as the boy, she suddenly stood up, the stool she was sitting on scraping against the floor tiles with a screeching sound.

Immediately afterwards, he saw the person in front of him collapse onto the bed as soon as he made a move.

Perhaps the movement was too violent at that moment, and the pain came belatedly. Lin Shutang saw that he had furrowed his brow.

She quickly said, "You're injured, it's best not to move around."

Realizing that the medicine had taken effect, Lin Shutang knew that he was no longer a threat. She slowly walked towards him, bent down to look at him, and said, "I'm the one who saved you. Do you remember?"

The boy didn't speak, only his eyes were fixed on her face, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Lin Shutang knew that it was normal for someone to have some memory confusion after being in a coma for so many days. In addition, he had developed a low-grade fever, so he was not in a hurry and just waited patiently.

After a long while, the boy finally spoke, his voice extremely hoarse, "I remember, thank you."

Lin Shutang smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

“Let me tell you, during the days you were unconscious, Chang Geng and I took care of you. You have to remember that!” She nodded emphatically. “If you wake up again next time, it can’t be like this again.”

Lin Shutang stumbled slightly and gestured to the current situation.

She was truly lucky that night; the man was severely injured and collapsed on her before he could do anything.

Lin Shutang still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it now.

The boy followed her gaze, his eyes inadvertently falling on her bare, slender neck, and a few blurry fragments flashed through his mind.

He pressed her down onto the bed. The girl's bright eyes were filled with lingering shock and fear. His calloused fingertips gripped her throbbing neck pulse, the skin beneath his palm smooth and delicate...

“I’m sorry.” He glanced away. “If you’re worried, you can continue to administer the medication to me.”

Seeing that he had so keenly noticed that she had been drugged, Lin Shutang's eyes widened in shock, followed by a wave of embarrassment.

It's never honorable to drug someone. She didn't believe him, yet she wanted to bring him back. Now that he had pointed it out to her, Lin Shutang couldn't help but blush.

She chuckled twice. "I... this is for your own good. Your wound reopened that night, and Dr. Zhang had to stitch you up several more times. You should just lie still and not move, otherwise you'll only suffer."

After thinking for a moment, she added, "But since you are already awake, there is naturally no need to take the medicine."

This time, the boy didn't respond. He only watched as Lin Shutang threw the handkerchief in his hand into the copper basin, wrung it out, and pretended to put it on his forehead before he finally turned his head away.

His tone was somewhat stiff, "I'll do it myself."

“If you can move, of course you should do it yourself,” Lin Shutang said matter-of-factly.

But it was already late, and drowsiness crept over her. She seemed to have lost her patience, and she pinched the boy's chin, forcing him to turn his head.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed the boy's face, before his expression darkened slightly, and he silently allowed Lin Shutang to do as he pleased on his face.

She wiped his flushed cheeks with a damp handkerchief, then rinsed them with water and placed them on his forehead.

The burning sensation on my cheeks subsided a little, and my feverish head seemed to clear up considerably.

He caught a faint scent of medicine from the girl's fingertips, and vaguely recalled the times when she changed his dressings when he was occasionally conscious. His lips tightened and became taut.

Lin Shutang skillfully did all this, then turned off another light. "Go to sleep. I'll stay in the outer room and watch over you. Call me if you need anything."

She got up, drew back the curtains, and turned off the last lamp, plunging the entire room into darkness.

In the middle of the night, a tall figure stood in front of Lin Shutang's bed.

The young man lowered his gaze to look at the person on the bed, his cold and hard face showing no trace of the frail appearance he had just displayed.

He glanced coldly at the person on the bed, grabbed a garment from the frame, put it on, and pushed open the door.

We no longer know how many days he has been in a coma. We need to contact Yingxiao as soon as possible and send the message to Pingning County...

When Lin Shutang woke up the next day, she went to the inner room to check on the boy, who was still asleep. She then went out of the room to fetch water to wash up.

Chang Geng had already gone to the street to buy breakfast and returned. Seeing that Lin Shutang had also woken up, he hurriedly set out the hot breakfast and then remembered the news he had heard at the market this morning.

"Miss, many officials have come to Yizhou City today. It is said that Shuocheng has fallen and the soldiers of Xiyue are about to attack Pingning County."

Chang Geng was still young, two years younger than Lin Shutang, and he couldn't hide his feelings at all. His voice was also listless. "There's still no news from the master and the young master. Could they be trapped in Shuocheng?"

That sounds nice, but I'm afraid something even bigger has happened.

Otherwise, they have been in Yizhou City for many days, so why has there been no news from the master and young master?

The only possibility is that they happened to encounter the Battle of Shuocheng on their way and were stranded in the city.

If we stay here, that's fine, but I'm afraid we'll run into the people of Xiyue. Those people won't let Father go.

Lin Shutang felt particularly heavy-hearted when she thought about this. But with war raging, there was nothing she could do despite her worries.

She patted Chang Geng on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry, we were able to enter Yizhou safely, let alone Father and Senior Brother? They might be on their way to Yizhou right now."

He said this to comfort Chang Geng, but wasn't he also comforting himself?

Lin Shutang recalled what her father had said before they were separated by the crowd: that once she went to Yizhou, she should just live a good life and that she didn't need to worry about anything else.

But how could she really just live a carefree life and forget about them?

If only she could have a lead to investigate...

"Chang Geng, after you finish eating, go and summon all the managers of the thirteen woodworking shops in Yizhou City." Lin Shutang suddenly seemed to have thought of something, and the worry on his face vanished, his eyes brightening instantly.

"Miss, what have you thought of?" Chang Geng was a little confused, but seeing his mistress's surprise, he figured she must have come up with some idea, and his eyebrows lifted in delight.

“Chang Geng, have you forgotten? Back in Yancheng, the people from Xiyue came to the mansion many times, trying to persuade Father to make weapons for them, but Father refused each time. If I can make them now, they will come to us in person without us having to go.”

“But this is…” Chang Geng stared at her with wide eyes, incredulous. Being discovered was a serious crime of treason!

"Shh!" Lin Shutang interrupted him, knowing he hadn't finished speaking, and lowered her voice, "Of course, we can't really hand over the mechanism to them. It's just a gimmick. I need to use it to find out what's going on in Shuocheng."

"Then what do you want with the shopkeepers, Miss?" Chang Geng was still a little confused.

"My dear Chang Geng, with your brain, your young lady will probably talk for the time it takes to drink three cups of tea. By then, she'll be completely out of it. You should listen to me and go call someone." Lin Shutang said helplessly, patting Chang Geng's shoulders with both hands and bending slightly to look at him.

Chang Geng blushed slightly and stammered, "Yes, Miss."

Not far behind, a crack had appeared in the window of the side room, letting in sunlight that climbed the window frame and danced into the inner room, landing on the gray floor tiles. The young man was well hidden in the shadows, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the two people, listening to their conversation.

His fingertips lightly tapped on the windowsill, seemingly casually.

Western Yue, woodenware...

The Lin family?

The boy frowned, and seeing Chang Geng grab two steamed buns, stuff them into his pocket, and run towards the door, he withdrew his gaze and looked back at that beautiful figure.

The girl, just like yesterday, had a thick braid hanging down in front of her, with only a simple wooden hairpin as an embellishment at the end of her hair.

The simple cloth dress, yet graceful and elegant, is beautiful in its own right.

She turned around, gathered the breakfast on the table and put it on a tray. Through a swaying pine branch, she could vaguely see the woman's fair jawline, its smooth lines extending into her collar.

The boy rubbed his fingertips together, lowered his eyes, and closed the window again.

Only after Lin Shutang entered the inner room did he get up from the couch.

"Why did you get up? Your injuries haven't healed yet. The doctor said you can't move around too much." Lin Shutang was so surprised when she saw this that she quickly put down the tray, came to the boy's side, and helped him sit up against the headboard.

The young man shook his head, his face pale, and coughed lightly. "I am now much better. I am grateful for your kindness and care over the past few days. However, I feel ashamed for disturbing your residence for so long. I plan to take my leave tomorrow. Once I find the guards, I will repay your kindness with a generous reward."

"You're leaving?" Lin Shutang was shocked to hear his words. "But your injuries haven't healed yet."

"To be honest, young lady, I am from Liyang County. I came to Yizhou to find good timber merchants and discuss the purchase of timber. Unexpectedly, I encountered villains on the way and became separated from my servants. I have important business to attend to and my return is imminent, so I dare not delay."

The boy slightly raised his eyelids and spoke softly.

"That's easy. My family is in the timber business. You can discuss what materials you need with me." Lin Shutang smiled when he heard that it was about this matter, and generously told him that he could stay without worry.

“I’ve been reorganizing my shop these past few days and need to compile a list of all the woodworking businesses in Yizhou City. Since your family has been in the woodworking business for generations, I’m sure you’re well-versed in this. Why don’t you join me in making this happen? This would save you the trouble of traveling alone and allow me to utilize your expertise, so you won’t feel like I’m bothering you. What do you think?”

Lin Shutang stared at the boy with bright, sparkling eyes.

As the saying goes, "You can search high and low without finding it, but then it comes to you effortlessly."

She's currently worried that no one is helping her.

When she first arrived in Yizhou, and being a woman, the managers of Yizhou might not necessarily respect her.

The situation of finding her father and brother is urgent, and she really doesn't have the energy or time to fight with those stubborn old men. If she could have someone to help her, it would definitely be much easier.

The young man stared at Lin Shutang without changing his expression. Just as she finished speaking, a slight look of surprise flashed across his face. Finally, he said with pleasure, "Then thank you very much, young lady. I will certainly do my best to help you."

Lin Shutang smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"

The young man lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and finally pursed his lips, saying, "Chen Yun."

"Chen Yun?" Lin Shutang murmured to himself, his eyes darting around as if he were pondering the form and sound of the two characters.

The boy's gaze fell silently on her red lips, and the name he was used to hearing seemed to have a different meaning when it came out of her mouth.

Her sweet and melodious voice was like honey melting between his teeth, sending a tingling sensation up his spine that trickled down his body, making him feel soft and supple all over.

His expression darkened instantly, his lowered eyelids concealing the fleeting irritation in his eyes, and his fingertips unconsciously rubbed together beneath the covers.

He only looked up again when Lin Shutang's voice rang out again.

The girl's voice was clear and melodious, and her eyes were as bright as stars. "My name is Lin Shutang. You may call me by my name, young master."

He nodded, concealing the unspoken emotions in his eyes.

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Author's Note: Shen Yun, you're really pretentious [dog head with rose in hand]

The author's typing speed is really bad, and their brain is a bit slow. [Lower-eared rabbit head] But they will try to keep up with this word count in the future! [Sprinkling flowers]

This chapter officially begins the flashback sequence; the plot holes from earlier chapters will be filled in gradually later. The events on West Wing Mountain will also be explained after the flashback sequence concludes. [Dog head with rose in mouth]

I don't know if everyone likes the flashback storyline, so I'll try to keep it brief, but I feel I can't leave this part out. [Poor thing] So there will still be a few chapters.