Chapter 74

Whether it was the medication suppressing the pain or the warmth of the soft jade in his arms, Yun Kai slept comfortably that night. His warm breath was right beside his ear, and the air flow from his inhalation and exhalation penetrated his ear canal, tingling and arousing his sexual desires.

Half asleep in the early morning, he suddenly felt a breeze blowing into the tent. A gentle voice said softly, "Opening the windows for ventilation will be good for the Second Young Master's condition. Try not to close the windows during the day."

The voice was very familiar, and Yun Kai's chaotic mind suddenly became clear. Wasn't this Lan Yingde? He opened his eyes suddenly, and Yueming was no longer in the bed. If it weren't for the sweet fragrance in the quilt and the marks on the pillow, he would have almost thought that it was Lan Yingde who gave him the injection last night, and it was all just a dream.

Besides panic and nervousness, he also felt the embarrassment of being caught in bed with someone else. When did Yueming leave? Did Lan Yingde see Yueming lying in his bed?

He hurriedly propped himself up with his hands, enduring the pain in his waist and trying to get up and out of bed.

A pair of fair hands with calloused palms supported his shoulders, and a gentle voice said, "Second Young Master, you should lie down. You still have a slight fever, so you need to rest. I'll ask Changsheng to go back and prepare some external medicine for you. I'll give you another injection after you have breakfast."

Lan Yingde entered the Tusi Mansion just as the sun was rising. He had been staying at the inn the previous night, and by the time the Tusi's servants found them, it was almost dawn. He had heard Yueming had come into the mansion to examine the Second Young Master, so he ignored the pouring rain outside and rode back at top speed.

When Yin Tai heard Lan Yingde enter the mansion, she quickly sent someone to Yunkai's room to call Yueming. She hurried to the hall and saw Lan Yingde, covered in mud from the galloping horse. She said apologetically, "Sir, I'm so sorry to bother you. You've had a hard journey. I'll have someone help you bathe."

Lan Yingde clasped his hands together and said to Yin Tai, "I, Lan, am sorry for my impoliteness. My servant came to see me and told me that the Second Young Master's condition was dangerous. I was so anxious to come here to diagnose him that I didn't even go back home to wash. I hope Yin Tai will forgive me."

Yin Tai knew that Lan Yingde had rushed back overnight, so he asked Tonglin to serve tea and prepare food.

After Tonglin left, she dismissed the other maids and said to Lan Yingde, "Yunkai was indeed not feeling well last night. Fortunately, Yueming came to watch over him all night. I just sent someone to check on him, and he's calmer now. Mr. Lan, don't rush to see him. I have something to discuss with you."

Lan Yingde knew what Yintai was going to say to him. He sat on the chair and looked at Yintai calmly, wanting to see if Yintai's words were more novel than Han Tusi's.

"Alas!" Yin Tai sighed and said, "The master and you share a common sense, so he wanted to marry. If his daughter doesn't work out, he wants to push his son away. His heart is sincere, but he is careless and didn't consider your feelings as a father. I apologize on his behalf."

Lan Yingde said calmly, "The master is a man of character, and he speaks directly. I know that."

Yin Tai waved his hand: "Don't try to excuse him. I know my own son well. He's idle all day, causing trouble, and even ridiculously beat up relatives in the mansion. It's normal for you to look down on him."

Yin Tai's words were full of ulterior motives. You won't pretend to be ignorant about why you beat up the relatives in the mansion, right?

Lan Yingde countered: "Young people are often impulsive, madam, you are too serious."

Seeing that Lan Yingde was unmoved, Yin Tai's smile deepened: "I really like Yueming. When I see her, I think of Mannu. You were out treating patients and saving lives, and she was lonely at home, so she often came to the mansion to talk to me. Yunkai was only four years old at that time. She loved Yunkai so much that she wouldn't let go. She also told me that if she had a child in the future, if it was a boy, she would let him and Yunkai be brothers, and if it was a girl, she would marry her to my family. With a mother-in-law like me, she would feel at ease to marry her daughter into my family. Who would have thought that she really gave birth to a daughter, but passed away..." When Yin Tai said this, her eyes were red, and she covered her nose with a handkerchief, looking like she was about to cry.

Lan Yingde recalled the voice, appearance and smile of his deceased wife, and his hands on his knees gradually clenched.

Yin Tai calmed down and continued, "I know you don't like my son. Although he's immature, he's sincere to Yueming. I'm not asking you to agree to this marriage right away, I just hope you can teach him a thing or two. If he's a hopeless case, I won't mention this matter again. But if he listens to you, is willing to make progress, and isn't the jerk he is now, then you can hand Yueming over to him. That way, I'll have an explanation for Mannu."

Yin Tai's move to bring up Tao Mannu was a good one. He and Mannu had been in love, but their families hadn't allowed it, leaving him with a deep sense of regret. Now that Yueming and Han Yunkai had developed feelings for each other, would he have to be as heartless as Tao Mannu?

Seeing that everything had been said, Yin Tai did not force Lan Yingde to express his opinion immediately. Tong Lin brought in some tea and Yin Tai asked, "Is Yueming awake? If she is, tell her her father is here."

Tonglin bowed and replied, "The servant just reported that Miss Yueming stayed up until midnight before returning to the guest house. When they went over just now, they saw the gate was still closed, so they didn't dare to disturb her."

He could see through the master and servant's cover-up for Yueming and Yunkai, but he didn't want to dwell on it right now. He bowed to Yin Tai and said, "Yueming only has a few superficial medical knowledge. I'd better go see the Second Young Master myself!"

Yin Tai smiled and said, "Sir, you are truly a compassionate doctor. I'll trouble you then. Let Feng Er take you there."

Watching Lan Yingde's hurried back, Tonglin was silent for a moment before saying, "Mr. Lan is really something. The young master and Miss Yueming are so close, why does he just disagree?" She thought, why did the master and mistress have to be so humble and send someone to inform Miss Yueming? They should have taken Lan Yingde to see the two of them snuggling together. That way, Lan Yingde would have to agree even if he didn't agree for the sake of his daughter's reputation.

Yin Tai glanced at her and said, "Go to the second young master's yard and tell everyone that anyone who dares to spread the news that Yueming stayed in Yunkai's room will have his tongue cut off and sent to the mine to dig coal." A girl's reputation is so precious. If Yueming's reputation is damaged in the slightest, how could he let it go without Lan Yingde's approval?

The most important thing now was for Lan Yingde to agree to take Yunkai with him. She said she disliked this son, but Yunkai was indeed smart and clever. She was confident that as long as Lan Yingde kept Yunkai by his side, Yunkai would definitely win Lan Yingde's favor over time.

Lan Yingde entered Yunkai's bedroom, and Feng Xiaosai asked the maid to pull up the curtain so that Lan Yingde could observe the injury on the young master's waist.

Yunkai lay on his side with his upper body naked, facing the wall, with a corner of the quilt draped over his waist and breathing steadily.

Lan Yingde leaned forward and saw that the pus had drained from Yunkai's wound, leaving a thin layer of brown skin covering his swollen waist. He gasped. Yueming had opened the wound without applying medicine, and he must have even used alcohol or something similar to clean it.

Thinking of the sting of the liquor stinging his wound, Lan Yingde couldn't help but shudder, thinking to himself that the second young master was a patient man. He had endured Yueming's nonsense. He looked up at the pillow against the wall. There was a faint sleep mark. The second young master had slept on the edge of the bed, so it was obvious whose head was under that pillow.

His heart sank a little more.

He asked Feng Xiaosai to open the window to ventilate the room, but Yunkai woke up at this time and struggled to get up. Lan Yingde hurried over to stop him.

When Yun Kai heard that he had to get an injection after breakfast, he couldn't help but think of the injection Yue Ming had given him last night. He already had a poor appetite and now he didn't want to eat even more.

Lan Yingde's heart softened as he watched him, his face filled with reluctance yet unwilling to resist. Young Mu Ai, what had he done wrong? Du Song's letter to him was full of praise for Yun Kai, describing him as decisive and calculating. He first used force, then kindness, to ensure Yue Ming's inclusion in the Tao family tree.

He didn't really care whether Yueming was included in the Tao family tree or not, but he knew that if the Tao headman recognized Yueming, her mother would be very happy in the underworld. He sighed inwardly. Never mind, never mind. He would fulfill Yin Tai's wish first and take Yun Kai away with him to sell the goods. He would see about the rest later.

Having made up his mind, he felt a little relieved. He let Yunkai continue to lie on the bed, moved a chair to sit beside the bed, and said to Yunkai directly: "I didn't agree to the master's previous proposal of marriage between you and Yueming. Is the second young master blaming me?"

The clouds have cleared... Of course I blame you, who else can I blame? I complained bitterly in my heart, but I could only stammer out, "How dare I, how dare I!"

Facing his insincere words, Lan Yingde just smiled: "I don't blame you, I blame myself. I have my concerns, you have your considerations. It's all human nature, there's no right or wrong."

Lan Yingde's amiable attitude confused Yun Kai. He wanted to ask loudly, "Do you agree or not?" But he didn't dare.

Lan Yingde looked at his expression of doubt and surprise, then sighed, "I've always wanted Yueming to live her life to the fullest. I wanted to broaden her horizons and show her the sights that only a few people in this world can see. A life span of several decades, like the glorious autumn chrysanthemums and the flourishing spring pines, is neither long nor short, but it's always a pity to be stuck in the same place. I know my own daughter best. Yueming seems to understand the facts, but she's always testing your limits, indulging you within your tolerance. This kind of indulgence may seem fresh to you when you're young and passionate, but over time, you'll find it tiresome and even unbearable."

After hearing this seemingly rejection, Yun Kai felt a chill in his heart and blurted out, "Yueming rarely gets into a temper, and I don't find it annoying or intolerable."

Seeing him struggling to get up, Lan Yingde quickly held his shoulder and said soothingly, "I don't mean anything else. I just want you to know Yueming's true temper."

Seeing Yunkai calm down, he continued, "If you want to do what's best for Yueming, you can't indulge her temper. You can't just do something I don't agree to when she comes to you and asks you for it, or you can't agree to her request and she comes to me and acts like a spoiled child and I'll just give in. That way, she'll develop more bad habits. You did a great job before, teaching her to speak Dai and learn etiquette. She's at the age of learning, and I don't want her to waste time. This is my first request of you, can you do it?"

Yun Kai was stunned. Did he agree to this? He suppressed his excitement and asked calmly, "What about the second request?"