Chapter 66
"Madam, it's been a long time."
Chapter Sixty-Six
White smoke seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows.
Xie Lang took off his long robe and, as always in the Jialan Garden, openly and honestly got into bed. But unlike before when she lay flat, Liu Qingqing was now relaxed, lying on her side with her back to him. He slowly moved forward, pulled her into his arms, buried his face in the soft crook of her neck, and inhaled her unique fragrance.
The skull, which was on the verge of cracking, and the convulsing temples had become much more docile.
He held her tightly, finally finding her.
Every part of him was screaming, wanting nothing more than to meld her into his very bones and flesh...
He had been unable to sleep for the past six months, and now she was nestled in his arms, finally allowing his tightly wound internal organs to relax...
When she woke up the next day, her ears and eyes were clear and bright, and Liu Qingqing knew that she had slept well.
But she froze when she tried to move. She loosened her shoulders and rotated her elbows, but why did her body ache so much? She couldn't move her left arm, and her left shoulder ached as if it had been pricked with needles, as if she had been bound by ropes all night.
She looked at the bedding, her gaze settling on the soft pillows. Could it be that she had gotten a stiff neck from sleeping in the bed?
Liu Qingqing didn't take it seriously. The air she created as she stood up carried an unfamiliar scent to her nostrils. She sniffed warily, but only smelled the clean scent of soap, the one she had been using for many years.
She was probably overthinking it.
Because of what happened yesterday, I won't go out for a stroll today; I'll just stay in the village and check on how the medicinal seedlings are growing.
She had secretly learned from Doctor Lu in the capital, and in the past six months she had been following Doctor Zhang and Fu Xiuzhu, learning quite a bit as well. Seeing her willingness to learn, they were all willing to teach her.
She can now tell how the seedlings are doing and where the problems are.
The villagers were kind and offered her food: roasted sweet potatoes, stir-fried soybeans, and fried dough twists that they rarely bothered to fry in heavy oil.
Liu Qingqing thanked them profusely as she accepted the gifts, and the villagers were overjoyed to see her accept them. Behind her back, they all said that Miss Lin was a wonderful person, a fairy descended from heaven! She was doing well herself but still remembered to help them, and she didn't put on airs or look down on them.
A group of little ones surrounded Liu Qingqing, their mouths watering as they stared at the food in her arms, but none of them dared to ask for any. Some of the younger ones were so tempted they couldn't resist, while the older ones glared at her angrily.
It seems they like her so much that they dare not get close to her.
It's a... very strange feeling.
It was a kind of human connection that Liu Qingqing had never really experienced in the capital.
They are openly cherished and protected.
Liu Qingqing felt a warm glow in her heart. She wasn't even craving these things, so she squatted down and beckoned them over. The little dolls that used to cuddle around her now looked at each other like cats, lingering around her but not getting any closer.
"Come on, here are some sweet roasted sweet potatoes and fried dough twists for you."
She swallowed hard, making gurgling sounds. She grabbed the nearest child and shoved it into the child's hand. The child stared blankly, then whispered, "Thank you, young lady." The other children were extremely envious. She called them over one by one and gave each of them a little.
A mischievous child secretly squeezed into her arms, looking up at her with admiration. When Liu Qingqing lowered her head, the child scratched his head and ears as if burying his head in the sand, pretending not to notice. Thinking she didn't know, he quietly snuggled closer to her.
She was a little girl who looked about three or four years old, with messy, disheveled hair, but bright, lively eyes.
They are very lively and adorable, and their cuteness is different from that of Xie Wanyan's two children.
Thinking of them, my heart is filled with emotion and a touch of melancholy. I wonder if those two little ones still remember her.
Suddenly, the feeling of being spied on returned, and that gaze seemed like a hook, subtly piercing into her flesh and veins.
Liu Qingqing froze, afraid to move. She hugged the little girl in her arms and whispered in her ear, "Help your sister check if there's anyone behind her?"
The little girl nodded, obediently holding her sister's arm and looking back. She was quite clever, rolling around in her sister's fragrant arms like a spoiled child, looking around before squeezing back into her embrace.
“There is an older brother behind him.”
Liu Qingqing's heart skipped a beat, and she was startled; cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.
She bit her lip, knowing that if she were found, she couldn't escape it, and it might even cause trouble for the villagers, so she steeled herself and turned around. But when she saw the person's face, her expression suddenly relaxed, and she couldn't help but smile sweetly, "What brings you here, Doctor Fu?"
Seeing that he had been discovered, Fu Xiuzhu smiled and walked towards her. The little children, seeing their older brother arrive, scurried to the side. Fu Xiuzhu casually patted the round heads of several children.
"I was worried you might not be feeling well in the village, so I came to check on you."
He handed her the oil paper bag in his hand, saying, "I came across a braised meat stall on the way, and it smelled really tempting. I brought some for you and Sister Lin."
Liu Qingqing was surprised. She looked at his large, well-defined hands and then glanced at the reddish-brown braised meat.
"Take it. You saved my life back then. I'm just buying you some braised meat. There's no need to refuse or be polite."
That makes sense. Fu Xiuzhu is generous in his actions, and if she were to be too restrained, she would be short-sighted.
After thanking him, Liu Qingqing took the oil paper bag, took a deep sniff, and looked at Fu Xiuzhu with a smile, "It smells so good!"
Fu Xiuzhu smiled gently, "If you like it, that's good."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Suddenly, a chill crept up her spine, and she froze.
Fu Xiuzhu hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Liu Qingqing: "It's nothing, I probably just slept in the wrong place and got a stiff neck."
Since Fu Xiuzhu has come, lunch is naturally served.
Including Lin Mei, the three of them prepared three dishes, all of which Fu Xiuzhu volunteered to make for them. Add to that a dish of braised pork, and it was truly divine!
Fu Xiuzhu used serving chopsticks to serve her food. Seeing that the braised pork ribs were too small to pick up easily, he simply moved the dish in front of her. He was extremely considerate of her.
As Fu Xiuzhu lowered his head, Liu Qingqing and Lin Mei exchanged glances.
Speaking of which, this matter has been quite troubling her lately—Fu Xiuzhu seems to have feelings for her.
She looks young, but she's already walked quite a path. She doesn't belittle herself because of this, but she wonders if others will mind.
Furthermore, Fu Xiuzhu has not directly expressed his feelings, so if she brings it up herself, it would seem like she's being too shameless.
After what happened before, she wouldn't let a bad experience discourage her from living a solitary life. She also wouldn't rush to find another man. If she met someone she liked, she would give it a try; if not, she felt that things were fine as they were.
After lunch, Fu Xiuzhu insisted on washing the dishes again, but this time Lin Mei wouldn't let him. However, she glanced at Fu Xiuzhu as she carried the dishes away. Lin Mei was usually aloof and taciturn, but that glance made one's eyes burn with envy.
After Liu Qingqing rested for a while in the afternoon, Fu Xiuzhu was not idle either. Hearing that she wanted to go into the mountains, he used sandpaper to polish the rough wooden handle of the sickle in the courtyard.
Lin Mei passed by Fu Xiuzhu again, giving him another critical look.
I had planned to go out in the afternoon, but it suddenly started raining. So I left Fu Xiuzhu in this small courtyard as well.
Fortunately, Fu Xiuzhu was a gentleman. He discussed it with the village chief and went to stay in an empty room in the village chief's old house.
During dinner, Fu Xiuzhu once again showed off his culinary skills, preparing a table full of delicious dishes.
Perhaps because she had a full stomach tonight, Liu Qingqing felt drowsy as soon as she lay down, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she turned over.
Once her breathing had calmed down, a figure suddenly appeared as if by ghostly means. The figure used jade-like fingers to lift Liu Qingqing's round chin, leaned down, and stared into her tightly closed eyes.
The moist gaze drifted down to where others had touched, and the hand opened slowly to cover them.
Enduring the throbbing pain in his temples, he clenched his jaw, not daring to exert any force for fear of waking her.
He seemed to have suddenly had a breakthrough.
For the past six months, he had been pondering what he truly wanted from her. Today, he finally understood—he wanted her to have eyes only for him, and only for him.
If this is love, then he wants her, and she loves him.
Love him as before, no, even more than before.
Like a madman, he wanted her to only have eyes for him.
Only him, only him, only him!
Just like yesterday, he took off his dusty outer robe, folded it neatly, and placed it aside. After getting into bed, he wrapped himself around her like a vine and closed his eyes.
These past two days, he's only been able to sleep when she's by his side. The ineffective treatments of the imperial physicians in the capital have finally alleviated his excruciating headache.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, his eyes half-closed, as he ecstatically brushed the tip of his nose against the exposed skin on the back of her neck.
The next day.
The moment consciousness returned, Liu Qingqing turned around abruptly. There was no one behind her, only an empty bed.
She looked down and saw that the bedding was perfectly smooth, without any other marks.
But... she twisted her neck; her shoulders were very tense.
Last night, it felt like she was sleeping in someone's arms the whole time, as if she was sleeping with her head on someone's arm, and they were holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe.
Was I dreaming?
Her neck was itchy, so she scratched it. Then it felt a bit rough and painful.
"Hiss, could there be bugs in the room?"
She looked around suspiciously but didn't find anything. Just then, Lin Mei called her to eat, so she went to wash up first.
While having breakfast, Fu Xiuzhu noticed that she was fidgeting and squirming, so he asked her what was wrong.
Liu Qingqing said shyly, "I think it's a stiff neck."
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiuzhu frowned and immediately put down the bowl of porridge. "If you don't mind, Miss, I can massage your chest a couple of times and you'll feel much better."
What did Liu Qingqing have to worry about? Not to mention that her shoulders were so tight, Fu Xiuzhu was also a skilled masseur, and many patients came to the clinic because of his reputation. What did she have to be so concerned about?
Seeing her nod, Fu Xiuzhu smiled at her and walked behind her, lowering his eyes to hide the worry in them.
He reached out and gently massaged her shoulders. "They're very tight. Maybe she's not comfortable sleeping in a different bed."
Liu Qingqing agreed and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Fu Xiuzhu noticed the red mark on the side of her neck, paused, and only came to his senses when Liu Qingqing noticed something was wrong and looked up.
He asked casually, "Why did Miss Lin suddenly come to the village?"
Fearing she might overthink it, he added, "If we had prepared the pillows and blankets in advance, this wouldn't have happened."
This really resonated with Liu Qingqing.
She couldn't help but curse Xie Lang inwardly. If it weren't for him, how could she have fled to the countryside in such a panic!
But she couldn't tell Fu Xiuzhu, so Liu Qingqing smiled gently and said it was just a passing fancy.
Fu Xiuzhu didn't ask any more questions, and continued working on his hands.
The main room was quiet, with only the sound of fingers rubbing fabric.
Lin Mei didn't say anything either, which was...strange.
That aggressive, watchful feeling, like being cleaved by a sharp blade, returned.
She turned around quickly, meeting Fu Xiuzhu's dark eyes. She paused for a moment, then immediately smiled, "Much better, thank you, Dr. Fu."
At the same time, she subtly lowered her shoulder and moved out from under his hand.
Fu Xiuzhu stared at his empty palm, then quickly withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back.
Liu Qingqing wondered to herself, could it be that Fu Xiuzhu had been looking after her before?
"The weather is nice today, why don't we go to the mountains to dig up some medicinal herbs later?"
Liu Qingqing didn't want to spend any more time with Fu Xiuzhu in this cramped courtyard, so she made a suggestion.
Fu Xiuzhu responded without hesitation.
After resting for a while, the three of them took their tools and baskets and went into the mountains together.
The three were not far apart and occasionally called out to each other.
Liu Qingqing buried herself in searching for the black fungus, and before she knew it, she had drifted far away from them.
When I came to my senses and wanted to go back to them, I froze as soon as I took a step.
Something was watching her, its gaze like a cold, octopus crawling up her spine, damp and unsettling. Startled, her mouth went dry, but she kept swallowing in fear, as if that would bring her heart, which was about to leap out of her chest, back down.
The last time she had this feeling was when she encountered a wild boar while gathering herbs in the mountains. She gripped her sickle tightly, cautiously surveying the surrounding trees, thinking about how to escape. But she hadn't gone very far today; how could she have encountered a wild boar?
There really was something behind me, making a soft rustling sound as it crunched over the grass.
This gave her goosebumps; encountering a villain in the forest was more terrifying than a wild boar!
As the footsteps behind her quickened, she knew the other person had noticed her, so she disregarded everything and ran as fast as she could.
She had been to this forest many times and was quite familiar with it. She moved with the agility of a wild rabbit in the forest, circling around the fallen trees and making a detour to the place where the hunter had set a trap.
Suddenly, fog rolled in through the forest. She dared not relax, for the person behind her was hot on her heels!
She panicked and clutched the ring containing the poisoned needle to her finger. The thick fog obscured her movements and made it difficult for her to see her surroundings, so she didn't realize that she had taken the wrong path in her panic.
Her vision cleared again; ahead lay a precipice. She stopped abruptly, hesitated for a moment, then turned sharply, gripping the sickle tightly in one hand and hiding the hand with the poison ring behind her back.
A tall figure walked towards her from the thick fog, gradually becoming clearer.
When she saw his face clearly, Liu Qingqing couldn't help but gasp.
She would recognize that captivating face even if it turned to ashes.
The person who arrived was Xie Lang.
It was Xie Lang!
Only now, facing each other in broad daylight, could she clearly see Xie Lang's gloomy and somber face.
Like warm jade losing all its luster and color, it becomes discolored, dry, and cracked.
She swallowed hard, her feet constantly shifting backward.
The stone fell off the cliff and, after a long while, hit the distant bottom of the cliff with a crackling sound.
Xie Lang's gaze was as cold as ice, fixed on her feet. His eyes curved slightly, as if he were smiling, but when he looked up, there was clearly no smile in them!
"Madam, it's been a long time."
After saying that, he strode toward her.
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview:
"I happened to come here, and I never expected to run into you, Madam."
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