Chapter 21 I am my brother. Xie Pan is usually a man of few words, so why is he so talkative today...?
Thank you twice in one summer
Xie Pan quickly lowered his eyes and vaguely replied that he had met Brother Lang today.
Xie Dang remained silent. Since his wife left the mansion, his two children had also become estranged from him.
He waved his hand dismissively, looking rather uninterested. "It's getting late. You should go back to your residence and rest."
Xie Pan remained silent. "And what about my elder brother?"
Xie Dang raised his eyebrows and smiled bitterly, "Me? No one at home is waiting for me to return, so I'll stay at the main camp."
Xie Pan nodded, "Then brother should also rest early."
After saying that, he turned and left without hesitation.
After Xie Pan had walked a short distance away, Xie Dang suddenly looked up at his half-brother's back, seemingly lost in thought.
Xie Pan had no idea what his elder brother was thinking at that moment; he was also preoccupied with his own thoughts.
Xie Pan had a guess in his mind, but he and his brother had never talked much before. If he asked, it would definitely arouse his brother's suspicion, so he swallowed it.
He hurriedly rode his horse towards the Marquis's residence. Remembering that she loved sesame cakes, he bought her two more. Recalling the scene from last time, Xie Pan pursed his lips and said to the old man selling sesame cakes, "Uncle, could you please pack two freshly baked ones?"
The old man quickly picked two out of the oven, still steaming hot, and carefully wrapped them in oiled paper, leaving an opening at the top to let the steam escape and prevent the crispy crust of the flatbread from softening.
Xie Pan took it and stuffed it into his arms, which shocked the old man. He quickly came out from behind the pancake stall to stop him, "Sir, this won't do! This pancake is very hot, it will burn you!"
Xie Pansaibing moved even faster, mumbled a reply that it was nothing, and quickly mounted his horse and rode away.
The old man was left standing there, staring wide-eyed, clapping his hands anxiously.
"If this burns your esteemed guest, I can't afford to pay for it."
Xie Pan was unaware of what the old man was thinking. If he had heard it, he would have said that there was no need to pay for it, and that it would be better if it were burned.
In the city, the horses were slow, and Xie Pan patiently thought about establishing another residence.
But he was not yet married, his stepmother was still alive, and his family was harmonious, so there was no reason for him to establish his own residence.
After Xie Pan entered the Marquis's residence, a figure flashed back into a dark alley not far away and stared for a while before returning to the camp on the outskirts of the capital.
They headed straight for Xie Dang's military tent.
He described in detail what happened after Xie Pan left the camp. Nothing special happened. He bought some flatbread and other snacks at the market and went straight back to his residence.
Xie Dang chuckled, realizing he had been overthinking things.
He knew that Xie Pan's courtyard did not have a small kitchen, and Xie Pan was too lazy to bother with it, so he would often buy some food that could be stored for a long time outside. He also liked to buy pastries, unlike the rough manners of a military general; Xie Pan actually liked sweets.
Xie Dang dismissed the servants, then rose and walked out of the military tent with his hands behind his back.
He awoke after the funeral, and everything had settled down. He was heartbroken and sought out a high monk to light a soul lamp for Jia'er, but the monk said that the benefactor was still alive.
Back at Tingzhuxuan, the courtyard was very quiet.
The mute man was dozing off in the rattan chair in the corner. Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes, saw Xie Pan, pointed to the bedroom, and then gestured.
That means he didn't leave his room all day.
Xie Panxin's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly headed towards his bedroom.
He pushed open the door and found the room dimly lit. There was a figure on the bed, and he quickly walked towards the bed.
She was sleeping peacefully, and Xie Pan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But upon a second glance, she noticed something was amiss, and her face flushed slightly.
I bent down and touched it with the back of my hand; it was burning hot.
The moment he touched her, Xia Rushi woke up from her drowsy state.
She had slept all day and couldn't fall asleep any longer.
Her watery eyes looked at him, and suddenly she smiled and said, "You're back."
Xie Pan was deeply moved, but he didn't show it on his face, and simply hummed in agreement. He suddenly knelt on the footstool, moved closer to her, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell? I'll go and brew some medicine for you, and you'll feel better after drinking it."
The mute uncle had given her medicine during the day, and she was much better, though she was still a little weak.
Xia Ru looked at her expectantly, "I want to drink honey water and eat sesame cakes. I don't want to take medicine."
This put Xie Pan, a simple and honest man, in a difficult position. He was willing to indulge her, but this was something he couldn't do.
After a long pause, he managed to say, "Drink a little bit, and you'll recover faster."
As if suddenly remembering something, he took out a still-warm flatbread from his pocket and placed it beside her. "Eat some if you're hungry. I'll go make you some honey water."
He raised his hand as if to brush away the strands of hair that were covering her cheek, but stopped halfway, the posture looking somewhat comical.
Xia Rushi's gaze swept over the still steaming flatbread, fixed on his face, and then suddenly leaned over and pressed her face against his palm.
Xie Pan froze, his lips trembling. He instinctively took a step back, forgetting the footrest, and nearly fell. His face was a dark red, stammering, "I, I, I'll go rinse...honey water..."
He stammered, then rushed out of the dormitory as if fleeing.
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from inside the bedroom, as if mocking him.
Xie Pan's ears turned bright red, and his throat felt like it was about to burst into flames!
Xie Pan was unusually coy, even afraid that the mute man would see it.
But the mute old man was fanning himself by the fire, not even glancing in their direction.
Xie Pan hurriedly went to pour hot water, then mixed it with cold water. He had overheard his soldiers saying that yin-yang water was good for women.
He carefully added the nectar, a task he was used to handling weapons with and had never done before with such delicacy. Not only did the honey stick to his hands, but he also broke out in a sweat.
Just as I was about to wash my hands, I heard her cough coming from the bedroom.
Xie Pan didn't have time to think about it and quickly carried the porcelain bowl back to his bedroom.
He pried the door open a crack with his toe. Xia Ru looked over, and Xie Pan's face turned bright red again.
Meeting her gaze, he put on a straight face and pretended to walk to the bedside as usual. If it weren't for his slightly clumsy movements, he could really fool people.
He stood respectfully by the bed, bent down and handed the bowl to her, staring blankly at her.
"I can't sit up."
Xia Ru looked at him.
Perhaps because of the fever, her eyes were watery, as if brimming with affection.
Xie Pan was taken aback upon hearing this. He straightened up and looked around anxiously, pacing back and forth as if he had just noticed the low table beside the bed. He carefully placed the bowl on the low table and then went back to help her up.
She leaned softly against him, and Xie Pan was completely stunned, as if his soul had left his body.
His mind went blank, but his hands didn't stop moving. He held her protectively in his arms, one hand holding a scalding hot flatbread, the other a bowl of honey water. He wouldn't let her lift a finger, carefully tending to her, feeding her sips of water and sips of flatbread.
Xia Rushi was unusually silent; she had never taken such good care of her two children when they were young.
How old is she?
She was a person who cared about her reputation, so she reached out to take the flatbread, but Xie Pan dodged her hand and uttered a low, hushed word, "Hot."
Xia Rushi looked up at him reproachfully, "Won't it get hot if you hold it?"
Xie Pan's face turned red as he tried to hold it in. "I'm thick-skinned and not afraid of getting burned."
Since that's the case, Xia Rushi stopped competing with him and accepted his service without any remorse.
A bite of bread followed by a sip of honey water—it's so delightful.
Twice, when she was drinking honey water, her lips accidentally touched his fingers, and they felt sticky. Xia Rushi licked her lips and found them sweet.
A quick glance is enough to tell what's going on.
After getting married, she didn't have much contact with Xie Pan. They would just nod and exchange a few polite words when they ate together during holidays.
Xie Pan was always a man of few words, and Xie Dang often praised Xie Pan for his steady work and cautious nature.
Little did she know that Xie Pan was actually a dazed and silly person in private.
The last time, she seemingly unintentionally touched the sticky spot on his finger with her lips, and sure enough, the muscular body behind her trembled and became hot again.
Xia Rushi smiled slightly, the sound of the person behind her heart pounding loudly.
Xie Pan froze for a long time, not daring to move, before cautiously asking, "Want some more?"
After eating half of the flatbread, Xia Rushi recovered and shook her head, unable to eat any more.
Then I asked him, "Have you eaten?"
Xie Pan shook his head.
Xia Rushi nudged his hand, "Then you eat."
She leaned against him, her starry eyes gazing at him.
Xie Pan opened his lips, then closed them again, glancing at the delicate bite marks on the pancake, and swallowed hard.
For the first time, he thanked God for making him so tanned!
Xie Pan remained motionless for a long time.
Why aren't you eating?
Xia asked.
She didn't have any other thoughts. Back on the battlefield, on the frontier, when times were bad, let alone the separation of men and women, just having enough to eat was a blessing. Who cared about such things? Not wasting food was the real priority.
Well, aside from that, she still had some ulterior motives.
Her eyes flickered slightly.
Seeing that Xie Pan hadn't moved, Xia Rushi tilted her head away from him, almost lying in his strong arms. "You don't like me?"
Xie Pan's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this. How could he possibly dislike her?!
As if afraid she might overthink it, he disregarded everything else and took a big bite out of the remaining half of the flatbread. Seeing that she was still looking at it, he tilted his head back and saw her drink the honey water in one gulp!
After doing all that, he looked at her with burning eyes, as if seeking praise.
Xia Rushi smiled, and Xie Pan slowly realized where he had just bitten, and where his lips had touched when he drank the honey water.
He felt as if his body was on fire, unable to sit or stand comfortably.
"Go and get some ointment to reduce swelling and relieve pain."
Xia Rushi suddenly said.
Xie Pan breathed a sigh of relief and got up to get it. As he turned his back to the place where the ointment was kept, he secretly glanced down at it, slightly bared his teeth, and walked with a slightly strange gait.
Fortunately, there were no candles lit inside, so it was very dark.
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But he breathed a sigh of relief far too soon.
I took the ointment and returned to her side, wondering what she wanted to do. Just as I put the ointment down, I heard her say, "Take off your clothes."
Xie Pan paused, unsure of what to do, when she continued, "Light the candles."
"..." Xie Pan managed to utter a sentence with difficulty, "Is it feasible not to burn it?"
Xia Ru glanced at it, paused slightly, and said, "That works too."
The tone shifted abruptly, "But you must take off your clothes."
"...Completely naked?"
"A top will suffice."
Xie Pan breathed a sigh of relief, but was also overwhelmed by a sense of loss.
When he took off his clothes, his chest was indeed burned red.
Xia Ru glared at him. "Didn't I tell you not to do this next time? Don't you feel any pain?"
Seeing that she was really angry, Xie Pan stammered and dared not say a word.
Xia Rushi took the ointment, dipped a little on her fingertip, and carefully rubbed it onto the scalded skin on his chest.
Xie Pan's hands, hanging tightly at his sides, were clenched tightly. He tilted his head back slightly, revealing his Adam's apple, exuding masculinity. His muscles were tense, and the texture of his skin convulsed and trembled where her fingertips slid across his body.
“...It doesn’t hurt,” he whispered.
"Then you're a fool who doesn't know pain!"
He was scolded, but the words burned him so badly he almost cried.
It's just like an ordinary wife scolding her husband.
After enduring until she finished applying the ointment, he turned and fled.
Xie Pan took a cold shower and returned to his dormitory. He had just sat down on the bed when he realized she was asleep.
But as if she could sense it, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the bed, and Xie Pan fell to the side of her.
Perhaps because he was cool, she snuggled into his arms and hugged his waist tightly.
Xie Pan nearly choked.
Far away, in the outskirts of Beijing, in a large military camp.
Xie Dang had been asleep when he dreamt that Jia'er was leaning against someone else's chest. He suddenly woke up, wide awake, and threw on his outer robe before leaving the military tent.
I kept replaying that dream in my mind.
Who is that man? Why does he seem somewhat familiar?
For some reason, I suddenly remembered Xie Pan's question from today.
Xie Pan is usually not talkative, so why did he ask about Jia'er today?
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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:
Is she still not fully awake? Before her mind could process it, she flicked that spot with her hand.
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