Chapter 35 I Am Me Xie Pan realized something was wrong with him, and he actually…
Thank you twice in one summer
There have been many things going on lately.
Lang'er disappeared at first, but fortunately Qingqing was very brave and actually found her.
The young couple had not returned for a long time, but Xia Rushi saw Lang'er's elegant handwriting and knew that everything was fine, so she could finally relax.
Lang'er did reply, but Xie Pan and Xie Dang disappeared without a trace.
Xia Ru didn't take it seriously at first. Xie Dang had been on the battlefield many times before, and there were always times when the fighting was so intense that communication was impossible.
But now, despite the frequent reports of victories from the front lines, no letters have been sent from either of them.
For the past few months, their letters had been arriving at the mansion like snowflakes.
Xie Dang's letter was addressed to Jia'er, but Xia Rushi didn't even glance at it; it was all with the old lady.
Xie Pan's letter was only addressed to the Marquis's residence, but it ended up in Xia Rushi's hands.
The letter, like the man himself, was simple and straightforward, merely stating that he was eating well, sleeping well, and unharmed—everything was fine. It also asked how she was doing lately and whether she was settling into her new home at Tingzhuxuan.
Like a puppy afraid of being abandoned by its owner, it only dares to quietly probe whether its owner still lives in its yard. It doesn't even dare to say that it misses its owner.
As the period of silence lengthened, the atmosphere in the mansion grew increasingly somber.
The old lady sent someone to inquire, and Xia Rushi also went to find Ying Yi. The news from both sides was that the two were fine, and the women of the Marquis's mansion should not worry too much, lest they harm their health.
But those two words, "it's alright," are enough to make one feel uneasy!
What do you mean by "it's alright"?!
I have no idea where the two are now; I can't find them even if I wanted to!
After waiting anxiously for over a month, the army finally returned.
The old lady and Xia Rushi were both preoccupied with their own worries and hadn't been sleeping well lately. Since the start of the war, Xia Rushi had spent most of her time with the old lady, sleeping in Shi'an Garden.
Given her current status, it's inappropriate for her to go to either the main courtyard or Tingzhu Pavilion.
Suddenly, one night, the old lady woke up in a fright, but did not wake anyone else. She sat alone in the courtyard for a while. Xia Rushi, who lived in the side room, also felt something and suddenly woke up. She put on her clothes and came out to find the old lady already in the courtyard.
She didn't wake the servants, but quietly went over and sat down next to the old lady.
Just as the last vestiges of night were about to be swallowed by dawn, a sudden sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside.
The two exchanged a glance, quickly helped each other up, and hurried toward the gate of the mansion.
Halfway there, they encountered a group of people covered in wind and rain.
Several people carried a stretcher and hurried over, followed by soldiers holding torches.
As she got closer, Xia Rushi realized that the person carrying the stretcher at the front was Xie Pan.
He was covered in dust, even his hair was covered in a layer of ash, and his clothes were so dark that their original color was no longer visible.
She still recognized those fiery, burning eyes, and then saw his pale lips; her heart sank.
She hurried over to him, and before she could even process what was happening, she touched his chest and arms to see where he was injured.
Xie Pan has lost weight, become darker-skinned, and looks unwell.
Xie Pan was caught off guard and his face immediately turned red. He became flustered and lost all his composure.
Xie Pan grasped her hand gently yet firmly, and whispered, "I'm fine."
He paused, then continued, "My brother was seriously injured."
He lowered his eyes, and Xia Rushi followed his gaze.
They instantly met Xie Dang's lost, bloodshot eyes.
So that's Xie Dang on the stretcher...
She hadn't thought of him for a single moment just now.
She blinked and came to her senses, then called to the people, "Quickly carry it inside. I'll write a letter and send someone to the Regent's Palace."
After saying that, he took two steps and then turned around, looked at the soldiers behind Xie Pan, pointed at them, and said, "You don't look injured, come and carry the stretcher."
He looked Xie Pan up and down again, warning him with his eyes not to be reckless.
Xie Pan hesitated, glancing at his brother's numb face, before finally listening to Xia Rushi's arrangement.
After the soldier took the stretcher from him, Xie Pan looked at his brother.
The elder brother closed his eyes, his eyelashes seeming a little wet.
He curled his fingers, helped the old lady escort his brother back to the main courtyard, hesitated for a moment, looked in the direction she had disappeared, and then returned to Tingzhu Pavilion alone.
The old lady had already returned to the main courtyard with Xie Dang. This time, Xie Dang was severely injured, with a large hole in his chest from a spear and sword wounds piercing his body. If Xie Pan hadn't led his troops to rescue the besieged Xie Dang, and hadn't unhesitatingly stuffed both himself and his Yanluo Pills into Xie Dang's mouth, Xie Dang might not have been able to endure it and would have died on the spot.
Xie Pan rushed a thousand miles to provide support, but upon arrival he learned that his brother was besieged. Despite the objections of others, he led his troops to rescue him. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly escape unscathed? He shielded his brother and took a fatal blow himself.
That enemy general was incredibly strong. He almost thought he was going to be cleaved in two by the blade. For a moment, he thought he was going to die, but a dreamlike flame of hope kept him going.
The commander-in-chief then fed him his own Yanluo Pill, which woke him up.
Perhaps because he had something on his mind, he recovered much faster than his brother. By the time they reached the capital, he was even able to ride a horse on his own.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, Xie Pan looked around Tingzhu Pavilion, and a sense of desolation washed over him.
He couldn't smell her presence here, only the familiar, ordinary loneliness he knew all too well.
The courtyard wall had been rebuilt, and Xie Pan couldn't see how busy things were on the other side, but he could hear people coming and going.
Hearing the noise, the mute man opened the door and saw him. His eyes immediately reddened. Seeing his weathered appearance, he quickly slipped on his shoes and went to boil water.
Xie Pan returned to her room, pushed open the door, and found that all her belongings were gone.
Even though he had expected it, his heart ached. He stopped looking around and silently took off his dirty, smelly clothes.
When the mute old man brought water, several exclamations came from the main courtyard.
He heard someone whisper that the Marquis had fainted!
Xie Pan stepped into the bathtub, the warm water engulfing him. The water stung his still-healing wounds, making his scalp tingle, but at that moment he only felt relief. He lowered his head in silence.
Her brother was so badly injured, almost on the verge of death, she probably won't come tonight.
Xie Pan was exhausted and leaned against the bathtub, closing his eyes.
Having narrowly escaped death several times on the frontier, he held his breath, thinking that she was still waiting for him.
Regardless of what she chooses in the future, he kept his promise to her and returned safely.
He was extremely tired...
The next moment, a crisp slapping sound rang out in the bathroom. Xie Pan opened his eyes in a daze and saw her standing next to the bathtub, glaring at him angrily.
Was it a dream?
He reached out to her in a daze, only to have his hand slapped away.
I didn't hold back at all; I even slapped his hand until it was red.
Xie Pan then realized... this wasn't a dream?
"Xie Pan, are you trying to drive me crazy? I wasn't watching you for a second, and you dared to soak in the water with your injuries?!"
She scolded him mercilessly, her fair face flushed with anger, and she tugged at his arm, "Get up!"
Xie Pan hadn't had a proper rest in a very long time, and his reactions were extremely slow at this moment.
She tugged at him, and he obediently stood up from the bathtub.
His muscular physique was on full display, including his quiet yet highly noticeable penis.
Xia Ru didn't care about anything else. She quickly covered his shoulders with a bath towel, took his hand, and urged him to lie down on the bed.
Xie Pan was stunned, each step feeling like he was walking on clouds.
Lying on the soft bed, smelling the familiar fragrance, every inch of Xie Pan's skin was screaming with desire.
Xia Ru didn't care what he was thinking and busied herself with her work. First, she casually grabbed a handkerchief and covered his little brother with it, then she took a clean white handkerchief and carefully wiped the water droplets off his body.
Aside from the knife wound across his chest, Xie Pan had countless small, scattered wounds all over his body.
Xia Rushi's eyes reddened as she watched, and she moved her hands even more gently.
After wiping away the water droplets, the medicine was applied, and the man's body tensed up from the pain.
From the moment she appeared, it felt like a dream.
Aren't you going to see your brother?
Xie Pan stared at her, lost in thought, as if he were drowning in her image.
But the answer to the question was not the truth.
Upon hearing this, Xia Rushi stopped what she was doing, glared at him with a stern face, and said, "Don't think that just because you're injured and can't say anything nice, I won't hit you."
"I haven't asked you yet, how did you get this injury?"
Xie Pan stammered, and Xia Ru glared at him, but she didn't seem to expect any answer from him anyway, and continued to apply the medicine to him.
Something welled up in Xie Pan's heart, and he suddenly found the courage to raise his hand and tentatively touch her cheek.
Soft and warm. He gently rubbed it with his knuckles, which made Xia Rushi glare at him angrily, but she didn't push his hand away.
The fire in his chest burned even brighter.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard.
Someone stopped outside the door and shouted urgently, "Madam! The Marquis has fainted!"
Xie Pan's hand froze, and he suddenly felt his arm was very heavy. He slowly lowered his arm.
He lowered his eyes, trying to appear magnanimous and let her go see, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Xia Ru frowned, "Has the miracle doctor arrived?"
The person outside paused, then said, "They're here."
Xia Rushi then said, "It would be fine if the miracle doctor came; I don't know how to treat illnesses."
The person outside the door stood frozen for a long time before leaving.
Xie Pan was extremely disappointed.
The man had called her "Madam," and she didn't object.
Xie Pan realized something was wrong with him; he had developed a demon in his heart and become extremely petty.
The sadness in my heart is like hot water in a pot, boiling and bubbling.
He must have been incredibly audacious to dare to probe her, "They've come looking for us over there, aren't we going to go check it out?"
After saying that, she pursed her lips and turned her face away, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Listen to those words; they're so sour he can't even stand them. They're sure to annoy her.
Xie Pan closed his eyes dejectedly.
Xia Rushi paused in applying the medicine to him and looked up at him.
I don't know what happened to this person, but when he came back he started talking nonsense.
But he was covered in wounds, and she didn't know where to begin.
Suddenly, she glanced at the overly enthusiastic General Xie.
In stark contrast to him.
Xia Ru sneered and slapped that spot without any mercy.
"Are you still talking nonsense?!"
In an instant, Xie Pan's body trembled violently, his narrow eyes widening in astonishment. He looked at her in utter disbelief. His body flushed crimson, but when their eyes met, his pupils trembled as he quickly looked away.
He quieted down and became obedient.
"I'm not going to say anything more."
He tilted his head, looking extremely obedient, even the edges of his wound were flushed with embarrassment.
Seeing this, Xia Rushi continued to apply the medicine to him.
She was heartbroken to see him covered in wounds.
It wasn't until she heard his uneven breathing that she realized something was wrong. She looked up and met his deep, dark red eyes.
He was secretly watching her when she caught him red-handed before he could hide.
Meanwhile, in the main courtyard, Xie Dang fainted.
Upon seeing Jia'er, all she saw was Xie Pan. Without even asking him anything, the pent-up frustration in her heart surged up uncontrollably.
After passing out, Xie Dang realized that his soul had floated out of his body.
He stood there for a while to catch his breath, then drifted towards Tingzhu Pavilion.
He floated back inside and saw a scene that made his eyes widen in horror.
His daughter, Jia'er, not only doesn't visit him...
Still here...
Here...
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Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:
Every time he fell asleep, it felt as if the heavens were punishing him.
He dreamt of Jia'er and Xie Pan every night, about how they loved each other...
Aunt Jia's side story ends tomorrow, and then I'll add a few more side stories for the sisters and brothers-in-law I promised my little ones.
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