Chapter 20
Shen Aheng finally managed to drive the people away, but in the afternoon, just as the sun was about to reach the corner of the eaves, a rustling sound was heard outside the courtyard gate.
Shen Aheng looked out and saw that Ashina Yu had come in at some point and was standing there holding a bundle of tender wild vegetables that were so tender that they could be pinched to make water.
A thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face seemed paler than when he left in the morning.
Seeing her looking at him, Ashina's jade ears turned red. He pursed his lips and forced an excuse: "The Artemisia selengensis next to the mountain cave is quite fresh. I'll give it to you."
Shen Ahheng's eyes fell on the bundle of wild vegetables that was cleaner than his face, with water droplets still on it. He didn't know how long he had been washing them alone by the stream.
Seeing his stubborn look, Shen Ah Heng swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and deliberately teased him: "Oh, I remember you just picked a bundle yesterday, and you left it on the wooden cabinet in the back kitchen without finishing it."
Upon hearing this, Ashina Yu's ears blushed to the bottom of his jaw. His fingers gripping the wild vegetables tightened unconsciously. Feeling somewhat helpless at being exposed, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, and after a long while, he managed to utter, "It's no longer fresh."
Shen Aheng was amused by his appearance, so he had to wave his hand to let him in: “Okay, okay, come in.”
The person has already arrived, she can't let him stand at the door with wild vegetables in his hand.
Ashina Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She loosened her grip on the wild vegetables and walked in lightly.
Dinner was cooked very early. After dinner, Ashina Yu washed the dishes, carefully put the ceramic bowls and wooden chopsticks in order, and wiped the stove with a cloth towel before secretly glancing at Shen Aheng.
Seeing the girl holding the Ophiopogon japonicus and Polygonatum odoratum tea he had prepared earlier, sitting leisurely in the rocking chair on the porch, swinging her feet to rest, with no intention of driving him away, his eyes lit up slightly, and without saying anything, he turned around, picked up the axe in the corner, and silently went to the yard to chop firewood.
His movements were neat and meticulous, and he would raise his hand to press his chest from time to time, unable to hide his reluctance to leave.
Only occasionally, while chopping wood, he would quickly look up, as if afraid of disturbing something, and then quickly look away, which made people feel a little soft-hearted.
Shen Ah Heng pretended not to notice and took a sip of herbal tea slowly, which was considered as tacit consent for him to stay.
I laughed secretly in my heart.
This little Hu guy isn't very good at procrastinating or peeking.
Three days passed like this. Every evening, Ashina Yu could find a clumsy excuse to delay for half a day. Sometimes he would say that the wind was too strong in the yard and the gate needed to be reinforced. Sometimes he would say that the water tank in the kitchen had to be filled to avoid a water shortage at night. When doing things, he was also a hundred times more patient and meticulous than usual, usually dawdling for two or three hours longer.
It was not until Shen Ah Heng could no longer bear it and urged him to go back to rest that he lowered his head, like a captured little animal, with his head and tail drooping, and moved slowly. When he left, he did not forget to put every stool in the yard into a square position.
On the fourth day, Shen Aheng secretly went to the town at the foot of the mountain early in the morning. He saw the gentlemen in the teahouse eating melon seeds and chatting, and there was not even a shadow of an official on the road. He was immediately relieved.
When I returned to the yard, I saw Ashina Yu squatting by the well, holding a cloth with his slender fingers and carefully wiping a ceramic bowl. His movements were so methodical that even the rim of the bowl was polished to a shiny finish.
The sunlight fell on his pale and handsome profile, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes. He still looked a little sickly, with a cold and gorgeous aura all over his body.
Shen Aheng's heart moved when he saw this, and he walked forward: "Now that the storm has passed, you are not in good health, you will be fine now. I will go with you to get your things back and move back to the house to live."
Ashina Yu paused while wiping the bowl, then looked up. Her dark eyes lit up, but she didn't lose her composure. She just pursed her lips and replied softly, "Okay."
He put the clean ceramic bowl aside and stood up calmly, but his steps were noticeably lighter than before.
Ashina Yu followed Shen Aheng into the cave. When they reached the entrance, Shen Aheng lifted the vines at the entrance, bent down and walked in. Just as he was about to reach out and search, he was stunned.
Although the cave was simple, everything was neatly arranged. His clothes were neatly folded and placed on the stone platform, and the two small packages he brought with him were also placed securely. It was almost the same as the last time she sent him here. It was simple, like just a place to store things.
There are not many signs of people living here.
Shen Ah Heng walked forward and reached out to touch his bedding. He felt dampness on his fingertips, and even the clothes folded beside him were damp.
The humidity in the mountains is high all year round, and this cave is in the shade, so it's extremely damp inside. He has managed to survive like this for so long without saying a word.
Maybe he didn't even have a proper sleep at night.
Shen Aheng suddenly felt a surge of guilt in his heart, and silently packed the clothes together with Ashina Yu.
Returning to the yard, the two walked straight towards Ashina Yu's room.
This room was where the master lived before he died. Most of the things inside were old things left by the master. The master was careless and would throw things away after using them. There were always piles of untied herbs and empty wine jars on the table. The air was always filled with the lingering smell of wine, and dust accumulated in the cracks of the floor.
Shen Ah Heng was so angry that he would clean up while cursing every time.
Ever since Ashina Yu moved in, this place seemed like a different place. The originally messy wooden table was polished to a shine, and the empty wine jars left by the master were not thrown away, but neatly stacked in the corner of the wall, without any smell of alcohol.
The scattered old things were all put back in their places. Even the old coat that the master had thrown on the bedside was washed clean and put into the wooden cabinet. The old medical books arranged in order on the corner of the table still bore the traces left by the master during his lifetime, exuding a sense of security and comfort.
Shen Aheng put the package in his hand on the table, thinking of helping him put it in order, but he was in trouble.
After her master passed away, she locked the room and rarely went in. When Ashina Yu moved in, he cleaned the room himself. Seeing how clean the room was, she didn't know where to put his clothes. In her hurry, she even knocked a book off the corner of the table.
Seeing this, Ashina Yu didn't say anything, but walked forward, picked up the books from the ground with her pale and slender fingers, and arranged them in their original order. Then she took the clothes from her hand, folded them gently and put them into the old wooden cabinet against the wall. She even put the small items in the package in place one by one. Her movements were calm and meticulous, and she tidied up the room full of her master's old things in a neat and harmonious way.
Looking at Ashina Yu's neat movements, Shen Aheng couldn't help but praise her in her heart. It would be a pity if Ashina Yu didn't go to the embroidery room to be an embroiderer with such hands. Not only did she cook delicious food, but she was also a hundred times more skillful than her in cleaning up.
Coming out of the house, Shen Ahheng looked up at Taise. The setting sun was hanging in the air, like crushed gold foil, covering the entire sky and giving the entire mountain temple a warm halo.
Ashina Yu was standing in the golden area, his light grey robe was stained with tiny lights by the afterglow, making his figure look even more tall and handsome.
He leaned slightly to the side, with a few strands of hair falling in front of his forehead. When his calm eyes looked at her, they were like a lake filled with afterglow, clear and with indescribable tenderness.
The whole person is as beautiful as a carefully painted ancient painting.
Shen Ah Heng suddenly felt a strong desire in his heart, hoping that time could be frozen forever at this moment.
It wasn't until Ashina Yu's gaze lingered on her face for a long time and he gently called out, "What's wrong?" that she suddenly came back to her senses. Like a thief caught, she hurriedly turned her eyes away, forcibly deleting the thought from her mind, and mumbled, "No, nothing... I just think the sky is beautiful today!"
Thinking about how he had been living in a cave or making do these days, the guilt in her heart surfaced again, so she slapped her thigh and said, "Wait."
Upon hearing this, Ashina Yu looked at her calmly with a gentle inquiry.
Shen Ah Heng strode up to him with a heroic tone: "In order to reward you for your 'suffering' these past few days, this headmaster decided to cook for you personally and show you my skills. Are you happy?"
Ashina Yu opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something. When Shen Ah Heng saw him, his pretty face pretended to be gloomy. He reached out and tapped his arm, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, what's with that expression on your face? Is the food I cook enough to kill people or what? You don't trust me at all?"
Ashina Yu was stunned by his barrage of questions for a moment, then sighed helplessly, opened her thin lips slightly, and said in a gentle voice: "No, no, I..."
Before he could finish, Shen Aheng interrupted him directly, then curved his eyes and smiled, and said to him with a smile: "I'm just teasing you. I know you are weak, so I'll make you a five-spice cake to nourish your spirit."
Having said that, he turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
But just as he raised his foot, there was a loud "clang" outside the courtyard gate, and the wooden door was violently slammed open. Then a group of people in black robes with purple patterns rushed in. The leader was a tall middle-aged man with dark patterns embroidered on his robe and steady steps.
Shen Ah Heng was stunned, and recognized him at a glance. That person was the one who grabbed her bottle of Qinglingcao juice and asked her questions slowly when the officials came to search her house a few days ago and were about to leave.
Na Luozhen stood still in the courtyard, his eyes passing lightly across Shen Aheng's face, without stopping, and without any extra emotions, as if he was just looking at an insignificant object, and then he steadily landed on Ashina Yu's body, raised his right hand and pressed it on his chest, slightly bent his back, and performed a greeting to the "spiritual servant". Then he stood up and uttered a string of obscure Western dialect. His tone was calm but with an unquestionable tone, and every word was clear.
[Spirit Servant, you have been raised in the sect since childhood and have never set foot in the dangerous outside world. The people here are treacherous and surrounded by wolves. It is not a place for you to stay safe. Since you have been away from home for a long time, you should follow me back to the sect and do not take such a risk.]
Shen Ah Heng was completely confused when he heard this. He only felt that the man's syllables were strange and difficult to understand. He subconsciously looked at the black-robed people surrounding the courtyard, and then hurriedly turned to look at Ashina Yu.
At some point, the gentle and elegant aura around him quietly changed. His thin back was slightly tense, and there was a hint of coldness between his handsome eyebrows. Before she could react, he raised his eyes to meet her gaze. When he spoke, he still had that clear voice, but he spoke the Western dialect with an extraordinarily firm tone, which made her heart tighten.
[If I want you to return with us, I must wait until this body of yours is dissolved into the wind and sand here.]
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