Chapter 40 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Gradually.
Xie Xuan was stunned for a while before he came to his senses. He knew what Yu Jing meant, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Okay."
Yu Jing was badly injured, and her wounds wouldn't heal anytime soon. He needed to take care of her and get some rest himself. Given the current situation, it was understandable that he, a grown man, would hesitate or be coy, since she didn't seem to mind. Besides, if he were by Yu Jing's side, he could quickly take care of her if she felt unwell.
Xie Xuan responded and walked towards the bed. Yu Jing felt inexplicably nervous upon hearing Xie Xuan's response, after all, it was the first time she had shared a bed with a man. And if it were any other man, it wouldn't matter, but it was the Heavenly Lord Xie Xuan, how could she not be nervous?
Although Xie Xuan readily agreed, he was actually quite worried. After all, she was the Empress Dowager. If others found out, her entire family would be executed.
Thinking this, he quickly reached the bedside. Yu Jing looked at him with her round eyes. Xie Xuan stammered for a moment, "I'll lie on the outside."
"Okay," Yu Jing replied, a blush already spreading across her face.
"Excuse me," Xie Xuan said, then put one arm around her waist and the other hand around her neck, gently moving her to the side.
Yu Jing's wound had just reopened, and Xie Xuan was extremely careful not to hurt her. They were close enough that Yu Jing could smell a faint scent of blood on him. Suddenly remembering something, she softly asked, "Your wounds..."
Yu Jing stopped talking after saying that.
"It's nothing serious," Xie Xuan replied. "They're just minor injuries."
Xie Xuan's breath brushed lightly against Yu Jing's face as he spoke, and Yu Jing suddenly felt a tingling sensation, and her breathing became a little erratic.
Xie Xuan carefully placed Yu Jing inside the bed, then gently climbed onto the couch. He deliberately positioned Yu Jing a little further inside and lay down a little further outside, creating more space between them. After Xie Xuan lay down, Yu Jing wanted to offer him some blankets, but his hand was injured and he couldn't move, so he could only say, "Blankets."
"Oh." Xie Xuan hurriedly responded, and got up somewhat hastily to tidy up Yu Jing's messy blankets. After tidying for a while, he lay down again.
Yu Jing felt a gust of wind come and go. She glanced at the blanket covering her properly and sighed softly, saying, "No, I just wanted you to pull it over a bit."
"Oh." Xie Xuan's ears turned red, then he got up and carefully pulled some blankets over himself. The two of them lay stiffly on the couch, their breathing clearly audible.
Xie Xuan was exhausted. Although his nerves were on edge, lying down was much more comfortable than sitting. Before long, his eyelids drooped, and he didn't even know when he fell asleep.
Yu Jing lay there for a long time, feeling unwell and unable to sleep. Xie Xuan lay beside her, but she was also injured and unable to move. She stared blankly at the faded white curtains.
Yu Jing was awakened by the crowing of roosters. She opened her eyes and sighed softly. Thinking of what had happened last night, she turned her head slightly and saw Xie Xuan. Xie Xuan was probably really tired; he was sleeping soundly, and his breathing was heavy.
The long journey and the recent events had left Xie Xuan looking thinner than when he left the palace.
Suddenly Xie Xuan moved, turning to face Yu Jing. Yu Jing quickly turned her head away and closed her eyes. Xie Xuan turned to his side, frowned, and struggled to open his eyes.
Yu Jing lay there, her face fair and delicate, her nose high and straight, her lips pale. Though her eyes were closed, her eyelashes trembled violently. Xie Xuan felt as if his heart had been brushed by Yu Jing's eyelashes, a tingling, itchy sensation that made it pound wildly. Xie Xuan reached out and absentmindedly touched his chest; this feeling was something he had never experienced before, a truly subtle sensation. Turning back to steady himself, he gently lifted the covers, stood up, took his outer robe from the rack, put it on, and then took the bowls and chopsticks from the previous night before going out.
I had a good night's sleep and felt refreshed and much more energetic.
Yu Jing heard the door close, opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she reacted quickly; otherwise, if she had been awake, she would have been incredibly embarrassed.
Xie Xuan went out and happened to run into Sun Jun, who was about to leave.
"Brother Sun," Xie Xuan called out.
"Hey, you're awake." Sun Jun nodded with a smile. "How was your wife last night?"
"It's fine." Xie Xuan replied, the scene from last night inexplicably flashing through his mind, his ears turning slightly red. He then asked, "Brother Sun, what's going on?"
"Oh, didn't Lao Wu say last night that I should go pick up the medicine early this morning? I'll go get it now," Sun Jun replied.
"How about I go?" Xie Xuan said. It was a matter between him and Yu Jing, but he felt bad about troubling Sun Jun and Li Yun.
"It's alright, I'll go get it. Besides, you don't know the way, do you? You just woke up, breakfast is ready, go eat." Sun Jun said as he started to walk out.
Since Sun Jun had already said so, there was no need to refuse. Xie Xuan replied, "Alright, thank you very much, Brother Sun."
"No need to be so polite," Sun Jun replied with a smile and then left.
Xie Xuan took the bowls and chopsticks used the night before to the small kitchen. Li Yun was preparing vegetables when she saw Xie Xuan coming over with the bowls and chopsticks. She asked, "How is your wife? Is she alright?"
"It's alright," Xie Xuan replied, taking the bowls and chopsticks to the sink to wash them.
Seeing this, Li Yun quickly said, "Leave it there, I'll wash it."
"It's alright. Staying here is already troublesome enough. I can handle these small things," Xie Xuan replied. Just then, a voice rang out from outside—the voice of a middle-aged woman, rough and loud.
"Sister Yun!"
"Yes," Li Yun replied, "I'm in the kitchen, come in, Auntie Pang!"
After a while, they heard noises coming from the doorway.
"This morning, Shuang'er and I went up the mountain to pick mushrooms. There were so many and they were so fresh. With the spring rain, everything comes to life. So, I brought some over for you."
Xie Xuan had just finished washing the bowl in his hands when he turned his head to look over.
A middle-aged woman, somewhat plump, dressed in a light red coarse cloth dress and carrying a basket, paused for a moment upon seeing Xie Xuan, then looked at Li Yun: "Oh! You have guests?"
"Young master, you're quite handsome!" Before Li Yun could speak, the woman called Aunt Pang said first.
"Auntie," Xie Xuan greeted politely.
"Yes," the plump aunt replied with a smile, then looked at Li Yun and muttered in a low voice, "Whose relative is this? I've never seen her before."
"No, Old Sun picked them up from outside. His family was in the fabric business. When they passed through Qian'an Slope, their goods were robbed by bandits, and all the people with them were killed. They fell off the cliff."
Aunt Pang was so surprised she couldn't close her mouth: "You mean from that cliff at Qian'an Slope?"
“Yes,” Li Yun replied.
"That cliff at Qian'an Slope is incredibly high! To fall from there and still survive! Wow! That's some serious luck!"
“Who says otherwise?” Li Yun replied.
"Hey, young man, where do you run your fabric business?"
"I heard it's in the capital," Li Yun said after a moment's thought.
"The capital! That's a wonderful place!" Aunt Pang exclaimed in surprise, her voice rising considerably, which Xie Xuan also heard. He roughly understood what they were talking about, silently prepared rice porridge and side dishes, and turned to take them to the room to feed Yu Jing.
"My Shuang'er is also of marriageable age. He comes from a good family, is handsome, and is as pure as a gentle breeze and a bright moon. He is truly a good son-in-law!" Aunt Pang said with emotion as she watched Xie Xuan carry breakfast out. "He is indeed young, even his food is more substantial."
"Don't even think about it, his wife is right inside." Li Yun said, her voice much louder than before, after Xie Xuan left.
"Wife?" Aunt Pang frowned and repeated.
"Yes, he and his wife fell together. His wife was injured and is resting in the room right now," Li Yun said as he sat back down to pick vegetables.
"Sigh," she sighed, "what a pity."
"I'm going back now," Aunt Pang said, putting down the basket of mushrooms she was carrying.
"Okay, thank you. It's kind of you and Shuang'er to get up so early." Li Yun replied with a smile.
"Not at all, there were just so many mushrooms, so I brought you some to try. If I had known there were other people in your family, I should have brought more," Aunt Pang replied as she walked out the door.
Yu Jing was lying down when she heard the door open. She turned her head and saw Xie Xuan. She asked curiously, "Who was outside just now?"
"Oh, perhaps they're neighbors, bringing freshly picked mushrooms for my elder sister." Xie Xuan replied casually, walked to the bedside, set out breakfast, and then very easily helped Yu Jing get up.
Yu Jing sat half-upright as Xie Xuan fed her porridge.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of Yu Jing drinking her porridge. Thinking about how they had shared a bed the night before, Yu Jing felt a little embarrassed. Although she felt the atmosphere was awkward, she didn't dare say anything.
Xie Xuan fed Yu Jing porridge, spoonful after spoonful, blowing on it to cool it before serving, his movements practiced and skillful, like a long-time married couple. Thinking of this, Xie Xuan tightened his grip on the spoon, then looked back at Yu Jing. These past few days, the image of Yu Jing holding his hand on the cliff, her face resolute as she jumped, kept flashing through his mind. He was human too; he felt fear—fear of heights, fear of pain, fear of death. But at that moment, Yu Jing's expression was calm, without a trace of fear.
"Xie Xuan, come here." That's what she said then. Her voice was strong and clear, without any trace of despair at the end of her rope.
If it were any other noble lady, she would probably have been crying her eyes out when she was assassinated, let alone pulling him off a cliff together. When Xie Xuan thought back on it now, he realized that even though Yu Jing was injured and in such a situation, she had never cried unless she was in extreme pain.
Does the injury still hurt?
Yu Jing was drinking her porridge when she suddenly heard Xie Xuan ask this question. She raised her eyelids to look at him. His gaze was intense, and there was an indescribable feeling about him, as if he was different from before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
"I'm fine now," Yu Jing replied casually.
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