Chapter 128: Mountain Farmers

By the time the bandits had been almost wiped out, with only a few left, it was already late.

Pei Luoshu found a farmer's yard and carried Chen Shiyi to sit on the bed in the room.

"The conditions here are not very good, please just stay here."

Chen Shiyi smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay, it's fine, you don't have to worry about it."

He brought a basin of hot water, lifted Chen Shiyi's feet, took off his shoes and socks, and started soaking in the hot water.

Chen Shiyi blushed.

"A Luo, I'll come by myself."

Pei Luoshu nodded after listening, and walked out again. After a while, he brought another jar in his hand and poured a bowl of white wine into it.

He turned around, took a handkerchief, wiped Chen Shiyi's feet, grabbed her right foot, dipped it in wine, and rubbed her red and swollen ankle.

She was born thin and had naturally small feet. In his hands, her fair feet were only slightly bigger than his palm. His strength was just right, not too heavy or too light, and the perfect amount of pain made Chen Shiyi enjoy it very much.

"Does it hurt?"

Chen Shiyi pursed her lips and shook her head shyly.

"You shouldn't have come here. Look, your foot is sprained. Even if you're not in pain, I feel bad for you."

Chen Shiyi whispered softly.

"There are still many bandits in the county town. I begged the county lieutenant to come to you. Besides, I can still help you a little."

Pei Luoshu didn't stop rubbing his feet. He looked up at her and asked with a smile.

"When did you learn the bow and arrow? How could you be so good at it?"

Chen Shiyi thought about it.

"I studied for more than a year. When I left the mansion, I thought I had to have some skills. Otherwise, it would not be safe for a woman like me to go out."

Pei Luoshu paused for a moment, then continued.

"As it should be, you did the right thing."

After saying that, he carefully placed Chen Shiyi's feet on the bed, then took the water outside and poured it out.

After a while, he came in with a bowl of steaming noodles.

Under the flickering candlelight, this bowl of noodles looks extremely delicious.

But after Chen Shiyi took a few bites, he didn't want to eat it anymore.

Pei Luoshu frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? Does it taste bad? You should at least eat a few more bites. It will be uncomfortable if you are hungry later."

Chen Shiyi shook his head.

"It's delicious, but I don't have an appetite now, so I can't eat it."

Pei Luoshu looked worried.

"What should I do?"

He wanted to persuade Chen Shiyi to eat more, but Chen Shiyi still refused.

He was sure that Chen Shiyi really didn't want to eat anymore, so he started eating with her bowl and chopsticks.

"A Luo, that's what I've eaten."

Pei Luoshu replied.

"It's okay. Besides, it would be a shame to waste the food."

Chen Shiyi lay on the bed for a while. After an unknown amount of time, the door of the room opened again.

The aroma of burnt meat wafted into the air.

Chen Shiyi hurriedly sat up.

Pei Luoshu took something out of his arms, opened it and found a pair of rabbit legs skewered together and wrapped in leaves. He handed it to Chen Shiyi.

"I noticed that you couldn't eat your dinner. It must be because the noodles weren't tasty. The rabbits in the mountains are delicious when roasted. Try some..."

There are still bandits in the mountains, how dare he...

Chen Shiyi's eyes suddenly turned red.

She took the rabbit leg from Pei Luoshu's hand and took a few bites.

Pei Luoshu just looked at her quietly and smiled with relief.

"It seems that the noodles really don't taste good."

The rabbit leg was very big, and Chen Shiyi couldn't eat any more after taking a few more bites. Pei Luoshusi finished it without any disgust, and then fetched water for Chen Shiyi to wash, covered her with a quilt, closed the door and walked out, never to come back.

It drizzled today, and at night the moon was high in the sky.

The moon was dim, and a few rays of light leaked through the windows of the room, making the room seem particularly cold and quiet.

Farmers' houses in the mountains are naturally not as warm as those in the county town. Moreover, the coldness in the mountains is even greater than in the city. The thin bedding still makes Chen Shiyi shiver.

I don’t know where Pei Luoshu rests at night?

She heard a slight noise outside, so she stood up, put on her shoes, and slowly moved her still aching feet to stand by the window.

On the steps outside the window, Pei Luoshu sat quietly at the door. The dim moonlight wrapped around his black robe, softening his sharpness and making him look even more gentle like jade. Next to him was an unsheathed sword.

Perhaps sensing Chen Shiyi's gaze, Pei Luoshu slowly turned his head, saw her, raised the corner of his mouth, picked up the unsheathed sword, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at her quietly.

"Can't sleep?"

"Um."

"Are you scared? Don't worry, I will always be outside guarding you and will not let the criminals hurt you in the slightest."

Chen Shiyi's eyes were pale, his head slightly lowered, and he spoke softly.

"A Luo, you go and have a rest too. I'm not afraid."

"It's okay, it's just one night, it won't cause any trouble."

"It's so cold at night, and you haven't recovered from your illness yet."

"Eleven, the bandits are still roaming around. Your safety is the most important thing. If I fall into a deep sleep and something happens, I won't be able to bear it..."

"I just hope you're okay."

Perhaps the moonlight in the mountains was too bright, or Pei Luoshu's eyes were too scorching, making Chen Shiyi a little dazed.

She didn't remember how she fell asleep at night, nor how she returned to Lotus Lane. When she woke up from her daze, she had been back for two days and two nights.

Bailing really couldn't bear to see Chen Shiyi in this state.

Where did that cool and wise sister go?

After arriving at Yougu County, Mr. Pei drugged me, and I acted like a possessed person, dazed and stupid every day.

"Sister, what are you thinking about?"

Chen Shiyi held his chin and looked at the swaying red candles in front of him.

"Bai Ling, let's stay in Yougu County and not go back."

Bai Ling was startled.

"Sister, don't you want those industries in Yanzhou anymore? Yuanxi, Yuanshu, Xuwen, old man, are you going to throw them all away?"

"Also, have you forgotten why you came to Rivendell County this time?"

Chen Shiyi woke up suddenly. It had been a long time since she thought about what happened before.

If Bailing hadn't told her, she would have almost forgotten that she came here to see if Pei Luoshu was the one who saved her life that time.

She heard his personal rejection, but she had forgotten about it while she was with him.

"Sister, what are you thinking now? Are you going to keep your promise, or choose to forget it and be with Master Pei?"

Chen Shiyi pondered for a long time, felt his palms a little cold, shrank into the quilt, and whispered.

"Can't we have both?"

Bai Ling seemed a little angry.

"Sister, how can you be so fickle? Master Pei is devoted to you, how can you be worthy of his sincerity? You have someone in your heart that you want to commit to, and you still want to be with Master Pei, how can you be worthy of him?"

"I…"

Chen Shiyi found himself speechless.

Bailing felt distressed when she saw Chen Shiyi like this.

"Sister, I'm sorry, Bailing said something wrong."