wake up
Xie Shangjia, who was in a coma, kept crying in the pain of the cold poison and the confused memories.
The darkness was like a sticky swamp, and Xie Shangjia's consciousness sank in it for an unknown amount of time. Every time he tried to struggle to float up, he was dragged back into the abyss by the biting cold and the pain that tore his head apart.
My heavy eyelids finally opened, and what came into view was the plain tent ceiling of the guest bedroom. The air was filled with the aroma of soothing medicine, quiet and peaceful.
He rolled his eyes and looked towards the bed in a daze.
Shen Qianyue was lying on the edge of the couch, seemingly extremely tired and asleep. Her face was resting on her arm, and her hair, which was usually combed meticulously, was a little loose. A few strands of black hair fell on her cheeks. Her face was pale, and there was dark circles under her eyes.
Xie Shangjia's heart seemed to be gently grasped by an invisible hand. He wanted to reach out and brush the hair off her cheek, but he found that his whole body was weak and it was extremely difficult for him to even lift a finger.
His throat was dry and tight, and he subconsciously tried to swallow, but it caused an extremely slight air flow vibration, which moved his chest cavity.
“Ahem…”
Shen Qianyue's eyelashes trembled violently a few times, and her icy phoenix eyes, filled with the confusion of just waking up and the panic that had not yet dissipated, instantly met Xie Shangjia's gentle gaze on her.
"You're awake."
Xie Shangjia used up all the remaining strength in his body and raised his hand to touch her. The base of his hand was covered with needle marks and purple bruises.
Tears welled up in Shen Qianyue's bloodshot eyes. She reached out and held his hand, and the two cold hands were tightly clasped together.
Xie Shangjia's throat made a hoarse and weak sound: "Don't... don't cry..."
He breathed heavily, each word taking up enormous strength. His skinny fingers used all their strength, but only caressed the back of her hand very lightly.
The tears in Shen Qianyue's eyes slid down her pale cheeks and dripped onto their clasped hands.
"You were in a coma for seven days, Xie Shangjia. I almost...thought you would never wake up again."
Xie Shangjia felt that the tear was as hot as magma, burning his skin and even his soul.
"It's...it's me who's useless and always makes you cry."
He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, and every breath was accompanied by tearing pain, but his hand still stubbornly held Shen Qianyue's hand.
Shen Qianyue's tears completely burst out, and the tears poured down on their tightly clasped hands.
"Xie Shangjia...you...idiot!"
Pei Miaoyin, who came to deliver the medicine, stood silently in the shadows, with only deep fatigue and great loneliness on her face. She was like a poor audience who had accidentally entered the stage of someone else's destiny.
Pei Miaoyin sighed, looked at the two people holding hands on the couch, and put down the medicine bowl.
"Now that you're awake, tell me how you feel. Are you feeling any discomfort?"
Xie Shangjia tried to recall the past, but the more he thought, the more his head hurt: "Headache... I seemed to have some flashes of memory when I was unconscious, but I can't remember them clearly after waking up."
Pei Miaoyin nodded: "It seems that your memory is recovering. I will go and tell Master that you should rest for a few days."
Shen Qianyue carefully helped him sit up a little, cushioned him with a soft pillow, then picked up the medicine bowl, scooped up a small amount with a porcelain spoon, blew it cool carefully, and then brought it to his lips.
Xie Shangjia obediently opened his mouth and swallowed. The bitter medicine slid across his dry throat. His eyes followed Shen Qianyue's focused and gentle movements, looking at the fatigue and worry that could not be completely concealed deep in her eyes.
"I can do it myself. You can get some sleep and rest."
Shen Qianyue avoided his hand that was about to take the medicine bowl: "I want to feed you."
Xie Shangjia curled the corners of his lips: "But the medicine is very bitter, I want to drink it all at once."
Shen Qianyue paused and handed him the medicine bowl: "Okay."
After Xie Shangjia finished his last sip, Shen Qianyue wiped the corners of his mouth with a warm wet wipe.
Pei Miaoyin gave them one last deep look, a look that contained too many complicated emotions, and finally she turned around and strode away.
After explaining the situation to her master, she returned to her bamboo house, simply packed her luggage, led a horse out of the valley, and prepared to return to Beijing alone. The evening light shone on her lonely back.
In the room, Shen Qianyue leaned over and gently rested her forehead on their clasped hands, her voice hoarse but unusually gentle.
"My second brother wrote to me the day before yesterday, saying he had already reached the Snow Mountain and would be back in about ten days."
Xie Shangjia looked at her face so close to him, feeling the warmth of her forehead against the back of his hand. He nodded, his eyes fixed on her face greedily, as if he wanted to carve the warmth of this moment into his soul.
"Well, I can't bear to die."
Shen Yanhui soon appeared at the door. Seeing Xie Shangjia awake, a hint of relief flashed in his eyes and he knocked on the door.
Shen Qianyue stood up and was about to pay her respects, but Shen Yanhui pulled her up, walked quickly forward, placed his fingers precisely on Xie Shangjia's wrist pulse, and examined it carefully.
Xie Shangjia cooperated very well and lay quietly.
Shen Yan finished taking the patient's pulse and withdrew her hand. "Although the pulse is weak, the vital energy is stable. The cold poison has been suppressed temporarily. This time the disease is more severe. You need to rest and recuperate. Don't overwork yourself, and don't get emotional."
Xie Shangjia nodded and said, "Thank you very much, Valley Master. I cannot repay your kindness. If you need me in the future, please let me know."
Shen Qianyue asked, "Valley Master, could you please try some less bitter decoctions, or perhaps some suitable candied fruit that could lessen the bitterness?"
Shen Yanhui smiled and said, "My medicine tastes sweet. I also have candied fruits. I'll ask my disciples to bring some over later."
After she finished speaking, she stood up tactfully: "No need to thank me. If you feel unwell, call me immediately."
When there were only two people left in the room.
When Shen Qianyue walked to the bed, Xie Shangjia hugged her waist.
Xie Shangjia smiled ingratiatingly, his voice weak after being ill, and called her softly: "Qianyue, come up and have a good rest."
Shen Qianyue patted his hand: "I'm going to the side yard to rest, otherwise I'll disturb your rest."
Seeing her turn around and leave, Xie Shangjia wrapped his arms around her even tighter, his tone pitiful.
"I feel at ease with you by my side. I've been sleeping for a long time. I want to... take a good look at you."
Shen Qianyue felt a little uncomfortable. She was exhausted these days and had not washed properly. The words of refusal rolled on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them out loud. There was a hint of imperceptible awkwardness in her voice.
"Then I'll go wash up and be back in a while."
Xie Shangjia rubbed his head against her abdomen and said coquettishly, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Shen Qianyue asked the guard to fetch some water from the bathroom. Afraid that Xie Shangjia would be anxious, she simply soaked her face in cold water for a while and then washed herself carefully with soap nuts.
Half an hour later, Shen Qianyue finished washing up. She changed into a plain and soft nightgown, her black hair was loosely tied up, and her body was filled with fresh water vapor and a faint scent of soapberry.
Walking to the couch, he met Xie Shangjia's expectant gaze. He had already moved to the inside of the bed.
Chen Qianyue gently lifted a corner of the quilt and carefully lay down on the outside of the bed. There seemed to be an invisible river between the two of them.
Xie Shangjia turned sideways, facing her, moved closer to her side, and leaned lightly on her shoulder. His eyes greedily and gently traced the outline of Shen Qianyue, as if he could never see enough.
The room was filled with the aroma of medicine, mixed with the crisp and clean scent of soapberries from her bath, lingering around his nose.
"It smells so good..." He chuckled and murmured. His voice was as light as a feather falling to the ground, but it was particularly clear in this extreme silence.
Shen Qianyue pushed him: "Stop making trouble."
Xie Shangjia suddenly remembered that Shen Qianyue was fragrant...but what about himself!
After being unconscious for so many days, lying here like a living dead, would something happen to his body... This thought was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, making him freeze instantly.
He almost held his breath, carefully moving away from Shen Qianyue, and with a caution that was almost like a guilty thief, he lowered his head and sniffed his shoulders and arms.
There was no strange smell as one might imagine, only the scent of cotton cloth dried by the sun, mixed with the bitter herbal fragrance unique to the valley.
Just as he was secretly rejoicing and breathing a sigh of relief.
“Puff…”
Xie Shangjia's whole body stiffened, and she looked up suddenly, meeting Shen Qianyue's smiling phoenix eyes. The corners of her lips rose slightly, outlining a helpless and doting arc.
Xie Shangjia's face suddenly turned red, spreading from his ears to his neck, and even his collarbone exposed outside his pajamas turned pink.
"I...I..." He stuttered and spoke incoherently, his eyes darting around in panic, not daring to look into Shen Qianyue's smiling eyes again.
Seeing him looking so embarrassed that he was about to smoke, the smile in Shen Qianyue's eyes deepened. She resisted the urge to continue teasing him and just cleared her throat.
"Don't smell it, it doesn't stink. I just wiped it for you yesterday."
Wipe...over?
The blush on Xie Shangjia's face not only did not fade, but became even brighter, and even his neck was red. Although they had done more intimate things before, he still felt embarrassed...
My heart was beating wildly in my chest like a drum, hitting my fragile ribs and bringing a dull pain, but strangely, it was wrapped in the warm current and it didn't feel uncomfortable. Instead... it felt full.
He stared at Shen Qianyue with his mouth open, almost dully.
Shen Qianyue turned her face slightly to avoid his overly scorching gaze.
"Asleep."
Xie Shangjia gently patted Shen Qianyue's abdomen and deliberately softened his breathing, as if he was coaxing a child.
Shen Qianyue teased: "Xie Shangshu, would you like to sing a lullaby for me?"
Xie Shangjia thought about it seriously and actually sang the lullaby he had sung to Li'er before. It wasn't a complete tune, but it was very heartwarming.
The violent heartbeat, in the silent environment, was like the beating of a drum, again and again, so clear that it seemed as if it were right next to my ear.
Shen Qianyue hadn't had a good rest these past few days. Now that Xie Shangjia had woken up, her tense nerves finally relaxed, her breathing gradually became even and long, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Xie Shangjia looked at her tightly closed eyelashes, her straight nose, and her slightly pursed lips, his eyes lingering greedily on her face.
He couldn't bear to blink.
Shen Qianyue's brows seemed to be slightly furrowed in her sleep, and Xie Shangjia raised his hand and gently smoothed out the invisible wrinkles for her.
The sunlight moved quietly, casting the figures of the two people snuggling quietly on the wall gently, stretching and blending them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
