Chapter 37
Afu and Tongjin opened the doors and windows, letting in the cold, bright moonlight and the chilly night wind. The candlelight flickered, and the curtains swayed.
The night was cool and still.
Wei Mingsu held Lu Huaying in his arms, looking down at her intently. He took a handkerchief from Afu and gently wiped her face, his dark eyes flickering in the candlelight.
The doctor sat by the bed, his brow furrowed.
The room was filled with a stifling silence, and Lu Huaying's intermittent, rapid breathing, caused by difficulty breathing, was alarming.
Xiao Suniang stood outside, unable to resist craning her neck to look inside, her face filled with fear and her back covered in cold sweat.
Tong Jin and A Fu stood beside her.
Everyone remained silent, their expressions filled with worry and solemnity.
Time suddenly slowed down.
After an unknown amount of time, the doctor's voice rang out from inside the room: "The pulse is neither deep nor shallow, it has stabilized. Young master, there's no need to worry too much, you'll be fine by tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Suniang and the others all clutched their chests and breathed a sigh of relief, finally putting their minds at ease.
The doctor took out a bottle of ointment and instructed, "Young lady may have eaten some food she is naturally intolerant to before going to bed, causing discomfort, spots all over her body, difficulty breathing, a slowed pulse, and confusion. Fortunately, it was discovered early, and some medicine will cure her. However, you must be careful in the future, as this discomfort may occur every time, sometimes mildly, sometimes severely. You must pay close attention to what you eat and not be careless."
Tong Jin took over the leftover cakes and dried meat that Xiao Suniang and Lu Huaying had eaten that night.
Xiao Suniang's face was pale, and she said guiltily, "These are all the foods that Third Sister used to love to eat... I know her dietary restrictions, and I only gave her what she usually eats. She used to eat them every day without any discomfort, so why is she like this tonight?"
She brought only food that was durable and wouldn't spoil easily to the West.
The pastries, filled with finely ground lard, had a golden-brown crust and a soft, sweet filling. The red dried meat jerky, resembling red silk in color, had a rich aroma. Families from wealthy families in Chang'an and Luoyang would often take these pastries as gifts for distant relatives and friends when traveling. She remembered Lu Huaying's preferences and, recalling that there were some of Lu Huaying's favorites in her luggage, she specifically took them out.
Afu asked, "Could it be that the things have gone bad from being left out for too long?"
Wei Mingsu, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "She hasn't touched these things for four years."
Everyone was taken aback.
After a moment of stunned silence, Xiao Suniang's eyes welled up with tears.
The doctor picked up the cakes and red dragon-shaped dried meat, smelled them, and said, "The food isn't spoiled. It's possible that the young lady is currently weak and has poor blood circulation. In addition, as the young master said, she hasn't eaten these for four years. Even foods she used to eat regularly can suddenly cause intolerance, which is not uncommon. Every spring when the willow catkins are flying, some women with weak constitutions are prone to spring illnesses."
Hearing this, Xiao Suniang felt even more guilty.
Wei Mingsu looked up at her and said, "Go change your clothes."
Xiao Suniang was taken aback.
Wei Mingsu said, "Her clothes and the bedding on the bed need to be changed. Change your clothes and come over to help her wash up."
Xiao Suniang realized what was happening, responded, turned around and went out, found her luggage, asked for a basin of cold water to quickly wash herself, changed her clothes, and immediately went back to her room.
She paused suddenly when she saw the scene inside the house.
The room was quiet, filled with the dim yellow light of candlelight. Lu Huaying was still unconscious; her sweat-dampened hair was disheveled, and her face was deathly pale. Wei Mingsu held her, brushed her hair aside, and gently wiped away her sweat. When she made a sound of discomfort, he lowered his head and patiently whispered to comfort her.
Xiao Suniang couldn't hear what Wei Mingsu said to coax Lu Huaying. In the dim candlelight, his angular face was calm and expressionless, as if he had no emotions. His dark eyes, which were staring at Lu Huaying, were also calm and cold.
She stepped over the threshold and went inside.
A hoarse yet gentle voice soothed in a low voice: "Feifei..."
Xiao Suniang's astonished gaze fell on Wei Mingsu's face.
He still had an indifferent face.
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But his tone was so gentle.
Xiao Suniang lowered her eyes, quickly walked to the bedside, and helped Lu Huaying sit up.
Her white shirt slipped down, and Xiao Suniang hurriedly hugged her, pulled up her collar, and gave Wei Mingsu a wary look.
Wei Mingsu had already looked away. He stood up, turned his back to them, and said, "Change them all."
He walked to the door but did not go out.
Tong Jin and A Fu brought new bedding and a bucket of hot water. Wei Mingsu didn't let them into the room. He carried the bedding in one hand and the water in the other, placed them under the curtain, and went out. Still with his back to the inner room, he instructed Xiao Suniang: "Change her clothes, cover her with a blanket, feed her some hot water, wipe her body, apply the medicine, and then dress her."
Xiao Suniang helped Lu Huaying take off her clothes.
Although the Xiao family was not a prestigious one, they were still descendants of officials. When Xiao Su Niang went on long trips, she was always accompanied by several servants. This was her first time taking care of a patient, so she was a little flustered. She first took off Lu Hua Ying's clothes, then turned to wring out a handkerchief. Remembering Wei Ming Su's words, she quickly turned back to pull the quilt over Lu Hua Ying, fed her a few sips of hot water, and then turned back to wring out the handkerchief.
Wei Mingsu stood outside the curtain with his back to Xiao Suniang, giving her instructions one by one.
Xiao Sunian helped Lu Huaying change her clothes and apply medicine in his low, hoarse voice, and breathed a sigh of relief.
She handed out her clothes and bedding, and then lay down on the edge of the bed fully clothed.
The candlelight grew dimmer and dimmer.
Xiao Suniang was a little sleepy and closed her eyes.
"She's asleep?"
In the silence, a hoarse voice came from outside the curtain.
Xiao Suniang jolted awake.
Wei Mingsu is still here?
Xiao Suniang turned her head and looked at the long shadow cast by the candlelight under the curtain, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Four years ago, Brother Wei must have taken care of Third Sister all night long, right?
He knew that the red spots on Third Sister's face were not from poisoning, and he knew how to coax her into taking medicine while she was delirious. When he took care of Third Sister, he was skilled, steady, mature and gentle, even more patient than Xiao Suniang's wet nurse.
Who would have thought that the aloof Brother Wei would be so considerate in private?
Xiao Suniang sighed inwardly, looked back at Lu Huaying, pulled the blanket up for her, and whispered, "Brother Wei, Third Sister is asleep, and the red spots on her face seem to be fading away."
"Okay." The figure outside the curtain stood up. "Apply the medicine to her again tomorrow morning."
He went out and gently closed the door behind him.
The east was beginning to turn a pale blue, and the faint morning light shone on the snow-covered ground. Ancient pagodas stood amidst the vast white expanse of sky and earth, creating a desolate scene.
Wei Mingsu didn't close his eyes all night, but he couldn't fall asleep at all.
I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway.
He stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door, watching the snow for a while. He went back into the yard to change out of his sweat-soaked shirt and sat down to apply medicine to himself.
Tong Jin knocked on the door and came in, asking in a low voice, "Master, after dawn... should we have Afu escort Lu San Niang back to Liucheng?"
Wei Mingsu raised his eyes.
The last time Lu Huaying had a full-body rash was four years ago.
At that time, she didn't want to be called delicate, thinking it was just a rash, so she endured it without saying anything. Later, when her whole body ached and itched, she still endured it.
When Wei Mingsu found her, she had several scratches on her body.
She was stubborn, secretly scratching herself while trying to appear strong: "I'm fine, it's just mosquito bites."
Wei Mingsu looked at the bumps on her hand.
She raised her hand to show: "Such a big mosquito, and the bites are big too!"
Daylight broke.
Wei Mingsu looked out the window and said in a low voice, "We'll set off after she's fully recovered."
Tong Jin was somewhat surprised.
Wei Mingsu then instructed, "Make her move out."
They were even more surprised.
Wei Mingsu looked down at the gauze in his hand, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Find a few people who haven't shown their faces in Xizhou and go with them. Go and settle the situation in Xizhou now."
Tong Jin understood and nodded, saying, "Yes."
The young master can change his itinerary for Lu Huaying, but he doesn't want the aristocratic families of Xizhou to think they have any connection.
Wei Mingsu instructed in a deep voice: "Find a clean place."
Tong Jin turned around and went out to make arrangements.
Wei Mingsu sat in the gradually brightening room, his eyes dim.
...
Lu Huaying opened her eyes as the morning light streamed through the window.
She was in a deep sleep last night, but she still vaguely remembered that she was supposed to leave for Liucheng this morning. When she saw the light in the window, she quickly sat up.
I overslept!
She threw back the covers to get out of bed.
"Third Sister, don't get up." Xiao Suniang pulled Lu Huaying back down. "The doctor said you need to rest for two days."
Lu Huaying then realized that her whole body was a little sore.
Xiao Suniang went out and poured a bowl of hot tea, then brought it back into the house, saying with a guilty look, "Third Sister, it's all my fault. I made you eat cakes and red dragon-shaped dried meat, and now your body is covered in red spots! Luckily, the doctor lives nearby!"
Lu Huaying took a couple of sips of tea, which sobered her up a bit. She looked down at her arm and vaguely remembered that she seemed to have developed a lot of bumps on her body last night.
She had had bumps before, and suddenly they covered her whole body overnight. They were itchy and painful, and she couldn't help but scratch them.
"Feifei, be good, bear with it, it'll be harder to heal if you scratch it open."
A gentle, persuasive voice popped into my mind.
Looking at the red spots on her arm that hadn't completely faded, Lu Huaying felt a jumble of thoughts welling up inside her.
Xiao Suniang said, "Third Sister, you should go back to sleep. Tongjin just said that Brother Wei has something to ask Afu to do. You're also sick, so we won't go to Liucheng today. We'll postpone it for two days."
Lu Huaying was taken aback and looked up at the doorway.
"Was Governor Wei here last night as well?"
She looked puzzled and asked softly.
Xiao Suniang recalled Wei Mingsu's expressionless face when he warned her, and felt a chill run down her spine. She looked away, shook her head, and said, "He's at the door, he didn't come in."
Lu Huaying slept for another half an hour.
After breakfast, an attendant came to tell Lu Huaying and Xiao Suniang to move out with their luggage, and Wei Mingsu found them another place to stay.
Xiao Suniang glanced at Lu Huaying secretly.
Lu Huaying breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "We've packed everything up, we can move in today."
Wei Mingsu had official duties to attend to, and the Zhang family had already misunderstood their relationship; she should have left long ago.
Tong Jin personally saw Lu Huaying and Xiao Suniang off, and said with a smile, "I arranged your accommodations. They are also in the dormitory, but it's a separate courtyard. I'll take you there."
Lu Huaying walked out of the courtyard wearing a cloak.
She arrived empty-handed, without any luggage. Xiao Suniang said that she was not fully recovered and wouldn't even let her touch a pen.
As she walked through the corridor, Lu Huaying stopped and looked back at the courtyard to the south.
A few days later, she was going back to Liucheng.
Wei Mingsu has finished handling his official business in Xizhou; it's unclear whether he will be transferred back to the capital.
They may never see each other again.
Lu Huaying thought for a moment, and it seemed that the last thing Wei Mingsu said to her was just two words: "Please go back."
She looked at the snow on the wall and smiled slightly.
That's much better than what I said four years ago, "I never want to see you again in this life."
Lu Huaying withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.
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