Lou Yunchun woke up to the familiar scent of paper and ink, and for a moment he didn't know what day it was or where he was.
"Ajahn?"
"Hey, are you awake?" There was a rustling sound from outside, followed by the sound of crutches and heavy footsteps, and Xu Jiang limped into the inner room.
Lou Yunchun stared at her in a daze. Only when she sat down in front of the bed did he come to his senses. After looking around, he asked, "Is this the county government office?"
"Yeah." Xu Jiang helped him up with one hand, "Be careful."
When he half sat up, he smiled and said, "You woke up just in time. Shan Bo went to get the medicine. Drink it before you go back to sleep."
Lou Yunchun looked at her hand covered by the cloth, then at the crutch beside her. He hugged her close and asked, "How is your injury? Does it still hurt?"
"It's gotten much better these past few days. It doesn't hurt as long as I don't touch it." Xu Jiang waved at him, then sighed, "You injured yourself like this, and you didn't ask a single question when you woke up. Aren't you worried about becoming a cripple in the future, or... what to do?"
When Xu Jiang thought of Wan Sheng, she couldn't utter those two words.
Lou Yunchun readily asked, "What did Doctor Wu say about my injury?"
"She said the wound is healing and there's no further suppuration. Once she fully recovers, she'll be back to normal."
"That's good."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "It's all thanks to Uncle Shan and Sister Mei. We caused them a lot of worry this time, especially Uncle Shan, who wiped your body and fed you medicine. He didn't get a good sleep for several days."
A trace of guilt flashed across Lou Yunchun's face, "Thanks for his hard work."
Xu Jiang stared at him for a long moment, then touched his face and said, "Doctor Wu is right. From now on, we must take care of ourselves and stop taking ourselves so lightly."
Although they were injured, one due to an accident and the other due to the emperor's order, Lou Yunchun was unable to get a good rest in order to come to her as soon as possible, which caused his injuries to worsen.
She whispered, "Do you know how I felt when she scraped the rot and healed your wound?"
Lou Yunchun stared at her injured hand and nodded, "I know, it's heartbreaking."
"But no matter how heartbroken we are, we can't truly bear even a fraction of each other's pain." Xu Jiang touched his shoulder. "In the end, we each have to bear our own pain and suffer our own pain. Watching each other get hurt and suffer, we can only stand by helplessly, anxiously watching."
She continued slowly, "Although poetry and prose always praise unwavering love, which lasts until death, when you truly love someone and only want them to be well, how could you bear to see them hurt or die?"
At this point, Xu Jiang couldn't help but think of Xu Yuan and Xi Zhi. Didn't they also realize that true love was just for the sake of "good" after they had fought each other and were bleeding, so they chose to stop in order to suffer less?
It's just fate that plays tricks on them. If Xu Yuan and Xi Zhi hadn't met those evil people, they would have lived well after separation, and one would not have lost his life and the other would not have wasted half his life.
Now, she and Lou Yunchun do not have these obstacles. As long as they take good care of each other, they can walk to the end of their lives peacefully. "We still have a lot of time to live together. If we sacrifice it for a moment to be together, how can we talk about a lifetime together?"
Although Lou Yunchun's visit to her surprised her, it also brought her more shock and guilt. She didn't dare to imagine what the consequences would be if she hadn't rescued him and if Wu Zhi hadn't been there.
Lou Yunchun was silent for a moment, then said, "It's my fault. I won't do anything stupid again and scare or worry you."
Seeing that he understood her meaning, Xu Jiang also admitted her mistake and said, "It's my fault too. I need to change my nature of just joining in the fun."
"No need to change. If you change, you won't be yourself anymore." Lou Yunchun pressed her against his chest, patted her back, and said softly, "Just call me wherever you want to go from now on. I'll watch over you."
Xu Jiang rubbed his chest to wipe away the moisture in her eyes, "Okay."
The two hugged each other quietly.
Xu Jiang listened to his steady heartbeat, and the anxiety she had felt in the past few days gradually subsided.
Lou Yunchun asked, "What were you doing outside just now?"
"I previously promised Mr. Du that I would help him proofread a set of 'Rhymes' and 'Rules of Poetry' and then find a bookstore to print them."
Wu Zhi originally wanted her to rest well, but after lying down for a few days, she couldn't lie down anymore.
First, she directed the kitchen to prepare the two grass carps she had brought, cooking one into sashimi and the other into a stew according to her menu. However, because she was ill and couldn't eat cold or meaty foods, she only watched Du Hui and Wu Zhi eat until they were full.
Afterwards, she begged Du Hui to allow her to proofread the two books. Although she could not use her right hand, she could still write and engrave with her left hand.
Du Hui originally did not agree, but seeing her limping around the door of his study from time to time, he was afraid that she would come out again, so he agreed with a sour face.
"Don't overwork yourself." Lou Yunchun took her left hand and wiped the ink stains off it.
"No, I'm not tired. I was lying in bed for a few days, and my bones were almost broken. In addition to taking medicine and massage, I was also fed a lot of supplements, which made me fat. Taking on this task is a good opportunity to exercise, and Doctor Wu also agreed."
Xu Jiang scratched his face, leaving a few black marks. "You should get better soon so we can return to Beijing soon. Otherwise, we'll miss my aunt's birthday."
Lou Yunchun had been in a coma these past few days, as if he wanted to make up for the sleep he had missed before. Shan Bo was so scared that he had to check his breathing from time to time.
Wu Zhi, however, said that getting more sleep is a good thing, as it helps nourish vital energy and regulate internal breath.
Later, everyone found out that Wu Zhi had added two sleeping pills to the medicine to prevent him from running around when he woke up.
When Du Hui learned about this, he praised it.
However, after sleeping for a few days, Lou Yunchun's complexion has indeed improved a lot.
Bewitched by her beauty, Xu Jiang leaned forward and placed her lips against the ink-stained area.
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