A bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the silvery moonlight envelops the quiet Taoyuan Village.

Xu Wenhe's courtyard only has two rooms that can accommodate people. On weekdays, he and Hao Ge'er each have a room and a bed. Now that Tao Ti and Pei Yan have joined, Hao Ge'er goes to sleep in Xu Wenhe's room, while Pei Yan and Tao Ti live together in Hao Ge'er's room.

There were no wide beds or quilts in the countryside. Tao Ti had thought that the bed she had stayed in at the post station was narrow enough, but Hao Ge'er's single bed was even narrower than the bed at the post station.

Because of his injury, Pei Yan had to lie flat on his back. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he took up most of the bed.

Seeing Tao Ti standing by the bed without moving, Pei Yan tried to move closer to the bed to make some space for her, and said softly, "Ati, you've been tired for a day and a night, go to bed and rest."

Seeing that he was about to fall off the bed if he turned over, Tao Ti hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please sleep a little deeper. You don't have to make room for me. I'll sleep on the floor tonight."

Pei Yan frowned, "No."

"It's okay. It's almost May now. Even if you put a blanket on the floor, it won't be cold." Tao Ti said in a relaxed tone, "You have wounds on your body. I'm afraid that if I sleep in a bad posture, your wounds will split. It's better for you to sleep separately."

Seeing that she was really going to sleep on the floor with the blanket, Pei Yan struggled to sit up, but he moved too quickly and accidentally pulled the wound, causing him to groan in pain.

Tao Ti turned around and saw that he was in pain. She rushed forward to help him and said anxiously, "Your Highness, lie down quickly."

"Ati, don't sleep on the floor." Pei Yan grabbed her wrist and tilted his head back. His beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to be filled with stars, glowing with a heart-warming brilliance under the dim candlelight.

Tao Ti was distracted for a moment, and blinked her watery black eyes, "...Okay, okay."

After she finished speaking, she realized that she had said "yes"???

What the hell, the bed is so small, is he going to let her sleep on top of him?

Alas, it was all because of the man’s attractive appearance that bewitched her mind for a while.

Seeing her agree, Pei Yan's handsome face slowly relaxed and he smiled gently, "Then blow out the candles and take a rest."

Taoti glanced at the embarrassing little bed and sighed softly, "Hmm."

Unlike in the palace, after getting into bed, the embroidered curtains could still emit a faint light. In this small village, there were no curtains, only thin green gauze curtains. When the candlelight went out, there was only pitch darkness.

Tao Ti carefully climbed onto the bed from the foot of the bed, fearing that she would accidentally touch his wound.

When she curled up and lay down——

It is difficult to lie flat, so I can only sleep on my side.

She gently adjusted her sleeping position, first facing the wall, but soon she smelled the moldy smell coming from the dark yellow-green wall.

Although she tried hard to ignore the damp, moldy smell, her face was too close to the wall and the smell went straight into her nose, making her feel like she was in a dungeon.

Just when she was about to give up, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and turned her in another direction.

"Why are you holding your breath? Aren't you afraid of hurting yourself?" The man's pleasant and low voice came.

In the darkness, Tao Ti couldn't see anything, but based on the warm breath brushing against her cheek, she judged that Pei Yan was very close to her at this moment. She answered randomly, "No, I'm not holding my breath..."

Her back was pressed tightly against the cold wall, trying to create some distance between them, or at least not to get too close. However, the bed was too small, and she could hardly squeeze out more space, so her body inevitably touched it.

Fortunately, it was pitch black all around and I couldn't see anything, which slightly reduced the feeling of embarrassment.

After a moment of silence, Pei Yan said softly, "Ati, it was so dangerous last night, why did you rush up? If you weren't lucky enough to fall into the water, your life would be in danger."

After hearing this question, Tao Ti was silent for a moment before saying, "I saw you were in danger and instinctively wanted to save you. Do I need a reason to save someone?"

Pei Yan, "..."

"If there must be a reason, it's probably that human life is very precious. People only have one life in this lifetime, and once it's gone, it's gone..." Tao Ti added.

Pei Yan pursed his lips. His originally expectant mood had somehow turned into a bit of depression. He pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, if it wasn't me who was assassinated, but someone else, would you have rushed forward regardless of everything?"

Tao Ti choked.

But the immediate answer came from my heart: Of course not.

She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Your Highness, you are different from the others."

Pei Yan's heart beat violently, but his tone remained calm, "It's different in some way."

Tao Ti couldn't help but tense up a little, and her voice became even quieter, like a mosquito humming, "It's just... Your Highness, you have always taken care of me so much, and we are friends..."

Friend? Pei Yan laughed dumbly.

He could feel that the little girl beside him was almost curled up. If he continued to ask, she might not be able to rest well tonight. Thinking of her tired look during the day, Pei Yan did not ask any more questions.

Unexpectedly, after a short silence, the little girl timidly said, "Your Highness, do you think...will the body of the hunter be discovered today?"

Pei Yan was stunned. If she hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten about it.

He said, "It shouldn't be discovered so quickly. Even if it is discovered, others can't do anything to us."

Compared to killing the hunter, Pei Yan was more concerned about Tao Ti's impression of him.

Thinking of her frightened look, he said in a deep voice, "Ati, I killed that hunter today. Do you think I am... cruel and ruthless?"

Thinking of the hunter's ugly face, Tao Ti was so angry that she was like a pufferfish. She said sullenly, "No way! That guy deserved it! If it weren't for you, Your Highness, who took action in time, I would have killed him too!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately shut up in annoyance.

Why was I shouting and calling for war in front of Pei Yan? This is not gentle and elegant at all!

Pei Yan seemed to guess what she was thinking and chuckled twice.

After a moment, he said in a gentle voice, "I'm relieved that you won't alienate me because of this matter."

"No, that's the way you deal with bad people. I can't thank you enough."

"No need to be grateful. If we're talking about favors, you saved my life on the pleasure boat, so I should be grateful to you."

"Well, don't worry about it. I didn't help much... To be honest, I caused you to fall into the water, and we were like a message in a bottle drifting in the water for more than forty miles..." As she spoke, her voice gradually became smaller and smaller, and it became an indistinct mumble.

Pei Yan only heard the first half of her sentence, and said in a serious tone, "The grace of saving my life should be kept in mind... Let me think about how to repay you?"

Taoti, "No, no."

Pei Yan, "Why not pledge your love to me?"

Taoti, "???"

Was she hallucinating, or was Pei Yan's brain burned out?

Tao Ti was surprised, thought for a moment, reached out to touch Pei Yan's forehead, and muttered softly, "It's not permed anymore, why are you still talking nonsense?"

Pei Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Atimo doesn't dislike Qi Gu?"

Tao Ti thought, how could that be possible? You have all the qualifications: a good figure, a pretty face, a good family background, talent, and a gentle personality. You have never lost your temper or said a harsh word to her. Even her own parents don't have such good patience... If you are still rejected, it would be simply unfair.

It's just that, although promising oneself to each other sounds wonderful, in reality... it's simply impossible between the two of them.

He is a human being, a human being with a short life span of only two years.

She is a god, and if she doesn't choose to fall into a deep sleep, she will be immortal.

Isn't there a classic line in the storybook that goes "Human demons and gods have different paths"? They are not on the same path at all.

Even if she likes him, what can she do?

Tao Ti lowered her long eyelashes and smiled awkwardly, "Your Highness, stop joking. It's getting late. Why don't you go to bed early?"

Pei Yan was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "...Okay."

They both fell silent, only hearing a few insect sounds coming from outside the window.

Tao Ti was thinking about Pei Yan's words in a mess, but she was so tired that she fell into a deep sleep soon.

Pei Yan felt the body next to him relax, so he pulled her into his arms and tucked in the corner of the quilt.

His chin rested against her whorl of hair and he sighed very softly, "Little fool, I was joking with you."

There was no response from the person in his arms, only the sound of even breathing.

………

Tao Ti was awakened by a loud crowing of a rooster. The big rooster in the countryside wakes up early and has a loud voice, so it is very effective in waking people up.

She looked up sleepily and saw dim light coming through the window, which showed that it was still early.

She was just about to lie down and take a nap when she suddenly noticed that the person next to her seemed to be a little strange?

In the dim light, Pei Yan's cold white skin was tinged with an unnatural red, his brows were tightly wrinkled, and there was a layer of fine sweat on his forehead.

Tao Ti raised her hand and placed it on his forehead, and immediately the sleepiness disappeared without a trace.

Oh no, it’s burning again!

She hurriedly sat up and called softly, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."

At her call, Pei Yan opened his eyes weakly, his eyes still a little wet, and he said "hmm" in a hoarse voice.

Tao Ti said worriedly, "You have a fever again... I'll go find Uncle Xu!"

She hurriedly got up and dressed quickly, but her long black hair was hanging down, and she didn't know how to comb it into a bun, so she just pulled a piece of rope and tied it up casually.

When she walked out of the door, the door opposite was still closed. Tao Ti looked up and saw that it was just getting light. She estimated that it was around four in the morning and the moon was still there in the sky.

She walked to the door opposite and was about to knock, but her hand stopped in mid-air——

She and Pei Yan had already troubled Uncle Xu and his grandchildren enough, and it would not be nice to disturb their rest so early in the morning.

After a moment's hesitation, she decided to help Pei Yan cool down first. The old man always got up early, and it was estimated that in half an hour, Uncle Xu would also be up.

After making up her mind, Tao Ti hurried to the kitchen, boiled a pot of hot water, made a bowl of light salt water, poured the rest into the basin, mixed it with the liquor, and set it aside to cool.

"Your Highness, drink some light salt water first." Tao Ti bent down, put her arm through the back of his neck, lifted him up a little, and quickly stuffed a pillow down.

Two nights and one day passed, and Pei Yan had new blue stubble on his lips, and he looked much more haggard. Although he was still running a fever, his mind was much stronger than that of an ordinary person, and he was still conscious at this moment.

Tao Ti fed him spoonful by spoonful, and he cooperated by drinking.

After feeding the baby a bowl of light salt water, Tao Ti stood up and tested the water temperature in the wooden basin. It was neither hot nor cold, just right.

She brought the basin to the bedside, looked at Pei Yan who was half lying and half leaning, pursed her lips, and whispered, "Your Highness, I will help you cool down by wiping your body, so you need to take off your clothes... I am not taking advantage of you..."

Pei Yan half closed his eyes, said nothing, and let her do as she pleased.

Tao Ti held her breath, unbuttoned his pajamas, and gently lifted them up, revealing his chest muscles, abdominal muscles, and mermaid lines again...

It was a truly delightful scene.

She was thinking about something inappropriate at the right time, but soon she remembered her important business, picked up the towel and wiped his body.

She stared at him, avoiding the bandaged areas, and wiped his arms, neck, chest, abdomen, thighs, calves... His body was very hot, and she could feel his scalding heat even through the thin towel.

As she was wiping, a question popped up in her mind: Wasn't Pei Yan frail and sickly since childhood? Then why was his figure so good?

These chest and abdominal muscles are not something you can get by just training casually...

She was lost in thought when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Tao Ti was startled, and looked at Pei Yan with dark eyes, innocent and confused, "......?"

Pei Yan narrowed his eyes and said hoarsely, "Don't be distracted when you wipe it."

After saying that, he let go of her hand.

Tao Ti was still a little confused until she saw Pei Yan's pajamas that were about to be pushed to the key part by her, and her hand on his flat belly——

Ahhhhhhh, I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die!

Suddenly, her fair little face turned completely red.

"Yes, yes... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it..." She lowered her head and stammered.

"It's okay." Pei Yan said in a hoarse voice.

Next, Tao Ti wiped him as quickly as possible and quickly ran away with the wooden basin.

Outside the house.

Xu Wenhe also got up and was a little surprised to see Tao Ti rushing out of the room.

Tao Ti was very surprised to see Xu Wenhe get up, and quickly told him about Pei Yan's fever.

After listening to Tao Ti's words, Xu Wenhe walked into the left chamber.

Seeing Pei Yan's dishevelled clothes, his chest slightly open, and some water marks on the ground, he guessed what happened and joked, "No wonder Madam Tao's face was so red, it turned out that she was helping you wipe your body."

Pei Yan didn't respond, but just politely said hello to him.

Xu Wenhe took a look at it and had an idea in his mind. After coming out of the house, he prepared a new prescription and gave it to Tao Ti to make.

Tao Ti quickly lit the stove and boiled the medicine. She wiped her hands on her apron and asked Xu Wenhe worriedly, "Uncle Xu, didn't my husband's fever go away yesterday? Why did he have a fever again today? Is it related to his physical condition? He accidentally fell into the water when he was a child, and his health has not been good since then..."

Xu Wenhe glanced at the faint dark circles under her eyes, and he was filled with emotion, wanting to say something but stopping himself. In the end, he chose to lie, "Yes, it has something to do with his weak constitution. Of course, the main reason is the infection of the wound, which caused the high fever... But don't worry, as long as you drink my medicine and rest well, it will be fine."

Tao Ti was relieved at this point, and thanked Xu Wenhe, then smiled and said, "Then I'll go make breakfast first, and we can eat when Hao wakes up."

Speaking of food, Xu Wenhe stroked his white beard and smiled more. "Okay, okay, make more."

Tao Ti agreed and turned into the kitchen.

After the medicine was cooked, Xu Wenhe took the initiative to deliver the medicine to Pei Yan in order not to disturb Tao Ti from making delicious food.

………

Hao Ge'er was awakened by the smell of breakfast. He quickly put on his clothes and ran out. Looking at the sumptuous breakfast on the table, he exclaimed "Wow" with joy.

On the square table, in the middle stood a large bowl of golden millet and pumpkin porridge, surrounded by fried tofu meatballs, pan-fried leek boxes, stir-fried radish with sauerkraut, and two large plates full of soup dumplings. In the bright morning, the steaming dishes were fragrant and mouth-watering.

Xu Wenhe hurried Hao Ge'er to wash up, and first picked up a soup dumpling and put it in the bowl, "Madam Tao, is this also a dumpling? How could you make the skin so thin? It looks delicate and translucent, and the folds are pinched into flowers, which is very beautiful."

"This is a soup dumpling, the characteristic is that the skin is thin and the filling is thick." Tao Ti pushed a dish of fragrant vinegar in front of him and said with a smile, "You can try the original flavor first, and then try the one with vinegar. Each has its own taste."

"Okay, I'll try them all." Xu Wenhe listened to her and picked one up and put it in his mouth.

The skin of the soup dumpling is very tender and smooth. It breaks with a slight bite, and the delicious and rich soup inside flows out all at once, rushing to fill the whole mouth. It is so delicious that it makes your eyebrows fall off! Especially the meat filling, which is fragrant and not loose, and oily but not greasy. If you dip it in some vinegar, the sour vinegar will neutralize the oil in the meat filling, and the taste will be even more refreshing.

"Good, good, really good!" Xu Wenhe praised it with all his might, picked up another one and ate it with relish.

Tao Ti took Pei Yan's condition into consideration and prepared to give him a separate breakfast.

There was no tray at Xu Wenhe's house, so Tao Ti had to carry everything in one by one. When Hao Ge'er saw it, he immediately stood up and helped her carry it.

Inside the house, Pei Yanan leaned quietly on the bed. The soft sunlight of the early morning shone through the wooden windows of the house and slanted onto her, making his already handsome profile more distinct and gentle.

"Are you hungry?" Tao Ti walked over and said as she placed breakfast on the table. "I made some light and easy-to-digest food. The chive dumplings are a bit greasy, so I didn't give them to you. You can eat more of these fried tofu balls and soup dumplings. And this pumpkin porridge, I cooked it for half an hour. It's thick and very healthy."

Pei Yan said, "Ati, my chest hurts a little, and I feel a little weak. I'm afraid I can't move my chopsticks..."

Tao Ti was stunned, and looked at him in surprise and worry, "Is it so serious?"

"Um."

Pei Yan's voice was gentle and hoarse, with a hint of laziness that made people seduce him. "So, could you please feed me?"

He raised his head. From the angle where Tao Ti was standing, his beautiful peach blossom eyes looked rounder, with droopy corners, dark pupils and bright eyes, which gave him a pitiful look like a puppy's eyes. Coupled with his pale face and slightly pursed light-colored lips, he really looked... pitiful!

Tao Ti swallowed unconsciously. She couldn't hold it in at all!

"Okay, okay, I'll feed you." She nodded and turned to Hao Ge'er who was standing beside her and said, "Hao Ge'er, go out and eat with your grandfather first."

Hao Ge'er looked at Pei Yan, his small eyes full of confusion, "......?"

Yesterday, his condition was worse. I handed him medicine and he took it with one hand and drank it well. How come after a day of rest, he needs to be fed? I really don't understand.