Holding hands
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Although the dream was long and dark, I still woke up, warmed by the sun shining directly on me.
I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Lan Feiyu's face. She was half-squatting, half-sitting beside me, leaning down to look at me. When she saw that I was awake, she asked softly, "Xi'er, how are you feeling?"
"Hmm..." I opened my mouth with difficulty and slowly uttered the words, my voice as soft as I was, "I have no strength."
Lan Feiyu naturally placed her hand on my forehead and sighed softly, "Your injuries are quite severe. Even if the medicine works, it will take time to recover."
She told me to continue lying down, then turned and went to the still-burning campfire. She scooped out a bowl of soup from last night from the earthenware pot, held it in both hands, propped my head up with one hand, and brought the rim of the bowl close to my lips with the other.
I took a sip and found the flavor to be even stronger than before, with a faint fishy taste. I frowned, pursed my lips, and refused to take a second sip.
Lan Feiyu put down the bowl, looked at me, and said slowly, "There are some good healing medicines added to this. They were delivered overnight by Mr. Tao from the clinic. If you want to get better soon, you should drink it all up. Once you have the strength, we can leave."
I blinked, unable to believe that she had brought up Mr. Tao on her own initiative.
In that moment of distraction, Lan Feiyu unintentionally poured another large mouthful of liquid into my throat, causing me to choke and cough repeatedly. The increasingly indescribable taste of the liquid eventually slid down my throat.
"Ah! You're so mean!" I yelled angrily at Lan Feiyu through my teary eyes, blurry from coughing.
Lan Feiyu ignored me, put down her bowl again, walked to another corner of the hut, picked up a bamboo basket with a wide bottom and a narrow mouth, opened a small door in the middle of the basket, reached inside and took out a pale yellow rectangular strip folded in several layers, and handed it to me: "Eat quickly."
I took it, took a bite, and was surprised to find an egg inside. I couldn't help but ask, "Did Mr. Tao bring this too?"
"Mmm." Lan Feiyu took one for herself and ate it with gusto.
As I ate, I calculated in my mind that even if Mr. Tao had ridden a horse all the way from the clinic to here, he probably wouldn't have had a peaceful night. I somewhat forgave his ill intentions towards me, after all, I wouldn't be too happy if he made me spend the night in the hustle and bustle.
Lan Feiyu ate very quickly, finishing one in no time, and then in the blink of an eye, she had devoured the second one, leaving only half. Meanwhile, I hadn't even finished the first one. I watched her and secretly clicked my tongue in amazement. Lan Feiyu noticed this, chuckled, and said sarcastically, "A barbarian woman like you is no match for the pampered young lady with your manners."
My cheeks burned, and I stuffed the square strip into my mouth, my cheeks bulging as I looked at Lan Feiyu, who laughed again.
"Xi'er, let me help you up. See if you can still ride a horse. If not, let's walk slowly."
After we finished eating and drinking, Lan Feiyu went outside to fetch a bucket of water, put out the campfire, packed up her things, and said to me.
I remembered overhearing her conversation with Mr. Tao last night, and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
Lan Feiyu carefully supported me under my armpits, applying force little by little. I cooperated with her, and with the effort of my two legs, which were almost not mine anymore, I slowly and painfully stood up.
“This place isn’t exactly a secret,” Lan Feiyu replied briefly. “If someone comes looking for us, it will be a huge problem for both of us, regardless of whether they have malicious intent. Let’s go to Yuanzi’s place; that’s where we can hide people.”
"Oh." I replied reluctantly, not forgetting that Iris had left me behind, which led to me being chased so miserably by Prince Amuyue and the vicious dog.
Outside the cabin, the sun was almost at its zenith. The horse was tethered outside, grazing with its head down. Lan Feiyu helped me to the horse, and I tried to lift my foot to put it in the stirrup. This movement pulled on my abdomen, and the pain shot up to my chest. I gritted my teeth and inhaled sharply, straightened my back, gripped the saddle handles, tightened the reins, and gave Lan Feiyu, who was supporting me, a tragic glance back.
Lan Feiyu gave a soft shout, and she and I both exerted all our strength at the same time. I roared "Ah!" and in one go, I sat steadily on the horse—even though all the bones in my body felt like they were about to break, and tears were welling up in my eyes.
To distract myself from the pain, I asked the question that had been lingering in my mind almost without thinking: "Lan Feiyu, where exactly did you and Mr. Tao discuss taking me last night?"
“Bai Li,” Lan Feiyu replied calmly as she mounted her horse.
She sat behind me, pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and the horse began to move slowly. Then she said, "You still want to ask what we're going to Baili for? I'll tell you slowly after we get to the Iris Cave and settle in, how about that?"
"Can't we say it on the way?" I still wouldn't give up.
"No," Lan Feiyu laughed. "If you don't like what I say and you get stubborn and act recklessly, you might even jump off your horse. What can I do then?"
I opened my mouth to refute: I am not that kind of person.
However, after suppressing my impulse and reflecting on it carefully... Hmm, Lan Feiyu's prediction about me seems to have some merit. I've always been good at admitting defeat, so I kept my mouth shut and didn't say a word.
Lan Feiyu rode ahead of me from behind. The horse was well-trained and moved slowly and relatively steadily. I was less jolted on the back and didn't have to worry about riding. Before long, I started to doze off. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. I would nod, wake up with a start, and nod again. After several repetitions, I drifted off into a hazy, half-asleep state.
However, as soon as the horse stopped, I immediately came to my senses and looked around in a panic. Lan Feiyu quickly grabbed me as I was swaying and said urgently, "Be careful!"
He added, "Wait for me to get down first, then you hold the reins."
I obediently tightened the reins, and after Lan Feiyu jumped off the horse first, we went through a struggle no less painful than mounting the horse. I finally got my broken body off the horse, and when I stood on the ground again, my legs couldn't help but tremble and go weak. I only managed to hold on because I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Lan Feiyu.
When I was sure I wouldn't fall, I looked up and saw Lan Feiyu holding a horse, waiting quietly to the side, looking at me with concern. Her eyes were flashing, and I wasn't sure what they were, but I was sure there was no malice in them. I suddenly felt as if someone had flicked my heart hard. Unexpectedness, grievance, pain, and... indescribable feelings all rushed up at once.
"Let's go." She held out her hand to me.
Without hesitation, I offered my hand.
The Secret Cave of the Kite has an extremely narrow crevice that a horse cannot pass through. So Lan Feiyu tied it to a tree at the entrance and we entered the crevice one after the other.
Despite the extreme inconvenience, we did not let go of each other's hands.
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