Chapter 25 Lodging
Ling Wei's face had changed. Her naturally delicate eyebrows were drawn thicker and flattened, and light brown shadows were swept on both sides of her nose, making her originally superior features appear flat. With the addition of yellow powder, her overly eye-catching face was cleverly toned down.
"We pretended to be a couple whose family had suffered a misfortune, who were unable to find relatives, and who were running out of money."
Ling Wei didn't have the habit of explaining when assigning tasks: "You are my husband. You fell ill on the way and ruined your voice, so you can't speak for the time being. Remember that?"
Shen Zhilan nodded.
“Qing Shu,” Ling Wei said to the commander of the personal guards, “you will pretend to be my cousin and travel with her. Be clever.”
Qing Shu readily agreed, having already changed into a simple dark blue cloth dress.
Considering combat strength, Yunqi was assigned to stay in place and guard the area.
When Shen Zhilan came out after changing into simple clothes, her coarse attire could not hide her coldness. Her complexion was darkened, and there were dark circles under her eyes, making her look sickly.
Ling Wei glanced at it, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, then took out a map and spread it out, pointing to a spot with her fingertip: "The Dragon Ridge Mine is in Black Mountain Valley. We won't enter the city or investigate through official channels. Leave some people behind to watch the luggage."
She gestured with her finger towards the surrounding villages: "Starting from here, two people per group, split up, and infiltrate under various identities. Find out three things: the true situation of the bandits, the villagers' views on the mining authorities, and recent unusual activity."
"Just listen, just watch, don't cause trouble. We'll meet here at sunset two days from now."
The group accepted the order.
Ling Wei put away the map and looked at Shen Zhilan: "Let's go."
She chose the nearest village, Shiping Village, with Ling Wei playing the role of the wife, Shen Zhilan as the principal wife, and Qing Shu as the cousin, and they walked slowly along the dirt road.
By the time we reached the village entrance, the sun was already setting in the west.
Ling Wei looked tired and worried, Shen Zhilan lowered her eyes and coughed lightly, and Qing Shu lowered his head, looking utterly dejected.
They stopped in front of a house that was in decent condition. The man who opened the door was around fifty years old, with a kind face and a scrutinizing gaze.
Ling Wei stepped forward, her voice low and hoarse as she pleaded, "Uncle, could you please do me a favor? My husband and I came from the north to visit relatives, but they have moved away, and we have run out of money. My husband also fell ill on the way and ruined his voice... We just need to borrow a place to rest and pay some money..." She took out a few pieces of silver.
She spoke in Mandarin, which Uncle Zhou understood.
He glanced at Ling Wei, then at the listless Shen Zhilan, a look of sympathy on his face. He stepped aside, saying, "Come in. There's a spare storage room on the west side; you can tidy it up and move in. No need to pay..."
He spoke Mandarin somewhat haltingly, with a heavy local accent.
"Yes, I will." Ling Wei insisted on giving him the silver, "I'm already troubling you."
Uncle Zhou couldn't refuse, so he accepted the money and led them to the west room. The room wasn't big, but it had a bed and a window.
After settling in, Ling Wei took the initiative to help Uncle Zhou prepare vegetables in the yard, chatting about the scenery in the north and how she had failed to find her relatives, without mentioning the mine at all.
Uncle Zhou was very talkative and talked about some trivial matters in the village. It wasn't until dinner time that Uncle Zhou's wife, Aunt Zhou, returned, and the family, along with Ling Wei, sat down to eat.
At the dinner table, Ling Wei explained to Shen Zhilan, "My husband has a sore throat and it hurts to swallow, so he can't eat too much. Please don't be offended, Auntie."
Aunt Zhou waved her hand: "You need to rest and recuperate when you're sick."
Uncle Zhou, who had been eating in silence, suddenly looked up at Shen Zhilan, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "This young man... is he unable to speak?"
Ling Wei's heart stirred slightly, but her face showed worry: "Yes, I caught a cold on the way and had a fever for several days. When I woke up, I couldn't speak."
Uncle Zhou said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions. He lowered his head and ate his rice, but Ling Wei keenly noticed that Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou exchanged a few uneasy glances while she was picking up food.
After the meal, Uncle Zhou cleaned up the dishes, while Aunt Zhou squatted by the door. Just as Ling Wei was about to go back inside, Aunt Zhou quietly pulled her to the kitchen, lowered her voice, and said urgently, "Girl, listen to my advice, you should leave first thing tomorrow morning, and the farther away from Fuling County the better."
Ling Wei asked in surprise, "Auntie, what's wrong? Is there something we did wrong...?"
“It’s not your fault,” Aunt Zhou shook her head repeatedly, her eyes filled with fear, glancing towards the west room, “it’s your husband, his muteness isn’t an illness, it’s his fate. This place can’t be left; it’ll only bring trouble!”
Ling Wei's heart skipped a beat, but she looked puzzled: "Auntie, what makes you say that? My husband is just sick..."
"Sigh! It's hard to explain!" Aunt Zhou stamped her foot anxiously. "Just listen to me, hurry up and leave. I'll even refund your money!"
Seeing that her panic seemed genuine, Ling Wei softened her tone: "Don't worry, Auntie. We were going to leave anyway, but Shen Lang is weak and really tired today. Please allow us to rest for another night, and we will definitely leave first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"
Aunt Zhou stared at her for a long time, then sighed: "...Alright, just lock the door tonight and don't come out if you hear any noise."
After calming down Aunt Zhou, Ling Wei returned to the west room, where Shen Zhilan sat by the bed and cast an inquiring glance at her.
Ling Wei shook her head slightly.
She sat down at the table and, as if chatting casually, said to Qing Shu, who was tidying up, "When I entered the village today, I heard that things were not peaceful nearby, that there were bandits? It seems that quite a few mine guards were killed? It's quite frightening."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a loud crash came from the kitchen as bowls and plates fell to the ground, followed by a low, suppressed, and exhilarating roar from Aunt Zhou, carried on the wind.
This was a spontaneous expression in dialect, and Shen Zhilan wrote down what Aunt Zhou had just said on the table.
Good riddance to those damned bastards! They got their just desserts!
At night, Uncle Zhou brought over a basin of hot water, glanced at Shen Zhilan with a complicated look in his eyes, and left without saying much.
Ling Wei closed the door and placed the basin on the low stool beside the bed. Qing Shu understood and silently retreated outside the door.
There was only an oil lamp in the room. Ling Wei looked at Shen Zhilan and said, "It's time to change the dressing on the wound."
Shen Zhilan was taken aback, her ears burning slightly, and she nodded gently.
Ling Wei turned around and walked to the window, her back to him, gazing at the night outside.
A rustling sound came from behind, a cloth soaking in water, clothes rubbing together. After a moment, the sound stopped, as if it had encountered an obstacle.
Through the blurry shadows on the window paper, Ling Wei saw Shen Zhilan's figure slightly bent, one hand holding a bandage and trying to wrap it around his waist, while the other hand held onto the trouser leg rolled up to his knee. However, the fabric was slippery and soft, and it fell down as soon as he let go.
He tried twice, but failed.
Ling Wei looked at the shadowy figure moving on the wall, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Shall I do it?"
The shadow on the wall froze, then slowly nodded after a while.
Ling Wei turned and walked over.
Shen Zhilan had sat up straight again, his trouser legs rolled up to his thighs. His face was tense, his ears were red, and he was staring at the ground.
Ling Wei squatted down in front of him, a position that placed her between his slightly parted knees, very close to his injury.
Ling Wei lowered her eyes. The redness and swelling of the wound had subsided considerably, and a dark scab had formed on the broken skin, while the surrounding skin remained red.
She checked and found no pus, then took a cloth, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out until it was half-dry, and carefully wiped the surrounding area.
My fingertips occasionally brushed against the skin on the side of his leg, the warm, slightly rough cloth gliding across, bringing a slight itch and an unusual sensation.
Shen Zhilan trembled, held her breath, and tensed all her muscles.
On the wall, the shadows of the two people were magnified and overlapped.
The flickering lights and swaying shadows create an atmosphere of indescribable intimacy and taboo. The head of the crouching shadow is positioned just below the waist of the sitting figure.
Ling Wei seemed oblivious, wiping herself clean, skillfully applying new ointment, and then wrapping the bandage around her neck.
With nimble fingers, she would occasionally brush her forearm against his knee or the outside of his thigh to adjust the angle of the bandage.
Each unintentional touch caused the shadow sitting on the wall to lean back slightly, yet it seemed nailed to the spot, unable to move away. His head was lowered, and the shadow showed that he was looking at the top of her head, his neck taut.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com