Chapter 30 Trouble
Zhuang Dongqing suddenly became anxious and instantly sobered up.
The first touch indicated a low-grade fever, but after two more touches, the feeling became uncertain. By the fourth and fifth touches, the senses were completely mixed up, wavering between uncertainty and an inability to make a judgment.
Calm down, calm down, calm down.
When I had a fever before, how did my aunt know? My aunt...
Zhuang Dongqing remembered, but was a little embarrassed.
At once……
I glanced at Cen Yan again; he was dizzy and still unconscious.
Hmm.
Well, he saw the other person completely naked, and they even slept together. Actually... it shouldn't be that awkward, right?
Zhuang Dongqing tried to reassure herself: It's nothing, it's nothing, it's not a big deal...
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head, closed her eyes, and touched Cen Yan's forehead with her eyelids.
As he approached, his eyelashes trembled violently.
Touch.
The heat traveled from Cen Yan's forehead to his eyelids; it was burning hot, he had a fever, but thankfully, it was alright.
Zhuang Dongqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Touching Cen Yan's forehead again, perhaps confirming the situation, his heart calmed down, and his senses returned to normal. The temperature was slightly higher than usual, but not to the point of triggering an alarm.
It wasn't a high fever after all. Zhuang Dongqing touched him all over, even trying his eyelids. After a few attempts, Cen Yan's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes, though his gaze was still hazy.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Zhuang Dongqing reached out and covered them with her hand, gently coaxing him, "Sleep a little longer, it's okay."
"You've been tired for so long, go back to sleep."
The voice was low and soft, repeating itself two or three times. Then, the hand was lifted, and Cen Yan fell asleep again.
Sure enough, he was the one who woke her up; she was still sleep-deprived.
After this incident, Zhuang Dongqing went out and went straight to the next room to call Liufu. Upon hearing this, Liufu hurriedly got up. The two guards also heard this and were worried. They also wanted to get up, but Zhuang Dongqing stopped them: "The fever isn't too high yet. Let's rest first. We'll call for help when we need it."
Fearing that her words might be too soft and fail to persuade anyone, Zhuang Dongqing emphasized her tone, "It's not completely safe today. If pursuers catch up, we'll need you to protect us. Don't let lack of rest delay important matters."
After hearing this, the two guards quieted down.
Zhuang Dongqing: "Rest now, I'll call you when I need you."
Unconsciously, his tone also carried a hint of command, like Cen Yan, but it was exceptionally effective.
He was resolute and could also keep his followers calm.
Liu Fu was sold into the Zhuang family and became the original owner's page. He had been taking care of people and was very experienced in dealing with illnesses. He reached out and touched Cen Yan's forehead. Liu Fu said, "It's not obvious. Let's see if it goes down."
Zhuang Dongqing: "That's what I think too."
"Then we should stay by his side?"
Liu Fu glanced out the window. "It's still early, young master. Why don't you sleep a little longer? I'll keep watch. If the prince's fever gets worse, I'll wake you up."
Zhuang Dongqing felt uneasy, but Liu Fu's words stirred up her dormant drowsiness.
"Otherwise, I'll stay with you..."
"Go and rest. Your body is different now. You walked too much yesterday. Sleep a little longer. I'll just lie down at the foot of the prince's bed and rest. It won't delay anything."
"It's not that I'm worried..."
"Go to sleep, go to sleep."
Before Zhuang Dongqing could react, Liu Fu pushed him onto the bed. As soon as he touched the blanket, Zhuang Dongqing's head spun even more. Liu Fu quickly shoved him under the covers. Zhuang Dongqing said, "...If anything happens, you must call me."
"Of course, it will still require your decision, young master."
Zhuang Dongqing mumbled a reply, then put her head on the pillow and fell asleep.
Still exhausted.
I slept until noon.
After he woke up, he rubbed his eyes and subconsciously looked at Cen Yan. Liu Fu shook his head at him and reassured him, "It's okay, you don't have a high fever."
Zhuang Dongqing nodded, wrapped herself in the blanket, and sat up, dazed and confused.
More than ten minutes later, I started to get dressed. My legs hurt, which was caused by lactic acid buildup.
Zhuang Dongqing dressed with a pained expression, grimaced, and got out of bed. Cen Yan also woke up.
She blinked, and at the same time saw Zhuang Dongqing and Liu Fu. Sensing something was wrong, she tried to speak, but her voice was already hoarse.
Seeing that he seemed to remember, Zhuang Dongqing pressed on his unaffected shoulder and stopped him, saying, "You have a fever, but fortunately it's not too high. Rest first and see if the fever will go down naturally."
Cen Yan paused for a moment, then nodded.
After a moment, the hoarse voice said again, "Let go, I need to pee."
Oh, it's a living person. Living people all have physiological needs.
Zhuang Dongqing awkwardly let go of his hand, touched his ear, and then, as if remembering something, asked, "Can he feel the wind now?"
Liu Fu: "It's best not to. Shall I go find a chamber pot?"
Although it was awkward, Zhuang Dongqing thought it was feasible, but the person in question refused, saying, "No."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Liu Fu: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing: "But you now..."
Cen Yan lowered his eyes: "No."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Okay, okay, being a germaphobe is just a minor flaw for Cen Yan, and he can tolerate it.
After all, he has some...
For people of this era, the need to take a bath every day is quite unusual.
Their eyes met, and Zhuang Dongqing conceded, "...I understand."
"Liufu, go see if it's cold outside. I'll help the prince put on his clothes."
Cen Yan raised his eyelashes but didn't look at Zhuang Dongqing. He was helped to sit up, and Zhuang Dongqing found his coat and told him to stretch out his arms. "Lift this arm a little, okay, don't move this side, I'll do it, so as not to aggravate the wound."
"I won't tie it too tightly, since I'll have to take it off when I get back anyway."
Cen Yan: "Mm."
Looking down, I saw the whorl of hair on Zhuang Dongqing's head. She had just woken up and hadn't had time to tidy up her hair yet, so it was loose.
"That's about right, let's leave it at that."
After helping Cen Yan tidy his clothes, Zhuang Dongqing lifted the blanket to look at the snake bite on his leg from yesterday. Apart from the wound being a little black, the surrounding area looked normal. Zhuang Dongqing pressed it and the swelling went down.
"Is it still numb? Can you stand up?"
Cen Yan felt it for a moment, "Why don't you try standing up?"
I'm not sure either.
Zhuang Dongqing nodded.
When Liu Fu returned, he said that it had rained in the morning. Zhuang Dongqing then draped the thin blanket from yesterday, which hadn't been washed yet, over Cen Yan's shoulders. Afraid that he wouldn't like it, she coaxed him, "Bear with it, you can't catch a cold now."
Surprisingly, Cen Yan didn't say anything and accepted it.
"Come on, let me help you."
After getting out of bed and taking a few steps, the leg that was bitten was still a little unsteady, probably because the body's resistance was greatly weakened, but it only required support to walk, and standing was not a problem.
Zhuang Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief and helped Cen Yan to relieve himself.
When Cen Yan saw him reach out his hand, he glanced at Liu Fu, who remained still, clearly acknowledging that this was Zhuang Dongqing's business.
Cen Yan indeed disliked being touched by strangers.
But Zhuang Dongqing was different. He... Cen Yan lowered his eyes, focused on walking, and tried not to lean on Zhuang Dongqing too much.
The two slowly went out the door.
After helping him to the outside of the outhouse, Zhuang Dongqing, as if remembering something, explained, "It's not very clean, it certainly can't compare to the Prince's mansion, you..."
"I know."
Zhuang Dongqing: "I'll help you inside."
After he finished speaking, Cen Yan's light-colored eyes focused on Zhuang Dongqing. Zhuang Dongqing felt her ears burning and stammered, "I'll come out as soon as you stand still. I'm afraid you won't be able to stand still."
"Um."
Once inside, Zhuang Dongqing didn't dare look at Cen Yan. After helping him to the designated spot, he wanted to leave, but his nursing knowledge kept reminding him. He hesitated for a moment, then felt Cen Yan's gaze on him again. Zhuang Dongqing made up his mind and said, "I'll loosen the straps for you!"
Without waiting for Cen Yan's agreement, he quickly untied the belt, including the one on his pants, and turned to leave.
There was no other way; Cen Yan's injury was to his right hand, and it would be difficult to untie the ties with his left hand. Zhuang Dongqing was afraid that he would take too long and catch a cold.
I know my reasons are justified and I don't think I did anything wrong, but my behavior really is just like that of a pervert.
Zhuang Dongqing came out, covering her face with both hands, which were burning hot.
shame.
She was practically supporting Cen Yan.
A moment later, the sound of water came from inside, and Zhuang Dongqing's face flushed again, rising instead of falling. He took a few steps to the side.
I want to control my thoughts... but I can't.
because,
He's seen it before!
Once the thought arose, the excessive imagination simply couldn't be suppressed. Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head and silently took two more steps to the side.
He's guilty, oh dear, he's a yellow man.
When Cen Yan came out, Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head and stepped forward, silently helping him walk back.
Once inside, after tidying the person up and helping them onto the bed, Zhuang Dongqing checked the ties on their inner garments. Sure enough, the side that was tied was not properly fastened. Zhuang Dongqing untied it and fastened it securely, then hurriedly said, "Then I'll go out."
After saying that, she walked away very quickly, as if something was chasing her.
He didn't look at Cen Yan even once throughout the entire process.
Staring in the direction Zhuang Dongqing had left, Cen Yan had to close his mouth again after he had just opened it.
He lowered his eyes for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
*
After washing up, the guards who had gone to further investigate the village returned.
After asking from house to house, they received a new blanket, two new water basins, several new handkerchiefs, a few eggs, and a few chickens and ducks in return.
The chickens and ducks are kept at the local people's homes; you can simply go and get them when you want to eat them.
Zhuang Dongqing didn't get up in the morning. For lunch, Liufu asked the owner to cook another pot of vegetable porridge and stir-fry two dishes at random.
The guards ate first, then brought porridge to Cen Yan. Apart from being weak, Cen Yan was much better than yesterday. He didn't need to be fed and had to eat by himself with his left hand.
When Liu Fu came out, he said that Cen Yan was quite skilled with his left hand. Zhuang Dongqing thought of something and didn't go back in. Instead, she took Liu Fu and the two of them ate outside together.
I could still feel full eating porridge with steamed buns, but it was too bland.
"Have them make some chicken soup this afternoon, and keep hot water on hand. He needs to drink plenty of water given his current condition."
Drinking water helps to get your metabolism going, prevents dehydration, and also promotes heat dissipation.
Liu Fu nodded, indicating that he understood.
Zhuang Dongqing broke half an egg into his bowl and said, "I'm afraid I'm a little too tired and can't eat much. Don't waste it."
Liu Fu, without a second thought, ate it all.
"I've had enough sleep. You can take a nap later. I'll keep watch this afternoon." Thinking of something, Zhuang Dongqing added, "We'll kill a chicken tonight. Vegetable porridge isn't very nutritious, so we'll shred some chicken meat to make porridge. As for the rest, we'll use half to make soup and the other half to stir-fry. You can eat that."
"Eat well while you can, otherwise if something happens later, you won't be able to take these things with you."
Liu Fu felt a little heartbroken, but Zhuang Dongqing's words made sense, so he agreed.
Zhuang Dongqing was indeed exhausted, which might be related to her pregnancy. Although she felt no pain or itching, her energy was recovering very slowly.
After eating for a long time, I finally managed to stuff the rice down my throat.
A guard came to report, explaining the situation of the village. He said that the village did not rely on the hunting grounds, but instead made a living by working in a nearby town.
"I asked around, and they said that only ninety families have settled here. It seems that their livelihood is this stream. Two families are particularly good at fishing. Two families catch fish, and two families sell them. They are all relatives who are involved in child trafficking. Three years ago, more people came here, and it started to look like a village."
This matches Zhuang Dongqing's impression of the place:
It was remote and unknown to anyone.
"That……"
Zhuang Dongqing glanced in the direction of the hunting grounds.
The guard said, "That will save me the trouble. When I go with them to chop wood this afternoon, I'll walk around and see if there are any other people nearby. If so, I'll ask them about the news going down the mountain."
Zhuang Dongqing nodded, then added, "If no one's here, that's fine. This place is too desolate, and it's a new village. Outsiders might not know about it, and they might not come looking for it. Don't expose yourself."
"yes."
He had just finished speaking when he looked behind Zhuang Dongqing.
The guard who brought Cen Yan his meal came out.
The porridge was finished, half an egg was eaten, but the water was not touched.
Zhuang Dongqing assumed Cen Yan didn't want to drink and didn't think much of it.
After finishing his meal, he took the initiative to familiarize himself with the village roads. He returned about half an hour later and saw that the guards had brought out the water again, untouched. Zhuang Dongqing then realized something was wrong and asked why.
The guard said that Cen Yan didn't want to drink.
The guards didn't understand, but Zhuang Dongqing knew it was fake as soon as she heard it.
Even with a low-grade fever, dehydration is inevitable, so how could one not want to drink?
Zhuang Dongqing took the water and went inside.
Cen Yan put on his shirt, sat up, and half-reclined, closing his eyes to rest.
As soon as Zhuang Dongqing entered, she opened her eyes; she was awake.
Upon seeing the bowl of water in Zhuang Dongqing's hand, Cen Yan's throat bobbed for a moment.
"Drink water! Don't lie to me, you definitely want to drink it."
Cen Yan did not deny it, but Zhuang Dongqing could not tell anything from his calm face. After a while, he realized who the person in front of him was, and Zhuang Dongqing's confidence when he entered the room dissipated a little.
"No, that would be too much trouble."
Cen Yan uttered this sentence in a lukewarm tone.
The tone was very flat.
Zhuang Dongqing didn't understand, "Why? You need to drink more water to help your metabolism and recover faster. Your fever hasn't gone down yet, what's the trouble, what's the benefit..."
Before he could finish speaking, Cen Yan looked directly at Zhuang Dongqing.
Zhuang Dongqing was speechless.
I understand.
"I……"
Cen Yan: "Isn't that troublesome?"
"..."
Zhuang Dongqing lost his voice.
Cen Yan was just sick, not replaced by a different soul. In fact, now that Zhuang Dongqing was standing and the other was half-lying down, Cen Yan was looking up at Zhuang Dongqing, but... Zhuang Dongqing felt that he was being looked down upon from his eyes.
The person in front of him had a complete understanding of his thoughts, as if he could see right through them.
I wanted to deny it, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Cen Yan lowered his eyes again and simply said, "Take it out."
Aaaaaaah!
Zhuang Dongqing has a big headache.
"you……"
"you!"
Suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration, Zhuang Dongqing realized something and asked, "Do you... only like men?"
Despite having so many people on their side, Cen Yan bossed him around and didn't even want the experienced Liu Fu.
This feeling inexplicably reminded Zhuang Dongqing of when he was in his third year of junior high school and had just realized his sexual orientation. At that time, he was particularly resistant to going to public bathhouses because... he felt uncomfortable.
In addition, Cen Yan is a bit of a germaphobe... um.
Why are you asking this?
Cen Yan's voice was faint and distant; he spoke, but Zhuang Dongqing didn't hear it.
He was conflicted on one hand, and on the other hand, he inexplicably felt a sense of empathy.
Holding the bowl, Zhuang Dongqing sat down on the edge of her bed in frustration. She stared at the bowl quietly for a while, then sighed and said dejectedly:
"I like men."
"I only like men, not women."
"So, it's not that I'm afraid of trouble, it's actually not that troublesome, it's just that... I'm sorry."
"I feel very embarrassed."
"Right, I don't like taking care of people like this, and it feels very forced."
Cen Yan felt a stab in his heart.
I was just about to ask Zhuang Dongqing to leave...
"So," Zhuang Dongqing took a deep breath, "could you please get better soon?"
"Drink plenty of water, cooperate with dressing changes, and let the fever go down sooner so the wound can heal faster?"
"The sooner you get better, the sooner you can take care of yourself..."
"That way, I won't have to 'bother' you as much as possible."
Cen Yan looked up unexpectedly.
Zhuang Dongqing, however, only looked at the bowl and continued, "If you don't agree, then I will..."
It seemed like he wanted to make some tough remarks, but he lacked the necessary momentum.
Cen Yan: "You?"
Zhuang Dongqing closed her eyes, completely resigned, "Then I'll beg you again."
Please, please say yes.
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