Chapter 63 The next day, at the crack of dawn...
The next day, as dawn broke, the rising sun cast its light upon two figures on the wooden bed.
The slightly smaller one, feeling the glaring light, buried its face and nestled closer to the figure beside it.
Xie Zhuo, who had been unconscious for a day, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, his breathing became more rapid, his eyelids twitched a few times, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
The world before him gradually became clear from the darkness, and unfamiliar rooftops came into Xie Zhuo's view.
He was slightly stunned, and a sharp pain suddenly came from his arm, bringing back memories of the time before he lost consciousness.
When he saw Xie Baoqiong fall off the cliff, he disregarded the people blocking his way and forced his way out, injuring his arm in the process.
Fortunately, he successfully captured Xie Baoqiong.
His memories became hazy after that; the wind was too fierce at the foot of the cliff. He only remembered the warmth in his arms and the dulled blade of the longsword…
Before I lost consciousness, I seemed to see a rosy-colored bird flying by, and then it was all darkness.
The stinging pain in his arm wasn't an illusion; he was still alive. But what about Qiong'er?
Xie Zhuo moved slightly, and the heavy weight pressing on his chest during his sleep seemed to begin to slide down.
His aching arm instinctively reached out and caught the falling heavy object.
"Qiong'er?"
Xie Zhuo gently shielded his face from the light, rubbed his head against the bed, and then placed it on the bed.
Xie Baoqiong didn't even lift her eyelids, and mumbled a reply, pressing her cheek against the blanket and squeezing out a puddle of flesh.
Xie Zhuo's heart softened for a moment, and he covered Xie Baoqiong's eyes with his palm to block the light for her.
Only after everyone had fallen asleep again did he get up and get out of bed.
Xie Zhuo noticed an old but clean coat beside the bed, paused, picked it up, and put it on.
Before leaving the house, remember to close the windows to block out the light that might disturb your sleep.
Xie Zhuo glanced at the mess on the bed, then pushed open the door and looked outside.
The courtyard was small and unpaved with bricks and stones. Several chickens and ducks roamed freely on the yellow earth, waddling around in the yard. The earthen wall was not very high, and some herbs were drying there.
A tall figure stood in the courtyard, arranging dried herbs in a bamboo basket. Noticing the door open, he turned his head to look.
Wen Mao glanced at Xie Zhuo, his expression indifferent, showing no intention of speaking, and continued with his work.
Wen Conglan, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw Xie Zhuo, who had already woken up, and greeted him:
"Young Master Lin, you're awake. You must be alright now. I'll take your pulse again later."
Upon hearing the form of address, Xie Zhuo's expression flashed with a hint of surprise, but after a moment's thought, he accepted it.
"Who are you?"
Wen Conglan explained what had happened yesterday.
When Wen Conglan was treating Xie Zhuo's wounds, she noticed that the latter's arm was injured by a sharp blade, but she did not want to cause trouble, so she pretended not to know anything.
Aside from the incident with Xie Baoqiong, I didn't ask any further questions, but followed my duty as a doctor to speak:
"Young Master Lin is truly fortunate; his head and bones were not injured. Remember to keep the wound on his arm dry until it heals, and avoid spicy foods..."
Xie Zhuo was still shaken by yesterday's events. Although he was curious about the strange encounter, he didn't show it in front of Wen Conglan and planned to ask Xie Baoqiong about it later.
He cupped his hands and said:
"Lin Jin and my son are very grateful to Doctor Wen for saving our lives."
Wen Conglan quickly avoided his greeting and waved her hand, saying:
"It wasn't exactly a life-saving favor; I just lent a hand out of convenience."
Xie Zhuo seemed about to say something more, but Wen Conglan changed the subject, shifting her gaze to Wen Mao in the courtyard:
"There are only my son Mao'er and me at home. You have to suffer while you recover from your injury and lie to others that you are Mao'er's father's cousin."
Xie Zhuo quickly understood the meaning behind Wen Conglan's words and was about to say words of comfort.
Wen Conglan then explained to himself:
"My parents only had one daughter, and they couldn't bear to let me marry out, so they found a son-in-law to live with them."
But Mao'er's father died early.
As if mocking herself, Wen Conglan sighed softly:
“A widow's door is always a source of gossip, and there will always be some talk in the village. I don't care, but Mao'er is almost of marriageable age. If some unpleasant things start to spread, I'm worried that…”
"It's alright. My son and I have already received kindness from Doctor Wen; it's just a polite way of addressing him," Xie Zhuo said.
Wen Mao then put down the herbs and walked closer to the two, his gaze lingering on Xie Zhuo for a moment:
"Mom, I'll go to the kitchen and see if the porridge is ready."
"Okay." Wen Conglan agreed, then said to Xie Zhuo, "It's almost time to eat. Hasn't Young Master Lin gotten up yet?"
"I'll go call him."
...
When Xie Baoqiong crawled out from under the covers, her hair was messy and covered her face. She sat there blankly for a while.
Noticing that he was the only one left on the bed, he was stunned. He lifted the blanket and looked inside, only to find it empty.
He threw off the blanket and looked up at the floor beneath the bed, but still couldn't see Xie Zhuo.
Xie Baoqiong's eyes suddenly cleared. Could it be that he was sleeping too soundly and did not notice that Wen Mao had chopped Xie Zhuo in half a night and dumped the body in the mountains to destroy the evidence?
He immediately jumped out of bed and ran outside.
As soon as I pushed open the door, I bumped into a familiar figure.
"Xiao Bao, why are you so restless?"
Xie Zhuo caught Xie Baoqiong and casually ruffled her fluffy hair.
A questioning voice sounded from within her arms:
"Dad, why are you running around like this?"
Xie Zhuo lowered his head and met Xie Baoqiong's stern face, his gaze sweeping over the latter's unkempt hair and her body, which was only covered by her undergarments.
He picked up Xie Baoqiong and walked into the house, teasingly saying:
"I haven't even settled accounts with you for yesterday's misbehavior, and you're already questioning me?"
Xie Zhuo's tone was gentle. After Xie Baoqiong was forcibly taken back into the house, she handed over the comb without the slightest fear or sense of injustice.
"Dad, comb your hair."
Xie Zhuo sighed as he held the comb and finished tidying up the person's hair.
Just before Xie Baoqiong finished combing her hair and was about to leave, he raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulder:
"Xiao Bao, I'm a little angry."
Hearing this, Xie Baoqiong, whose fingers were twirling the sash of his clothes, tilted his head back, and Xie Zhuo's expressionless face came into his view at a strange angle.
"Why is Father angry? Who made Father angry?"
A glaring look of bewilderment appeared alongside Xie Zhuo's figure in Xie Baoqiong's clear eyes.
Meeting those eyes, Xie Zhuo's anger subsided considerably.
He pinched the face that resembled his own:
"you."
"Me? Why is Dad angry with me?"
Xie Zhuo's fingertips weren't very strong, so Xie Baoqiong just tilted her head back and let Xie Zhuo pinch her.
Why did Xiaobao disobey and run away yesterday?
Xie Zhuo lowered his face, his long hair brushing against Xie Baoqiong's ear.
Xie Baoqiong loosened the sash that was wrapped around her clothes and grabbed the unruly strand of hair.
"Is Father angry because I was disobedient?" Xie Baoqiong retorted, then, without waiting for Xie Zhuo's reply, looked earnestly into the latter's eyes and spoke:
"I won't listen to you, and I won't listen to anyone else."
Some of the things that would be considered extremely rebellious in an ordinary family fell into Xie Zhuo's ears.
He felt strangely calm, even less angry than when he saw Xie Baoqiong suddenly appear out of nowhere yesterday. He could even lecture Xie Baoqiong:
"Xiao Bao, you should keep these kinds of words to yourself from now on."
Even if you don't want to obey anyone's orders in the future, don't let that person find out.
When facing the enemy, one must conceal one's true intentions.
Xie Baoqiong's eyes involuntarily revealed a strange expression:
"Aren't you worried that I won't listen to you? You were just angry."
In traditional stories, humans clearly prefer obedient offspring, but Xie Zhuo seems to be different.
Xie Zhuo's expression remained unchanged as he took his hair back from Xie Baoqiong's hand.
“When you first came back to the Marquis’s residence with me, I could tell that you were not the kind of person who would listen to orders.”
It's good that you have your own opinions when your parents aren't around.
And I'm not angry that you're disobedient..."
Xie Zhuo paused, a hint of lingering fear and worry surfacing in his eyes, which were even narrower than Xie Baoqiong's but also drooped at the corners:
Why did Xiaobao come back yesterday?
Xie Baoqiong's head was getting a little sore from looking up, so he simply leaned back against Xie Zhuo's chest and abdomen, and the dull thumping of Xie Zhuo's heartbeat rang in his ears.
His tone carried a sense of bewilderment, as if he were new to the world:
"Is Father worried that I'll die?"
Xie Zhuo's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, but before he could answer, Xie Baoqiong's fearless, youthful voice rang out again:
"I won't die. If you want, Dad, I can stay with you for a very, very long time."
Xie Baoqiong did not lie a single word.
Those mortals really couldn't kill the stone.
Moreover, he can live a very long time, long enough that Xie Zhuo will no longer exist in this world, yet he will still be alive.
"Everyone dies." Xie Zhuo propped up Xie Baoqiong's head, which was resting against his chest, and said softly, "If you encounter danger, you have to run, Xiao Bao."
He stroked Xie Baoqiong's long hair: "Let's go eat."
—
The Wen family didn't have many rooms. Two were used as bedrooms, and one was used as a clinic for patients who occasionally came to see them. That was the room where Xie Baoqiong and his son stayed last night.
The remaining two rooms were used to store medicinal herbs and to serve as the kitchen.
A table was set up in the kitchen, where the family usually ate their meals.
When Xie Zhuo brought Xie Baoqiong to the kitchen, he glanced around and saw that the kitchen was very spacious. A stove was built on the east side, and even with tables and chairs placed there, it still looked unusually empty.
Four bowls of congee were already on the table. When Wen Conglan saw them come in, she invited them to sit down.
Xie Baoqiong sat down next to Xie Zhuo, and Wen Conglan moved a bowl of congee in front of him.
"Thank you, Aunt Wen."
While Xie Baoqiong was slurping down her porridge, Xie Zhuo's gaze remained fixed on the wall beside the table, which was blackened by soot.
The roof at the top of the wall, like the roof above the stove, has a chimney.
This room is more like two kitchens put together.
Xie Zhuo casually asked about it during a casual conversation at the dinner table.
Wen Conglan explained, "My father used to be a famous blacksmith in the surrounding area, and Mao'er's father was also a blacksmith. This house was originally used by them for blacksmithing."
Later, after Mao'er's father passed away, the family needed money, so they dismantled the tools and sold them..."
"Mother, I've finished eating. I'll go chop some firewood first." Wen Mao put down his empty bowl, stood up, and walked outside.
Xie Baoqiong also finished her last sip, glancing at Xie Zhuo's still mostly porridge:
"Dad, are you still going to eat?"
Xie Zhuo glanced sideways and saw Xie Baoqiong's longing eyes, then pushed the bowl towards her:
"Eat."
Following Xie Baoqiong's words, Wen Conglan looked at Xie Zhuo's bowl and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"We only have some coarse grains at home, which Lin Langjun probably can't get used to. This afternoon I'll have Mao'er go into town to buy some fine grains and meat."
Xie Zhuo declined several times but couldn't refuse Wen Conglan. He had lost his money pouch when he fell off the cliff, so he took out some silver coins that he kept close to his body and handed them to Wen Conglan.
"Xiao Bao and I will be staying here for a few more days. Xiao Bao eats a lot at his age, so please accept these gifts, Dr. Wen."
Before Wen Conglan could refuse, he continued, "Doctor Wen, do you have paper and pen?"
"Yes, I'll go find it in a bit." Wen Conglan was a doctor, so naturally she had paper and pen at home.
"When your son goes to town, could you please help deliver a letter home? My son and I were unable to get home in time, and we are afraid our family will worry."
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Author's Note: Xie Baoqiong: Looks well-behaved (only when looking).
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