Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Fever
Chapter 22
For the next day, Lu Peishi took Ruan Yan around the village. They not only chatted with the villagers, but also stopped to chat with tourists passing by.
Although she hadn't had much time to rest due to the bumpy ride and was extremely tired, Ruan Yan was still in a good mood.
This village, surrounded by mountains and seas, has a unique charm and flavor. During the past two days, Ruan Yan has been experiencing the customs and practices of different places here, and feeling the profound and unique local culture, history and heritage.
The more I learn about it, the more I am attracted to it.
"When a resort is built here, I will definitely be one of the first tourists." During the break, Ruan Yan sat on the high dam by the sea and said while drinking water.
Lu Peishi didn't say anything, but just looked quietly at the deep blue sea with breaking waves in front of him, wondering what he was thinking.
Ruan Yan turned her head and looked at his angular profile. His half-closed eyes were tinged with a hint of melancholy.
It turns out that he can also have such a lonely expression.
The natural expression of his emotions made him look less aloof and more... well, down-to-earth and human.
"How long are you going to stare?" Lu Peishi suddenly spoke up, "Am I that good-looking?"
Ruan Yan frowned, wanting to say, "What a narcissist! Who cares about you?" But what came out was, "Ah, Mr. Lu, you really know how to joke."
Lu Peishi didn't respond, but turned around and the sea breeze blew his clothes up.
Ruan Yan followed behind him, his back blending into the faint light and shadow of the setting sun, outlining a thick shadow.
It was already eight or nine o'clock when we returned to the B&B in the evening.
Ruan Yan was so tired that she could collapse directly to the ground.
Fortunately, Lu Peishi said that they would take a day off tomorrow, so she could have a good sleep to replenish her energy.
The next morning, when Lu Peishi woke up, it was just dawn.
Although he was very tired during these two days, he couldn't sleep at night.
After a quick wash, he went out.
The owner of the B&B next door also got up very early. He was hunched over feeding the geese, a cigarette in his mouth.
Lu Peishi thought about it and decided to walk over and talk to him.
"Oh, this place is not far ahead," the boss said after looking at the photo in his hand. "Walk to the right, turn right at the end, and walk a little further and you'll find it."
Lu Peishi nodded and asked, "Has no one lived in this yard?"
The boss nodded and said, "Yes, it's been empty for many years. As far as I can remember, no one has lived here. I heard from the elderly in the family that this family seems to have moved to the city to settle down..."
As he was talking, the boss became curious about why he was interested in this abandoned house: "Do you know this family?"
"I don't know him." Lu Peishi made a few casual excuses and changed the subject.
After coming out of the B&B, Lu Peishi followed the direction indicated by the owner and walked along the bumpy path.
The road that turns at the end looks even more desolate, with sparse trees and weeds on both sides and no one living there.
Just as the boss said, it was easy to find the yard because there were only a few houses in the whole row.
Lu Peishi stood in front of the dilapidated courtyard. The adobe wall, which had been eroded by years of wind and rain, had collapsed for the most part. A rusty iron chain hung in the middle of the closed courtyard gate, and the lock body and lock core had long been broken, making it seem useless.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the broken windows were dark and completely invisible.
In the corner of the wall, there was a broken wooden table whose original color could not be seen, and several wooden stools with broken legs were scattered around.
Although she looked very different from the photo, Lu Peishi still imagined in his mind the scene of the young Shen Qingling sitting on a low stool drinking tea and reading a newspaper.
According to them, Shen Qingling had lived in this yard for seven or eight years, and later even bought the entire surrounding land.
She must really like this place.
Lu Peishi thought to himself.
A cool breeze blew over, the leaves rustled in the wind, and several plastic bags covered with dust danced in the air.
Birds fluttered under the dilapidated eaves and flew towards the distant mountains covered by layers of gray clouds.
Suddenly the weather changed again.
Before Lu Peishi turned around, rapid raindrops began to fall.
…
In the morning, Ruan Yan woke up to the sound of rain outside the window.
I looked at the time and it was not even seven o'clock. How come the biological clocks of cows and horses couldn't adjust?
She threw her phone aside and fell back asleep.
Ruan Yan didn't remember how many times she woke up. She just woke up and fell asleep, and woke up again, having one vague dream after another.
When she finally woke up, she found that she had been lying in bed for almost the entire day.
This torrential rain continued intermittently from morning to evening, and there was no sign of it stopping.
Looking out from the closed glass window, I saw a whole gray sky. The whole world seemed so quiet that only the sound of rain and bored humans were left as companions.
Ruan Yan left the room. The airtight staircase was dim. She pressed the switch on the wall. The quiet living room was empty, and there was no sign of Lu Peishi.
Did he go out by himself?
Ruan Yan wanted to ask where he was, so she called him.
The first time, I didn’t answer.
When she called for the second time, she vaguely heard a familiar ringtone coming from Lu Peishi's room behind her.
She continued to dial the phone without hanging up, and walked towards the sound curiously.
When I got closer and listened, I heard that it was indeed the ringing of a cell phone coming from his room.
Maybe I was in such a hurry to go out that I forgot to take my phone...
Ruan Yan was about to hang up the phone when suddenly the call was connected.
"Hello..." an unclear voice sounded.
"Mr. Lu, you're here." Ruan Yan was stunned for a moment. "I thought you were out."
There was no answer.
"Mr. Lu, are you listening?"
The only response she got was a faint rustling sound.
"Mr. Lu?"
Ruan Yan felt something was wrong. She stared at the door of the room, hesitated for a moment, then put her palm on the door handle and turned it open.
The light in the room with the curtains drawn was dim, and dense raindrops hit the glass windows, making a clicking sound.
Ruan Yan walked over slowly and saw Lu Peishi lying alone on the bed with his long legs curled up, his eyes closed, motionless, and the phone in his palm still flickering.
At that moment, Ruan Yan's mind quickly flashed through a series of Detective Conan cases.
"Mr. Lu?"
You're not...dead, are you?
She stretched out her hand tremblingly and carefully touched it under his nose. Before she could feel his breath, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. When she was about to scream in fright, Lu Peishi's hoarse voice came faintly -
"Don't worry, I'm not dead yet..."
“…”
It was a false alarm.
Ruan Yan covered her heart and said, "Brother, you should have told me earlier that we shouldn't play such scary games."
She wanted to turn on the light in the room, but Lu Peishi did not let go of the hand that was holding her wrist.
Such close physical contact made Ruan Yan feel a little uncomfortable. His skin pressed against her wrist, and she could feel the warmth coming from his body. It was very hot, very scorching...
Wait, feeling the abnormal heat, Ruan Yan finally discovered the clue.
She placed her free hand on his forehead.
Sure enough—"Mr. Lu, you have a fever!"
Ruan Yan immediately called the owner of the B&B, asked him for a thermometer, and measured the temperature, which was 37.9 degrees.
It's barely within the low fever range.
The nearest clinic is nearly fifteen minutes away, and it is raining heavily outside, which is very inconvenient. So I can only use the antipyretic medicine given by the boss to deal with it temporarily.
While feeding Lu Pei the medicine, his eyelids moved slightly. He looked at Ruan Yan with hazy eyes, then closed them again, and leaned his head heavily on her shoulder.
His breath was still hot, and his heavy breathing swept across her neck, making her feel itchy and hot.
Ruan Yan felt her body go numb unconsciously.
She lowered her eyes. Lu Peishi's face was very pale, his brows were furrowed, and his tightly pursed lips were faintly pink because of illness.
She dared not make a sound or move.
The sound of rain outside the window could not cover up her rapid heartbeat.
After a moment, Ruan Yan reached out and rubbed her face.
It must be because I was too hungry that caused the arrhythmia.
She thought to herself.
I just went through a lot of trouble and before I knew it, it was already half past seven.
She hasn't eaten yet, and there are other patients who also need to eat something to replenish their energy.
I rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen and living room and barely found some vegetables, eggs, and rice.
Fortunately, she bought instant noodles and snacks at the supermarket yesterday, which were enough to fill her stomach.
But before that, prepare the patient's dinner.
She planned to make some vegetable porridge with the ingredients she had.
Turn on the gas and a blue flame jumps up.
First, fry the chopped vegetables until soft, then add rice, add water and boil for twenty minutes, sprinkle some salt, and finally beat in a beaten egg.
She has always been good at taking care of patients.
When the hot porridge was served, Lu Peishi's face still didn't look very good.
Ruan Yan first touched his forehead, which was still very hot, but fortunately the temperature was still 37.9 and had not risen.
"Mr. Lu, have some porridge first. I just cooked it."
Lu Peishi opened his eyes and felt sore all over and had no strength.
He felt a little unwell before coming, and was caught in the rain in the morning. When he came back, he had a severe headache. He thought he would feel better after a good night's sleep, but he ended up getting a fever.
He has always been in good health and rarely gets sick, so he doesn't have the habit of carrying regular medicine.
"Mr. Lu, you should drink the porridge while it's hot. It's not good for your stomach if it's cold." Ruan Yan reminded from the side.
Lu Peishi slowly sat up from the bed and took the laptop on the bedside table: "No, I don't have much appetite."
"Even if you have no appetite, you have to eat," Ruan Yan looked at him, "You haven't eaten since noon. Your body's resistance is already weak due to your illness. If you don't eat, your condition will get worse."
Lu Peishi still said: "Just leave it there, I'll eat it later."
"No, I want to watch you eat. Also," she pointed at his open computer, "now is not the time to touch this. What you need is rest, not work."
Lu Peishi frowned. Few people dared to point fingers at him like that. Perhaps because of his mood, his tone became even deeper: "You can leave now."
But Ruan Yan didn't buy his talk: "You are a patient now, you have to listen to me. I can go out, but you have to turn off the computer and drink the porridge."
Lu Peishi said nothing and looked at her coldly.
After staring at each other for two seconds, Ruan Yan frowned and seemed to be talking to herself, "According to the plot development in the novel and TV series, the male protagonist is disobedient at this time, and he is actually waiting for the girl to feed him personally."
"...Watch less boring TV shows. I don't need them."
"Lu Xun once said that when a man says no, he actually means yes." Ruan Yan touched her chin, looking thoughtful.
Lu Peishi's eyelids twitched: "...When did Lu Xun say that?"
"I don't know when he said it, but he said it in the emoticon package." Ruan Yan said righteously.
Lu Peishi: “…”
Ruan Yan looked at the porridge on the table, ready to eat. "Boss Lu, don't be shy. If you want me to feed you, just tell me. I won't dislike you."
Lu Peishi couldn't stand it any longer: "Didn't I say I don't want to eat anymore? The porridge is too hot, I'll eat it later."
"Oh—I see," Ruan Yan said, as if she had suddenly realized something. She turned around and picked up the porridge, smiling, "It's not hot anymore, you can drink it now."
Lu Peishi: “…”
Seeing that he didn't move, Ruan Yan lowered her head and prepared to take action: "It's faster for me to feed you..."
"No need." Lu Peishi immediately picked up the spoon, avoided her hand, and started eating in small bites.
The porridge is cooked until it is very thick, neither hot nor cold. Adding vegetables and eggs makes the taste lighter and softer.
The delicate and refreshing porridge slid down his thirsty throat and reached his dull and aching stomach.
Some of the anxiety and discomfort were properly soothed.
After a few sips, I felt much better.
Looking at the person who finished the porridge obediently, Ruan Yan was satisfied.
She just said that she is very good at taking care of patients.
Especially those troublemakers who have bad tempers and don't obey orders.
"Does your head still hurt?" Ruan Yan changed a wet towel.
Lu Peishi: “Not bad.”
"You should get some sleep first. I'll go downstairs to eat something."
She didn't forget to put his computer away. "If you're thirsty, call me and I'll come up and get you some water."
"If you feel uncomfortable, please call me immediately..."
"Stop nagging. I'm not a three-year-old child." Lu Peishi glanced at her and interrupted her.
Ruan Yan nodded: "Oh, yes, you are not three years old. Three-year-old children know that they need to rest well when they are sick."
Lu Peishi: “…”
Seeing him lying down obediently, Ruan Yan smiled with satisfaction: "Then I'll go down first, you have a good rest."
Before leaving, he added, "Don't wait until I'm gone to secretly open your computer. I'll come up and check on you at any time."
Lu Peishi: “…”
The door closed gently with a click.
My ears are finally quiet. She has been nagging here all the time, it was so noisy.
Looking at the computer she placed casually on the bedside table, he frowned and stretched out his long arms from under the quilt.
He can open the computer whenever he wants, so why would he have to do it secretly? How ridiculous.
But the next second, there was a slight noise coming from the direction of the door. He stared for a moment and was relieved when he was sure that it was not Ruan Yan coming in.
In the end, he just gently pushed the computer into the bedside table and silently put his hands under the quilt.
He just didn't want to listen to her nagging...
I feel a little sleepy suddenly, I should go to sleep...
Maybe the fever-reducing medicine started to work, and because he ate porridge, he didn't feel as uncomfortable as he did at the beginning, and finally fell into a deep sleep.
He also had dreams.
In his dream, there was the voice he had been thinking about day and night.
"Ashi, my baby Ashi, you have to be obedient."
"Ashi, take your medicine obediently. You will feel better after a good sleep."
"My dear Ah Shi, mom will always be by your side."
…
In the blurred vision, Shen Qingling's still young face became clearer and clearer.
"Mom..." Although he grew up to be strong and healthy, Lu Pei was weak when he was young and often fell ill. Every time he fell ill, Shen Qingling was by his side.
"Baby Ashi, mommy is here." Shen Qingling reached out and held him.
"Mom...Mom..." Little Lu Peishi held Shen Qingling's hand tightly, afraid that she would suddenly disappear.
"Good boy, Mommy is here," her voice was still so gentle and doting.
"My throat hurts... I want some ice cream."
"Just go to sleep first. When you wake up, mom will buy it for you, okay?" Shen Qingling coaxed him patiently.
"good……"
"My baby Ah Shi is the best."
"Little Swallow, wear a flowery dress..."
Shen Qingling sang softly beside his bed, just like she usually did every night to coax him to sleep.
As she sang, her voice became more and more ethereal, and along with her face, it gradually became hazy.
He knew he was dreaming, but when he stretched out his hand and couldn't catch anything, he still felt panicked and helpless.
Mom, don't go.
Mom, don't leave me.
Mother……
The young voice cried out, but the only response he got was the cold, dead silence.
Mother--
Lu Peishi, who suddenly fell into darkness, woke up with a start.
Sure enough, there was still nothing.
He stared at the ceiling for a long time. In the silent room, his loss and frustration were nowhere to hide.
I inadvertently lowered my eyelids, but it scared him.
A dark figure was lying in front of his bed, sleeping soundly.
It’s Ruan Yan.
Just now, when he was half asleep, he felt her come in quietly to change his wet towel and carefully take his temperature again.
I thought she had already gone out, but I didn't expect her to stay here to guard me.
There was only a night light on in the room.
In the soft and faint light, the small girl curled up, her slender figure looking particularly thin.
He blinked very slowly.
Perhaps it was the weakness caused by his illness that exacerbated his bad mood. In the midst of his infinitely magnified sadness, such care gave him a moment of comfort and peace of mind.
It was as if a lonely soul that was always wandering had finally found an island to temporarily land on.
Just a short respite, that's fine.
The nights after waking from a sad dream were always long and difficult, but at least tonight, he was no longer struggling alone.
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Lu Peishi - a cool guy on the outside but actually a good boy who listens to his wife.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
