Chapter 77
◎Love is its equal.◎
After that, I continued to have acupuncture day after day. The time of acupuncture was fixed every day, one hour before dusk.
Ciying gradually became able to identify the acupuncture points on the body, but her hand still shook when she inserted the needle, and she could accidentally insert the needle somewhere else. Seeing her dedication, Xu Yun taught Ciying how to practice acupuncture techniques in his spare time and then talked to her about Xie Huaijin's leg.
Xu Yun: "I can confirm that there is no necrosis, but I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this."
Ci Ying explained that she had asked someone to find a doctor, but he had gotten stuck on the road the other day and would be arriving in two days. Xu Yun was clearly interested and said they would have a good chat with him once he arrived. Ci Ying said, "Okay."
Two days later, Doctor Li arrived.
The dust was blowing, and the escort breathed a sigh of relief. Ci Ying was waiting at the edge of the mansion. When she saw the old man, she went to greet him and said, "I am a young man and I am sorry for forcing you to come all this way. I apologize to you."
Doctor Li looked at Ci Ying and shook his head after a moment: "Alike, really."
Ci Ying paused for a moment and asked softly, "Is it my mother?"
Doctor Li nodded and laughed twice. "I've finally met Miss Yan's daughter. When we go underground, I'll brag to my comrades about her. Call her Ciying. What a great name!"
"What's the matter with your husband? Yan Ji hesitated and refused to say, saying only that he understood it once he saw it. I've been on the march and in battle for decades and have seen many leg injuries. Whether or not I can heal it is just a matter of a few glances. If I can't, please don't get angry."
Doctor Li spoke to Ci Ying in a junior tone. Seeing Ci Ying quickly shaking her head and saying "no," he couldn't help but laugh. He said with a smile, "Your mother wasn't like this before. Before, your uncle didn't take the highest lantern, so your mother got up and beat your uncle all day long."
Ci Ying recognized her mother, whom she had never met, from every word she spoke.
The more she listened, the quieter it became. She tried to describe what her mother looked like, but in the end she could only see a faint shadow.
That's always fate.
When people stand on one side of fate, they often forget what they were like in the beginning.
Everyone talks about their mother as cute, lively, generous and unrestrained.
But in the end, my mother died so lonely and sad.
Doctor Li looked at Ci Ying, still smiling: "Don't think too much, little one. If your mother were still alive, she wouldn't want you to be sad. Smile."
Ci Ying couldn't smile and lowered her head slightly.
She truly felt the kindness of the old man in front of her, so she couldn't be as at ease as she was in front of others.
The old man patted Ciying on the back and said, "Hahaha, forget it if you can't laugh. Let's go, take me to see your husband with a broken leg."
Ci Ying nodded in agreement and took the old man to Xie Huaijin's yard.
The old man was smiling all the way until he saw the injury on Xie Huaijin's leg, then his expression became serious. He pinched it left and right, and asked Xie Huaijin from time to time which part hurt more and what kind of pain it was.
About a quarter of an hour later, the old man stroked his beard and asked, "Did Mobei do it?"
Ci Ying nodded.
The old man carefully examined the wound on Xie Huaijin's leg and pointed out accurately: "It was caused by someone from the Mobei Army. No wonder Yan Ji was hesitant. Did the flood wash away the Dragon King Temple?"
Ci Ying shook her head and told the truth: "Yuwen Shu asked Yan Ji to arrest someone, and this injury was also caused by Yuwen Shu's men."
The old man frowned, rubbed it again, and asked Xie Huaijin a few questions.
Ci Ying waited anxiously. The old man stroked his beard for a long time and said, "It can be cured, but there are risks."
Ci Ying hurriedly asked what the risks were. Doctor Li shook his head, his eyes thoughtful. "He should be able to stand up now. If he's treated, he'll be able to stand up naturally. If he's not treated... he might need to be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life."
Because the person he was talking to was Ciying, the old man was very tactful.
Hesitation appeared in Ci Ying's eyes. She held Xie Huaijin's hand and looked at the young man in panic.
The young man was the calmer one. Seeing Ciying looking at him, he said gently, "Treat her."
Ci Ying held Xie Huaijin's hand tightly without saying a word.
Doctor Li saw Ci Ying's hesitation, and since there was no rush, he asked the two to think it over carefully.
Ci Ying called the maid and took Doctor Li to the side room. Then, remembering Xu Yun's request, she asked Doctor Li if someone else could be present on another day. Doctor Li waved his hand to show that he didn't care. He said to Ci Ying, "When I was treating patients before, I didn't know how many people were around me, and there were many corpses. It doesn't matter if there are people around me."
Ci Ying said softly, "Thank you." Doctor Li looked at Ci Ying lovingly and said, "These are nothing. Ci Ying, go burn some incense for your uncle some other day."
Ciying said "OK".
After Doctor Li left, Ci Ying pushed Xie Huaijin out the door. She became a little absent-minded as she pushed, and when someone held her hand, she realized that Xie Huaijin had turned around and was looking at her.
Ci Ying looked at the young man worriedly, hugged him from behind, and their heads touched each other.
"I'm a little scared." Ci Ying said frankly.
She felt that Doctor Li did not exaggerate the risks. If Xie Huaijin continued to receive treatment, he might not be able to stand up in the future. She didn't know whether they needed to gamble on this possibility. Now Xie Huaijin could still take a step or two occasionally.
"Don't be afraid." The young man comforted him gently.
Ci Ying lowered her eyes, not knowing how to describe the feelings in her heart. It was very strange.
Everything was getting better, so she started to feel a little scared.
It seems to be fine now.
She thought a lot, but finally said softly: "I'll listen to you."
It's Xie Huaijin's body. Even if Ci Ying loves this person very much, she cannot make decisions on behalf of Xie Huaijin.
The young man looked at Ci Ying tenderly, pulled Ci Ying in front of him, and gently stroked Ci Ying's eyes with his hand. Ci Ying did not cry, but her eyes were a little red. She looked at Xie Huaijin, and Xie Huaijin also looked at her tenderly.
The sunlight shone on the young man, and his snow-white clothes shone with luster. Between the light and shadow, Ci Ying heard Xie Huaijin's decision.
"Treat him."
He wanted to be able to stand up one day and hug her.
Sitting in the wheelchair, he naturally looked up at Ciying, requiring Ciying to lower her head again and again.
Now Xie Huaijin no longer needs Ci Ying to bow her head.
The suicidal thoughts that had once lingered in his heart gradually faded with the passage of time. The empty spaces were filled with Ciying's name. Xie Huaijin looked at Ciying with a smile and whispered, "I want to be able to walk towards Ciying on my own."
Ci Ying couldn't hold back her tears to begin with, and tears immediately fell when she heard this.
The young man looked at it and wiped it away gently with his hand: "Don't cry."
Ci Ying didn't know if she was crying anymore, she just hugged Xie Huaijin tightly, she choked and said, "It will hurt, Xie Huaijin, just bear with it."
The young man said "OK" in a gentle voice.
The treatment started with a medicinal bath. Doctor Li said that the army did not have such good conditions in the past, and many soldiers had to endure it. Some were cured, but some became disabled.
But I'm not in the army now, so I'd better be more meticulous.
The sin cannot be reduced, but it can be alleviated.
Xu Yun nodded frequently and told Ci Ying that what Doctor Li said made a lot of sense.
After half an hour of medicinal bath, Doctor Li put some herbs on his hands and started to massage. He then instructed Xu Yun, who knew acupuncture, and told him the acupuncture points and asked him to insert needles one by one.
Xu Yun was happy to learn, and without waiting for Ci Ying to speak, he took the silver needle and walked forward.
Doctor Li asked Ciying to go out first.
Xu Yun glanced at Doctor Li and said nothing.
Ciying went out first.
Inside the house, Xu Yun said, "She was always there when I was doing acupuncture, and she even asked me for advice privately."
Doctor Li's hands continued to massage, but his eyes remained silent. "It's very painful to see a loved one suffer. I don't want her to see it."
Xie Huaijin put into practice what Doctor Li said. Xu Yun inserted an injection, and the young man gritted his teeth to endure the pain. He didn't cry out even though sweat broke out on his forehead.
There were clearly three people in the room, but it was unprecedentedly quiet.
If you listen carefully, you can even hear the sound of silver needles piercing the skin.
Xu Yun thought about what Doctor Li had just said, then looked at Xie Huaijin's reaction. After thinking for a while, he looked at Ci Ying's shadow reflected in the window at the door.
Ci Ying waited until dusk before the door opened.
She looked at Xie Huaijin inside, and the young man had fainted from the pain.
Doctor Li came out and said to Ciying, "I'm old and tired. Let's continue tomorrow."
Ci Ying understood that success is not achieved overnight. Xu Yun slowly followed Doctor Li out. Seeing Ci Ying, he smiled and said, "I've learned a lot in just this afternoon. There are always people who are better than you."
The two people are good at different things, and Ci Ying thinks Xu Yun is really humble.
Xu Yun touched Ciying's head for some reason and said softly, "It will be fine, Ciying."
Ci Ying looked at the unconscious Xie Huaijin in the house. A strong herbal aroma wafted out from inside. The servant went in to take out the burning incense from the incense burner, and then opened the window to disperse the medicinal smell in the room.
Xu Yun comforted Ci Ying and left. After everyone left, Ci Ying was finally able to go in.
She walked all the way to the bed and kissed him, then sat down and gently smoothed the young man's flowing hair with her hand.
Her skin was pale, like jade, and illness lingered all over her body. Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin quietly and fell asleep beside him very gently.
They will have many tomorrows.
It was completely dark when Xie Huaijin woke up. The warm breath on his neck made his eyes pause for a moment. Not wanting to wake Ci Ying, he just looked at her quietly.
As a blessing in disguise, after being blind for a while, all his senses became sharper.
With the faint light coming in from outside, he could see Ci Ying's hazy face. Because he was very close, he could also hear Ci Ying's warm breathing and faint heartbeat.
He watched Ciying sleep for a while, then remembered something and slowly raised his hand and touched Ciying's head.
Ci Ying didn't sleep soundly, and she hadn't slept well these days. When she woke up, she had a headache. The young man's cold hands pressed her solar plexus at the right time and whispered, "Get up and eat first, then go back to sleep well later."
Ci Ying wasn't actually hungry, but she didn't say anything. She just looked at Xie Huaijin in the dim light and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"
Xie Huaijin shook his head: "It doesn't hurt."
Ci Ying muttered "liar" under her breath, but her hands honestly hugged the person tightly.
......
This continued for the next few days. Doctor Li never let Ci Ying watch the scene of treating Xie Huaijin. He always asked Ci Ying to leave first during the diagnosis and treatment. Xu Yun came every day and took on all the acupuncture work from the second day.
Doctor Li occasionally saw Xie Huaijin's endurance and glanced at Ci Ying's figure outside the window. He had actually heard some rumors, but rumors were not as true as what he saw with his own eyes.
Xu Yun rarely spoke to interrupt Doctor Li's thoughts. He only talked to Doctor Li about Xie Huaijin's other illnesses when Xie Huaijin's body could no longer bear it. One illness after another, Doctor Li frowned as he listened to them. With his frown on his face, the speed at which he ordered Xu Yun to insert the needle slowed down visibly.
At first, Ciying just waited, but later she handled her official business in the shade of the corridor.
She occasionally glanced at the closed doors and windows of the room, then picked up her pen to correct the papers. Usually when she finished, Doctor Li and Xu Yun would come out.
Ci Ying had all the booklets put away in advance. After greeting Xu Yun and Doctor Li, she went in to see Xie Huaijin.
Except for fainting on the first day, the young man was just a little weak for many days afterwards.
At first, he didn't have the strength to speak. After he recovered a little, he always called Ciying's name first when he spoke.
"Ci Ying."
"Ci Ying."
"Ci Ying..."
Ci Ying likes Xie Huaijin calling her name.
She snuggled in his arms, listening to the young man's heartbeat. She didn't know when she started this habit. Maybe it was because she was always afraid that the young man was dead. What could prove that a person was alive better than a heartbeat?
Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin and thought, maybe there is.
Her own heartbeat.
They hugged each other.
Two months passed quickly. Ci Ying wrote a letter to Yan Ji to explain the situation on her side and asked Ling Yue to go back to deal with some things first. Ling Yue wanted to go back first, so she set off on the day Ci Ying gave the order.
Xiaowan rushed to Chang'an to see Lingyue off. Her husband stood behind Xiaowan holding the child. Lingyue waved to Xiaowan in the carriage, then returned to the carriage and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
Everyone has their own choices, and it is common for friends to be scattered all over the place.
Chang'an is too far away from Mobei. Even if there are not so many people who are forced to do things against their will, how many people will remember the next time they meet? Every time feels like the last time. Lingyue lifted the curtain of the car and looked back. She saw Xiaowan standing there, looking at her with a smile, and saying loudly, "Have a nice journey."
Ciying invited Xiaowan and her family into her house. Xiaowan still called Ciying "Master". When her daughter saw her, she followed Xiaowan and called Ciying "Master". Xiaowan quickly covered the little girl's mouth and said to Ciying, "Master, please forgive me."
Ci Ying took the little girl's hand and said gently, "Youyou, call me Auntie."
Youyou was at the age of learning to speak, so she followed suit and called out, "Auntie, Auntie."
Ci Ying took out a small gold locket from her bosom and put it on Youyou's neck. Xiao Wan exclaimed, "Master! You can't do that. It's too valuable."
Ci Ying said softly, "The child already calls me aunt, how can I not have a gift? I asked for the gold locket at the temple. It's very light, just a token of my appreciation."
Xiaowan was at a loss for words, but just looked at Ciying with red eyes.
Ciying touched Youyou's head while Youyou played with the small golden lock. Ciying then took out a large golden lock from her bosom, stood up and hung it around Xiaowan's neck. She smiled gently and said, "I prayed for this with Youyou. My Xiaowan's golden lock is a large one, keep it well."
Xiaowan wanted to say, "Master, you've already given me too much," but Ciying patted Xiaowan's head and whispered, "Xiaowan, you know these are nothing to me. Compared to these mundane things, the things you gave me are more precious, and compared to these, you are more precious to me. I just hope that Xiaowan is well and don't refuse again, okay?"
Xiaowan was crying and couldn't speak. Ciying smiled and straightened Xiaowan's collar and buried the heavy gold lock inside.
"I have arranged for someone to work at Youfu Silver Bank on the east side of Chang'an. If you need help and it's inconvenient to find me or I'm not in Chang'an anymore, you can go find the people at the silver bank."
Xiaowan cried and said, "Thank you, master." Ciying bent her eyes and didn't care about the title.
They are family.
Compared with Yuwen Fu, Yuwen Shu, Zhu Guang, Xiaowan, Ruzhen, Lingyue Lingshuang are more like her family.
After the meal, Xiaowan and his wife came to say goodbye, but Ciying did not try to keep them.
She sent Xiaowan away just like Xiaowan sent Lingyue away. When she turned around, she saw the young man waiting for her not far away. The sadness she had just felt disappeared immediately. She ran towards Xie Huaijin and hugged him from the front. She didn't say anything, and the young man didn't say anything either.
It was a long time before Ci Ying said, "It's very windy outside. You shouldn't have come out."
The young man stroked her head and said nothing.
He only kissed Ciying's eyelashes lightly the moment she raised her eyes.
Ci Ying blinked and kissed the young man's eyes.
The two looked at each other and suddenly laughed.
Ci Ying pushed Xie Huaijin back, with the setting sun behind them.
......
Everything was getting better. Xu Yun's acupuncture frequency had been reduced from once a day to once every two days. Although Xie Huaijin still coughed, he no longer coughed up blood. Just when Ci Ying thought everything would slowly get better, Xie Huaijin's leg injury suddenly became serious.
He used to be able to walk a few steps, but now he needs to be touched with great force to feel anything.
When Ciying discovered it by chance, tears fell.
"When did it start?" Ci Ying asked with a sob.
The young man wiped her tears and said gently, "It didn't take long. It took a few days of treatment and it's all gone. It didn't have much of an impact, except that it was a little inconvenient."
"Will he be okay?" Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin, but felt that it would be better to ask Doctor Li instead of Xie Huaijin.
She stood up to leave, but the young man grabbed her hand from behind: "The doctor said at the beginning that anything is possible, Ciying."
Ci Yinghong looked at Xie Huaijin. If she hadn't discovered it today, she didn't know how long he would have kept it a secret.
She felt angry, but didn't know what to do.
She felt a little depressed during dinner.
Xie Huaijin saw this and asked Ciying if she wanted to go out at night.
Ci Ying said "no", but in the evening, the two of them still went out. Ci Ying pushed Xie Huaijin along the street, occasionally stopping in front of small shops to buy things, one or two items in each shop, and soon they had a lot.
There were servants behind her, but Ci Ying did not let the servants hold the things. Instead, she put them all in Xie Huaijin's hands. If Xie Huaijin couldn't hold them, she hung them on his wheelchair, which looked a bit out of place.
The servants wanted to go forward to help but were stopped by Ci Ying. The servants looked left and right and finally left as if they didn't see the master's embarrassment. Zhu Er found it a little funny and couldn't help but turned around and smiled.
Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin, thought for a while, and then found a gap to hang something on Xie Huaijin's hand. Of course, they were all very light things. She hung the heavy ones on the wheelchair. This is the bad thing about having a seriously ill lover. She needs to think carefully before losing her temper.
Over time, more and more things were placed on Xie Huaijin's wheelchair. From a distance, the wheelchair looked like a wooden rack full of things, except that Xie Huaijin, a lame person, was also hung on it.
The young man looked at her lovingly. Ci Ying snorted lightly, but she also understood that Xie Huaijin could not be blamed for the incident.
But who is to blame?
Many things have no answers, just like this one.
Ci Ying pushed Xie Huaijin and the two sat down by the river. Ci Ying caught a firefly with her hands and placed it in front of the young man.
The fireflies fluttered their bodies, and the light and shadow flickered.
Xie Huaijin looked at Ci Ying gently and said, "Don't be angry."
Ci Ying said stubbornly, "No."
Xie Huaijin took out a candied haws from somewhere and handed it to Ciying.
Ci Ying was stunned for a moment, then saw Zhu Er's back not far away. She took it and said softly, "I said I didn't."
The young man didn't say anything, but just gestured to Ciying to eat the candied haws.
Ciying took a bite and found it very sweet.
I took another bite and found it was still very sweet.
It was as if the heavens were helping her forgive him, even though there was nothing to forgive. Mercifully, Ci Ying left the remaining two candied haws to Xie Huaijin, looking at the young man with sparkling eyes: "Eat quickly, they're very sweet!"
Xie Huaijin didn’t know how sweet the candied haws were that day, but Ci Ying smiled happily.
The two of them admired the night scenery for a while and then went back. Ciying went to handle official business as usual, and it started to rain outside.
When the rain stopped, Ci Ying had almost finished her work. She stretched, stood up, and opened the window. The rain mist blew on her face, making her sober up a little. She looked up at the dark sky.
It rained and the moon disappeared.
But it doesn’t matter, the moon will come out again tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow.
Ci Ying closed the window and went to sleep. She had a long dream, but when she woke up she couldn't remember it at all. She stared blankly at the bed curtains for a long time, then turned her head and saw the light on the ground.
She got up and went to the place where the sunlight came in. It was still early morning and the light was only slightly warm.
Ciying bathed in the light, just like she had bathed in the moonlight long ago.
Maybe there is a difference.
But she doesn't care.
Love is its equal.
Even though Ci Ying had prepared herself for Xie Huaijin to never be able to stand up again, her eyes still sore when she looked at Xie Huaijin sitting in a wheelchair. She felt that life at least shouldn't be so regretful, because it was already regrettable enough.
Ci Ying held back and whispered to Xie Huaijin, "It's okay."
The young man easily saw through Ci Ying and saw Ci Ying's love.
He thought that he might have been blind before.
After regaining his sight, Xie Huaijin's eyes could not leave Ci Ying. Ci Ying would sometimes look him in the eye and whisper, "What if one day you become blind again?"
The young man's gentle voice came from the front: "I'm taking a closer look."
Ci Ying didn't understand at first, until Xie Huaijin's eyes looked at her motionlessly. Her heart stopped for a moment, and then when she closed her eyes, the young man kissed her.
The kisses between the two were always light, so this one was no surprise.
They separated immediately after the first touch. Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin, thought for a moment, and then kissed him again.
Kiss Xie Huaijin on the eyes.
In ancient legends, this means "blessing".
She wished her lover to be able to see her forever.
Happiness is within reach.
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