017 Delivering pastries
Li Yang looked over nervously and saw that Yuan Chongjing was still sitting upright on the stone bench.
His eyes were closed, his brows were furrowed, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing became increasingly heavy, as if he were enduring immense pain.
She immediately asked with concern, "Young Master Song, what's wrong with my husband...?"
Song Xi withdrew her gaze from Li Yang's face and put the powder boxes she had taken out earlier back into her makeup box. Seeing that Li Yang was getting impatient, she finally spoke up: "Yang Yang, did you and he have a fight?"
Li Yang didn't know why he asked that, and shook her head blankly: "No, nothing."
"You still want to hide it from me?" Song Xi smiled smugly and whispered, "Did Yuan Chongjing bully you? Don't worry, I'll get revenge for you today. When I was inserting the needle just now, I put it in a little deeper, enough to make him suffer for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Li Yang hurriedly stood up to look at Yuan Chongjing: "Huh? Really? Won't this hurt him?"
"Tsk, look at you, so pathetic," Song Xi pressed her shoulder to make her sit down, carefully selected a piece of eyebrow pencil from the box, and said angrily, "I was just kidding you. This is normal for him. It will hurt a little at first, but it will be fine in two or three days. But your husband is quite tolerant. He didn't even utter a sound."
Li Yang was relieved and said with considerable pride, "That's right, he's my husband!"
"Keep showing off," Song Xi chuckled, her hands still busy. "Sooner or later, he'll have you completely under his thumb."
"My husband, I'm happy to!" Li Yang replied with a smile, then seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Young Master Song, did you try the food box I brought over yesterday? How did it taste? Anyway, it's still early. If you don't mind, I can make some more for you."
Song Xi glanced at her: "A girl's hands are so precious, don't always think about cooking. Besides, I did your makeup so beautifully, not so you could go into the kitchen and make a mess of your face. Not many people come to my courtyard usually, just sit down and talk to me."
He refused, and Li Yang didn't insist. She moved the stool next to Yuan Chongjing and sat down beside him.
This action caused Song Xi to frown repeatedly: "You can't live without him, can you?"
Li Yang smiled sweetly: "What does Young Master Song want to say? Putting aside everything else, I'm very good with words. I guarantee I can chat with you for three days and three nights without repeating myself."
“Alright then,” Song Xi said, leaning casually against the railing under the pavilion with his arms crossed. “Tell me about your time in Chenzhou.”
Li Yang said, "Chenzhou? It's a poor and remote place, there's not much to say about it."
"Of course there are. For example, I'd like to know what you usually do. Do you stay in the backyard all the time?"
“Of course not,” Li Yang replied immediately. “Chenzhou is a tough place, and Brother Jing’s salary isn’t much. If I stay idle like this, I’ll just be wasting my money. Besides, our daughter was just born, and there are many places where we need to spend money.”
Song Xi asked calmly, "Oh? You can even earn money?"
"Yes, I can't do those delicate embroidery jobs, so I occasionally make some side dishes, sauces, and pastries to sell to some vendors. Although it doesn't bring in much money, it's still some income. Besides, I've also brewed wine before, and sold it for a lot of money!"
Song Xi's smile deepened: "I didn't expect you to be so capable! You've really impressed me!"
Li Yang beamed with pride at his praise, her eyes sparkling: "It was Brother Jing who came up with the idea. He has a good eye and knows how to negotiate prices; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to sell it for so much silver."
Yuan Chongjing clenched his fists, hiding them under his sleeves. Li Yang was afraid that if she grasped them, it would cause Yuan Chongjing to move violently, which would disturb the acupuncture on her head. After hesitating for a moment, she could only grasp his arms.
Seeing their intimate little gestures, Song Xi couldn't help but say, "Alright, I know your Jing-ge is powerful, but can you stop talking about him all the time? I'm sick of hearing it."
Li Yang chuckled and changed the subject: "Young Master Song is also very impressive. He's a divine doctor at such a young age. And he's also the 'most beautiful woman in the world.' I've never seen anyone as beautiful as Young Master Song in all my years."
"That's right, who am I? How could you ordinary mortals just want to see me!" Song Xi proudly raised his head. After waiting for a while and not hearing Li Yang's agreement, he looked again and saw her holding a handkerchief, carefully wiping the sweat off Yuan Chongjing's face.
Sure enough, all women are the same; once they get something, they don't know how to cherish it! If this had happened yesterday before the acupuncture even started, let alone showing affection in front of him, he would have definitely quit if she had just ignored him like this!
Song Xi pursed her lips, deciding to ignore it. "I really can't stand it anymore. I'm going to rest. I'll have Qiuqiu come over to remove his needles later!"
"Young Master Song, wait a moment!"
Song Xi stopped and said irritably, "What!"
Li Yang glanced guiltily at Yuan Chongjing, then stood up and walked towards Song Xi, asking him in a low voice, "Young Master Song, can my husband hear us talking like this?"
Song Xi looked at her speechlessly. So she was still worried that Yuan Chongjing might have heard her praise earlier!
He had already blocked Yuan Chongjing's hearing when he inserted the needles; now, he couldn't hear anything from the outside world. But Song Xi didn't want to tell her. He confidently declared, "Yes! He heard every single word we said. He's just trapped by the needles and can't react right now. Once the acupuncture is over, just wait for him to come after you!"
Li Yang remembered his words. When Qiuqiu came over to remove the needles from Yuan Chongjing, she remained motionless, staring nervously at Yuan Chongjing.
As the silver needles were removed one by one, Yuan Chongjing's consciousness gradually returned. He slowly opened his eyes, his entire body, especially his mind, feeling as if he had just gone through a fierce battle, leaving him drenched in sweat and refreshed. His previously muddled mind began to clear.
"Brother Jing, how are you feeling? Is it still in pain?" Li Yang asked.
Seeing that she was about to lean against his face, Yuan Chongjing leaned back slightly to avoid her: "I'm fine, I feel great."
"That's good, that's good. I just asked Young Master Song, and he said that you'll feel some pain during the acupuncture, but it will be fine once the blood stasis dissipates. Just bear with it for a couple more times, and it will dissipate soon."
Seeing that his face, hair, and neck were covered in sweat, Li Yang helped him to his feet and said to Qiu Qiu, "Young Master Yang, I'll take my husband back to rest first. We'll come back at the same time tomorrow."
Qiuqiu smiled and nodded: "Madam, you don't need to be so polite. Just call me Qiuqiu. That's what my master and the others call me."
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Please, thank you so much for these past few days."
"It's alright, Madam should know the way out, so I won't see you off. I need to go back and make lunch for Master." Qiuqiu said, then smiled casually, "The food Madam made yesterday suited Master's taste very well. He ate it all. I haven't seen him eat so happily in a long time."
Li Yang was taken aback for a moment: "I'm glad you like it, Young Master Song. I'll bring some more ingredients over tomorrow morning."
Qiuqiu smiled and left the pavilion with her medical kit.
Li Yang then helped Yuan Chongjing slowly walk outside: "Your collar is all wet, does it really hurt?"
Yuan Chongjing shook his head: "It's bearable. Did you just call him 'Divine Physician Song'?"
"Yes, the miracle doctor said his name is Song Xi, and his apprentice's name is Yang Qing, nicknamed Qiuqiu," Li Yang continued, then whispered, "Song Xi, 'Song Xi' means 'sending someone to the west,' which means sending someone to their death. Brother Jing, isn't that funny?"
Yuan Chongjing glanced at her: "Everyone's name is carefully chosen by their elders; it's not something to joke about."
Li Yang stuck out her tongue: "That's what he said himself, I didn't say that."
After taking two more steps, Li Yang realized that Yuan Chongjing's question proved that he hadn't heard her conversation with Song Xi while he was doing acupuncture!
Damn it! Song Xi must have just said that to amuse her and was just trying to fool her!
She's determined to have a serious talk with him when she comes tomorrow!
The two stepped out of the house, where Bei Hai was waiting for them. Upon seeing them, he quickly helped Yuan Chongjing into the carriage. Once they were all seated, he jumped onto the carriage shaft, flicked the reins, and drove the carriage back to the Yuan residence.
Yuan Chongjing sat in the carriage for quite a while before he felt his dizziness and rapidly beating heart gradually subside. He opened his eyes, and before he could speak, he heard a gurgling sound echoing inside the carriage.
Li Yang touched her stomach somewhat awkwardly: "I forgot to eat breakfast this morning, and now I'm hungry."
It's actually quite late; it's almost noon.
Yuan Chongjing reached into his sleeve pocket and touched the pastry he had slipped in that morning.
Half the morning had passed, and the pastry had long since been carelessly crushed by him. He touched the handkerchief that had been wrapped around the pastry, wondering whether he should take it out now.
The next moment, Li Yang's stomach started rumbling again.
Yuan Chongjing steeled his heart, disregarding everything else, and took it out of his sleeve, handing it to her with a mixture of disdain and concern, saying, "I got this from home this morning, you...you eat it first."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com