“There really is one. I can’t stay with the prince today. You can go into the room later. There’s a side room next door, which is my usual resting room. You can stay there tonight. If the prince has any problems tonight, just come and call me.”
Su Chien was taken aback: "Sister and the Prince sleep separately?"
"Otherwise what?" She and Yu Nanqing aren't really husband and wife, so they can't possibly sleep together.
“I thought…” Su Chi’en wanted to say something, but in the end she didn’t say it and nodded: “I will listen to my sister and go take care of the prince.”
"No need to take care of him, just keep an eye on him." She was afraid that Su Chien would be half-dead by Yu Nanqing if she tried to touch him.
"Okay, then, sister, shall I go now?"
"Go ahead, go ahead."
After watching Su Chien leave the small kitchen, Su Wanyan got up, stretched, picked up a wooden spoon, and opened the medicine jar. A strong smell of medicine wafted out.
Su Wanyan wiped the bitter smell from her nose, put the spoon down and stirred it for a moment. There was still half a bowl of medicine left in the pot. It needed to be boiled down to at least one bowl.
It looks like tonight will be tough. Su Wanyan put the medicine lid back on, plopped down on the stool, and rested her chin on her hand listlessly. Seeing that the flames were getting smaller, she pushed the firewood in a little more.
Having no experience in brewing medicine for the first time, Su Wanyan had brought two books to read if she had known it would be this boring.
It's late at night, and she's all alone in the small kitchen. Two of the four maids are taking turns keeping watch outside.
Su Wanyan was yawning repeatedly. She couldn't hold on any longer and her head would nod off. She would wake up again after a while. Every now and then, she would stir the medicine in the pot to prevent the herbs from sticking to the bottom.
She had stayed up late before, but she was always studying by lamplight and had something to do so she wasn't too sleepy. But now, with such a small flame burning, she just couldn't muster the energy to stay awake.
Just as she couldn't help but close her eyes again and nod her head down, Su Chien's voice suddenly came into her ears: "Sister?"
Su Wanyan woke up immediately and looked up to see Su Chien peeking half his head in from the doorway of the small kitchen.
"Why are you here? Is there something you need, Yu Nanqing?" Su Wanyan asked, getting up.
Su Chien shook his head and stepped inside, handing a package of oil paper to Su Wanyan: "I was afraid my sister would be hungry, so I went to the kitchen to get her some food."
Su Wanyan wasn't hungry at first, but as soon as she smelled the aroma from the oiled paper, a wave of hunger washed over her: "What is this? It smells so good."
As he spoke, he began to unfold the oil paper, revealing two sesame seed cakes.
Su Wanyan's eyes lit up, and she took a bite without hesitation.
It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with just the right amount of saltiness. It smelled so good! Su Wanyan hadn't even swallowed the first bite when she took another. After finishing, she still wasn't satisfied and stuffed two more bites in.
Only when their mouths were full did they begin to chew with satisfaction.
"Sister, slow down." Su Chien was afraid she would choke.
"Do you want one?" There were just two sesame seed cakes left, one for her and one for Su Chien.
Su Chien waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, I'm not hungry."
Seeing that Su Wanyan looked sleepy, Su Chien said, "Sister, why don't I help you watch over her? You go to sleep."
Su Wanyan's brows furrowed: "What? Did Yu Nanqing bully you? Did he kick you out?"
"No, no, it's not that," Su Chien hurriedly explained, "I just saw that my sister was too tired."
"It's alright, I'll still do the decoction myself." It's not good if it's not decocted for too short a time or too long: "You should go and rest. You have things to do tomorrow. Whether you can become rich and powerful in the future depends on you."
Su Chien blushed. Was what he did really that important?
She immediately replied, "Then I'll go and rest. I'll come see my sister again first thing tomorrow morning."
Su Wanyan nodded as she stuffed a sesame seed cake into her mouth: "Go ahead, go ahead."
Su Wanyan stayed up all night in the small kitchen, and by the time the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon the next day, the medicinal soup in the jar was finally ready.
However, this was only the first step in making medicine. She then switched to a slightly smaller pot and poured the remaining bowl of dark medicine into it.
I'm starting to stay up late again.
This time, she needed to stir constantly with a spoon, and the fire in the stove still had to be kept low.
When Su Chien brought breakfast over in the early morning, he saw that Su Wanyan had already changed to a small pot and was simmering and stirring it.
"Sister," Su Chi'en said with concern, "It's still early, why don't I help you?"
This time, Su Wanyan didn't refuse. She yawned and handed him the spoon in her hand, saying, "Then I'll have some breakfast first."
There was only one bowl of medicine left after boiling, not much, so by the time Su Wanyan finished breakfast, the medicine in the pot had already started to thicken.
Seeing this, Su Wanyan put out the firewood: "Alright, that's enough."
Su Chien obediently stepped back two steps, and then saw Su Wanyan wrap the pot handle with a cloth and pick up the pot.
"Then, sister, I'll head out now."
"Okay, be careful," Su Wanyan replied.
When Su Wanyan entered the main room, she was still yawning. She hadn't slept all night and was exhausted.
Yu Nanqing slowly opened her eyes and, seeing how sleepy she was, felt guilty and got out of bed.
Su Wanyan was startled: "Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Yu Nanqing propped himself up, his furrowed brows revealing his frustration. Yes, even if he got up, what could he do?
His fist clenched unconsciously under the blanket, a sense of powerlessness rising from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to do something for Su Wanyan, but he couldn't do anything.
In the end, all he could manage to say, with a sense of helplessness, was, "You don't need to do these things for me."
The more Su Wanyan did this, the more afraid he became of being unable to extricate himself.
It felt as if something was about to well up from the depths of his heart, making him unable to control himself.
Su Wanyan placed the prepared medicine on the table: "Yu Nanqing, shall we make a promise?"
Yu Nanqing looked up and saw her clear, unadulterated eyes, as if all schemes and tricks would desecrate her pure soul in front of her.
He didn't reply, and Su Wanyan ignored her, continuing, "If I can cure you, you can use your people to safely send me out of the capital. Then you can find me a place to stay, okay?"
Yu Nanqing's eyebrows twitched slightly, finding it laughable: "That's impossible."
"Are you afraid I won't be able to cure you, or are you afraid that even if I do cure you, I won't be able to find you a place to live?"
Yu Nanqing was amused by Su Wanyan's words, but when he saw Su Wanyan's serious expression, he couldn't laugh anymore. From her eyes, he could tell that she really believed that she could cure him.
Yu Nanqing's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He didn't know whether to say she was overestimating herself or being too optimistic. Even though she had given up all hope, seeing Su Wanyan's determined expression, he was also filled with a glimmer of hope.
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