Chapter 68 Look at the wound
Du Ruozhi quickly handed her a handkerchief and stroked her back, her face full of worry, "Sister, drink slowly."
Du Huaizhi finally caught his breath and looked at Du Ruozhi in front of him. He felt his temples throbbing. It seemed that hiding in front of her was not a good idea.
"You think too much." Du Huaizhi took the handkerchief and wiped the corner of his lips, his voice still a little hoarse, "It's not what you think, this injury...I accidentally scratched it myself."
"Did you rub it?" Du Ruozhi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing at her neck again. "How could rubbing it cause such a red mark? Sister, you're biased and defending him again. What's so good about him?"
Du Huaizhi was overwhelmed by what she said, but it was impossible to explain this kind of thing in detail, so he could only let it go and stuffed a piece of rice cake into Du Ruozhi's mouth, "Eat, or the food will get cold if you keep nagging."
The soft and glutinous pastry blocked her mouth. Du Ruozhi puffed up her cheeks and chewed it. Looking at Du Huaizhi's slightly uncomfortable profile, the doubts in her heart not only did not dissipate, but became heavier.
"If you don't eat well, I won't take you out to play later." Du Huaizhi said while eating.
When Du Ruozhi heard that she could go out and play with her elder sister, she immediately became obedient. "Elder sister, how about we go to the Pear Garden outside the city? I heard that the pear blossoms are in full bloom these days, so beautiful."
Du Huaizhi thought about the location of the Pear Garden. It was in the suburbs and most importantly, it was far away from Prince Cheng's Palace. It would be nice to go there to take shelter for a few days.
"Okay, after dinner, pack up and we'll go over there and stay for a few days to have fun."
"Ah? You want to stay overnight?" Du Ruozhi was stunned.
"You don't want to?"
"No, no." Du Ruozhi shook her head. "I just didn't expect it. That would be great. I'm almost bored staying at home every day."
Du Ruozhi packed up her things in no time and went without hesitation. She also brought An Nian from the Imperial Hospital with her.
Watching Du Ruozhi chatting enthusiastically with An Nian in a low voice, Du Huaizhi knew what she was going to do without having to guess.
As expected, after getting on the carriage, An Nian began to fiddle with the medicine box she brought with her, "Let me see the wound."
Du Huaizhi: "..." He raised his eyes and glanced at Du Ruzhi.
Du Ruozhi looked up at the carriage roof and said, "Hey, this carving...it's really carved there."
"...There are no wounds." Du Huaizhi replied.
An Nian stared at her, calm and composed, not looking hurt at all, and silently closed the medicine box. "It was your sister who said you were beaten. I was wondering, how could someone beat you up?"
Du Ruozhi wanted to say something, but Du Huaizhi glared back at her.
"She's young and doesn't understand. Don't listen to her nonsense."
An Nian nodded, her eyes falling on Du Huaizhi, "Why are you wearing a scarf?"
Hearing this, Du Huaizhi pulled his scarf closer and said, "It's cold."
"The weather now is just cold at best. Wearing a scarf is too much." An Nian vaguely guessed what Du Ruozhi meant by being beaten, and looked at Du Huaizhi with a meaningful look.
Du Huaizhi felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at him, and his eyes avoided her.
"This is the first time I've seen you since you moved to Prince Cheng's Mansion. You look a lot rounder. It seems the prince treats you well."
Before Du Huaizhi could say anything, Du Ruozhi hurriedly said, "What's good about it? He imprisoned my sister and didn't let her interact with her relatives." She was furious when she thought about how she had been rejected several times when she went to Prince Cheng's mansion.
"He also hit people. My sister's neck was bruised." Du Ruozhi became more and more angry as she thought about it, and blurted out all the words.
Du Huaizhi didn't have time to cover her mouth and could only hold his forehead helplessly.
An Nian finally understood, and shook her head helplessly, "You're really young and naive."
Du Ruozhi was a little confused, not understanding what they were talking about. "What's wrong? Sister An Nian, do you know what?"
"Your sister is not injured and not beaten." An Nian said.
"But……"
"That's not an injury. How can I tell you this? You'll understand it later anyway." An Nian patted her shoulder with an expression that made her feel at ease.
Du Ruozhi frowned, with great confusion in her eyes.
Pear Garden.
As Du Ruozhi had said, the pear blossoms were in full bloom, and the fragrance filled the air before she even entered the garden. Du Ruozhi was captivated by the blossoms and ran excitedly deeper into the garden, her skirt brushing against the petal-strewn path.
She did not forget to turn around and call out to Du Huaizhi and the other person who were following behind her, "Sister, hurry up." Then she turned around and continued running.
An Nian was carrying a medicine box on her back. Seeing Du Huaizhi holding her waist from time to time, she handed over a jar and said, "Suck this in your mouth. It can relieve the discomfort."
Du Huaizhi stared at the jar for a few seconds, then raised his hand to take it and put it into his sleeve. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." An Nian responded generously.
"Are you doing well in the Imperial Hospital?" Du Huaizhi asked.
"Not bad." An Nian seemed to be thinking of something happy, and the corners of her mouth rose. "With the Regent's recommendation, even if I'm a woman, they have to look up to me. This is power——"
She sighed, "I also read the medical books there. I go there almost every day when I'm on duty. If you hadn't asked me out to play, I would still be in the library right now."
"As long as I haven't been wronged."
Du Ruozhi ran for a while, then saw that the two hadn't caught up, so she turned back. She just happened to hear the last few words and interrupted, "Is everything going well for Sister An Nian in the Imperial Hospital? Is anyone bullying you?"
An Nian smiled and said, "Dare to bully me? You have to see if the needle in my hand agrees first."
The three of them walked all the way to the depths of the place and saw a few people here and there on the road. They were all children of wealthy families and high-ranking officials who came here to play.
"Are you the new eldest daughter of the Du family, the Crown Prince's Consort?" A voice suddenly sounded, followed by several young girls coming towards them.
The one who had just spoken was the one in the lead. She was wearing an apricot-colored dress, her arms folded across her chest. She had a delicate face and a sly, disdainful expression. She looked at Du Huaizhi bluntly, "You're nothing special. You're just a concubine's daughter from the countryside. How could the prince be attracted to you?"
Du Huaizhi's expression did not change. He said that he had been here for so long, but had not had much contact with these noble ladies. They were really more arrogant than the other. Fortunately, this one was shorter and could not look down on her.
Du Ruozhi stepped forward and protected Du Huaizhi behind her. "Su Wanwan, my sister is the Crown Prince's consort, so stop talking nonsense."
Su Wanwan sneered, her eyes scornful. "Marrying her formally? It's just someone who used some trick to climb up the social ladder."
"Who is spewing nonsense here and ruining the pear blossoms here?" A voice interrupted from the other side.
Su Wanwan was caught off guard by the scolding and was immediately furious. She was about to explode, "Who...", but after seeing who it was, she quickly stopped herself. Her expression froze, looking very ugly.
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