Chapter 84 Medicine Preparation
Pei Zhi didn't take the Ice Crystal Grass; instead, he tucked her hand into his chest to warm it. Her hand was as cold as ice, and the coldness pained his heart. "You mustn't take such risks again. Your life is more important than anything else!" His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were red; he was clearly frantic with worry.
Seeing his anxious expression, Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart: "I understand, I won't take such risks again. Quickly give the Ice Crystal Grass to the army doctor and have him prepare the medicine as soon as possible."
Pei Zhi nodded and had someone call the army doctor to fetch the Ice Crystal Grass. He then pulled Ye Wanning into the tent and poured her a cup of hot ginger soup: "Drink it quickly to warm yourself up and avoid catching a cold."
Ye Wanning took the ginger soup and drank it. The hot soup slid down her throat and into her stomach, warming her heart. She suddenly felt that all the suffering she had endured on the snow mountain had been worth it.
The military doctor prepared medicine for Pei Zhi using ice crystal grass and instructed, "Madam Ye, General Pei's injury needs to be nourished with gentle herbs. You can make him more millet porridge, and add some nourishing herbs while cooking the porridge, which will be beneficial for the wound's recovery."
Ye Wanning kept it in mind and hurried to the military camp kitchen to cook millet porridge for Pei Zhi according to the medical book her mother had left behind. She added red dates and goji berries to the porridge and simmered it over low heat for an hour. The porridge became thick and gave off a faint fragrance.
When she brought the porridge into the tent, Pei Zhi was leaning against the headboard, holding the medical book she had left behind, staring blankly at it.
"It's time to drink your porridge." Ye Wanning placed the porridge on the small table beside the bed, picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and then brought it to Pei Zhi's lips.
Pei Zhi opened his mouth and drank it. The porridge was thick and had a sweet taste of red dates; it was especially delicious. Looking at Ye Wanning's serious expression, he suddenly said, "You haven't eaten either, have you? Drink some with me."
He reached for another bowl of porridge, but Ye Wanning stopped him, saying, "I'm not hungry. You finish yours first, then I'll eat."
Pei Zhi was displeased and turned his head to the side: "You have to eat with me. If you don't drink, I won't drink either."
Ye Wanning had no choice but to scoop a spoonful of porridge and drink it herself. As soon as she swallowed it, she tasted a different kind of sweetness—not the sweetness of red dates, but the sweetness of maltose. She hadn't added maltose, after all.
"Did you add sugar?" Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhi strangely, her eyes full of confusion.
Pei Zhi's ears turned red instantly, and he turned his head to lie in a low voice: "General Zhenbei gave me a piece of maltose yesterday, and I had the kitchen dissolve it in the porridge. Don't you like sweets? Last time at Ci'an Hall, I saw you making snacks for the children and putting a lot of sugar in them."
Ye Wanning's heart suddenly warmed as if she had a little sun inside—it turned out that he had remembered even her small gesture. Looking at Pei Zhi's flushed face, she couldn't help but smile: "Thank you, it's delicious."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhi quickly turned his head, his eyes brightening: "Is it delicious? Then I'll have another bowl."
Ye Wanning smiled and nodded, continuing to feed him the porridge. This time, Pei Zhi didn't insist on doing it himself, obediently opening his mouth and swallowing mouthful after mouthful. Sunlight shone in through the only gap in the tent, falling into the porridge bowl and giving it a faint golden glow.
As they were finishing their drink, Pei Zhi suddenly grabbed her hand tightly: "Wan Ning, once I'm healed, I'll take you to the best pastry shop in the capital and buy you your favorite pastries, okay?"
Ye Wanning's heart skipped a beat. Looking at his earnest eyes, she nodded gently: "Okay."
Pei Zhi smiled, as happy as a child who had received candy. He looked at Ye Wanning, his heart filled with joy—as long as it made her happy, he would be willing to cook porridge for her every day.
After finishing her meal, Ye Wanning picked up the dishes to clean up, but Pei Zhi stopped her, saying, "No need to go, just let the soldiers wash them. Why don't you sit with me for a while?"
Seeing his pleading look, Ye Wanning nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."
...
The border sky was not yet fully bright at dawn. The light that slanted into the tent carried a chill as it fell on Pei Zhi's silver armor, reflecting a cold, hard light.
Ye Wanning came in with the freshly warmed medicine and saw Pei Zhi frowning at his armor—there was a two-foot-long crack on the shoulder armor from the previous night's arrow, and some charred marks around it.
"Does the wound still hurt?" She placed the medicine bowl on the small table by the bedside, her fingers curling slightly over the crack. That armor had accompanied Pei Zhi in battle for many years; every mark on it was a testament to his achievements. Now, with a new wound, it weighed heavily on her heart.
Pei Zhi shook his head, took the medicine bowl, and swallowed the medicine in one gulp. The bitter taste spread, but he didn't even frown: "It's a minor injury, nothing serious. It's just that this armor needs to be sent for repair, otherwise it might not protect vitals in another battle."
Ye Wanning didn't reply, her gaze still fixed on the crack. She had seen it last night when she was bandaging Pei Zhi's wounds, but the battle was too intense for her to think about it in detail. Looking at the damaged area, she suddenly remembered that in the sewing basket her mother had left her, there was a small roll of silver thread—leftover from when her mother embroidered patterns on her father's armor, its color warm and lustrous, and it was extremely durable.
"General, please rest for a while. You just took your medicine, so lie down and recharge." She helped Pei Zhi lie down, tucked the scattered blankets in, glanced at his tired sleeping face, and secretly plotted a little scheme.
Once Pei Zhi's breathing slowed down and Ye Wanning confirmed that he had fallen asleep, she took off the armor hanging on the tent pole.
The armor was not light; holding it in my arms, I could feel a warm, tender sensation, and there was a faint smell of blood on the armor.
Ye Wanning placed it on a wooden table covered with coarse cloth, and then took out the silver thread and a polished embroidery needle from her bundle.
Outside the tent came the shouts of soldiers drilling, but inside, only the faint sound of her needle flying through the air could be heard.
Ye Wanning squinted, threaded the silver thread through the eye of the needle, and carefully picked at the crack with her fingertips. Her needlework was taught by her mother; it wasn't outstanding, but it was neat enough. However, the fabric of the armor was rough and stiff, so she had to use much more force when embroidering a handkerchief.
What should she embroider? She stared blankly at the crack, suddenly remembering the little tiger pattern he had given her in return when she wrote to him last time, and the one he had drawn for her in the letter. The little tiger had pointed ears and a raised tail, and it looked very clever, somewhat resembling the gentle look that Pei Zhi occasionally showed.
Ye Wanning chuckled to herself, her fingers flying across the crack, and a tiger the size of a fingernail gradually appeared. The silver threads shimmered softly in the morning light, perfectly concealing the damaged edges; without close inspection, one might mistake it for a pattern that had always been there.
She was afraid that the embroidery would be too conspicuous, so she hid the stitches very deep, only revealing the outline of the tiger. If you didn't get close and caress it, you wouldn't be able to discover the secret.
Just as she finished tying the needle, footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent. Ye Wanning panicked and hurriedly hung the armor on the tent pole, then put the silver thread and needle into her sleeve. As she turned around, she bumped into Pei Zhi, who had just woken up, rubbing his eyes and turning to look at her.
"What are you doing?" His voice seemed to have just woken up. He glanced at her red fingertips and his eyes added a hint of interrogation.
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