Chapter 77 Snow Ruins Lantern "What does 'want to come back...' mean...?"
That night, it snowed again in Changzhou.
The moonlight failed to penetrate the clouds, making the vast sky appear hazy.
I've been in a coma for five days, and my stomach is rumbling. I should be enjoying a good meal.
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Ning Lu found it tasteless.
She rested her chin on her hands, gently shook her head, and gestured for the servants to take the food away.
Inside the room, the doctors were still circling around Xie Qinghe; his condition was worse than she had imagined.
If what the doctor said is true, he probably won't wake up anytime soon.
In the past, she could have taken the opportunity to do other things, such as settling Yu Lanzhou and Hongyu, visiting Daoist Tongguang, or going back to tally up her savings and make plans for the rest of her life when she couldn't go home...
Unfortunately, my legs felt like they were made of lead, and I couldn't move them no matter what I did.
She just wanted to sit somewhere closer to him.
After confirming that Yu Lanzhou and Hongyu were alright, she asked Qinghuai for help with their arrangements.
Liu Yunying...
Putting aside the ambiguous deal between her and Liu Yunying, she and Yu Lanzhou were people who had confided in each other, and she had to give them an explanation.
The door opened, and the doctors came out one after another, greeting her in turn.
Ning Lu snapped out of her daze, stood up, and walked sideways into the room.
Xie Qinghe was awake, his upper body propped up, sitting on the edge of the bed.
The silk quilt was already thin enough, but when it was draped over him and rose and fell with his breath, it created a heavy and oppressive feeling.
Ning Lu unconsciously quickened her pace to the bedside, and before sitting down, she took his soft, boneless right hand that was resting on his side.
The wound has been retreated, but the temperature remains as low as ever.
After a short while, his emotions had calmed down. His eyelids drooped, and he stared blankly at Suizi by the bedside.
It wasn't until she clasped her hands together and gathered his curled fingertips into her palms, her warm fingertips touching his wrist as she intently felt his pulse, that Xie Qinghe's unfocused eyes regained their focus. He quietly watched her movements, his gaze then falling on her brows and eyes.
This time, he actually looks a bit like a traditional Chinese medicine doctor.
His gaze lingered on her face for a long time, repeatedly confirming that it was Ning Lu, whom he knew.
"fool."
The pulse she felt was a jumbled mess; even a novice like her could tell that this body was currently suffering from both physical and mental injuries, and was extremely unstable.
Looking up, Ning Lu saw that Xie Qinghe was listless and didn't even have the strength to speak, so she sat down closer and gently touched his forehead with the back of her hand.
"Does it still hurt?"
Just now, his heart and stomach were in so much pain that he was shaking.
Xie Qinghe opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. He lowered his eyes in frustration and slowly shook his head.
They're lying again.
His body was still tense.
Ning Lu didn't expose his pretense. While holding his hand, she felt down from his chest, stopping above his cold, throbbing stomach, and patiently covered it.
Xie Qinghe's eyes followed her movements, his lips pressed into a straight line, his eyelashes trembled, and he breathed more heavily.
"Fool."
She couldn't help but curse again.
Knowing he was too weak to argue, Ning Lu rubbed his stomach in circles while sighing and muttering to herself.
"You know, I've always had to go to the hospital for blood tests even for the smallest cold. So I really can't understand someone like you who doesn't take care of their own body."
"Such a high-ranking person, such a high-ranking official, shouldn't he cherish his life? It's such a small matter, why did you make such a mess of yourself? I'm fine now, but if I really hadn't come back, how would you have handled the situation?"
"Should we kill everyone at Yongning Temple, or just break ourselves to pieces?"
"I'm back."
"What?"
"You're back..."
Xie Qinghe moved his left hand with difficulty and climbed onto the back of her hand.
He tried to speak, his Adam's apple bobbing upwards, his chest heaving twice, but he couldn't make a sound. He gasped for breath and turned his head to one side.
Ning Lu felt a pang of pity and protected his neck, telling him to lie down comfortably, while gently stroking his chest.
“I’m back, not because what you did was useful.”
She sighed deeply again.
Before he could finish speaking, the rest of the words caught in his throat.
Worried that he wouldn't be able to handle it if she spoke too harshly, Ning Lu patiently explained to him by counting on her fingers.
"I came back simply because... I wanted to come back."
"Xie Qinghe, you know best what it's like to be unwell. So you should know that you should never push yourself like this."
Listening to Qinghuai and Qingzhi recount what had happened recently, she felt lingering fear.
At first, I thought he was acting out of character, but after calming down and thinking about it carefully, I realized that everything had been foreshadowed all along.
This guy never takes his medicine unless he's being watched closely. He never takes care of his minor scrapes or cuts, and he's incredibly outspoken, with absolutely no inhibitions when it comes to matters of life and death…
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. On the other hand, this person kept his eyes down, his nose closed, and his mouth closed, completely unconcerned about anything that didn't concern him.
"You rascal."
"What does 'want to come back' mean...?"
Ning Lu was about to explain, but then she thought her previous argument with Liu Yunying was too fantastical. She herself couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality. Xie Qinghe was currently exhausted and probably didn't have the energy to listen to her long-winded explanation.
His eyes darted around, and he waved his hand: "Of course I want to come back."
Upon hearing this, Xie Qinghe smiled bitterly and closed his eyes wearily.
It turns out that what Master Tongguang said was true.
He almost lost her.
Seeing the person who was just moments before soft and obedient suddenly turn into a wilted eggplant, Ning Lu frowned slightly.
"Are you feeling unwell again? Should I call a doctor?"
“Ning Lulu…”
"Um?"
"What does 'come back' mean...?"
Is this guy delirious from illness?
"Of course I'll come back..."
Realizing what he meant, Ning Lu fell silent and looked at Xie Qinghe.
It seemed like he was asking whether she would leave again.
They looked into each other's eyes, and Ning Lu felt a sharp pain in her heart as she gazed into his unfathomable eyes.
"You hate me...you don't want to take me back...that's fine...as long as you're in Jiang Kingdom...you can stay by my side...is that okay...?"
The shadows from his eyelashes blended with the dark circles under his eyes, making him appear even thinner and weaker, like a porcelain doll about to shatter.
Her already aching heart softened even more, and Ning Lu couldn't help but reach out and stroke his hair.
In the afternoon, she had managed to control her emotions quite well. Looking back now, she probably still said things that hurt him.
sigh.
She leaned down, rested her head on his shoulder, and reached her hands around his waist, wrapping her arms around him completely.
Ning Lu buried her head in his neck and said in a muffled voice, "Coming back means I'm not going back."
"Xie Qinghe, I can't go home. I'll have to stay in your Jiang Kingdom for the rest of my life. You must recover quickly and try to live as long as possible to protect me."
Huanhuan's eyes widened suddenly, and Xie Qinghe was speechless, which was rare for him.
Unable to go home?
Just as he boasted, he had truly considered keeping her by his side for the rest of his life.
Anyway, she's an easy person to take care of and satisfy. As long as she has different food, toys, and noisy, chatty humans, she can live very well.
The Grand Chancellor's residence is so big, she can play there for a while.
But as he watched her laugh, watched her cry, and learned more and more about her, he wanted more and more, and wanted to give her even more.
I want her to always be vibrant, free, and to be herself.
She said that in her hometown, she has loving parents, close friends, and everything that shaped her into who she is...
Therefore, he dared not.
I dare not ask for, dare not hope for, any possibility of her remaining in this world.
Knowing full well that the love he sought was unattainable, he dared not even allow the desire to control it to grow unchecked.
At this moment, the white undergarment on her shoulder was soaked with tears.
Xie Qinghe let out a labored breath, struggled to wrap his arms around her slender waist, turned his head closer, and supported each other.
I dared not ask further, nor did I dare to confirm.
"good…"
He's trying to live a little longer...
He tightened his embrace around her, sighing helplessly.
For the first time in my life, I felt a fear of death and regretted the waste of the past ten years, worrying that I would not have a good end.
Ning Lu couldn't guess the turmoil in Xie Qinghe's heart; she only felt that he had finally come to his senses and was no longer afraid to seek medical help.
He obediently drank the herbal medicine that was handed to him, and when it was time for acupuncture, he would reach out obediently. Even those mountain of folded documents, he would not look at them at a single command.
After a few days, she also got him into the habit of taking a nap.
The snow continued that night, gradually lessening by evening, but the snow piled up deep in the courtyard. Unable to move around easily, no one bothered them, and Yu Lanzhou and Hongyu didn't have time to leave.
Ning Lu took advantage of Xie Qinghe's afternoon nap after taking his medicine to run back to the east wing and have a snowball fight with Lan Zhou and the other girls, and make hawthorn cakes.
With the changing scenery from morning till night, the inn and villa in Changzhou transformed from a battlefield into a paradise on earth.
"Sister Aying! You did a really bad job."
Hongyu held a hawthorn cake in one hand and pointed at the large snowman Ninglu had built with the other, making no attempt to hide her disdain.
"Where is it ugly? Isn't it beautiful?"
Ning Lu didn't take it seriously; she had clearly copied the beautiful snowman Xie Qinghe had built from her memory.
While she wouldn't call herself stunningly beautiful, she certainly wasn't ugly.
Qinghuai and Qingzhi couldn't help but chuckle, while Yu Lanzhou only smiled and remained silent.
Only Hongyu, showing no mercy, made a face and continued, "Sister Aying's taste is really the same as before, showing no improvement whatsoever. Last time you..."
“Hongyu. There are other kinds of hawthorn cakes in the house. Let me take you to see them.”
When Yu Lanzhou heard her talking about the past, he immediately interrupted her and pulled her inside.
During her stay at the inn, she met with Daoist Tongguang and gradually began to accept the fact that Liu Yunying and Ning Lu had swapped souls.
Living here, one can see Xie Qinghe's emphasis on Ning Lu, as well as his deliberate downplaying of Liu Yunying's identity.
Hongyu was naive and couldn't change her ways immediately. But she couldn't turn a blind eye.
"Lanzhou! It's okay, let her talk, I want to hear it too."
Ning Lu quickened her pace and walked alongside them, cracking jokes every now and then, making Hong Yu laugh heartily until she was breathless.
"Sister Suyun, Sister Aying is so funny right now. I don't know why, but I feel happy whenever she talks."
“Hongyu, this is inappropriate of you.”
Just as Yu Lanzhou was about to interrupt, Ning Lu rushed over with a look of surprise on her face.
"Really, Little Red Jade? Is my sister that funny?" She elegantly tossed a strand of hair and said smugly, "It seems that my storytelling skills haven't declined at all."
Before Hongyu could speak again, Ninglu lightly tapped the table: "This is good news. When my sister has her own show, I'll invite you to sit in the front row and be her shill."
"What is a joke? What is a special performance? What is a shill?"
Hongyu asked three questions in a row.
The other three pairs of eyes also widened in turn, eager to learn.
Ning Lu rested her index finger on her chin, pondered for a long time, and was about to explain when she saw Wei Chun float in from the doorway.
"What's wrong?"
"The express delivery from the capital has arrived at the door."
He gloated, raising an eyebrow with amusement.
"What? He's awake?"
She suddenly jumped up from the chair, a hint of panic and embarrassment flashing in her eyes.
Before Wei Chun could say anything, Ning Lu had already run towards the door.
"Not yet. The express mail just arrived at the gate of the inn and hasn't gone to the main house yet, so I came to inform you first."
"Thank you, Lord Wei."
Ning Lu forced a fawning smile and walked out without looking back.
Wei Chun stepped aside to block him.
"Instead of that, I suggest the girl ask about the contents of the express delivery."
"What?"
Ning Lu was puzzled.
"The Emperor has been assassinated, and a letter has been sent requesting that Your Excellency return to the capital to take control of the government."
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Author's Note: The last map is coming soon~ The end is just around the corner~
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