Chapter 100 "At times like this, don't just stand there..."
Staying in a confined, boundless darkness for too long is like drowning; a feeling of suffocation will gradually rise up.
The pain from the wounds gradually numbed, and there were no other sounds in my ears except for my own breathing. The weakness from excessive blood loss and the gradually decreasing body temperature made me increasingly sleepy.
In this desperate situation where the end is uncertain, willpower will silently crumble and become extremely weak. Whenever my eyelids droop, I can't help but have the illusion that everything can be ended if I just fall asleep.
With his last remaining strength, Baili Xunzhou bit his tongue, the sweet and metallic taste of blood stimulating his muddled nerves, maintaining the last shred of consciousness, daring not to truly fall asleep. He had never feared death before; when trapped in dire straits, with a sharp blade piercing his chest, or falling off a cliff, he had faced it all calmly, only thinking that if he could use his life to secure a few more days of peace for the people, it would be worthwhile.
But now, he felt an unprecedented fear that he would perish deep within this dark mine tunnel. Before leaving, he solemnly promised Feng Mian to wait for him. If he didn't return, how much would she cry? Would she resent him for breaking his promise?
Just imagining her reaction for a moment made his heart ache unbearably. Even if he were trapped in hellfire right now, he would crawl back to her side.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard a clanging sound coming from afar, mixed with hurried footsteps and indistinct whispers.
He mustered all his strength to grab a nearby hand, and then he heard her voice.
“A-Zhuo, A-Zhuo? A-Zhuo…”
The sound grew closer and clearer, breaking through the almost tangible fog that enveloped him.
Baili Xunzhou suddenly opened his eyes, only to feel a warm touch from his palm. He struggled to turn his neck, trying to catch the light and shadow.
"A-Zhuo! You're finally awake!" Feng Mian leaned forward, anxiously getting closer, her hair falling beside his cheek. "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
"I'm fine." Baili Xunzhou smiled and gripped Feng Mian's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of her palm to confirm that he had safely returned to the ground. He blinked, somewhat puzzled, "What time is it? Why aren't there any lights at night?"
Feng Mian's joyful smile froze abruptly, her heart pounding in her stomach. She glanced around at the brightly lit room, opened her lips, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is it too dark?"
"I can't see you at all." He reached out and gently cupped Feng Mian's face, bringing it closer until he almost touched her nose. His eyes were blank as he looked at her, trying to see her clearly. His voice was filled with grievance. "It's so dark."
Suddenly, his palm felt wet, and a warm tear fell onto it.
Bai Lixun's fingertips trembled slightly as he suddenly understood something.
"My eyes..."
"I'll call Xue in to take a look!" Feng Mian held his hand tightly, her voice filled with forced composure. "It's alright, everything will be alright."
The candlelight flickered on the bedside table, illuminating Baili Xunzhou's calm face. He leaned against the headboard, his eyelashes slightly lowered. If it weren't for the loss of his usual sharpness in his eyes, he would have looked almost the same as usual.
Feng Mian stood by the bed, clutching his sleeves tightly, his gaze fixed on Liu Jixue's fingertips as she took his pulse, his breathing barely audible.
"Don't worry too much." Liu Jixue withdrew her hand and comforted her first, "It's probably because the blood clot at the back of your head hasn't dissipated, which has temporarily caused blindness. It will be fine once the blood clot dissipates."
Feng Mian finally breathed a long sigh of relief. She sat down on the edge of the bed and took Baili Xunzhou's hand again. "How long will it take to recover?"
“I will supplement with herbal medicine and acupuncture to try my best to help the blood stasis dissipate as soon as possible. But the specific timeframe…” Liu Jixue shook her head apologetically, “is really hard to guarantee.”
"That's already very good." Baili Xunzhou patted Feng Mian's hand reassuringly, then, recognizing Liu Jixue's direction from the sound, nodded slightly in thanks. "Thank you. Having hope is always better than..."
"Little Baili! Brother-in-law!"
A piercing wail interrupted Baili Xunzhou's words, startling all three people in the room. Chu Jingqi rushed over in a flurry, threw himself at the bedside, and stammered, "What happened? You really can't see? You... you went out for a bit and got yourself into this mess!"
While he was at the mine, he was helping to bring other injured miners back and settle them in. Only after he had finally rested did he remember to ask about Baili Xunzhou's condition. He had assumed that Feng Mian was alright since he seemed fine, but when he asked, he heard Liu Ying say that Baili Xunzhou had gone blind, which terrified him.
"It's okay, even if you can't see anymore, your little cousin won't..." He suddenly stopped, leaned close to Feng Mian's ear and whispered, "You won't dislike your brother-in-law, will you?"
Baili Xunzhou: "...I can hear you."
"Of course I won't look down on him." Feng Mian slapped Chu Jingqi's head away. "Besides, A-Zhuo's eyes can be cured, so don't make such a fuss."
"That's good, that's good. You really scared me to death." Chu Jingqi patted his chest and still squeezed by the bedside to talk to the two of them. "By the way, the miners we rescued said that there were a total of 68 people who went down into the mine that day. Young Master Fu and I have counted them and found them all. 38 people were slightly injured, 20 people were seriously injured, and the remaining 10... were already unrecognizable when they were found."
“They don’t know who owns the mine, they only know the foreman, who was one of the ten who died. They don’t know which company is running this kind of illegal mining operation…” He was halfway through his sentence when he realized something, “Oh, you two might know which company it is. It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me, I don’t need to know that much.”
"You'd better find the culprit and bring him to justice as soon as possible. Those workers were seriously injured. We must find that heartless mine owner and punish him severely!"
Seeing Chu Jingqi huddled by the bedside, chattering away, saying a few serious words before starting to ramble on, Liu Jixue finally couldn't help but step forward and pat him on the shoulder, "Young Marquis, shouldn't we be going?"
"Oh, I'm fine. You can go ahead. I haven't finished talking yet. Our journey back..."
"We'll talk about that later. The wounded can't do without the young marquis's devoted care." Liu Jixue said with a forced smile, grabbing Chu Jingqi's shoulder and pulling him away from Feng Mian and Baili Xunzhou.
Chu Jingqi staggered as she pulled him two steps away. He tried to struggle, but then he heard a voice in his ear: "At a time like this, don't stand between the couple and get in the way."
Chu Jingqi understood immediately. He had been so focused on Baili Xunzhou's eye injury and the aftermath at the mine that he hadn't noticed he was blatantly squeezed between the two of them. He quickly turned around and ran faster than Liu Jixue.
The door was closed, and the room became completely quiet.
Baili Xunzhou squeezed Feng Mian's hand and asked softly, "Are we back at the Prince's Mansion?"
“Yes, the area around that mine is very desolate, there’s nothing there. You were in a bad state at the time, so it’s better to come back.” Seeing Baili Xunzhou’s brows furrow slightly, Feng Mian knew what he was going to ask. “Of course, we couldn’t hide it from Mother. She came to see you several times during the day and only went back to rest at night.”
“My father and I always worry her.” Baili Xunzhou sighed softly, looking at Feng Mian with some apology. “I’m sorry, I’ve made you worry too.”
Feng Mian snorted twice, feigning displeasure, "It's too late to say anything now. You're already in such a miserable state, how could I possibly be angry with you?"
A slight weight settled on her shoulder as Baili Xunzhou leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "You just told Ninth Brother that you wouldn't dislike me, so you should keep your word."
"Then you told me to wait for you to come back, but in the end I was the one who went to find you and bring you back." Feng Mian raised an eyebrow, and her words silenced Baili Xunzhou.
He abruptly changed the subject, “I’ve been buried in the cave for so long, I’m covered in dust… I want to take a shower.”
Seeing how pitiful he looked, Feng Mian decided to let him off the hook and prepared to get up, saying, "Then I'll go and call Shan Yi over."
Her hand was held firmly. "Shanyi is clumsy, I don't trust him." Feng Mian chuckled: "The nightgown you're wearing was changed for you by Shanyi."
"I don't care." Unable to see Feng Mian's expression, Baili Xunzhou instead became shameless and started to act like a spoiled brat, his fingers clenched tightly, looking like he would never let go.
"I see..." Feng Mian knew what Baili Xunzhou meant, but deliberately teased him by drawing out his words, "Then I'll go ask if there are any clever servants willing to serve the young master during his bath?"
Having no other choice, Baili Xunzhou finally gave up on beating around the bush and said directly, "I want you to be with me."
"You know, I can't see anything right now, and I always feel uneasy when there are people around." Before long, Baili Xunzhou was already using his current blindness to soften her heart.
Despite her best efforts, Feng Mian was unable to utter a single "no" to the person in front of her, who was looking down and blinking their long eyelashes helplessly.
"Okay, please have a seat. I'll go and have someone prepare hot water."
After the hot water was prepared, Feng Mian and Baili Xunzhou held hands and helped him up to walk to the bathroom.
Baili Xunzhou completely trusted Feng Mian, who was guiding the way, and took easy and unwavering steps. If one did not look into his eyes and at the other hand that was instinctively raised to explore the path beside him, one would never know that he was blind at the moment.
On the eve of Feng Mian's marriage into the royal palace, the princess ordered the construction of a bathhouse. Previously, when Baili Xunzhou lived alone, he bathed in a tub every day. He even joked with Feng Mian that his living conditions in the palace, including food, clothing, and other necessities, had improved considerably because of her arrival.
Feng Mian helped Baili Xunzhou to stand by the bath, then let go of his hand to help him undress. But the moment she let go, Baili Xunzhou grabbed her hand again, his movements urgent.
"where did you go?"
"I'm not going anywhere." Feng Mian shook her hand helplessly. "You're holding my hand, so I can't take off your clothes. Do you want to bathe with your clothes on?"
Baili Xunzhou hesitated for a moment, then traced his fingers down her wrist, moving to her sleeve and gripping it tightly. "Will this work?"
Even though he spoke with restraint and his expression was calm, his actions revealed the unease hidden in his heart.
Feng Mian's heart softened, and she took a small step forward to close the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and untied the belt around his waist.
"Fine, whatever you want."
The candlelight flickered, casting a warm yellow halo on the plain silk screen. Two figures, leaning against each other, were subtly imprinted on it, swaying gently.
Under the same night sky, the sound of arguing rang out in the study of the Chen residence.
"Second brother, what a waste to just blow up a perfectly good mine like that!"
"The higher-ups said this mine can't be kept. Don't worry, everything's been moved away, and we won't need this mine anymore."
"But I heard that the explosion also accidentally injured His Highness the Crown Prince, who was apprehending bandits nearby. Such a commotion is too conspicuous; what if..."
"Without evidence, no one can be certain that this mine is related to our Chen family. Put your mind at ease and keep your mouth shut."
"After that..."
"Do nothing, wait for news."
The candle went out, and the two figures, one fat and one thin, on the window completely disappeared into the darkness.
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Author's note: I haven't finished writing about the bath scene yet, I'll continue tomorrow [pat on the head]
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