fever
In the end, Ruan Xiyan was persuaded by her.
He returned home, but for some reason, his mind was restless. Feeling uneasy, Ruan Xiyan looked at the black and white cat on the windowsill, which was wagging its tail repeatedly.
"Are you hungry?" This was a sign of the cat's impatience. Ruan Xiyan gave it some cat food and freeze-dried food. It had been more than a week since the kitten's surgery, and Ruan Xiyan noticed that it occasionally climbed the bookshelf and jumped off the table corner, so the injury was probably almost healed. She could try taking it to the vet to remove the stitches in the next day or two.
Ruan Xiyan fed the cat a treat, then stood up and sent a WeChat message to Lu Er.
【Slow Momo】: Are you okay? Sorry, "Little Eight is getting rained on and crying".
About ten minutes later, the reply came back that everything was fine. Ruan Xiyan was still hesitating whether to ask a few more questions when a message popped up from the cat shadow avatar.
[11]: I washed your jacket, it should be dry tonight. Should I bring it to class tomorrow to return it to you?
He quickly replied.
[Slow Momo]: Anytime is fine, it's very convenient for me.
After that, the other end went completely silent. The next day in English class, Ruan Xiyan didn't see Lu Er appear.
The school bell rang, but the seat he had specially reserved for her was still empty. Ruan Xiyan's heart was in turmoil. He reached under the desk and sent her a few text messages.
But there was still no reply by the end of class. Ruan Xiyan grew increasingly nervous. Just as he was about to call someone, Teacher Mina came downstairs and tapped on his desk: "Ruan Xiyan, isn't Lu Er coming today?"
"...I don't know either."
“She hasn’t come to a single class, and she didn’t ask me for leave. Could she have overslept?” Teacher Mina frowned slightly. “This child, that shouldn’t be the case. I’ve noticed you two have been getting quite close lately, I thought you would know where she was.”
Ruan Xiyan suddenly stood up, her chair swaying and making a slapping sound. If even the teacher didn't know, that was a big problem.
"Teacher, I'm going to her house to check on her. I'll ask for leave from class today." Ruan Xiyan was so anxious that she rushed out the door without even grabbing her schoolbag, as if it was him, not Lu Er, who had gotten into trouble.
Throughout the bus ride, Ruan Xiyan felt extremely uncomfortable. Seeing his expression, the elderly woman next to him asked with concern, "Young man, is your house on fire?"
Yesterday, Ruan Xiyan would at least smile and say a few words in response, but today he had no such inclination. He gave a perfunctory reply, his eyes repeatedly fixed on the scenery outside the bus window, calculating how many stops were left.
He ran to Lu Er's apartment complex, rushed upstairs, and knocked on the door.
It was Lu Mingyi who opened the door. He had just been playing games in the living room when the sound of the door opening interrupted his train of thought, and he was in an extremely bad mood. Lu Mingyi looked him up and down: "Who are you?"
Ruan Xiyan felt as if he had been doused with cold water. He regained some of his composure and forced a smile as he asked, "...Is your sister, Lu Er, here?"
Lu Mingyi tilted his head, annoyed: "In that room."
"..." Without considering how presumptuous it was to barge into a girl's room, Ruan Xiyan abruptly pushed open the door, "Lu Er?"
A clothesline extended from the windowsill, and Ruan Xiyan noticed the shirt and jacket hanging there as soon as he entered. His gaze shifted to the right, where a low bulge appeared on the bed. Lu Er was still asleep.
Ruan Xiyan walked over and saw that she had opened her eyes, her expression still sleepy: "...Ruan Xiyan?" Her face was still flushed red, as if it were bleeding.
"The teacher didn't see you in class, so she sent me to ask." Ruan Xiyan thought her face was too red, so she paused and asked, "Do you have a fever? Sorry, let me touch you."
Lu Er's mind was sluggish today, so she sat by the bed with her eyes downcast. Ruan Xiyan reached out and touched her forehead; it was so hot. She must have caught a cold from falling into the water and getting caught in the rain yesterday.
-
"You have a fever." Ruan Xiyan immediately felt guilty and offered, "Can you get up? I'll take you to the hospital."
Lu Er felt cold, and she slowly tucked her curled-up body a little deeper into the blankets. Her fever had made her voice hoarse and weak. She said, "I don't need to go to the hospital. Could you get me some medicine? Thank you."
“Okay.” At this point, Ruan Xiyan would agree to whatever Lu Er said. He took a few steps, then remembered he hadn’t asked Lu Er where the medicine was. He turned back and saw that Lu Er had fallen asleep again. Her thick, dark eyelashes lay on her eyelids, looking listless like a fledgling bird whose feathers had been plucked.
Ruan Xiyan was reluctant to wake her, a vague memory reminding him that he had seen the medicine box there before. Ruan Xiyan rummaged through the desk and searched the shelves, but only found a few packets of Banlangen (Isatis root).
"It seems you're out of medicine at home."
"..." The person on the bed didn't react; she seemed to have fallen asleep again.
Ruan Xiyan didn't wake her. He turned on the hot water while thinking, then went to the food delivery app and ordered a bunch of thermometers, amoxicillin capsules, cold medicine, and cold medicine.
While waiting, Ruan Xiyan handed the cup of hot water to Lu Er: "Lu Er, the medicine is on its way. Drink this first." He felt the water temperature with his finger; it was a little cool, but it should be just right.
Lu Er rested her shoulder on the headboard, took the water glass, and slowly drank it all. When she put the glass down, her face was still flushed, as if she were wrapped in a ball of fire: "Thank you."
The deliveryman arrived. Ruan Xiyan excitedly showed her the pile of medicines: "We have medicine. Which one do you want to take? Never mind... let's take your temperature first."
The thermometer was tucked under her arm. Lu Er felt dizzy. She watched as Ruan Xiyan opened a box of cold medicine to make a drink, then turned and opened a box of cold medicine.
"..." Lu Er rested her hand on her bent knee, her lips twitching slightly. "Gan Kang and Ganmaoling cannot be taken together."
Startled, Ruan Xiyan dropped the box of capsules. He scratched his head, "I'm sorry... I didn't know." Lu Er didn't say anything. In the end, Ruan Xiyan made a packet of cold medicine and gave it to Lu Er to drink.
The thermometer read 39 degrees Celsius. Lu Er took her medicine and wanted to lie down again. Ruan Xiyan looked at her worriedly from the side: "I'll stay by your side. Tell me if you feel unwell." Lu Er wanted to say thank you, but her lips moved a few times before she sank into the covers.
An hour passed, and Lu Er's fever still hadn't subsided. Ruan Xiyan finally insisted, "I'll take you to the hospital."
Ruan Xiyan hailed a taxi, and Lu Er was sometimes helped by him and sometimes walked on her own. After registering at the hospital and receiving an IV drip, it was already 2 p.m.
Lu Er was feeling sleepy and wanted to go to bed as soon as she got home. Ruan Xiyan was worried that she hadn't eaten lunch yet and wanted her to eat something before sleeping. Lu Er watched him running around taking care of her the whole time, afraid that he might have overlooked something, and wanted to laugh a little, so she whispered, "Ruan Xiyan."
"What?" Ruan Xiyan thought she had other needs, so she listened attentively.
“I have a fever, not a disability that prevents me from taking care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me so much.”
These words stunned Ruan Xiyan. He seemed to realize only then that he had been anxious the whole time: "...Okay, then call me if you're hungry. You rest first."
He took the shirt jacket that was drying by the window. The jacket was a gray-white gradient, and the sunlight filtered through the buttons and seams, giving the whole shirt a clean feel. Ruan Xiyan hugged it to her arms, still feeling the warm warmth of the sun on it.
-
Ruan Xiyan quietly closed the door to Lu Er's room. Lu Mingyi happened to come out of his bedroom and called out Lu Er's name loudly, "Where did Lu Er go? Why hasn't she made lunch yet?"
“…Your sister is sick.” Hearing him call Lu Er’s name so brazenly, Ruan Xiyan frowned slightly.
Lu Mingyi's fingers were still manipulating the game on the screen when he complained, "Then who's going to make me lunch? I've been starving all afternoon, and my mom told her to make me lunch." He glanced at the washing machine next to him, his voice full of dissatisfaction, "She didn't do any laundry today either. She hasn't done a single thing my mom asked me to do."
Now Ruan Xiyan had a chance to sized up her cousin Lu Er: "Little boy, don't you know how to wash?"
"So what if I do?" Lu Mingyi didn't care at all. "This isn't my job, and why should I do it when someone else is doing it?"
Ruan Xiyan almost laughed out of anger. He was much taller than Lu Mingyi, and could see what game Lu Mingyi was playing on his phone just by looking down. Ruan Xiyan's mind raced, and he had an idea: "Hey, little kid, how about a one-on-one match with your brother?"
"If you win, you do the laundry. If you lose, I'll order you takeout. You can order whatever you want."
Lu Mingyi raised his head and met Ruan Xiyan's defiant eyes. This was tantamount to challenging the dignity of a rebellious child, and Lu Mingyi's fighting spirit was immediately ignited. He slammed his hand on his wrist and shouted at Ruan Xiyan, "Come on, if you lose, you have to call me Dad."
Ruan Xiyan has dabbled in various games. There are many who are not proficient in any particular area, but unfortunately, he is very skilled at Naruto mobile games.
"It's been a while since I've played." Ruan Xiyan moved her fingers and selected a C-rank ninja. Lu Mingyi immediately laughed: "Six, have you ever played games? Playing such a low-tier character, you're quite the talent. Buddy, just wait until you call me daddy."
Lu Mingyi was arrogant and cocky, but he quickly regretted it. He had chosen a T0 ninja, an S-rank character who was a staple in the current meta and frequently used in ban phases. At the start of the game, he unleashed a skill that swept across half the field. The opponent retreated, barely dodging past him, and then used a skill to his face, tricking Lu Mingyi into using his first substitution jutsu.
Slightly underestimating his opponent, Lu Mingyi tightened his throat slightly. After the skill grazed him, taking advantage of the brief moment of stun, the opponent used a combo to bring him to near-death.
Lu Mingyi panicked and unleashed his ultimate skill, but the opponent had already used a clone to switch positions and then destroyed the last slot of the clone. His cooldown was still on, making him an easy target. In this vacuum, without any chance to fight back, his character's health bar was reduced to zero, and the next second, the words "Complete Suppression" popped up on the screen.
"..." Lu Mingyi was dumbfounded. He immediately cheated, "No way. Best two out of three." But no matter how many matches there were, it wouldn't make a difference. Ruan Xiyan won easily throughout, treating his one-on-one match like child's play.
After being completely crushed, Lu Mingyi admitted in admiration, "Dad, you're amazing."
"I don't want to acknowledge you as my son." Putting her phone in her pocket, Ruan Xiyan curled her lips and ordered him, "Go, wash that pile of clothes."
Lu Mingyi went to do the laundry. Ruan Xiyan sat on the sofa and ordered takeout for Lu Er. A bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, without any toppings, and a side of steamed egg... Seeing Lu Mingyi walk over, Ruan Xiyan called out to him, "Let me order you a milk tea. What would you like to drink?"
"...I don't need it." Lu Mingyi's attitude had completely changed from half an hour ago. He scratched his head, his eyes shining. "It's just that...brother, can you take me with you?"
When Lu Er woke up, it was nearly dusk. She felt as if something had been lifted from her body, making her feel much lighter. She touched her cheeks, and the fever had indeed subsided.
"Teacher Lu, are you awake?" Ruan Xiyan walked in, carrying a plastic box. "I ordered some porridge for you. I didn't wake you because you were still asleep. It's warm now, but it's still edible. You should eat it."
Thinking about how Ruan Xiyan had taken care of her all morning, Lu Er had a strange, indescribable feeling. She lowered her eyelids slightly and thanked Ruan Xiyan, "Thank you for taking care of me, Ruan Xiyan. As for the medical expenses, you can tell me later and I'll pay you back via WeChat."
"It's nothing. I'll deduct the medicine cost from your salary." Ruan Xiyan smiled. He stood by Lu Er's bedside, looking at her with some doubt. "By the way, has your fever really gone down?"
Instinctively, Ruan Xiyan touched his forehead with his fingers. When the skin on the back of his hand touched Lu Er's forehead, they both froze. Lu Er's eyes met his, and she saw long eyelashes playfully swaying beneath his beautifully shaped eyelids.
The boys' hands generally seemed warmer, while Ruan Xiyan's were drier. After a moment, he hurriedly lowered his hand, his voice lacking the confidence he'd had before: "...Oh, I see. Your fever has gone down. Then, I'll head back now."
"..." Lu Er remained seated, and said two words, "Bye-bye."
After the door closed, the room fell silent. Lu Er cupped her face in her hands, then slowly released them.
Ruan Xiyan's hands weren't on fire, were they? But why... are the places he touched starting to get hot again?
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