Chapter 53 Honeysuckle vine, honeysuckle or gold is more beautiful! Gold is more...
Chapter 53
The curtain-like tranquility in the room seemed to be pried open a little, and the previous tense or charming atmosphere seemed to have never existed.
Chen Juansheng lowered his head and took a half step back. Seeing that Qing Guiyu had no intention of stopping him, he hesitated for a moment and stood up.
The hand that had been hovering above her wound slowly descended, gently pressing on her uninjured right shoulder, and pushing her back against the edge of the couch without leaving a trace.
Then she turned her head, and the expression in her beautiful peach blossom eyes changed.
"who?"
He spoke slowly, his voice clear and gentle, exactly the same tone as the "weak scholar" he had used when dealing with the proprietress before.
"Sir, it's me, from the inn."
From outside the door came the proprietress's voice, which was a bit vulgar and deliberately lowered.
"It's late at night, and thinking of your wife's injuries, I'm sending you some tranquilizing medicine to soothe her."
This was followed by the gentle sound of trays and bowls colliding with each other.
Qing Guiyu felt a little nervous, wondering if the proprietress really believed Shen Juansheng's nonsense.
She moved slightly, but saw Chen Juansheng put his finger on his lips, making a gesture of silence.
"Thank you for your concern, mother."
He walked over, listened carefully to the sounds outside the door, and unbolted the door.
The door creaked open a crack, revealing the smiling round face of the proprietress. In her hand, she was holding a coarse porcelain bowl.
She first carefully examined Shen Juansheng, then glanced over his shoulder into the room. She quickly glanced at Qing Guiyu, who was leaning on the edge of the couch, her eyes sweeping across her bloodstained shoulder and ashen face.
"Thank you for your concern, mother." The young man who opened the door was humble and gentle, with a touch of appropriate fatigue and gratitude.
As if he had no suspicion at all, he took the bowl of medicine from her without hesitation.
Turning around, he said to Qing Guiyu, "Madam, the medicine has arrived at the store."
So tender and affectionate, whose lover is this?
His words made Qing Guiyu's scalp tingle, but she could only nod in cooperation, looking weak and tired, and unwilling to say more.
The proprietress's eyes flickered between the two of them, and she spoke tentatively.
"That noise outside just now... woke us all up. It sounded like it came from the official road to the west. Young Master and Madam came over from that direction. Did they see anything unusual?"
"What's going on?" Shen Juansheng's face showed some confusion, and then he suddenly realized.
"Oh, is that the loud noise, mother? My wife and I were still terrified and were just spurring our horses to flee. Then we heard a noise behind us that startled the horses."
He frowned, his handsome eyebrows etched in worry. "Perhaps those bandits discovered we'd escaped, and started a quarrel among themselves, causing such a commotion?"
The proprietress looked him up and down, surprised, "How could you two have caused such a commotion among the bandits? What are your backgrounds?"
Shen Yansheng shook his head and said,
"I can't hide it from my mother. My family has a small fortune, but with generations of officials, we have quite a bit of wealth. My wife had some misunderstandings about this and blamed me, so she ran away on the way. I came to look for her, and that's how we both fell into the hands of bandits."
Young Master Jin Sheng sighed softly, his expression almost indulgent and distressed, and he looked towards the room with gentle yet helpless eyes.
"Since we two have escaped, the bandits will surely be furious. My wife is shy and just now we had a little quarrel..."
His face suddenly turned red, he lowered his head, and said in a low voice,
"He's mad at me right now, and won't even let me speak.
"If I say too much now, Ruo Xu might get even angrier. Mother has been through this before, so she must understand."
His speech was steady, without any sign of panic.
The young man who had just suppressed her and said such absurd words as "Play with me" and "Be my concubine is fine" in a bewitching and dangerous voice, had long been restrained in silence.
Qing Guiyu looked at him, his mind in a mess, wondering if he would be able to be so shameless if he were hit by that Kanluan needle.
She felt a pang of annoyance when she heard it, but the proprietress was deeply touched by these heartfelt words - at least on the surface - and the smile on her face became more genuine.
"Madam, please relax and take a rest. With a caring and considerate husband like you by your side, you will surely be able to turn danger into safety!"
Qing Guiyu could only nod.
It’s hard to say whether having this young man around will turn things around for the better, but misfortune is certain to come.
The proprietress finally turned and left. Shen Jiansheng stood by the door, his eyes dark, until the footsteps completely disappeared.
After a moment, he slowly withdrew his gaze and bolted the door again. His movements were gentle and silent.
He returned to the house with the porcelain bowl in his hand, but had no intention of handing it to Qing Guiyu.
His fingertips gently stroked the edge of the bowl, as if he was weighing something, and then he casually placed it on the wooden table next to him, as if it was something dirty, and walked back to the couch.
Qing Guiyu sighed silently, endured the pain, and tried hard to stand up.
"The medicine soup," she called out to Shen Juansheng, "bring it to me and see it."
"I recognize him, it's no problem," she shook her head, met his gaze, and added, "Not all people in the world are bad."
Hearing her say this, Master Jinsheng turned around and glanced coldly at the abandoned porcelain bowl. The medicinal soup in the bowl was still lingering with a hint of heat. He lowered his head, as if considering it for a moment, and finally turned around and handed the porcelain bowl to her.
Qing Guiyu reached out to take it, her fingertips inevitably touching his slightly cool knuckles. She thought to herself, this man is suspicious by nature, his coldness is simply ingrained in his bones. Then she sniffed it.
"Chuanxiong," she said. "Poria," she sighed again. "The store owner has invested a lot of money. Give her more money tomorrow."
"What is this?" Qing Guiyu sniffed carefully. "Licorice... honeysuckle?"
It's a little cold, yet has a hint of sweetness, quietly surrounding the nasal cavity.
This scent instantly dragged her back to a summer morning in Medicine King Valley. The rain had just stopped, and the medicine hut was filled with moist, slightly cool air, a blend of freshly picked herbs, freshly pounded medicinal mud, and the delicate fragrance of the honeysuckle vines outside the hut. It was a scent she was incredibly familiar with, and incredibly reassuring.
Every year when the honeysuckle in Yaowang Valley blooms, she is always very happy.
This was especially true seven years ago, when she had just finished planning to steal the Warm Jade Needle and the last secret volume of the Yellow Emperor's Acupuncture Manual.
My mood is as bright as the clear sky in the valley.
She carried a medicine basket that was smaller than usual and pushed open the door of the medicine room.
The young man had lived there for some time, and she had gotten used to it and no longer took him to heart. She didn't avoid him when he came in and out from time to time.
The young man, still suffering from a cold, lay reclining on the couch, his black hair falling beside his fingers. The misty light of the summer morning passed through the leaves of the honeysuckle and hook vine outside the window, swaying on his pale face.
"Miss Qing," he said quietly, his eyes following her.
As quiet as an overly beautiful decoration in her medicine room.
Qing Guiyu took a closer look and felt that it was truly remarkable that he could save him to this extent.
"Is it beautiful?" the girl proudly picked up a small yellow and white flower from the medicine basket.
"This is the flower of the honeysuckle vine I planted outside my door," she said. "There was a lot of rain during Yaowang Valley this year, so it bloomed late. Now that summer is almost here, it's finally blooming."
Qing Guiyu compared the flowers with her fingers, and said with some regret, "The flowers are smaller than in previous years." Then her voice became cheerful again, "But it's not a big deal."
She picked up the flower, thinking,
"When honeysuckle blooms, it's called honeysuckle," she explained to him. "One yellow and white flower grows together, and the colors are gold and silver, so it's called honeysuckle."
"We harvested a lot this year," she added, her eyes fixed on his pale face. "It's a pity that this medicine is slightly sweet and very cold, so you can't use it."
After thinking for a while, he suddenly smiled, his eyes sparkling, and pointed at the young man.
"Somewhat like you."
The young man leaned on the couch, looking up at her, his icy eyes following her fingers under the flowers.
So Qing Guiyu picked up a white branch and gestured lightly at the boy's temples.
But he had been ill for a long time and his face was too pale. Against the backdrop of the white flowers, the boy's overly delicate face seemed lonely and desolate.
This is a bit unlucky. Qing Guiyu felt sad, afraid that he would think too much again, so she threw the white flower aside.
She quickly changed to the golden one and carefully inserted it between the boy's falling black hair.
He looked around.
“…Gold still looks better!”
She was in high spirits again, raised her chin, and gave him a bright smile.
"Gold complements you better, making you look... uh, noble?"
"Yeah." The boy lowered his head and let her play with him quietly.
Qing Guiyu turned and pulled the medicine basket over. Beside her, the young man stretched out his pale fingers and picked up the small white flower she had just discarded by the couch. He gently held it in his palm, his fingertips brushing the petals soothingly.
He seemed to smile, but not quite. A faint blush finally appeared on his face.
There was a pause, and at the end, he just spoke softly.
"If Miss Qing thinks it looks good, that's great."
Qing Guiyu nodded with satisfaction, walked around behind him, gathered the few strands of his hair that had fallen, and carefully dotted the tied hair with a few freshly picked golden flowers.
As she fiddled with it, she said to him happily,
"Don't worry, my brother has already returned to the valley." His tone was light and firm.
"In a few days I'll get something from my junior brother and try to cure you."
The boy's body paused under her hand, and the originally gentle lines of his shoulders and back tensed slightly.
Qing Guiyu felt that he must be very surprised and excited, so she didn't take it seriously. She just turned around and carefully picked out a few slightly faded honeysuckle flowers from the small basket full of them, frowning slightly.
"If I'm right," she turned around and said to him with a smile, her face full of bright longing and smile.
"When the honeysuckle outside has finished blooming, you can leave this medicine house and go out of the valley."
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