Ever since the eldest son injured his leg, the kitchen always keeps a portion of food hot for people from Xiaofeng Pavilion to take. The two maids soon came back with food boxes and wanted to deliver them to the eldest master's room, but were stopped outside the door by Lin Dan. "You wait here and don't disturb me." She walked in slowly and closed the door tightly with her backhand.
Her current expression of neither happiness nor sadness was even more intimidating than her previous arrogant and domineering look. No matter how unwilling the two maids were, they did not dare to disobey.
The room was very dark, the windows on all sides were tightly closed, the air was very stuffy, and there was an extremely strong smell of medicine. Lin Dan put the lunch box on the table and went straight to open the window. With the afterglow of the setting sun, she finally saw Xue Boyong's current appearance clearly. He was eight feet tall, but very thin. His exposed hands were as dry as firewood, and seemed like they would break with the slightest bend. His originally handsome face became defined by sharp lines and deep features. His eagle eyes were dark and out of focus, giving people an especially sinister feeling.
When he heard someone come in, he didn't even turn his head. He just sat quietly facing the wall, wondering what he was thinking.
Lin Dan walked up to him and called him "Brother".
The culprit was right in front of him, but he didn't even move his eyes, let alone look at Lin Dan. The servants outside had been drying books all day and were making a lot of noise, but he ignored them and acted like a living dead.
Lin Dan carefully looked at his sculptured, cold face and said sincerely, "Brother, I was wrong. I came here to apologize to you. If I hadn't been reckless and willful, you wouldn't be in this situation. Thank you for saving my life."
She pondered for a moment and continued, "From a very young age, you were different from the other brothers. When everyone was playing, you were practicing martial arts. When everyone was still ignorant, you had already gone to the battlefield. You practiced martial arts under the scorching sun all day long, and your skin was burned off. When the lady applied medicine to you, she accidentally peeled off a piece of your skin, and you didn't even groan, but she cried at a loss. We were so scared that we couldn't eat for several days, but you were like nothing happened. You continued to practice martial arts the next day and didn't listen to anyone's advice. You were less than fifteen years old, and you followed the general. The first time you went to the border, you made a great contribution. When you returned to the camp, you had two arrows stuck in your back and your clothes were soaked with blood, but you didn't know it at all. You are fearless, brave and courageous, and the strongest person I have ever seen. Now, the reason why you are so depressed is not because of despair, but because of unwillingness. You have great ambitions to realize, but now, your planned life has been ruined by this pair of immobile legs. You can't accept it for a while, so you close yourself off. You are definitely not a coward as General Xue scolded you. "
Lin Dan knelt on one knee and looked him in the eye: "On the contrary, you are stronger and more fearless than anyone else. Sooner or later, you will be able to overcome this hurdle. I am not here to persuade you to cheer up, because that is totally unnecessary. I am here to atone for my sins and to work with you to find a solution. I want to heal your leg. I am so weak, but I will never give up in my life. Don't give up either. Okay?"
Having said that, Lin Dan tightly grasped Xue Boyong's cold hand, with hope in her eyes.
Xue Boyong still stared blankly at the wall, unmoved.
Lin Dan didn't feel disappointed at all and stood up to serve the food.
After she left, a gleam of light flashed across Xue Boyong's lifeless eyes, but then disappeared in an instant.
Lin Dan came back soon, holding a bowl of delicious food in her hand.
"Brother, it's time to eat." She scooped some food with a spoon and fed it to Xue Boyong's mouth. Seeing that he didn't want to eat, she simply pried open his mouth and forced the food in. Xue Boyong finally turned his head and looked at her lifelessly without saying a word.
Lin Dan smiled and said, "Brother, I still remember when we were little, you were the most promising boy in the family. You stood still on the martial arts field, and asked a dozen brothers to attack you. You could beat them all down with just your hands. It shows that whether you have legs or can walk, you are a well-deserved strong man. All the brothers put together are not your opponents. But look at you now, a weak woman like me can easily manipulate you, let alone others? I asked you to eat, and you couldn't spit it out. I carried you to bed, and you didn't even have the strength to resist."
She had no idea that her words contained ambiguous meanings that could lead to misunderstanding. She picked up the frail Xue Boyong and gently placed him on the couch, putting a few pillows behind his lower back to make him more comfortable. Then she used a spoon to forcefully pry open his teeth and fed him rice one spoonful at a time, not giving him a chance to spit it out.
His mouth was too full, and Xue Boyong subconsciously swallowed a mouthful, otherwise he would have choked to death.
Lin Dan chuckled and continued, "You see, you are so powerless now. If others want you to live, you have to live, and you can't even die if they want you to. If others want you to die, you will die as long as they let go, and there is no room for resistance. Have you ever thought about living like this? Do you want to become a walking corpse and be manipulated by others at will?"
Xue Boyong raised his head, his eyes gleaming coldly.
Lin Dan looked at him without avoiding, and said: "Brother, are you very angry? Do you want to drive me away? Then you should eat well. Only when you are full will you have the strength to resist me. I tell you, I am very strong."
As if to prove her words, she forced Xue Boyong's mouth open, stuffed a piece of braised tofu into him, and lifted his lower jaw upwards, forcing him to chew and swallow. Xue Boyong had not eaten for a long time and was relying on century-old ginseng soup and some pills to sustain his life. How could he have the strength to resist?
He has always been a role model for his brothers, a rising star in the court, and a god of war on the battlefield. How could he have ever suffered such humiliation? His bottomless eyes finally reflected Lin Dan's figure, and there was a hint of disturbance brewing in them.
When Lin Dan extended the spoon to him again, he raised his hand with difficulty and covered his lips.
Lin Dan pretended not to understand his intention, pulled his hand away and continued to force it in. He covered his mouth again, but it was pulled away again. After repeating this many times, he finally admitted defeat and said in a very hoarse voice: "I will eat it myself."
This was the first sentence he had said in three months. It was a little funny, but it made Lin Dan's nose ache and touched her heart. This strong man should not have fallen into such a state.
"Brother, I am sorry for you. I know you are not a coward, you just don't want to live a cowardly life. If you can, you would rather die on the battlefield and be buried at the border than lie on this sickbed and enjoy the meticulous care of others. You are not afraid of death, so how can you be afraid of illness? I will definitely find a way to cure you, don't give up."
Xue Boyong's eyes were far-reaching and his face was expressionless, as if he was unmoved, but his fingertips trembled slightly.
Lin Dan felt his cheeks were sore, probably because he had talked too much. Her personality is completely different from the original owner. She prefers to be alone and quietly stays away from trouble if possible. However, in order to help Xue Boyong get better as soon as possible, there were some things she had to say. She is indeed taciturn and not good at socializing, but this does not mean that she is a person without thoughts or feelings.
She held his hand and was about to say something else, but Xue Boyong just uttered two words: "Eat."
"Okay, let's eat." Lin Dan immediately swallowed back the words in his heart and smiled with relief.
Xue Boyong took the initiative to pick up the spoon and tried to scoop rice tremblingly, but he failed after several attempts. Lin Dan wanted to help him, but he glared at her warningly.
"Okay, big brother, you eat by yourself, I won't interfere. It's okay if the food spills, I'll clean it up later." Lin Dan raised his hands to show compromise.
Xue Boyong no longer looked at her, but lowered his head and stared at the bowl of rice. Although his movements were difficult and his speed was slow, he still ate one spoonful after another, perseveringly.
“Lin Dan, you little bitch, after you moved to Xiaofeng Pavilion, you hid in your room and lived freely, not caring about Boyong at all. I must be possessed to believe you again…” Madam Xue pushed the door open with a bang, and when she saw the situation inside, her angry expression was replaced by surprise.
She blinked, looking incredulous.
"Boyong, are you willing to eat?" She walked over slowly, then suddenly became furious and scolded, "Lin Dan, how dare you let Boyong eat alone? He is a patient and needs care, can't you feed him?"
"Okay, ma'am." Lin Dan didn't argue and immediately reached out to grab the spoon.
Xue Boyong dodged to the side and said weakly: "Mom, I eat by myself, I don't want anyone to feed me."
Mrs. Xue hadn't heard the word "mother" for a long time. When she saw the deadness in her son's eyes replaced by a hint of vitality, she almost cried on the spot. It turned out to be right to let Lin Dan serve him. In order to prevent Lin Dan from getting close to him, he would rather eat by himself and finally spoke up to express his demands! But this is not enough. He has become so thin that he is just skin and bones. How can he get back to health in a day or two?
Mrs. Xue's anger turned into joy, and she immediately gave up the idea of sending Lin Dan away. Instead, she earnestly instructed: "In the future, you must come and watch Boyong eat every day, and don't slack off."
Lin Dan nodded in agreement and said, "Madam, can we have a small kitchen built in Xiaofeng Pavilion? This will be more convenient. Big brother can immediately order what he wants to eat without having to go to the big kitchen every day to greet him. If he goes too late and the big kitchen doesn't have the ingredients prepared, I'm afraid Big brother won't want to eat."
Xue Boyong glanced at Lin Dan but said nothing in the end.
"Okay, if your brother needs anything, you can just tell them to prepare it." As long as her son could cheer up, Mrs. Xue would agree to anything.
"Madam Xie, my brother doesn't like others to watch him when he eats, so let's leave for now?" Lin Dan said again.
Mrs. Xue did not respond and left as she was told. When she came back half an hour later, Xue Boyong had indeed finished today's meal. Although he spilled a lot due to his weak wrist, it was still a great improvement. From then on, no matter how reluctant she was, she had to admit: sending Lin Dan to Xiaofeng Pavilion might not be a bad thing.
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