Sick
Shuixi's arm suddenly dropped to his waist, drooping on the ground. There was no sign of human control, completely driven by gravity, making him look more like a dead person. Then, the other arm fell down, and the main body of his body was driven by the little strength left in his body, moving slowly and stiffly, but it seemed that he was unable to do it. His body moved forward only a little bit, and he was satisfied with just this little movement. He fell forward and knelt on the steps. The sound of his knee hitting the floor was so relatable that Mingyan closed his eyes at that moment, protected his chest with his arms, and raised one knee, as if he also felt the pain.
"Boss, I'm sorry." A vicissitudes of life voice came from Shuixi's dry throat, "I didn't mean it."
"What are you doing?" Ming Yan was really frightened. She stood there, wanting to go over and help but not daring to. She had never seen anyone as undignified as Shui Xi, who knelt down at every turn. "What kind of waste is he?" She disliked him even more. "Get up first, then we'll talk."
Shuixi struggled to get up, but collapsed to the ground due to exhaustion.
It turned out he hadn't meant to kneel down. Ming Yan then pulled Hui Zifeng over to help, but the sick man was like a pile of dead flesh, even heavier than usual. It took a lot of effort for the two of them just to lift him up.
"Are you dying?" Ming Yan had never seen such a posture before, so she couldn't help but worry. It was useless to ask the patient herself, so she asked Hui Zifeng, "Is he dying like this?"
"Let's send him to the hospital!" Hui Zifeng said.
Shuixi grabbed Hui Zifeng's arm, his sick eyes revealing a desperate struggle, "Si Tan, have you forgotten that I will die if I go to the hospital?"
Ming Yan looked at Hui Zifeng, expecting him to explain why this happened. Why is this person so weird and has so many problems?
Hui Zifeng disagreed, "If you get better soon, you won't have to go to the hospital."
"Shuixi, if you have an infectious disease, it will kill us all. What's there to be afraid of in the hospital? I will accompany you, just go obediently, okay." Ming Yan used gentle tactics to coax him.
Shuixi leaned on Mingyan's shoulder and suddenly made a strange sound. The two looked at him again, and it was as if the sick look he had just had had never existed. He now had a smirk on his face, as if he had successfully pulled off a prank.
Ming Yan gently hit Shui Xi's shoulder and said dissatisfiedly, "Why are you kidding us?"
"Si Tan, you never stand on my side at any time," Shui Xi said.
Hui Zifeng responded indifferently, "I only stand on the right side." He stood up and kicked Shuixi's bare feet, "Hurry up and get up. I know you're fine, but you're still pretending. You have no manners at all. Boss Mingyan, if I were you, I'd fire him."
When he jokes, he always acts very serious. Others can't tell it's a joke and blame others for misunderstanding him.
Shuixi gritted his teeth, stood up, and looked up at Hui Zifeng. This heartless man, even if he was pretending, should be frightened by his hypocritical greeting! Shuixi sighed inaudibly, but unexpectedly Ming Yan reached out and held his arm. Shuixi felt that he was too weak at that moment, so his reaction was much slower, and he was actually moved by this gesture. He turned around and smiled at Ming Yan from the bottom of his heart, but when he regretted it, the smile froze on his face.
"If you don't want to go, then don't go. Shuixi, I'll help you upstairs and lie down. You look like you need to rest for a while. Don't be so stubborn." Ming Yan turned serious, showing concern for the lower class, which was also unusual. Shuixi lowered his eyes, at a loss, until he heard Ming Yan's next words. Then he smiled as usual, revealing a bit of hypocrisy.
"I'll take care of you, just consider it a good deed. If you get better, I'll repay you double. Even your kind master, who regarded you as his destiny, didn't bother to care about you, and now I'm your servant. Slaves will eventually rise up and become masters. This is a hard truth."
Shuixi gradually lost track of what Mingyan was saying. He concentrated all his willpower on his legs, forcing himself to stay focused and hold on until at least the bedside. Otherwise, his performance would be exposed, and it would cause unnecessary harm to his boss. This wasn't the first time he'd experienced a moment like this, but this time it seemed more painful than ever. He had to make a decision, he thought, turning back to see Hui Zifeng looking up at him.
That person is just an ordinary person, but he has a noble face and thinks highly of himself. The insignificance in those eyes is really pathetic!
Hui Zifeng watched Ming Yan support Shui Xi upstairs, leaving him alone in the empty hall with nothing to do. He had come here to show his concern, but who knew things would turn out like this? He turned and walked out the door, standing outside the doorway, thinking twice. He returned downstairs and heard Ming Yan's voice upstairs:
"You're a sick person. You don't want to eat this, you don't want to eat that. How can you possibly survive if you don't eat?"
Shuixi was extremely self-disciplined, never touching a drop of water or food he didn't need. He'd never eaten in front of anyone, including him, which was unbelievable. He thought again and again about what Shuixi had just said to him, "You never stood by me at any time." He knew that people's hearts could grow cold. If he didn't change, one day, Shuixi would leave him. Sometimes he found Shuixi annoying and wished he'd disappear. But when he couldn't figure something out and had no one to talk to, as long as Shuixi was by his side, even if the words were insignificant, he could control himself and not break down.
Is this what they call a friend? He didn't want to do this in his heart, but he knew that he had become accustomed to Shuixi's presence and began to fear loneliness. So after hesitating for a long time, he finally came to Shuixi's door.
Shuixi lay on his narrow bed, his feet dangling out. He was covered in a blanket printed with rabbits and orchids. He looked frail and helpless, almost dying. Hui Zifeng wondered why Shuixi's condition fluctuated. Was he pretending? Was he taking care of him out of Ming Yan's soft-heartedness? But his worry only grew.
"Are you here to take care of him?" Ming Yan's eyes gleamed. She had invited Hui Zifeng here for this very reason. Shui Xi claimed to be homeless, but didn't he have a master like this? And there was also a beautiful woman, perhaps waiting for her to be gone before she appeared. Ming Yan, wise, decided to stay out of the way, considering Shui Xi's discomfort, and give the young couple some space to spend time together.
"Mingyan, do you have any incense at home?" Hui Zifeng said with a confident air. Mingyan was unsure why, so he half believed and half doubted, and took Hui Zifeng to find some incense. Hui Zifeng brought the incense close to his nose and sniffed it, exclaiming, "What a nice smell! This is something very precious. Are you going to waste it like this?"
Ming Yan leaned over to look at Shui Xi. He had his eyes closed, his brow furrowed, and seemed to be biting his lip. Ming Yan looked reluctant to part with the incense in Hui Zifeng's hand. "What can I do? But why does he still have this quirk? Will this make him better?"
"Shuixi suffered a lot in his early years and has a special physique. He doesn't want to have too much contact with the outside world, so he is very reluctant to go to the hospital. However, after living for so many years, he has gradually developed his own way of living. After being with him for a long time, I understand him better and know what he likes and dislikes." Hui Zifeng said as he found the incense burner in the corner of the cabinet. It was obviously something he used frequently. He lit three incense sticks and placed them beside Shuixi's bed. The curling clouds of smoke gradually gathered in the room, choking Ming Yan so much that she couldn't help but open the window. However, she just pushed it open a crack when she remembered something and asked Hui Zifeng: "Can I open the window?"
"Of course." Hui Zifeng couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose with his hands and coughed lightly. "This incense has a calming effect on the mind and can be addictive. But don't worry, only a few people become addicted, and it's not harmful to the body."
"Does he need something to eat? What should I prepare for him?" Ming Yan was thinking about something else, clearly distracted, her expression dull. She thought she had seen many horrifying things, and now she felt that Shuixi's illness was strange, but she had no evidence to prove what was wrong.
I initially thought he had the flu, something like the flu, and that it wouldn't get better for three to five days, but I'd think he'd see improvement in ten to half a month. But Shuixi's symptoms didn't resemble a common cold or fever, nor did they resemble any other serious illness. Aside from his dwindling health, there was nothing suspicious to suggest. He was so sick he couldn't even move, let alone cook. The trash cans inside and outside the house hadn't even a trace of food. So how on earth was Shuixi still alive? It was unbelievable.
She hadn't paid attention to so many things before, only caring whether he was lazy or not, and whether he was working hard. After Shuixi fell ill, she slowly discovered many things were wrong.
"Don't be nervous." Hui Zifeng tried to use a smile to ease the oppressive atmosphere in the small space. "Shuixi has decades of experience as a servant in our family. He will definitely not be happy if you ask him to cause you trouble. I'll prepare everything he needs when he wakes up. You're right, it's my responsibility to take care of him."
"Oh, that's not what I meant." Ming Yan woke up as if from a dream. Hearing Hui Zifeng's words, her distant thoughts had already provided a believable answer to her previous doubts. Regaining her sanity, she immediately explained tactfully, "It's not that I don't want to take care of him. Of course, caring for a patient is definitely tiring, and as a girl, it's not convenient for me, right? I asked you to come mainly because Shuixi is alone. If he's sick, he definitely wants family and friends to be by his side. Even if it's just to come and see him, that would be fine, don't you think?"
Ming Yan asked tentatively. She wasn't sure if this person was as cold and indifferent as Shui Xi said, not caring about anyone except herself.
Hui Zifeng just nodded politely and had nothing else to say.
"Hey! Old Hui!" Ming Yan glanced at Shui Xi and confirmed that he was already asleep. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he leaned over to Hui Zifeng and whispered, "Did you know he has a very beautiful girlfriend? Why didn't you ask her to come over now?"
"Girlfriend?" Hui Zifeng seemed unfamiliar with the word. He repeated it, pondering it carefully. "You mean Shuixi's girlfriend? He doesn't have a girlfriend."
As far as he could remember, Shuixi rarely interacted with girls, and even rarely spoke to them. He was always cold and intimidating, and few dared approach him. Mingyan was the only exception. He didn't think there was anything wrong with this or that. Everyone has their own way of living.
"I guarantee I did. She was a beautiful woman with fair skin and silver hair. She was right here in this room. Have you never heard anything about it?"
The incense smell in the room was really choking. Hui Zifeng, half wanting to escape the room and half wanting to escape Ming Yan's chatter, pulled Ming Yan's sleeve at the elbow, led her out of the room, and closed the door.
"Boss Mingyan, could you please show me where all the kitchen utensils are? I'll make a pot of fish soup for Shuixi and also make dinner for you. How about that?"
"Can you cook? Oh! You big master~"
The two men's voices faded away. Shuixi, lying on the bed, opened his eyes from a sweet dream and stared blankly at the smoky ceiling. He took a deep breath, feeling refreshed. He slid his hand from under the covers, raising it for a closer look. His skin was as thin as a cicada's wing, veins visible, as if it would shatter with the slightest flex. The strength in his body had drained away overnight, like a rusted gear, unable to turn even with all his might.
Despite this, there was one thing he still had to do. The three incense sticks burned at a noticeably faster rate. The window slowly closed with a creaking sound. The dusk light left only a few faint golden rays in the room, which were swallowed up in an instant.
In the kitchen, Ming Yan was instructing Hui Zifeng on how to cut fish, and the dishes in the display case shattered to the floor. Hui Zifeng's bent back stiffened for a few seconds, and after pursing his lips tightly, he slowly stood up. Seeing Ming Yan's expression, he was about to apologize awkwardly, but Ming Yan spoke first.
Her head tilted to the side. "Did you hear that window open upstairs?"
Hui Zifeng listened with bated breath and said, "No."
Ming Yan turned and walked out of the kitchen, pulling out an antique called "Iron Horse Watching Flowers" from the shelf next to him. He then walked into the backyard garden and looked up. The window in Shuixi's room was still the same angle she had just opened, while the other windows were closed. There was no sign of a cat on the eaves.
How strange! Why, when Hui Zifeng was breaking so many dishes, could she hear a window opening in the distance? When did her hearing become so good? Was it an illusion?
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