Chapter 45 Their shoulders pressed together...
Half an hour later, she was led into a secluded house, and only then did she belatedly realize that this was not Tonghua Lane.
She stood in front of the house with her head down, looking somewhat awkward and helpless. "Brother? Where is this? I want to go to Tonghua Lane."
Zhao Qingwu lived there for a few months and felt at ease, so she bought it. The house in Tonghua Lane was small, but she should be able to live there by herself.
She only had that house in Tonghua Lane left to stay in.
"Tonghua Lane is a mixed bag and not safe. This is a friend's former residence. He doesn't come here often and won't disturb you. You can stay here with peace of mind."
The residence was not large, but it was in an excellent location, even closer to the Hanlin Academy than the Marquis's residence. It must have been the private residence of a colleague from the Hanlin Academy.
She could only nod in agreement, and could probably tell that this friend didn't come here often, or rather, had abandoned this place.
There was only an old man guarding the gate, and an elderly woman who was hard of hearing; they seemed to be a couple.
The old lady's surname was He. She was quick and efficient. She prepared a set of clothes and brought hot water into the side room in less than 15 minutes.
"Just soak for a bit to get rid of the cold, don't soak for too long... it's easy to get dizzy." After saying that, Yu He'an left and closed the door tightly.
She removed her robes, stepped into the bathtub, and sat in the hot water. The hot water spread to her chest, and the warmth gradually returned to her body, and she finally felt alive again.
After soaking for most of the hour, she wanted to linger a little longer when there was a knock on the door.
Yu He'an is probably going back to the Marquis's residence. He must have come to say goodbye, and it's unlikely that they will meet again.
She hurriedly got out of the water, grabbed a handkerchief, and wiped the water off her head. She then roughly wrung her hair with the handkerchief until it was no longer dripping wet.
She put on the nightgown, and it surprisingly fit her perfectly. Even the material was the Suzhou brocade she often used, probably because the female relatives of her friends who used to live here had similar tastes to her.
She got up and opened the door. Yu He stood on the veranda, wearing a moon-white robe. The water stains she had made had disappeared, and she was holding a wooden tray in both hands.
It started raining again sometime during the day, with raindrops dripping from the eaves tiles, forming a string of beads.
She leaned against the doorframe: "Brother, are you going back?"
"Didn't I tell you not to soak for too long?" The heat was still rising from her head. She barely managed to stand by holding onto the door frame, and Yu He'an's Adam's apple bobbed.
The two spoke at the same time, then fell silent for a moment. She wanted to give up her seat to let Yu He'an in.
As soon as she moved, her elbow was grabbed and she was helped around the corridor. Her right leg was becoming increasingly weak. Her shoes made a soft rustling sound on the wet ground, and the tips of her shoes left wet marks.
Her lower abdomen tightened, and the heat that had been suppressed for days suddenly surged back, causing her to struggle free from her arms.
"What's wrong?" Yu He'an looked down at her.
"Brother, I left something behind. I'll go back to the side room to get it..." She lowered her head in shame.
"I'll help you up."
The moment the large hand touched her arm, she instinctively shuddered. The rain outside the corridor had lessened a bit, and water was still dripping out.
"No need." If she gets touched, she'll be the one who suffers.
She lifted her skirt and walked slowly toward the side room, trying to appear composed so as not to be noticed.
Upon entering the side room, amidst the pile of soaked clothes, I finally found the blue sachet. After being wet, its originally faint fragrance became strong, effectively soothing my restlessness.
This is so strange. She needs to go see Doctor Xue to see if she has some incurable disease.
After a short while, the heat finally subsided a bit. She put the sachet in her sleeve pocket, making sure it wouldn't be discovered, and slowly made her way to her bedroom.
"Did you find the item?" Yu He'an sat at the small table, turning his head to stare at her.
She felt a sudden chill run down her spine as she got closer and closer to Yu He'an. She was pressed down in front of the small table, and the suppressed restlessness began to resurface.
"Drink this first." A white porcelain bowl was handed to her. She held it with both hands and took a small sip. It was spicy and pungent, but a warm sensation swept through her body. She slowly drank about half of it, but she really couldn't drink anymore. She pushed the bowl back onto the small table. "Brother, I can't drink anymore..."
"Mmm." With her well-defined knuckles, she picked up the porcelain bowl, tilted her head back, her Adam's apple bobbing, and drank the ginger soup she hadn't finished in one gulp.
That was the drink she had consumed.
Yu He'an clearly didn't mind; if she were to say it, it would seem like she cared a lot. She pursed her lips and lowered her head.
Then she convinced herself that Yu He'an had also gotten rained on, so drinking some ginger soup wouldn't hurt.
Yu He'an squatted down in front of her, his fingertips tracing up her ankles and calves, lifting her trouser legs to reveal her fair calves. Only two small red dots remained on her right calf, while a large patch of purplish-blue marks covered her knee.
He thought that even if his grandmother knew about Yu Tan's background, she wouldn't punish her.
But it wasn't just a fine.
Yu Tan really knelt down. He had seen her kneeling in the ancestral hall when she was young before. Every time, she would kneel crookedly and only kneel for half a quarter of an hour before curling up on the prayer mat and dozing off.
"Relax..."
His large hand moved up her calf, his warm palm brushing against her. She suddenly remembered that she had been touched by something warmer and softer there, and a surge of heat rose within her.
I rubbed the ointment in my palm, spread it out, and then applied it to my knee, gently massaging the bruise.
"It will hurt a little, but it will feel better faster if you rub it. Just bear with it." Yu He'an lowered his head, and she could only see the top of his head and his smooth forehead.
It was as if she had only caused a minor trouble outside, and Yu He'an was still the older brother who rushed over to help her clean up the mess.
"Brother."
"Mmm." The massage on her knees was gentle, without stopping, and he didn't look up at her.
“Brother, Grandmother is very angry when she finds out… I know I did wrong, but I have my reasons…” Her voice trailed off.
Because in her storyline, she foresaw that once her identity was exposed, she would be expelled from the Marquis's mansion, imprisoned, scorned by the world, and meet a tragic end.
She didn't dare to say anything then.
She wanted to stay put, hoping that as long as she could hide in the Marquis's mansion, nothing else would happen.
However, the deception and concealment became the root cause of Madam Song's dislike for her, and also the reason for her being expelled from the Marquis's mansion.
She was caught in a vicious cycle, unable to find the best solution.
"Hmm, don't think too much. Stay here and rest to recover. You've been injured quite a few times recently. You should go to the temple to pray to the gods to dispel the bad luck another day." Yu He'an released her right leg and turned to massage her left leg gently.
Fortunately, Yu He'an still treats her the same as before, still regarding her as his younger sister.
"Is it inappropriate for me to be here and disturbing you?"
"No, he's been transferred. The house is just sitting empty anyway. Focus on healing your leg injury first. I noticed you weren't walking quite right the other day."
"Can I stay here indefinitely?" she asked, her head bowed, a little embarrassed.
She always took advantage of Yu He'an.
It would be better for her to stay here than to be alone in Tonghua Lane.
"Are you not planning to go back to the Marquis's residence if you stay here all the time?"
"Brother, can I go back?" In an instant, all her hope was ignited.
Yu He'an placed the medicine bottle on the outer shelf: "Of course, Grandmother just hasn't thought it through yet... She'll be fine in a few days. It's not like she's just changing her identity, so don't worry too much."
She could hardly believe that Yu He'an had said those words, as if she could return to the Marquis's mansion.
"Brother, don't try to comfort me, I know I did something wrong..."
It's ridiculously wrong, but if she were to start over, she would probably still end up doing the same thing; there's simply no solution.
She originally thought that Yu He'an would be furious and that Old Madam Song would protect her, but the reality was quite the opposite.
"Go and rest..." Yu He'an pointed to the bed in the inner room, which the old lady had tidied up early in the morning.
"Brother, will you blame me? Blame me for keeping it from you and for not being honest?" After holding back for a long time, she finally asked the question that worried her the most.
Yu He'an's gaze fell on her face, sweeping over it inch by inch, scrutinizing her deeply, and she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
Why ask?
Isn't she the best at whitewashing things?
He gently rubbed her head with his fingertips, then smiled helplessly, "No."
As the moment the answer arrived, even more questions arose in my mind; Yu He'an's reaction was too strange.
No one wants to be deceived.
"Why?"
The tears in her almond-shaped eyes had not yet faded, and the confusion in her eyes could not be hidden. They were wet and glistening, like an abandoned puppy that couldn't find its companions and was anxiously pacing around in circles.
Finally, a jackal approached, and she timidly placed her paws on it, cautiously probing, naively believing that she had finally found a companion to travel with.
Why?
Yu Tan could never keep a secret. From the moment he met Wu Niang, or when he fell into the water at the Li residence and saw the timid look in her eyes, he sensed something was amiss.
I deliberately didn't investigate because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to control my delusions.
What else could it be? Because he wants to keep Yu Tan by his side, to keep her under a different identity.
Being expelled from the Marquis's mansion is just as good; it will proclaim to the world that they were not biological siblings and should be together.
You'll find out later.
A strong hand had already placed on her elbow, helping her walk into the inner room. The nightgown was made of soft, thin material, and the warm palm seemed to be directly touching her forearm, making her shiver.
I still feel pain when I rubbed my knee just now.
The oppressive heat from the sachet suddenly returned, and the lower abdominal pain returned. She had to take several deep breaths to barely steady herself.
That's so strange.
In a few days, when my knee feels better, I must go see Doctor Xue and get some other prescriptions to treat this strange ailment.
It was only a dozen or so steps, but they dawdled and took quite a while to walk it.
"Does your leg hurt?"
Yu He'an lowered his head and asked, his warm breath brushing against her ear like a flame licking her, and the heat in his heart burned higher and higher, as if he wanted to inflate her into a rolling ball.
Didn't I tell you not to force yourself?
He moved his large hands to his waist, scooped up her legs with one hand, and lifted her steadily onto the bed.
Her lower abdomen felt as if it were filled with water. When Yu He'an held her, the soreness intensified, and she wanted to escape and break free.
I wanted to use my hands on my waist to squeeze out the water, and it would be even better if I could move them to my lower abdomen.
Fortunately, the process did not last long. After Yu He'an placed her on the bed and lowered the blue gauze curtain, he got up and went to the outer room to tidy up.
She quickly pulled the blanket over herself, covering herself completely, and curled up inside.
She lay there for a while, but the heat and soreness didn't subside. She took out the sachet hidden in her sleeve. The scent wasn't as strong as before. After smelling it for a while, the heat finally eased a bit.
The soreness and bloating in my lower abdomen was difficult to relieve.
With her well-defined knuckles, she lifted the gauze curtain and hurriedly stuffed the sachet under her pillow. He held a small hot water bottle wrapped in blue satin and handed it to her.
She hasn't used a hot water bottle in this weather for a long time.
"Yaoyao, you look terrible, is your stomach hurting...?"
Suddenly she understood that Yu He'an had misunderstood her and thought she had menstruated.
She placed the hot water bottle on her lower abdomen, but the soreness and swelling did not lessen; in fact, it became more pronounced because of Yu He'an.
"Go to sleep, I'll stay here and watch over you." After saying that, Yu He'an sat on the edge of the bed, as if he planned to stay there all night.
She had already observed that the bedroom only had this one bed, and the outer room was extremely simple, with only a desk and a small round table. The side room on one side was also uninhabitable.
If Yuhe insists on staying, he might have to squeeze in with the old gatekeeper.
Let's forget about it then.
She quickly moved further in until her back was against the wall, making room for half of the bed.
Fortunately, practice makes perfect, and Yu He'an didn't even have the awkward standoff she had last time. She quickly took off her shoes and socks and got into bed.
This bed was much smaller than the canopy bed in Lanfang Courtyard, and it became even more crowded after Yuhe got on, with her shoulders pressed against Yuhe's.
She seemed to have overlooked something. When she came to her senses, the soreness in her lower abdomen intensified, and she looked at her strong right hand hanging at her side.
An absurd idea popped into her head: if only this hand could help her press down and squeeze out the ascites.
Author's note: Thank you MiMaoYuYanYouZiChiHuoBabyBaolinYu for the nutrient solution.
grateful!
Yu Tan: Can I go back?
Yu He'an: I'll go back after changing my identity.
Tomorrow might be a little late. I happily packed my laptop and keyboard on the 1st, planning to type even while out and about. That's my plan [glasses]. Yes, you read that right, I didn't bring a charger. It's completely out of power. I might be late getting home tomorrow, just so you know, if there's no traffic, I won't be [head pat][helpless]. I carried two laptops, two phones, and no charger at all [helpless].
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