Chapter Twenty-Three: The Flower Picker Awaits
The lady did not go to see the epiphyllum with Yunyao, but instead had Yunyao stay by her side to help her calmly burn incense and slowly finish copying a painting. Only then did the lady's expression return to calm.
At this moment, the nurse gently knocked on the door to remind the lady that it was time to take her medicine.
The lady put down her pen and sighed softly, "This medicine has no effect whatsoever, but it's more accurate than a clock." She instructed her servant to take the medicine to the courtyard; she really didn't want to smell the medicine in her bedroom anymore.
Yun Yao rarely saw this childlike side of his wife. He smiled in surprise as he followed her downstairs.
By this time, the windowsill was already shrouded in twilight. Just as the lady was about to step downstairs, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her head, and she became instantly dizzy and unable to see. Worse still, her foot slipped, and she was about to fall down the stairs.
In a flash, Yun Yao instinctively rushed forward.
"Madam, be careful!" A low shout rang out from behind, carrying the clear voice unique to a young man. The lady felt a force suddenly slam into her side, not a rough shove, but a skillful half-hug, half-pull. She fell into an embrace with the scent of sandalwood, her back hitting a warm chest, the sound of the young man's rapid breathing filling her ears.
His left palm firmly supported the back of her neck, preventing her from hitting the steps. His right hand braced itself on the edge of the steps a second before she fell, his knuckles turning white from the force, his knee scraping the ground with a soft hiss.
The jade beads that had fallen from the lady's hand rolled to his feet, but he instinctively hooked them with his toes, preventing them from rolling any further.
The twilight streamed through the glass, casting dappled patterns of light on his handsome profile. His long eyelashes cast shadows beneath his eyes, and his pupils were intently reflecting his wife's face; the boy's eyes held only pure tension and worry.
The two remained in this intimate posture for a few seconds in the dimly lit stairwell, where it seemed as if only their intertwined breaths could be heard.
The lady looked up and met a pair of dark, jade-like eyes. A thin layer of sweat clung to the young man's forehead, and the light filtering through the stairwell window cast a shadow on half of his straight nose, making his profile as beautiful as a dream. His wrists were long and delicate, yet they seemed exceptionally reliable the moment he touched her.
"Madam, are you alright?" Yun Yao's voice was lower than before, filled with undisguised worry.
The lady then realized that she was still leaning against him. At that moment, she heard the faint exclamations of her attendants from not far away, and a group of people quickly rushed over.
With the help of others, the lady stood up, only to find that Yun Yao's right hand, which was supporting her on the steps, had a cut, and beads of blood were dripping down her fingers.
"Yun'er, your hand..."
Yun Yao didn't seem to care much about her own injury. Instead, she asked the lady with concern in her eyes, "I'm fine, Madam. Were you injured just now? Let the doctor check you out quickly."
Several family doctors had already gathered around. The lady looked at Yun Yao deeply, lifted the boy's injured hand with one hand, and gently touched the marks on his face with the other. She said softly, "Thanks to you this time, Yun'er."
She recalled the harrowing moment and the sudden torment of illness. Her gaze darkened; it was time for her to make a decision.
...
The lady left with the doctors, leaving a few medical staff behind to examine Yun Yao's injuries and treat her wounds.
After the lady left, Yun Yao was unable to see her for several days.
Yun Yao cannot leave the camphor garden without permission, so he has to recuperate while continuing to learn about nursing assistant skills.
When he has free time, Yun Yao will ask someone to find some videos of classical dances by famous artists for him to watch. In private, he still can't let go of his dancing and will secretly practice in his room whenever he has free time.
It's rainy in the Jiangnan region, and these past two days, Nanhang has been experiencing light drizzle again, making the air so humid that it feels like you could squeeze water out of it.
That night, Yun Yao sat alone by the rain-soaked window. He remembered what Qin Rao had asked Butler Cheng to pass on not long ago: his father's case had been delayed for some reason, and there were even rumors of a leadership reshuffle...
The whirlpool in Nanhang was just like the gloomy and eerie sky outside his window.
Yun Yao sighed; the damp weather made him feel exhausted. He went to bed early that day.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of her sleep, Yun Yao vaguely heard a group of people coming in from downstairs.
Yun Yao was too sleepy to realize what was happening. But when the commotion reached the second floor, the excited voice of Butler Cheng completely woke Yun Yao up.
It turned out that the lady had returned.
Yun Yao sat up halfway, but before he could even get out of bed, the sounds of the group had gradually faded away. Yun Yao listened intently for a long time, but heard nothing more. He guessed that the lady was probably resting and everyone had left, so he decided not to disturb her.
Thinking that he might see his wife tomorrow, Yun Yao felt a little expectant. He had previously thought that his wife would be very lonely in this camphor garden because no one dared to talk to her. In reality, he himself was the only one in the garden who would talk to him and relieve his loneliness except for his wife.
Yun Yao smiled inwardly and lay back down.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but just before he fell completely asleep, there was a slow, steady knocking on his door...
Yun Yao got up in surprise. No one had ever come to see him at this time. Who would be knocking on his door so late at night?
But fearing that someone might really have something urgent to tell him, Yun Yao quickly went over and opened the door.
Outside the door, the lady, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, smiled as she looked at the young man.
"Madam!" Yun Yao was both surprised and slightly pleased. He hadn't expected his wife to come looking for him. "You're back."
But seeing that the lady was not accompanied by her usual personal attendants, but came to his door alone, Yun Yao felt a little strange. "Madam, what do you want to see me about? You could have called me from inside the room, there was no need for you to come here in person."
The lady seemed to be in much better spirits than before, but at this moment, there seemed to be some unspeakable meaning in the corners of her eyes and brows.
The lady gazed intently at the young man, raised her hand, and gently stroked his delicate and beautiful face. Her voice was unexpectedly gentle, with a faint smile, as she said to Yun Yao, "Yun'er, did you miss me while I was away?"
Seeing Yun Yao's surprised and slightly flustered expression, the lady smiled gently and said affectionately, "I miss Yun'er very much. It's quite chilly tonight, may I sleep with you?"
Yun Yao felt like he was still half asleep and dreaming; he had never seen such a lady before. But the real touch on his face forced him to believe it was reality. "Madam...you..."
Outside the window, the moonlight was hidden among the dark clouds, hazy and ambiguous, and the faint chirping of insects came from somewhere.
The lady's hand touched the boy's soft earlobe. She pinched it affectionately and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm still taking my medicine. I can't do anything to you."
She looked at the boy again and sighed softly: "I'm already receiving treatment from a foreign doctor, and those medicines are making me feel really uncomfortable."
Yun Yao blushed and stared at his wife. He felt his brain must have turned to mush, because he had absolutely no idea how to react.
"Yun'er," the lady called him again, gazing at him tenderly, and said with distress, "This foreign medicine is so bitter it's unbearable. Won't you let me in?"
Yun Yao snapped out of his daze and took a step back. Looking into the lady's eyes, he realized he had no choice.
"Madam, please, please come in," Yun Yao said softly.
The lady smiled, walked into Yun Yao's bedroom, tapped Yun Yao's nose as he stood there dumbfounded, and said with a smile, "Good child..."
Yun Yao looked up at his wife, who was already sitting by his bedside, and asked somewhat helplessly, "Madam, would you like some hot water? Shall I get it for you?" He remembered that his wife had just said that the medicine was bitter.
The lady smiled again, shook her head, and gently took Yun Yao's warm, jade-like hand in hers, saying softly, "Having Yun'er by my side is enough."
Yun Yao lay stiffly on the bed, next to his wife who had already changed into her pajamas and covered herself with a blanket.
In the darkness, the lady's cool hand slowly traced up the boy's slender waistline along his clothes, her warm breath rising and falling around his neck, and finally, she gently placed a kiss on his neck.
"Go to sleep, good boy."
...
From that night on, the lady often came to Yunyao's place to spend the night, especially when she looked tired after receiving treatment, she seemed to want to be closer to the young man.
Yun Yao couldn't quite describe his feelings. As the lady had said, she hadn't done anything substantial to Yun Yao. In the darkness, she would at most hold his warm, young body, lean against him, or half-embrace him. Very occasionally, she would caress him or leave a tender kiss.
Yun Yao felt like some kind of domesticated little animal, gradually getting used to the fact that the madam came almost every night.
He thought somewhat resignedly that since he couldn't refuse anyway, he had no right to say no, he could only accept it.
But when he saw his wife surrounded by doctors during the day, Yun Yao couldn't help but feel sorry for her, that she was also suffering. Perhaps she saw him as a healing balm in her illness. The young man sighed and gave up his inner struggle.
He didn't know how long these days went by, until one day, Yun Yao returned from the courtyard and saw his wife leaning against a rosewood armchair. He was shocked and his eyes widened.
The lady's hair, which had been somewhat gray, had turned completely black.
The lady, who looked remarkably young, exuded an air of authority, with a sharpness and vigor unlike anything she had shown before. Her attendants stood silently by her side.
When the lady saw Yun Yao, she smiled slightly, her eyes as gentle as ever, but there was a deep look in them that Yun Yao did not yet understand. The lady said to Yun Yao, "Yun'er, come here."
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