Chapter 28 The Soft-Hearted Yiling Patriarch
The next day after being punished to kneel, when Si Zhui woke up, the gauze on his arm had been changed and wrapped with a circle of soft cotton wool. Wei Wuxian was probably afraid that he would press on the wound while sleeping.
As he stood up, he saw Wei Wuxian walk in with a medicine bowl. His face was expressionless, but his tone was gentler: "Get up and drink the medicine."
The medicine was dark and smelled bitter. Si Zhui had just frowned when Wei Wuxian pulled out a candied fruit from his sleeve: "After you finish the medicine, I'll give you some candy."
Sizhui took the medicine bowl and gulped it down in a few gulps, the bitterness numbing his tongue. Wei Wuxian immediately stuffed the candied fruit into his mouth, and the sweetness instantly spread, diluting the taste of the medicine.
“No sword practice today, and no reading for too long.” Wei Wuxian straightened his collar, his tone still a little harsh. “I’ve told your father to just let you bask in the sun in the yard.”
Sizhui nodded: "I understand, Dad."
Wei WuXian said nothing more and turned to leave, but then stopped and looked back at him: "...If the wound hurts, tell me."
"Yeah!" Si Zhui responded quickly, and watched his father's back disappear at the door. He felt sweet in his heart - his father was no longer angry with him.
In the morning, Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling came to see him, carrying a food box. Lan Jingyi opened it like a treasure and said, "Si Zhui, this is the peach blossom pastry my mother made. She said it will help wounds heal faster."
Jin Ling also pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom: "This is the medicine I brought from Jinlin Terrace. It's better than the one from Cloud Recesses. Try it."
Si Zhui looked at them, his heart warmed: "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Lan Jingyi waved his hand. "It's all my fault. If I had caught you earlier yesterday, you wouldn't have fallen."
"It's none of your fault. I was careless on my own." Si Zhui said quickly.
Jin Ling snorted, "Don't try to be so aggressive when hunting at night in the future. If you can't win, just run away. What's so shameful about that?" He spoke harshly, but his eyes were full of concern.
The three of them sat on a stone bench in the yard, basking in the sun and eating peach blossom cakes. Lan Jingyi talked about how he was punished by the teacher to copy the house rules when he returned to school yesterday, which made Sizhui and Jin Ling laugh.
As they were talking, Lan Qiren arrived. He stood at the gate with his hands behind his back, looking at the gauze on Sizhui's arm, his brows slightly furrowed. "Why are you so careless?"
Si Zhui quickly stood up and saluted: "It was my fault for neglecting it."
Lan Qiren walked in and pulled out a book from his sleeve: "Even if you are injured, you can't slack off. Copy this volume of the "Tranquil Mind Sutra" and use it as a way to nourish your spirit."
"Yes, thank you, great uncle." Si Zhui took the book and saw several annotations on the cover. These were the difficult points specially marked by his great uncle. He knew that the old man was afraid that he would be bored, so he found a light book for him.
Lan Qiren didn't stay long. Before leaving, he said to Lan Jingyi and Jin Ling, "You two should stop making noise here. Let him have a good rest."
"Yes, sir (great-uncle)."
After Lan Qiren left, Lan Jingyi stuck out his tongue and said, "Mr. looks unhappy, but he still loves you, right?"
Si Zhui smiled and nodded: "Yeah."
In the evening, when Lan Wangji came back, he was holding a jade hairpin in his hand. The head of the hairpin was a small plum blossom, carved to look lifelike.
"This is for you." Lan Wangji handed the jade hairpin to Sizhui. "It's made of warm jade. Wear it to nourish your body."
Sizhui recognized it; it was very similar to the one his father often wore, only smaller. He took it carefully, the warmth of the hairpin flowing through his fingertips into his heart.
"Thank you, father."
Lan Wangji patted his head and said, "Take good care of your injuries. There's no need to rush for other things."
At dinner, Wei Wuxian prepared a table full of dishes, all of which were Si Zhui's favorites. He also specially stewed a pigeon soup, saying it was good for nourishing the body.
“Drink more soup.” Wei Wuxian poured Si Zhui a large bowl. “I learned this from the old maid in the kitchen. I guarantee it’s delicious.”
Si Zhui drank his soup, watching his dad and father pick up food for each other from time to time, and watching the sunset in the yard dye everything in warm yellow. He suddenly felt that being hurt was not always a bad thing.
At least, he truly felt the care of so many people—his father's candied fruit, his father's jade hairpin, his great-uncle's scrolls, and his friends' peach blossom cakes and wound medicine. These small bits of warmth, like sunshine, gradually penetrated his heart and were more effective than any wound medicine.
Lying in bed at night, Si Zhui touched the jade hairpin on his head, and thought of how Wei Wuxian secretly stuffed candied fruits into his mouth during the day, and couldn't help laughing.
He knew that no matter what happened in the future, he could no longer hide it from the people around him, because being cared for and worried about by others was actually a very happy thing.
The moonlight from outside the window poured in gently. Si Zhui yawned and closed his eyes with a smile. "By the time I wake up tomorrow, my wound will surely heal faster."
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