Chapter 24 Li Xiao, he actually got beaten up in front of me.
Looking at Li Xiao, who was stuttering uncontrollably, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
No matter how many times, as long as he mentions his feelings for Young Master Lan in a slightly direct way, even a proud and arrogant young master like Young Master Li will, for the first time, show such a shy expression.
—Indeed, it's true love.
I thought to myself, but considering Li Xiao's thin skin when it comes to such matters, and his fiery temper, I still very considerately shook my head.
"It's just some trivial talk about loquat. Young Master Li can just listen to it and forget about it. There's no need to take it to heart."
As I said this, I craned my neck and looked up to see Li Xiao's face, trying to let the boy see the undiminished sincerity and encouragement in my eyes.
However, due to the angle, my neck was almost bent backwards, so at most I could only see a section of his chin.
Hey, I have to say, this sea of white is actually a bit dazzling.
I couldn't help but squint, and since the back of my neck was really getting tired, I quietly turned my head back.
Although the process was slightly different from what I had expected, I was not discouraged, because what I was about to say was the main point.
"In my opinion, true feelings, even if not expressed in words, can be shown through actions. Just like Young Master Li's feelings for Young Master Lan..."
After a slight pause, omitting the part the other person didn't want to discuss openly, I continued unhurriedly.
"Everyone in the building, including Pipa and Young Master Lan himself, has witnessed it all."
I think I've used the most euphemistic expression I can think of right now.
He thought he had performed quite well; although his words were simple, they were natural and subtle, which should be very friendly to someone like Li Xiao.
After listening, Li Xiao remained silent, and I assumed he had finally come to his senses.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I heard Li Xiao take a deep breath.
One, two—
His chest was pressed against my ear, and as I listened to his clear breathing, I couldn't help but worry that Li Xiao might soon run out of breath.
“Young Master Li, if you are really tired, Pipa should walk by herself. Pipa only injured one leg, but you are all alone, Young Master Li. What if something happens to you…”
I hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping myself.
Li Xiao stopped taking deep breaths and said in a calm, cold voice, "You little brat, you're just hoping to make me sick, aren't you?"
I... I certainly couldn't admit it, and only softly said that I dared not.
Li Xiao suddenly laughed, then gave a sarcastic "oh": "That's not necessarily true."
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, I heard the boy's vicious voice: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you into the pool."
When Li Xiao said this, we were standing in the courtyard where he had presented me with that choice between two options many days ago. Just a few steps away was a fairly large pond.
It had snowed, and a layer of ice had formed on top, white and thick. I don't know exactly how thick it was, but it certainly couldn't support me.
I had long anticipated that Li Xiao might suddenly launch an attack, and I was even prepared to slip and fall on my backside in the snow at any moment.
But I still didn't expect that he would be so heartless.
In this freezing weather, if they really threw me in, let alone soak me in it, even just a quick dip and then scooping me out, I probably wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Even if they don't die immediately, they'll be half-dead from illness, and even after they recover, they'll likely have lingering health problems.
At that time, Young Master Lan might pity me because of my miserable state, but one day in the future, when I lose Young Master Lan's protection, I'm afraid I'll only end up in a situation worse than death in the building...
The temperature was already low after the snow, and now the chill seemed to instantly creep up my spine. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and I gripped Li Xiao's arm, trembling uncontrollably.
I was trembling so badly that I grabbed Li Xiao too hard and hurt him.
He was about to yell at me angrily, but when he looked down and saw my trembling, pathetic state, he was stunned. He then reached out and pulled my face out from under my neck, and couldn't help but gasp.
Why are your lips suddenly so pale?
I couldn't see what he was saying, but the chill was real. I shivered as I squeezed out a sentence through my trembling teeth.
"Young Master Li... could you... could you please not... throw me into the pool? It's too... too cold..."
Li Xiao's expression was also unpleasant, and he couldn't help but curse as he stared at my face.
However, he spoke too fast, and I only caught a glimpse of him, not quite understanding. Then, everything suddenly went dark—Li Xiao had placed his cloak over my head.
Then came a chaotic and turbulent period.
If I hadn't been trembling so badly that I didn't have any extra strength, I probably would have already vomited on Li Xiao.
Judging from the rhythm and sound of the bumpy ride, Li Xiao must have entered the room and quickly gone up the stairs.
Along the way, I seemed to bump into several people. I heard a few exclamations, some familiar and some unfamiliar, as well as some cursing that stopped abruptly, as if they had discovered Li Xiao's identity.
Throughout the process, I went from being in a daze to gradually being unable to tell whether I was awake or had fallen into a chaotic dream.
Li Xiao finally stopped. I groggily opened my eyes and glanced outside. We were already at the door.
Li Xiao didn't take me back to Young Master Lan's room, but instead went to the side room next door where he had stayed the night before.
As soon as I pushed open the door, sure enough, there were already three people waiting inside.
One was the son of the steward, a young man who looked 99% like his father, a steward who was decades younger.
However, this man lacked both his father's shrewdness and his father's tact—a trait he likely inherited from his mother, who was a devout Buddhist. While he was far from having reached the point of renunciation and abandoning worldly affairs, he undoubtedly lacked any ambition whatsoever.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought the person here and then leaned against the wall, arms crossed, head drooping, and started to doze off.
In the chair next to him sat a short, stout old man with white hair and beard and a ruddy complexion, engrossed in reading a yellowed booklet.
There was also a little boy with pigtails, who was also fair-skinned and chubby, looking just like the lucky baby holding a carp in a New Year's painting.
The chubby baby was staring intently at a pot of orchids on the windowsill when it noticed someone coming in. It hurriedly reached out and nudged the fat old man who was still reading, calling out "Grandpa" in a soft but not loud voice.
"Grandpa, the person we've been waiting for has arrived." Fuwa's voice wasn't loud, but it still startled the fat old man who was engrossed in his book.
The steward's son was also startled, but he was awakened by the sound of the fat old man getting up.
Opening his eyes, he saw Young Master Li already standing at the door and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. Just as he was about to introduce the doctor to the other party, Li Xiao, without waiting for him to finish speaking, walked straight to the fat old man and politely called him, "Mr. Chang."
"It's been a long time since we last met. I never expected to see you here, sir."
This is the first time I've heard Li Xiao be so polite to anyone other than Young Master Lan.
However, unlike the somewhat casual intimacy he showed towards Young Master Lan, Li Xiao's attitude towards Mr. Chang was much more solemn, even somewhat humble.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Chang stroked his large white beard with his chubby fingers and laughed heartily.
Then he said loudly, "I just returned from my travels. Not long after I entered the city, I was invited here by that young brother at the gate. I waited and waited, but I never expected to meet you, Ah Xiao. It seems that everything in this world is indeed bound by fate."
After making this remark, Mr. Chang took two steps forward and approached Li Xiao. He then squinted at Li Xiao, looking him up and down, muttering to himself, "In my opinion, your complexion now..."
Li Xiao interrupted him, saying with some helplessness, "Mr. Chang, you've got it wrong. It's not me who needs to see a doctor, it's him. Look, what's going on?"
As the boy spoke, he revealed me from under his cloak.
So, Mr. Chang's squinting eyes met my dazed eyes.
I saw a fleeting look of surprise on that round, chubby face, probably because he hadn't expected to see his patient in this way.
"Mr. Chang, what do you think of him?" Li Xiao asked again.
Mr. Chang clicked his tongue and uttered two words firmly: "Frozen."
"ah?"
A moment of confusion appeared on Li Xiao's face, as if he couldn't understand... That's it?
Mr. Chang didn't indulge him. He stretched out his arm and slapped the boy's head, saying, "What are you 'huh' about? I already said it's from the cold. Hurry up and put him in the blanket to warm him up."
At this point, I was no longer trembling much, but I felt dizzy and weak, and my mind was a bit sluggish, but my eyes could see clearly.
—Li Xiao actually got beaten up in front of me.
The one who made the move was an unassuming old man. I even noticed that Mr. Chang jumped up a bit to reach Li Xiao's head and hit him.
It actually looks kind of cute.
Following Mr. Chang's instructions, Li Xiao carried me quickly to the large bed in the inner room, which was draped with curtains, and then reached out—
It seems they originally intended to just throw me onto the bed.
But perhaps because Mr. Chang was present, Li Xiao paused for a moment, and finally just gently put me down.
He reached for the blanket on one side, intending to cover his head with it.
Mr. Chang, who was standing nearby, spoke up again: "You can't do this. You can't let him lie down in those clothes. Look, the cold and dampness have seeped into his clothes. If he's kept like that, he'll get sick even if he's not already. Besides, the child is already weak. You're just harming him."
If it were any other time, or if someone else were to argue with Li Xiao like this, the boy would probably have punched them long ago.
At this moment, Li Xiao only showed an incredulous expression: "Then what should we do? You can't expect me to take his clothes off, can you?"
Mr. Chang seemed not to hear the boy's question. He calmly sat down in a chair next to him, muttering, "He really is an old man. He can't even stand for a short while."
Looking up, she saw that Li Xiao was still standing there motionless, seemingly puzzled. She then urged him, "Hurry up and do it. What are you standing there for? You were willing to carry him all the way back, and you're still fussing over this little thing. I really don't understand how big or small your heart is."
Li Xiao pursed her lips, looking unwilling.
I originally thought he would turn around and leave, then just grab someone to do the hard labor. Unexpectedly, he actually did it without a word, gritting his teeth and doing as instructed.
I should be thankful that I'm now in a warm indoor environment; otherwise, given Li Xiao's fussy and indecisive manner, I probably would have frozen to death in bed.
As expected of Young Master Li, he clearly has never served anyone before.
Not only were his movements awkward, but his expression was also extremely conflicted.
If someone who didn't know the situation saw her, they might think she was some kind of wronged and aggrieved young wife in her husband's family.
Even so, upon seeing my swollen and bruised calves and ankles, the boy's extremely resentful expression immediately changed.
“How could this be…” Li Xiao blurted out in surprise, as if he couldn’t understand how his legs could have turned into this terrible state after he had also fallen and stood in the snow for the same amount of time.
Mr. Chang looked over upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing the scene, he frowned. After examining it carefully, he hissed softly, "This bone is not right."
Before anyone could ask, he continued talking to himself.
"It looks like an old injury that has been recurring. It wasn't properly treated before. Although it doesn't look like a big problem on a daily basis, the meridians inside have been blocked and haven't been cleared. Over time, it's been accumulating... Hmm, it was bound to happen sooner or later."
Mr. Chang shook his head and concluded in a deep voice: "If this continues, it's another matter whether these two legs can be saved, but I'm afraid they will never be able to walk again."
Upon hearing this, my mind exploded as if thousands of bees were buzzing around inside.
If I hadn't already been lying in bed, I probably would have collapsed.
Just when I was completely lost, a voice suddenly rang out from beside the bed, crisp and sweet, like a warm current flowing into the depths of my heart.
"Grandpa, look how scared you've made them. With your mouth, you haven't saved a single person, but you've scared two to death with your words. I don't know if you came to save people or to scare them."
The one speaking was the same Fuwa who had been staring intently at the orchids on the windowsill outside.
As he spoke, his round, watery eyes turned to me, and then suddenly a pure and beautiful smile bloomed on his round little face.
"Don't be scared, young man. Let me tell you a secret: my grandfather always likes to exaggerate the severity of the situation in front of people seeking his treatment. In fact, he can cure them all, but he does it on purpose so he can get more money."
The little guy winked at me playfully as he spoke.
"So don't worry, little brother, with Grandpa here, you'll get better soon."
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