Chapter 6, Chapter Six: Shy
Su Rong drove anxiously to Qin Guanlan's residence, her face dark and gloomy, as if she were about to unleash a furious rage. Her brown low-heeled shoes clattered on the smooth porcelain floor like firecrackers.
Xiao Wen was overjoyed to see this, but pretended to be unaware, putting down the broom in her hand and asking in surprise, "Madam, what brings you here?"
Su Rong scoffed coldly and shouted angrily, "Where is Shen Qingtang? Where is she?"
Xiao Wen, like a startled quail egg, trembled, glanced upwards uncomfortably, and stammered, "Miss Shen...Miss Shen should be taking care of the young master now, right?" This uncertain tone was undoubtedly further evidence that Shen Qingtang had not taken good care of Qin Guanlan, and Su Rong's anger burned even more fiercely.
Bai Rou then played the good guy, putting her arm around Su Rong's and saying softly, "Sister-in-law, don't be angry. Shen Qingtang is still just a child, lazy and playful. How could Guanlan possibly take good care of her? Why don't you use the top-tier caregiver I recommended to you before?"
Upon hearing this, Su Rong coldly shook off the other person's arm and said, "No need." She dared not use the caregiver that the other person had introduced.
Despite being humiliated like this, Bai Rou wasn't angry. She just sighed softly and patiently instructed Xiao Wen and Xiao Qian, who were behind Su Rong, "Guan Lan's legs are crippled, and my sister-in-law is in a bad mood these days. Please bear with her. I'll give you a red envelope later."
Xiaowen and Xiaoqian looked up and exchanged a glance, feigning refusal. But in their hearts, the same thought arose simultaneously: the Second Madam's personality was indeed gentle; they'd heard that the maids working under her received the most generous red envelopes every year. So kind and benevolent, no wonder she and the Second Master were so loving.
Su Rong stormed in and saw Shen Qingtang sitting far away on a small stool, engrossed in her phone, not sparing a single glance at the patient who needed care! Meanwhile, her poor Guan'er was struggling to feed herself with a spoon, her movements clumsy like a penguin. Occasionally, she would drop some food and quickly glance at Shen Qingtang, looking utterly pitiful.
Remembering Xiaoqian's words, she felt even more heartbroken. Looking at Qi Yi and Qi Er leaning against the door, she immediately slapped each of them and said angrily, "Is this how you take care of Guan'er?" Although she said that, her eyes were like fireballs staring straight at Shen Qingtang.
Thinking back to how many expensive clothes she had bought for him, she felt even more ashamed and regretful.
Xiaoqian and Xiaowen jogged over to Qin Guanlan's side, one after the other saying, "Young Master, shall I feed you?"
"Young Master, let me do it."
Bai Rou then gave a gentle and kind smile and said, "Qing Tang, don't just sit there. Come and apologize to your Aunt Su. If you are sincere, she won't make things difficult for you."
"But you shouldn't take care of Guanlan anymore."
Hearing the other person tell her not to take care of Qin Guanlan, Shen Qingtang frowned deeply. She stood up and stared calmly at the other person, saying, "What did I do wrong? Why can't I continue to take care of Brother Qin?"
Although they were just two ordinary questions, Bai Rou suddenly felt a powerful and overwhelming aura, like a raging storm. She felt like a dilapidated boat in a storm, her heart pounding wildly, and she swallowed the words she had prepared.
Seeing the Second Madam fall silent, Xiaoqian became anxious and quickly accused, "Shen Qingtang, how dare you say that? You actually dared to mistreat the Eldest Young Master."
She looked heartbroken and said, "You knew perfectly well that the young master's legs were crippled, yet you wouldn't feed him." As she spoke, her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face. She knelt beside Qin Guanlan and pleaded, "Young master, please don't let such a cruel woman stay by your side. Xiaoqian will always take care of you." Her beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with emotions that could no longer be expressed.
As a woman, Su Rong naturally understood Xiaoqian's unspoken meaning. Her eyes paused, then softened as she said, "You are quite the..."
Before the words were finished, a loud "bang" was heard as the metal spoon slammed heavily onto the iron plate, producing a crisp and powerful impact.
All eyes were drawn to him, but what was even more striking was Qin Guanlan's ashen face and deep green eyes.
A voice shrouded in icy coldness echoed in the room: "So, I'm already a useless piece of trash who can't even take care of himself?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoqian's face turned pale, and she shook her head repeatedly, saying, "No, young master." After saying that, she turned her pleading gaze to Su Rong.
Su Rong was already extremely surprised to hear Qin Guanlan speak, and when she realized that Qin Guanlan had taken the initiative to eat, her eyes immediately welled up with tears as she stared at the nearly empty plate. She also heard the subtle protectiveness in Qin Guanlan's tone towards Shen Qingtang, and she immediately made her decision.
Her eyes flickered, and she began to scold, "That's enough, Xiaoqian. I think Qingtang is taking good care of Guan'er. But you, you're making a fuss over nothing, causing everyone to panic. This time, you'll be fined a month's salary. From now on, just focus on making sure you can cook your three meals a day."
The implication was that Xiaoqian no longer needed to serve Qin Guanlan.
Xiaoqian, who understood this meaning, turned even paler than before, and collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as her dream of becoming the young master's wife shattered before her eyes.
Xiaowen cleverly dragged Xiaoqian up, but secretly felt a little disappointed. It turned out that only Xiaoqian had fallen for his plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Realizing she had misunderstood Shen Qingtang again, Su Rong felt a pang of guilt. Embarrassed, she touched her nose and deliberately moved Shen Qingtang's room from the first floor to next to Qin Guanlan's. After a few private words with Qin Guanlan, she left. Bai Rou, who had originally come to watch the drama unfold, could only reluctantly follow suit.
Shen Qingtang carried the first-aid kit upstairs, handed the mercurochrome and cotton swabs to Qi Yi and Qi Er, and pointed to their faces, indicating, "Go next door to get it treated."
Although Su Rong was a woman, she was very strong in her anger, and two handprints appeared on her face, which were very conspicuous.
Qi Yi and Qi Er were both rough men, so they naturally didn't take the pain to heart. They only accepted it after seeing Qin Guanlan nod out of the corner of their eye. The cheerful Qi Yi even grinned and said, "Shen Qingtang, thanks."
Shen Qingtang shook her head and said, "You were slapped because of me." In other words, they were the innocent bystanders who were caught in the crossfire.
Qi Yi moved her lips, about to speak, but then noticed Qin Guanlan's cold, piercing gaze and immediately shut her mouth and left the room.
Shen Qingtang then came to Qin Guanlan's side and began clearing away the plates. She was clearly skilled at doing things, her movements were clean and efficient, and she was very meticulous.
After tidying up, she didn't forget to grab Qin Guanlan's hand and take out a wet wipe to carefully wipe the spaces between his fingers. Finally, she wiped them again with a dry tissue, observing Qin Guanlan's expression from time to time and adjusting the pressure accordingly.
She seemed to be in a good mood, and even hummed a melody, as melodious as a lark's song.
Qin Guanlan's mood worsened at a visible speed, especially when he saw the other person's fair skin exposed when he bent over. His superior eyesight allowed him to see it all clearly. He said in a cold tone, "So happy?"
“Yes.” Shen Qingtang’s emotions were usually indifferent, but at this moment she smiled, her two dimples appearing faintly. “Brother Qin, you can’t get rid of me this time.”
Qin Guanlan felt an inexplicable urge to touch her, and remembering his mother's words that Shen Qingtang had come to take care of him voluntarily, he wanted to touch her even more.
But in fact, he gripped the handrails tightly with both hands, as if he was desperately trying to suppress some kind of impulse.
He suddenly felt his throat was very dry, licked his lips, and asked with a displeased expression, "You can try, it'll only take me the time of one phone call."
Shen Qingtang pointed to her finger and analyzed righteously, "Brother Qin, you really can't get rid of me."
“You didn’t eat or speak for three days and three nights, but as soon as I arrived, you were willing to eat and talk. Even if Aunt Su resents me, she won’t kick me out.”
"She must think that I, the culprit, hurt your pride, and that you don't want to lose face in front of me."
For once, Qin Guanlan detected a hint of smug satisfaction in these words. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he quickly straightened them, reverting to his original gloomy expression. He uttered four words: "You're overthinking it."
Seeing that Shen Qingtang had fallen silent, he coughed and asked, "Why didn't you refute me just now?"
"What are you refuting?" Noticing Shen Qingtang's clear black and white eyes staring intently at him, Qin Guanlan felt a burning sensation and embarrassment in his heart. "You have actually been taking good care of me."
Although they had only spent a few hours together, Qin Guanlan noticed Shen Qingtang's thoughtfulness and attentiveness.
The stem of the teacup would always face him; when the glaring sunlight swept across him, she would stand up and use her right hand to shield him; she would even notice his sweaty, half-dampened back shirt from sitting for so long... The Qin family was not short of money, and Qi Yi and Qi Er were loyal to him and never careless in their work.
But he's a man after all; he wouldn't be that considerate.
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang's smile faded slightly as she stared intently at Qin Guanlan's legs and said, "Because I really didn't take good care of you." She made a promise, "Brother Qin, I will heal your legs."
The other person's bright eyes were as scorching as a fireball, and Qin Guanlan's originally calm expression turned extremely ugly. In fact, he had slowly accepted that he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and he could even consider himself a born disabled person rather than an able-bodied person.
But Shen Qingtang insisted on speaking so earnestly and decisively.
He had spent three whole months chasing a hopeless dream, and had given up all expectation. Shen Qingtang's promise would not only not make him feel better, but would be more like a sharp knife piercing his heart. Heal his legs? That was simply impossible. He didn't want to search for that tiny bit of miracle in page after page of tedious reports, so he said coldly, "You can leave now. I'm going to sleep."
Shen Qingtang shook her head and said, "Brother Qin, taking a nap right after lunch will cause acid reflux, bloating, and reduce metabolic efficiency. Why don't you read a book for a while? Or should I push you out for a walk?"
Qin Guanlan had a headache and closed his eyes without speaking, clearly not wanting to talk to the other person.
Shen Qingtang, however, did not give up. She continued, "Brother Qin, shall I read to you?" In fact, she was not just talking about treating Qin Guanlan's legs. She had just searched for a lot of medical information online, so she decided to start by learning the most basic formula: "In Ephedra Decoction, use Cinnamon Twig, Apricot Kernel, and the other four ingredients. It is suitable for fever, chills, headache, neck pain, shortness of breath, and no sweating..."
Logically speaking, she was just a novice in medicine, while the original owner of this body was merely a liberal arts student who barely graduated from high school, and it had been four years since then. But for some reason, the more she read the herbal formula, the more familiar and clear she became with it, until finally she could even recite it directly from memory.
In addition, several practical cases that could be applied to other situations appeared in her mind, as if she had personally experienced them.
Recalling the way she instinctively took her own pulse as soon as she woke up, Shen Qingtang finally felt certain about something.
She appears to be a genuine practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and quite accomplished at it. Unfortunately, her brain is like a computer with missing data; it's completely empty and can only be activated by uploading the data again, allowing her memories to return to normal.
She needed to read medical books, many, many medical books, and then find the most suitable method for Qin Guanlan to treat his legs.
On the other side, Qi Yi and Qi Er, who had already applied the medicine and returned, hesitated to go in.
Through the half-open door, one could clearly see Qin Guanlan resting with his eyes closed, while Shen Qingtang stared at her phone screen reading aloud. The bright, shining sunlight streamed in from the window, enveloping the two of them, as if God's spotlight were shining solely on them. Their soft reading voices filled the air, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
Qin Guanlan's originally strong facial features softened somewhat. Although one could see some impatience in his expression, he exuded more peace and indulgence, a stark contrast to his previous gloomy and cold demeanor.
Qi Yi licked his lips and said in a low voice, "Forget it, let's not go in." The atmosphere was so peaceful that no one dared to disturb it.
Qi Er nodded, a deep glint in his eyes. Qin Ge's attitude towards Shen Qingtang seemed to have changed considerably. But regardless, this was the direction they were happy to see.
It's enough that Brother Qin can eat and sleep well now.
Perhaps because he hadn't experienced a sense of peace in a long time, Qin Guanlan couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep immediately. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in bed. The sky outside was dim, and he had changed into a set of blue and black striped pajamas. A brand new black stripe was showing at the edge of his underwear. He glanced at Qi Yi, who was standing guard beside him, and quickly breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Did you carry me up here?"
Qi Yi shook his head and said, "Brother Qin, it wasn't me." He said with admiration, "I didn't expect Shen Qingtang to be so strong. She was able to carry you to bed all by herself."
Qin Guanlan: "..." He held onto a sliver of hope, swallowed hard, and asked, "Did you help me change my clothes?"
Qi Yi shook his head and said, "It wasn't me, it was..." Qin Guanlan hadn't even had a chance to relax when he saw Shen Qingtang push the door open and enter with a tray, saying, "Brother Qin, I helped you change into your pajamas."
She blinked and said, "Don't you like this set of pajamas? How about we change into a silk one?"
Seeing that the other woman's expression was normal, as if nothing had happened, Qin Guanlan felt like he was on fire. This woman... this woman was simply shameless... Even though he was crippled, he was still a man!
He blurted out, "Shen Qingtang, how could you help me change my clothes?"
Seeing Qin Guanlan pursing his lips, gripping the bedsheet with his right hand, and exuding a terrifying aura, Shen Qingtang knew that he was angry.
Although she didn't know why the other person was angry, she still apologized readily: "Brother Qin, I won't do it again next time."
Her response was a model warship brushing past her ear and an angry, stern voice: "You want a next time?"
Shen Qingtang shook her head, making a promise without looking at him: "No more." After saying that, she put the plate aside, put her arms around Qin Guanlan's armpits, and hugged him, saying: "Brother Qin, it's time to eat."
Qin Guanlan tried to struggle but found that the other person's arms were like those of a trained fighter, practically impenetrable. He had been a special forces soldier, and his physical condition should have been superior to that of ordinary people, but due to a lack of training, even when he used all his strength, he couldn't break free. Instead, his face turned red, and he could only helplessly give in.
Shen Qingtang carefully placed Qin Guanlan into the wheelchair, patted his head, and said calmly, "Brother Qin needs to eat more so that I won't have to carry him around all the time."
The coaxing tone made Qin Guanlan feel ashamed once again. His fingers, gripping the spoon tightly, turned white, and he silently quickened his eating pace.
Qi Yi and Qi Er exchanged a glance, trying hard to suppress the smiles on their lips.
The arrogant King Yan of Qin is nothing more than a well-behaved kindergarten child in front of Shen Qingtang.
A note from the author:
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