Chapter 35 Losing an arrow means losing a piece of clothing...
The arrow landed steadily in the pot. Lin Yuan didn't receive a word of affirmation, and turned around dejectedly to glance at Xiao Xun.
They met his gaze, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
It's just like that day.
She sat there for a long time until she heard the neighing of Ta Yun and the sound of Xiao Xun dismounting and galloping towards the west side hall.
On the countless steps, he was stopped by the Minister of Ceremonies, and then by the Imperial Physician.
Through the door, she vaguely heard the Grand Master of Ceremonies report that the Imperial Guards had taken away the maid who was delivering medicine at the entrance of the Xuan Shi Hall.
The maid tried to bite her tongue to commit suicide, but was stopped in time. Under interrogation, she confessed that the medicine was sent at the behest of the Grand Marshal's wife.
Then, she heard the imperial physician say that aconite's heat toxicity was detected in the clothes the maid had hidden and on the mat laced with medicine that had been taken out of the west side hall.
When the door was pushed open, Lin Yuan could barely open her eyes, but she smiled and greeted the light that streamed in, saying, "Your Majesty, look at me, aren't I amazing? The maid who was trying to force-feed me was twice my size, but I wasn't overwhelmed by her."
Xiao Xun's expression, however, made her suspicious. Had he been running too fast, without stopping, so that the words of the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Imperial Physician were carried away by the wind?
The wind around his ears never stopped, and Lin Yuan saw that when he rushed to her, strands of hair that had fallen out of his crown were still fluttering in the wind.
He did not hear what she said.
"You took medicine? How much did you take? How are you now?"
Lin Yuan didn't know how to answer for a moment, and said weakly, "I only drank two sips."
He grabbed her shoulders:
“You knew perfectly well that it was medicine sent by the Qu family.”
"You even drank two more sips?"
"What if it's not aconite, but arsenic?"
"Two bites are enough to kill you."
Lin Yuan was actually terrified, her hands and feet were ice-cold, and her body was trembling. These repeated questions, which were also tinged with anger, made her temples throb even more violently.
In particular, she heard him say in a harsh tone:
Do you know how important your life is?
"Your life is more than just your life."
"I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? The imperial physician said that if it were arsenic, the poison would take effect in less than half an hour, and I've been sitting here for more than an hour..."
She finally found her voice.
She wanted to explain a few more things.
The maid was indeed strong and robust, as if she had been used to feeding cattle and horses in the cattle pen and stable.
Life is of course very important, even her body knows this, so she suddenly mustered tremendous strength and broke free from the man's iron grip.
Her life was indeed more than just her life.
She possessed the strength of her blacksmith father, the bravery of her cook mother, the wit of her brother, and the righteousness of a gentleman.
However, as soon as she opened her mouth, she found that she couldn't make a sound at all.
It felt like my throat was being choked, and breathing became difficult.
Suddenly, darkness spread before my eyes.
My mind was blank, a void.
...
"Oh dear, I can't see anything."
Lin Yu stepped forward and pulled Lin Yuan's hood down low, then tightened her collar.
"It's getting windy, don't catch a cold."
"The sun is shining so brightly today, and besides, why would I be so afraid of the cold?" Lin Yuan muttered, reaching out to pull at the brim of her hat, which was completely covered, but she only managed to lift the hood slightly, leaving a gap.
The imperial physician said that she was not poisoned by the heat of aconite, but had drunk too much cold medicine to detoxify beforehand.
The cold medicine made her always feel cold.
On the coldest day, she shivered incessantly, almost forgetting that it was summer.
Until everything in front of her was black, with only the gold threads flickering and jumping into the corner of her eye, her whole body gradually warmed up.
She couldn't tell whether it was her own body that had finally gotten hot, or Xiao Xun's body that was getting hot.
He held her so tightly she felt like she was suffocating, yet she couldn't help but press herself even closer to his warm embrace.
It seems to be the antidote for that cold medicine.
Unfortunately, the imperial physician also said that too much cold medicine had been used and there was no cure.
It can only be nurtured slowly over time.
"I'm still waiting to see Ayu's game-winning shot."
Lin Yuan smiled mischievously and pointed to her eyes peeking out from under her hood.
"A decisive blow? You underestimate me?" Xiao Xun chuckled, interrupting them.
His voice was muffled, reaching Lin Yuan's ears through the thick hood, "I still overestimated you..."
Lin Yuan turned her head to look at him.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Fiancé?"
The air suddenly became cold and acidic.
The prince's servant, Chang Gui, brought two maids with him fresh fruit, a rare treat for winter.
The grapes and oranges, covered in frost, looked bleak.
Chang Gui smiled and bowed: "The Prince of Huaiyang and his son know that Young Master Xiao has been visiting Tingquan Courtyard these past few days to socialize with the two teachers. They were worried that the place was too small, without cooks or maids, and lacking in food, so they had prepared songs, dances and food. Please do not do us the honor of attending tomorrow."
“Since we are both guests of the Prince’s residence, the Prince of Huaiyang should not have invited only me.” Xiao Xun flicked his sleeve, pulled out four arrows from the bamboo tube, and said casually, “Tell the Prince of Huaiyang and the Crown Prince that the guests from Tingquan Courtyard will also come to the feast tomorrow.”
Chang Gui was taken aback, then smiled and said, "The Prince of Huaiyang has not only invited Young Master Xiao, but also the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Vice Minister of the Imperial Stud who are also guests at his residence."
Xiao Xun held the arrow in his hand, took two large steps back, and aimed it at the bronze pot. "It's lively with many people, just right."
"this……"
Lin Yu came to Chang Gui's rescue: "The Prince of Huaiyang and the imperial envoy must have important matters to discuss. How could we, a few commoners, possibly bother them?"
Chang Gui hurriedly bowed to him and said, "Master Lin is right. When the young master hosts a private banquet another day, I will definitely invite you to attend."
"Why change the date? What important matters can be discussed amidst singing, dancing, and revelry? It's nothing more than singing, dancing, and praising the emperor."
Xiao Xun's arrow grazed past Chang Gui's temple.
Lin Yuan couldn't help but interject, "Chang Gui is just here to deliver a message, why is Young Master Xiao making things difficult for him?"
As he spoke, the arrow struck the coiled dragon on the body of the bronze pot.
“Alright, I won’t make things difficult for him.” Xiao Xun agreed quickly and turned to Chang Gui, “If you don’t know how to report back, just tell the Prince of Huaiyang what I said to him. So what if he’s a commoner? Among the common people, there are those who are noble and virtuous, and there are those who have the talent of generals and ministers.”
He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lin Yu.
After Chang Gui bowed and withdrew, Xiao Xun looked at the arrows lying on the ground, smiled at Lin Yuan, and said, "Someone came to disturb us earlier, so this doesn't count."
Lin Yuan's eyes widened, indignant: "Why doesn't it count?"
"With my second arrow, I can get it into the jar and back into my hand, then throw it again."
Lin Yuan was about to argue when Lin Yu stopped her and whispered in her ear, "It's alright, just watch. The first step to a decisive victory is to lure the enemy into complacency."
Xiao Xun's hand, holding the second arrow, paused almost imperceptibly.
The arrow entered the jar and bounced back with a "whoosh." He was distracted and lost his grip, letting the arrow slip to the ground.
"If the arrow doesn't return, it doesn't count even if it enters the pot."
Lin Yuan clapped her hands in delight, tugged at Lin Yu's sleeve, and asked with great interest, "Is there a second step? What is the second step?"
"The second step," Lin Yu said, suppressing a laugh as she looked at Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun looked dejected and muttered to himself as he looked at the arrow, "Looks like A Yuan was right. I'm really going to be killed."
He said slowly, "The second step is to overflow with fullness, so that the enemy will feel inferior."
"What's the third step?" Lin Yuan clapped her hands, laughing so hard she bent over.
"Strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third." Lin Yu crossed his arms and raised his voice.
Seeing Xiao Xun squinting and looking in their direction, he didn't look at the bronze pot. Upon hearing this, his hand slipped, and the arrow suddenly flew out of his grasp, hitting the rim of the pot as expected. Lin Yu added with a smile, "The third step is to disturb people's minds."
Lin Yuan smiled, her face flushed, and her whole body felt hot. "Is there a fourth step?"
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled at her: "There's no need for a fourth step. He's already lost. He's lost to you."
As soon as Lin Yu finished speaking, Xiao Xun laughed and said, "Why isn't there a fourth step?"
He grabbed the fourth arrow, took several steps back, and the arrow flew steadily into the jar, then bounced back into his hand effortlessly.
Then, he twirled the short arrow in his hand into a flower shape, and without turning around, he threw it behind him into the quiver three feet away.
The sound of an arrow entering a bamboo tube came along with Xiao Xun's leisurely voice: "The fourth step is to strike unexpectedly and feign madness."
Lin Yuan stared in disbelief: "But each person only has four arrows in the pitch-pot game. Even if your last arrow goes into the pot and returns, it's still just that one arrow, and you haven't won against me."
Xiao Xun said calmly, "How do you know that what I want is to win?"
Lin Yuan asked, puzzled, "Not winning? Then what do you want from playing pitch-pot with others? What are the benefits of losing?"
"I want to make you smile, Bo Qing." He stared intently at Lin Yuan's flushed face. "Aren't you smiling happily?"
A smug smile crept onto his lips as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "The loss was well worth it."
Lin Yuan turned her face away and walked into the pavilion without saying a word.
As Xiao Xun watched her turn and leave, the smile on his face gradually faded.
After a long pause, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Lin Yu glanced at him speechlessly: "A competition is supposed to be fair and just. Do you think it's meaningful to win or draw like this?" He shook his head and sighed, "She clearly threw quite well. Did she need you to let her win?"
After saying that, he raised his voice towards the pavilion, "Young Master Xiao, you lost, so what? Why are you making excuses for yourself, saying that you deliberately lost? You might fool A Yuan, but you can't fool my eyes."
"Master Lin's insight is keen, and he understands the ways of the world very well. I admire him greatly," Xiao Xun said in a low voice, before heading into the pavilion.
Lin Yuan was using bamboo sticks as arrows, throwing them at the oranges and grapes.
The frozen grapes did not thaw in the frosty weather; when a bamboo skewer was thrown onto the grape skin, not even a hole could be seen.
Just as Xiao Xun was about to clap his hands in approval, he clapped twice and walked closer, only to find that the skewer had been knocked off by his clapping. He could only dust himself off and sit down.
Lin Yuan quickly moved aside.
When Xiao Xun saw her offer him a seat, he sat down without ceremony.
Give way an inch, and you'll get a foot closer. Give way a foot, and you'll get a zhang closer—this dining table has no zhang of space, so she got up to leave.
"My applause just now was for you hitting the pot correctly," Xiao Xun pulled her back and explained. "I didn't know you could play the pitching game, nor did I know you played it so well."
Lin Yuan didn't want to recall it, but after he brought it up, she felt even more sarcastic: "Ha, is that so? Young master, you might as well say that you clapped your hands for these grapes. Because when they were still on the vine, they grew beautifully."
Xiao Xun pretended not to understand that this was a sarcastic remark; his so-called congratulations came too late, and his explanation was too far-fetched.
He replied frankly, "Yes, these grapes do look quite good. Even after being frozen in an ice cellar for months, you can still tell they are juicy and plump."
The conversation shifted to grapes, abruptly ending what had been a lively discussion.
The pavilion remained silent for a long time, and the sound of grape juice bursting and swelling could be clearly heard.
"Do you know where these grapes came from?" Xiao Xun broke the silence.
He was talking about grapes, but for some reason, what came to his mind was the story of Sichuan peppercorns told by the princess.
Lin Yuan seemed not to hear, and continued to stick the bamboo skewer into the grapes.
"Most of them came from Dayuan." Xiao Xun answered himself, "When the Marquis of Bowang went on a mission to the Western Regions, he brought back grape seeds, which were planted in various places, including some in the Shanglin Garden, but unfortunately none of them were as good as the grapes from Dayuan—"
Lin Yuan continued to put the grapes into her mouth.
A blurry figure flashed past my eyes.
The bamboo skewer was empty, and Xiao Xun took a bite of the grape, which was indeed juicy.
A sour smell suddenly filled the air, and he frowned. "—Sweet and sour, delicious."
His teeth almost ached from the sourness, and his tongue almost fell off from the cold. He raised his hand to signal a maid to come forward, took the teacup, and poured the hot tea down his throat without even having a chance to say, "Grapes are cold in nature and will harm your health. They are not suitable for consumption."
As soon as he moved the cup away from his eyes, he saw that Lin Yuan had already left dejectedly.
Before leaving, I pushed the plate of fruit in front of him.
Looking up again, I saw Lin Yu leaning against a plum tree, her gaze drifting in this direction, lost in thought.
Their eyes met, and neither of them looked away.
He saw that there seemed to be an inexplicable hatred in those eyes.
Xiao Xun didn't understand whether this feeling came from himself or from him.
However, this hatred was not the hostility of fighting for something, nor did it come from He Ji's direct and pure jealousy; rather, it was regret and sorrow.
His heart clenched involuntarily.
When did he have this feeling?
He must have had this feeling before, otherwise he wouldn't have inexplicably felt that the gaze was coming from him.
It seems so, because of a sentence in Jianzhang Palace, "You...are beautiful," that night, he dreamed of his mother for the first time in a long time.
In my dream, my mother was just a blurry figure, dressed in red, with indistinct eyebrows and eyes.
But that was enough. In her dream, she was looking at him with a smile.
After his mother died, he had countless chaotic dreams when he was young. His mother was always in a cold place, either in the Xuan Shi Hall or on the jade wall.
It was unclear whether the clothes were crimson, stained with blood, or originally crimson but ended up covered in blood.
She was cold and in pain.
He knew then that poison and arsenic, once ingested, would not kill immediately, but would slowly cause excruciating pain.
She lay there, looking uneasy.
He realized then that death was not a relief; she was still in pain even after she died.
He didn't want her to be in pain anymore, and he didn't want her to be cold.
A mother and son are connected at heart; he too feels pain and coldness.
—Are mothers and children connected by heart?
No, the heart only knows how to protect itself.
So, gradually, he stopped dreaming of his mother for many years.
In the second year of Jinghe, for the first time in many years, he dreamed of his mother again.
That was the first time in three years since the Heavenly Hunt, and Mother smiled.
This is his mother. His mother.
She was not anyone's concubine, nor a slave whom anyone could order to die at will.
That's the feeling. His heart clenched.
It felt like I had seen someone I hadn't seen in years, someone I had longed for day and night. I wanted to cry, I wanted to rush forward to greet them, but I was also worried that it was all just a dream. No, I knew all too well that it was just a dream.
Beyond regret and sorrow, is there no resentment?
Yes, there are.
Even his mother. His mother must have hated him too.
The dream shattered at the slightest touch, breaking into countless ravines.
For so many years, he has remained lucid even in his dreams.
...It seems that person was too.
He looked at Lin Yu, only to see that Lin Yu's gaze had already met that of Lin Yuan, who was hurrying back from the pavilion.
Looking again, that gaze had transformed into tenderness, joy, and doting affection.
Ah, he snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and almost forgot that this was Lin Yuan's so-called "childhood sweetheart," "fiancé," and "love rival."
But then he suddenly wondered if Lin Yu had forgotten many times as well.
What was he doing just now, helping himself to fix things?
And just stand by and watch them, a man and a woman, sitting side by side?
—Although it was broad daylight, the pavilion was open to the public, and maids stood respectfully to the side.
Unless, Lin Yu can't see that he likes Lin Yuan?
Thinking about it this way, he began to believe to some extent what the two had said about being childhood sweethearts who grew up together.
There must be very few places that can produce such outstanding talents as the Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick.
Lin Yuan has been in Zichen Pavilion for so long, yet she hasn't sensed his affection for her at all, has she?
The one she truly loved was him, but she was thinking of Zixi's affair with the boatman.
He was the one who was deeply troubled, while she stayed up all night, worrying about embroidering.
He was the one who read poetry to her, and she drifted off to sleep in a daze.
The one gazing at her with tender affection was him; her face was flushed and her ears were burning—she had caught a cold.
She caught a cold, and he said he would stay and keep her company, which made her furious.
He asked her to move to the Xuan Room, closer to him, but she made excuses and was unwilling.
Didn't he ever say he liked her?
I have said that.
He said it when he realized he was almost going to lose her.
That day, he held her tightly in his arms in the west wing and said to her, "Your life is more than just your life," "If something happens, it will be fatal," "It's my fault, I didn't protect you well."
He was still shaken and his mind was in turmoil. His words were somewhat incoherent, and he couldn't remember them clearly, but that was the gist of it.
"Your life is my life too," "If anything happens, it will not only take your life, but also mine," "I will protect you from now on."
However, not long after, Lin Yuan broke free from his embrace, smiled, and said something about "gentleman" and "loyalty".
She shielded him from a knife, knowing it was poisoned, yet she still drank the medicine Qu Yan brought, all for the sake of gentlemanly courtesy?
Does she intend to become his friend?
What use is a gentleman's friendship to him? He never wanted a relationship with her to be as bland as water, but rather as sweet as a flowing river.
He wanted to shut her up and make her stop talking.
But as soon as he touched her face, she instinctively turned her head away.
He ultimately restrained himself. Her lips were cut and bleeding, and kissing her would surely hurt. In the end, he simply reached out and wiped away the blood particles from the corner of her lips with his fingertips.
He told himself it wasn't the right time yet. Wait a little longer.
However, it will be soon.
As I stepped outside, dark clouds obscured the sun, and a storm was brewing.
With his blood-stained hands, he wrote an edict ordering the Commandant of the Capital Region to go to the Grand Marshal's residence and arrest Qu Yan.
Lin Yuan looked indignant and kept complaining to herself.
Lin Yu noticed her expression: "I saw it, he stole your grapes."
He patted Lin Yuan's head. "Wait, I'll go and get revenge for you."
After saying this, he went up to the pavilion and proposed to Xiao Xun that for every arrow thrown, the loser would have to take off a piece of clothing.
"Young Master Xiao likes frozen grapes? I suppose you're not afraid of the cold." He glanced at Lin Yuan, who was eagerly waiting, and smiled. "Besides, in a contest between the two of us, Young Master Xiao has no reason to deliberately lose."
He deliberately wanted Xiao Xun to experience the taste of coldness.
Lin Yuan had taken cold-natured food while in the palace. Lin Yuan kept quiet about it. Although he didn't know the whole story, Xiao Xun's unusual behavior towards Lin Yuan made him feel that, in any case, this matter was inseparable from Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment.
He vaguely remembered his childhood, when it was Xiao Jin, that mischievous devil, who came up with such an idea, immediately scaring Su Chan so much that she covered her eyes and ran away. Xiao Jin laughed wildly.
When Xiao Xun was reduced to wearing only his undergarments, while Xiao Jin remained impeccably dressed, he laughed so hard he bent over backwards.
At that moment, Xiao Yu accidentally threw the arrow astray, and the arrow plunged into the stream beside him. The water splashed all over Xiao Jin, and Xiao Jin ended up without even his undergarments.
Xiao Yu claimed, "It was clearly Ah Jin's loud laughter that caused my arrow to deflect."
Xiao Jin chased after him, teasing him, saying he did it on purpose: "How could an arrow possibly deflect backward?!"
In the end, the game of pitch-pot evolved into a few people splashing water and playing in the stream.
It was early summer of the third year of the Tian Shou era.
"Okay." By the time he came to his senses, he had already agreed as if possessed.
It's just one person with four arrows, and so on, only twice.
Even against Xiao Jin, he would never lose.
Wearing only his undergarments, Xiao Xun escorted Lin Yuan back to Tingquan Courtyard in the sudden chill of the wind.
When he lost the arrow, he caught a glimpse of Lin Yu's wide sleeves billowing in the wind, which distracted him.
He vaguely saw a mark flash in the cuff.
Xiao Yu has a small bluish birthmark on her elbow.
While they were playing in the water, Xiao Xun, wanting to get revenge on Xiao Jin, had a sudden idea. He claimed that the water Xiao Jin had splashed contained pebbles, which had bruised Xiao Yu's hand.
He displayed the demeanor of an elder, and Xiao Jin did indeed suppress her arrogant laughter for a moment.
Unfortunately, he went too far. He not only stopped laughing, but also became concerned about Xiao Yu's injuries, and soon noticed something amiss.
Xiao Xun thus lost his dignity as an uncle and was chased by him. He slipped and fell, getting soaked to the bone.
Of course, Xiao Yu, who was watching the fight from the sidelines, wasn't much better off. The water splashing up when he slipped and fell was three zhang high, and Xiao Yu absorbed it all.
...
Who exactly is he?
Is that a birthmark, or an embroidery on the sleeve?
Why does seeing Lin Yu always inexplicably remind him of... A-Yu?
The arrow veered off Lin Yu's arm.
Lin Yu flicked his sleeve, and the wind he created carried the arrow toward the bronze pot.
The arrow fell into the pot.
Lin Yuan was dumbfounded: "How do you calculate this? Is it a draw?"
When Xiao Xun reached her, holding the brocade robe in his hands, he smiled bitterly and said, "I lost."
Hearing the story of the arrow-throwing game, He Ji tried hard to suppress his laughter, but couldn't hold it in and spat out a mouthful of tea all over Xiao Xun. He almost lost his undergarment as well.
Lin Yu smiled, turned her face away, and walked away, while he also turned and left dejectedly.
"By the way, is this fox fur coat Young Master Xiao's?" He Ji burst out laughing, feeling a little embarrassed.
Without turning his head, Xiao Xun said, "You can keep it, I don't want it."
He Ji was momentarily stunned: "This white fox fur coat is too valuable. It wouldn't be right for me to accept such a gift without having done anything for it, would it?"
Lin Yuan waved her hand at He Ji: "It's probably because the clothes have the smell of medicine on them. Master He, keep them. Young Master Xiao isn't afraid of the cold, so he won't miss this fox fur coat."
Upon hearing this, He Ji lowered his head, sniffed, and rubbed his nose vigorously, clearly unable to smell anything, his face blank.
Lin Yuan's original intention was only to stab Xiao Xun. Seeing this, she readily said to He Ji, "It doesn't matter if there's a medicinal smell. I'll help you wash and dry it when the weather clears up tomorrow."
Xiao Xun had already crossed the threshold when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "Wait, once you're clean, bring it back to me."
Lin Yuan was taken aback: "Didn't you just say you didn't want it?"
Xiao Xun said solemnly, "One should not accept rewards without merit. Master He is right." He watched as He Ji's smile gradually faded. "Master, you are of noble character and follow the teachings of the sages. I should not impose them on others."
“No,” Lin Yuan retorted, “The sage also taught that a gentleman’s word is as good as his bond.”
"As the ancient saying goes, 'To err is human, to forgive divine.'" Xiao Xun looked into her eyes and said hesitantly, "—It was my fault."
Lin Yuan turned her head away.
With the words "It's my fault," she was transported back to the day Xiao Xun held her in his arms.
He couldn't speak, and he could barely hear anything.
But it seemed like he was saying, "It's my fault," "I didn't protect you," "I shouldn't have left."
He sounded very upset, and she felt terrible listening to him.
This was her fate, her own choice, her own courage. How did it become his fault? How did it become a "mistake"?
She then broke free from that lingering, burning embrace, forcing a smile as she explained and comforted him, saying it was out of a gentleman's sense of duty, and he didn't need to feel guilty.
How she longed to hear praise from him—praise for her courage, her fearlessness, her quick wit, and for helping him.
She was willing to risk her life to have the word "gentleman" recognized.
In the end, not only did it leave a mark on history, it didn't even leave a trace in his heart.
Instead, it became a mistake.
Then came guilt.
Even if she wanted to plead for Wang Fu, there was nothing she could do.
His embrace was probably out of guilt.
So when he leaned closer, she mistakenly thought he was going to kiss her and turned her head away in embarrassment. But he was only trying to wipe the blood from her lips.
Every time she thinks about it, her ears burn with shame.
“I am willing to change,” he said.
"Send it to Dongyuan in a couple of days." He paused slightly. "It's especially cold when I'm reading in the morning."
He changed it too quickly, which made He Ji quite indignant: "Young Master Xiao is so young, yet he is afraid of the cold? It's probably a case of kidney deficiency. Otherwise, how about I prescribe two doses of medicine for Young Master Xiao and send them over together this morning?"
Xiao Xun glared at him: "I'm only wearing my undergarments right now, and I feel fine."
As he said this, Lin Yuan heard his teeth chattering, unsure whether it was from cold or anger.
"But Master He is so young, yet his back and legs are already weak. He should take care of himself first."
Watching Xiao Xun stride away, He Ji realized, "Hey, who knows what time he gets up in the morning?"
The following evening, he scratched his head in confusion: "Hey, why not have it delivered that evening? We could see each other during dinner, wouldn't we?"
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The author's note: ① The Analects, Yan Yuan: "What a pity that the Master spoke of a gentleman! His words could not be matched by the speed of a horse's hooves."
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