Chapter 145
Jindou slept peacefully in the room, with Ah Miao snuggled next to him, both softly snoring, one big and one small, their sounds rising and falling alternately.
In the adjacent room where the oil lamp remained unlit, two figures—one tall and the other slightly shorter—embraced each other closely.
Qingyan’s lips were kissed until they felt numb, and he hummed softly, using only his arms to exert effort, his entire body softly draped over the man.
Qiu Henian bent over and lifted Qingyan up like a child, supporting his hips. Qingyan held the man’s face in his hands, and the man looked up at him. They couldn’t get enough of each other, and unconsciously, Qingyan no longer cared whether his lips were numb or painful. He lowered his head again and kissed the man.
After kissing for a while, the man held Qingyan with one hand and ran the other down his leg, removing the shoes from both his feet. Qingyan had just washed up and wasn’t wearing socks, so his feet were bare.
That large hand naturally enveloped one of his feet in its palm, and he asked softly, “Are you cold?”
Qingyan obediently shook his head.
Qiu Henian smiled and before Qingyan could react, placed him on the bed, turning his body so that his back faced him while standing on the mattress.
Qingyan, puzzled, tried to turn back, but the man’s large hand firmly held his waist to keep him in place.
“Don’t move!” The man’s voice was hoarse.
Qingyan obediently stayed still, feeling his lower garment being lifted up from behind, followed by hot breath sprinkled on his exposed lower back, making his body tremble slightly.
“Qingyan,” the man called his name.
“Hmm?” Qingyan responded softly.
The man said, “Help me hold up the garment, alright?”
Qingyan bit his lip and softly replied, “Okay.”
He obediently grabbed the lifted garment in his hands, exposing his beautifully contoured waist completely in front of the man’s eyes.
First, there was the rough touch of fingertips repeatedly rubbing, followed by hot kisses imprinted one by one. Qingyan had never known that this part of his body could be so sensitive, transmitting every single touch minutely to his brain.
As the kisses descended little by little, Qingyan’s face grew redder, and he couldn’t help but emit a soft moan from his throat.
The atmosphere became increasingly heated.
Just then, it seemed like there was a sound from outside.
Qiu Henian paused in his movements, and Qingyan also grabbed the large hand holding his waist, saying, “It sounds like someone’s knocking at the door.”
The knocking was light and intermittent, as if afraid of being heard by the neighbors.
Qiu Henian took a deep breath and lifted Qingyan off the bed, kissing him once more on the lips in haste, quickly tidying his clothes and saying, “I’ll go out and see.”
Qingyan nodded and watched him leave, adjusting his lower garment, pulling up his pants, putting on the discarded outer robe at the foot of the bed, and slipping on his shoes.
He smoothed out the bedding, checked around for any mess, quickly tidied his hair, and then walked out.
Just as he stepped out, Qiu Henian had already returned. His expression didn’t look too good.
Upon seeing Qingyan come out, he grabbed his wrist and said, “I just went to find Aunt Li. She’ll be here soon.”
“Tonight, she’ll be watching Jindou, and I need your help.”
Qingyan asked, “Who’s outside? What’s happened?”
Behind them, the outer door creaked, and Qiu Henian turned to look. Qingyan also glanced over, seeing Xiao Zhuang with a guilty expression, holding someone wrapped in an outer robe, entering the house.
Qingyan was startled. He heard Xiao Zhuang say apologetically, “Shiniang*, sorry for disturbing you and Master so late. He just jumped into the river in front of the door, completely soaked. If he doesn’t change his clothes soon, he probably won’t make it through tonight.”
*T/N: Term used by apprentices to call their master’s wife
Qingyan hurriedly opened the door to the next room and said, “You lay him down on the bed first. I’ll go find clothes for him to change.”
Xiao Zhuang responded with an “okay” and carried the person over.
Qingyan went to the inner room to fetch clothes, while Qiu Henian tended to the stove in the outer room, filling the kettle with water and setting it to boil.
When Qingyan returned with clothes to the next room, Aunt Li had also arrived, understanding the situation. She sighed and pitched in to help.
Seeing them enter the room, Xiao Zhuang quickly retreated outside.
Qingyan bent down and lifted the robe, revealing the figure lying on the bed—thin and pale, with a face so white it was almost alarming, except for the slight rise and fall of the chest. One might think the person was already gone.
Together with Aunt Li, Qingyan helped remove the drenched clothes from the person, dried their body and hair with towels, and then dressed them in dry clothes layer by layer.
Qingyan was already quite thin, but his robe was still a bit large on the person. Nevertheless, it was passable.
After everything was arranged, Aunt Li poured hot water outside and brought two bowls back inside. Together with Qingyan, one supported the back of the person while the other fed water. It was a struggle, but they managed to get half a bowl down him.
Outside in the courtyard, the master and disciple had already hitched the carriage. Qiu Henian patted Xiaozao’s head and fed it some grass.
Xiao Zhuang kept his head low, feeling guilty for the trouble he had caused.
Qiu Henian glanced at him and said, “We can’t just stand by and watch him die. Let’s focus on saving him first, and deal with everything else later.”
With his master present, Xiao Zhuang felt considerably calmer and nodded in agreement.
Inside, after changing clothes and feeding water, Qingyan wrapped the person in a quilt and found a cotton robe for Xiao Zhuang to wear. They left under Aunt Li’s worried gaze.
In the carriage, Qingyan took care of the unconscious person while Qiu Henian drove. Xiao Zhuang sat beside him.
There was no one else on the road late at night. The wind was stronger by the river, carrying a faint smell of water.
Xiaozao ran fast, and the neighboring village wasn’t far. Before long, they arrived at the old doctor’s place.
Being in this profession, the old man tied a rope with a bell on his door. If someone pulled the rope from outside, he would know.
Sure enough, Qiu Henian pulled the rope a few times, and soon footsteps approached.
Xiao Zhuang lifted the person from the carriage.
Qingyan worriedly remarked, “He feels very hot. He might have a high fever.”
Xiao Zhuang furrowed his brows, regretting even more that he hadn’t stopped him in time.
…
The patient was taken into the consultation room, and Qingyan went in to help.
The two men waited outside to avoid suspicion.
Qiu Henian asked, “What are your plans?”
Xiao Zhuang said, “I want to marry him.”
Qiu Henian frowned slightly, “Your mother won’t agree.”
Xiao Zhuang replied, “I will persuade her.”
Qiu Henian asked again, “Have you thought this through?”
Xiao Zhuang nodded solemnly.
Qiu Henian studied him for a moment and said, “You’re an adult now. Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t stop you. If there are troubles in the future that you can’t handle alone, your master will shoulder them with you.”
Xiao Zhuang’s eyes welled up, and he nodded vigorously, “Thank you, Master!”
They waited for a while outside until the door of the consultation room opened, and Qingyan came out.
After closing the door behind him, he walked up to them and said to Xiao Zhuang, “He’s going to be fine. It’s just that his body is very weak, and after this incident, there will definitely be some physical strain.”
Xiao Zhuang pursed his lips and nodded.
Qingyan looked at Qiu Henian and hesitated for a moment before continuing, “If he takes the medicine normally, he may not wake up until tomorrow during the day. There’s a stronger medicine at the old doctor’s place. If he takes it, he could wake up in half an hour, but it will likely take a toll on his body.”
Xiao Zhuang looked at him, and Qingyan spoke slowly, “Before dawn, it would be best if you quietly bring him back. Otherwise, it will be troublesome tomorrow.”
“Xiao Zhuang, whether to give him this strong medicine or not, you should make the decision.”
