Chapter 040
Chapter 40: How Is This Not a Quiet Life?
Lin Qing Xuan stood outside the door, holding a black lacquered bowl of medicine, and he rubbed the warm rim with his fingertip. The medicine could not cool; once it cooled, it would lose its strength. Inside, Xiao Man and Dong Chun were talking and laughing off and on, and it sounded like they would not stop anytime soon. He frowned slightly.
He looked at the window lattice, where two silhouettes showed through the paper. One leaned half against the headboard, which was Xiao Man. The other sat beside her, talking with her hands and feet, which was Dong Chun. From time to time, Dong Chun’s carefree giggles floated out.
Behind the rockery, Shi Tou poked out half his head and whispered to Old Chen: “Dad, why is the Eldest Grandson Young Master standing at the door and not going in?”
Old Chen squinted his old eyes and clicked his tongue, then said, “Are you dense? Someone is keeping Miss Xiao Man company. If the Young Master goes in now, it will be awkward.”
Shi Tou scratched the back of his head, honest and worried, then said, “But the Young Master has been standing there a long time. If she doesn’t drink the medicine soon, it will get stone cold.”
Old Chen sighed and smacked the back of his son’s head, then said, “Blockhead. The Young Master doesn’t want to disturb Miss Xiao Man, but he’s also afraid of delaying her medicine. He’s stuck in a bind.”
Shi Tou finally understood. His eyes whirled, and he got an idea. He suddenly raised his voice and shouted toward Xiao Man’s room: “Dong Chun! Dong Chun! A message from Old Madam says to hurry back. The small kitchen just made Osmanthus Cake, and you need to deliver it!”
Inside, Dong Chun had been spraying gossip about the household everywhere. The moment she heard “Osmanthus Cake,” her ears stood up. She shot off the stool, then said, “Oh no, Old Madam always rewards the leftovers to us servants. I have to go fast, or I won’t even get crumbs!”
Before Xiao Man could say a word, Dong Chun rushed out like the wind. She ran so fast she did not even see Lin Qing Xuan standing at the door and sped off toward Green Briar Court.
Only then did Lin Qing Xuan step in and walk in slowly. He held the bowl out to Xiao Man, then said, “Drink it before it cools.”
Xiao Man took it, sniffed the sharp bitter smell, and her small face wrinkled like a bitter melon. She pinched her nose and, like a brave soldier, gulped it down in one go. She was just about to complain that it could kill a person with bitterness when Lin Qing Xuan had already held a lump of brown sugar to her lips, then said, “Hold it in your mouth. It won’t be bitter.”
Xiao Man froze and opened her mouth on reflex. The sugar melted at once on her tongue, and the strong sweetness chased away the stubborn bitterness. She squinted in comfort and thought, [Since when did this guy become so thoughtful?]
Keeping a calm face, Lin Qing Xuan took away the empty bowl, then said in the same light tone, “Time to change the dressing.”
Xiao Man went on alert at once like a cat with its tail stepped on, then said, “Say it first. No chanting. If you start reciting those scriptures I can’t understand, I’ll wait for Granny Chen to come back and change it.”
His hands paused, and he nodded, then said, “Alright.”
His touch was very light. His fingertips dipped in cool ointment, and when they reached the wound on her shoulder, the pressure was just right. It did not hurt her, and the salve spread in an even layer. Xiao Man had been tense, afraid he would suddenly whisper “form is emptiness” again. But after a long while, the room stayed so quiet that only their soft breathing remained.
She could not help raising her eyelids to peek at him. His eyes were lowered, and his focus was so serious it almost felt wrong. His long lashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, and his profile looked cool and clean. Yet this same man, untouched by dust, could tease her in dreams until her face burned red at night and then sit here, all proper, to apply her medicine in the day.
Without looking up, he said in a low voice, “What are you staring at?”
Xiao Man flinched, dragged her gaze away, and looked elsewhere, then said, “N-nothing!”
The corner of Lin Qing Xuan’s mouth lifted in the smallest smile, and he did not ask again.
Outside, sunlight slanted through the window gauze and spread a soft patch of light on the slate floor. Xiao Man held the sweet sugar in her mouth and felt the cool touch of the salve on her shoulder, and a quiet ease rose in her heart. [This still moment feels so peaceful.] If only she could ignore the two heads peeking from behind the rockery.
Shi Tou lowered his voice and asked his father with excitement, then said, “Dad, doesn’t this mean the Young Master is like the iron tree finally blooming?”
Old Chen glared hard at him, then said, “Shut it. If the Young Master hears you, do you want your tongue sliced up to go with wine?”
Meanwhile, Dong Chun reached the small kitchen, ran a full circle, and did not see even the shadow of Osmanthus Cake. Stomping in fury, she puffed her cheeks and muttered, then said, “Whoever lied to me deserves a thousand cuts.”
A cook passed by with a basin of washed greens and said in puzzlement, “What Osmanthus Cake? Old Madam didn’t ask for any sweets today.”
Only then did Dong Chun realize she had been tricked. But when she thought again, she felt something was off. Who was so bored that they would trick her away from Sister Xiao Man’s side for no reason?
While she tilted her head and pondered, Xiu He walked by, saw her silly look, and asked casually, then said, “Dong Chun, weren’t you at the Auspicious Cloud Residence visiting Xiao Man? Why are you here?”
Dong Chun scratched her head and answered honestly, then said, “Someone shouted that Old Madam was giving out Osmanthus Cake, so I ran here. But there isn’t any.”
Xiu He blinked, then seemed to figure it out and laughed, then said, “Silly girl, someone sent you away on purpose.”
“Ah?” said Dong Chun.
Xiu He glanced meaningfully toward the Auspicious Cloud Residence, patted her shoulder, and said with a smile, “Alright. Pretend you know nothing and go rest.”
Still confused, Dong Chun bounced away without thinking too hard.
Inside the Auspicious Cloud Residence, Lin Qing Xuan finished with the salve and casually straightened Xiao Man’s slipped collar. His fingertip brushed her smooth neck by accident. Xiao Man jerked, and heat surged to her head. Her ears turned so red they looked ready to drip.
Lin Qing Xuan’s fingers paused, then he withdrew as if nothing had happened, then said in the same calm voice, “Keep the wound dry.”
Xiao Man’s mind went blank. She nodded hard, then said, “Got it, got it.”
He looked at her deeply, said nothing else, and left. Xiao Man let out a heavy breath and collapsed onto the bed. [Life is getting harder by the day.] In the daytime he watched her drink and change medicine, and at night he toyed with her in dreams in all sorts of ways. This Buddha’s Chosen must have been sent by the Heavenly Lord just to restrain her.
She pulled a carved wooden plaque from under her pillow. Bold strokes on it read “Chastity Defense Campaign.” Gritting her teeth, she took a small knife and scratched off another day, then said, “[One hundred ninety days left.]” She muttered to buck herself up, then said, “[Hang in there, Yao Xiao Man. Victory is right ahead.]”
Outside under the eaves, Lin Qing Xuan had not gone far. The small, fierce muttering from inside reached his ears clearly. A bright smile flashed in his eyes. He looked up at the sky. The sunlight was just right, and the wind was gentle. He thought, [How is this not a quiet life?]