Chapter 064
Chapter 64: Fierce Words, Buddha’s Chosen Freezes
The room was so quiet it was scary.
Lin Qing Xuan lay on the bed while Yao Xiao Man stood beside it, the two of them staring at each other. The air felt so thick you could almost carve a whole temple out of it.
In the end, Yao Xiao Man gave in first.
She cleared her throat, put on her best professional smile, and broke the stalemate: “Eldest Grandson Young Master, the wound on your head needs to be treated.”
Physician Wang had warned before leaving that the bandage had to be changed every day and kept dry and clean.
Xiao Man knew better than anyone how weak the old medical methods were. There were no antibiotics, no tetanus shots, just a few rough stitches. The risk of infection was high. If it got infected and led to a high fever, it could be deadly. [My patron’s life is my KPI!]
Lin Qing Xuan tried to sit up, his voice rough: “Do not trouble yourself, I can do it myself…”
Before he could finish, Xiao Man strode over and pressed him back down: “Yeah right!”
Hands on hips, she looked down at him with full force and said, “I made that hole, so I will take responsibility to the end. Besides, the things I should not see and the things I should see, I already saw them all in the dream, so why bring up rules between men and women now?”
Boom.
Lin Qing Xuan’s mind exploded. His handsome, pale face flushed red, and the color spread all the way to his ears. He never thought Xiao Man would be so direct. The strict order he had just given himself to practice self control and follow the rules shattered at once.
Seeing his face as red as a cooked shrimp, Xiao Man’s heart jumped. [Oh no! Is the wound inflamed? Is he starting to run a fever?]
She did not stop to think more. She put her cool hand to his forehead, then slid it to his neck and asked, “Do you feel hot? Where else do you feel bad?”
His forehead was not hot. His neck was normal too. But his face grew even redder, almost as if it could bleed.
Lin Qing Xuan completely froze. The cool touch of her hand felt like a spark racing through his whole body, making him tremble. The vow to be proper was long gone from his mind.
He grabbed her probing hand, pulled it to his chest, and pressed it over his heart. His eyes were deep, and his voice held a hint of urgency he did not notice himself as he said, “Here… it is beating very fast.”
Xiao Man was stunned. She leaned down on reflex, pressing her ear to his warm chest. Strong heartbeats pounded through the thin fabric, making her eardrums tingle. Thump, thump, thump. It really was way too fast.
She straightened, rubbed her chin, and said seriously, “Could I have hit you and left a side effect? Is it an irregular heartbeat?”
Looking at her cute, serious face as she diagnosed him, Lin Qing Xuan’s hazy romantic thoughts were washed over by a stronger wave of softness and pity. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He held back, but he still clutched her hand and refused to let go.
She reminded him, helpless, “Eldest Grandson Young Master, if you keep holding my hand, I cannot change your gauze.”
His fingers tightened for a moment. Then he slowly let her go, as if trying to keep the warmth in his palm for a second longer.
Xiao Man carefully unwrapped the bloodstained bandage. She dipped a clean cloth in ointment and gently spread it on the cut at his temple.
Lin Qing Xuan made a show of sucking in a sharp breath, even letting out a couple soft groans. As expected, Xiao Man fell for it. Her hands went even gentler. Treating him like a three year old, she blew on the wound as she worked and murmured, “Hoo, hoo, it will not hurt if I blow on it.”
Her warm breath, with a light sweet scent only a young girl has, brushed his forehead. Every inch of his skin trembled with that too sweet feeling. [Happiness is bubbling up like a pot of water.]
When she had finished wrapping new gauze and helped him change into clean sleep clothes, she exhaled in relief and said, “All done. Lie down and rest. I will go to the small kitchen to boil your medicine.”
She turned to leave, but Lin Qing Xuan called out: “Xiao Man, bring me a sutra scroll.”
Xiao Man’s temper flared. She turned back and scolded him with a pretend frown: “No. You are the patient. You must lie there and rest.”
Seeing her puffed cheeks, Lin Qing Xuan did not get angry. He thought she looked even more adorable. He obeyed at once, lay down, pulled the quilt up, and left only his eyes showing as he said, “I will listen to you.”
Now it was Xiao Man’s turn to feel shy. She muttered under her breath, “What do you mean yours and mine…,” her cheeks warming, then she walked out, grumbling in her heart: [This Buddha’s Chosen does not act like Buddha’s Chosen at all!]
In the small kitchen, Granny Chen had already boiled the medicine and set it on a tray. She said, “Miss, hurry and take this to the Eldest Grandson Young Master. Physician Wang said it works best while it is still hot.”
Xiao Man grabbed a small dish of candied fruit from the cupboard and carried the tray back.
When she returned, Lin Qing Xuan was propped up on his pillow, quietly waiting for her.
She lifted the bowl, tested the heat with her lips, blew on it, and then held it out as she said, “Be careful, it is hot. The medicine is bitter. Drink first. I brought candied fruit to chase the taste.”
Hearing her gentle reminder made Lin Qing Xuan’s heart feel sweeter than honey. [Xiao Man really cares about me.]
He took the bowl, tilted it back, and drank it all. Then he frowned on purpose and said, “Bitter.”
“Quick, quick, quick,” said Xiao Man as she pinched a candied fruit and brought it to his lips. Her fingertip could not help brushing his warm mouth.
The next second, his lips closed around the candy. His tongue curled, heat rolling over her frozen fingertip in a light sweep before the candy slid into his mouth.
Xiao Man went still, mind blank, forgetting to pull her hand back. He swallowed, throat bobbing. Only then did she snap out of it and say in a rush, “There is a pit inside! Why did you swallow it whole?”
Lin Qing Xuan only looked at her, eyes full of smug joy, and stayed silent.
Seeing her finger damp with someone’s saliva, Xiao Man wanted to scream. [My hand is not clean now! So gross! I will endure!]
The smile at Lin Qing Xuan’s lips deepened as he said, “Why not go wash your hand? No need to endure.”
Xiao Man stared. [Help! I forgot this guy can turn on Mind Reading!]
Up on the beam, the black mist Tuan Tuan rolled around, laughing so hard he almost fell: “Hahaha! One is a block of wood, the other is a shy flirt. What a perfect match!”