Chapter 097
Chapter 97: She Slept in Buddha’s Chosen’s Bed
She popped up from the stool, planning to go to the small kitchen and make herself a Bed Warmer. At the door she looked back. Lin Qing Xuan still sat there with a straight back, but his tight lips and the sweat beading on his brow gave him away. A dignified man, now curled up like a boiled shrimp. The image alone was enough to make Xiao Man grin with glee.
“Fine, the Lord does not hold grudges. This Miss is in a good mood today, so I will not fuss with you,” she muttered, then turned and headed for the small kitchen.
She knew best that when Aunt arrived, cold was the worst enemy, especially in a winter where water could freeze. Without something hot to press to her belly, it was torture. She quickly filled two Bed Warmers, wrapped them well in thick cloth, one for herself and one for Lin Qing Xuan. Then she rummaged through the storage room.
In a plain clay jar tucked in a corner, she found half a jar of dried rose petals, and beside it a whole slab of fine brown sugar. That was treasure. Roses move the blood and break clots. Brown sugar warms the channels and drives out cold. Together they would ease the cramps and lift her mood. Lin Qing Xuan usually drank jasmine tea, which was cooling. If he drank that now, his belly might stop hurting but his stomach would protest.
She brewed a big pot of rose and brown sugar tea, poured herself two large cups, and felt the warmth flow down to her belly as it chased the cold from her body. She poured the rest into a teapot, set it with the other Bed Warmer on a tray, and carried it steadily toward Lin Qing Xuan’s bedroom.
By then the man had moved from the study to his bed. When Xiao Man entered, one look at him nearly made her lose her composure. He was already pale, and the cramping had turned him pale with a hint of blue. His lips had no color. He looked fragile in a way he never did.
The moment he saw Xiao Man, he tried to sit up. His voice came out urgent, with a faint command: “You are hurting. Why are you moving around? Put that down.”
Xiao Man set the tray on the bedside table and lifted an eyebrow: “Eldest Grandson Young Master, we women are just like this. Every month there are a few days when even if we are in terrible pain, we still have to wash and cook and run the house. Some poor ones even have to wash clothes in the freezing river in winter.”
Lin Qing Xuan’s arm stiffened against the bed, and the urgency in his eyes turned into a deep sigh: “Yes, it is not easy.”
Xiao Man did not care for cheap sympathy. She grabbed a hot Bed Warmer and shoved it into his arms, then pushed it through the quilt to his lower belly: “Hold it here. It will keep you warm.” She handed him a cup of sweet tea: “Drink. This helps too.”
This time, he was surprisingly obedient, like a well-behaved child. He took small sips while staring at Xiao Man without blinking, afraid she might leave. The heat went down and the twisting pain did ease.
He asked carefully, testing the waters: “Are you still angry with me?”
Xiao Man did not answer. Hugging her own Bed Warmer, she sat on the footstool and began to miss a great modern invention, the warming patch for cramps. [If I had one to stick on, I would not need all this fuss.]
Lin Qing Xuan, catching her silence, made a plan in his heart: [So there is something like that to warm the belly. In a few days I will ask Physician Wang to make some copies for Xiao Man.]
The Bed Warmer made Xiao Man cozy. The dragging ache faded, and drowsiness rolled over her. Leaning against the bed, she nodded off, her eyelids heavy, and fell asleep just like that.
Watching her unguarded sleeping face, Lin Qing Xuan felt the pain fly away and be replaced by overflowing joy. If she trusted him this much, did it mean they could take another step forward? He stared at her, full of satisfaction: [Buddha, how can Xiao Man be this pretty?] Then he knocked a wood fish in his heart: [Amitabha, Amitabha. Sinful thoughts, sinful thoughts.]
Maybe it was the rose brown sugar tea. Maybe it was the warmth in his arms. But Lin Qing Xuan felt that the biggest reason was Xiao Man being right here. The sweetness surged so strong that his belly no longer hurt, replaced by a rolling happiness.
He rose quietly, lifted Xiao Man with care, laid her flat on the bed, and tucked the quilt around her. He was just about to sit at the bedside and watch her when the door banged open.
Shi Tou burst in, loud enough to blow off the roof: “Eldest Grandson Young Master! The prescription is ready! I brought the medicine!” The words fell, and he saw the scene on the bed. He froze.
What did he see? He saw Xiao Man lying on the Eldest Grandson Young Master’s bed. Heaven above, what a giant secret. He had to tell his dad. But his big-mouthed mom must never know. Ten thousand thoughts ran through his head in a flash.
Lin Qing Xuan acted like nothing happened. His brows did not even twitch. His voice cooled: “Where are the herbs? Did Physician Wang leave instructions?”
“The herbs are in the small kitchen,” Shi Tou said, finally finding his voice. “Physician Wang said to soak them in cold water for half an hour before decocting. Bring it to a boil on high heat, then simmer on low. Reduce three bowls of water to one. One dose a day for half a month. He will come back to check and adjust the prescription if needed.”
“Good. The herbs are in the small kitchen,” Lin Qing Xuan said, nodding as he stood. “I will decoct them.”
In his heart he thought only this: he had to make Xiao Man’s medicine himself. He glanced at the girl sleeping soundly on his bed and lowered his voice to the still-stunned Shi Tou: “Let us go. Do not disturb Xiao Man’s rest.” He led him out.
“Young Master, when she wakes up, let her decoct it herself,” Shi Tou said, baffled. You are the Master. Even if you care, you do not need to go to the kitchen yourself. At most she will be a favored concubine someday. How can you trouble yourself like this?
“Go back. I know what I am doing,” Lin Qing Xuan said, not even looking at him as he headed for the small kitchen.
Shi Tou stood there, scratching his head as he watched the firm back of his Young Master. Then he dashed to his father Old Chen’s room. Peeking around to make sure his mother was not there, he leaned close and whispered, full of mystery: “Dad, guess what I saw?”
Old Chen puffed on his dry pipe without lifting his eyelids: “If you have gas, let it out. Stop guessing games.”
“I saw Xiao Man sleeping on the Eldest Grandson Young Master’s bed. And the Young Master went to the small kitchen to decoct medicine for her himself,” Shi Tou said, eyebrows dancing, proud of the giant secret he had just discovered.
“Mm,” Old Chen grunted through his nose, though a storm turned inside him. [Add this to Old Granny’s guesses from this morning, plus what my boy just saw…] [Could Xiao Man and the Young Master already be a thing?]
He set down the pipe, his face serious as he stared at his son: “Do not say one more word about this to anyone. They have not pierced that last thin window paper yet. We saw nothing. Close your eyes and plug your ears.”
“But Dad, the Young Master is personally decocting medicine for Xiao Man. I have never seen you decoct once for Mom,” Shi Tou said, still confused.
“Xiao Man,” Old Chen narrowed his eyes and spoke slowly, “is not simple.” [The Young Master’s heart is tied to Xiao Man for good now.] [But is that a good thing? I fear if the First Madam hears, a huge storm will break.] He added, “Remember. Lock your mouth. Not even your mother.”