Su Ying lowered her eyes and ignored him.
Ming Zhou was both embarrassed and indignant, yet had no way to retaliate. He took Pei Xiu’s clothes and covered him up snugly.
The moment he had finished, Qin Xuelan reached over and pulled them away. “He’s running a fever. Don’t cover him up.”
Ming Zhou bit the corner of his lip. Deciding it would be better not to see anything, he lifted the curtain and went out.
Watching Pei Xiu’s sweat-drenched body, Su Ying asked Qin Xuelan, “May I borrow a basin?”
“Go get one yourself.” Qin Xuelan jerked her chin toward the rear courtyard. “The water in the vat has been warmed by the sun all afternoon. It should be just right.”
Su Ying fetched some water, then pulled a handkerchief from her robes. She dipped it in the water, wrung it out, and wiped the beads of sweat from Pei Xiu’s forehead and temples.
“Wipe down the rest of him, too. His fever should break soon.” As she spoke, Qin Xuelan stuffed a small handful of pomegranate seeds into Su Ying’s mouth. “I washed my hands.”
Su Ying glanced up at her and mumbled around the seeds, “I’m not bothered.”
“You certainly have some nerve!” Qin Xuelan pretended to scold her, then asked with a beaming smile, “Well? Sweet, isn’t it? The pomegranate tree in the courtyard is over thirty years old. My father planted it the year I was born.”
Su Ying had been busy for most of the day without even drinking a mouthful of water.
The pomegranate seeds were large and plump. The instant she bit into them, their clear, sweet juice burst across her tongue, quenching her thirst exceptionally well.
She chewed the seeds until they were crushed and swallowed them, then nodded. “Sweet.”
Qin Xuelan’s eyes curved, and she fed her another small handful.
Su Ying had never been good at dealing with people, nor had she liked doing so.
Pei Xiu was her savior, yet even she often found herself annoyed with him. Qin Xuelan alone gave her a distinctly different feeling.
There was an inexplicable sense of closeness about her. Whenever Qin Xuelan drew her into idle conversation, Su Ying surprisingly never felt any aversion.
After wiping him down twice, the unnatural flush on Pei Xiu’s face had faded considerably.
Watching Su Ying bustle about, Qin Xuelan casually asked, “What’s your younger brother’s name?”
Su Ying’s movements paused. Calmly, she said, “Pei San. We usually call him Sanlang.”
“Because he’s third in the family?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Your name is Su Ying, and his is Pei San…” Qin Xuelan thought for a moment. “Which ‘Ying’ character is yours?”
Su Ying straightened slightly. “It’s from ‘A long tassel brushes the dew; plain silk cuts the wind.’”
Qin Xuelan was speechless for a moment before muttering, “They really don’t cherish a child they adopted. They couldn’t even be bothered to put any thought into naming you.”
Su Ying: “…”
“Where did you move here from? Is it just the two of you left in your family?”
“Tongzhou.”
Upon hearing the place-name, Qin Xuelan’s pupils trembled, and she did not question her any further.
The great drought that had shaken all of Qi three years earlier had struck Tongzhou.
The land had been scorched for a thousand li, and corpses of the starved lay everywhere. That once-prosperous and flourishing region had been reduced to a living hell.
Rumor had it that as many as six hundred thousand people had perished in the disaster.
Qin Xuelan’s gaze held a little more pity as she sighed. “No wonder…”
“Su Ying…”
A hoarse, feeble voice came from the narrow bed.
Su Ying had just brought the wooden basin inside. She went over to look at him, only to find that his eyes were still tightly shut. Clearly, he was talking in his sleep.
“The bond between you two isn’t that of blood siblings, yet it’s stronger than blood.” Qin Xuelan sighed. “Siblings really shouldn’t be too far apart in age. Jin Ping and I are eighteen years apart. It’s practically like raising an incompetent son. Sometimes I wish he could infuriate me to death.”
Su Ying replied dryly, “Jin Ping is pretty good.”
“Good? What’s good about that little brat…”
As she spoke, Qin Xuelan suddenly changed her mind and warmly took Su Ying’s hand. “Sister Ying, I liked you from the moment I first saw you. You’re sixteen or seventeen now, aren’t you? You’re also at the age when you should be arranging a marriage. Since there are no elders in your family to make the decision, what do you think of my Jin Ping…”
Before she could finish, Ming Zhou, standing outside the curtain, hurriedly cut her off. “No!”
As if trying to make up for it, he added, “Jin Ping is only thirteen this year. Arranging a marriage for him would be far too early.”
Qin Xuelan froze, then drawled, “They can be betrothed first and marry a few years later. I say, Second Brother of the Ming Family… Sister Ying hasn’t even said anything, so why are you meddling? Don’t tell me you…”
A suspicious flush rose over Ming Zhou’s face. He quickly lifted the curtain and interrupted what she was about to say. “Weren’t we talking about Jin Ping? Why drag me into it?”
The two of them were not speaking quietly. Their argument was giving Su Ying a headache, so she spoke up and ended the pointless squabble:
“I have no intention of arranging a marriage. Once I’ve settled… Sanlang in a couple of years, I’ll leave home and become a nun.”
Qin Xuelan: “…”
Ming Zhou: “…”
“Sister Ying…” Qin Xuelan paused. “It’s understandable if you don’t like Jin Ping, but there’s no need to make an impulsive decision to become a nun, is there?”
“Exactly!” Ming Zhou chimed in. “Setting Jin Ping aside, there are still… still other fine young men in the world!”
Qin Xuelan gave him a sidelong look. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then swallowed the words.
Ming Zhou was not to be outdone. He glared back at her, his handsome, almost sharp brows and eyes clear and open.
“Su Ying…” Pei Xiu called softly.
Su Ying left the two of them glaring at each other and went to the narrow bed. “Pei… Sanlang.”
Pei Xiu lifted his eyelids a sliver. A frail, faint smile spread across his lips as he repeated those two words softly, his meaning unclear. “Sanlang…”
Taking advantage of wiping the thin sweat from his temples, Su Ying leaned down and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “You’re called Pei San now.”
Pei Xiu slowly blinked and answered with a smile, “All right.”
“Are you feeling better?”
“I’m fine.” He pressed his lips together and spoke quietly. “It’s an old problem.”
“Can you walk?”
Pei Xiu nodded. “Are we at a clinic? I think I heard other people talking just now.”
“Mm.”
Su Ying helped him sit up and put on his clothes. Pei Xiu raised a hand to fasten the buttons, but another pair of hands had already beaten him to it.
He lowered his hand dejectedly, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.
“Wait here. I’ll pay and then take you home,” Su Ying said.
“…All right.”
Su Ying opened her purse to settle the bill, but Qin Xuelan shot her a sidelong glance. “It was only two slices of danshen. It’s hardly worth anything. Don’t pay.”
“I have to.”
Su Ying took out twenty copper coins and placed them on the counter. Before Qin Xuelan could start lecturing her, she went to help Pei Xiu outside. “Thank you… for today, Sister Xuelan.”
Qin Xuelan casually swept the copper coins into the money chest, then waved Su Ying off. “All right, all right. Take your brother home and let him rest. Be more careful in the future, and don’t let his emotions fluctuate too much. Damaged heart meridians are no trivial matter.”
“Mm. I understand.”
They had left in such a hurry that Su Ying had not brought her white cane, so she held Pei Xiu by the sleeve as she had in the past.
She did not walk slowly, and Pei Xiu was able to keep up. He actually appeared more composed and steady than when he used his white cane.
Only, his brows and eyes were lowered, and his expression was somewhat dejected.
“Wait!”
Ming Zhou caught up with them. Seeing Su Ying holding Pei Xiu by the sleeve, he frowned briefly before relaxing. “Why don’t I carry him instead?”
“No need.”
Su Ying cut him off coldly, her tone somewhat impatient. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Offering kindness without cause usually meant ill intentions.
What was more, this man had come seeking revenge. He had suddenly become compassionate, voluntarily carried Pei Xiu to the pharmacy, and continued spouting one absurd remark after another. It truly seemed as though he had ulterior motives.
Seeing the wariness in her eyes, Ming Zhou felt all his joy doused by a bucket of ice water. His handsome features dimmed along with it.
“You… You don’t remember me?”