The next day, before the midday meal had even been served, a polite knock sounded at the Pei family’s front gate.
The servant opened the door and exclaimed in surprise, “Miss Chu, why have you come so early today?”
Chu Mingse smiled brightly and stepped aside, revealing the plain sedan chair she had parked behind her.
“I’ve come to bring Xuetuan-gege a surprise!”
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Chu family, a lightweight yet sturdy plain sedan chair had been crafted in just a few short days.
“Xuetuan-gege, look! This sedan chair was made to match your measurements—it’s a whole size smaller than the one you’re using now, so even I can push it!”
In the open space before the gate, Chu Mingse pushed the sedan chair around, showing it off to Pei Zhaoxue.
“Father chose jujube wood for the wheel hubs, saying it’s more wear-resistant. And since it’s hard enough, it can be made relatively thin, so it won’t look so bulky. The spokes are made of catalpa wood—light and flexible, and they’ll last a long time without breaking!”
“On the outside of the axle, there are two hand wheels. You just need to turn these, and you can push the wheelchair yourself. Mother even sewed you several pairs of gloves, so you’ll never hurt your hands again!”
“And this seat—it’s stuffed with soft cloth inside, and the cushion on top is replaceable. Mother and I made it with our own hands! It’s so comfortable to sit on.”
“Father deliberately made the armrests here a bit wider, so it’s more comfortable to rest your arms on during the day. This cool jade is inlaid here—it wards off the summer heat, and in winter you can swap in a warming pad. And this groove here is for holding a tea cup, so you don’t have to worry about the tea spilling.”
“There’s a small socket on the backrest where you can insert an umbrella, for shade or rain—it handles both with ease! That way, no matter the weather, you can go out for a stroll.”
“Why don’t you sit on it and try it out?” Chu Mingse had introduced so much that her mouth had gone dry before she finally stopped, looking up at Pei Zhaoxue with eager eyes. “If there’s anything uncomfortable, let Father know and he’ll fix it! He’s really looking forward to your feedback!”
Pei Zhaoxue sat inside the doorway, watching Chu Mingse dash around the courtyard pushing the brand-new sedan chair to show it off, her excitement plain to see. He knew she must have prepared for this for a long time and put in a great deal of effort.
The red marks on her hands yesterday—they truly couldn’t have come from carving just a small cat-shaped wooden hairpin.
Even the coldest, hardest heart could not utter a single “no” to her at this moment.
His brow softened slightly, and Chu Mingse immediately pushed the sedan chair over to his side, beaming with joy. “Xuetuan-gege, please, have a seat!”
“Young master, let me carry you!” Steward Wang rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to lift Pei Zhaoxue onto the new sedan chair.
Pei Zhaoxue quickly leaned back to avoid him and waved a hand. “No need. I can do it myself.”
Steward Wang stopped at once and stood by his side, watching his movements nervously, ready to help at any moment.
Pei Zhaoxue first leaned forward slightly, bracing both hands on the seat board beneath him, lifting himself a little to adjust his sitting position. Then he gripped the armrest of his current sedan chair firmly with his left hand and extended his right hand toward Steward Wang.
Steward Wang was quick to react, reaching out his arm for Pei Zhaoxue to steady himself against.
In the next instant, Pei Zhaoxue engaged his core, using the support of both arms to push himself up, and landed lightly in the new sedan chair.
He let out a breath, his knuckles slightly pale from the exertion.
Chu Mingse clapped enthusiastically. “Xuetuan-gege is so amazing! Uncle Wang, you did a great job coordinating too!”
Steward Wang hadn’t expected to receive a compliment himself, and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
Chu Mingse then pulled a pair of black leather gloves from her bosom and handed them to Pei Zhaoxue. “Quick, try them on and see if they work well!”
Pei Zhaoxue took the gloves and put them on. The supple leather wrapped snugly around his fingers, accentuating their long, elegant lines with a clean, sharp silhouette.
He gently pushed the handrim on the outside, and the Plain Sedan Chair beneath him glided forward smoothly without the slightest resistance or strain. Turning was equally agile and effortless—handling it felt as natural as commanding a fine steed.
Once again, he could “walk” under his own power without any obstruction.
“And the most important thing is this!” Chu Mingse stepped forward and pulled out a small folding board from inside the right armrest. “Just pull this out and unfold it, and it becomes a small desk. You can read, write, play chess… in short, it has so many uses!”
She had noticed that Pei Zhaoxue was always cooped up in his room reading, and figured he must be one of those “book-devouring scholars” her father often spoke of—someone who could never put a book down. So she had quietly pondered: if he could read and write on the sedan chair, he could go out to the courtyard, or anywhere he wanted, to read, instead of always being stuck indoors.
Pei Zhaoxue’s lashes lowered slightly, his clear gaze fixed attentively on Chu Mingse, and a faint, barely perceptible curve lifted the corners of his lips. “Thank you, Sese. I like it very much.”
Chu Mingse’s cheeks flushed with excitement.
“At noon, please invite Uncle Chu and Aunt He to the residence for a meal,” he said softly. “I should thank them in person.”
“My father and mother will be so happy!” Chu Mingse clapped her hands joyfully.
When the news reached him, Chu Qingyuan paced happily around the room. “Wonderful, wonderful! A few days ago, he went out on his own to look for Sese and had dinner at our place, but then he shut himself in again. I thought maybe we’d moved too fast and scared him back into his shell.”
“Now that he’s taking the initiative to invite us over, he must really be willing to step out into the world!”
Qu He nodded with a smile, her eyes brimming with contentment. She patted Chu Mingse’s little head. “Our Sese is the great hero here. What reward would you like?”
“I don’t want to practice calligraphy this afternoon—I want to go out and play!” Chu Mingse still had her friends on her mind. “After my nap, I’m going to ask Xuetuan-gege to come out with me and find Ergou and Ah Hua to play.”
She hadn’t played with them in days. If she didn’t show up soon, Lin Ergou would definitely come running to call her a “heartless wife.”
“What kind of reward is that?” Qu He laughed. “As long as you can convince your Xuetuan-gege, you can go out and play whenever you like.”
Chu Mingse was quite confident and planned to bring it up with Pei Zhaoxue right after the meal. But after finishing lunch, she began yawning nonstop. As she was mulling over the right words to extend the invitation, her head tilted to one side, and she fell asleep on Pei Zhaoxue’s lap.
Last night, she had been so excited that the sedan chair would be finished today that she hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly dawn. Then, not long after daybreak, she had crawled out of bed to supervise—no, to help. So after lunch, her forcibly maintained energy gave out completely, and all she wanted was to sleep.
“This child… Come, Sese, Daddy will carry you home to sleep.” Chu Qingyuan bent down to pick her up, but she clutched Pei Zhaoxue’s clothes and refused to let go.
She let out a vague murmur, “Not leaving, not leaving… Brother Xuetuan, let’s… go play together…”
Chu Qingyuan chuckled. “Sese is still thinking about going out to play with you even in her dreams.”
Pei Zhaoxue lowered his head slightly. The warm little person lying on his lap held onto him tightly, as if he were some precious treasure.
“Let her sleep here then. Later… when she wakes up, I’ll accompany her out.”
Chu Qingyuan and Qu He exchanged a glance, overjoyed, and nodded hastily. “Then we’ll trouble you.”
The couple turned and left immediately, afraid that Pei Zhaoxue might change his mind about going out and call them back to carry her home.
No trouble at all.
Pei Zhaoxue exerted a slight force with his arms and steadily lifted Chu Mingse into his embrace. Chu Mingse nestled against his chest, her head shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position before continuing her deep sleep. The soft flesh of her cheeks was squeezed into a slight pout, flushed with a healthy pink, round and adorable.
Pei Zhaoxue’s eyes curved into a smile. He didn’t find taking care of Sese troublesome in the slightest.
He pushed the handwheel and returned to the room, stopping by the bedside.
“Be good, go sleep on the bed.” He whispered soothingly, smoothly detaching Chu Mingse from his chest and using both arms to lift her onto the bed.
The soft bedding sank slightly under her weight. The little chestnut-colored cat that had followed them unnoticed jumped onto the headboard and curled itself up neatly in a corner.
Pei Zhaoxue supported himself against the edge of the bed and lay down on the other side. With Chu Mingse’s breathing on one side and the little cat’s purring on the other, he closed his eyes in peace and, for the first time, fell into a deep sleep during his afternoon nap.
Author’s note:
None