“Big brother!”
Huo Yunqiao immediately hurried over. “I’ve finally figured it out. Sister Peiru really is different from those pampered young ladies from the city!”
“You have no idea. She got several huge blisters on her feet, and they’ve even become infected!”
“She was all alone, poking them with a needle herself without making a sound.”
“If I hadn’t happened to go over there, she would definitely have just gritted her teeth and endured it.”
“She was even afraid we’d worry about her and kept saying she was fine, over and over.”
Hearing Huo Yunqiao’s words, Huo Yunshen froze.
He had originally intended to pretend that he didn’t care at all. He wanted to coldly tell Huo Yunqiao not to mention that woman in front of him.
He didn’t care.
Not one bit.
But the moment the words “blisters” and “infected” entered his ears, his heart seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and squeezed tightly.
The indifference he had been pretending to maintain instantly fell apart.
Almost instinctively, he blurted out, “Is it serious?”
The moment Huo Yunqiao heard that, her spirits immediately lifted, as though she had finally found an outlet for everything she wanted to say.
“Serious? Of course it’s serious!”
“It hurt just looking at it!”
“Sister Peiru’s face went pale from the pain. Tears were even welling up in her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry!”
If Lin Peiru, who was currently gritting her teeth and applying medicine to her wounds in the east room, knew that Huo Yunqiao had described her this way, she probably would have jumped up on the spot to protest.
Cry?
How could that be possible!
Lin Peiru would never shed tears over such a minor injury in this lifetime!
However, Huo Yunshen didn’t know that.
All he heard were Huo Yunqiao’s words.
“About to cry…”
Those four words were like a tiny needle, stabbing into the softest part of his heart.
In an instant, he pictured Lin Peiru’s bright little face crumpled in pain, her eyes red as she desperately held back her tears.
His chest suddenly tightened for no reason, filled with an aching bitterness.
But that damned inferiority complex and stubborn pride made him forcibly suppress the concern rising inside him.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and in the end, he still forced out through clenched teeth, “Hmph. What does that have to do with me?”
Huo Yunqiao was completely stunned.
She could hardly believe those words had come from her own brother.
She was so angry that her chest heaved up and down. Pointing at Huo Yunshen, she spoke with a trembling voice.
“Brother! How can you say that?”
“You… You’re such a cold-blooded, heartless person!”
Huo Yunshen turned around directly, his voice as cold as shards of ice.
“Are you finished? If you are, go back to your room and sleep!”
With that, he didn’t look at Huo Yunqiao again and simply turned and walked away.
Huo Yunqiao was so angry that she stomped her feet, but there was nothing she could do. She could only turn around indignantly and return to her room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
Huo Yunshen stood alone in the courtyard.
The night breeze blew past, clearing his muddled thoughts somewhat.
He told himself that there was no possibility between him and Lin Peiru.
One was a cloud in the sky, while the other was mud on the ground.
He had to control this heart of his that should never have developed such feelings.
So, don’t care about her.
Don’t think about her.
He lowered his head and hurriedly washed himself with some water from the courtyard’s water jar before returning to his cramped room in the west wing and shutting the door heavily behind him.
……
In the east room, Lin Peiru carefully finished treating the last blister and let out a long sigh of relief.
Although the soles of her feet still throbbed faintly with pain, at least the sharpness had subsided considerably.
She lay on the kang, covered by the quilt she had brought from home.
This was the first time in both her lifetimes that she was truly sleeping in this family’s home.
And for some reason, she felt more at peace than she ever had before.
Perhaps she had simply been exhausted from the day. Perhaps her heart had finally settled.
Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
She slept very soundly.
The only imperfection was that she had a rather unpleasant dream.
In the dream, it was still this same courtyard, and it was still Huo Yunshen.
But the look in his eyes was no longer the evasiveness and blush from the daytime.
Instead, they were filled with bone-chilling indifference.
He said to her, “Lin Peiru, I don’t like you anymore.”
“So stop bothering me.”
Those cold words were like a knife, stabbing viciously into her heart.
In the dream, her heart ached so badly that she could hardly breathe.
So much so that the next morning, when the first ray of sunlight filtered through the repaired window, Lin Peiru slowly opened her eyes and found the corners of her eyes damp, with traces of tears that had not yet dried.
The pain she had felt in the dream had been so real that even after waking, Lin Peiru instinctively touched her chest.
Thankfully, it had only been a dream.
She let out a long breath of relief.
She had loved him so much in her previous life. How could he possibly stop loving her just like that in this life?
Lin Peiru was not someone who would give up so easily.
That ridiculous dream could go to hell. She didn’t believe it!
Lin Peiru shook the lingering disappointment from her mind, threw back the quilt, and prepared to get out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she remembered the blisters from the night before and instinctively hissed.
But soon, she realized that although the soles of her feet still felt somewhat sore, they no longer hurt with that needle-like intensity from the night before.
Looks like the ointment really worked.
Her mood improved considerably. She slipped on her shoes and limped toward the door, intending to go into the courtyard to wash up.
“Squeak—”
The wooden door opened.
Lin Peiru was just about to step outside when something beyond the threshold caught her attention.
A small, dark clay jar sat quietly in front of her door.
Lin Peiru froze.
She bent down and carefully picked up the little clay jar.
It felt cool to the touch, with a rough texture.
Only then did she notice that a folded piece of coarse paper had been tucked beneath the jar.
Confused, Lin Peiru unfolded the note.
There were several crooked lines of writing on it, somewhat messy but carrying a distinct strength.
“For external injuries, broken skin, and burns. All may be treated with this.”
The handwriting was simple, even somewhat hurried.
But the moment Lin Peiru saw those words, her heart felt as though something had slammed into it.
She didn’t need to wonder.
She didn’t even need to guess.
This had to be from Huo Yunshen!
That man who looked like he hated her on the surface, yet secretly brought her medicine behind her back!
An enormous wave of joy instantly surged over her like a rising tide, completely engulfing her.
The heartbreaking dream from the night before suddenly seemed absurd and laughable.
What “he doesn’t like her anymore”?
What “stop bothering him”?
Pure nonsense!
If he really didn’t like her, why would he bring her medicine in the middle of the night?
If he really had no feelings for her, how would he even know that she had injured the soles of her feet?
Lin Peiru held the little medicine jar in her hands as though it were a precious treasure. She couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of her lips.
She immediately sat back down on the bed, dug out a little ointment with her fingernail, and applied it to her wounds.
A cool sensation spread over her skin, and she instantly felt as though all the pain in the soles of her feet had disappeared.
She wasn’t sure whether the ointment really worked or whether it was simply psychological.
Humming an off-key little tune, she limped toward the kitchen, her steps noticeably lighter.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she indeed saw that familiar tall figure.
Huo Yunshen had his back to her, adding firewood to the stove. The firelight illuminated his broad back, making him look exceptionally dependable.
“Good morning, Comrade Yunshen!” Lin Peiru’s voice was as sweet as honey.
Huo Yunshen’s movement of adding firewood paused, and his back visibly stiffened.
He didn’t turn around. He merely responded with a muffled “Mm.”
Lin Peiru didn’t mind his coldness in the slightest. She proudly waved the little medicine jar in her hand.
“Thank you for the medicine! It works really well!”
Huo Yunshen didn’t even raise his head. His voice came coldly from in front of the stove.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”