When Qiang Ning’s heart ailment flared up, it felt as though she had one foot in the Hall of Yama. Her vision grew dim and blurred; she gripped Lin Dongruan’s hand tightly, refusing to let go for even a second.
Even though Lin Dongruan’s hand was icy cold, holding it felt like treading upon a solid path back to the world of the living. She feared that if she let go, she would never find her way back.
In her trance-like state, a cacophony of chaotic sounds reached her ears. Someone was screaming hysterically for Lin Dongruan to go away, but Lin Dongruan refused. Then, many more people arrived. Amidst the clamor, she was held tightly by someone.
Qiang Ning’s illness came quickly and departed just as fast. With great effort, she regained some clarity. When she focused her eyes, she saw Lin Dongruan covered in blood.
She stared at Lin Dongruan with a hollow, frozen expression. She heard the other woman comfort her in a gentle voice, saying that the dull knife was used for cutting herbs and wasn’t sharp—otherwise, she would have been sliced in two by now.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lin Dongruan said, raising her hand to cover Qiang Ning’s eyes. She asked, “A-Ning, you aren’t afraid of blood, are you?”
Qiang Ning did not fear the sight of blood, but she discovered she was terrified of Lin Dongruan’s blood.
“Where is the hemostatic medicine? Bring it here, now!” Qiang Ning’s hands shook uncontrollably. In her haste, she barked orders at Song Luo to fetch the medicine. She was truly frightened by the sight of Lin Dongruan drenched in blood, and simultaneously incensed that her group of shadow guards had failed to protect Lin Dongruan. She raged, “With so many people in the medical clinic, why did no one step forward to help?”
Lin Dongruan’s head drooped as she leaned against Qiang Ning; her arm gradually slid down.
Qiang Ning’s soul nearly left her body in terror. She instantly pulled the woman into a protective embrace. She smelled the bitter fragrance of herbs mixed with the metallic scent of blood—all of this had happened to protect her.
“Don’t sleep, Lin Dongruan. Wake up, look at me. Don’t sleep, okay?” Qiang Ning had never been this afraid. She glanced at the wound on Lin Dongruan’s back; it was mangled and bloody, looking like a large red flower in full bloom, nourished by Lin Dongruan’s own blood.
“I didn’t mean to kill her, Lady Lin. I’ve wronged you.” Seeing the blood covering the floor, Mother Zhou’s hand went limp. The herb-cutting knife fell to the ground with a clang. She knelt down and offered a careful apology to Lin Dongruan. “Lady Lin, you are a good person. I didn’t mean to kill you.”
Qiang Ning turned her head, her eyes deathly still, brewing a terrifying fury. “This knife was swung by you onto her body. I want your life in exchange.”
Mother Zhou cursed loudly: “Are you any better? It’s only because Lady Lin is kind-hearted that she’s willing to take you in. Everyone in the surrounding villages knows you’re no saint. You always stay on the upper floor of the clinic and rarely come down, spending every day mingling with men of ill repute…”
She didn’t finish the second half of her sentence because the “shopkeeper,” Song Luo, stepped forward and used the cloth from the counter to strangle her neck, as easily as wringing the neck of a goose or duck.
He spoke respectfully: “Your Highness, your servant will kill her for you.”
Mother Zhou made a “gurgling” sound in her throat, her fingers clawing desperately at the cloth around her neck. Her eyes looked as if they were about to pop out as she stared at Qiang Ning.
“If you kill her, Lin Dongruan will suspect me.” Qiang Ning shook her head, saying with regret, “It’s too obvious; I can’t take that risk.”
Song Luo changed his tone smoothly: “Then shall I poison her mute or pull out her tongue…”
“Those methods have been used once; doing it again lacks creativity.” Qiang Ning glanced at the half-dead Mother Zhou and said, “There are many ways in this world to make someone shut up. For example, by seizing her daughter, you can make her shut up voluntarily.”
Mother Zhou was released, her face turning deathly pale with fear: “Don’t touch my daughter!”
“The girl is named Ruoruo. Go find her. Don’t call her name; just tell her that her mother can’t find her. She will definitely come out.” Qiang Ning stared at Mother Zhou with ill intent and smiled. “As long as you don’t follow my instructions, can you guess how miserably your daughter will die? Ah, no, not a miserable death, but a fate worse than death. She is still young; she has plenty of time to experience pain.”
Mother Zhou wailed in grief, pinching her own arm: “You are truly not human. A beast, a beast—!”
Lin Dongruan had fallen into a faint. Qiang Ning ordered her subordinates to find medicine and carried her away to treat the wound. Before leaving, she threatened Mother Zhou: “From now on, forget everything you heard and saw today. When Lin Dongruan asks, Song Luo will teach you how to answer. Be sensible, or neither you nor your daughter will escape.”
Although Mother Zhou did not fear death herself, she dared not gamble with her daughter’s life. No matter how unwilling she was, she could only humbly agree to the other party’s demands.
When Lin Dongruan woke up, a young girl was standing by her bedside. It was Ruoruo, who had come to the clinic for treatment the previous day.
Ruoruo handed her some water: “Sister Lin, drink some water. Sister A-Ning just went out and told me to wait here for you to wake up.”
“A-Ning even puts children to work.” Lin Dongruan smiled slightly, not intending to blame her. She asked with a smile, “Are you here alone? Where is your mother?”
“Sister Lin, I’m sorry. My mother said she accidentally hurt you.” Ruoruo lowered her head timidly and apologized, “It was Sister A-Ning who was broad-minded and didn’t send my mother to the authorities. My mother said our family really can’t afford the compensation, so she wants me to follow Sister A-Ning and Sister Lin from now on to help out.”
Lin Dongruan held the cup, watching the steam curl and rise like misty dragons. She asked, “Ruoruo, do you know why your mother held a grudge against A-Ning?”
“I know,” Ruoruo said. “But my mother also told me that I can’t say bad things about Sister A-Ning anymore, so I can’t tell anyone.”
“Alright.” Lin Dongruan changed the way she asked, “Then in Ruoruo’s opinion, did A-Ning do something very excessive?”
Ruoruo stood there and thought for a moment: “I don’t know. What Mother says isn’t necessarily true; Ruoruo doesn’t believe it. Sister A-Ning must have been misunderstood.”
She thought secretly to herself: How could what Mother said be true? How could Sister A-Ning beat Father? Mother also said Father is the most powerful person in the world, and how could the most powerful person be harmed by a sister as delicate as A-Ning?
Father just went away to earn money. Once he earns enough, he’ll come back to treat my illness.
Mother is just confused.
Children’s words generally contain no falsehood. Lin Dongruan nodded and agreed, “A-Ning must have been mistaken for someone else.”
“Sister Lin, I’m going to call Sister A-Ning now. She told me to tell her immediately after you woke up.” Ruoruo was obedient and kept all these requirements in mind. She waved goodbye to Lin Dongruan.
Lin Dongruan gave a soft “mm” and waited for Qiang Ning to enter.
“Is Sister awake?” Qiang Ning hurried into the room. As soon as she entered, she met Lin Dongruan’s eyes, which were as calm as water. Her heart skipped a beat, sensing something was amiss. She immediately tried to gauge the other’s expression and apologized first, “I’m sorry, Sister, I’ve caused trouble for you.”
Lin Dongruan: “Give me a proper account of the beginning and the end of this.”
Qiang Ning composed herself slightly, looking closely into Lin Dongruan’s eyes. The other woman’s gaze drifted away—she probably wasn’t truly looking for a confrontation. After all, if Lin Dongruan knew about any of the things Qiang Ning had done, she certainly wouldn’t be this calm and unruffled.
The other woman was testing her, trying to bait her into a confession.
Qiang Ning instantly came up with a new lie and responded with a composed expression: “Blame me for saying a few extra words to Butcher Zhou at the market when I went to buy vegetables that day. At the time, that woman pointed at me and called me a vixen. When we met at the clinic again yesterday, we had a conflict. She must have been triggered by something else and insisted on killing me.”
As Lin Dongruan listened, her brows furrowed. “How can this be blamed on you? It’s she who was mentally unstable and accused the wrong person.”
Perhaps it was because Mother Zhou’s frenzied appearance had been so vivid, or because the little girl Ruoruo favored Qiang Ning’s version of events, or perhaps because Lin Dongruan herself was soft-hearted—she actually believed Qiang Ning’s words.
So, she gestured, calling Qiang Ning to her side. “Is your body still feeling uncomfortable now?”
“It’s not uncomfortable anymore. I’ve had this illness my whole life; as long as I don’t die during the episode, it’s usually not a big deal.” Qiang Ning sat beside Lin Dongruan with a wronged expression. She caringly turned the woman’s body to check her wound. “Sister, you actually protected me even at a time like that. Such a long wound… it breaks my heart.”
Lin Dongruan placed her hand over the one resting on her shoulder; it was unclear who was comforting whom. “I said I would protect you well.”
Qiang Ning started to undo her clothes. “Sister, let me change your medicine.”
Lin Dongruan’s back was truly painful, so she let go of her hand and allowed Qiang Ning to help with the medicine.
Undoing the outer robe, neither spoke a word. Qiang Ning looked distressed at the bloodstains on the garment and set it aside. When she undid the middle garment, Lin Dongruan remained indifferent, but Qiang Ning’s eyes secretly reddened, and her hands trembled as she continued to dismantle the layers. Finally, when it came to the inner garment, Lin Dongruan lowered her eyelashes uncomfortably and told Qiang Ning she was leaning a bit too close.
Qiang Ning had been preoccupied with heartache over the wound, but at the other woman’s reminder, a “wicked” thought she hadn’t previously possessed suddenly surfaced. It was like a piece of clothing being snagged by a kitten’s claw—just a slight tug was enough to make her thoughts run wild.
“It’s just changing the medicine.” Qiang Ning smiled softly and intentionally leaned even closer. She whispered in Lin Dongruan’s ear, “We sleep in the same bed every day; surely we aren’t at the point where I can’t even see your body? Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve changed the dressing. When Sister was unconscious, I took the liberty of wrapping the hemostatic gauze for you.”
Lin Dongruan lowered her head, looking at the white gauze wrapped from her back across her chest. It was clearly not a style she would have wrapped herself. Right, A-Ning has seen it already; it’s no big deal.
Despite thinking this, Lin Dongruan felt a sense of unease. She wanted to say thank you, but felt it was too distant; she wanted to say it was hard work, but felt it was inappropriate. Yet if she said nothing, her ear was filled with Qiang Ning’s warm breath. The other’s breath traveled from her back to the side of her neck, like a large cat staring at its prey, touching her lightly and tentatively.
“The gauze is a bit crooked; let’s wrap it again.” Qiang Ning said this as if she were about to envelope Lin Dongruan entirely, her arms reaching around the other’s body. Every word was like a fragrant breath: “Don’t move, or it will be harder to manage.”
Perhaps it was because it was too cold without clothes covering her, or perhaps the breath behind her was too close—Lin Dongruan shuddered.
“Don’t…”
In the end, Lin Dongruan pulled away slightly in discomfort.
But she forgot that at this moment, Qiang Ning was measuring the length of the gauze after finishing the medicine. Her hands were right in front. As Lin Dongruan pulled away forward, she accidentally delivered a touch of her soft, jade-like breast right into the other’s hand.
Qiang Ning had no moral qualms and took advantage of the situation immediately. She closed her hand around it; it fit perfectly in her palm, soft and satisfying, more interesting than even the finest jade pieces she toyed with in the Princess’s Manor.
“You…”
Lin Dongruan’s expression froze. Although her brows were furrowed, a suspicious flush of red rose behind her ears.
She couldn’t scold Qiang Ning because the other hadn’t actively crossed the line; she had accidentally delivered herself to the other party.
“Sister, it’s so soft.” Qiang Ning toyed with her ambiguously and joked, “The soft peach isn’t large, but it can make one’s mouth water with thirst.”
“Let go, let go of your hand.” Lin Dongruan was being provoked to the point of defeat, yet she was trapped in the other’s embrace and couldn’t break free.
Qiang Ning opened her five fingers, leaving slight gaps, catching the reddest tip between her fingers. Her smile was brilliant. “Sister, come, look down. See.”
Lin Dongruan looked down and was filled with shame and annoyance: “You scoundrel.”
“Whatever Sister says is right. If you say I am… then I am.” Qiang Ning admitted it readily, saying, “Since I’ve already been scolded, it would be a disservice to that insult if I didn’t actually do something.”