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Kapitel 40

"Fool," Mo Xibei chuckled, gently picked up the towel, soaked it in cold water again, and placed it on Chu Junfeng's forehead. However, he couldn't pull his hand away. Chu Junfeng's hand had somehow slipped out from under the covers, and the burning skin pressed against his own. He held it so tightly that Mo Xibei saw several large red finger marks imprinted on the back of his hand, but his heart suddenly softened.

When Tian Xin left the inn where Chu Junfeng was staying, the streets were already bustling with activity. Actually, Tian Xin had only brought back some medicine to clear heat and reduce fever that morning. It turned out that Chu Junfeng's fever was simply a natural result of the body's cellular activity during the detoxification process. Mo Xibei should have left earlier, but Chu Junfeng held her hand tightly, refusing to let go. The process of waiting for him to regain consciousness was long, and Mo Xibei thought a lot. Finally, taking advantage of the opportunity when he turned over, she broke free.

When it comes to relationships, she never thought much about them. It wasn't that she wasn't moved, or that she lacked courage; rather, she was too lazy. She didn't want to spend time figuring out other people's thoughts, trying to please them, or changing herself to cater to them. She knew she was selfish. When faced with relationships, her first thought was always of herself. She didn't know if this way of thinking meant she understood love or not. Perhaps she didn't understand, so because she wasn't willing to sacrifice or give, she didn't expect the same from others.

She slept soundly in the back courtyard until a maid knocked on the door, saying that the manager of the front building insisted on seeing her.

"What happened?" Mo Xibei put on his clothes and tied his hair, and it took him a while to slowly walk out of the bedroom.

"Boss, did you keep a distinguished guest in your usual private room last night?" The manager wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling terrified as he recalled the young master's outburst.

"Oh right," Mo Xibei slapped his forehead, realizing that Mu Feinan hadn't stayed in his private room last night, and he'd completely forgotten about it. He quickly asked, "What happened to him?"

"That distinguished guest... when the room was being cleaned this morning, the waiter found out... at first everything was fine, but then he suddenly got angry. The waiter brought him breakfast, but he didn't eat it, and then he just threw out his lunch. The waiter couldn't dodge it and got hit on the head by a shard of broken porcelain..." The manager stammered, his face full of embarrassment. Since the opening of Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant, no one had ever caused such a scene; this was the first time someone had done so, and it happened to be the owner's very distinguished guest.

"This is my fault. How is the man's injury? Have you called a doctor to see him?" Mo Xibei had some idea of why Mu Feinan was angry, and without hesitation, he quickly ran towards the front building.

"It's just a superficial wound; I didn't see a doctor. I just used some incense ash to stop the bleeding," the steward replied.

“This won’t do. A head injury can be serious or minor,” Mo Xibei suddenly stopped and turned to the steward, saying, “Go to the accounting office and get twenty taels of silver for the shop assistant. Also, get him a doctor to take a look. If he’s really alright, tell him to go home and rest for three to five days before coming back to work.”

"That's just a minor injury, why spend so much money? The boss is kind; let him see a doctor." The manager was stunned, seemingly unable to believe what he had heard.

"Do as I say. If someone gets injured while I'm here, I have to give him an explanation. Go and handle this matter. Remember, the money for the doctor or medicine will be drawn separately." Mo Xibei turned and walked away, leaving the steward standing there, stunned for a moment, before leaving as well.

From that day on, the word spread like wildfire throughout the capital that the owner of Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant was a great philanthropist, and that working there not only paid well but also offered excellent benefits. Within days, chefs from several large restaurants in the eastern and western districts came to apply for jobs. Even high-ranking officials and nobles who were used to eating at those restaurants switched their allegiance. Even poor people who were selling their children in the market heard the news and brought their kids to the vicinity of Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant, hoping that the kind owner there would buy them. Of course, these are all stories for later.

That day, Mo Xibei arrived at her private room and nearly stepped on a shard of broken porcelain on the carpet as soon as she entered. As she walked further in, she was heartbroken and furious. Her expensive famille rose vase and colorful glass cup were lying haphazardly on the floor. Fortunately, they were not broken, otherwise, she would definitely have skinned Mu Feinan alive.

Mu Feinan lay on the bed with his head down, leaving his large back to her. He ignored her questions. When she angrily went over to pull him up, she found that the usually lively Mu Feinan had flushed cheeks and was running a fever.

She couldn't find a miracle doctor to prepare the medicine, but even ordinary doctors could tell that Mu Feinan's high fever was caused by the body expelling toxins, and that clearing the heat and regulating the body would be enough.

Mo Xibei felt extremely distressed today. He had been taking care of the patient, but the patient in front of him was being stubborn and ungrateful, almost knocking over his medicine bowl with a wave of his hand.

"It hurts!" After Mu Feinan touched her hand, she threw the medicine bowl up and caught it with her other hand. Her eyes rolled, and she gasped loudly, crying out in pain. After a few cries, Mu Feinan turned over with a sullen face, grabbed the medicine bowl without saying a word, drank it all in one gulp, and then reached out to grab her hand and held it up to his eyes to examine it closely.

On the back of her slender, jade-like hand, the finger marks were clearly visible, turning into a bluish-purple stain. "You went to see Chu Junfeng, is this what he did?" Mu Feinan's gaze turned sinister in an instant, and he said viciously, "Serves you right!"

"I can't be bothered with you!" Mo Xibei was furious. He rolled up his sleeve and saw a red, egg-sized patch on his wrist. The skin was already swollen. He said angrily, "I shouldn't have bothered with you. You hit me so hard just to play around."

"I did it?" Mu Fei's arrogance vanished completely.

"It wasn't you who did it, it was the dog, okay?" Mo Xibei said irritably, pressing his fingers on it to rub it, but the pain brought tears to his eyes.

"Fine, fine, I'm not human, I repay kindness with enmity, I'm a little dog, why don't you fight back then?" Mu Feinan also rolled up his sleeves and stretched his arm out in front of Mo Xibei.

"You have no sincerity at all. Why don't you extend your uninjured hand?" Mo Xibei was about to hit back fiercely, but when he saw that Mu Feinan's outstretched arm still had the white cloth that he had haphazardly tied around it.

"Leave a skilled hand behind so I can apply some medicated oil for you." Mu Feinan reached out with his other hand, and somehow produced a bottle of medicated oil.

"You scoundrel!" Mo Xibei was both annoyed and amused, and could only turn his head away and ignore him.

"I'm a scoundrel, and you're a scoundrel's wife." Mu Feinan teased Mo Xibei, but when she wasn't paying attention, he quickly poured the medicated oil onto the wound and rubbed it hard.

"You're trying to murder me!" At this, Mo Xibei jumped out of bed in pain...

Volume Two: Traces Left by the Wind, Chapter Three: The Witness of the Qin (Part 1)

For many days afterward, Mu Feinan stayed at Mo Xibei's Chunfeng Ruyi Tower, shamelessly occupying the comfortable bed in Mo Xibei's private room under the pretext of recuperating from his injuries, completely ignoring the increasingly fierce look on Mo Xibei's face because of his free food and drink every day.

To prevent Murong Lianyun from encountering Mu Feinan directly, Mo Xibei put a lot of thought into it. Lianyun was rather willful; if he explicitly forbade her from coming to the front building, she would become suspicious and come to check on him from time to time. However, if he said nothing, she would still come to the front to see what Mo Xibei was doing. Therefore, Mo Xibei thought the best way was to find something for her to do, keeping her so busy that she would forget about him.

So, after confirming that Mu Feinan wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, Mo Xibei went to Xinglong Inn, adopting a humble attitude of making amends, and persuaded Chu Junfeng and Tian Xin to temporarily stay at his mansion. Tian Xin was overjoyed, as Mo Xibei's mansion was spacious and had many servants, so he wouldn't have to worry about preparing meals. Chu Junfeng naturally refused, but he couldn't resist Tian Xin's persuasion and Mo Xibei's pleading eyes, and despite being outnumbered, he temporarily stayed in the west wing of Mo Xibei's house.

“Brother Chu is your savior, and I am also indebted to him. This time he was injured and stayed at the inn, which I felt was not right, so I brought him back to stay for a few days. I am busy with things during the day, so please take some time to go and see if they need anything.” Back home, Mo Xibei said to Murong Lianyun earnestly.

"Brother Chu is injured, in the eye? Have you called a doctor?" Murong Lianyun almost immediately stood up and wanted to leave, even forgetting to ask Mo Xibei where he lived.

"We've already consulted a doctor; now it's just a matter of resting, resting." Seeing the concern and anxiety on Murong Lianyun's face, Mo Xibei suddenly felt that her idea might not be so good. However, she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it.

"Oh!" Unexpectedly, Murong Lianyun didn't insist on going to see Chu Junfeng immediately. Instead, she returned to her seat and sat down again. She called a maid and ordered dinner to be served. In fact, after taking two steps and turning back to ask Mo Xibei where they had been arranged to stay, she had already sensed Mo Xibei's displeasure. She naturally didn't know why Mo Xibei was unhappy; she just suddenly remembered that she was the fiancée of the man before her, and her heart immediately turned cold. What was she doing? Showing such concern for another man in front of her husband—what would Mo Xibei think of her? Would he consider her a fickle woman?

That evening, Murong Lianyun was unusually gentle and demure, sitting beside Mo Xibei. She kept putting food on "his" plate. They had been together for some time now, and she had a general idea of Mo Xibei's tastes. Aside from the novelty of sweet and fragrant foods, Mo Xibei had a particular fondness for spicy food. He was practically addicted to spice, so even though Murong Lianyun herself couldn't eat such stimulating food, she would always specifically instruct people to prepare two or three spicy dishes for every meal.

Her unusual attentiveness made Mo Xibei somewhat uneasy, and he put down his chopsticks after a few bites.

"What's wrong? The cooks at home aren't as good as those at the front. What would you like to eat? I'll have someone go to the front and order it to be made and sent over," Murong Lianyun asked, a hint of resentment in his eyes.

“Oh, Lianyun, that’s what I wanted to say. Why aren’t you eating much? Are you tired of this chef’s food? If you’re tired of it or don’t like it, tell him to go to the front tomorrow and find someone else.” Mo Xibei washed his hands in the basin of water brought by the maid, then rinsed his mouth with tea, and finished his meal. “It’s good to change people from time to time,” Murong Lianyun thought for a moment before saying, “Then tell him to go to the front building to work tomorrow, and find someone else.”

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Mo Xibei asked casually.

"I heard that a chef from the south has come to Baixiang Pavilion. Why don't we invite him to the back courtyard? Perhaps he can cook local dishes that suit your taste," Murong Lianyun suggested.

"You mean that Master Xu who's good at making soup?" Mo Xibei asked. Actually, she had originally been interested in this person as well, since soup is more nourishing and beneficial for healing injuries. For example, Mu Feinan had drunk a lot of Master Xu's good soup these past few days, and judging from his appearance, his complexion had recovered, and he even seemed to have gained a little weight. Of course, Mu Feinan would never admit that he had gained weight.

"Is it alright?" Murong Lianyun asked, her expression somewhat cautious, like a typical timid wife.

“There’s nothing that’s acceptable or unacceptable. Whatever you say is acceptable.” Mo Xibei suppressed his inexplicable displeasure and nodded repeatedly.

Unexpectedly, Mu Feinan reacted so strongly the next day when there was no good soup. He barely ate anything in the morning, and by noon, he simply stopped eating. The waiters couldn't handle it, so they had to invite Mo Xibei, who was listening to Xiu Wen play the zither, to join them.

"Young Master, what's wrong with you again?" Mo Xibei immediately felt a headache coming on when he heard that Mu Feinan was on a hunger strike.

"I'd like a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup," Mu Feinan said matter-of-factly when ordering.

"Have someone get it," Mo Xibei said to his assistant.