This was the first time he had ever seen Qin Rui asleep. His melancholy aura had vanished, and he was sleeping soundly like an ordinary child, without any wariness.
Yesterday he was worried about what to do if the kid couldn't sleep, but today he's sleeping soundly like this.
After watching for a while, Qin Chu asked softly, as if to confirm, "Is he asleep?"
"Yes, he's been sleeping for a while now. I haven't moved him because I was afraid of waking him up." There was a hint of pride in Dr. Su's voice.
Qin Chu hummed in response but didn't say anything.
He lowered the curtain, held his sword, and leaned against the carriage, looking into the distance.
The sky was a clear, deep blue, with only a single, pale cloud floating in the distance, one large and one small, clinging together and drifting forward with the gentle breeze.
Qin Chu thought of how Qin Rui had been before.
When Qin Rui was with him, he was like a wolf on high alert, easily alerted by the slightest noise. Qin Chu assumed this was Qin Rui's usual behavior, but now, seeing his child sleeping soundly on someone else's lap, Qin Chu felt a rare, subtle pang of sadness.
The kid has been clinging to him a lot lately, and Qin Chu thought he might lower his guard a little. Judging from Qin Rui's attitude towards Doctor Su, Qin Chu initially thought the kid didn't like the doctor, but now it seems he was wrong.
As expected, he is not suited to taking care of children.
But Qin Chu rarely indulged in these emotions, and after a moment's thought, he would break free. As long as Qin Rui was safe and could rest well, nothing else mattered to Qin Chu.
Qin Rui slept on Dr. Su's lap for the entire afternoon nap until the convoy started moving and Dr. Su had to leave. Only then did Qin Chu cooperate by carrying Qin Rui over.
Before Dr. Su left, Qin Chu thanked him.
After Dr. Su left, Qin Rui was still asleep, but he was clearly not feeling very well.
Qin Chu tried to move as quietly as possible and conceal his presence, but the child still blinked as the carriage jolted.
Qin Rui opened her eyes groggily and subconsciously looked for Qin Chu. After seeing Qin Chu, she rubbed her eyes with her little fists and couldn't help but yawn.
He slept soundly and comfortably, more so than he had ever slept in his life. He struggled for a while but was still drowsy and somewhat dazed.
Seeing the child like this, Qin Chu's doubts about Doctor Su dissipated.
He even thought that he should have just stayed in the carriage. If Qin Rui had slept alone, he might have been able to sleep longer.
"Brother... what's wrong with me?" Qin Rui yawned again and sat up to look at Qin Chu.
Qin Chu unconsciously lowered his voice a little: "You're asleep, sleep a little longer."
Are you asleep?
Qin Rui frowned. How could he have fallen asleep? Wasn't that Doctor Su just here? He had subtly asked the doctor to leave, and then... he couldn't remember what happened after that.
I vaguely felt very comfortable and relaxed...
Is this what it feels like to sleep?
Qin Rui tried to recall what Dr. Su had done when she came, but his body's instincts led him to reminisce about the sweet sleep he had just had.
His body craved sleep so much, like a person in the desert craving water, savoring the feeling for eternity after a single sip.
Qin Rui was somewhat dazed. He wasn't fully awake yet, and subconsciously followed Qin Chu's words, lying down to try and fall asleep again.
But this time, after lying down, he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did. Instead, because he couldn't sleep, an indescribable anxiety gradually rose within him.
Qin Chu watched the child tossing and turning, sighed inwardly, and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
He jumped off the carriage and climbed directly onto a grain cart in front, sitting down on the provisions. He hoped that Qin Rui would find it easier to fall asleep after he left.
However, not long after, Qin Chu saw the carriage curtain behind him being lifted, revealing an even more gloomy little face.
Qin Chu frowned and immediately jumped back.
He lifted the curtain and looked inside at Qin Rui, asking, "What's wrong?"
The child didn't speak, but silently opened his arms to him.
Qin Chu was slightly taken aback. Seeing that he hadn't moved, the child spoke up again in a hoarse voice: "Brother, hug me."
The voice was low and hoarse, and the pale little face inexplicably evoked pity. Qin Chu bent down as instructed and hugged Qin Rui into his arms. The child's thin and weak arms wrapped around his neck, and he shrank into his embrace.
"What's wrong?" Qin Chu asked again.
I feel uncomfortable and unwell.
Qin Rui's eyes, hidden behind Qin Chu's clothes, were dark and brooding, with an undisguised savagery.
An unexpected sleep disrupted the balance he had cultivated over the past decade. Every part of his body screamed for sleepiness, and his emotions became uncontrollable.
All he wanted to do now was stay in Qin Chu's arms and smell Qin Chu's scent, only then could he calm down the turbulent emotions churning within him.
Qin Rui wanted to tell Qin Chu the truth about how he felt, but he was afraid that Qin Chu would drag him to see Doctor Su like before, so he just buried his head in Qin Chu's arms. When he heard Qin Chu's question, he just shook his head and said nothing.
Qin Chu patted his back and sighed.
That night, the two slept in the carriage.
Qin Chu opened his eyes in the darkness and could feel that the child beside him was not as well-behaved as usual, tossing and turning constantly, obviously very uncomfortable due to insomnia.
Qin Chu could understand Qin Rui's feelings.
Just like his childhood craving for food, the human desire for sleep is also innate.
Qin Rui said he had never been able to fall asleep before. Before experiencing sleep, he might have been able to endure the longing and didn't find it unbearable. But now that he has tasted the joy of falling into a deep sleep, he can no longer resist it.
Qin Chu reached out and pressed down on Qin Rui, who was constantly turning over, and said calmly in the darkness, "Go see Doctor Su tomorrow."
"No, I'm not going!" Qin Rui answered instinctively, reaching out to hug Qin Chu's arm tightly. But his body automatically felt a surge of excitement, like a survival instinct.
Qin Rui was somewhat flustered, but didn't know what to do.
He could sense that something was wrong, but as a patient, he had very little strength to struggle.
After breakfast, Qin Chu was about to escort Qin Rui to Doctor Su's carriage, but Qin Rui clung to the table on the carriage and refused to leave. Qin Chu had no choice but to comply.
Around noon, Doctor Su sat in Qin Chu's carriage for a while, and Qin Chu was also there. Qin Rui restrained himself and sat opposite Doctor Su with Qin Chu, avoiding any eye contact with Doctor Su.
As evening fell and the convoy was about to set up camp, some commotion broke out ahead.
The commotion was quite loud; even Qin Chu, who was lagging behind at the back of the procession, heard the noise. Just as Qin Chu was about to go and see what was happening, a coachman rushed over and shouted at Qin Chu's carriage, "General Qin, someone is robbing our supplies!"
Qin Chu immediately jumped down from the carriage and shouted to the surrounding drivers, "Gather the carriages together! Don't leave any behind, guard the outer perimeter!"
As the caravan gradually came together, he whispered instructions: "The driver stays outside and gathers the cooks, doctors, and those with weaker martial skills into one carriage."
As he spoke, he scooped Qin Rui out of his carriage and walked toward the carriage in the center of the convoy.
The carriage was filled with the elderly, women, and children, including Doctor Su. Qin Chu lifted the curtain and handed Qin Rui inside.
Qin Rui was a little worried and poked her head out, calling out, "Brother, where are you going?"
"Stay put." Qin Chu rubbed his head and turned to walk towards the front of the convoy.
The bandits who robbed the grain supplies were from the surrounding area, and some of them were of different ethnicities. These people knew the surrounding terrain very well and cooperated closely. Qin Chu, leading a group of new recruits, managed to subdue them all with some effort.
The official escorting the grain was extremely grateful to Qin Chu. Judging from their skills, if they hadn't found Qin Chu along the way, he would not only have failed in his mission, but he would probably have lost his life as well.
This supply train is crucial for the upcoming war. Qin Chu interrogated them a few more times before ordering his men to keep a close watch on the bandits and bring them into the convoy.
Along the way, he looked at the gathered carriages and asked the drivers about the situation.
The coachman, who had been on tenterhooks all night, patted his chest and assured Qin Chu, "Everything's fine, thanks to your reminder, General! Someone really did come and attack the middle of the group just now, but luckily we had gathered together in time, and there were people protecting us all around."
Qin Chu was relieved. The grain and fodder on the outer perimeter were safe, and the people hidden in the carriage in the middle should also be safe.
He eased his pace slightly and slowly walked towards the wagon surrounded by grain carts, occasionally checking the condition of the surrounding vehicles. After walking around a few more wagons, Qin Chu stopped.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and through the light from the torches and several grain carts, Qin Chu could see the child who had tossed and turned all night, sleeping soundly, half-lying on Doctor Su.
Standing there a few grain trucks away, Qin Chu wiped his face and saw the bloodstains on his hands, which had been splashed on him when he killed the enemy.
He stared at the bloodstains on his hands in silence for a while, then stopped in his tracks and didn't move forward.
Chapter 64, Fourth Story (10)
Because of the robbers' incident, the convoy was lively for a while before finally settling down very late.
The middle carriage happened to belong to Doctor Su. After everyone else got off, only Qin Rui and Doctor Su remained inside.
Qin Rui slept soundly, only slightly turning over despite the comings and goings of people in the middle of the caravan. Qin Chu didn't wake him, but simply brought him a bowl of food to the carriage at dinner time.
Dinner wasn't for Qin Rui, it was for Dr. Su.
Dr. Su was flattered and took the bowl, asking, "Should we wake Qin Rui up? Otherwise, won't he be hungry tonight?"
Qin Chu shook his head at him and said in a low voice, "He didn't sleep last night, let him get some sleep today."
Although Qin Chu left after saying only a few words, Dr. Su was absolutely thrilled. Looking at the dinner placed on the table beside him, he wished he could take eight hundred screenshots.
Qin Chu, that scoundrel, the most difficult and heartless NPC to win over in the entire game world, actually brought him dinner?
If Qin Rui hadn't been asleep, Dr. Su would have been unable to hold back her laughter and howl.
He used to be Qin Chu's cook, bringing her things every day, but she rarely paid him any attention. Now, she's starting to bring him things instead, isn't she?
As the doctor was happily eating, he slightly moved his leg, and an excruciating tingling numbness instantly contorted his entire body.
He glanced at Qin Rui, who was fast asleep with his legs pinned down, then at the dinner he was holding. His joy faltered, and he realized what was going on.
What does this mean?
I was afraid that his going out for dinner would disturb Qin Rui's sleep, so I brought it over to him so that he could continue to be my pillow.
That night, Qin Chu did not take Qin Rui back, nor did he return to his own carriage. Instead, he took on the night watch, keeping a close eye on Qin Rui's movements.
He hadn't completely let his guard down with Dr. Su, but no matter what, it was good to let Qin Rui get some sleep.
The next day, the morning light mixed with a dry breeze brushed against his face. Qin Rui's eyelashes fluttered, and he subconsciously avoided the light, wanting to continue sleeping.
But his awakening consciousness made him think of what happened last night, so he immediately tried to sit up his sore body and squinted to find Qin Chu.
Qin Chu wasn't in the carriage, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone he didn't want to see. Qin Rui's drowsiness vanished instantly, and his sleepy eyes quickly filled with wariness.
He straightened up and looked at Dr. Su, forgetting even his usual pretense, and stiffly asked, "What are you doing here? Where is my brother?"
“This is my carriage.” Doctor Su looked at the Crown Prince and chuckled. “General Qin saw that you were sleeping soundly here, so he left you here.”
As he spoke, he reached out and touched the top of Qin Rui's head, asking leisurely, "Did you sleep well?"
Qin Rui was stunned for a moment before dodging his hand.