Anti-Knochen-Scharlachlied

Kapitel 4

Her heart...

Chapter 3, My Soul Enters the Song Dynasty, My Heart Is Unsettled (2)

On the third day, Xuan'er hurriedly brought a doctor to the Cherry Garden where she was staying. Wanlan was lying on the bed, feeling dizzy and groaning in pain. She was covered in sweat and her face was flushed. Her heart, which had been perfectly normal since she woke up, suddenly started to convulse and suffocate, making it very difficult for her to breathe.

The doctor took her pulse for a long time, frowning and shaking his head as if she had some incurable disease. Wanlan sighed inwardly and quickly sat up as the doctor got up, asking, "What's wrong with me?" She had only felt a tightness in her chest for the past two days, but she had never experienced such a sharp pain in her chest before.

The doctor smiled reassuringly at her, "It's alright, Madam. It's just a high fever caused by engorgement. You'll be fine after taking some medicine and getting plenty of rest. However, I suggest that you breastfeed the baby yourself; it will be beneficial for both you and the child."

Breastfeeding the baby?

Wanlan bit her lip, thankful that her face was already burning red; otherwise, she truly wouldn't know how to face a male doctor who had said such embarrassing things to her. But the doctor seemed to be hiding something. She looked up at him, puzzled, and asked:

"If it's just a fever, why am I experiencing chest pain?"

"this……"

The doctor hesitated for a moment, looking as if he had something difficult to say. "I also find it strange. The lady is in good health. Although she almost had a difficult delivery, she has been taking good care of herself these past few days. Logically, there shouldn't be any problems."

"So, my colic comes on out of nowhere?" Why can't the cause be found?

The doctor nodded slightly upon hearing her words. "It is somewhat puzzling, but it could also be that the lady has been confined to her room for too long. If the weather is nice, she can go out for a walk. Of course, she should remember to wear warm clothes and avoid catching a cold."

Going out... requires someone's permission first.

"Okay, I understand, thank you, doctor."

Watching Xuan'er lead the doctor out, Wanlan slowly lay back down, subconsciously pressing her chest and frowning—was she really going to breastfeed her child? She had never known that breast engorgement after childbirth was such a painful thing, and her inexplicable cramps...could they be related to her heart condition?

"Madam." Xuan'er, who had returned to her room at some point, suddenly called out to her.

Wanlan stared blankly at the bed frame, then casually replied, "What?"

"His Highness has come to see you."

The little girl's tone couldn't hide her excitement. Wanlan was taken aback, and her gaze finally shifted, meeting that of the man who was already standing by the bed. He was still the same as the day they first met, with a calm face and gentle eyes. He was wearing a light blue casual outfit with a matching wide belt around his waist, and he lowered his head to silently meet her gaze.

"You—" She propped herself up halfway, but immediately realized her voice was a little hoarse. She quickly coughed and then asked, "Why are you here?"

“Don’t get up,” he sat down beside her bed and gently pressed her back down, answering quietly, “I heard from the doctor that you have a fever.”

Wanlan was slightly taken aback. Did his answer mean... that if she didn't have a fever, he wouldn't have come? What exactly was going on between this man and Wanlan? How could a married couple be so "respectful yet distant"?

She really wanted to ask him, but she didn't know how to ask. In the end, she could only say, "It's all over now."

Zhao Defang watched as she lowered her brows and avoided his gaze. After a long while, he said again, "I'll have Yuan Niang bring Xu'er over for you to feed. Would you be willing?"

Um?

"What do you mean by that?" Isn't Xu'er her child? Why ask such a cautious question?

Zhao Defang smiled slightly. His smile was really handsome, gentle and warm, making people feel very comfortable. "The doctor said your fever is caused by engorgement. If you don't mind Xu'er, I'll have Yuan Niang bring him here, okay?"

Rejection? Wanlan rejects her own son? What's going on?

Wanlan glanced at him cautiously and asked tentatively, "Why would I reject my own son?"

Zhao Defang paused for a moment, "Wanlan? You... are you still not better?" He meant that she had not yet recovered.

Wanlan blinked slowly, then smiled and nodded very honestly. "Yes, I can't remember anything. I haven't understood why you haven't come to see me these past few days, why I don't have to care about my son, and I don't understand where I should stand or what I should do." He was Wanlan's husband. Whether the current Wanlan was still the same as before, she should be able to ask him, her husband, for help in explaining her doubts, right?

Wanlan secretly bit her lip and scoffed at her own thoughts—it sounded like an excuse; what was she trying to hide?

Her words stumped Zhao Defang. Wanlan didn't understand their previous way of getting along, which was why she'd been feeling so lost these past few days. Was that what she meant? But can childbirth make a person forget everything from the past?

However, she would always need to know those things.

“On our wedding night, you made it clear to me that you could continue to love him, I would do my own thing, and we would not interfere with each other. When necessary, we could act as an ordinary couple in public.”

His words left Wanlan speechless as she stared at him—they really were a strange couple.

So, on the day she woke up, he was just acting? Who is the "him" that Wanlan wants to continue loving? Could it be the Prince of Yan that Su Li mentioned?

"If that's the case, then what about Xu'er? You—since we reached such an agreement, how come you have a child? Is this also part of the agreement, and I have to have a child for you?" If that's the case, this Wanlan is really something. In modern times, a woman who marries a man she doesn't love wouldn't say such things to her husband on their wedding night.

"No, that was an accident," Yue Defang said with a faint smile.

Looking at the slight smile on his lips, Wanlan felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart. She instinctively clutched her chest and frowned, wondering with great confusion if she had really brought her heart condition with her.

"What's wrong?"

She closed her eyes, shook her head, and said weakly, "It's nothing, my heart suddenly ached."

Heartache? Zhao Defang looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Should we call the doctor back to take a look?"

“No need,” Wanlan smiled bitterly. The doctor had just left, and besides, she had said the heartache came on inexplicably; what could he possibly understand? “Zehua, I’ve completely forgotten the past. Between us… what should we do?” Judging from Zhao Defang’s attitude towards her, he didn’t seem indifferent to Wanlan. Why had he reached such an agreement with her? If Wanlan loved Zhao Dezhao, why did she marry Zhao Defang? What kind of relationship existed between these three people?

“You can continue to love your elder brother, I won’t bother you. But if you’re really feeling unwell, you can take care of Xu’er yourself.” He said gently, but his usual calm tone made Wanlan’s heart clench and tighten with each passing moment, causing her great pain.

This man... is so strange...

Not only does he allow his wife to love someone else, but he also doesn't blame her at all? If he doesn't completely disregard Wanlan, then he must be head over heels in love with her. She was curious which one he was. With this curiosity, she looked at his downcast and silent appearance and asked, "If I said... from today onwards, I want to be your devoted wife, would you agree?"

"What?"

Zhao Defang was taken aback, abruptly raising her eyes to stare into her cautious gaze, incredulous, "Wanlan...you..."

"Do you like Wanlan?" She stared at him without blinking. "Don't you think a married couple shouldn't interact like this? Why are you willing to spend your whole life with a woman who doesn't love you?"