Einfacher Congee-Roman

Kapitel 27

Fan Qingbo stared at the scholar lying lifeless on the bed. He didn't look like someone about to die, much less already dead. Honestly, how could this guy be a teacher, a gardener of the imperial dynasty? He'd taught these kids to be so ignorant of basic common sense, constantly saying he was dead…

"Well? Boss Fan, did Master commit suicide or was he murdered?"

The child, stroking his chin, asked a question that was both amusing and exasperating, as if he were quite serious about it.

Fan Qingbo's eyes darted around, then he suddenly smiled mysteriously at the children, "Do you want to see the Master come back to life?"

"think!"

The children were all shouting excitedly, except for one person.

Pidan pouted and muttered, "If the teacher doesn't make me recite anymore, I wouldn't mind watching him come back to life." Then he glanced at Fan Qingbo with annoyance, "Brother Fan, are you really not going to teach us anymore? We prefer listening to your stories. We don't understand what the teacher teaches, and it makes us feel like we're stupid!"

Pfft, she could perfectly imagine the scholar imparting his knowledge to them, and she could also perfectly imagine their confused and bewildered expressions as they listened...

Suppressing a laugh, she placed her hands on Pidan's shoulders and said seriously, "There are two ways to deal with not understanding. One is to let it go in one ear and out the other and just focus on learning to write. The other is to memorize what the teacher taught and then come and ask me. I personally recommend the first one."

The second option is risky, because she might not understand what the scholar was saying either, and her knowledge of classical Chinese is clearly not as high as his.

Unfortunately, Pidan chose the second option because he felt that choosing the first option would make him seem stupid.

At this point, the child next to him was getting impatient. "Big brother, I want to see someone come back to life!"

Fan Qingbo smiled and winked at them, "Coming right away." Then she turned to Fan Bing and whispered, "World peace, human justice, and social conscience depend on you. Go on, go see what cooked food you have at home, and heat up a bowl for me."

Fan Bing pouted, looking sullen, but as he turned around, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes, and his previously reluctant steps quickened.

A short while later, he brought over a bowl of hot meat soup.

Fan Qingbo took the plate, sat down beside the scholar's bed, and gently blew the steam from the broth onto him. Sure enough, his nostrils twitched, and he slowly woke up.

"Wow!" the children clapped and screamed. "Master Fan is amazing! The teacher has come back to life!"

The scholar opened one eye halfway, startled by the sight before him. Instinctively, he felt he was dreaming and quickly closed his eyes again. But he hadn't closed them long before he abruptly opened them again, his pupils deep and inky. He stared intently at Fan Qingbo, who sat beside the bed. She held a fragrant bowl of hot soup in her hands, her expression seemingly gentle and refined. The phrase "raising the tray to the eyebrows" struck him instantly.

He murmured incredulously, "When... did Meng Guang take over Liang Hong's case..."

She didn't hear him clearly and thought he was just spouting off again, so she chuckled and said, "Hey, silly boy, I've noticed you seem to be particularly sensitive to hunger?"

The group of children then gathered around, touching his arms and pinching his thighs, very excited, "He's really alive!"

To his surprise, when he turned around and saw the group of children, he was shocked and gasped, "When...did we have so many children?" Are dreams really so irrational...? Just a moment ago he was dreaming of his wedding, how come he already has a bunch of children now?

Fan Qingbo heard this clearly, and his expression immediately turned strange. Was the aftereffect of poisoning memory confusion and incoherent speech?

Seeing that she didn't answer, he asked again, "Wife?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty—Wife?" Fan Bing, who had been closely watching whether the scholar was drinking his soup, almost choked upon hearing the address. He jumped up like a madman, rushed in front of him, and grabbed his collar. "You, you, you! I knew you weren't a good person from the start! You better confess! What did you do to my master last night? Why did you call her 'Wife'? You're trying to surpass me and rise to the top in one step, are you looking for death?!"

He was so dizzy from being shaken around that his mind suddenly returned to normal, and he finally realized that this was not a dream.

Well, what he just said was really... really...

The scholar rolled his eyes and collapsed again. This time, it was unclear whether it was from hunger, dizziness, or embarrassment.

Fan Bing quickly let go, "It's none of my business!"

Fan Qingbo rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and said helplessly, "It's acting up again. Why are you so hostile towards the scholar? He's a good person and he saved me. You can't do this. I know you added something to the broth, and although he hasn't drunk it yet, you should still apologize to him after he wakes up."

Upon realizing that she was defending the scholar in every word, Fan Bing was both heartbroken and angry, and blurted out without thinking, "It wasn't him who saved you! He's clearly a highly skilled martial artist, yet he let you be captured, and you're grateful to him?"

Fan Qingbo's face darkened. "He said he had crippled himself."

Fan Bing's face flushed red with anxiety. "After witnessing his self-healing abilities and agility, you still believe this?"

Fan Qingbo sighed and lowered his eyes. "Yes, I believe you."

Before he could refute, she continued, "He would rather cut his wrists than fight again, and there must be a great reason for that. I don't challenge him to a duel, and I have no grudge against him. Whether he knows martial arts or not has nothing to do with me. Since that's the case, if being an ordinary scholar who has lost all his martial arts skills is what he wants, why should I try to ruin it?"

She kept her eyes down, so she didn't see Fan Bing's tightly bitten lip, his face suddenly turning deathly pale, a mixture of anger, panic, and despair. It wasn't until she heard footsteps that she looked up and saw him rushing out the door, initially thinking he was just throwing a childish tantrum.

Turning his gaze back to the children, seeing their trembling silence, he quickly broke into a wide smile and reassured them, "It's alright, it's alright, Little Fan is just playing hide-and-seek with me. By the way, the teacher isn't feeling well today, so there won't be any class. You're free to do whatever you want."

The children's initial shock was quickly overshadowed by the news of the holiday, and they cheered and dispersed.

Finally, only two people remained in the room.

Fan Qingbo glanced at the person on the bed. "Don't be shy, get up. They're all gone."

The person on the bed remained motionless, as if oblivious. Fan Qingbo looked at his slightly trembling eyelashes and chuckled inwardly. "Aren't you hungry? Get up, let's go to Shili Xiang for a good meal. It's on me, to repay your life-saving grace."

Those long eyelashes trembled even more violently. Not only that, she noticed his lips were also starting to tighten. Perhaps he wanted to say something but was afraid of giving himself away, so he subconsciously pursed his lips to stop himself? Oh, scholar, you can't be this cute!

She licked her lips and said casually, "If you don't get up, I'm going to kiss you."

She actually said it! She knew she shouldn't provoke him anymore to draw a clear line, but she really couldn't help it, and didn't want to. Fan Qingbo, you're such a jerk! This is bad; she's actually starting to agree with his description of "willfulness"...

Upon hearing this, the scholar was indeed startled and immediately sprang to life. His innocent, bewildered eyes blinked rapidly, but just as she was about to tease him with a smile, they suddenly closed tightly again. The words "take it or leave it" floated into her mind.

The scholar closed his eyes, his heart pounding wildly, so wildly that he didn't even know what he was expecting.

Thump! Huh, was his heartbeat really that loud? No—he quickly opened his eyes, but Fan Qingbo was nowhere to be seen in the room.

"Get up quickly, wash up and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you outside." Her voice came from outside the door.

He blankly uttered an "Oh," his tone filled with a sense of loss and frustration that even startled himself.

Then, a burst of wild laughter suddenly erupted outside the door, clearly from someone who had been holding it in for a long time.