She slowly got up, her body still weak from just waking up or from blood loss. As she tried to get out of bed, she absentmindedly braced herself against the edge, a sharp pain shooting through her wound. She raised her hand and frowned. Uncle Zhu…has he already gone back?
He must be someone who doesn't like crowds.
Someone rudely pushed open the door, complaining, "Why is it so dark!"
She could smell a faint scent of alcohol and knew it was Yuan Xun even without looking.
He came from a bright place, but the room was naturally dark. He groped his way in, squinting at the blurry figure on the bed: "Is that Xiaoyuan? Is he awake?"
"Hmm." Xiao Yuan nodded. "You've been drinking again."
"This is terrible!" He slammed something down on the table, cursing as he lit the lamp. "All the maids in the Pei family have gone to entertain the guests, there isn't even one to take care of you!"
Xiao Yuan gave a cold smirk, because wasn't she a distinguished guest?
The orange candlelight illuminated the entire room, creating a warm atmosphere. She could see what Yuanxun had brought: a food box.
Yuanxun threw down the flint, moved the lamp to her bedside, and began to grumble, "Senior Brother Pei is too busy seeing off guests and taking care of Juyuan to think about anything else. Senior Brother Yi's shop in Chengdu ran into some problems and he left too. There's not even anyone who cares about Xiaoyuan anymore. If I hadn't been thinking about you not eating all day, you would have really gone hungry." He sat down on the edge of the bed and clumsily opened the food box. "You like vegetables, so I got all vegetarian food. Huh?" He widened his eyes, making a clattering sound as he rummaged through the dishes. "Where's the rice?" He looked up in annoyance. "I forgot to get the rice. I'll go get it right now!"
Xiao Yuan grabbed him and shook her head, "I'm not hungry, this is enough."
"Okay, I'll feed you. Which dish do you want to eat first?" Her right arm was injured, so she couldn't hold chopsticks.
Xiao Yuan looked at him by candlelight. He was feeding her with utmost care, picking up a lot of food with each chopstick, and the juice dripped onto her clothes, which made him so angry that he jumped up and down.
Ten years have passed, and she's been taking care of him so carelessly for ten years. She's always taken it for granted, always thinking that she's the one worrying about him. This night, injured, aching all over, and with an empty stomach... only he is thinking of her, missing her.
Her nose stung with tears, and she buried her face in his chest, sobbing softly.
Yuanxun cried out and struggled to keep the plate level so the soup wouldn't spill, his voice trembling: "Does it hurt a lot, Xiaoyuan? Does it hurt a lot?! Should I go find Senior Brother Pei?"
Xiao Yuan shook her head vigorously, "Don't go to him! I'll just cry for a bit... and then I'll be fine."
Even after Yuanxun left, she still didn't want to sleep, probably because she had slept too much during the day. The voices in the distance gradually faded away, and even the sounds of the servants walking around in front of her room could no longer be heard.
A figure walked past her window, stood at her door for a moment, and then gently knocked on the door.
Xiao Yuan pulled the blanket up to cover himself completely before saying, "Come in."
It turned out to be Nangong Zhan who came. He was slightly taken aback when he entered. Xiao Yuan felt a little awkward because of his expression. At that moment, she was leaning against the headboard with her hair down. Wasn't that a bit too dignified in the eyes of a strange man?
"What is it?" She looked at him indifferently.
He paused slightly, then regained his composure and flashed his elegant smile again. "It's nothing, I just came to see you."
She didn't say anything, she just came to see her? She didn't believe it.
"Here, take this." He took out several lotus buds with long stems from behind him. "Actually, lotus flowers smell very nice."
Xiao Yuan gave a perfunctory smirk: "Thank you. You should go home and rest early, it's late." She said indifferently.
Nangong Zhan nodded. "I'll help you plug it in and then I'll leave."
Xiao Yuan looked at the lotus buds that Nangong Zhan had placed in the vase. They were larger than the other buds, and the pink color gradually faded from the tip to the bottom, which was quite elegant. She smiled coldly. Nangong Zhan was, after all, a young master from a prestigious family. He knew where to "measure" and didn't say much or make any other remarks. He simply filled the vase with water, arranged the flowers, and left neatly, without being annoying.
"Still not asleep?" Because her door wasn't locked, people usually just walked right in and out. Murong Xiao didn't rush in, leaning against the doorframe and smiling at her, "A beauty should be admired under the lamplight."
She turned her face away from him, not wanting to pay attention to him. Since they had known each other since childhood, she wasn't really angry with him. He had always been this kind of carefree and crazy person!
He walked straight over and sat on the edge of her bed, acting as if he were one of them. "Here, take this." He stuffed a package into her uninjured left hand.
She glanced back, not particularly interested, and saw a bag of plums… Her eyes welled up with tears; they were the very kind she loved as a child! He remembered?
“Eat this when you’re bored, it’s delicious. Before…” His eyes darted around, “a girl said that this was the best kind of plum.”
She clutched the paper package in her hand... but couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Even though she knew he wasn't talking about her, Li Yuan'er, his tender expression still touched a part of her soul.
After he left, she leaned against the table and the wall to walk to the door. Just as she was about to bolt the door, a long, strong hand stopped her. She stood silently inside the door, and he did not push the door open to come in.
Wasn't he taking care of Xiao Juyuan? How could he have the mind to come see her?
"Is Xiao Juyuan feeling better?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.
After a long pause, Pei Junwu said softly, "She's feeling better and has fallen asleep."
He only had time to visit her after she fell asleep?!
She slammed the door shut and bolted it. "Get out! I don't need you to come and check on me!"
"Xiao Yuan!" he called out helplessly, "The medicine needs to be changed!"
"Go away! I won't die even if no one cares! Go away!"
He remained silent for a long time before finally leaving quietly.
She staggered back to bed. Every time she told him to leave, he left! She looked at the lotus buds on the high stem and smiled. Did she hate him? Resent him? Despise him? She should have become numb from these repeated departures long ago.
But... why does my mouth taste bitter when I smile?
She leaned weakly against the pillow, staring blankly at the flower bud...
She had a bit of a headache from sleeping, and her shoulders and legs were sore from the bad posture. She didn't know when she fell asleep again.
She opened her eyes listlessly, and froze... The flower buds had all blossomed into elegant lotus flowers, as large as a child's face. A refreshing fragrance filled her senses, invigorating her heavy heart with the scent of the morning.
So beautiful! Absolutely so beautiful!
Yuanxun came to pick her up and led her to the hall for breakfast. After entering the room, he admired the blooming lotus flowers for a while. When he found out that they were a gift from Nangong Zhan, he shook his head and said admiringly, "Men from the Central Plains really know how to sweet-talk people!"