Rodeé con mi brazo la esbelta cintura del hombre fuerte

Capítulo 19

Although Danmei's shoulders and back were throbbing with pain, her mind remained clear. She heard screams behind her, seemingly from Xiqing and Miaoxia. She struggled slightly, trying to get up from Huijie's arms, but the pain only intensified. She groaned once before feeling herself being lifted up. She vaguely heard someone shouting, "Quickly, call the doctor!"

Once she came to her senses, Xiqing and Miaoxia hurriedly picked up Huijie. Although there was blood on her, she felt fine and assumed it had come from the madam. They quickly helped up the wet nurse, who was still sitting slumped over. Although her face was covered in blood, the wound on her forehead had already clotted. They quickly pressed the blood with a handkerchief and carried her and Huijie back to the room next door to wait for the doctor to come and treat them. Miaoxia stayed to accompany her, while Xiqing and Chang'er hurriedly brought hot water into Danmei's room.

The post station official, relieved to see that the fire was under control, was shocked to hear that villains had taken advantage of the chaos to break into the house where Xu Jinrong's family lived and committed violence, injuring his wife and wet nurse. He was stunned and hurriedly sent someone to fetch a doctor. He dared not stay any longer and rushed to the county office to report, eager to bring Magistrate Zhang over so that he could face Magistrate Xu.

Xu Jinrong picked up Danmei and saw that her face was pale, her forehead was covered with cold sweat, and her eyes were half-open, making her eyebrows and trembling eyelashes look like two black lines, a shocking sight. Blood gushing from her shoulder and back soaked through half of her clothes. He was both shocked and remorseful, and quickly carried her to the bed and laid her face down. Carefully removing her clothes, he saw that on her smooth back and shoulder, which he had so passionately caressed the night before, there was now a hand-length knife wound. The flesh was slightly turned outward, and blood was still seeping out. Fortunately, it had not yet broken the bone.

Having spent his early years on the front lines, such wounds were nothing new to him; he was used to them. But now, however, his heart felt as if it had been cut by a dull knife, and a dull pain arose within him. Suppressing his shock and anger, he stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth so she could bite it down, while whispering words of comfort. He then took the wound medicine that a servant had brought earlier and carefully applied it to her wound.

Danmei suddenly felt another sharp pain in her shoulder, knowing that he was helping her stop the bleeding, and she bit down hard on the handkerchief in her mouth.

The wound medicine had an excellent hemostatic and healing effect, but it was extremely painful when it first touched the broken skin, as Xu Jinrong naturally knew. Seeing that she was trembling slightly from the pain, yet she endured it without uttering a sound, he felt great pity and admiration for her, and said in a low voice, "I know you're in pain. If it hurts, just cry it out. Don't force yourself to endure it and hurt your liver and lungs."

His technique was extremely skillful; in the blink of an eye, he had applied medicine to the wound and carefully bandaged it. Without any fanfare, he took the wrung-out cloth from her and carefully wiped away the bloodstains. He half-supported, half-carried her to change her into clean clothes, when someone outside announced that the doctor had arrived and was waiting.

The wet nurse had some ointment applied to her forehead, and the doctor bandaged her up. All that could be heard from inside the room were her groans of pain. Xu Jinrong watched as the doctor prescribed some calming and pain-relieving medicine, then ordered someone to fetch the medicine and prepare it. He told Xiqing to take good care of her, returned to Danmei's bedside, comforted her a few more times, and then hurriedly left.

***

Inside the front hall and tower of the post station.

"My lord, it is all my fault for being negligent. I did not expect that the thieves would take advantage of the arson to injure the lady. I have failed in my duty and deserve to die."

Jiang Rui was the nephew of Steward Xu. Although he was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, he was exceptionally skilled in martial arts and was known for his composure and quick wit. He had always been highly regarded by Xu Jinrong. He was the head of the guards accompanying the group on this trip. He was left at the post station to guard his wife and her party for the first half of the night. Unexpectedly, he made such a mistake due to carelessness. He was extremely remorseful and knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground.

Xu Jinrong frowned and said, "Your dereliction of duty as a guard should have been severely punished. However, considering your usual loyalty and bravery, and the fact that the lady is fortunately out of danger, I will let it go this time. But if you are negligent again in the future, you will be severely punished!"

Seeing Xu Jinrong's cold and stern expression, Jiang Rui was secretly alarmed and hurriedly kowtowed to admit his guilt.

Xu Jinrong pondered for a moment, as if thinking about something, before finally speaking: "This time I was indeed negligent. I didn't expect the thieves to make their move so suddenly while I was still in the capital region after only a few days of travel. It was truly unexpected. Since they knew my whereabouts so well and had their eyes on the official seal, the person behind them must be no ordinary person. Bring them here; I want to interrogate them myself."

Jiang Rui hurriedly got up and, together with several other guards, pushed the two men in black they had just captured inside.

The masks on the two men in black had been removed. They were in their thirties or forties, with dark skin. One was unharmed, while the other had a cut on the back of his head, with blood clots forming, making him look somewhat ferocious. Both were incredibly stubborn, still standing tall, as if to say, "What can you do to me if I don't say a word?" Jiang Rui went up and kicked them hard in the back of the knee, and both of them knelt down.

"Who sent you to dare seize my seal and harm my family?"

Xu Jinrong untied the bag that Jiang Rui had handed to the man in black, glanced at the official seal and Danmei's jewelry inside, and slowly asked.

"I'm just passing by, robbing the rich to help the poor. A corrupt official like you and your family deserve to die!"

Xu Jinrong remained silent, only ordering Jiang Rui to remove the shoes from his two feet. After glancing at them, he snorted and said, "Just as I expected, you are remnants of the bandit Chai Zheng's gang. Even if Chai Zheng were still alive, let alone two nameless nobodys like you, I doubt you would have the audacity to sneak into the capital and plot against me. Tell me who ordered you, and I'll give you a quick death."

The two men in black, caught off guard by their exposed origins, changed their expressions. The one with the broken head raised his head and said, "Now that I'm in your hands, kill me if you want, what more do you want to say!"

Xu Jinrong snorted, casually picking up a pale plum blossom hairpin and playing with it, saying indifferently, "I've heard that the methods you pirates use to deal with people are quite interesting. You pour boiling water on a person's body, then use an iron brush to scrape and comb the flesh off piece by piece until the flesh is gone and the bones are exposed, and the person is still alive. You also use a stick as long as a person's arm to insert into a person's mouth or lower opening until it's completely inside. I've heard about these methods for a long time, but I've never tried them. Why don't I use them on the two of you today?"

Though his tone was calm, his voice, as if chilled by ice, carried a hint of ruthlessness. The two men in black had witnessed such horrific torture before, and despite being desperate criminals, their expressions changed drastically. The one with the broken head was still holding on, while the other could no longer help but tremble slightly, prostrating himself on the ground and begging for mercy, quickly revealing the whole story.

Xu Jinrong ordered his men to take away the two men in black, while he remained seated, deep in thought. Jiang Rui waited a moment, and seeing his grave expression, cautiously asked, "How did you know the origins of those two thieves, sir? And what are your plans for the future?"

Xu Jinrong paused for a moment, then muttered, "River bandits travel on rivers year-round, just like fishermen, their feet are dark and their toes are swollen. I heard some time ago that after Chai Da died, his scattered bandits went to Wulang Water Village, where they used to compete with him for food. Now Wulang's power is growing, and he's practically become the new leader of the waterways in Huainan. Those two are just small fry, acting on Wulang's orders. As for who's behind Wulang, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I don't know."

"Then what should be done with those two?"

Jiang Rui glanced at Xu Jinrong and asked cautiously.

"You audacious dog, daring to harm my wife! What are you still doing here? Just give me a quick death!"

Xu Jinrong snorted, stood up, pushed open the door and went out. He was greeted by Magistrate Zhang and his entourage of post station officials who were waiting in the hall. When they saw him come out, they hurriedly bowed and scraped as they came forward.

Xu Jinrong was somewhat worried about Danmei. After hearing Danmei's earnest apologies, he became impatient, tossing out the words "Catch the arsonist as soon as possible" before turning away, leaving Magistrate Zhang there dejectedly. He had originally intended to curry favor with him, but unexpectedly, such a thing happened on the very night the group checked into the inn, within his jurisdiction. He recalled how Magistrate Xu had repeatedly tried to leave during the banquet, and how he had tried to persuade him to stay, thankfully not daring to force him too much. If they had stayed any longer, who knew what kind of trouble they might have caused. He also heard that the family of a sixth-rank military officer who had completed his term and was on his way to the capital for a report, was staying in the northwest corner corridor. Although they had escaped early and no one had been killed, all their belongings had been burned down, and the woman was crying and demanding compensation. He was even more at a loss, sighing inwardly at his bad luck.

Xu Jinrong returned to the back room; it was already past midnight. He was about to go to Danmei's room when he noticed the light was still on in Huijie's room. Remembering that Huijie had also seemed quite frightened, he decided to check on her. Upon reaching the door, he heard the wet nurse's voice; she was recounting the terrifying scene to the people inside:

"...I bled so much, enough to fill a large bowl, that I collapsed to the ground chanting Amitabha Buddha's name, utterly exhausted, thinking I was really going to die. I originally thought the villain would just take the things and leave, but unexpectedly, he even tried to attack the young lady and madam. I saw madam rush over to protect the young lady, and I don't know where I got the strength, but I jumped up, grabbed a round stool, and smashed it down on the villain's head. It was so dangerous, you can't imagine. If I hadn't struck him in time, that villain would have stabbed her hard, and my delicate madam..."

Xu Jinrong coughed, and the room fell silent. He pushed the door open and saw that besides Xiqing, who was guarding Danmei, Miaoxia and even two maids were there. The wet nurse was lying on the couch, half of her head wrapped in white cloth. She was nowhere to be seen as the pig-like woman who had been screaming in pain earlier. Instead, she was excitedly boasting to everyone. When she saw Xu Jinrong enter, she hurriedly tried to get off the couch, but he stopped her with a gesture and nodded, saying, "You did very well today, loyally protecting your master. I will reward you handsomely. Your son is also quite good. I will write to Steward Xu to promote him and train him to be the manager."

Although the wet nurse was overjoyed, she knew it was best not to show it. But she couldn't stay lying down any longer, and rolled off the bed to kowtow. Her head was almost touching the ground when she suddenly remembered that her head was wrapped in cloth. So she suppressed her joy and kowtowed a few times in a perfunctory manner.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Hui-jie still seemed to be in shock, sitting there blankly. Xu Jinrong felt a pang of pity, went over and patted her head, telling her to go and rest early. Miao-xia, who was nearby, quickly winked at Chang'er and the two maids and quietly slipped away. Once only the wet nurse was left in the room, Hui-jie suddenly grabbed Xu Jinrong's hand, looked up hesitantly, and said, "Father, she's lost a lot of blood, will she die? I wanted to go see her just now, but Xi-qing wouldn't let me in, saying she had just taken her medicine and fallen asleep, and I was afraid of disturbing her."

Seeing the tears still glistening in his daughter's large eyes, Xu Jinrong immediately thought of the woman lying in the next room—his wife. Last night they had been enjoying each other's company in the bridal chamber, but today, because of him, she had suffered this unexpected misfortune. If he hadn't returned early, who knows what would have happened? A nameless anger welled up in his heart, and he muttered, "She'll be alright. Don't overthink it. Go to sleep." He then turned and strode out into the next room.

Xiqing was still guarding the bedside. Seeing Xu Jinrong enter, he hurriedly stood up and said in a low voice, "Madam took her medicine and just fell asleep a moment ago."

Xu Jinrong hummed in agreement: "You can go now. I'll keep an eye on things."

Xiqing respectfully agreed and left. He didn't return to his original room in the next courtyard, but instead set up a temporary bed in Sister Hui's room next door to rest, ready to be served by both sides.

Xu Jinrong, fully clothed, quietly climbed onto the couch and lay down beside her. Seeing that she was still lying face down, half her face pressed against the pillow, her brows slightly furrowed, and a few strands of hair scattered on her face, she looked restless even in her sleep. He reached out and gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face. Unexpectedly, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.

The ointment was initially very spicy, but afterwards the wound felt cool and numb, with only a slight soreness. Even the slightest movement that aggravated the wound caused great discomfort, which is why Danmei, a very light sleeper, was startled awake by his slight touch on her lower face.

The two exchanged a glance, and Xu Jinrong tucked her hair behind her ear again, asking in a low voice, "Does it still hurt?" After asking, he immediately added with a self-deprecating laugh, "Look at the question I asked, of course it hurts."

Danmei smiled slightly and said, "It was a little painful when the medicine was applied at first, but it's much better now, just a little sore and swollen."

Xu Jinrong looked at her for a moment, and finally said, "It's my fault for being negligent. This is why you got into trouble. You were injured like this after only a few days of following me out. You almost... Don't worry, this will never happen again."

Seeing the guilt in his eyes, Danmei wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but she didn't know what to say. Suddenly, she remembered the official seal and became a little anxious. She propped up one arm and said, "Your official seal..." Before she could finish speaking, she fell back down, her face showing pain.

Xu Jinrong quickly steadied her shoulders and scolded her in a low voice, "Why are you moving around like that? The official seal isn't missing. Even if it really was taken, the person behind it will definitely use it to blackmail me and has other schemes. They'll come looking for me sooner or later. Do you think I'm someone who's afraid of trouble?"

Danmei breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that the official seal had not been lost. She tilted her head on the pillow and looked at him for a moment before hesitatingly asking, "You... have many enemies?"

Xu Jinrong was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Let alone the martial world, even in officialdom, there are many who are friends today and enemies tomorrow, or enemies today and friends tomorrow. My wife, it's really hard for me to answer your question."

Seeing that he jokingly avoided the main point, Danmei realized he was afraid she would worry, so she didn't ask any more questions. Her neck was a little sore from lying down for so long, so she wanted to turn over to sleep on her side. Xu Jinrong gently turned her over so she was lying on her side, then sighed behind her and said, "I never thought you'd be so quiet usually, but you'd have such courage in this situation. Even some men wouldn't stand firm under a knife, let alone someone who would use their own body to protect Sister Hui?"

Danmei felt a little embarrassed when he praised her, and said, "Actually, I was scared too. There were only the three of us in the room: me, Sister Hui, and the wet nurse. The wet nurse had already fallen to the ground, and Sister Hui is younger than me. If I didn't protect her, would I expect her to protect me? You weren't here. If you were, I would definitely hide behind you and not come out."

As soon as Danmei finished speaking, she heard Xu Jinrong behind her seem to laugh. A breath of hot air hit the back of her neck, ruffling her fine hair and causing a slight itch.

"Hmm, it's all my fault. I just want you to get better soon, my wife. Then you can punish me however you want."

Danmei, hearing his somewhat obsequious teasing tone, ignored him and simply closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. After a while, she felt him go downstairs and turn off the light, then quietly lay back down. Perhaps afraid of touching her injury, he didn't embrace her as usual, leaving an elbow's width of space between them.

Danmei felt at peace and was drifting off to sleep when she suddenly felt a warmth on the back of her neck. It was him who had pressed his lips to hers and kissed her there, very gently and carefully.

Danmei was startled and remained motionless, pretending to have fallen asleep. She wondered what would happen next, but after his kiss, he simply tucked the blanket around her and did nothing more that night.

***

The wet nurse, aside from her head being wrapped up like a rice dumpling, cried out a few times during dressing changes, but the next day she was lively and energetic, even better than before. Danmei, however, had been forced to lie on the couch by Xu Jinrong for two days straight. Her hands and feet ached, and she was getting impatient. With less than a month left until the end of the year, she didn't know when they would reach Huaichu Prefecture if they continued to stay there. That evening, while he was changing her dressing, she brought up the idea of boarding a ship the next day to continue eastward. Xu Jinrong initially seemed reluctant, saying they should wait another three to five days until the wounds healed better. She frowned and complained repeatedly, saying it was better to be on the ship than stuck here, at least there were sights to see on both banks. He couldn't persuade her otherwise and finally agreed.

It was quite a distance from the post station to the wharf. They had come by carriage, but this time, fearing that the bumpy carriage ride might aggravate Danmei's shoulder injury, Xu Jinrong specially ordered a sedan chair and had the porters carefully carry her to the wharf.

Magistrate Zhang was busy for two days, but the arsonist from that night was nowhere to be found, let alone caught. Fearing that Xu Jinrong would hold a grudge and report the matter to his superiors, the day before yesterday, he sent his wife to the post station to find Danmei and apologize, bringing lavish gifts. However, Xiqing stopped her, only relaying Danmei's message that she should go back without worry, as the matter was sudden and there was no intention of blaming her. Madam Zhang was not convinced and returned home worriedly. When she told her husband, he was so anxious that he developed blisters on his lips overnight. The clerk then suggested that they find someone in jail, torture them to extract a confession, and send them to Xu Jinrong. Magistrate Zhang was still hesitating when he heard from the post station official this morning that Lord Xu and his entourage were about to leave. He dared not delay and hurriedly led his men to the dock to clear the way for their farewell.

Xu Jinrong knew there was a reason for this incident, and he couldn't entirely blame Magistrate Zhang. Remembering Danmei's advice to him to be forgiving, he gave a few perfunctory replies and boarded his boat to leave. Magistrate Zhang returned home and waited anxiously for over ten days, but when he didn't receive a report of reprimand from his superior, he realized he had escaped this ordeal. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping he would never see that door-god-like Magistrate Xu again.

***

After sailing for another two or three days, the ship left the capital region and took the route through Jiangning Prefecture in the Jingdong West Circuit. It then crossed the Yangtze River, where the view became even more expansive. The water and sky were ablaze with a magnificent sight, a far cry from the scenery on the Bian River. The sails were billowing in the wind, and the journey was extremely smooth. In just a few days, they entered the territory of Huainan Circuit.

Huainan Circuit governs seventeen prefectures, covering a vast area. Huaichu Prefecture is located in the western part of the inner region, north of the Yangtze River, which is closer than places like Tongzhou and Qingzhou, which are closer to the East China Sea. Danmei originally thought she wouldn't be able to arrive before the end of the year, but unexpectedly, while anchored outside Lingjin City that night, she heard Xu Jinrong say that she would arrive at Huaichu Prefecture in three or four days.

Since leaving Daju County, Xu Jinrong has been extremely cautious. Not only did he not travel by land during the day as he had previously stated, but he also had his accompanying guards board the ship. If they went ashore to stay overnight, there were people on duty in shifts.

Danmei had been on the ship for over twenty days and was naturally getting tired of it. Even Huijie, who had initially been quite enthusiastic, seemed a bit listless and kept asking when they would arrive. Hearing Xu Jinrong say this, she was naturally pleased and a smile appeared on her face.

"Let me see your shoulders."

Xu Jinrong put down the book he was holding, climbed onto Danmei's bedside, and put his hand on her shoulder.

After more than twenty days of recuperation, the bandages no longer needed, and the wound had healed. It had been itchy at night these past few days, probably because the scab was falling off. Yesterday, Danmei looked in the mirror and saw a dark scar on her shoulder, which looked quite gruesome. Hearing him say he wanted to see it, she hesitated and tried to pull away, but he grabbed her arm, skillfully removing her clothes from her shoulder while laughing, "I even applied the medicine for you, what's there to hide?"

Danmei had no choice but to remain still and let him see.

Xu Jinrong glanced at it, his hand gently stroking the scar. The warm touch immediately made Danmei look away, whispering, "It's awful, don't look."

Xu Jinrong didn't loosen his grip; instead, he pulled her close to his back and kissed her on the scar.

Danmei felt as if she were being branded by fire, and twisted her body uneasily. But then she heard him whisper in her ear, "It's not ugly. Even if I look at it every night from now on, I won't get tired of it."

He spoke in a low, soft voice, and after he finished speaking, he hugged his arms tighter, looking down as if he were smelling the fragrance of her body after her bath.

Although they had slept together every night for the past two weeks, he hadn't mentioned it, fearing that rubbing against her wound might cause it to reopen. At night, he would only occasionally hold her and caress her a few times. Although she couldn't see his face now, Danmei felt a warmth emanating from his hand covering her waist and abdomen, and she suddenly felt a little hot herself.

"Clang..." "Clang..."

Just then, they seemed to hear the evening bell ringing from a temple on a mountain outside the city. Danmei immediately grasped his hand, turned around and smiled, "Hearing this bell outside the boat reminds me of Zhang Cibu's 'A Night Mooring at Maple Bridge.' His temple is Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, but we are in Lingjin. I just don't know what kind of temple this bell is from."

"If you want to see, I'll take you there tomorrow morning to find out."

Xu Jinrong smiled slightly.

Danmei shook her head, simply sat up from his embrace, pulled up her clothes, got off the boat, opened the window of the ship's side, and looked out. She saw a winter moon hanging obliquely, illuminating a hazy distant mountain across the river, with fishing lights dotting the surface. Just then, a few faint bell tolls, their direction indistinct, echoed across the dark river, blending with the soft sound of the water, creating a sense of desolation.

"I listened for half a day, but I still couldn't figure out the direction..."

Danmei smiled and said something, but he didn't respond. Just as she turned her head, her forehead bumped into his chin. The next moment, he stretched out his arms and hugged her waist from behind, one hand already inside her clothes.

"It's not ready yet, you can't touch it now..."

Her face flushed slightly, and her voice was barely audible.

"Hmm... I know..."

Xu Jinrong leaned down and whispered something in Danmei's ear. She turned around and glared at him angrily, punching his chest a few times with her left hand. This made him chuckle, pick her up, and close the window.

The next day, Hui-jie was overjoyed to learn that they would arrive in just a few days. Not only her, but also the wet nurse, Xi-qing, and the others showed their delight. It seemed that everyone was tired of this daily boat journey, but they dared not show it. With two days left until New Year's Eve, the group of seven or eight boats finally docked at the Yangtze River wharf in Huai-chu Prefecture.

Author's Note: I had a really bad day, so I'm just copying this here for now. Please forgive me, mobile readers. ╭(╯3╰)╮

Hui-jie still seemed to be in shock, sitting there blankly. Xu Jinrong felt a pang of pity, went over and patted her head, telling her to go and rest early. Miao-xia, who was nearby, quickly winked at Chang'er and the two maids and quietly slipped away. Once only the wet nurse was left in the room, Hui-jie suddenly grabbed Xu Jinrong's hand, looked up hesitantly, and said, "Father, she's lost a lot of blood, will she die? I wanted to go see her just now, but Xi-qing wouldn't let me in, saying she had just taken her medicine and fallen asleep, and I was afraid of disturbing her."

Seeing the tears still glistening in his daughter's large eyes, Xu Jinrong immediately thought of the woman lying in the next room—his wife. Last night they had been enjoying each other's company in the bridal chamber, but today, because of him, she had suffered this unexpected misfortune. If he hadn't returned early, who knows what would have happened? A nameless anger welled up in his heart, and he muttered, "She'll be alright. Don't overthink it. Go to sleep." He then turned and strode out into the next room.

Xiqing was still guarding the bedside. Seeing Xu Jinrong enter, he hurriedly stood up and said in a low voice, "Madam took her medicine and just fell asleep a moment ago."

Xu Jinrong hummed in agreement: "You can go now. I'll keep an eye on things."

Xiqing respectfully agreed and left. He didn't return to his original room in the next courtyard, but instead set up a temporary bed in Sister Hui's room next door to rest, ready to be served by both sides.

Xu Jinrong, fully clothed, quietly climbed onto the couch and lay down beside her. Seeing that she was still lying face down, half her face pressed against the pillow, her brows slightly furrowed, and a few strands of hair scattered on her face, she looked restless even in her sleep. He reached out and gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face. Unexpectedly, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.

The ointment was initially very strong and spicy, but afterwards the wound felt cool and numb, with only a slight soreness and swelling. Even the slightest movement that aggravated the wound was extremely uncomfortable, so Danmei was a very light sleeper and was startled awake by his slight touch on her lower face.

The two exchanged a glance, and Xu Jinrong tucked her hair behind her ear again, asking in a low voice, "Does it still hurt?" After asking, he immediately added with a self-deprecating laugh, "Look at the question I asked, of course it hurts."

Danmei smiled slightly and said, "It was a little painful when the medicine was applied at first, but it's much better now, just a little sore and swollen."