El amor de un mortal a través de la dinastía Song del Norte

Capítulo 51

"Second Brother, put me down quickly, I'm fine. Quickly take Miss Xinhe over first." She struggled to climb down from Li Tianqi's arms.

After bidding farewell to Su Li, the group jumped back onto their own boat, which sped towards the shore.

After taking off her wet clothes, Wei Zijun felt much more comfortable. She let her wet hair down, dried it, and crawled naked into the quilt, letting out a soft sigh of comfort.

"Zijun, open the door." It was Li Tianqi knocking on the door.

"Second brother, I'm going to bed. Is there something you need?"

"Open the door and let the doctor take your pulse!" Li Tianqi led the doctor to wait outside the door.

"Take her pulse!" Liu Yunde had diagnosed her as a woman with just one pulse diagnosis, and she couldn't take that risk. "Second brother, I'm not sick. There's no need to take my pulse. Please ask the doctor to go back."

"You said you weren't sick, but the river water was so cold at night, you caught a chill. When I held you, your body was trembling."

"Second brother, I'm really fine. If you're worried about me getting sick, you might as well leave a prescription for treating colds. I can use it when I get sick. Anyway, don't take my pulse. I'm going to sleep." After saying that, she covered herself with the quilt and ignored Li Tianqi's knocking on the door.

"Why are you so stubborn, child?" Li Tianqi sighed and left with the doctor.

After a while, Li Tianqi knocked on the door again. "Zijun, open the door."

"Second Brother—I'm not sick!" Wei Zijun raised her head and said impatiently towards the door.

"Open the door for my second brother. It's not a medical consultation; the doctor has left."

Wei Zijun reluctantly sat up. "Second Brother, wait for me to get dressed." She climbed out of bed, grabbed the white silk ribbon—what to do? It was all wet. What could she do? With a determined heart, she wrapped the ribbon around her body. The cold, damp touch sent a chill down her spine. She grabbed Li Tianqi's dry inner shirt and draped it over herself; his clothes were far too large, hanging loosely on her. In her haste to leave, she hadn't brought any spare clothes, while Li Tianqi, who had traveled all the way from the capital by water, had a large trunk of clothes on the boat.

Li Tianqi opened the door and carried in a basin of steaming hot water. "Why did it take so long? Hurry up and lie down on the bed..." He grumbled as he put down the hot water, looking at Wei Zijun with a hint of reproach. When he saw her current appearance, he was momentarily stunned.

Wei Zijun, having just crawled out of bed and hastily dressed, had a slightly flushed face. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down like silk, shimmering with an alluring sheen. Her usually refined and handsome face, in the candlelight, possessed a captivating, almost sinister quality. The loose, thin, moon-white robe clung to her body, accentuating her slender and alluring figure. The disheveled collar revealed a glimpse of her snow-white chest, sparking endless imagination. She was clearly a woman of boundless charm, possessing an unparalleled, seductive beauty that could ensnare the soul.

Seeing Li Tianqi staring blankly at her, Wei Zijun suddenly realized that her hair was still loose, and she was extremely embarrassed. "Um, Second Brother... oh... my hair is all wet... I haven't tied it up yet..."

Li Tianqi suddenly woke up, feeling his face burning. "Um... Zijun... I... I..." Why was he stammering? He's your fourth brother, your fourth brother! Yes! He's your fourth brother. Li Tianqi forced himself to accept this fact and returned to normal. "Fourth brother, get into bed quickly, I'll help you wash up." After saying that, he took a towel from the basin and wrung it out.

What?! A body wipe?! Wei Zijun was so shocked she almost jumped out of her skin. "Second Brother, no! I won't wipe you!"

“You caught a cold. The doctor said this will help you recover. Come and take off your clothes.” Li Tianqi grabbed one of her hands, lifted his sleeve and began to wipe her arm. After wiping her arm, he started to pull off Wei Zijun’s clothes.

"Second brother, no need, you should go back and rest." Wei Zijun grabbed his collar, threw off the quilt and crawled inside, clutching the corners of the quilt tightly with both hands.

"Look at your face, so red, could it be that you have a fever?" Li Tianqi reached out and touched her forehead. "It's so hot! You said you weren't sick, but you have a fever. Is your body hot?" As he finished speaking, he reached his large hand under the covers from the side.

"Second Brother—" Wei Zijun exclaimed, loosening her grip on the blanket and pressing down, but it was too late. Li Tianqi's large hand had already slipped inside her clothes and covered her abdomen.

Just as Wei Zijun's heart was about to leap out of her chest, Li Tianqi withdrew his arm.

"It's so hot, I'll go make you some medicine." He said this as he casually stood up, walked to the corner of the cabin, and then stopped, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. Why was this happening? Why was he so panicked? Was it because of that smooth, delicate touch? No! What was it then? God! He didn't know! He didn't know!

Half an hour later, a maid brought over a bowl of medicine. "Young master! This servant, Lan'er, will serve you your medicine."

Looking at the bowl of bitter soup, Wei Zijun frowned. "Leave it here for now! Go and rest."

"His Highness instructed me to let the young master drink it while it's hot. Please drink it quickly, young master. This is medicine that His Highness personally brewed for you. If you don't drink it, I dare not go back." The maid took out a dish from the tray. "His Highness knows that the young master is afraid of bitterness, so he prepared candied fruit. Please take the medicine with peace of mind."

Candied fruit! How could he even think of that? It's so late; she doesn't want to ruin her perfectly white teeth. Wei Zijun steeled herself, picked up the medicine bowl, and drank it all in one gulp. "Water, quickly give me water."

The maidservant hurriedly brought over the teacup. Wei Zijun suppressed her urge to vomit, drank several mouthfuls of water, smacked her lips, and felt the bitter taste spreading. She glanced at the candied fruit but still held back.

[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 46, Xinhe]

The next morning, Wei Zijun's fever subsided, so the medicine seemed to have worked. Seeing her get up, the maid named Lan'er came to help her wash and dress. After washing and dressing, Wei Zijun went outside the cabin.

A thin mist floated on the lake in the early morning, drifting and ethereal like a light veil. The willows on the shore were hazy and indistinct, a gentle breeze causing them to sway and brush the water. A picture of Xi Shi washing silk, which I had seen as a child, floated into my mind, and I couldn't help but recall the ci poem form "Huanxi Sha." After a moment's thought, I added a poem to it, gazing at the river, and softly recited:

A light chill washes the green gauze, a gentle morning dew sweeps away the rosy clouds. Thousands of strands of hair fall on her rosy cheeks.

Her waist was slender, like a sandalwood lotus blossom; her skin, white as snow, still possessed the fragrance of jade. Her face, fragrant as orchids, resembled a blooming ramie flower.

"The rhythm of this poem is so unique! Is Ziju reciting it about herself?" Li Tianqi's voice rang out from behind.

He would certainly find it strange, because the rhyme scheme of this ci poem only appeared in the Later Tang Dynasty, Wei Zijun thought to himself.

"This is a ci poem titled 'Huanxi Sha.' The poem I just wrote was clearly about the Yuexi girl from Zhuluo West Village. How could you say such nonsense, Second Brother?" Li Tianqi actually compared her to a woman. Could it be that he had overlooked something in his posture or demeanor?

"Why did Ziju bring up Xi Shi?"

"It's just a feeling stirred by the scenery. This place was once the State of Yue, the hometown of Xi Shi!" Wei Zijun sighed.

"A slender waist, like a sandalwood lotus, and snow-white skin, still as beautiful as jade. I think Fourth Brother is just like that." Li Tianqi glanced at Wei Zijun, then suddenly placed his hands on her waist. "Let me measure Fourth Brother's waist."

"Second Brother—what are you doing?" Wei Zijun was startled and reached out to slap away Li Tianqi's large hands.

"Zijun, why are you so short?" Seeing the hem of his clothes being trampled underfoot, he exclaimed, "Are you really going to ruin your second brother's clothes like this?"

Wei Zijun looked down at the long robe hanging on her body. It was too big and baggy, with the hem dragging on the ground. She reached out and pulled the hem out from under her feet before she remembered to retort, "What!? I'm short!? I used to be considered tall!"

Indeed, she was considered tall among modern women, with long legs, a slim waist, and a slender, well-proportioned figure. Now, however, her once-proud physique was being ridiculed. First her slim waist, then her height—this was truly disheartening for her.

“Tall? Come on! Let’s compare!” Li Tianqi leaned against Wei Zijun. “Look, your forehead barely reaches the tip of my nose, and your eyes can only see my chin. Tall, you say? I think you might be considered tall among women.”

Wei Zijun was annoyed and was about to push him away when the boat swayed and she leaned forward, her forehead touching Li Tianqi's lips.

Li Tianqi felt the warm touch on his lips and a strange feeling arose in his heart. Looking at the head under his nose, he wanted to reach out and stroke the black hair, stroke the cheek, and hug the body.