Un cœur pur dans un pot de jade

Chapitre 31

"Pfft—!" The sound of water spraying came again from not far away.

"What?!" The fortune teller turned around.

“A man,” I said, “I just got divorced, so, you know, I need a man… I need comfort… so much…”

As expected, the fortune teller's expression immediately changed. People were coming and going in the small restaurant, and voices were rising and falling, but no one paid much attention to this side.

After his expression changed a second time, the fortune teller turned around and sat down opposite me again.

“Now there’s another problem,” I leaned forward, resting my hands on the table, “Actually, my husband isn’t exactly a man who relies on his looks. Of course, I’m not saying he’s less handsome than those pretty boys. The key issue is that I suddenly find his face incredibly attractive to women. It’s not that I lack confidence in my husband, nor am I the type to get jealous for no reason. Besides, being jealous and caring about him are completely different things. I’m just worried that he might attract other women’s hearts, but he doesn’t have the ability to reciprocate. What am I even saying? Anyway—”

"Stop!!" The fortune teller reached out to interrupt me, then turned to look at the sky outside the restaurant again. "I'm afraid... I really have to take my leave." He then stood up.

"Wait, wait a minute!" I reached out to stop him. "How can you just leave like that, my lord? I—"

The fortune teller looked at me with a pitiful expression, his voice filled with helplessness. "Young lady," he said, "I truly don't know what you're trying to do. From the very beginning, you've been talking non-stop about your affair with your husband, then you said you needed... comfort, and now you're going on and on about your husband..."

"I'm sorry!" I quickly explained, "It was really my fault, I won't say anything more to him, please sit back down..."

However, this time the other party had learned her lesson and wouldn't fall for my tricks again. She turned away impatiently, then turned back after thinking for a moment, her long beard fluttering. "I have something to say, which may not be pleasant to hear, but young lady, you really should go and see a doctor."

"Ugh..." I covered my face with my hands. This time it really was...

Turning around, I saw the fortune teller leave the restaurant. Yan Chaohong glared at me fiercely and hurriedly followed him out.

...

At dusk, the sunset was ablaze with fiery clouds.

I sheepishly returned to the fireworks shop, where Yan Chaohong was waiting for me in the small garden behind the shop.

"Did you mess it up?" I asked him with a pained expression.

Yan Chaohong remained silent at first, then suddenly laughed, "If I, this young master, were to mess things up? That would be too difficult!"

I glared at him and pouted, "Look how capable you are!"

Yan Chaohong ignored me and was very smug.

“Tell me,” I tugged at him, “what did you do to that fortune teller? Did it turn into a murder case?”

Yan Chaohong raised an eyebrow, and the scene was recreated—

As soon as the fortune teller left the restaurant, Yan Chaohong immediately flew across the street and intercepted him from the front.

"Wait!" Yan Chaohong stood fiercely in front of the fortune teller.

"What do you want?!" the fortune teller asked warily.

"How dare you ask?!" Yan Chaohong spat out through gritted teeth, "You just came from a roadside restaurant, didn't you? You—how dare you be so disrespectful to my wife?!"

The fortune teller was momentarily stunned.

"Still trying to deny it?" Yan Chaohong sneered, "I saw it with both eyes!!"

"No, no..." the fortune teller tried desperately to explain.

Yan Chaohong glared and bristled, "What's going on?!"

"What?"

"I'm asking you what exactly happened!"

"N-nothing," the fortune teller waved his hand. "We were just having a drink downstairs, and you—"

"I knew it!" Yan Chaohong shouted, impulsively turning her back. "You really did have an affair with my wife!"

"No!!" The fortune teller's eyes widened in shock.

"Then why did you talk to her?!" Yan Chaohong turned around. "Look into my eyes, look carefully into my eyes right now—tell me, have you ever climbed into my wife's bed?!"

The fortune teller's hiccups.

"Don't try to fool me," Yan Chaohong warned, narrowing her eyes. "Playing tricks?! I can see right through you!"

"Stop, stop talking nonsense!" the fortune teller interrupted, trembling with anger.

Ignoring all warnings, Yan Chaohong stepped forward and grabbed her, shouting, "You're the one who's making false accusations first! Take me to the authorities! I'm determined to get justice!"

"Wait—" the fortune teller struggled, "Brave warrior—wait, wait a moment!"

"What are you waiting for!" Yan Chaohong grabbed him. "You're not a young man anymore, and you're a married man—tell me quickly, where do you live? I'd like to visit your wife while I'm at it..."

"No, that's not true!" the fortune teller protested, his face flushed. "Brave warrior, please hear what I have to say!"

"What are you talking about!" Yan Chaohong ignored him. "Your wife is at home carrying your child, and you're in such a hurry to seduce other women to give yourself a concubine. How can you do this to her?!"

"My wife..." the fortune teller protested, "she's not pregnant..."

"So that's how it is!!" Yan Chaohong exclaimed in sudden realization, "So you wanted my wife to have your child!!"

"Hahaha!" I burst into laughter, wiping away my tears. "Yan Chaohong, you heartless bastard, how could you be so cruel? You scared the fortune teller to death, making him think he really committed adultery with your wife!"

Yan Chaohong glanced at me sideways and snorted, "Can I be as ruthless as you?! You come up here all polite, but won't you offer me a drink? I'm feeling lonely and need some comfort..."

"Enough!" I glared at Yan Chaohong. "I said I needed comfort, and that's it. He's the one who misunderstood. I just wanted to talk to him about my savage husband. I had no ulterior motives whatsoever!"

Yan Chaohong nodded, "That's believable."

"What happened next?" I asked him. "Did you really go home with that fortune teller?"

"They're back!" Yan Chaohong said. "More than just back, they've circled around Chengdu for ages, and they've only just entered the city."

"But after going through all this trouble, you end up with nothing. Won't the fortune teller become suspicious?"

"How could that be!" Yan Chaohong said triumphantly. "I explained everything to him. I said: I've thought it over, and I'll still entrust my wife to you. Whether she's my wife or a concubine, it's all up to you. My only wish is for her to be happy—and then I ran off with tears in my eyes. The fortune teller didn't dare to utter a sound!"

“Yan Chaohong,” I shook my head and sighed, “you’re really ruthless!”

Yan Chaohong asked, "What did your husband do to upset you today that made you offer such a long speech of comfort in front of strangers?"

Recalling this incident, I waved my hand, "What a fleeting cloud... How could a savage make me angry? Isn't it all my fault for wronging him?!"

Yan Chaohong scoffed, "So you know that too?"

I tilted my head. "What are you talking about?! Of course I know! Do you really think I'm stupid and brainless?! Let me tell you, you have no idea how hard I worked to appear wise but foolish—" Getting interested, I raised my hand and pointed to Xiao Chenchen's hospital room. "Take the time when the beautiful Xiao saved me, for example. Don't think I don't know what she was up to. She risked her life just to see Doctor Xu! Now she's seen Doctor Xu, and he's been keeping vigil by her bedside every night, feeding her medicine. All her injuries were worth it!"

Yan Chaohong nodded in agreement, but said aloud, "Sun Qingshan, you're really cunning."

"I'm not gloomy, okay!" I argued. "I'm discerning, don't treat me like a fool all the time. Like a savage, he says he doesn't remember anything from his past, nobody believes him—but I understand him, I don't want to make things difficult for him. You have no idea how sad I feel seeing him so preoccupied every day. Sometimes I really want to yell at him for forcing a smile, always making me angry in front of me!"

After hearing this, Yan Chaohong paused for a moment, then nodded at me, but her expression was stiff and somewhat forced.

But then I remembered that the Wild Man had become a chatterbox again. "To be honest, Yan Chaohong, don't let his seemingly dull appearance fool you. He's actually incredibly cunning. I just remembered yesterday that when I first met him, if he hadn't suddenly spoken to me in English and been so unconditionally obedient, I would never have sided with him so quickly (and I might still be entangled with you) – also, there's nothing he can't do. I used to fawn over him and think I was having a great time, but now I realize that I was just being led by the nose. If he wants me to go right, he doesn't even need to gesture. I would never dare to go left – what are you doing, Yan Chaohong?" Before I could finish, Yan Chaohong blinked wildly. I was startled, and a thought flashed through my mind. "Ai—!" I shouted.

Yan Chaohong finally gave a wry smile, no longer making faces, but her face was full of embarrassment.

"Don't tell me—" I swallowed hard, wiped my sweat, and asked Yan Chaohong without daring to move, "You absolutely mustn't tell me—the savage, he's right behind me right now?!"

Yan Chaohong sighed helplessly and nodded.

I turned around and saw the savage's face.

One fire per day

I turned around, and the savage's face was clearly illuminated by the thin, bright yellow twilight, appearing calm.

At that moment, I really wanted to turn around and ask Yan Chaohong: When exactly did he start standing here?!

But it was obviously too late. The savage looked at me and smiled, without any particular sadness or disappointment. His chin was too thin, and in the light, his outline was just skin and bones. When he smiled, there was a shadow on his cheek. He spoke, silently, "You really know me."

"Savage!" I chased after him.

He walked towards the kitchen, and I followed behind him.

He was preparing medicine for Doctor Xu and Xiao Chenchen, and I was circling around him.

He lifted the lid of a medicine jar, and steam rose onto his face. I leaned in and grinned at him like an idiot.

He bent down to check the heat, and I looked down, "Savage..."

Then he straightened up.

"Savage, I was wrong again." She tugged at his sleeve and huffed, "Don't be angry, I didn't mean to talk badly about you behind your back, and besides, it wasn't really bad talk—"

The savage nodded, but before I could finish speaking, he said, "You're not wrong." Those were those three words that were so suffocating.

"Savage, oh savage," I tugged at his sleeve and wrapped it around my hand, "Getting angry all the time will cause internal injuries. If I make you angry, you can hit me. I'm not trying to slander you on purpose; I just want to show Yan Chaohong that you're actually a very amazing man. I like everything you do, really. I love being led by the nose by you, I love that you don't tell me anything, I—"

The savage withdrew his hand and turned back to look at the fire.

"Wild man, wild man, wild man!" I frowned. "Don't put on that icy face and say 'you're not wrong.' I just want you to be happy. If you're not happy, I'm not happy. I wasn't even happy when we went to Iceland. Speaking of which, I planned to skip class during the first week of school to go to Iceland, but because of you—wait, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Wild man, look at you! As soon as you ignore me, I start rambling incoherently. You can't make me unable to speak clearly, you—"

The savage turned around, glanced at me with a very ordinary expression, then pointed to the medicine pot on the fire. The medicine was ready, and he told me to pour it out.

I pitifully went to get the bowl, but when I got to the cupboard, I turned back, ran to the wild man, and hugged him tightly.

"How come your waist is so thin!" I pulled my arms around him several times before finally getting a tighter hug. I rubbed my face against his clothes and asked, "Savage, you're not angry, are you?" As I asked, I buried my head in his shoulder, and my voice sounded very unnatural.

He exhaled a breath of stale air from his chest, pulled my hand over, and wrote: Why get angry?

Then he wrote: You think you said something wrong, that's why you're overthinking it.

“I didn’t think too much of it,” she retorted, letting go of him. “You were clearly unhappy, and you’re a bit of a snob, you never say what you mean. I’m always trying to figure out what’s going on in your expression, so why would I think too much? You’re clearly the one who’s angry.”

The savage smiled, lowered his head, and the fire on the stove illuminated one side of his face, making him appear thin and pale.

"So you're really not angry?" I asked. "After going through all this trouble, you were just teasing me on purpose?"

The savage then stepped forward, took my hand, and, ignoring the medicine, led me outside.

The sky outside was almost blue, with a trace of orange-yellow. The savage reached out and hugged me, his arm around my waist. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he lifted me up—"Ah!!!" I screamed, grabbing his neck, and we soared into the sky together.

"I have a fear of heights!" I cried out from the sky. "You should let me know before you fly so I can prepare in advance—ah!"

As I stepped over a tile and then soared into the air, the savage, light as a feather, placed his hand on my hip, not holding me very tightly.

"Huh?" I opened my eyes and held his head. "Not scared anymore?"

He smiled, and a cool breeze made me squint. Tree branches and rooftops swept backward, and the savage used his strength to get close. Gradually, the early summer air and the sky gradually turning dark blue, along with the streets and alleys lit up with lights, made me realize that in the savage's arms, everything seemed pleasant.

He tapped the roof tiles of someone else's house with his toes, turned to look at me, and saw that I was enjoying it. He then very reasonably mocked me again.

He actually has many scars, but every time I look at his face, it always seems very clean.

Perhaps because it's so pale, it doesn't seem to have gained much flesh.

I landed in an empty alley, and heard a commotion across the street. The savage let go of me, took my hand, inserted his fingers directly between mine, and led me forward.