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Yue Ruzheng, wrapped in the blanket, said in a muffled voice, "It's alright, I just have a bit of a headache."

The door was gently pushed open, and Tang Yanchu walked to her bedside, squatted down to look at her, and frowned, saying, "You look terrible."

Yue Ruzheng had initially tried to appear strong, but upon seeing him, her eyes inexplicably welled up with tears. She quickly turned her back to him, hiding herself tightly under the covers.

"Are you sick?" Tang Yanchu hesitated for a moment, then sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over to look at her. But she covered her face with the blanket, not wanting him to see her haggard appearance. He became a little anxious, so he lifted his legs and tried to pull the blanket down, but Yue Ruzheng grabbed the blanket and said, "My head hurts a lot, don't touch me."

Tang Yanchu paused, then leaned down and asked, "Is it because you caught a chill from being caught in the rain last night?"

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, then whispered, "I don't know either. It happens when I'm too tired or thinking too much."

Tang Yanchu sat silently for a while, then said, "What should we do? Shall I take you down the mountain to find a doctor?"

"No!" Yue Ruzheng turned around, revealing her eyes as she looked at him, and said, "It's been like this since I was little, and medicine doesn't help."

He lowered his eyes and said guiltily, "I know, it was what I said last night that scared you."

Yue Ruzheng pursed her lips, placed her hand beside his leg, and said, "Xiao Tang, I'll find out sooner or later, won't I? Are you going to keep it from me forever?"

Tang Yanchu looked up at her, as if he wanted to say something, but remained silent. He looked down at her hand, then suddenly leaned down and pressed his cheek against her palm. Yue Ruzheng's hand trembled slightly, but he quickly straightened up and said, "Thankfully, you don't have a fever."

The warmth of his cheek still seemed to linger in Yue Ruzheng's palm when Tang Yanchu stood up to leave. She grabbed the hem of his shirt and said, "Where are you going?"

"Shouldn't I bring you some food?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"No!" Yue Ruzheng stubbornly refused to let go, like a child. "I can't eat anything right now."

Tang Yanchu had no choice but to sit back down on the edge of the bed and said, "So what do you want? Do you want me to sit here all day?"

"I just want you to stay with me for a little while," she whispered, glancing at him with her eyes.

Tang Yanchu frowned and said, "You're already in poor health, and you still refuse to eat. Do you want to get seriously ill before you stop?"

Yue Ruzheng let go of her hand in frustration and said, "Then go ahead."

Tang Yanchu, as expected, oblivious to her feelings, got up and left the room. Yue Ruzheng, restless and agitated, pulled the covers over herself again. A throbbing headache, coupled with her unease, prevented her from eating breakfast when Tang Yanchu brought it to her. He, however, kept a close eye on her and said, "Look, you're really quite ill; you can't even eat."

"I'm quite ill." Yue Ruzheng rolled her eyes at him and placed the bowl on the cabinet in disappointment.

He paused, then sat silently in his chair, setting down to clear the dishes. Yue Ruzheng leaned against the bed railing, watching him, and said, "Why are you ignoring me again?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "You seem to have stopped having headaches now. You're full of energy and can even throw tantrums at me."

Yue Ruzheng leaned listlessly against the headboard and said, "I clearly have a headache, don't you believe me?"

Tang Yanchu sat up straight and said, "I'm tired too, believe me or not?"

"I believe you," she said without hesitation, glancing at his equally pale face, and added, "I believe everything you say."

Tang Yan initially gazed at her with a faint look, but a smile slowly crept onto her lips. Yue Ruzheng pushed the bowls and chopsticks aside, pointed to the cabinet, and said, "If you're tired, lie down and rest for a bit. I'll take a nap too, okay?"

Tang Yanchu hesitated for a moment, then got up, took her own clothes, folded them neatly, and laid them on the cabinet for him. She pressed them down with her hand and said, "This way they won't hurt you." After saying that, she pulled the blanket back onto the bed, but still looked at Tang Yanchu with her soft eyes.

Tang Yanchu glanced at the neatly folded clothes, then slowly leaned forward, turning her face to rest on them. Yue Ruzheng's eyes reflected a look of satisfaction.

"Go to sleep, Xiao Tang," she whispered.

But she didn't close her eyes immediately either. The two looked at each other, neither speaking. After a long time, Yue Ruzheng finally succumbed to the exhaustion of not having slept all night and slowly drifted off to sleep. Tang Yanchu kept watching her as she slept. From the fabric of her clothes pressed against his cheek, a faint, ethereal fragrance wafted, sometimes near, sometimes far.

When Yue Ruzheng woke up, the sunlight was soft and warm in front of her bed. Tang Yanchu was sleeping with his eyes closed, his shoulders rising and falling slightly. She quietly reached out and traced an arc along his cheek, very close to his face. But even this small movement startled him awake. Yue Ruzheng was both surprised and embarrassed when she saw him suddenly open his eyes. She blushed and quickly withdrew her hand.

Tang Yanchu looked at her, then used his shoulder to prop himself up on the cabinet and sat up. There were still some marks on his cheeks from being pressed down. Yue Ruzheng smiled and said, "Little Tang, were you asleep just now?"

He turned his head to the side, raised his legs and put them on the chair, and said, "Just for a little while. Maybe I didn't sleep well last night..." He paused, then added, "Do you still have a headache?"

Yue Ruzheng said, "It's much better than before." As she spoke, she noticed that the sleeves of Tang Yanchu's light gray short jacket seemed to be torn, so she pulled them over and saw that there were indeed several tears near the cuffs. Yue Ruzheng then said, "Little Tang, the sleeves are torn, why are you still wearing it?"

Tang Yanchu looked down and said calmly, "When gathering herbs, you often get caught on tree branches, and it's easy to get cut."

Yue Ruzheng felt a pang of sadness and whispered, "Do you have a needle and thread? I'll mend it for you."

Tang Yanchu said, "Don't bother repairing it, it's useless anyway."

Yue Ruzheng sighed softly, clutching his sleeve in a daze. Seeing this, Tang Yanchu lifted her foot, opened the drawer under the cabinet, took out a sewing kit, and placed it on the edge of the bed.

Yue Ruzheng took the sewing kit and said, "I never noticed there were needles and thread in this room."

"This room was mine before you came," Tang Yanchu said.

Yue Ruzheng paused for a moment, then asked, "And the room you're staying in now?"

Tang Yanchu frowned and said, "This was where my master lived before he passed away. It's been empty ever since."

Yue Ruzheng thought for a moment and said, "By the way, I still don't know how you ended up here and even had a master?"

Tang Yanchu paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Can I not say?"

Seeing the sadness in his eyes, Yue Ruzheng wondered if he had some unspoken sorrow, so she nodded. Noticing the thread running low in her sewing kit, she asked, "Did your older sister leave this here?"

"It's mine," he said, raising an eyebrow. "You think I can't use a needle and thread?"

Yue Ruzheng was slightly surprised, but considering that he seemed to know a lot, she smiled and said, "Then am I showing off my limited skills before an expert?"

He smiled faintly, sat on the edge of the bed, turned to the side and let his sleeve hang down beside her hand, and said, "We'll have to see how you finish mending it."

Yue Ruzheng pouted and deliberately turned away, facing sideways as she threaded the needle and carefully mended the sleeve. Tang Yanchu watched her profile; her fingers were slender, her arm moved up and down, her face slightly turned to the side, she was very focused.

"Okay, do you want me to check it?" She turned around, a sly glint in her eyes.