Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Now You Know How to Feel Sorry?
The sky was dense like ink.
Yet inside the house, the lights were brightly lit.
Shen Hua’s eyes were bloodshot as she leaned on the couch, clutching at the bedding, repeatedly saying, "Gently, gently."
Cui Yun’s jawline was tense as he took a soft pillow, propped up the girl’s injured leg, removed her shoes and socks, and pushed up the layers of her skirt.
Her slender, smooth calves were so pale they almost shone, making the swollen injury appear even more severe.
Dark and bruised.
Shen Hua’s eyes brimmed with tears, she sobbed just once, no longer feigning toughness.
"Am I going to need an amputation?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
Shen Hua paused mid-cry. Clearly in pain, she then began to sob softly: "And you’re still being harsh with me."
Cui Yun spoke softly, "Ni Kang will be here soon, just endure a little longer."
"Now you know to care?"
Tears hung on Shen Hua’s eyelashes, making the girl look all the more pitiful.
"Too late!"
Cui Yun’s Adam’s apple bobbed, regretting that he teased her knowing full well her temperament.
"That jar of wine is saved for you, you can only drink half a cup each day. When the summer lotus blooms, I’ll pick some more and brew a few jars for you."
The girl’s mood shifted quickly, as expected. The blooming of the summer lotus was also five or six months away.
After the wine was brewed, it had to be buried in the earth for a few years.
If her body really was improving, might she be unimpeded by then?
She was uncertain.
But she agreed, as if making a mutual promise with Cui Yun.
She looked forward to regaining health while waiting for Cui Yun to fulfill his promise.
Shen Hua’s fingertips turned pale, her nasal voice heavy.
"Hmm."
Ni Kang, who was particularly worried about Shen Hua’s condition, now lay on the couch, deep in thought. These days, Shen Hua’s spirits had been extremely good. Initially, he thought it was a flickering resurgence.
But on the first day, Shen Hua did not die.
On the second day, Shen Hua still did not die.
Up to now, she has not died.
What’s going on!
Ni Kang was baffled.
Just a few days ago, Shen Hua had been in critical condition, on the verge of death. Yet this morning, she got out of bed, and before leaving the house, she ran into him and didn’t forget to glare at him.
Is this normal?
This clearly defied the common sense of medical practice!
"This is too bizarre."
"It seems inexplicable."
"It appears there are signs of improvement, and it’s been a while since I’ve taken her pulse, there could be discrepancies. But it can’t be determined for sure—it’s uncertain if Miss Shen might suddenly collapse again."
In any case, one should be prepared for both possibilities, so as not to be caught off guard in the end.
He once said these words to Cui Yun.
At that time, Cui Yun was silent for a long while. Eventually, he just cautioned, "Keep it from her for now, let’s see how things go later, to avoid her getting her hopes up only to be disappointed."
Shen Hua’s situation was clearly a difficult challenge for Ni Kang.
Ni Kang’s hair had turned white, and he had lost quite a bit these days.
Thus, he scoured medical books desperately, and now he was extremely exhausted.
He lay down with his clothes on. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.
Ying Yi didn’t wake him up. Instead, the doors and windows were all tightly closed.
After a while, someone flipped the roof tiles and jumped in.
Ying Yi’s voice was hoarse from a damaged throat by a sharp weapon: "Miss Shen has sprained her foot, you better go check on her."
Ni Kang was shaken awake.
Despair filled his bloodshot eyes; Shen Hua might not have died, but he was nearly ready to be buried.
Ni Kang was carried all the way here by Ying Yi.
The girl, who had just managed to stabilize her emotions, tilted her head and looked towards the still dazed Ni Kang.
Shen Hua extended her hand, waving amiably at him.
"Good evening."
Ni Kang: ...He was not fine!
A hole in the roof!!!
Facing Ni Kang, Cui Yun said indifferently, "Have a look at her."
Ni Kang grumbled, "Coming."
"The swelling is pretty severe."
He took the opportunity to ask, "How did you sprain it?"
Shen Hua responded casually, "It’s... quite a miraculous incident."
Ni Kang: ...
There’s nothing normal about you.
Ni Kang said, "Alright, it hasn’t affected the meridians, but it still needs some time to heal. It looks like in a couple more hours, if you don’t apply ice, the swelling will get worse. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you to take for a few days."
He took out a homemade plaster from the medicine box; the Shadow Guards often get injured, so he had stocked plenty of these plasters in his room.
"First apply ice on the affected area, then the plaster. If it’s still swollen in the next two days, try applying heat."
"About the bandaging—"
Cui Yun acknowledged with a sound.
"Leave the medicine, you can go now."
Ni Kang understood; he was no longer needed.
Cui Yun ordered Ji Xin, "Go to the ice cellar and get some ice."
"Yes."
There was a charcoal fire inside the house, and it didn’t feel cold near the small feet either.
Cui Yun wrapped the ice in a thick cotton cloth, his expression unchanged, but Shen Hua seemed to feel the chill seeping through the cotton cloth.
Shen Hua couldn’t help but hiss, "So cold."
Cui Yun: "...I haven’t touched you yet."
Shen Hua looked at the cotton cloth in Cui Yun’s hand, "I was speaking for my cousin."
As Cui Yun approached, the ice-cold touch at the ankle was bone-chilling, numbing the pain to a large extent.
Unaccustomed, Shen Hua subconsciously drew back her leg, but Cui Yun freed one hand to hold it down.
"Don’t move."
The man’s hands with distinct knuckles pressed on the girl’s evenly soft and fair lower leg. The touch under his hand was soft, and Cui Yun’s motion of applying ice paused, his breathing stopped for a moment, then he spoke in a low voice, "I’ll be gentler."
In the past life, although Shen Qu coveted her, he never acted inappropriately towards Shen Hua.
With a bang, that place which had never been touched by another man now bore the warmth of Cui Yun.
It was different from when they were children playing together.
Shen Hua’s ears uncomfortably flushed with heat. Her eyes were red, and her face was now as radiant as a crabapple blossom.
The girl raised one hand, leaning her body back, pretending to be composed as she fanned herself.
"I don’t know how long I have to apply ice. My cousin has to attend the early court tomorrow. Maybe Yingwu should come; I should head back to the East Courtyard."
Cui Yun, while applying the ice from the darkened ankle upwards, said, "Yingwu once injured her arm. People who practice martial arts usually heal faster than others. Ni Kang’s medicine is the best and would normally heal in a half month, but she dislocated her hand and tended to it herself. A month later, her injury got worse by half. If Ni Kang hadn’t visited her by chance and noticed something was wrong, her entire hand would have been ruined."
Shen Hua: "A month?"
"That month, she was no different from ordinary people, sneaking food from the kitchen every day, wandering around under the pretense of recuperating."
Later, Ni Kang pointed at her and cursed.
At the time, Yingwu felt wronged, "It must have been a mistake in setting the bone! I wondered why it’s been hurting more these days."
Cui Yun: "Eventually, Ying Yi took care of her for a few days."
Shen Hua: ...
How unreliable Yingwu is!
"I still have Yicui."
She suppressed the slight unease in her heart.
"Yicui is always the most steady."
Cui Yun slightly curved his lips, "Some days ago when you were unconscious, she fell twice on the way to bring medicine."
In her anxiety, she couldn’t even walk properly.
Shen Hua took a pause in her breath: "So, the bump on her forehead still hasn’t gone down—"
Cui Yun informed, "She knocked it on the corner of a table."
Shen Hua: ...
Cui Yun’s techniques were skilled, and he understood some medicine; after this round, Shen Hua trusted him the most.
The girl seemed thoughtful.
Cui Yun changed his grip on her lower leg, slightly turning his hand to better apply the ice on another spot.
His voice returned to its usual clarity, the touch beneath his hands like jade. He spoke slowly and upon listening carefully, there was an unfathomable meaning intertwined, "Cousin, are you still in a hurry to leave?"