Xie Yanlai looked at the girl standing by the bedside.
The girl’s clothing wasn’t luxurious, but it was fine quality. Her black hair was like clouds, her white face like jade, with bright expressive eyes and a slight smile at the corners of her mouth.
Somewhat unfamiliar.
He actually couldn’t remember what Chu Zhao looked like anymore.
They had been strangers to begin with, spending only a brief time together on the road, and Chu Zhao had deliberately concealed her appearance.
Yet also very familiar.
Looking at this girl’s smile, what sprang to mind for Xie Yanlai was that A’Fu with tattered clothes and disheveled hair, covered in a layer of dust, emanating strangeness and cunning from inside out.
“What do I have to gloat about?” he said. “With my Third Brother here, who in this world can laugh at our Xie family?”
Chu Zhao sat down on the round stool: “It’s not really something to laugh about anyway. I don’t care.” She looked around. “You have a nice place here.” She looked again at the maids who had retreated to the doorway.
Unable to attend to her, the maids began attending to A’Le instead, serving A’Le tea, offering her snacks, inviting her to sit by the window, and showing her the carved gourd ornaments hanging there.
“You have more maids than a pampered young lady.”
She really didn’t care at all, looking around everywhere instead. Xie Yanlai frowned and suddenly said: “Do you think sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight is easy? Miss A’Fu, your courage and appetite are growing larger and larger. Do you think Xie Yanfang can’t see through your little schemes?”
Chu Zhao looked at him and asked: “What little schemes do I have?”
Because he disliked bright light, his bedroom was very dim. That girl sat upright on the stool, also shrouded in dimness, but there was an inexplicable light in her eyes.
She was smiling!
Xie Yanlai sneered coldly.
Chu Zhao’s voice laughed: “Even Xie Yanfang won’t say—why don’t you tell me?”
She knew everything!
She herself was willing to take risks—why should he meddle? Why should he meddle at all?
Xie Yanlai withdrew his gaze and turned his head inward, his voice cold: “I have nothing to say. It’s none of my business. Miss Chu is all-capable, making a stunning debut, invincible in all directions.”
The girl’s voice didn’t sound again. Footsteps rustled closer. Xie Yanlai alertly turned his head back.
“What are you doing!” he barked.
That girl’s hand had already grabbed the covers to pull them back.
“Looking at your wound,” Chu Zhao said. “Did you use the medicine I gave you? This time I’ve prepared new medicine. Let me see the wound and whether we need to switch it out.”
Xie Yanlai found this somewhat amusing. He pressed down on the covers and looked at her.
“Chu Zhao,” he said in a lowered voice. “Just curry favor with Xie Yanfang. You don’t need to come here and play the good person.”
“Of course I need to,” Chu Zhao said, also looking at him and lowering her voice. “Get better quickly and help me deliver a letter to my father.”
Xie Yanlai had imagined her saying all sorts of things, but he hadn’t expected her to come out with this.
The youth’s phoenix eyes widened.
Surprised, confused, angry, and amused.
“Chu Zhao!” He gritted his teeth, almost cursing. “What are you saying?”
Chu Zhao gestured for him to keep his voice down: “I’m not asking you to help for nothing. Aren’t I treating your wounds?”
Xie Yanlai laughed despite himself: “Without you treating my wounds, I’d die?”
That was true. Chu Zhao said quietly: “To make you heal faster and suffer a bit less. Of course, it still counts as you helping me, but if it weren’t for you, how would I have been caught and brought back?”
Xie Yanlai nearly jumped up from the bed. He propped himself up, but the pain in his wound made him stop again.
“Chu Zhao, you—do you have something wrong with your brain?” he said. Then he thought, he must also have something wrong with him, discussing who was helping whom and for what. He suppressed his annoyance, his expression calm, saying word by word: “You and Xie Yanfang already talk about everything—delivering a letter to your father, you still need to find me? Are you playing me for a fool?”
“Why would I play you for a fool? I’m serious,” Chu Zhao said, her expression also calm, looking at the youth. “Xie Yanfang is different from you.”
Different? Xie Yanlai didn’t speak for a moment, looking at her.
“He couldn’t possibly do such hard labor as delivering letters,” Chu Zhao said.
Xie Yanlai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The next moment he threw back the covers and jumped down from the bed—
The youth was bare-chested, wrapped in layers of bandages, fierce and frightening looking.
As if he wanted to grab her and tear her to shreds.
Chu Zhao quickly retreated backward and said loudly: “Xie Yanlai, I’m Third Master Xie’s honored guest! Be polite to me!”
The maids at the doorway were startled.
A’Le sprang up from her stool with a whoosh. She didn’t even have time to put down the cricket cage made from a gourd in her hand before rushing over.
Xie Yanlai’s maids also surged forward, separating the two.
“What’s happening?” “How did they start fighting when everything was fine?” “Young Master, you can’t move your wound.” “Miss Chu is a guest.” “Miss Chu, don’t be angry. Our young master’s temper is a bit quick.”
Sweet voices filled the room with persuasion.
Chu Zhao stood behind A’Le, concealing the smile at the corners of her mouth, and took down the small pouch hanging from A’Le’s waist.
“These are medicinal pills for treating wounds. Same as before—take one pill at a time,” she said, reaching out to stuff it into the hands of the nearest maid.