·
The new courtyard had not yet been put in order, with trunks and cases stacked haphazardly all around.
Zhang Zhixu sat amid the jumbled boxes and cases, watching the person beside him rummage through everything in search of medicinal ointment. She picked up a vial, held it up to her ear and shook it, then wrinkled her nose. “I’ve used so much of the bruise ointment already — come on, hold out your hand.”
“Didn’t it run out?” He held out his arm, puzzled.
“No matter.” Chen Baoxiang tipped a little water into the vial, swirled it, and poured what remained onto him. “There’s still a little left.”
Zhang Zhixu: “…” Diluting medicinal ointment with water — could that even work?
He tried to stop her. “The ointment doesn’t actually have to be applied.”
“What are you saying? You’re someone who hates pain — without medicine you won’t sleep tonight.” She finished applying it to his arm, set it aside, then made a move to pull open his collar.
Zhang Zhixu swiftly caught her hand, an eyebrow rising slightly. “Wasn’t it you who hates pain? Between the two of us, whenever we’ve been together, your pain has always been far more apparent than mine.”
Chen Baoxiang let out a scoffing sound. “Have you ever seen anyone who gets injured regularly and still fears pain? You’re talking about your own sensitivity — I’m not the sort to faint from the pain of having wounds sutured.”
Zhang Zhixu: “…”
So the one who was sensitive to pain was him.
“I’m sorry you have to stay here,” Chen Baoxiang said, moving two cases aside and surveying the room. “No golden-threaded embroidered canopy, and the bed wobbles a little. Tomorrow, after I’m done entertaining Lord Xu and the others, I’ll go to the eastern market and buy you a proper new bed frame.”
Xu Buran and that crowd had long been saying they wanted to host a celebration for her new appointment, and now there was also the housewarming — she would receive them all together in one go.
Zhang Zhixu listened to this with a slight narrowing of his eyes. “Since when did you have dealings with Xu Buran again?”
“He’s been at the military officials’ bureau — we’ve never really lost touch.” Chen Baoxiang said matter-of-factly. “Back at Tianning Mountain, he was the one who persuaded Assistant Commissioner Su and Assistant Commissioner Zhao to come along with me.”
“And actually, he’s quite capable in commanding troops. With just over a hundred men, he managed to send more than two hundred bandits scattering in every direction — and they ran straight into my encirclement. That’s why we won so decisively. I haven’t properly thanked him yet.”
“There were some of Lu Shouhuai’s former loyalists in the Patrol Division — difficult to bring to heel. He found a way to have them transferred to the Eastern Camp. I haven’t had a chance to thank him for that either.”
“Oh, and Fengqing — are you coming to the housewarming banquet tomorrow?”
The person across from her said nothing. His entire body had turned away, his back somewhat stiff.
“Not coming?” She didn’t notice, continuing to talk to herself. “That might actually be better — saves me from having to explain things. Then I’ll come back to you once I’m done tomorrow. Get some rest early.”
The door opened and then closed. That person left with a light-footed, bouncing step — in a cheerful mood.
Zhang Zhixu sat with an expressionless face staring at the table in front of him, and after quite a while let out a faintly vexed breath.
Chen Baoxiang did genuinely care about him.
But she seemed just as good to everyone else.
He did not like this feeling. And yet, never having experienced it before, he had absolutely no idea what to do.
What could he even do about her?
·
The following midday, the new residence welcomed quite a number of guests — mostly soldiers and military officers she was close to. They filled several tables and drank and played drinking games with great clamor, the scene tremendously lively.
Assistant Commissioner Su had drunk himself into a fine mood, and even climbed up onto a bench to declare to Chen Baoxiang: “From now on you’re our chief! Whatever you say goes — we’ll never say otherwise!”
“Assistant Commissioner Su — just who exactly does ‘we’ refer to?” a colleague teased.
“Who else? The ones who were on the mountain that day — me, Commissioner Zhao, and… oh right — Commissioner Xu!” Assistant Commissioner Su’s eyes gleamed. “When the chief got injured, Commissioner Xu was beside himself with worry.”
Commissioner Zhao joined in the ribbing: “Wasn’t he? The way he came rushing toward the chief — if the chief had truly been in mortal danger, he might have gone and followed her in death.”
Xu Buran, caught in the middle of all this, flushed red to his ears and didn’t dare look at the person beside him. He only said: “Commissioner Chen is the heart of the troops. It’s only natural that I should be concerned.”
“What do you mean by that — we’re all calling her ‘chief’ now, why aren’t you?” Assistant Commissioner Su laughed even louder. “You’re harboring some other feeling, aren’t you.”
Xu Buran coughed several times and said vaguely: “He is unmarried, she is unmarried — what business is it of any of yours?”
“He may be unmarried — but doesn’t Commissioner Chen have someone?” someone abruptly said.
The table fell briefly silent. Then everyone quickly moved to paper over it: “What someone? There’s no one. Everything before was just rumors. Our chief got her promotion purely because the senior official had good judgment — all those street corner gossip stories, don’t be bringing that nonsense up in front of the chief.”
“Exactly. That gentleman hasn’t been seen in ages. But our Commissioner Xu has been by the chief’s side all along — steadfast and loyal through thick and thin. Now that’s a reliable man. Come, I’ll drink to Commissioner Xu.”
Commissioner Zhao raised his cup, only to find it empty.
He grumbled under his breath and stretched out his hand, reaching for the wine vessel beside him.
A hand with well-defined knuckles reached out, faster than his, and picked up the wine vessel first.