Shen Jianqing was in trouble?
With a “buzz,” my ears rang, and my head felt momentarily heavy and blank. I heard my own voice, faint and drifting, as if from a distant place. “Where is he now?”
Wan Ying wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes, washed clean by tears, looked surprisingly clear. She said, “In the village. He’s badly hurt, unconscious, and can’t be given medicine.”
I composed myself, forcing myself to calm down. Although he had coerced me and obsessively kept me here, I didn’t want to see Shen Jianqing die. If he died…
I said, “Take me there quickly!”
Wan Ying led me on a dash, and miraculously, I grew calm on the way. What had happened was fact; our worry couldn’t change it. What we needed to do now was cure him.
A thirty-minute journey felt like an endless ten thousand miles. When we finally reached the village entrance, I didn’t dare to rest my breath. We eagerly rushed across the stone arch bridge.
“Where is he?” I asked.
Wan Ying panted, “At Uncle Lu Qi’s house!” She was too exhausted to stand straight but still managed to lead me on. Fortunately, Lu Qi’s stilt house wasn’t far, right at the foot of the mountain, so we arrived quickly.
By now, a large group of Miao villagers had gathered at the entrance of the stilt house. Their faces were solemn, brows furrowed, and some were whispering. “Let me through, let me in!” I shouted, trying to push past the Miao man blocking my way. I hadn’t realized he was the village chief, Shen Jianqing’s maternal grandfather.
The chief turned to look at me, his aged eyes peering strangely, but I had no mind to ponder it. I pushed through the crowd and immediately saw Shen Jianqing lying on the bed! His face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and his eyes were tightly shut, his long, thick eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them. What was shocking was a severe gash on his right cheek, with another scar extending from the corner of his eye to his cheekbone. Half his face was covered in blood, and my breathing hitched for a moment.
He wasn’t in any better condition. His dark blue Miao attire was torn in many places, revealing bloody flesh. His right arm was twisted at an inconceivable angle, either dislocated or broken. What was strange, however, was that even in this state, his right hand was still tightly clutching a stalk of medicinal herb, his knuckles white from the force.
This was… Shen Jianqing? I could barely recognize him.
I had seen him feigning gentleness, seen him ruthless and indifferent, and seen him fanatical and unhinged, but never had I seen him lying on a bed, so frail and sickly. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
Lu Qi leaned over the bed, resetting his dislocated arm, and was trying to spoon medicine into his mouth. But Shen Jianqing’s jaw was clamped shut, and the brown medicine spilled from the corners of his lips. Lu Qi put down the bowl, sighing helplessly.
Wan Ying exclaimed, “What are you, staring at?!”
I frowned, trying to keep my voice steady and untrembling. “I, I want him to get better too. But I’m not a doctor; I can’t help!”
At this point, getting closer would not only fail to help Lu Qi treat him but might also hinder him.
Wan Ying said urgently, “He became, like this, because of you!”
I looked at her in disbelief. Wasn’t it to fight the pests in the forest?
Wan Ying quickly explained, “The Gu insect forest, is not difficult, for him. He fell, and got injured, trying to get that herb, that grows on the cliff.”
My heart gave a sudden jolt. I uncontrollably linked it back to that day under the stilt house, in the misty summer rain, when Shen Jianqing asked if my foot hurt and that unfinished sentence, “I remember there’s a kind of herb that can treat…”
Could it be that he injured himself like this just to treat my foot injury?
It was for me…
He risked climbing the cliff just for me? But he had clearly said before that he wished I’d be crippled so I’d stay by his side forever. Why would he?
I turned sharply, and the tender green herb immediately stung my eyes. My heart began to constrict, aching dully, pulling my entire chest inward, making my breathing difficult and rapid. I instinctively clutched the fabric over my chest, my eyes burning and numb. It was hard to describe how I felt; it was something I had never experienced before. Suddenly, I felt something cold on my hand. It turned out that a tear had fallen onto the back of my hand without my knowing.
I stepped forward and knelt by Shen Jianqing’s bed. Lu Qi made way for me and then waved at the Miao people gathered at the door, signaling them to disperse.
Shen Jianqing lay quietly, his deep-set eyes tightly closed.
“Shen Jianqing… Can you hear me?” I tentatively touched his tightly clenched hand; it was icy cold, and a chill spread through my heart. “You’re so strong, how did you end up like this? I, I…”
My words caught in my throat, unable to continue. I took a deep breath, calming the gloom in my heart, and said, “It would also be fine if you just died from this fall; then I could go home.”
No sooner had I spoken than I saw Shen Jianqing’s adam apple bob. I quickly spooned some medicine into his mouth, and this time it didn’t spill out.
“Dazhu!” Lu Qi said something with delight, but I didn’t have the energy to figure out what he meant. I lowered my eyes and quickly scooped another spoonful, but my wrist suddenly felt cold, gripped by a pale hand. I looked and abruptly realized that Shen Jianqing had faintly opened his eyes and was staring at me unblinkingly.
“You…”
Before I could finish, I saw his lips part. I leaned closer, putting my ear to his lips. His cold lips brushed against my earlobe, causing a tingling sensation. I wanted to pull back, but he raised his left hand and placed it on my neck.
“You… are not allowed to leave…”
So he had heard it.
I awkwardly tried to sit up, but I was afraid of touching his wounds. Shen Jianqing then said, “Your foot isn’t better yet… the herbs… they’re very effective…”
My struggling movements stopped immediately.
He was in this state, yet he was still worried about my foot injury. It didn’t even hurt anymore, and I was a grown man; a little pain was nothing, and I hadn’t even thought about it myself. Yet he was so concerned.
A very bittersweet, yet full feeling permeated my chest, gradually filling my heart. “Get well then, Shen Jianqing,” I said softly. “Get well, and I won’t blame you anymore.”
I didn’t know if these words came from sincerity, or simply to comfort him, or perhaps were an impulsive remark born from emotion. At least, at the moment they slipped out, that’s truly what I thought.
And when Shen Jianqing heard these words, his eyes brightened, holding a myriad of stars within them.
“Honghong will protect you… Let’s go back… I don’t want to stay here.” As he spoke, Honghong crawled out from the sleeve of the arm holding my wrist. It turned its head to stare at Shen Jianqing with reluctance, then climbed along where we touched and settled onto my wrist.
Its tiny legs caused a slight scratching sensation as it climbed. I suppressed my physical and psychological discomfort, letting Honghong crawl into my sleeve and settle at the cuff.
Shen Jianqing then looked at Lu Qi and said something in Miao. Lu Qi nodded respectfully.
Just then, I heard a simple, somewhat dull voice from the doorway. Although I didn’t understand the words, the laughter within them was completely unconcealed.
I looked back and saw Ah Song, who was tall and stout, standing by the doorway, pointing at my foot. The smile on his face was pure and radiant, though a trace of clear drool still hung at the corner of his mouth.
I looked down and realized only one shoe remained on my right foot; the left shoe was gone, likely lost while running. Yet, I hadn’t felt a thing until Ah Song pointed it out.
I didn’t bother looking for the shoe because I guessed Shen Jianqing must have given instructions to Lu Qi.
Soon enough, he brought people in, and together we helped carry Shen Jianqing back to his stilt house.
Shen Jianqing had fallen back into a coma. As I helped him onto his own bed, he was incredibly weak, his forehead covered in cold sweat. It was then I realized he was just an eighteen-year-old boy, still possessing an immature, fragile side.
After settling Shen Jianqing, I was exhausted myself. All the other Miao villagers had left, but Wan Ying still lingered at the doorway.
“Wan Ying.” I called out to her.
Wan Ying turned, her face also showing fatigue. “I asked Lu Qi. It’s just a fall, it looks serious, but no internal organ damage.”
I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. No internal injuries meant it was fine; with rest, he would recover quickly.
Wan Ying paused, then said, “If you want to leave. I can arrange it now.”
I was startled, my heart instantly torn and conflicted.
Wan Ying lowered her gaze, glancing at my sleeve, and said hesitantly, “Now, Shen Jianqing is injured. He definitely, can’t trouble you, anymore. Don’t worry, we will take good care, of him. And we will show, you the way.”
Indeed, this was a prime opportunity to leave. With Shen Jianqing in this state, all restraints had instantly vanished. This was an opportunity not to be missed…
But he got into this state because of me. He climbed the cliff for me, and I would leave him while he was injured. Just thinking about it made me feel incredibly heartless. I suddenly hated this indecisive, overly cautious side of myself. My life was already a mess, yet I was still bound by some inexplicable sense of morality.
I should just ignore everything and leave now, return to my own world, forget all of this, and get back to a normal life. A voice screamed in my heart: Yes, just do it, Li Yuze, forget everything!
Wan Ying’s words were incredibly tempting. I met her sincere gaze but then suddenly remembered the half-used packet of herbs still in my room.
“What’s wrong?” Wan Ying asked.
I said, “I’m not leaving for now. I’m partly responsible for Shen Jianqing being in this state; I at least need to see him recover before I can leave.”
Wan Ying seemed surprised by my answer. Her brows moved, and a slight curve appeared on her red lips as she smiled. “You are, really good, Li Yuze… Oh, do you still need, my herbs?”
I still voiced my confusion: “But last night, many black insects surrounded the stilt house, and they didn’t seem afraid of your herbs.”
