Chapter 043: Storm (VI)
Zhou Ting withdrew the personal officers who were originally arranged outside the clinic, and ordered Chao Yisong to put the things he brought in the back corridor. The colorful brocade boxes almost filled the table. He said, "I have been busy in the night office recently and have not had time to visit Miss Ni. These are all sent to you by your majesty."
"Envoy Han?"
Ni Su was stunned. She could hardly say that she was not afraid of this emissary of the Night Watch. The time when Han Qing tortured her when she first entered the Night Watch made her tremble every time she thought about it.
"The envoy is grateful for your courage in seeking justice for his brother, and has personally ordered people to pack up these things. Miss Ni, please do not refuse." Zhou Ting said.
Chao Yisong heard what he said from behind, a strange expression appeared on his face, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Then please ask Master Xiao Zhou to thank Envoy Han on my behalf."
Ni Su leaned forward and bowed.
"Miss Ni is injured, no need to be polite." Seeing her like this, Zhou Ting instinctively reached out his hand, but quickly retracted it. When she stood up straight, Zhou Ting looked at her thin and pale face and asked, "I wonder if Miss Ni's injury is better?"
When Zhou Ting first met her, she was in the prison of the Night Police. She had been beaten with a stick by the Guangning Prefecture and was personally tortured by the envoy Han Qing in the torture pool.
She was always injured and was getting thinner day by day, but Zhou Ting knew that beneath her frail appearance, she had sharp and tough bones.
Cai Chunxu glanced back and forth between the two people standing and talking, and a smile appeared on her lips. She ordered the servant to take all the things back to the room, took the cushion from Yu Wen's hand and put it on the stool, and helped Ni Su sit down, "Her injury has healed a little, why do you have to stand and talk, Master Zhou? Sit down quickly and drink some hot tea. I think it would be good for you to stay here and have another meal."
Cai Chunxu's enthusiasm was unstoppable, and Zhou Ting could hardly find the words to refuse. Chao Yisong was quick to step forward and press Zhou Ting's shoulders to make him sit down. He then smiled at Cai Chunxu and said, "Will you give me a bite to eat?"
"Of course there is."
Cai Chunxu put a hot water bottle in Ni Su's hand and responded with a smile.
“That’s a good feeling!”
Chao Yisong sat down next to Zhou Ting and winked at him secretly, "Master Zhou, let's have a meal here!"
“…”
Zhou Ting turned his head away, ignored him, and said to Cai Chunxu and Ni Su, "Sorry for bothering you."
Xu Hexue heard someone pushing open the door of the next room in the room, and he stood in front of the window screen. Their voices were sometimes clear and sometimes vague. Xu Hexue did not listen carefully, but just looked at the beast bead in his hand. It was quiet, and there was no longer any flash of soul fire.
He raised his eyelids slightly, and through the light-colored window screen, he saw the back of the girl wrapped in a thick cloak sitting with Cai Chunxu.
Xu Hexue returned to the desk and sat down. Droplets of dust condensed between his fingers and penetrated into the beast bead, but the wooden beast bead still did not react at all.
He stayed in this quiet room, holding the beast bead and trying again and again until it got dark and his eyes gradually became unable to see.
Cai Chunxu prepared a delicious meal. During the meal, she warmed up a pot of wine, poured a cup and stood up to toast Zhou Ting: "Master Zhou, my husband has been to the night watchman twice, but you didn't torture him. I would like to use this meal tonight to thank you and Envoy Han."
"I really don't deserve this thank you from Madam Cai."
Zhou Ting raised his glass, "The Night Guards are only interrogating the Imperial Court Officials. If it is an interrogation, they cannot use torture."
"In any case, thank you, Lord Xiao Zhou, for having someone protect my sister A Xi for such a long time." Cai Chunxu still had a smile on her face.
“It’s my duty.”
Zhou Ting didn't know how to respond to Cai Chunxu's teasing look, so he nodded at her and drank a glass of wine.
Ni Su was injured and could not drink alcohol. She used tea instead of wine to toast Zhou Ting. "Master Zhou, I knew from the beginning that my task was difficult, but you and Envoy Han were willing to take this matter seriously and work hard for it. Ni Su is grateful to you."
Even though she knew that Han Qing and even Mr. Meng behind him actually took the trouble to handle her brother's case because they thought it would benefit them, Ni Su didn't care.
Wu Jikang pleaded guilty and died, which is more important than anything else.
Zhou Ting could still respond to what Cai Chunxu said, but when it came to Ni Su, Zhou Ting was just stared at by her eyes and he didn't know what to say.
He just raised his glass towards her and drank it in one gulp.
After the toast, the only voices left at the table were those of Cai Chunxu and Chao Yisong. Zhou Ting was not good at speaking, and Ni Su was absent-minded. She couldn't help but look back at the dark room opposite.
The sky was pitch black. Chao Yisong followed Zhou Ting out of the clinic and said impatiently, "Master Xiao Zhou, I saw that piece of snowflake satin again!"
"What snowflake satin?"
Zhou Ting was nonchalant.
"Last time, the police from Guangning Prefecture came here to search for Sichuan blacksmiths and made a mess. Didn't I tell you that there was a man's suit that wasn't finished? When I followed the servant to put the things away, I saw another piece of satin. I saw that it was the same as the last time, snow-white with light gold patterns on it. It was very beautiful. It must have cost a lot of money!"
Chao Yisong said as he looked at Zhou Ting's tall and slender figure. "You always wear a military officer's robe. I have never seen you wear such a refined style."
"No nonsense."
Zhou Ting frowned.
"Why are you talking nonsense? I don't think Miss Ni knows any other gentlemen, just you, sir?" Chao Yisong avoided the puddles on the road and muttered, "I really don't understand you, sir. Where are the things given to Miss Ni today sent by the envoy? Don't you have a share? You didn't even mention it... Now that the case of Miss Ni's brother has been solved and her revenge has been taken, if you don't hurry up, what if, what if she doesn't stay in Yunjing anymore and wants to go back to her hometown in Que County? After all, Yunjing is not a good place for her."
Zhou Ting was startled, then lowered his eyes.
She has already obtained the justice that she fought for at the cost of her life. So will she still stay in Yunjing, the place where her brother's life was lost?
"If you say anything more, you will be punished in the Night Palace."
Chao Yisong was still talking endlessly, Zhou Ting restrained his expression and stepped forward.
“…”
Chao Yisong looked pale, and thought that this young Master Zhou was good in every way except that he was not very emotional, like a dull person.
Cai Chunxu ordered the servants to clean up the yard, and then supported Ni Su and said to her, "Sister Xi, what are you thinking?"
"What?"
Ni Su was still looking at the house opposite.
"I asked someone and found out that Lord Xiao Zhou has a good family background. Although he is a military officer, his family is a scholarly family. His father is also a fourth-rank official in the court..."
Cai Chunxu said this with a smile on her face, and Ni Su finally reacted. She turned back to meet Cai Chunxu's eyes and smiled helplessly, "Sister Cai, I don't have that kind of feeling towards Master Xiao Zhou."
Cai Chunxu actually thought that although she didn't have that desire now, she might not have it in the future. However, she didn't say it out loud. She just asked, "Then tell me, what kind of husband do you want?"
What kind of husband?
Ni Su thought hard and said, "The first thing is not to underestimate my ambitions."
"What else?"
"Also..." Ni Su pursed her lips and said, "I'm not very good at cooking. It would be nice if he could."
"How many men are willing to cook?"
Cai Chunxu laughed at her.
"some."
Ni Su said.
"What else?" Cai Chunxu slowly helped her walk into the courtyard.
The night was very cold and the breath turned into white mist. Ni Su sniffed, looked up and found that above the eaves, the stars were spread out in the night sky, flashing clear lights.
She looked up and found the brightest one among so many stars. "It's like a star, clean and bright."
Cai Chunxu was confused, "Where in the world is there a man like that?"
As the night deepened, Cai Chunxu felt it was not appropriate to stay any longer, so he instructed Yu Wen to serve Ni Su well, and then got on the carriage back to the Taiwei Mansion.
"Miss Ni, why do you want to sleep here tonight?"
Yu Wen's puzzled voice came from outside the door. Xu Hexue, who was sitting quietly in the dark, moved his eyelashes slightly and raised his lifeless eyes.
"I,"
Ni Su felt a little guilty, "The smell of medicine in my room is a bit irritating, I want to sleep in another room."
"oh……"
Yu Wen had no doubt about it.
Xu Hexue heard the sound of a door being pushed open, followed by the voice of the maid Yu Wen: "The light in the room is not on yet, I will..."
"No need, just give me the fire starter and I'll do it myself."
Ni Su interrupted her.
"But your injury..."
Yu Wen was a little hesitant. She had walked a lot today and didn't know how painful the wounds on her body were.
"It's just a small thing. I can handle it."
The lanterns under the eaves swayed slightly, casting orange-yellow light into the room. Ni Su saw a person sitting in the dim shadow. His eyes were half-closed and his figure was as faint as fog.
Yu Wen had no choice but to hand her the fire starter, helped her in and sat her down at the table, then found many candles and put them on the table before leaving.
"you,"
Xu Hexue listened carefully to her movements and pursed her lips slightly, "Are you going to sleep here tonight?"
"Did it offend you?"
She said.
Xu Hexue waited for a while before she said softly, "No."
How could a remnant soul be offended? This room was hers, and the furnishings and objects were also hers. If she wanted to be here, she could be here.
"If I don't tell Yu Wen this, how can I come to see you?" Ni Su placed the candle firmly on the candlestick. "You are unhappy today. I am afraid that even if I call you, you will not want to come to see me."
"I'm not unhappy."
Xu Hexue was startled. The lights were not lit yet, so he couldn't see her. He could only turn his head in the direction where her voice came from.
"Then why didn't you even bother to show yourself to me on the way back from the execution ground?"
At that time, Ni Su was surrounded by Cai Chunxu, Yu Wen, and Zhou Ting, the deputy captain of the Night Division, but not him. He was just a wisp of light mist, as if he could be blown away by the cold wind at any time.
As he spoke, a light came on, illuminating Xu Hexue's empty and dark eyes, catching him off guard and meeting her gaze.
Outside the window, the cold wind was blowing and the dead leaves were rustling.
Xu Hexue opened his mouth, but didn't know how to respond.
During the long silence, Ni Su lit several more lamps, and the whole room became much brighter, bright enough for him to see her face clearly.
"Can a gentleman lie?"
She said suddenly.
Xu Hexue's fingers were clenched around the robe on her knees, and she said, "I just..."
"Just what?"
Ni Su supported herself on the table with one hand and stood up. She was still in pain and had some cold sweat on her forehead, but she remained calm and walked to the bed. She turned around and looked at him: "Can I?"
Xu Hexue's fingers loosened, and the beast bead almost fell off. His voice was slightly hoarse: "...Okay."
In fact, she can do whatever she wants.
He even hoped that she could live under her eaves without asking him. He never had the room to refuse.
The lights in the room were so bright that he could clearly see her lift his quilt, lie down with her clothes on, and rest her head on his pillow...
His eyelids moved slightly and he looked away.
"Are you unhappy because I treat you badly?"
Ni Su was lying on the bed, wrapped in his quilt, and she could actually smell a scent exactly the same as his. The accumulated snow covered the spring flowers, cold and refreshing.
Curiously, she put her nose to the edge of the quilt and sniffed.
"no……"
Xu Hexue raised his eyes and spoke, the words drowned in his throat.
What is she doing?
As a ghost, he didn't feel hot and couldn't blush, but her behavior still awakened an emotion in him that could only have been experienced when he was a human.
"……sorry."
Ni Su realized that her behavior was a little strange, and a blush appeared on her pale face.
This time it seemed like he was really offended.
The room fell silent again. One of them was on the bed, and the other was at the desk. They faced each other, but neither dared to look into each other's eyes.
"Why don't you answer me?"
Ni Su looked at the curtain above her head and cleared her throat.
"You treat me well,"
Xu Hexue smoothed the wrinkles on her sleeves, "But actually, I hope you don't..."
Don't be so nice to me.
He had clearly decided to tell her the second half of this sentence. Today, when he was looking at his hands under the execution platform, he wanted to say this to her.
But looking at her at this moment, he found himself being controlled by his own desires and unable to speak.
Ni Su had no idea what he was thinking, and waited for the second half of his sentence, so she opened her mouth to ask, but saw his expression change slightly, and then he raised his hand, and the beast bead in his palm actually broke away from his hand, emitting a strange glow and floating up.
Ni Su looked at the beast bead. Bright light continued to flow out from it, moving back and forth like a silk thread, gradually outlining a faint shadow.
Her pupils constricted and she almost immediately stood up from the bed, not caring about the injuries on her body, and approached with staggering steps.
The clothes he was wearing were the same ones his corpse had been wearing in the Qingyuan Mountain Mud Bodhisattva Temple. They were the clothes that she had watched her mother sew for him stitch by stitch.
Unable to believe it, Ni Su trembled and said, "Brother..."
It seemed as if a long time had passed, and her brother's voice and appearance in her mind had begun to fade, but when he appeared in front of her at this moment, all the past events seemed so vivid again.
"Ah Xi."
The shadow cast by the beast bead was clear and clean. It was nothing like the corpse in the clay Buddha, rotten and cold.
With just this one call of "Ah Xi", Xu Hexue saw Ni Su's eyes turned red in an instant, and she burst into tears like a child.
"Ah Xi, you've lost a lot of weight."
Ni Qinglan's figure was suspended in the air. He stretched out his hand, but could not help her. "You suffered for me."
"Not bitter,"
Ni Su's tears almost blurred her vision. She kept wiping them with the back of her hand, wanting to see her brother's face more clearly. "Brother, I'm not bitter..."
He was the brother in her memory, with similar eyebrows and eyes to hers, and the same clear and stern face.
"If I had known this would happen, you wouldn't have listened to your father," Ni Su cried uncontrollably, "If you hadn't come to Yunjing for the imperial examination, you wouldn't have been killed. I want you to be well and alive. I miss you very much, and so does your mother..."
Her courage and tenacity collapsed the moment she saw her deceased loved ones.
"I saw my mother."
Ni Qinglan couldn't even wipe her tears.
"Ah Xi, I don't want you to do this for me. You are my sister, and I want you to live a better life. At least, don't get yourself hurt for me."
"But Ah Xi, I am very happy. It is a blessing for a brother to have a sister like you."
Ni Qinglan looked at her and smiled, "Don't feel sad for me anymore. You have done enough for me. I can see it, and so can mother."
"From now on, you'll be alone. Are you afraid?"
Ni Su shook her head and cried, "I'm not afraid."
"I know you won't be afraid," Ni Qinglan nodded and said to her, "When you were a child, you secretly learned medical skills, and your father whipped you, but you were never afraid. You are a girl with a strong will, and I have always known that."
Ni Su took out a book from her sleeve and opened it with trembling hands. "Brother, do you remember what you and I agreed on? We were going to write this medical book on treating women's hidden diseases together. You taught me first. You said that when I grew up, when I saw more patients and learned better medical skills, I would teach you in return..."
"Brother can't do it."
Ni Qinglan shook his head gently and looked at her tenderly, "But Ah Xi, you can do it, right?"
"I can."
Ni Su's face was wet with tears, and she choked up and said, "I will definitely do it. Throughout my life, I will write this medical book with my own and my brother's unfinished ambitions. I want women in the world to no longer be ashamed of hidden diseases. I want my brother's legacy and this medical book to coexist in the world."
"I, Ni Su, wish to carry out this aspiration for the rest of my life."
