章節 6: Chapter 6: The Man Who Suddenly Appeared
Zuo Xiangning had drunk a bowl of ginger soup and sent all the maids out before diving into bed early.
Her head felt heavy, and she was worried about Zuo Zimo in the front yard.
Suddenly, she sensed a dark shadow slowly approaching her, and subconsciously thought it was Gu Zhiqing barging in!
She abruptly opened her eyes to see the bed curtain being lifted, and a large hand firmly covering her mouth.
Zuo Xiangning was shocked. She had just come back to life and had only just returned to her mother and brother, how could she let that beast Gu Zhiqing take her away again?
Like a dying wild beast, she bit down on the large hand and reached out to grab at the face of the dark figure.
The person clearly didn't expect such a small girl to be so fierce. Stunned for a moment, they didn't loosen their grip on her mouth, and with their other hand, they lifted her hands above her head. Then, with a lift of their leg, they heavily pressed down on her.
Zuo Xiangning instantly felt as if a thousand pounds were crushing her, nearly suffocating under the weight.
She immediately stopped all her struggles, fearfully looking up at the man covering his face on top of her.
The man was also looking down at her.
He hadn't expected it would be Fourth Miss Zuo, whom he had seen during the day.
Their eyes met, and Zuo Xiangning let out a long sigh of relief.
This man was not Gu Zhiqing!
Gu Zhiqing had double eyelids, but the man with the mask had slender, phoenix-shaped eyes.
The man also noticed the change in her.
"If you don't want to die, keep quiet!" the man said in a low voice.
Zuo Xiangning nodded.
The man frowned in confusion.
She was fighting like a desperate person just now, so why had she suddenly become so docile and obedient?
Looking at her deer-like, sparkling eyes, he added, "Considering I could come in without making any noise, you should know what I'm capable of."
Zuo Xiangning not only nodded but also blinked emphatically.
The man gave her a deep look, released her, sprang up from the bed, reached out to lift the bed curtain, stood by the bed, and looked down at the woman who was still lying there, stunned. "Do you have any hemostatic medicine?"
Zuo Xiangning quickly sat up in bed, her mind struggling intensely about whether to say yes or no.
The man took out a gold ingot from his waist and threw it on Zuo Xiangning, "Hurry up!"
As Zuo Xiangning held the gold ingot, she was taken aback. Was this man trying to bribe her with gold?
But this thought only flashed through her mind before she lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
A wise man does not eat losses before his eyes; she did not wish to die not even a full day after returning.
She obediently took out a white porcelain bottle from the lowest shelf of the Duobao lattice and handed it to the man, "It's been stored for a while, I don't know if it's still effective."
The man looked at his palm where there was a ring of a bite mark.
She was born in the year of the dog? Biting as soon as she opened her mouth!
Glancing at her, he disdainfully wiped his hand with the hem of his garment.
Zuo Xiangning watched his actions, pursing her lips.
The man then began to untie his clothing.
"What are you doing?" Zuo Xiangning hastily stepped back, leaning against the Duobao lattice, and reached behind to grasp a jade ornament, holding it high.
"I'm telling you, if you dare to do anything inappropriate, I'll fight you! My father is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, with a third-rank…"
The man, looking at the plump woman who resembled a little piglet, couldn't help but laugh quietly, "You're just a little kid and you sure think of a lot."
The man took off the black outer garment to reveal the white Middle Garment underneath and pointed to a bloodstain on his back.
"Find a soft piece of cloth and help me apply the medicine."
Zuo Xiangning sighed in relief, hurried to the cabinet, searched for a while, then took one of her new Middle Garments and cut a piece from the bottom with scissors. She explained to the man, "This one is new; I really don't have any suitable cloth here."
The man's gaze merely brushed over the few pale blue flowers embroidered on the white cloth before he lifted his middle garment to expose his back to her.
Xiangning looked at the half-foot-long wound with flesh turned inside out and felt her legs go weak, her heart fiercely recalling the sight of Pan Cui being whipped by Gu Zhiqing until her skin split and bled.
"Hurry up!" The man, sensing some stirrings outside, urged her on.
Xiangning bit her lower lip and poured all the powder from the porcelain bottle onto the wound at once.
The man's body stiffened, his fingers on his knees clenched into fists.
Xiangning leaned in to see the sweat trickling down his forehead and whispered an apology, "The medicine wasn't spread evenly, shall I smooth it out with my hand?"
As she spoke, Xiangning reached out a finger to scrape the medicinal paste beneath the wound…
"Hiss—," the man recoiled, sucking in a breath of cold air and glaring at Xiangning, "Do you have a death wish?"
"I... I didn't mean to," Xiangning said with an innocent face.
The man looked at his trousers, now dotted with white powder, and said irritably, "It's all wasted, are you an idiot?"
Xiangning shook her head, "Some of it did get on the wound... wait a moment, I think I have another bottle."
Xiangning went back to her vanity to retrieve another medicine her elder sister had given her, "I don't know if this one is any good."
"It's fine," the man warned, "Be more careful this time!"
"Oh," Xiangning was extra cautious this time, she opened her hand wide and placed it beneath the man's wound.
The cool touch of her fingers met the burning heat of the man's muscular back, making him unconsciously flinch.
Xiangning looked up at him and carefully sprinkled the medicinal paste onto the wound, then reapplied what she caught in her hand back onto it.
Only then did she wrap a white cloth band around the man's waist.
However, her middle garment was only long enough to cover most of the man's waist, so she asked him to hold down both ends of the cloth while she fetched a pale blue silken cloth to wrap around the outside.
Being short with stubby arms, she nearly had to press up against him to secure the silk properly.
The man inhaled the faint jasmine scent in the air and looked down at the small woman who earnestly tied the silk into a butterfly knot, then reached into his waist and presented her with a gold ingot.
What kind of wealthy bumpkin was this?
Xiangning's eyelid twitched, too scared to accept it, "This medicine isn't worth that much."
The man withdrew his hand and tossed the gold ingot onto the bed.
He dressed himself and walked to the window, only turning back after hearing the outside had again become peaceful, to look at the small woman standing barefoot in the middle of the room in a white crescent-shaped middle garment, her hair loose, and whispered, "Clean up the room thoroughly, and if you don't want to invite a deadly disaster, don't mention this to anyone!"
Xiangning obediently nodded her head.
"And don't make any noise!" the man added.
Xiangning nodded obediently once more.
The man reached the doorway and turned to glance back at Xiangning, considering reminding her that a lady's boudoir should not be so close to someone else's residence.
But her parents must have had their own considerations, so why should he bother commenting?
He slipped out of the room.
Xiangning didn't even see clearly how the door opened and closed before the man disappeared.
Only then did she run back to the bed, terrified, place the two gold ingots in the nightstand by the head of the bed, cover her head tightly with the quilt, eyes wide open, ears alert for any sound from outside.
By the time the next morning arrived, having barely slept during the night, Xiangning felt not only unrested but oddly energized and remembered many things.
She first called Pan Cui to her side.
Xiangning's gaze landed on Pan Cui's delicate face.
In her previous life, Pan Cui and Pan Xia had entered the Gu Residence with her as part of her dowry, but neither had met a good end.
"Miss, is there something dirty on my face?" Pan Cui was confused under Xiangning's intense gaze.
Xiangning blinked and asked seemingly offhandedly, "Did you hear any noises outside last night?"
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