Chapter 38 (Revised)

Chapter 38 (Revised)

Hearing these words, Xiao Luolan couldn't help but raise her eyes to look at Head Zhou. Was he simply referring to Lei Ge's injury, or was there an implication?

"Stop working on the sachet. You can continue it tomorrow; I'm not in a hurry to use it." Zhou Xu placed the sachet in Lady Xiao's hand into a small basket on the table, noticing the neatly arranged herbs she had bought from the pharmacy that afternoon.

"Does it still hurt?" Seeing the slight swelling on the pale fingertip, Zhou Xu bowed his head and kissed it again. Lady Xiao's body seemed freshly bathed, surrounded by a faint floral fragrance and her natural scent, enchantingly pleasant.

"No, it doesn’t hurt anymore," Xiao Luolan replied, head slightly bowed, feeling as if she was enveloped in a furnace, each breath he took near her sending shivers down her spine. Her wrist was loosely held in Head Zhou's hand, his rough fingers playing with hers, occasionally kissing them.

Seeing that Head Zhou didn't make any excessive moves, Xiao Luolan's rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down.

Zhou Xu, tall and robust, barely felt Lady Xiao's weight on his lap. He looked around the boudoir but didn’t find the Snow Cream, so he asked, "Where's the Snow Cream? Let me apply it for you."

Xiao Luolan withdrew her hand, her ears and cheeks flushed, "It's not necessary."

Although Zhou Xu didn’t understand what Lady Xiao was thinking, he coaxed, "It heals better when applied; the fingers are connected to the heart. Without reducing the swelling, you won’t sleep well tonight." He wouldn’t care if someone else was missing an arm or leg in front of him, having seen more dead than alive on the battlefield. But when it came to Lady Xiao, he couldn’t bear to see her suffer even the slightest.

Unable to refuse Head Zhou, Xiao Luolan said, "It’s beside the pillow." As she got off his lap to fetch it herself, she suddenly found herself lifted into the air, narrowly avoiding a startled cry.

Zhou Xu held Lady Xiao and placed her on the bed, then sat at the foot, seeing her annoyed glare, he teasingly said, "Isn’t it nice that I saved Lady Xiao a few steps?"

Xiao Luolan was frustrated by Head Zhou's shameless reasoning; the distance between the table and bed hardly required his assistance.

"Don’t be upset, Lady Xiao," Zhou Xu leaned in closer, "I just want to be closer to you."

The bed's pale yellow curtains were not yet drawn for sleep, just hooked at the four corners. Head Zhou, sitting casually at the foot of the bed, lacked his usual outside sternness, appearing like he was simply having a casual chat, devoid of any airs. Xiao Luolan, recalling the overbearing and arrogant Zhou Yanzhi, thought how different their personalities were.

She opened the porcelain jar to apply the medicine, her long eyelashes casting a shadow.

After Lady Xiao finished applying the medicine, Zhou Xu took the jar.

Xiao Luolan looked at him puzzled, thinking he might want to take the Snow Cream back. After all, she had no injuries and didn’t need it. Or did Head Zhou intend to give it to his nephew to use?

"Have your other injuries healed?" Zhou Xu asked seriously.

Xiao Luolan was initially slow to respond but then blushed furiously, feeling both embarrassed and angry. Every time she thought Head Zhou might have some redeeming qualities, he always revealed another side. What on earth was he thinking about every day?

"They have healed," Xiao Luolan replied quickly and firmly. The Snow Cream was very effective; she had checked in the morning while dressing, and the red marks had almost faded.

"May I take a look?" Zhou Xu asked earnestly.

Xiao Luolan couldn't believe how shameless he could be.

Clenching her hands, Xiao Luolan's face flushed and she began to sweat when anxious. If Head Zhou had been as unreasonable as before, she might have tolerated it, but his polite and gentle questioning now made her feel even more embarrassed and helpless, flustered yet unable to outright refuse. She had just decided that afternoon to leverage Head Zhou's power to protect herself and her daughter.

Everything about them was false, but Head Zhou's protection and power were real, and his affection for her seemed genuine as well.

The only thing she could use here was that bit of truth.

Zhou Xu watched Lady Xiao, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, the quilt crumpled in her grasp, her beautiful face showing hesitation, biting her red lips gently.

"Just a look, nothing else," Zhou Xu assured in a low voice.

Lady Xiao's eyelashes trembled as she looked at him, her breathing unsteady.

"Really," Zhou Xu said restrainedly.

Xiao Luolan closed her eyes, loosening her clothes slightly, and after a long wait, the room was so quiet it seemed she was the only one left.

Unable to resist, Xiao Luolan opened her eyes to see Head Zhou standing before her, making no inappropriate moves. He had indeed just looked, surprising her as she had expected him to act as before. Relieved, she thought this was better.

Zhou Xu slightly bent forward, his loose robe hiding his reaction. Seeing Lady Xiao less guarded, he toyed with the porcelain jar, commenting, "There seems to be a little red mark still."

"I'll apply the medicine myself later," Xiao Luolan said, her cheeks flushed.

Zhou Xu handed her the jar, pushing his luck, "May I take another look?"

Xiao Luolan's hand trembled, nearly dropping the jar, but remembering Head Zhou's credibility this time and her own plans, she remained silent, head lowered.

Zhou Xu, feeling a growing tenderness, adjusted Lady Xiao's clothes and suddenly said, "I know you've been wronged today."

Xiao Luolan immediately looked up at Head Zhou.

"I'll ensure Zhou Yanzhi learns to behave properly. If he doesn't know how, I can teach him; after all, he's my junior." Zhou Xu smiled as he gently touched Lady Xiao's face, "Don’t worry, and don’t be afraid. With me here, no one can bully you."

Having said this, he then left the room.

Xiao Luolan stared into the candlelight, lost in thought. Had she successfully enticed him?

In the Dou residence's study.

Zhou Yanzhi was kneeling straight on the floor, with the exotic young man also kneeling beside him.

After kneeling for a while, Zhou Yanzhi grimaced, bending down to rub his knees. He never expected to be punished with kneeling on his first day in Taiyang, regretting not bringing his cushion from Nanji Academy. If he had, he wouldn’t be suffering like this.

Recalling his days of being hailed and followed at Nanning's Nanji Academy, he regretted coming here.

Since entering the Dou residence, he and A Mu had been kneeling there for about two hours, feeling dizzy, hungry, and with knees aching as if pricked by needles.

"A Mu, does it hurt?"

The exotic young man replied, "Not much."

"Actually, you didn’t have to kneel. After all, Uncle didn’t ask you to. If you hadn't, you could have gone to the kitchen to get something to eat for me," Zhou Yanzhi sighed dejectedly, a stark contrast to his previous spirited demeanor upon arriving in Taiyang.

The exotic young man glanced at Zhou Yanzhi but didn’t speak. If he hadn’t knelt with Zhou Yanzhi, his situation would probably be no better than it was now.

Zhou Yanzhi was about to say more when he heard footsteps and immediately shut his mouth.

Zhou Xu entered, walking over to sit in the high chair in the study.

Zhou Yanzhi gave a pitiful smile, "Uncle, I’ve been kneeling for so long. Do I have to keep kneeling?"

Zhou Xu calmly responded, "What do you think?"

Zhou Yanzhi, sensing the meaning behind his uncle’s words, tensed up, continuing to kneel properly while feeling somewhat panicked. It seemed his uncle was quite angry this time.

"I heard from Master Xu that you left school without permission."

Zhou Yanzhi shrank even smaller, responding meekly, "Yes, Uncle, that's true."

"Who encouraged you to come to Taiyang?" Zhou Xu sipped his tea, his voice calm, "I only want to hear the truth."

Struggling for a long time and sweating profusely, Zhou Yanzhi finally admitted, "It was Master Shangguan."

Zhou Xu remarked, "He told you to come, and you just did. Zhou Yanzhi, is that thing around your neck just a decoration?"

Zhou Yanzhi, his face flushing at his uncle's sarcasm, gathered his courage, "Uncle, you don't understand. The whole of Youzhou knows about Lady Xiao being by your side. If I didn't come to see for myself, how could I be at ease?"

Zhou Xu smiled, but his face was devoid of mirth, "Whom are you worried about, then?"

Zhou Yanzhi's lips moved, but he ultimately bowed his head, full of grievances. Who else could he be worried about? Of course, it was for his cousin. Head Zhou had been indifferent to women for years, and when Zhou Yanzhi first heard the news, he thought it was a joke. He hadn't expected it to be true. Seeing Lady Xiao so favored, how could he stay away?

"Since you're not interested in your studies, you can stay here to recover."

Zhou Yanzhi paled, stepping back in alarm as he saw his uncle approaching with a whip, "Uncle, I only hit that Lei family cavalryman once."

Zhou Xu bent down, grabbing Zhou Yanzhi by the head to force him to look up, tapping his face with the black whip, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, "Wasn't it a show of force to Lady Xiao? Hm?"

Zhou Yanzhi was ashen, trembling with fear and dread. He knew well about his uncle's black whip, not an ordinary one but made with a special metal from the Gongsun family, capable of breaking stone and metal. With his uncle's terrifying strength, a few lashes could disfigure a person, causing bones and flesh to separate. It was always his uncle's cherished possession.

"Uncle, Uncle, I was wrong, truly wrong. I won't dare to do it again," Zhou Yanzhi, not daring to hide or run, clung to his uncle's legs, crying bitterly. Faced with a life-threatening crisis, he knelt down cleanly and pleaded tearfully.

Ignoring Zhou Yanzhi's pleas, Zhou Xu moved his wrist slightly and, using moderate force, lashed him once on the back.

Zhou Yanzhi was in such pain that he couldn't even speak, curling up like a shrimp, blood soaking his back, and soon he fainted.

The exotic young man watched Zhou Yanzhi, who had been so arrogant and domineering in Nanning not long ago, now lying unconscious like a dead dog, and bowed his head deeply.

After a short while, Leishan and his men came in and carried the unconscious Zhou Yanzhi out.

Zhou Xu, sitting in his chair and placing the black whip on the table, then turned his attention to the exotic young man.

The young man bowed his head even lower.

"How are things going with A-Gu?" Zhou Xu asked.

The exotic young man replied, "My brother is in Yicheng, negotiating with the old king. We hope for a satisfactory outcome."

Zhou Xu hummed in response, smiling at the young man, "A-Gu is my adopted son, and you are his brother, which makes you like a son to me. There's no need to be so formal around me."

The young man stood up respectfully, "Yes."

"Next time, don't kneel with Zhou Yanzhi," Zhou Xu advised, "Some people's stupidity is innate and cannot be reasoned or taught. They deserve to suffer more than others."

The young man lowered his head, his cheek twitching. He hadn't had much interaction with this military governor, but he never expected such impartiality and ruthlessness, even towards his own nephew.

"You may leave now."

"Yes."

The next day, upon hearing the news Fangyun had gathered, Xiao Qingxue immediately stood up, "Really?"

Xiao Luolan's eyes also widened slightly.

"It's true. I heard it from Lei Ge, Lord Lei. That young Master Zhou was beaten very badly," Fangyun whispered.

Xiao Qingxue immediately became excited, "Let’s go and see."

"Young mistress, that might not be appropriate," Fangyun cautioned her not to be too obvious.

"I'll just sneak a peek," Xiao Qingxue’s mouth curved into a smile she couldn’t control.

"Don't worry, mother, I'll just look from a distance," Xiao Qingxue promised not to gloat in Zhou Yanzhi's presence, then sneaked off like a thief. Xiao Luolan, feeling uneasy, put down her sachet and followed her.

With the help of Lei family’s cavalryman, Xiao Luolan quickly found Zhou Yanzhi's residence. Before they even got close, they heard agonized screams like that of a pig being slaughtered, and saw doctors coming in and out of the room.

Xiao Qingxue and Fangyun hid quietly under a tree, Xiao Qingxue covering her mouth to stifle her giggles, her eyes forming crescents.

Xiao Luolan, watching her daughter, couldn’t help but smile as well.

She had been most worried that her daughter would be sullen after yesterday's events.

Feeling much lighter in spirit, Xiao Luolan was about to leave when she was startled by the sudden appearance of Head Zhou behind her.

Holding a sachet in his hand, Zhou Xu, seeing the smile on Lady Xiao's face, smiled too, "Is Lady Xiao happy?"

Unsure of Head Zhou's meaning, Xiao Luolan restrained her smile, feeling it inappropriate to laugh, considering Zhou Yanzhi was Head Zhou’s nephew.

"Why aren’t you smiling anymore?" Zhou Xu asked, puzzled, "Do you think I was too lenient? Once Zhou Yanzhi recovers, I can beat him again."

Xiao Luolan couldn't help but laugh again, shaking her head quickly, "No need." Zhou Yanzhi was still screaming in pain; continuing to punish him would be excessive.

Zhou Xu took Lady Xiao's hand.

Xiao Luolan, worried about being seen by her daughter, tried to pull away, but Zhou Xu led her away from there to the small bamboo tower behind the study.

A gentle breeze fluttered the sheer curtains.

Xiao Luolan sat on the green mat with Head Zhou behind her, a box of luminous pearls and gold beads on the table.

Zhou Xu wrapped his arms around Lady Xiao's waist, grinding ink for her. Xiao Luolan sat upright, trying not to lean on Head Zhou, writing poetry from a collection provided by him, filled with verses describing deep affection and entanglement of a woman.

The more Xiao Luolan wrote, the redder her face became, feeling as though she was writing love letters to Head Zhou.

Zhou Xu was delighted, carefully collecting each piece she finished.

Zhou Xu, watching Lady Xiao trying to distance herself from him, her waist appearing even more slender, was lost in thought.

Xiao Luolan's hand, holding the brush, suddenly left an ink streak on the paper, and she turned to look at Head Zhou.

Zhou Xu met her gaze and slowly lowered his head, kissing the luminous pearl.

Xiao Luolan trembled, gripping Head Zhou's robe tightly, her fingers alternating between tightening and loosening, wrinkling his robe.

Zhou Xu cleaned off the Snow Cream and continued holding her hand, looking at Lady Xiao, her face flushed and breathing rapid, chuckling softly, "Lady Xiao's poetry is truly excellent."

"Don’t say where souls are lost; Spring arrives in such a rush."