Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Time flowed like water. Despite what Tang Liu had said, aside from sleeping a bit more relaxed, he still didn't dare go beyond holding hands or the occasional embrace with his nominal wife.

Wei Wei was indeed his wife, but playing the part of a real husband was no simple matter.

On the contrary, since that night, Wei Wei seemed to have grown fond of the press of lips. Every night before sleep, she would lean over him to touch his lips, and wouldn't let him keep his lips sealed. She didn't do anything else, just quietly pressed her lips against his, but Tang Liu was still excruciatingly awkward. For the first few times, his limbs felt awkward and misplaced, and in the end, he could only hesitantly rest them on Wei Wei's waist.

Perhaps because her mood had improved, Wei Wei's condition seemed to have gotten better. The most tangible change was that her body was no longer as cold as ice; holding her in the scorching summer should be quite comfortable.

Tang Liu's happiness was short-lived. One night, Wei Wei suddenly fell ill again.

He stayed by the bedside, urging Wei Wei once again to call a doctor. But Wei Wei just shook his head.

"Resting for one night will be fine." Sui Lanwei glanced at the window. Tonight's moonlight was dim, filtering through the layers of gauze curtains; the darkness within was thick as spilled ink. He withdrew his gaze, looked at Tang Liu, reached out to grasp Tang Liu's palm, and pulled it toward himself. "Husband Liu, come lie down and talk to me. I can't sleep."

So Tang Liu took off his clothes and got onto the bed. Sui Lanwei, wrapped in the quilt, rolled into his arms, nuzzled against his neck and inhaled his scent eagerly. After a while, he restrained himself, lowered his head, and buried himself in Tang Liu's not-so-broad chest.

Tang Liu thought for a moment, feeling that his illness was truly strange. Remembering Yin Mei's instructions, he asked, "Have you been in contact with anyone other than me these last few days?"

For the first two days after he woke up, his legs were inexplicably so weak he couldn't walk at all, and meals were brought into the room by Wei Wei. Probably Master Wang and the Taoist priest had instructed not to have contact with Wei Wei. During those two days, De Qi and Yin Mei would leave the meals outside the door and leave. Logically, they shouldn't have met. But what if?

He remained silent, shaking his head in his arms, as if too drained to even speak.

Tang Liu hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and patted his back.

Sui Lanwei burrowed deeper into his arms, and after a while said, "Husband Liu, will you tell me a story?"

Tang Liu thought for a bit and picked a story about the 'Pork Butcher's Beauty' he had heard while wandering the streets. He wasn't good at making up stories; he only told true tales he'd picked up. He removed the vulgar and crude parts and softly recounted the rest to the person in his arms.

Halfway through the story, the arms holding him went slack, and the person in his arms quieted down, his breathing so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Wei Wei?" Tang Liu called softly.

Wei Wei didn't answer, presumably having fallen into a deep sleep.

Tang Liu pulled the quilt up higher and simply closed his eyes to sleep. Not long after falling asleep, he suddenly heard a strange noise. He immediately woke up, and before he could carefully listen to the sound, he noticed the person in his arms was trembling.

Alarmed, he drew back to feel for his forehead. As soon as he reached out, another hand shot out and grabbed his.

Sui Lanwei held his hand and said, "Husband Liu, I think there's a thief outside. I'm scared."

Tang Liu paused, listening carefully inside the room. Sure enough, he heard faint footsteps and a faint, furtive rustling. The footsteps were steady and forceful, pacing back and forth around the room. In Tang Liu's experience, the person outside was either peeping inside or looking for a suitable spot to climb in.

Tang Liu was instantly furious.

When he was a thief, many thieves in the county hadn't even been born yet. This nobody of a thief outside, whoever he was, dared to steal from him.

He rolled out of bed, not even bothering to throw on a robe, shoved his feet into his shoes, grabbed his bamboo cane, and headed out. After taking half a step, he felt a pull from his other hand and realized it was still being held.

He turned back and reassured, "Don't worry, my wife. I'll be back in a moment."

Sui Lanwei was momentarily stunned, loosening his grip. Tang Liu pulled his hand free, and by the time he looked up again, Tang Liu was already moving silently toward the door.

Tang Liu reached the door, pressed his ear against it, and listened intently. He heard the thief outside pacing back and forth, muttering something under his breath, too indistinct to make out.

Tang Liu held his breath, waiting. When he heard the footsteps stop at the door, he flung the door open and lashed out with a kick.

"Ouch!"

His foot connected solidly, accompanied by a cry of pain and the sound of something heavy falling. Without hesitation, Tang Liu brought his cane down hard in that direction. Not taking any chances, he swung three or four more times. In the silent night, he heard only a few crisp thwacks, followed by nothing else.

Tang Liu withdrew his cane and was about to go out to check when he heard a sound like porcelain shattering into pieces a few steps to his left, followed by the sound of someone running away into the distance.

So there *was* an accomplice.

Tang Liu immediately ran in that direction. He knew this courtyard like the back of his hand from his daily walks. Perhaps driven by anger, he ran those few steps with preternatural ease, smoothly and without obstruction, quickly catching up to the fleeing thief.

*Whack!*

Another heavy blow.

That person fell to the ground.

Tang Liu stopped to catch his breath, kicked the person on the ground with his foot, then crouched down, used the man's own clothes to bind his hands and feet, and went back to tie up the one at the door. While tying him up, it belatedly occurred to him: why did that person's voice sound a bit familiar earlier?

He thought left and right, but the earlier cry of pain had been distorted, making it hard to match with any voice he had heard before. A night breeze blew against his face. He tightened his collar and decided not to think about it anymore. He got up, returned to the room, walked to the bedside, took off his shoes, and slipped under the covers.

In just that short time away, the warmth he had built up over half the night dissipated completely. The bedding had gone cold. Tang Liu pulled the covers over himself, automatically held out his arms, but waited for a long time with no one burrowing in.

"Wei Wei?"

No one answered. Tang Liu found it strange, so he propped himself up halfway and groped further across the bed.

The bed was extravagantly large—he'd measured it once; it could sleep four or five people side by side. However, for convenience in daily life, he always slept only near the outer edge. Wei Wei liked to pillow on him and also slept on the outer side. Now, after crawling inward a few steps, his fingers finally brushed against a person.

Tang Liu didn't know where he had touched, but as soon as his hand landed, he felt the body under his hand trembling violently. He paused, thinking he had scared him, and withdrew his hand, saying, "Wei Wei? It's me, Tang Liu. The thief has been caught. We'll have De Qi take him to the authorities at dawn. Don't be afraid."

The person on the bed still didn't say a word. Tang Liu finally sensed something was wrong. Now truly alarmed, he reached out and touched a head of silky, disheveled hair. He paused, then followed the hair upward, feeling the slender shoulders, and then down along the shoulders. Only then did he realize Sui Lanwei had curled up into a ball, lying on his side with his back to him, his clothing thin, and his under-trousers had ridden up to his knees.

Tang Liu hastily knelt up, wrapped his arms around his shoulders and knees, and pulled him into his embrace. He tugged the pulled-up trousers downward. In his haste, he lost his usual care. The base of his palm slid over Sui Lanwei's smooth calf as he pulled the trouser leg, finally landing on the bare ankle.

To be fair, compared to his own ankles, Wei Wei's ankles were much more delicate—a thin layer of skin over the bone, with an excellent feel. Tang Liu was only human; it was impossible not to have some improper thoughts. Moreover, during this time, every intimate contact had evoked not only awkwardness and discomfort but also some indescribable, subtle feelings. After several times, these had long accumulated into a simmering desire in Tang Liu's heart.

It was just that he hid it well and forced himself not to think about it.

However, at this moment, just as this desire was beginning to flare, Tang Liu mentally slapped it down. He felt his icy-cold feet and was seized with panic.

He remembered when he had nearly frozen to death before, the soles of his feet had been just as cold.

"Wei Wei, Wei Wei," Tang Liu patted Sui Lanwei's cheeks, trying to wake him. "Stay awake."

He changed his position, sitting cross-legged on the bed, placed Sui Lanwei on his lap, pulled the quilt over him, held him with one arm, and with the other hand reached under the covers to press his feet together, doing his best to warm his soles.

After doing this, he didn't know what else to do. Originally, he should have started a fire or boiled some water to warm the person in his arms, but starting a fire was one of the few things he couldn't do. For a blind person, the potential danger of fire far outweighed its light and warmth.

Apart from holding the person, constantly calling their name, and rubbing their hands and feet, there was nothing he could do at the moment. Tang Liu couldn't help but feel somewhat discouraged.

After what felt like an age of anxious waiting, a soft groan suddenly came from his arms. Tang Liu, who had already begun pondering how he would survive if his wife from the Wang family really froze to death, felt a surge of relief. He straightened his back and tightened his embrace around the person in his arms.

"Ancestor, you're finally awake."

Sui Lanwei opened his eyes, his gaze distant, his tone somewhat weak: "Is there no moon outside?"

Tang Liu was puzzled for a moment. "I don't know."

After asking, Sui Lanwei realized he had asked a foolish question. He moved his body and only then realized he was wrapped up like a zongzi, nestled in Tang Liu's arms, unable to move, with his feet resting on something warm. Heat continuously transmitted from the point of contact, alleviating the bone-chilling cold within him.

Sui Lanwei had been in this mansion for a hundred years and had long forgotten what warmth felt like. Only after marrying Tang Liu did he begin to remember—this was what warmth had once felt like to a living body.

He thought it was quite novel and ended up pestering Tang Liu, yet he didn't consider it extraordinary, nor did he grow attached to it.

But now, at his weakest moment, with his feet resting on something so warm, Sui Lanwei realized just how precious that warmth was.

He couldn't help but press down harder with his feet, only to have them grabbed immediately. Tang Liu's worried voice came from overhead: "You're still cold. Just bear with it a little longer."

Thinking his grip was causing discomfort, Tang Liu spoke gently to comfort him.

It finally dawned on Sui Lanwei that the warmth came from Tang Liu's hands.

He looked at Tang Liu, who was "gazing" down at him with an unusually serious expression, tinged with lingering fear.

He had the sudden urge to laugh, and he actually did laugh out loud.

He said, "Husband Liu, I won't die. You won't be able to warm me."

Tang Liu didn't let go upon hearing this, only asking, "What exactly is wrong with you?"

Sui Lanwei replied, "Just an old, stubborn illness. It can't be cured."

Tang Liu was somewhat surprised: "It's not caused by that evil spirit?"

Sui Lanwei was taken aback before realizing Tang Liu was referring to himself as the evil spirit. His expression darkened, and he said unhappily, "What does it have to do with an evil spirit?"

He had long forgotten about that so-called young lady and had no interest in troubling someone he didn't know.

By now, that young lady had probably recovered long ago.

Looking at Tang Liu, he thought of the term "wife" and how Tang Liu had always mistaken him for that young lady. He felt a wave of inexplicable irritation, made worse by Tang Liu's clueless "gaze" as he waited for an explanation. In a fit of pique, Sui Lanwei buried his face in Tang Liu's chest.

"I don't know, but it has nothing to do with that. I often have these episodes; I just need to sleep them off. Over time, you'll get used to it and won't make such a fuss."

Some small matter!

Tang Liu inwardly groaned, feeling that Wei Wei truly didn't take her own health seriously. If this happened a few more times, even if Wei Wei was fine, his own soul would be scared out of him.

But since it was a chronic illness, the affliction brought by the evil spirit must be something else.

Thinking this, he asked, "Has the illness brought by the evil spirit healed?"

If it had, she could be touched by others, and during her old illness flare-ups, someone could care for her—at least boiling some hot water.

Sui Lanwei, however, thought Tang Liu had a problem with the evil spirit—that is, himself—and angrily bumped his head against Tang Liu's chest. "How should I know!"