Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Early that morning, Sui Lanwei reapplied the medicine on Tang Liu's eyes.

Tang Liu sat quietly, muttering to himself. Sui Lanwei was only an arm's length away but still couldn't make out what he was mumbling, so he asked, "Liu, what are you muttering to yourself about? It's like sleep-talking."

"I'm keeping track of the days," Tang Liu said.

"What days?"

"Today is already the twenty-ninth day. In another twenty days, this poultice will be finished."

Sui Lanwei paused and silently took a clean piece of white gauze, folded it into a long strip, and placed it over the thick layer of medicinal paste covering Tang Liu's eyes. Tang Liu touched the edge of the gauze with his fingertip. "Wei Wei, do you think this medicine really works? I don't feel anything at all. Don't they say that miracle cures usually come with strange side effects—like being very painful or very itchy? Could that doctor have misdiagnosed me or just prescribed something to cheat us out of money?"

Sui Lanwei tied a slipknot behind his head, took a step back, and said, "Where did you pick up such stories? If a medicine makes people uncomfortable, how can it be good medicine?"

"That's how the street storytellers always tell it. Besides, what I'm using might not necessarily be good medicine."

Indeed, they were all ordinary medicinal herbs; the total amount for forty-nine days wouldn't even cost a few pieces of silver. This medicine was just a sham, but Tang Liu's sharpness still surprised Sui Lanwei. He said, "Do you really think I'm the type who would skimp on your medicine?"

Tang Liu immediately shook his head. "I don't mean that at all. What I mean is, this should be a miraculous medicine, but not necessarily a good medicine that everyone can use." He chuckled. "Being able to restore someone's sight, isn't that miraculous?"

Sui Lanwei realized he was overthinking it; Tang Liu was still the same Tang Liu. He relaxed a bit and asked, "Liu, have you thought about what you want to do after you can see?"

Tang Liu scratched his head. "I hardly dare to think about it. But—" He pondered for a moment, then picked up his bamboo cane with one hand and took Sui Lanwei's right hand with the other. As he led the way out, he said, "If that day really comes, I want to go see the Lai River—to see if it's really as clear and beautiful as Old Tang said."

Sui Lanwei thought, somewhat unhappily, *The first thing you want to do isn't even to take a good look at me.* He stared at their joined hands and reluctantly tried to loosen his own, but Tang Liu still held on tightly. Sui Lanwei didn't want to make a fuss over such a trivial matter, making himself seem small-minded, so he let Tang Liu hold his hand, though his expression remained somewhat sullen.

"Oh—" Tang Liu stopped walking, turned his head to 'look' at him. "Old Tang is the person who raised me. He was also a beggar. I'll take you to see him someday."

Sui Lanwei also stopped and asked, "Where is he?"

"Sleeping in the ground, for a very long time." Tang Liu smiled. "When we see him, you have to bow before him with me."

Under the sunlight, Tang Liu's smile was like a lake in spring—bright and warm. Sui Lanwei gazed blankly for a while, his anger dissipating. He asked, dragging out the word, "Oh, so how many times do we have to bow?"

Tang Liu hesitated. He raised his arm slightly and tightened his fingers, as if on instinct he wanted to scratch his face, but because he was holding Sui Lanwei's hand, he reluctantly lowered it. He turned his head and continued walking forward, then said after a moment, "Once."

Sui Lanwei was very displeased, but Tang Liu immediately added, "Bow to him once, bow to heaven and earth once, and then you and I will bow to each other once in front of him."

His voice was very muffled, as if the entire sentence was too embarrassing to say out loud.

Sui Lanwei was stunned for a moment, then finally took his hand again and followed slowly behind him. "What else?"

"What else? And... share a wedding cup?"

"...Silly, I mean what else do you want to do."

"...Oh. And... and Tushui County—is it really as lively in most places as I usually hear? And the alley where I lived for many years—what does it actually look like? And those few beggars I always teamed up with..."

His shadow slowly shortened under the gradually rising sun, then slowly lengthened again on the dusty path. Yin Mei watched his muddy trouser legs from afar, then glanced at his hand being held behind him, and silently retreated back into her own courtyard.

That night, Tang Liu was pushed awake.

"Liu, my leg hurts."

Tang Liu hadn't been asleep for long. Upon being woken up and hearing this, he immediately became alert. "Leg cramp?" He was about to get up to check, but his collar was tightly grasped. Wei Wei curled up in his arms. "Don't move. It hurts."

Wei Wei occasionally had flare-ups of illness, and when she said it hurt, it really did hurt. Tang Liu carefully recalled—from daytime until now, Wei Wei indeed hadn't been injured, so it was likely a cramp. He turned sideways to hold Wei Wei, freeing one hand to reach down. "If it's a cramp, you have to massage it out, or it'll hurt more and more."

But as soon as he touched her waist, Wei Wei pressed her whole body against him, pinning his hand between them.

"It's not a cramp..." she said, her voice trembling. "Liu, it hurts so much, it hurts so much... it's like knives are scraping... so cold..."

By the end, she was almost delirious, crying out in pain one moment and shivering from cold the next. Tang Liu, hearing that she was already incoherent, became alarmed. With a forceful tug, he pulled his hand free and pressed it against Wei Wei's thigh.

"Here...?" he started to ask.

Tang Liu paused and abruptly withdrew his hand.

What had he just touched? Bone?

He steadied himself and reached out again. Wei Wei wrapped herself around him. Those soft, boneless hands climbed to his shoulders, and her lips pressed against his face, peppering it with messy kisses. "Liu, let me kiss you... let me kiss you..."

Tang Liu was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. Unable to move his body, he could only turn his neck to avoid her lips. "Wei Wei, this isn't the time for kissing. Kissing won't cure a cramp. Be good, let me check." He dodged while reaching down again, finally touching Wei Wei's tense thigh.

He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he must have still been half-asleep earlier. Just as he was about to continue searching for the cramped spot, his lips were firmly sealed, and her tongue urgently sought his.

Tang Liu tried to push it out, but it only tangled more tightly. He gave up struggling somewhat gloomily, opening his mouth and letting Wei Wei have her way. But his mind was still preoccupied with her cramped leg; his hand, however, was restricted by their position and couldn't explore further downward.

He remained still for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. With one arm, he wrapped around Wei Wei's waist; with the other, he reached across to support the top of her thigh. At the same time, he straightened his back against the bedpost, letting Wei Wei kneel over him, her thighs straddling his. The whole movement was quite large, but Wei Wei was very persistent in kissing him. Their lips remained locked the entire time. Tang Liu pushed her away, took a breath, and was immediately dragged back by the collar of his clothes.

*Why is she kissing so fiercely?* he wondered, his hand moving down to examine Wei Wei's legs. But from her upper thighs to the backs of her knees, from the backs of her knees to her heels, and even to her toes, he couldn't find a single spot that was cramped. As for external injuries, there wasn't a mark on her.

Then why would it hurt for no reason? Tang Liu, not convinced, checked again but still found nothing. Just as he was about to check a third time, his lower lip was bitten lightly but firmly.

"It's nothing. I just had a nightmare earlier and got scared," Wei Wei whispered against his lips.

Only then did Tang Liu notice that her body wasn't as tense as before, but her voice still sounded very hoarse. He himself had never had nightmares, but in the past, there were gamblers around him who were chased by debt collectors and had nightmares every day. After too many, they simply fell ill and eventually died, and no medicine could save them. So upon hearing this, he became even more nervous than before. But then it occurred to him that Wei Wei was probably still caught in the fear of just waking from a nightmare, so he didn't show it.

"What did you dream about? Was it very scary?" He decided to say something to distract Wei Wei.

"Very scary." Sui Lanwei lowered herself and rested her head on his shoulder, her arms loosely encircling his waist, seeming extremely exhausted. "I forgot as soon as I woke up. I only remember it hurt a lot."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Dreams are all fake." Tang Liu imitated the way he had heard women comfort children, patting her back, but his hand landed on her thin shoulder blades. Feeling a pang of heartache, he gently stroked them. "Have you lost weight? Tomorrow, let Yin Mei stew some soup for you to nourish yourself."

Sui Lanwei shook her head, though it was unclear what she meant. Soon after, she lifted her head again, seeking a kiss. "Liu, kiss me again."

*Is kissing really that effective?*

Tang Liu hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head to find her lips, but the first kiss landed on her eye. A slight tremor passed beneath his lips. Tang Liu could almost imagine Wei Wei closing her eyes, looking unusually serene. He gave an almost imperceptible swallow, cupped her face with his right hand, and slowly kissed down from her cheek until he reached her cool lips.

His movements were gentle, meant to soothe. Sui Lanwei had been watching him with open eyes at first, but then she closed them and let her consciousness sink into the darkness.

Tang Liu breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted his head—his lips and tongue were numb, and his legs were also somewhat numb from maintaining the same position for so long. He yawned; fatigue washed over him belatedly, and his limbs suddenly felt very heavy. He shook his head, tucked Wei Wei in, lay down himself, and fell asleep.

This sleep seemed exceptionally long. When he woke again, Tang Liu couldn't tell what time it was. Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask, his throat felt as if blocked by wet cotton—not a single sound could come out.

He moved, and immediately a voice beside him said, "You're awake."

Tang Liu was startled because it was actually Yin Mei's voice.

"You've been asleep for three whole days," Yin Mei said worriedly.

Three days? That long?

"Did I catch a cold?" he asked hoarsely.

A soft sigh came from beside him. Yin Mei didn't answer but instead supported his neck, propping up his head, and brought a bowl to his lips.

Tang Liu took a sip—it was medicine.

He struggled to drink it all from that awkward position. His throat felt a bit better afterward, though his limbs still lacked strength. After drinking, he lay back down. He reached out to the side, only touching the warm bedding. "Where's Wei Wei?"

Yin Mei couldn't answer. She held the empty bowl and stared at Tang Liu for a long moment before saying, "Three days ago, early in the morning, I brought breakfast to the entrance of your courtyard as usual. When I returned at noon, the breakfast was still untouched. I figured you'd slept in, so I just left the lunch and went on my way. But when I came to deliver dinner, both the breakfast and lunch were still exactly as I'd left them. That's when I realized something might have happened to you. Because you're not the type to miss two meals."

Yin Mei paused here. Tang Liu lay quietly, and Yin Mei knew he was listening. She continued, "When I entered the room, I found you lying here alone, unconscious, with no one else around. Your complexion was terrible at the time. I called a doctor, who said it wasn't a cold—it was organ failure."

Tang Liu was startled. "No way? That serious?"

"I have no reason to lie to you." As she spoke these words, Yin Mei's palms were sweating. She'd been a nervous wreck staying here for three days, only daring to tell Tang Liu this after confirming there was no threat. "Do you remember what happened before you fell unconscious?"

"Nothing special." Tang Liu felt uneasy inside. Organ failure—it sounded like an illness only someone on the verge of death would get.

"This time it wasn't too severe. With proper rest and recovery for a while, you'll be fine." Yin Mei noticed his worry and comforted him before asking again, "Think carefully. Was there really nothing unusual?"

Tang Liu thought back. If he had to say, there was only Wei Wei having a spasm—no, wait, she had a nightmare—and then they kissed for a while. That's nothing, right? Besides, such matters weren't something he felt comfortable sharing with others, so he shook his head again.

"That can't be." Yin Mei was getting frustrated and all but spelled it out for him: "I've been here for these three days and haven't seen anyone else."

Tang Liu, worried and puzzled, asked, "Your mistress is missing, and nobody's out searching for her?"