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"Don't worry, let's go to Tang Family Medical Hall."
Xia Muxin managed to say a complete sentence, remaining surprisingly calm despite the pain in her back. The sweat rolling down her body felt like beads, comparable to the blood she had lost.
"Yes, to Tang Family Medical Hall, Tang Family Medical Hall."
Aunt Xia and Yan Zhouwan finally reacted, repeating the name in a fragmented manner. Meanwhile, Ming Da had already picked up Xia Muxin and was flying straight toward Tang Family Medical Hall.
"Ah... my goodness, could you be gentler? I agreed to go with you, didn't I?"
Ming Da was moving too quickly and collided head-on with Su Yan-Chu, who was being pulled by the ear by a Red-Clad Woman. Su Yan-Chu was pleading for mercy and lowering his head in resignation when he was suddenly knocked down by Ming Da, landing hard on the ground and staring wide-eyed at Ming Da's rapidly disappearing figure.
"That... person covered in blood seems to be Xia Muxin."
The Red-Clad Woman was Wei Jianshuang. Ever since her disguise as a man had been uncovered, she and Su Yan-Chu had been at odds, arguing for three hours out of every twelve and spending two hours fighting. One hour was spent trying to reconcile, while the rest of the time was a mystery to her. Yet, despite this chaotic routine, she found it oddly enjoyable and even became attached to Su Yan-Chu because he had such a mild temperament. He rarely got angry; aside from shouting a few times, he did nothing else. But upon seeing him knocked down, her initial anger faded as she noticed who he was chasing after.
"What?"
Su Yan-Chu sprang up from the ground with a roar and began chasing after Ming Da's retreating figure.
Watching him rush off in such a panic tightened something in Wei Jianshuang's chest, making her feel uneasy. However, Xia Muxin was Shen Muhan's person, and Shen Muhan was her father's benefactor. She couldn't just stand by and do nothing either, so she hurriedly followed after them.
"Sister Tang! Sister Tang! Hurry out, we need help!"
Ming Da was not unfamiliar with Sister Tang, and at this moment, he was frantic. The formalities had completely slipped his mind as he rushed into the clinic, shouting at the top of his lungs.
A few young people at the medicine cabinet were about to scold him for being rude, but when they saw the blood-soaked figure of Xia Muxin, they were instantly struck dumb. The quickest among them dashed to the back room to find Sister Tang.
Before long, Sister Tang hurried out, and upon seeing Ming Da holding the bleeding Xia Muxin, she quickly led him into the inner room. She instructed him to lay Xia Muxin on a small bed while she grabbed her tools to stop the bleeding.
"Fortunately, the wound isn't fatal," she said after examining it. "But it's quite deep and will require a good amount of rest."
After checking the wound, she spoke to the others and then began applying a local anesthetic using a concoction while calling for Ming Da and Su Yan-Chu to help pull out the shard embedded in Xia Muxin's side. Ming Da was immediately splattered with blood.
They cleaned the wound and applied medicine in one swift motion.
"Remember, you can't have any children for the next six months," she added before giving Aunt Xia some instructions. After preparing some medicine for them, she finally went outside to attend to other patients.
Looking at the unconscious Xia Muxin, everyone felt both heartbroken and relieved; thankfully, this time it was a close call but no real danger.
"Um... Aunt, the boss should be back soon. I’ll go face the music," Ming Da said, exhaling deeply as he slumped down. He had received news yesterday that the boss would arrive in Zhushan County around noon today, and he was responsible for picking him up. He had initially planned to surprise his superior but now realized he would likely give him a shock instead, uncertain of what punishment awaited him.
Actually, without Ming Da saying anything, everyone could guess that given Shen Muhan's affection for Xia Muxin, Ming Da was bound to receive a scolding. Aunt Xia, feeling sympathetic, said:
"Let Mu Han come over later. We're all family here; you haven't done anything wrong. What punishment? Besides, Muxin is fine, isn't she?"
Ming Da glanced at her gratefully, nodded, and hurried away.
"Aunt, I am the owner of the Fortune and Longevity Restaurant, Su Yan-Chu."
Xia Muxin's calm demeanor allowed Su Yan-Chu to exhale deeply. Seeing that Aunt Xia and Yan Zhouwan were so tense they were afraid to sit down, he stepped forward to introduce himself.
In truth, he wanted to divert their attention; after all, Sister Tang had said everything was fine, so it must be true.
"Oh my, you are Su Yan-Chu! Muxin has mentioned you more than once in front of us. Her father has always been thinking about you; you are truly our family's great Benefactor."
Aunt Xia had met Su Yan-Chu before when Su Xiuning stayed with them briefly, but they hadn't had a chance to interact much. Hearing this now led her to engage in small talk.
After all, he had accepted their Firewood back then and never haggled over the price. Plus, Muxin sold him some Game Meat as well. To be honest, he was the first one they should thank. As for Xia Muxin mentioning him frequently, that was just politeness; Summer Forest had indeed brought him up several times.
"Aunt, you're exaggerating. We're just good friends."
Su Yan-Chu felt embarrassed by Aunt Xia's praise and took a long pause before managing to say this. Wei Jianshuang beside him scolded him for being foolish.
Su Yan-Chu was afraid of Wei Jianshuang. Although he wasn't a scholar type, he preferred girls with a gentle demeanor. Under pressure from both families, he had no choice but to cater to Wei Jianshuang and let her have her way in everything. Moreover, given her personality, she surely disliked those who lacked spirit or masculinity. So he was trying to develop in that direction; he didn't believe he couldn't drive her away.
At this moment, Wei Jianshuang's cold gaze swept over him, making him uneasy. Unable to endure any longer, he finally bid farewell to Aunt Xia and Yan Zhouwan.
Aunt Xia was very understanding of his busy schedule and kept reminding him how important the business of the restaurant was. She insisted that once Muxin was well, he should definitely come to express his gratitude. This made Su Yan-Chu nearly run out of Tang Family Medical Hall, as Wei Jianshuang's gaze grew sharper and the temperature around them dropped. If he stayed any longer, he was sure he would freeze to death.
"Hey, do you like Xia Muxin?"
Once outside Tang Family Medical Hall, Su Yan-Chu found himself unsure of where to go. With General Wei present at the restaurant, he couldn't let him know that he had been avoiding Wei Jianshuang. If that got out, his family would surely find out and bombard him with all sorts of unsolicited advice, lecturing him with a bunch of irrelevant platitudes. Ultimately, these people were selfish, only thinking about the family and never considering his feelings. Even an outsider like Su Xiuning held a higher status than him. As the saying goes, they favored sons over daughters; in that family, he was insignificant. Returning home once every six months or a year, no one would remember him.
However, money from the restaurant was regularly collected by someone who claimed it was due to the large household expenses. His father, as a prime minister, couldn't support the family on his monthly salary alone, so they had to squeeze money from him. Sometimes he even wondered if he was the child of their enemies; otherwise, why would they treat him this way? In contrast, Su Xiuning, as their benefactor's child, received entirely different treatment.
Thinking about it made him feel quite aggrieved.
Just then, while Su Yan-Chu was lost in his thoughts, Wei Jianshuang had somehow caught up with him and coldly asked, which left him momentarily speechless. For a long time, he didn't know how to respond. In fact, more often than not, he pondered whether if he had acted first in front of Shen Muhan, Xia Muxin might have been his wife now.
However, such conclusions were quickly dismissed by himself; Xia Muxin's personality simply wouldn't allow her to be interested in him. Thus, they were only suited to be friends.
"No, we are just friends."
Seeing that he didn't answer right away, Wei Jianshuang stepped forward and blocked his path with her arms. Forced into a corner, he sighed and spoke the truth.
Looking at his dimming eyes, Wei Jianshuang's inexplicable anger dissipated instantly. Even she didn't understand why she felt so affected by Su Yan-Chu's emotions. This man had been oblivious to her disguise as a woman for nearly half a year; when he finally found out, he acted like a child caught off guard. Sometimes she even questioned whether such a foolish person could really be the owner of Fortune and Longevity Restaurant.
More accurately, he was simply naive when it came to matters of the heart.
Perhaps he had liked Xia Muxin but didn't know how to express it and thus missed out on what could have blossomed into something more—only for that budding affection to be stifled by Shen Muhan's appearance. At that moment, she even felt a bit relieved.
"Alright, let's go home. Muxin and the others need to eat, and we should prepare something to send over."
In the end, she found a perfectly suitable excuse to trick Su Yan-Chu into going back. He soon rushed into the kitchen, while Wei Jianshuang shook her head and sighed. After much deliberation, rejecting this and that, she ended up choosing a blockhead.
The road of love is long and winding; her life had yet to truly begin...
In less than half an hour, three energetic figures arrived at Tang Family Medical Hall: the Shen brothers and the silent Ming Da.
"Han Er..."
"Mother, how is Muxin?"
Since Xia Muxin needed rest, Sister Tang had invited Aunt Xia and the others to the outer room, serving them tea and snacks. She simply couldn't spare the time to accompany them. The arrival of Shen Muhan undoubtedly reassured Aunt Xia; upon seeing him, she immediately stood up, her eyes moist as she remembered her daughter still in a coma.
Shen Muhan's first question was about Xia Muxin's condition as he craned his neck to look into the inner room.
"She's still unconscious. Sister Tang said there's nothing serious; she probably just got quite a scare. You can go check on her."
Aunt Xia understood his feelings at that moment and spoke softly. Hearing this, Shen Muhan went straight into the inner room.
Yan Zhouwan's eyes were red, as if she had been crying. Shen Muqing felt relieved knowing that Xia Muxin was not in any life-threatening danger. She walked over to Yan Zhouwan and tightly grasped her hand. Yan Zhouwan tried to pull away, but Shen Muqing was strong and, given the situation, didn't want to be forceful; instead, her expression grew increasingly worse.
"Don't worry, Yamen has already intervened in this matter. Zhao Dazhuang will either be executed or spend his life in prison."
Seeing that Yan Zhouwan no longer struggled against her grip, Shen Muqing's weary expression softened slightly before she addressed everyone present.
The fact that Shen Muhan was not immediately taken to see the King of Hell was already a great mercy. Moreover, this man was Xia Jihua's ex-husband. If he were not given a serious lesson this time, he might cause trouble at the Xia Family next time. However, Shen Muhan was even more ruthless; he directly warned Ming Yi to have the Yamen keep him imprisoned for life. For someone like him, that would be far too lenient.
This time, Xia Jihua did not show excessive fear. After hearing Shen Muqing's words, she felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart. At least she would never have to see Zhao Dazhuang again.
Perhaps before today, she would have thought twice about making things difficult for someone she had once called her husband. But seeing how severely Muxin was injured, at that moment, she even hated herself for not having killed that scoundrel with her own hands.
Aunt Xia approached her and gently patted her shoulder, offering comfort.
"Everything will be alright."
Inside the room, Xia Muxin was still in a deep sleep, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead like large pearls, sliding down towards her temples. Shen Muhan wiped the sweat from her face with a cloth, filled with heartache and guilt. If it hadn't been for his delay over trivial matters, this wouldn't have happened. Fortunately, it was just a close call; otherwise, he would have stormed into the Golden Throne Hall and killed that damned Retired Emperor.
"Muxin, I'm back," he whispered softly in her ear.
Xia Muxin's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her lips moved as if trying to form a word—just barely audible was the sound of water.
Shen Muhan immediately set down the cloth and fetched some fresh water, using a cotton swab to feed it to her.
After giving her water, he noticed she had fallen back into a deep sleep.
He checked her pulse and examined her wounds before stepping out of the room. He instructed Shen Muqing to take the others back first; it was not advisable for Xia Muxin to be moved today. He decided to stay behind to watch over her. Although Aunt Xia was still worried, after Shen Muhan's repeated assurances, they finally left with Shen Muqing, glancing back reluctantly as they went.
As dusk fell, Xia Muxin woke up.
Shen Muhan had already removed his outer robe and was sitting nearby, gazing intently at her. At that moment, Su Yan-Chu and Wei Jianshuang arrived with dinner, which included a special herbal soup. The soup carried a faint Herbal Fragrance, indicating that considerable effort had gone into preparing it.
"I knew you and Muxin were here, so I consulted Sister Tang and brought back some herbs to make this soup. We can feed it to her once she wakes up," Su Yan-Chu explained.
Although Xia Muxin had awakened, she did not open her eyes right away. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, making it difficult for her to open them. She lay quietly, assuming she was alone until Su Yan-Chu's voice broke the silence. With great effort, she finally opened her eyes, only to find not just Su Yan-Chu but also a Red-Clad Woman and the person she longed for—Shen Muhan.
"Thank you!" Shen Muhan said as he accepted the herbal soup from Su Yan-Chu.
"It's getting late; we should head back. You take good care of her," Su Yan-Chu remarked, sensing that there was no need for him to stay any longer. He glanced at Xia Muxin through Shen Muhan before bidding farewell.
"Alright, make sure to send an invitation for the wedding," Shen Muhan replied.
Though their friendship was not as deep as his bond with Shen Muqing, it was still profound. Moreover, Shen Muhan understood the pain of loving someone unattainable; he wished for her happiness. Looking at Wei Jianshuang, a woman who stood strong beside him, he realized how deeply she cared for him as well.
For Su Yan-Chu, Wei Jianshuang was someone he could trust with his life.
Su Yan-Chu paused for a moment in thought before letting out a bitter smile and leaving on his own.
Wei Jianshuang bowed respectfully to Shen Muhan before departing.
Shen Muhan had just finished tying up the bandages when he noticed Xia Muxin staring at him with wide eyes. Thinking that her wound might be hurting, he immediately approached her, concerned and warm-hearted.
“Muxin, you’re awake! Does your wound still hurt? Is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable? Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”
Xia Muxin was overwhelmed by his barrage of questions, and she couldn't help but laugh, teasing him in a playful tone.
“You're so young, yet you sound like an old man rambling on and on. What will you do when you actually get old? Besides, I’m not a robot; I can’t answer all those questions at once.”
Perhaps the medicine had eased the pain in her wound, as it didn’t hurt as much now. She still didn’t dare to turn over, but seeing Shen Muhan’s anxiousness warmed her heart, prompting her to tease him further.
“You, this girl...”
Shen Muhan sighed, his voice filled with indulgence. He then brought over a bowl of medicinal soup, opened it to smell, tasted it to check the flavor, and finally brought a spoonful to Xia Muxin’s lips.
“It tastes good and the temperature is just right. Come on, open your mouth.”
With a smile curving her lips, Xia Muxin obediently opened her mouth to drink the soup.
Finishing the soup took nearly half an hour mainly because Uncle Shen was so thorough in feeding her. He seemed to have forgotten to give her something to cushion it, making it difficult for her to drink it all down. Eventually, he had to switch from a full spoon to half a spoon. While they were apart for a short time, their reunion felt more like a long chat than anything romantic; every spoonful came with endless chatter from Shen Muhan while Xia Muxin merely blinked in response.
“The food has gone cold; who feeds soup like this?”
After finishing the soup, Xia Muxin felt less dizzy than before. Her eyes gradually cleared up as she looked at the cold dishes beside them and said with a hint of regret.
"It's nothing, the weather is hot, eating something cold is comfortable."
Shen Muhan, however, was unconvinced. To avoid worrying Xia Muxin, he set aside the soup and began to eat the already cold dishes.
He ate very quickly; Xia Muxin counted and realized that he finished two bowls of rice in just eight bites. Anyone who didn't know might think he was starving, but she understood that he was saving time to keep her company.
"Are you tired? Do you want to sleep?"
Sure enough, Shen Muhan put down his bowl and chopsticks, opened the door, and instructed someone to bring in a basin of water. He then turned to Xia Muxin and gently placed his warm palm on her forehead to check her temperature.
"I'm not tired."
Xia Muxin answered truthfully. At that moment, she really didn't want to sleep; she longed for his embrace but didn't say it directly.
After a while, someone from the clinic brought in a basin of water. After placing it down and clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, they left.
Shen Muhan washed Xia Muxin's hands and face, checked her body for any dirt, and after giving himself a quick wash, he sent the basin out and locked the door.
"Muxin, bear with it. This medicine might hurt a bit when applied, but it's the only way to prevent any scars."
His first task was to remove Xia Muxin's upper clothing to examine the wound. He applied antiseptic around it before pulling out a small bottle from his pocket. As he opened it, a faint fragrance wafted through the air, prompting Xia Muxin to ask about it.
Every woman loves beauty, and considering the size of the injury—a deep cut on her back—she knew that even if Shen Muhan wouldn't mind any scars left behind, she would still feel uncomfortable. Biting her lip, she nodded.
"Okay, go ahead. I can endure it."
Shen Muhan looked at her expression, one that seemed to embrace death, and couldn't help but be taken aback. He thought she was about to face the guillotine with that look...
He was utterly amused and exasperated.
However, in the end, Xia Muxin had to complain that Shen Muhan was nothing but a liar. The medicine was clearly meant to cause immense pain, yet he insisted it would only hurt a little. But after taking the medicine, for just a short while, she truly felt no pain at all, as if nothing had happened.
Excited, she sat up straight and energetically pulled Shen Muhan into a conversation that lasted well into the night.
“Muxin, I miss you so much. Go to sleep.”
Seeing her so energized, Shen Muhan broke into a light sweat. He turned over gently and wrapped her in his arms, soothing her with tender words.
“Husband, why not use your hands?”
- End of Chapter -
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