Union

Chapter 59 The Noise Is Hard to Bear

"Sui'er, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much, miss, I'm back now."

When Sui'er heard the girl ask her question again, she ran straight past the Second Master and pounced on the four-poster bed with the autumn-colored curtains hanging on it.

In front of the canopy bed lay a pair of simple yet elegant embroidered shoes, the color of a sky after rain; on the canopy bed lay a light green silk quilt.

Yunying lay on the thin blanket, her usually cool face flushed an unnatural red, her dark hair spread across the pillow, her hands hanging limply, her whole being barely breathing, looking extremely weak.

Sui'er was heartbroken. "Miss, are you feeling unwell again? Where did Liu'er go? Didn't I tell her to stay here and watch over you?"

Yunying said weakly, "I'm so thirsty, Liu'er went to make me some tea. Sui'er, you..." Yunying wanted to ask Sui'er why she came back so quickly?
She had a high fever, but she wasn't delirious.

Sui'er pulled Liu'er over to look at her. She knew that Liu'er had run out to fetch a doctor. But how come Sui'er was back so quickly after only a short while?
Yunying didn't say anything, because when she opened her eyes, she saw someone who should never be there, who was now walking around the crabapple embroidered screen in front of the canopy bed and appearing in front of her.

Yunying rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Sui'er, I think I saw Second Master."

"You can still recognize me, so you're not delirious from the fever."

Second Master stepped forward amidst Yunying's astonishment, looking down at Yunying lying on the bed.

Her delicate body was hidden under the thin blankets. Her curves were exquisite beneath the blankets, but her breathing was weak and feeble. The blankets were so light, yet so heavy, so burdensome that they had become a weight for her at this moment, making each breath so difficult.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were dry and pale, and her eyes were misty with tears.

Gradually, the water vapor turned into mist, and it seemed that it was about to turn into rain and fall from my eyes.

Seeing this, the second master was completely at a loss.

"Why are you crying again? I didn't say anything to you."

Yunying recognized the person in front of her as the Second Master, and a wave of bitterness and grievance washed over her.

She remembered the dream she had last night.

In her dream, the Second Master abandoned her in the wilderness. There was no one around, only the howling and fierce north wind.

Yunying recalled how the Second Master had evaluated her yesterday, saying that not a single word she uttered was credible.

She felt so wronged yesterday that she didn't want to face him.

But he was the master and she was the servant; how could a servant possibly show disrespect to her master?

On the way back, she comforted herself, and by the time she entered the city, she had actually processed the matter and put it out of her mind.

That's why she was able to be so composed when facing the Second Master at the Yuelai Restaurant.

She pretended not to care, but she actually did. Otherwise, those images wouldn't have appeared in her dreams late at night.

Yunying finally couldn't help but sob.

She buried her face in her pale hands, sobbing softly and choking gently, looking extremely wronged but afraid to vent her frustration.

Upon seeing this, the Second Master disregarded all pretense of face and status.

He stepped forward, squatted down beside the four-poster bed, and tugged at Yunying's sleeve.

Yunying pulled her sleeve away and ignored him. The Second Master tugged at it again and said in a low voice, "It's all my fault. I said some harsh words yesterday and hurt your feelings."

If it weren't for the loss of face, she wouldn't have argued with him and insisted on sitting on the carriage shaft despite the cold wind.

As it turned out, after being exposed to the cold wind twice, she developed a high fever that wouldn't go down.

If Second Master had known that his words yesterday would cause her so much distress and lead to today's tragic situation, he would never have said another word.

However, since the matter has already been brought up and the tragedy has already occurred, the Second Master can only humble himself and coax Yunying again and again.

At first, Yunying was only a little aggrieved, but as the Second Master coaxed her, her grievances gradually grew and eventually became an insurmountable injustice.

Just as she was unable to suppress the discomfort in her body, and her body began to convulse and tremble, Liu'er's voice sounded from outside, "Miss, why are you crying? Are you in too much pain? Please bear with it, Sister He Sui has already gone..."

After passing the screen, Liu'er and Sui'er, who was in the room, looked at each other.

Liu'er was about to ask, "Sister He Sui, when did you return?"
Before she could even finish speaking, she spotted the Second Master squatting beside the bunk bed...

Liu'er and He Sui left the room together, leaving only Yun Ying and the Second Master inside.

Distracted by Liu'er, Yunying could no longer cry.

But with snot and tears streaming down her face, she looked utterly disheveled and didn't want to look at the Second Master.

The second master was quite considerate; perhaps noticing her predicament, he simply gave her his handkerchief.

Yunying didn't stand on ceremony and went straight over to wipe her tears and snot. To her surprise, the handkerchief was half-wet, and she could even smell a faint scent of sweat in it.

Yunying tossed it away disdainfully, "Where did you fish this handkerchief from?"

When the second master saw the damp stain, he felt a little guilty. He then said to Yunying, "I was doing my morning exercise when your maid told me that you had a high fever, so I rushed over to check on you."

I was so eager to get here that I didn't even have time to change my clothes.
The handkerchief was inside his clothes, and his clothes were half wet, so how could the handkerchief not be wet?

Only after hearing the Second Master's words did Yun Ying notice that the Second Master was wearing a black bodysuit that he wore when practicing martial arts.

His shirt was soaked at the chest, and his back must be even wetter. But because he was so worried about her condition, he rushed over without thinking of anything else.

Yunying's heart was pounding, and her cheeks seemed to be getting hotter. Her breathing was sometimes light and sometimes heavy, and she wondered if her condition had worsened again.

She felt extremely uncomfortable, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet. She felt it was unseemly to lie there and tried to sit up, but her body ached unbearably and she had no strength at all.

Just as Yunying was struggling with her dilemma, Suiyu called out from outside, "Second Master, Doctor Qu has been invited in. Shall we go in now to examine Miss Yunying's pulse?"

Second Master glanced at Yunying on the bed. A thin quilt covered all the skin below her neck, leaving only her beautiful face exposed.

Even so, the Second Master tucked the blanket under her shoulder down a little more before standing up and calling Suiyu to invite someone in.

The doctor from Naqu was the old doctor who had met Yunying a few times before.

The first time was on the way to Wang Shouheng's house, and the second time was when Doctor Qu came to prescribe a formula to protect the vital energy of Aunt Ding and the others.

This person is someone I know.

Yunying felt quite uncomfortable being seen in her room by an acquaintance, as if she had done something shameful.

However, both Doctor Qu and Second Master were more calm and composed than the other.

Second Master described Yunying's general symptoms, and Doctor Qu, after taking her pulse, said, "It's nothing serious, just a cold. I'll prescribe two doses of medicine later, and she'll be much better after tonight."

Doctor Qu went downstairs to write the prescription after the rain, and Yunying's room became quiet again.

Second Master brought Yunying a glass of warm water. "Drink this. Consider it my apology to you."

Upon hearing this, Yunying couldn't hold back any longer and couldn't help but turn her head and chuckle softly.

Her voice was still hoarse, but her smile was genuine and bright, just like the jasmine flowers blooming outside the window.

Seeing this, the second master felt relieved for some reason.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "You've got quite a temper. I'm the master, yet I have to apologize to you."

Seeing that Yunying pursed her lips again upon hearing this and pushed the teacup out of his hand, the Second Master was completely powerless. "Alright, I won't say anything then. This water has gone cold. You drink it, and we'll let this matter drop and never mention it again. Is that alright?"

Yunying thought it was a good idea.

She didn't really blame him.

Because she knew that the Second Master wasn't the type to be harsh on his servants, and that what he said was truly just a casual remark. She was being too sensitive; she felt she had lost face in front of him and couldn't bear the embarrassment.

However, the Second Master has already humbled himself and said everything he needed to say. If she were to still be petty, it would make her seem stingy.

Thinking of this, Yunying forced herself to sit up, took the warm water, and drank it all in one gulp.

She was only wearing a snow-white undergarment. When she sat up, the second master wanted to get her a padded jacket to put on.

But Yunying was swaying precariously, and the Second Master was genuinely afraid she would spill the tea and wet her clothes. In that instant of hesitation, Yunying had already taken the tea and drunk it all.

She lay back on the bed, her forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat.

She pulled the blanket tighter, revealing only her bright, watery almond-shaped eyes as she softly looked at him. "Second Master, I feel much better now. You should go back and change your clothes, lest you fall ill too."

The second master's eyes were dark and unfathomable, his heart pounding like a drum. His scalp tingled, his hands trembled, and something seemed to be about to burst forth from the ground within him.

Second Master had initially thought that he was strong and healthy and wouldn't fall ill from wearing wet clothes. But his current symptoms really made him seem like he had caught a disease.

But the Second Master was also keenly aware that he hadn't been sick, and he felt no discomfort. He had simply suddenly been seized by a wicked thought, wanting to grasp something in his hand.

Second Master eventually left, and shortly after he left, Qiu Ning and Mu Jin rushed over.

Qiu Ning probably already knew that the Second Master had left, so she stamped her foot and said, "You didn't even say you wanted to keep the Second Master here."

She sat by Yunying's bedside, looking at Yunying's sickly appearance, and said with a mixture of concern and schadenfreude, "I heard you have a high fever? Look at you, your body is already so weak, you should have stayed in the manor to rest, but you went out with the Second Master, now look what happened, you caught a cold."

Qiu Ning had completely forgotten the quarrel from last night. She touched Yun Ying's forehead and, seeing that it was still hot, said, "Dr. Qu came by, didn't he? What did he say? Is your condition serious or not? Speaking of which, Second Master is truly a good master. When you accompanied him on his business trip, he came to visit you when he learned you were ill. If I were to fall ill because of Second Master, I wonder if he would come to see me?"

Qiu Ning's rambling was so disjointed that Yun Ying had to listen to it all. Plus, her eyelids were incredibly heavy, and she gradually drifted off to sleep amidst Qiu Ning's constant chatter.

(End of this chapter)