Chapter 63
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The people gathered around the bed looked at Yuan Li with tearful eyes upon hearing his words. However, upon seeing an unfamiliar face, they hesitated, clearly not trusting Yuan Li much.
Yuan Li furrowed his brow and emphasized, “If you continue to delay, this child will die!”
Lady Meng, Cui Xuan’s daughter-in-law, suddenly stood up and decisively scolded the servants to make way. She herself pulled her husband to the side and choked out, “Please, sir, save my child.”
Before Yuan Li could respond to her plea, he picked up the child from the bed.
Cui Xuan tightly grasped the hand of the servant supporting him and looked at Yuan Li with hopeful eyes. He immediately said, “As long as you can save my beloved grandson, I will definitely come down from the mountain to perform your coronation! I agree with everything you say!”
He placed all his hopes on this young man. As long as Yuan Li could save his grandson… No, as long as Yuan Li could help his grandson hold on until the physician arrived, Cui Xuan would be endlessly grateful.
At that moment, Yuan Li didn’t even notice his words.
When a child accidentally chokes on food, it can severely obstruct their normal breathing and even cause asphyxiation. It can lead to death within minutes. In the face of this situation, immediate application of the Heimlich maneuver is necessary.
The Heimlich maneuver has two variations: one for children under three years old and another for children and adults over three years old. After holding the child in his arms, Yuan Li realized that the child’s size indicated he was over three years old. He hugged the child’s abdomen, placed a clenched fist above the child’s navel with two fingers, and covered the fist with his other hand. Once in position, Yuan Li exerted forceful and rapid upward pressure with both hands.
One time, two times, three times…
The child’s face grew increasingly red, even turning slightly blue. The parents could no longer stand steady and leaned on each other, tears streaming down their faces as they closely watched every movement of Yuan Li.
Yuan Li forcefully delivered another upward impact, and the child suddenly coughed out a piece of pastry from his throat, wailing loudly, “Mother…”
Everyone in the room immediately breathed a sigh of relief, including Yang Zhongfa, who was watching from the side. They couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads, feeling a sense of relief.
Lady Meng hurriedly stepped forward and took the child in her trembling hands, “Lian’er, my Lian’er.”
The parents continuously expressed their gratitude to Yuan Li, but he shook his head and said, “First, let’s ask how the child choked.”
Yuan Li himself felt a bit strange.
It was too coincidental.
Coincidental to the point where he suspected foul play.
Why did this happen to coincide with their arrival?
Upon hearing this, the parents quickly regained their composure and looked towards the maid standing to the side.
Cui Xuan, who was relieved that his grandson was safe, almost lost his balance. He was supported and sat down nearby, his heart pounding as he repeatedly said, “Yes, we should ask. Tell us, what happened!”
Even the poor child, who was crying in his mother’s arms, understood. He stuttered and spoke in a confused manner, with the maid supplementing his words, which allowed everyone to understand.
It turned out that while the child was eating the pastry and running around, wanting to take his usual afternoon nap with his grandfather, he found that his grandfather was not in the room. As he searched for his grandfather, he slipped into the garden and encountered the imposing group led by Chu Hechao.
The guards stationed in the corridor noticed his movements and immediately looked over with fierce and intimidating gazes. The mere glance from these fearsome individuals frightened the three-year-old child and caused him to choke.
When the servants caught up, they saw the little master struggling to breathe. In a panic, some of them hastily carried the child back to the room, while others went to fetch a physician and inform Cui Xuan and the others.
After the maid finished speaking, the corners of Yuan Li’s mouth twitched. “I see…”
No wonder it happened so coincidentally, choking when they arrived. The reason was still related to them. But as the cause was explained, they all felt somewhat embarrassed. They were originally the lifesaving benefactors, but now they seemed like the culprits.
Yuan Li forced a bitter smile. He knew he couldn’t remain silent at this moment. He immediately kneeled down and squatted, making eye contact with the child, and softly said, “These uncles are heroes who can fight bad people. They accidentally scared you. On their behalf, I apologize to you, Lian’er. Can you forgive us?”
The tear-streaked child on his cheeks timidly nodded.
Lady Meng shook her head, crying and laughing, “How can we let the gracious gentleman apologize to Lian’er? It should be Lian’er thanking you. The soldiers were just doing their duty. If it weren’t for you today…”
She couldn’t continue the rest of her words.
Cui Xuan’s heart was filled with complex emotions, but as he looked at his beloved grandson, he felt grateful, “It’s good that everything is fine, it’s good…”
When the physician hurriedly arrived, the little master had already stopped crying and fallen asleep. After a thorough examination, the physician sighed in relief, “It’s fortunate that you helped in time; otherwise, the young master would have been in real danger.”
Upon hearing these words from the physician, Cui Xuan and the others felt even more frightened, expressing their gratitude to Yuan Li once again.
By the time the physician left, the sky had grown slightly darker. The setting sun painted half the sky in a warm red hue.
Cui Xuan invited these people to stay while he accompanied Yuan Li back to his room. Gripping Yuan Li’s hand with deep emotion, he said, “Since I have promised to crown you, I will not go back on my word. Stay with me for a few more days, and when I have sorted out my affairs, I will go with you.”
After speaking, Cui Xuan sighed, “It was my grandson’s recklessness that caused all this. I don’t blame you… It’s also fate.”
Yuan Li patiently said, “When people are eating, laughing loudly or jumping around, it’s easy to choke on food. Once it becomes severe, it can be fatal within moments. It’s not just children who can encounter such situations, even adults can. It would be best if you taught people the method I just used to save the young master’s life. In emergencies, it can save lives.”
Cui Xuan nodded repeatedly.
After bidding farewell to Cui Xuan, Yuan Li also breathed a sigh of relief. He was led to the guest rooms along with the others by the servants.
Cui Xuan’s mansion was not large, and when they arrived in Changping County, they brought over twenty personal guards, clearly not enough space to accommodate everyone. Therefore, they had to share bedrooms with two or three people per room.
Chu Hechao and Yuan Li were the masters, and Yang Zhongfa suggested, “General, Young Master Yuan, how about the two of you sharing the most spacious room?”
Chu Hechao rubbed his temples, his handsome face devoid of any expression.
Subtle annoyance and anxiety showed on his face without showing a trace. From the beginning of the year until now, Chu Hechao hadn’t relaxed his brows for a long time. It seemed that something heavy weighed down between his eyebrows, making him appear even colder and more unfathomable, sending shivers down people’s spines.
“Can’t we spare one more room?”
“There’s no extra room,” Yang Zhongfa said with a bitter face, persuading him, “You and Young Master Yuan are brother and sister-in-law, so sharing a room is appropriate. Why not bear with it for now?”
After hearing this, a moment later, Chu Hechao suddenly smiled wryly.
So, in the eyes of outsiders, their relationship as brother and sister-in-law was seen so casually?
When Yang Zhongfa suggested they share a room, no one else found it inappropriate. They seemed to have never even considered anything related to incestuous relations between a brother and sister-in-law.
Indeed.
Ordinary people would never think that the younger brother-in-law would develop feelings for their sister-in-law, especially considering that Chu Hechao and Yuan Li were both men.
Thinking of this, Chu Hechao’s expression grew colder. He turned his head to look at Yuan Li, but their gazes didn’t meet. Instead, Chu Hechao focused on Yuan Li’s fair and handsome chin. “What do you intend to do?”
Yuan Li shrugged indifferently. “I’m fine with anything.”
Chu Hechao’s fingers gripped the hilt of his knife as he calmly turned to Yang Zhongfa. “Then you go and share a room with him.”
Chu Hechao didn’t want to share a room with Yuan Li.
After two months of long and arduous suppression, he believed that his rationality could now overpower the unbearable desire but Chu Hechao also knew clearly that the desire hadn’t disappeared.
It was only because he had deliberately avoided seeing Yuan Li for a long time that he had forcefully suppressed it in the darkness.
Chu Mingfeng was his elder brother, and Yuan Li was his brother’s wife.
Yuan Li and Chu Mingfeng were in love.
Whenever he felt his heart feeling something, Chu Hechao reminded himself of this. And these reminders were very effective, like chains that formed the cage trapping the beast.
Chu Hechao was a person without many scruples. He had a wild and untamed temperament, but from childhood to adulthood, he was always willing to endure a little more for his family.
He could endure Chu Mingfeng’s childhood bullying, endure his parents’ neglect and criticism, endure numerous injuries and torment. How could he not endure this small and wicked desire for his elder brother’s wife?
It wasn’t that he was afraid to share a room with Yuan Li; he just felt that he needed more time, a longer time, until he could treat Yuan Li with a calm heart. That would be enough.
Before that, Chu Hechao understood that it was better to keep his distance from Yuan Li.
Until that trapped beast in his heart was completely severed, Yuan Li should not get close to him.
However, Yang Zhongfa quickly shook his head, awkwardly smiling, “No, no, no, I won’t share a room with Yuan Li. I snore and grind my teeth when I sleep. How can I sleep with Yuan Li? General, you should share a room with Yuan Li, and I’ll room with He Lang!”
Before Chu Hechao and Yuan Li could say anything, Yang Zhongfa hastily pulled He Lang away.
As they walked farther away, He Lang raised an eyebrow and teased, “Master Yang, I didn’t expect you to be so eager to sleep with me?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Yang Zhongfa scolded him and glanced back at the two behind them. He whispered, “The general has been in a bad mood these days, and I knew it was because of a conflict with Yuan Li. The general doesn’t know how to get along with his family, so I’m giving them a chance to make up.”
He Lang suddenly understood and imitated Yuan Li’s gesture, giving a thumbs-up to Yang Zhongfa.
Behind them.
Chu Hechao stood straight, rooted to the spot.
If Yuan Li didn’t know that he had gone to great lengths to arrange his coronation, seeking out eminent scholars and personally exerting his status, Yuan Li would have thought he was being looked down upon.
Yuan Li didn’t pay him any attention and pushed open the door, entering the room.
The sky outside was still dark, and it was not until candles were lit in the room that Chu Hechao took a step forward and entered.
Yuan Li looked around the room. The bedding was new and looked thick. Paintings and calligraphy hung on the walls, mostly with Cui Xuan’s signature.
He admired them for a while, amusing himself.
Chu Hechao sat in a chair, closing his eyes to rest. His tall figure exuded a strong sense of oppression, and he remained silent.
Not long after, servants came to summon them for the meal.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, they saw that the head of the household, Cui Xuan, was already seated at the head of the table.
Yuan Li noticed that there was a folding screen in the dining hall. On the other side of the screen, there was another table with a few figures sitting around it, presumably the women of the family.
As expected, after Yuan Li and the others sat down, they heard the voice of Lady Meng coming from the other side of the screen.
Lady Meng spoke gently, “I hope Young Master Yuan will forgive us. When the young lady heard that you saved her brother Lian, as Lian’s older sister, she wanted to personally express her gratitude to you.”
Yuan Li didn’t expect this, and exclaimed in surprise, “There’s no need for that.”
“But we still want to thank you, Lord,” another, younger girl’s voice sounded softly and sincerely. “My little brother is mischievous, and fortunately, you came to his rescue today. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay your kindness.”
She approached the folding screen and bowed respectfully to Yuan Li.
Yuan Li also stood up and returned the gesture, saying, “It was just a small effort, nothing worth mentioning. We also bear some responsibility for the troubles the young master went through.”
The Cui lady couldn’t help but laugh and generously said, “You’re too polite. There’s not much I can be grateful to Lord for, except for my skill in brewing tea. If you don’t mind, I can demonstrate it for you.”
Yuan Li replied openly, “Please.”
From behind the folding screen came the sound of pouring tea, gentle and rhythmic.
Yang Zhongfa glanced at the other side of the screen, then turned his head to look at Yuan Li. After repeating this a few times, he suddenly chuckled and leaned close to Chu Hechao’s ear, whispering, “General, it seems we might have some good fortune coming our way on this trip!”
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