After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 19

Cold, piercing, bone-deep cold!

In his daze, Li Chansiu felt himself lifted sideways into someone’s arms. His subconscious vigilance made him instinctively uneasy, forcing himself to pry open his eyelids.

His vacant vision gradually focused, settling on the clear, firm line of the jaw above him. The other person seemed to notice his gaze and suddenly lowered his head, soothing him, “Endure it a little longer. Soon you won’t be cold.”

So it was Pei Er…

Li Chansiu thought hazily. He knew being held like this by the other was improper, yet he still subconsciously relaxed his guard.

The moment he relaxed, it seemed even colder.

The evening wind was already harsher than in the afternoon. Li Chansiu could not stop shivering and subconsciously leaned closer to Pei Er, using his body to block the cold wind.

On the other side, seeing Pei Er suddenly pick up Li Chansiu and leave at a rapid pace, Chen Qing, who had not understood the situation, was momentarily stunned. “Doesn’t he have a leg injury? How can he suddenly walk so fast?”

“Hey, him carrying Miss Shen off like that, isn’t that a bit improper?” Erzi stretched his neck to look. “So many people here saw it, ”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Chen Qing hurriedly cut him off, scolding with a stern face. “They’re practically about to be married. What’s improper about it? Didn’t you hear General Chen say he would preside over their wedding?”

Aunt Xu also felt it was improper. Though they were about to marry, they had not yet done so. Besides, so many people were watching.

She quickly pulled her daughter along to catch up and said to Pei Er, “Let me carry her instead.”

Pei Er said nothing, his expression taut. He strode the entire way, carrying Li Chansiu straight into the infirmary.

With the grand competition today, the soldiers were all at the drill ground. Hu Yuan’er had also gone to watch the excitement. The infirmary was utterly quiet, not a single figure in sight, and even the brazier had gone out.

Pei Er carried Li Chansiu all the way into the inner room and laid him on the bed, pulling a quilt over him in one motion and wrapping him tightly.

Li Chansiu immediately clutched the quilt around himself, yet still trembled from the cold, like someone who had fallen into water in the dead of winter. His face was white as snow, as if his entire body were about to freeze solid.

Pei Er hurried to light the brazier and asked Aunt Xu, who had just arrived behind him, to fetch Physician Hu.

“Yes, yes, I’m going right now. Give the young lady some hot water first to warm up,” Aunt Xu instructed as she rushed out.

Pei Er’s heart burned with anxiety. He quickly got the fire going and carried the brazier into the inner room, only to see that Li Chansiu’s condition was worse than when he had left. His lips had turned bluish white, his eyes tightly shut, and he still shivered uncontrollably.

Pei Er’s hand trembled. He hurried again to boil hot water.

Before long, he carefully helped Li Chansiu sit up and brought a bowl of freshly boiled, just slightly scalding, water to his lips, coaxing hoarsely, “Miss Shen, drink some water first, warm up a bit. Physician Hu will be here soon.”

Li Chansiu struggled to open his eyes and, guided by his hand, drank a few mouthfuls, barely managing to say, “Th-thank you…”

His voice still shook, and drinking the hot water did not warm him much.

Pei Er hurried to coax him again. “Drink a bit more. That aunt just said to drink more hot water…”

But Li Chansiu knew that in his situation, drinking hot water would be of little use. The cold poison had flared up just yesterday. Today he had not rested properly, had gone outside to stand in the cold wind, and had kept his nerves taut all day, thus causing a second flare-up.

After the cold poison flared each month, the body would be weak for two or three days. During those two or three days, one would still fear the cold, just not as severely as during the flare itself. But if one did not rest well in that period and failed to keep warm, it could trigger a second attack.

This situation had also occurred in his dream, when he had wandered in Western Qiang. Fortunately, the second flare-up was not as severe as the first; the suffering was at most half of the first time. But without the antidote to suppress it, it was still exceptionally hard to endure.

Li Chansiu wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, fighting against the bone-deep cold. He tried with effort to force a smile to reassure Pei Er, but truly could not manage it. His body trembled nonstop.

Pei Er hurried to pull the brazier closer. Seeing that he sat on the bed and was still somewhat far from the heat, he suddenly lifted him, quilt and all, and carried him to a low stool in front of the brazier. Closer like this, he could warm himself better.

Physician Hu soon hurried back. After examining the situation, he prescribed a remedy for treating a chill.

Pei Er immediately went to decoct the medicine.

When the medicine was ready and brought over, Li Chansiu knew it would not be of much use, yet he still drank it all in one go. It was bitter enough to make his brows knit tightly. Then, in a trembling voice, he forced himself to reassure everyone: “I, I’m fine… just a chill… not yet healed. Sleep, sleep a bit… and it will be fine…”

He spoke with difficulty. After finishing, he clenched his teeth.

As long as he endured it, it would be fine. It did not matter that there was no medicine. It was not the first time it had flared up. As long as he endured it, tomorrow he would be all right.

He kept comforting himself in his heart. In his daze, he subconsciously thought that if he were still by his father’s side, he certainly would not be this cold.

His father would hold him tight and warm him. And after he drank bitter medicine, he would give him a candied date. If only he were still by his father’s side…

Li Chansiu was so cold that his consciousness blurred. Subconsciously, he leaned toward the source of warmth, the brazier.

Seeing that he was about to topple toward the brazier, Pei Er reacted swiftly, quickly catching him, a wave of fear rising in his heart. He then raised his hand and laid it over Li Chansiu’s forehead, feeling only an icy chill.

Pei Er frowned: “Is this really a wind-chill? How come she’s drunk the medicine and still not getting better?”

Physician Hu also found it strange, but judging from the symptoms, it indeed was. And Li Chansiu himself had also said it was wind-chill…

“She’s only just taken the medicine, how could it take effect that quickly?” He stroked his beard, pondered briefly, then said, “How about this: get onto the bed and hold her tight to warm her. She’s right at the stage of wind-chill now. Once the wind-chill passes and she sweats it out, she’ll be fine.”

Pei Er was stunned when he heard this.

Aunt Xu also stammered, “Th-this… the young lady and he aren’t married yet.”

Physician Hu thought about it and realized that was indeed an issue, then said, “Then sit in front of the brazier and hold her over the quilt, to keep the wind from getting in.”

After saying that, he pulled Aunt Xu along and quickly left. It couldn’t be that this wouldn’t do and that wouldn’t do either. Though they weren’t married yet, wasn’t it soon?

Pei Er stood there in a daze for a moment, but seeing Li Chansiu’s eyes tightly shut and his expression pained, he ultimately gritted his teeth, removed his cold, icy armor, and over the quilt gently gathered the person into his arms.

At first his movements were cautious, his arms stiff; he only dared loosely encircle him. When he saw Li Chansiu’s condition hadn’t improved, and recalled Physician Hu saying to hold tight to keep out the wind, he couldn’t help but draw his arms in closer.

The person in his arms was very thin; even through the quilt he seemed able to feel the other’s frailty, gather up the bones and there was almost nothing there.

Pei Er carefully adjusted his posture, lifting the other to sit entirely in his lap, and meticulously tucked in every place where wind might seep in.

Once he finished, he immediately froze again. On the surface he looked no different from usual, but his heartbeat quickened with each beat, blood rushing through his veins.

In his haze, Li Chansiu felt himself tightly bound by a pair of strong arms. The other held him by the brazier, tucked in every place where cold might sneak in, then hugged him tighter, pressing the quilt warmed by the brazier close against him.

Father? he instinctively thought. But his subconscious told him it was impossible, he was still at the northwestern frontier town, in the army…

He struggled to open his eyes. His thick, long lashes trembled lightly as he looked up at the face above him, slightly reddened by the brazier’s heat, yet still handsome.

“Pei Er…”

He murmured softly, then, exhausted, leaned against the other’s neck hollow, closed his eyes, and seemed to fall asleep.

The moment he opened his eyes, Pei Er had held his breath in tension. His throat was dry and tight; he had just wanted to explain, but before he could speak, a gentle weight suddenly pressed down onto his shoulder.

Pei Er stiffened, feeling the person in his arms lean toward the hollow of his neck. Black hair clung to his skin warmed by the brazier, cool and smooth like silk satin, and the shallow breaths lightly brushed against his jaw.

His Adam’s apple rolled unconsciously, yet his body grew even stiffer. He did not dare move at all, afraid of disturbing the person in his arms.

The brazier beside them cast a dim red glow, heating Pei Er’s side profile until it burned. Even though he wore little, he gradually felt his body grow hot, and sweat even began to bead on his forehead.

But the face of the person in his arms was still snow-pale. After stiffening for a long time, Pei Er finally raised a hand and cautiously touched with his fingertips, feeling a patch of coolness.

After hesitating, he stretched his hand over the brazier to warm it. When it felt hot, he carefully pressed it against Li Chansiu’s slightly cool cheek.

The moment his palm made contact, his heart seemed to skip a beat. The softness, like brocade satin, was entirely different from his rough palm with its thin calluses. He didn’t even dare shift, afraid he might chafe the other’s skin.

Yet Li Chansiu was like a cat; following the warmth, he rubbed lightly against his palm.

Pei Er stiffened again.

After a while, perhaps feeling that the side of his face had warmed, the other, still pressed to his palm, shifted position, and the tip of his nose accidentally brushed against Pei Er’s fingertip.

Pei Er did not dare move. After remaining stiff for a long time, he slowly let out a breath.

When his palm cooled from being rubbed, he held it above the brazier again, warmed it for a while, then pressed it back.

After several times, whenever his hand approached again, Li Chansiu would, like a cat seeking warmth, initiate leaning in and rub against it.

Pei Er couldn’t help but flush slightly, and secretly steal glances. Sick Miss Shen was very fragile, yet… somewhat adorably clingy. Not like her usual self, gentle and coolly distant, even when she smiled at someone there was always a sense of remove.

Curled up in his arms, she relied on him. This adorably clingy Miss Shen was known to him alone.

Pei Er’s heart beat fast, his gaze inch by inch falling upon the face in his arms, tracing it carefully just as his callused palm did.

He didn’t know how much time had passed; under the pretext of warming her face, he seemed to have touched every inch of skin.

Pei Er’s face suddenly reddened. When Li Chansiu finally grew warm, he hurriedly carried him back to the bed, tucked in the quilt, then left at once, not daring to stay a moment longer.

Physician Hu and Aunt Xu were still waiting outside. Seeing him come out, they hurried forward to ask about the situation.

The tips of Pei Er’s ears were red. He cleared his throat lightly. “Seems much better.”

“Seems?” Physician Hu hesitated, but before he could ask another question, he saw Pei Er already striding away.

“Wait, it’s the dead of night, and freezing outside. Aren’t you going to wear more clothes before going out?”

Pei Er paused in his steps but said nothing, lifting the curtain and continuing out.

Outside, he took a deep breath. The chill that invaded his lungs finally made the blood that was nearly burning gradually stop boiling.

But he had barely stood there for less than half a quarter-hour when the door curtain was lifted again, and Physician Hu came out carrying his medicine box.

Pei Er turned to glance at him. Seeing that he was going out for a call so late, he found it somewhat strange.

However, he was always sparing with words and did not speak.

Physician Hu instead said proactively, “Centurion Jiang seems to be quite badly injured. Just now his elder brother sent someone to ask me to come over. I was worried about you two, so I delayed for a bit.”

At the mention of Centurion Jiang, Pei Er’s eyes turned cold.

Physician Hu did not say much more and left with his medicine box. But in less than two quarters of an hour, he came hurrying back again with the box.

Pei Er was still standing outside. Seeing him return so quickly, his gaze grew even stranger.

“Ah, I had just reached the door when Commandant Jiang came out and said it wasn’t needed, so I came back again,” Physician Hu explained once more.

Then he asked in puzzlement, “By the way, why are you still standing outside? Not cold?”

Pei Er: “……”