Chapter 76: Qixi
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She stared at the pair of mandarin ducks on the pot in a daze.
A voice brought her thoughts back to the present, “Don’t know how to use it?”
She looked up, and the young man in a dark blue robe was already sitting on the stool beside her bed, taking the pot from her hand.
The mandarin duck pot concealed a secret mechanism; it could hold two types of wine, making it an essential tool for poisoning. He pulled out a piece of white cloth, poured a little, and then poured a little more. The liquid that flowed out first was the medicine, followed by the powder. There was also a small spoon embedded beside the pot handle. Xiao Jue removed the spoon and spread the ointment slowly.
As he focused on these actions, his long eyelashes drooped, and his profile was handsome and compelling. He carried a touch of the elegance of his youth, mesmerizing those who looked at him, making them forget whether this moment was in the Liangzhou Garrison or thousands of miles away at the Xianchang Academy.
While she was lost in thought, he had already applied the medicine onto the cloth and tossed it back to her. His tone was extremely cold, “Do it yourself.”
“Oh,” He Yan had already anticipated this, muttering quietly, “I didn’t expect you to help me anyway.”
He heard it, his gaze fixed on her with an almost mocking smile, “I don’t dare to hinder your purity.”
“It’s good that you know.” He Yan smiled, “But still, thank you, Commander. This medicine is so valuable.”
“The Garrison is short on medical supplies. Unless you want to die.” He said.
He Yan looked at him seriously, “You saved my life, after all. I didn’t expect the Commander to be so caring and considerate.”
Xiao Jue sneered, “Nonsense.” He stood up and left.
Seeing that he had indeed left, He Yan leaned against the head of the bed, sighing softly. Xiao Jue’s medicine was effective, cooling and soothing. The pain had alleviated quite a bit after applying it.
Looking at the pot, her thoughts drifted away.
On that snowy night when she was fourteen, Xiao Jue wasn’t as indifferent as he was now. At least, back then, when she had said, “I don’t know how to use it,” he not only helped her open the mandarin duck pot but also applied the ointment for her.
It was strange. The scene from back then had become so blurry, yet today, with Xiao Jue’s presence, those forgotten details unfolded before her eyes again, as if it had just happened, incredibly vivid.
Sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, the usually lazy and apathetic young man was uncharacteristically patient as he applied ointment for her. His eyes were mesmerizing, his profile so close that she could almost feel his warm breath. Shedding his previous sharpness, he exuded a gentle warmth that enveloped her cold and trembling heart.
Her mask concealed her expression, preventing him from seeing her emotions, and she couldn’t sense her own racing heartbeats back then.
It was rare for someone not to be moved by someone like him, especially when such a cold and indifferent person showed tenderness. Even someone with a heart of stone would be stirred. He Yan was young and lacked resistance, and in that fleeting moment, she was defenseless.
After applying the medicine, he left. He Yan called out softly to him, “Your medicine.”
“I’ve given it to you.” The young man’s casual reply carried a hint of scorn. “You’re so foolish. You’ll likely get injured many more times in the future. Keep it for yourself.”
His words came true, and later on, He Yan indeed faced countless injuries. The ointment from the mandarin duck pot had long been used up, and the pot itself was lost during a battle. It was quite regrettable.
The next day, as the young men entered the academy, they discovered that their copybooks had been soaked, rendering the writing illegible, causing a commotion.
“Who did this? Come out, and I’ll make sure not to beat you to death!” They shouted angrily.
“Isn’t it simple? Look whose copybook is clean. Check inside, and you’ll surely find the one with a grudge against us.” Someone suggested cleverly.
He Yan’s heart tightened, feeling deeply regretful. No wonder people said she was foolish; she hadn’t even thought of this. Her copybook was neat and tidy—wasn’t she the culprit?
Well, since she had already done it, she might as well admit it openly. Steeling her resolve, she was just about to step forward and declare, “It was me,” when suddenly, someone entered the room and slammed a stack of books onto the table.
The sudden noise drew everyone’s attention, and they turned to see a handsome young man in a white robe, leaning against the wall with his hands crossed, an indifferent expression on his face. He casually said, “It was me.”
A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.
“Huai, Brother Huaijin, was it really you who did it?” someone asked cautiously.
Xiao Huaijin was no ordinary person. In the capital city, who dared to provoke him? Not to mention the might of the Xiao family backing him; even the teachers protected him, and he had been personally praised by the Emperor.
“It was me,” he replied boldly.
“But why?” the person asked with a mournful face.
“For no reason,” the young man glanced at him and answered nonchalantly, “My hand slipped.”
He Yan couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Sensing everyone’s gaze, she quickly turned away as if nothing had happened.
And then?
The matter ended there. It was Xiao Huaijin, after all. No one else dared to say anything, they could only accept their misfortune.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Shen Muxue walked in. She carried the empty medicine bowl and basin away, cautioning He Yan not to press against the wound, before leaving.
Through the narrow window of the room, one could see the corner of the sky. A bright moon hung in the sky, stars sparkling brilliantly.
She murmured softly, “Today is the Qixi Festival…”
A festival she had never celebrated before. In the past, she had disguised herself as a young man, so such festivals were irrelevant to her. After marrying Xu Zhiheng, at first, she had anticipated it. No matter how she dressed as a man, during the time when she was in bridal attire, she had only wanted to be like an ordinary girl—going to the riverside to launch flower boats, offering prayers to the deity He, steaming sweet dumplings, and wandering around the temple fair. She had heard that there were fireflies in the mountains.
Summoning her courage, she had made her first request to Xu Zhiheng, who had smiled and agreed, saying, “Sure.”
But before the Qixi Festival arrived, she had lost her sight. So, this matter seemed to be forgotten. Xu Zhiheng hadn’t brought it up again, and neither did she, thinking that he was preoccupied with her illness. It wasn’t until the next day that He Wanru passed by her door, smiling as she collected the lantern that Xu Zhiheng had given her the previous day.
It was only then that she learned Xu Zhiheng hadn’t been at the estate on the day of the Qixi Festival. It wasn’t due to official business; he had gone to the temple fair with He Wanru.
In life, everything is like a fleeting cloud or morning dew. She didn’t know how well she had played the role of a man, but she understood that, as a woman, she had done quite poorly.
Lost in thought, Hong Shan walked in from outside. He immediately noticed the mandarin duck pot in her hand and jokingly said, “Oh, our Commander even gave you a Qixi Festival gift! Let me taste this fine wine!”
He Yan was momentarily stunned but then burst into laughter.
Thinking back on her past and present lives, He Yan realized that this Qixi Festival hadn’t been too bad after all. She had shared a ride with the man of countless women’s dreams, touched his waist, ridden his horse, walked mountain paths together, gazed at the starry sky, and even ended up with a vial of medicine.
This life wasn’t lived in vain.
— Author’s Note —
In fact, this is a sweet story of a learning-disabled person who is reborn as a top student and starts to win over a campus crush (not really).
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