The Road to Glory

Chapter 40

"A Yu needs to get better soon..."

Wen Yu was already delirious with fever. Hearing someone call her and speak to her, she only responded vaguely with closed eyes.

Xiao Li listened to that faint "Mm," knowing full well it might have been uttered by the person behind him in a state of unconsciousness, yet the corner of his mouth still lifted slightly.

He continued carrying her through the seemingly endless mountain forest, blinking away the sweat droplets clinging to his eyelids, and said softly, "Then it's settled."

By nightfall, Xiao Li finally found a farmhouse. He knocked on the door for a long time before a cautious voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

Xiao Li replied, "Brother, we're refugees from the north. We were robbed on the way and barely escaped with our lives. My... younger sister has developed a fever and urgently needs a place to rest. Could you please help us?"

He didn’t dare say that he and Wen Yu were master and servant. If officials came searching later, the truth would be easily uncovered.

The farmer, hearing his polite tone and that he had a younger sister with him, peeked through the door crack and saw that he was indeed carrying someone on his back. Only then did he lower his guard, unbarred the gate, and said, "Come in quickly. These are troubled times, and there are many bandits in the mountains. We don’t dare open the door easily when we hear knocking at night."

Xiao Li carried Wen Yu into the courtyard and said, "Thank you, brother."

Wen Yu, slumped over his back, remained unconscious, her head and half her face wrapped in a shawl. The farmer couldn’t see her features clearly but told Xiao Li it was no trouble and called his wife to help prepare a bed.

The house, built of packed earth, was quite old, and the furnishings inside were worn. After Xiao Li laid Wen Yu on the bed made up with slightly old bedding by the farmer’s wife, he reached out to feel her forehead—it was alarmingly hot.

The oil lamp on the table cast a dim glow. Wen Yu’s thick, dark lashes rested quietly beneath her eyes, hiding the gentle and clear gaze she usually had. The tips of her lashes curled slightly upward, casting a fan-shaped shadow in the lamplight.

Perhaps due to the discomfort of her illness, her delicate, dark brows were slightly furrowed, and her skin was flushed from the high fever.

Xiao Li stared at her sickly appearance for a moment, then withdrew his hand, pulled the quilt over her, and took out two pieces of broken silver and a packet of cold medicine from his bundle. He said to the farmer’s wife, "Could you please brew this medicine for me?"

The farmer and his wife were delighted at the sight of the silver but hesitated when they noticed the rash on Wen Yu’s hand hanging over the edge of the bed. They asked fearfully, "This young lady seems to have a rash. Could it be the plague?"

Xiao Li understood their concern and said, "It’s just hives. My sister has always been frail, and she’s suffered a lot on this journey."

The farmer’s wife examined Xiao Li and, seeing no rash on his hands or face, felt reassured. She took the medicine and silver, unable to hide her smile, and said, "Wait here, young man. I’ll brew it right away."

Xiao Li nodded in thanks and added, "Could you also bring me a basin of water?"

The farmer’s wife agreed to everything and soon returned with a basin of warm water.

Xiao Li wrung out a cloth to wipe Wen Yu’s face. The farmer’s wife glanced at Wen Yu’s fever-flushed cheeks and said, "Your sister’s fever seems severe. Just wiping her face won’t be enough. I’ll find a couple more cloths for you to wipe her neck and underarms too."Xiao Li's hand holding the handkerchief paused as he said, "I can wipe her neck, but I'll have to trouble you again for under her arms."

The farmer's wife readily agreed, "It's no trouble at all. You start wiping her neck while I find her a change of clothes. She'll likely sweat through the night."

After the farmer's wife left, Xiao Li carefully lifted Wen Yu's neck and removed the silk shawl wrapped around it.

Wen Yu was already drenched in sweat, with strands of dark hair clinging to her damp, snow-white neck. Hesitantly, Xiao Li used his fingers to brush them aside. Though he tried his utmost to remain focused, the moment his fingertips touched that pale, soft skin, he couldn't help but feel somewhat flustered.

His fingertips seemed scalded by the burning heat of her body, tingling slightly, the sensation spreading all the way to his chest where his heartbeat grew thunderous.

Xiao Li lowered his gaze, trying not to let his eyes linger on that pale neck. After smoothing away the stray hairs, he wiped her with the handkerchief, carefully avoiding any further contact with her skin.

When the farmer's wife returned with clothes and saw his method of wiping, she nudged him aside. As she loosened Wen Yu's collar, she scolded, "This is no way to care for someone. Your sister is wearing winter clothes with a tight collar and covered with a thick quilt—how could she be comfortable? She's burning up like charcoal and needs to cool down."

When the farmer's wife removed Wen Yu's padded jacket and loosened her inner garment, revealing a small patch of jade-like skin below her neck, Xiao Li hastily averted his eyes.

Unfortunately, after finishing her scolding and giving Wen Yu some water, the farmer's wife handed the cup to Xiao Li to hold. While wringing out a fresh handkerchief to wipe Wen Yu's neck, she called to him, "Watch closely. This is how you do it properly."

Xiao Li looked up and saw the handkerchief in the farmer's wife's hand nearly slip into Wen Yu's loose collar. On her candlelit, warm-white collarbone lay a strand of dark hair, its tip trailing along the damp skin and disappearing deeper into her garment.

The tips of his ears turned red, and he had no idea where to rest his gaze.

Noticing his reaction, the farmer's wife assumed it was because they were siblings and needed to maintain some propriety. She said, "You're family. Though brothers should keep their distance when their sisters grow up, she's seriously ill and might not pull through. Don't worry about propriety right now..."

Hearing that Wen Yu might not survive, Xiao Li's hand gripping the bamboo cup tightened instantly. He said with certainty, "She will."

The farmer's wife, detecting the strain in his voice, worried he might misunderstand, hurriedly explained, "I'm not cursing your sister! I just want you to take good care of her. Every winter, several people in the village die from illness!"

Xiao Li gazed at Wen Yu's fever-flushed face and said, "I know."

After wiping under Wen Yu's arms, the farmer's wife wrung out the handkerchief and handed it to Xiao Li. "The water's gone cold. I'll fetch a fresh basin. Young man, keep this handkerchief. If your sister's fever spikes again, wipe her down."

Xiao Li nodded in agreement.

After the farmer's wife left, he pulled over a long stool and sat by the bed. Watching the unconscious figure burning with fever, he wiped her temples with the handkerchief and murmured softly, "Don't you still want revenge? It's just a cold. You have to pull through."He gazed at the furrow between Wen Yu's brows that remained even in sleep, his hand lifting as if to smooth it away. But just before his fingers could touch her forehead, he withdrew, using a cloth to gently dab instead. After tightening the collar that the farmwife had left gaping open when wiping her underarms, he meticulously cleaned the hollow of her neck.

When the farmwife returned, she carried a bowl of dark medicinal brew, followed by her husband bearing a basin of water.

"After we get this medicine down the girl," the farmwife said, "we'll give her another sponge bath and change her into dry clothes. Then let her sleep properly to sweat out the fever."

Xiao Li acknowledged and took the medicine bowl, carefully feeding Wen Yu with a spoon before withdrawing to let the farmwife bathe and redress her.

Waiting outside the door, he saw the husband emerge from the kitchen carrying a charcoal brazier. The man placed it under the eaves and said, "The night grows bitterly cold. Bring this inside later—it'll warm the room and heat water. If your sister wakes during the night, she'll have warm water to drink."

"Thank you, brother," Xiao Li replied.

The man waved dismissively. "It's nothing. We only have two rooms, young brother. You can share with me tonight while my wife stays with your sister to care for her."

Wen Yu's chill was severe, and Xiao Li dared not entrust her care entirely to others. Fearful she might deliriously utter something compromising in her fevered state, he declined: "Thank you for your kindness, but I wouldn't trouble your wife overmuch. I'll make a pallet and watch over my sister."

Assuming his concern was purely fraternal, the man nodded. "As you wish. I'll fetch extra bedding. Call us if anything arises during the night."

Xiao Li expressed his gratitude.

After taking the medicine, Wen Yu's raging fever indeed subsided somewhat.

Before retiring, Xiao Li felt her forehead—noticeably cooler than before—and noted her more peaceful sleep. He extinguished the lamp and lay down in his bedroll fully clothed.

Listening to her soft breathing from the bed, he pillowed his head on his arms and stared into the darkness of the ceiling for a long while before finally drifting into fitful sleep.

A faint murmur pierced the night: "Water..."

Xiao Li rose to light the lamp. Lifting the still-warm kettle above the brazier, he poured a cup of water and helped Wen Yu sit up to drink. Only then did he realize she remained unconscious, her fever having returned. Her cheeks burned, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and her lips had cracked from dehydration.

After helping her drink half the cup, he wiped her face and neck with a cloth. Worried the damp garments would chill her further, he summoned the farmwife to change her underclothes.

By the time they finished, the fourth watch had sounded.

The farmwife worriedly observed, "Your sister's condition seems grave. There's an old physician in Majia Village ten miles from here, renowned throughout the region. If her fever hasn't broken by morning, take her to him."

Xiao Li nodded his thanks.

After the yawning farmwife returned to her room, he sat by the bed watching Wen Yu, all sleep forgotten. Wringing out a cloth, he dabbed her flushed cheeks to cool her.

But Wen Yu seemed trapped in some nightmare, restlessly muttering with tormented expression.

As she turned her head, her burning cheek pressed against the hand holding the cloth—seeking its coolness—and remained there. A single clear tear slipped from the corner of her eye and fell upon Xiao Li's hand.

The tear was cold, yet it seared his heart like embers.His fingers clutching the handkerchief tightened slightly, yet he dared not move an inch, allowing her to remain pressed against him. His other hand, somewhat stiffly, patted her back over the quilt as he hummed a nursery rhyme in an extremely low voice: "Lili Banban, leaping over Southern Hill..."[1]

It was a tune Xiao Huiniang had sung while holding him through the night when he fell gravely ill as a child, burning with fever.

He never learned the name of that song, but he remembered it for many years, just as he remembered the mother who seemed not to care for him, staying awake all night watching over him.

In the deep stillness of the night, only the rustling of wind through the treetops in the wild woods outside could be heard.

His hoarse humming in the dimly lit room, illuminated by the oil lamp, seemed to carve out a separate world.

In the soothing murmur of his voice, Wen Yu's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed slightly.

Xiao Li tucked a sweat-dampened strand of hair behind her ear and said, "A Yu must get better soon."

He no longer called her Han Yang, as if momentarily forgetting she was the noble princess of golden branches and jade leaves.

Yongzhou.

Pei Song dismounted in large strides and tossed his sword to a nearby guard.

The Chief Administrator came out to greet him, bowing with hands clasped: "Congratulations on your great victory, my lord!"

Treading on frost and snow, Pei Song entered the mansion gate, removing his helmet and tucking it under his arm as he walked. "I heard traces of Han Yang have been found?" he asked.

The Chief Administrator replied, "As you commanded, a unit of your elite private soldiers has been dispatched to pursue and eliminate them. Those remnants of the Previous Liang Dynasty will certainly not live to reach Southern Chen."

Pei Song's expression was cold: "It had better be so. Xiangzhou is easily defended and hard to attack—we'll besiege it to wear them down. Dingzhou is already showing signs of collapse, and I will soon go there to take personal command. No further disturbances can be allowed in the south."

The Chief Administrator said, "With Mengzhou fallen and Xiangzhou besieged, the lands south of the Wei River are already within your grasp. Not to mention those remnants of the Previous Liang Dynasty are doomed this time. Even if Southern Chen wishes to use the pretext of marriage alliance with the Previous Liang to claim a share of the realm, should you also extend an olive branch to Southern Chen, whom they ultimately ally with remains open to debate."

After some thought, Pei Song remarked, "Ever since Fengyang was besieged, that Wen woman headed straight for Southern Chen, as if certain they would send troops. That old fox Changlian Wang must have planted some contingency plan in Southern Chen. We cannot let our guard down."

He turned to the Chief Administrator: "By the way, how is that woman?"

The Chief Administrator paused briefly before realizing he referred to the woman injured by Xing Lie that day. "Her life is saved," he said, "but she keeps clamoring to see her son."

Author's Note: [1] From "Collected Poems of the Ming."

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2023-12-29 04:41:41 and 2023-12-30 10:38:53~

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