Shen Shaoguang visited Princess Fuhui and, not two days later, found herself falling ill—heavy-headed, stuffy nose, chills, sore throat, coughing, and overall weakness. A classic case of the common cold.
Since leaving the palace, Shen Shaoguang had never fallen ill before. This time, it truly felt like sickness striking like a collapsing mountain. Despite this, she stubbornly pushed herself to make a round at the Tongren Lane tavern—the first Crab Competition at both branches had just concluded one after another, drawing an unusually large crowd of diners. As the tavern owner, Shen Shaoguang felt obliged to make an appearance.
She had A Yuan sew her a mask from several layers of silk fabric.
Though A Yuan’s needlework was rough, she worked quickly. With swift, rhythmic stitches, she finished two masks in just fifteen minutes: "Young Mistress can switch between them!"
Looking at the mask—round yet angular, square yet curved, stitched with uneven seams—Shen Shaoguang finally understood why A Yuan always praised her own sewing.
Well, for a functional item, it didn’t need to be perfect. Shen Shaoguang covered her nose and mouth with it and had A Yuan tie the straps for her.
Yu San frowned deeply when he saw her like this. "If you’re like this, shouldn’t you just stay home instead of spreading your misery around?"
Too weak to banter, Shen Shaoguang gave a silly smile. "I must go. Light wounds don’t leave the frontlines."
Yu San didn’t know what "frontlines" meant, but he understood her intent. Shooting her a disdainful look, he went into the kitchen, filled a pot with freshly brewed licorice soup, and shoved it into her hands. "Take this and get going!"
Just as Shen Shaoguang reached the door, Yu San called her back, unable to hold back any longer. "Can you take that thing off your face?"
A Yuan, following behind Shen Shaoguang, turned and glared fiercely at Yu San.
Shen Shaoguang laughed heartily and left.
After spending half the day spreading her misery while wearing her maid’s lovingly made mask, Shen Shaoguang returned feeling utterly unwilling to move another inch.
A Yuan helped her wash her hands and face, took off her outer robe, and loosened her hair. Shen Shaoguang then burrowed into her blankets.
"Young Mistress, rest for a while. Yu Sanlang saw you return and has already prepared medicine. Once it’s brewed and you drink it, you’ll feel better."
Shen Shaoguang nodded.
"What would you like for dinner, Young Mistress? I’ll have them prepare it in advance," A Yuan asked.
Looking at her plump little face and hearing her unusually gentle tone—so different from her usual loud voice—Shen Shaoguang felt as if the girl had poured all the tenderness of her lifetime into this moment.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Shaoguang replied, "Some pear porridge, please. Not too much sugar—I don’t want it overly sweet."
A Yuan agreed and left.
Shen Shaoguang drifted into a heavy, dreamless sleep. She had no idea how long she’d been out when she opened her eyes and vaguely noticed someone sitting on the stool by her bed. "Is the medicine ready?"
"It was ready, but it’s gone cold now. Eat first, then take the medicine."
Startled, Shen Shaoguang realized it was Lord Lin.
It was already quite dark outside, and the room was dim, with no lamps lit.
Hearing the voices, A Yuan came in. "Young Mistress, are you feeling better? Shall I bring the porridge now?"
"Light a lamp first," Shen Shaoguang said.
"The young master didn’t allow it, afraid the light would disturb your rest," A Yuan explained before going out to fetch a lamp.
Clearing her throat, Shen Shaoguang smiled at Lin Yan. "It’s nothing, just a minor cold."
Lin Yan took her hand. Shen Shaoguang instinctively tried to pull away.
"Don’t move," Lin Yan said softly. He placed her hand on the edge of the bed and gently pressed his fingers against the three pulses at her wrist.
A Yuan returned with the lamp and, seeing him taking her pulse, stood quietly to the side.
After a moment, he finished. Shen Shaoguang smiled. "Nothing serious, right?"He then took her other hand to check her pulse, examined her complexion and tongue under the lamplight before speaking. "Heat stagnation in the lung points, constrained by external wind-cold. It's likely related to exhaustion too, not just a simple external cold."
A Yuan said, "That's what the physician said too. Lord Lin, when will our young mistress recover?"
"It will take several days. Keep an eye on her these days and don't let her run around."
"Understood!"
From the bed, Shen Shaoguang: "..."
"Are you cold? You have a slight fever," Lin Yan asked gently.
Shen Shaoguang touched her own forehead.
Lin Yan pressed his lips together. Falling ill had made her foolish—how could one tell their own temperature? With her hair down, her face looked even smaller, frail from illness. Though he knew she was clever and strong-willed, seeing her like this made her appear pitifully vulnerable.
With someone watching over the young mistress, A Yuan went to fetch the food box from the front shop, leaving Lin Yan and Shen Shaoguang—one by the bed, one on it—gazing at each other.
As they looked, Shen Shaoguang suddenly smiled. She had been sitting upright but now stuffed the leaning pillow behind her back, reclining halfway, and pulled the quilt higher.
"Cold?"
She nodded sweetly.
"Some water?"
She nodded again.
Lin Yan poured half a cup from the pot on the side table, rinsed it, tossed the water outside, then poured another half-cup for her.
As she took the cup, Shen Shaoguang thought: What if I seized this chance to grab his hand? Or simply jumped out of bed to hug him? What would happen? Risk spilling water on the quilt and pounce on him? Hmm, he knows martial arts—probably not so easy to tackle unless he half-allowed it. Would he play along or sternly scold me for being corrupted by the Princess? Though truthfully, it wasn't the Princess who corrupted me—I was never that virtuous to begin with...
Unaware of her scandalous thoughts, Lin Yan only thought she had become much more docile after falling ill.
Taking the cup back, he said, "Moistening your throat often will help you recover faster."
Having missed all her chances, Shen Shaoguang could only tease inwardly: So Lord Lin is part of the "hot water fixes everything" camp.
A Yuan returned with the food box, bringing out a bowl of thickly cooked snow pear and rice porridge, lightly topped with sugared osmanthus syrup, along with a few side dishes.
A Yuan served a bowl to Shen Shaoguang, who took a sip—delicious. The Third Princess's porridge-making skills had improved. "Lord Lin, you haven't had dinner, have you? Want a bowl?" She paused, then added, "Never mind, better not."
A Yuan halted her motion to serve Lin Yan, looking at her mistress.
Shen Shaoguang smiled. "Go attend to your tasks."
Even A Yuan, simple as she was, knew some conversations weren't for others' ears, so she obediently left.
Lin Yan nudged the side dishes toward her, but Shen Shaoguang shook her head, sticking to the porridge.
After a couple of spoonfuls, she looked up with a grin. "Know why I won't share the porridge with you?"
Lin Yan looked at her, puzzled.
"Don't want to 'part with pear,'" she quipped before resuming her meal.
Lin Yan couldn't suppress a smile. After a moment, he said, "I thought you were planning to 'forget each other in the rivers and lakes.'"
Shen Shaoguang held the porridge in her mouth, watching him as she slowly chewed and swallowed the pear, a mischievous smirk forming. "To forget each other in the rivers and lakes, we must first 'moisten each other with spit.'"
Lin Yan froze. Shen Shaoguang burst into laughter.Lin Yan's ears felt slightly warm as he pursed his lips. "Young ladies shouldn't—"
Shen Shaoguang wasn't the least bit intimidated. She simply set down her bowl, leaned back against the pillow, and burst into laughter.
Lin Yan couldn't maintain his composure either and chuckled. My A Qi...
Author's Note:
"Mutual aid in distress" (xiang ru yi mo): Fish moistening each other with their foam.
A Qi's dirtiness, you all understand.
————
Lin Yan felt he could never face this phrase again.
Shen Shaoguang: Does the young master find this phrase particularly vivid? Otherwise, why would you be blushing?
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