Xie Jiang was a bit dazed when she first woke up. Although her eyes were open and staring at the canopy, her spirit seemed to be wandering somewhere else.
Yi Yanguan made no sound and did not move, just quietly watching her.
He felt that she might have remembered something.
There were many things she had forgotten, either voluntarily or by force, and the things she tried hard to recall had nothing to do with him.
She had no interest in their past together.
After a long while, Xie Jiang gradually came back to her senses, but she remained lost in her own thoughts.
She stumbled slightly as she got down, stepping over Yi Yanguan lying beside her, as if she hadn't noticed.
Or rather, she knew someone was beside her, but it didn't matter who it was, and she couldn't be bothered to pay any attention.
Yi Yanguan frowned, watching her with concern as she swayed towards the door and then pushed it open to walk out.
Yi Yanguan quickly got up, put on his shoes, and followed her out. He saw her sitting on the decorative bench outside, leaning on the railing and gazing blankly at the distant lake.
Yi Yanguan leaned against the doorway of the room, still silent.
The master bedroom of the Fuyun Pavilion where Xie Jiang was staying was on the second floor. Opening the doors and windows revealed a view of the lake with willows swaying gently.
The morning breeze blew from the lake, carrying a touch of moisture and gentleness, causing her dark hair to lift and her robes to flutter.
Yi Yanguan stood behind her like a guardian deity, silently watching over her.
Aunt He and Yueyue came up with washing supplies. As they were about to speak, Yi Yanguan stopped them with a shake of his head.
Aunt He glanced at her young lady, thought for a moment, and then led Yueyue away.
Half an hour later, Aunt He came up to check again. She saw that her young lady was still in the same posture as before, clearly indicating that her young lady hadn't moved for so long!
Aunt He couldn't help but look at Yi Yanguan, who was leaning to the side, wanting to ask what was going on. What stage of life was her young lady contemplating that she hadn't finished thinking about it for so long?
To her surprise, when she turned her head, she found that Young Master Yi was also maintaining his previous posture, seemingly having not moved at all.
What were these two doing so early in the morning?
Her young lady was staring blankly at the lake with a mournful expression, while Young Master Yi was staring intently at her young lady's back. This, this...
Sensing Aunt He's gaze, Yi Yanguan finally deigned to turn his head and gave Aunt He a look.
Aunt He understood. Young Master Yi was telling her to come up again later. Aunt He sighed inwardly and quietly turned to go downstairs again.
Yi Yanguan walked over to Xie Jiang and reached out to cover her forehead. Even after being exposed to the morning breeze for so long, her temperature was still slightly higher than normal.
Xie Jiang grabbed Yi Yanguan's wrist and slowly turned her head. This time, she finally saw him.
"Yi Yanguan?"
"Mm."
"Why are you still here? Didn't you tell Aunt He to let you go back first?"
"I wanted to stay with you."
Xie Jiang hugged his waist naturally, rubbing her head against his chest.
Yi Yanguan put one arm around her and the other hand stroked the back of her head, "Your fever hasn't gone down yet."
"I feel alright, not as uncomfortable as last night."
Xie Jiang hugged Yi Yanguan's slender waist and pressed her face against his chest, feeling rather reluctant to move.
The two stood and sat, embracing for a long time.
Yi Yanguan wished time would stop, but considering her delicate health, lingering any longer might delay her medication. So, he called Aunt He and the others to come up.
As the two were sitting down to breakfast, they hadn't eaten more than a few bites when Wen Feng came in from outside.
Xie Jiang glanced at Wen Feng and saw that he looked anxious to report something. She said earnestly to Yi Yanguan, "If you can't get away, then go and attend to business. You don't need to waste time here with me. I just have a slight fever, I'm not bedridden."
Yi Yanguan glared at her, "Don't be so careless with your words, saying whatever comes to mind." He put down his chopsticks and got up, "Eat first, you'll recover better if you eat more."
Aunt He also disagreed, saying, "Why would you curse yourself like that?"
Xie Jiang was very confused, "This is called cursing? You guys are too..." Her mouth wasn't exactly a jinx.
Yi Yanguan had already reached the door. Thinking better of it, he instructed Aunt He to make sure Xie Jiang ate more.
"If she tries to fool you, tell me later."
"Alright."
Xie Jiang stared at Yi Yanguan's retreating back and rolled her eyes fiercely. Seeing that Yi Yanguan had disappeared, she complained to Aunt He and Yueyue.
"It's one thing for a grown man to be lovesick, but he's also so nagging. He nitpicks over these trivial matters all day. Where has his perspective gone..."
"Oh my, you finally realize how much you worry people!" Aunt He delivered a sharp retort this time, showing no mercy.
"...Who are you two siding with!"
"Young lady, you are our treasure, but Young Master Yi's worries are also very reasonable. You've been gossiping about Young Master Yi, and you've only eaten a few bites in all this time?"
Under the expectant gazes of Aunt He and Yueyue, Xie Jiang scanned the table, picked up a steamed bun, tore off pieces, and stuffed them into her mouth.
Aunt He was anxious watching her. She would tell Young Master Yi later and have him figure something out!
Although she didn't know what solution Young Master Yi could possibly have, seeing how much her young lady disliked him, and the eye-roll she gave his back earlier, it was clear that Young Master Yi had ways to deal with her young lady.
"Have you ever seen a patient with a high fever eat like a glutton?"
"Young Master Xu San definitely can," Yueyue said with certainty.
Hearing Yueyue mention Xu Hengyi, the glutton, and recalling what Xu Hengyi had said last night about frying something to make several dishes, Xie Jiang immediately lost her appetite.
The fact that she hadn't thrown up only proved her strong willpower.
Yi Yanguan went to the small side hall next door with Wen Feng. First, he listened as Wen Feng reported the matters that needed immediate attention, and then he gave instructions and made decisions one by one.
When he returned to the dining hall, Xie Jiang had already finished breakfast, and Yueyue brought the medicine.
Xie Jiang was staring at the dark medicinal liquid in the bowl, her brows furrowed with disgust and reluctance.
Yi Yanguan was about to coax her nicely into drinking the medicine obediently when he saw her flip her wrist and pour out half of the bowl.
"Ah—"
Aunt He didn't even have time to stop her.
Initially, they thought Xie Jiang was going to pour out the entire bowl of medicine. To their surprise, Xie Jiang didn't pour out the remaining half. Instead, without anyone trying to persuade her, she tilted her head back and drank it all.
Yi Yanguan walked up to her, puzzled, "Can't you take medicine properly? Why did you have to pour out half a bowl and have them bring you another one?"
Aunt He was also completely surprised. Her young lady could take medicine so decisively, but, "Can half a bowl of medicine cure the illness? You said you ate half a bowl, so why did you pour out the remaining half."
Xie Jiang put down the medicine bowl, "Half a bowl is enough to cure the illness, it will just take longer. Don't tell Yi An."
Aunt He said, "Doctor Lou isn't stupid. Whether you took the medicine or not, whether you took one bowl or half a bowl, he'll know everything just by taking your pulse. He doesn't need us to tell him!"
"Everyone else hopes to get better quickly when they're sick, but you hope to get better slowly?" Yi Yanguan couldn't understand.
"I just want to do an experiment. I've already taken half a bowl of medicine, and I'm not neglecting my health," Xie Jiang said.
Yi Yanguan frowned, "What do you want to verify?"