cold clothes

Leng Yi puffed out her cheeks and snorted heavily at Yin Jiu's retreating figure.

Yin Jiu closed the door and went out. There were soft rustling sounds coming from outside. Yin Jiu was probably planning to sleep on the bamboo couch outside. I was a little worried that he might catch a cold sleeping outside, but I felt relieved when I thought about the blankets that were laid on the bamboo couch in winter.

Unbeknownst to Leng Yi, she had been listening to the sounds outside until they completely stopped before she covered herself with the blanket and went to sleep.

Suddenly, she cautiously sniffed the quilt. It had a dusty smell, as if it had been left in the closet for a long time and had just been taken out. She was a little disappointed that she didn't smell the scent she wanted.

—No, why would she think that? Ahhh, time to sleep!

I covered my head with a cold coat and slept soundly through the night.

Leng Yi's biological clock woke her up at 5 a.m. She sat up groggily, waiting for Ling Cao to wipe her face and then get dressed. After waiting for a long time with no one around, she smelled a faint herbal scent and realized that she was in the herbal medicine hall.

She had to hurry back; she couldn't miss the morning vocal practice, or Granny Qin would cause her trouble again.

Leng Yi dressed and folded the quilt before leaving the room. As soon as she came out, she saw Yin Jiu sitting cross-legged on the bamboo couch, sitting in meditation with his eyes closed like an old monk. Leng Yi had never seen him like this before, and she couldn't help but hold her breath and stare at him.

"Just as I thought, you're up so early." A gentle voice came from behind her, and when she turned around, she saw Doctor Xie coming out of her room.

Leng Yi called out softly, "Aunt Fang."

Upon seeing her, Doctor Xie inquired about her well-being with concern. Leng Yi replied that she was perfectly fine, which relieved Doctor Xie. "That's good. I was terrified when Xie Yin brought you here last night. It's good that you're alright now. But you're still the same, always getting yourself sick every few days." He then turned his gaze to Yin Jiu, who was in meditation, and smiled, "He took care of you all night and let me go to sleep first. He probably only rested after seeing that your fever had subsided."

Leng Yi's gaze followed Doctor Xie to Yin Jiu, and she couldn't help but smile and say, "He waited until I woke up and immediately started scolding me."

"Hehe, he's just concerned about you," Doctor Xie said. "By the way, the people from Zhuoyu Pavilion were looking for you everywhere last night. I told them you were at the herbal medicine hall."

"Thank you, Aunt Fang."

"No need to thank me. I've watched you grow up. When we first met, you were a skinny little kid, but in just six months you've completely transformed." Doctor Xie said, looking at her with a gratified expression, which made Leng Yi scratch her head in embarrassment.

"Speaking of last night—" Doctor Xie changed the subject, lowering his voice, "What happened between Xie Yin and you? Tell the truth, and Aunt Fang will back you up."

Dr. Xie's sudden change in expression and words puzzled Leng Yi, who honestly replied, "Nothing happened."

"Really?" Dr. Xie was a little incredulous.

Leng Yi was even more confused. Last night, when she was almost unconscious, Yin Jiu found her. She really didn't know what happened, but Yin Jiu shouldn't have done anything to her, right? The last thing she saw was a black bird flying down from the roof, and then she knew nothing more. But since Aunt Fang asked this, there must be something fishy about it.

"Aunt Fang, what do you want to ask?"

Doctor Xie pulled her into the room and said to her earnestly, "When Xie Yin brought you here, your clothes were disheveled, so I was worried..."

Doctor Xie didn't say it explicitly, but Leng Yi immediately understood what was going on, and her face turned extremely embarrassed.

“Um… this isn’t really his fault,” Leng Yi stammered. “I took it off myself. I had a fever and was a little delirious. I felt really hot, so…”

Doctor Xie's expression changed drastically: "Could it be that you've been given some strange medicine? But I couldn't detect it when I took your pulse."

"That's not true!" Leng Yi retorted, her face flushed, wishing she could disappear into the ground. "Aunt Fang, only you and Xie Yin know about this. Please don't tell anyone else."

"How could I tell anyone? Sigh, I'm just glad nothing happened to you. Xie Yin is almost eleven, and I'm so afraid of him..."

You're only eleven years old, what are you afraid of, Aunt Fang!