A Cannon Fodder Who Became The Future Queen - Chapter 25

“Sister Jiu?”

I called out to her in a low voice, but Shen Zhiyu showed no signs of waking up. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her usually calm face was filled with pain.

Shen Zhiyu’s lips were bitten tightly. I could already see a bit of bl00d on the corners of her mouth. It took some effort for me to get my fingers in between her lips to prevent her from injuring herself further.

With my other hand, I wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, but it would reappear as soon as I wiped it away.

Shen Zhiyu had experienced a similar situation once before. The headache combined with self-harm didn’t look like an illness, but it worried me even more than one would.

I sat up and held her in my arms, asking in her ear, “Sister Jiu? Can you hear me?”

Shen Zhiyu’s head was resting in the hollow of my neck. Her ragged breaths fell onto my earlobe, and she made a small, indistinct sound.

Our skin was touching, but the sound was too soft for me to hear clearly. I could only lean in closer and ask, “Sister Jiu, what did you just say?”

Shen Zhiyu’s teeth were still pressed against my fingertip, and the biting force didn’t lessen, but her voice was trembling, like the whimper of a small animal.

I listened carefully for a long time before I realized she was saying, “Cold.”

“Cold?” I first looked at the window in the room. It was closed before we went to bed, so no wind was coming in.

The temperature had dropped a bit because of the rain a few days ago, but the sun was out today, and it had warmed up the room quite a bit. It wouldn’t even be cold if we weren’t under a quilt.

I looked down at the person in my arms and touched Shen Zhiyu’s wrist. It felt like a block of ice.

Shen Zhiyu’s consciousness was not yet clear. She was curling up in my arms, as if she were subconsciously looking for a source of warmth.

I didn’t care about anything else. I lifted the quilt and held her in my arms, then wrapped the original quilt around Shen Zhiyu again.

The warmth of my body transferred to hers through the two thin layers of inner garments. I looked down to check on her, and I felt her slightly chapped lips brush against my throat.

Like a feather, it brushed past. I instinctively swallowed. “Sister Jiu?”

The whole world was shrouded in a black mist. All Shen Zhiyu could see was a blurry blackness. Her head was throbbing with pain, which only allowed her to vaguely see what was in front of her.

The room felt both familiar and strange. Vermilion and black overlapped. There were red candles lit everywhere in the room. The cold wind outside was pounding heavily on the window lattice, making the candlelight flicker violently.

The coldness slowly spread across her body. Besides the sound of the wind hitting the window, Shen Zhiyu also heard a very soft rustling sound.

She looked down and saw all kinds of pitch-black bugs crawling up her feet.

Shen Zhiyu wanted to leave, but there seemed to be an invisible restraint holding her in place. She couldn’t move. The bugs were getting more numerous, slowly crawling from her ankles to her knees, almost completely drowning her. Vaguely, a voice appeared in her ear.

“Sister Jiu, wake up?”

“Sister Jiu, are you feeling okay?”

I looked at the person in my arms, so anxious that I wanted to go out and find a doctor.

Shen Zhiyu had opened her eyes a few minutes ago, but they were so hollow. She didn’t react no matter what I said.

“Sister Jiu, if you don’t wake up, I’ll…”

Just as I was about to say the last word, Shen Zhiyu’s hollow eyes suddenly moved. Then I felt her teeth bite down hard on my finger bone.

Shen Zhiyu bit me with a lot of force. I couldn’t help but frown and hiss as I pulled my finger out from her lips.

I didn’t care about that right now. I just raised my hand and waved it in front of Shen Zhiyu. “How are you doing now?”

Shen Zhiyu’s hair was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to her forehead. Her face was pale and sickly, with only a bit of bl00d on her lips.

Her consciousness slowly returned. After a long time, she said in a low voice, “I’m fine.”

Shen Zhiyu’s lips were very dry, and her voice was hoarse. When she said those three words, it didn’t sound like she was fine at all. It was more like she had just recovered from a serious illness.

“Don’t be stubborn.” I ignored her words and asked, “Are you still cold?”

It was then that Shen Zhiyu noticed she was being held in my arms. The quilt was wrapped tightly around both of us. The hot temperature had warmed her usually icy hands a little.

My solid, strong arms were wrapped around her waist, and there was a hint of worry in my eyes.

As we spoke, we were face to face, very close. Shen Zhiyu could even feel the vibration of my chest and my breathing.

A faint stream of air from my breath was like a gentle breeze. She felt a strand of my hair by my ear move and lightly brush her cheek.

Too close.

“I’m not cold. You can let go now.” Shen Zhiyu’s voice was still hoarse. She tried to move away from me, but her waist was held fast.

I heard her and looked down. “It’s not that I don’t want to let go. You have to let go first.”

Shen Zhiyu was stunned for a moment, then she realized that her hands were also wrapped around my waist, and she could clearly feel the bones and muscles of my back.

She had just applied medicine to my back yesterday. Even through the clothes, the memory was very clear. The wound where she had rested her wrist had already scabbed over, and new, pale pink flesh had grown.

[Target’s favorability +2]

[Target’s favorability +1]

[Target’s favorability +2]

Shen Zhiyu curled her fingertips and let go of my waist. The distance between us was put back, and she asked, “What happened?”

I was a little surprised. “You don’t remember?”

“I only remember having a nightmare,” Shen Zhiyu said, but she didn’t know what kind of room was in her nightmare.

Nor did she know if she had really seen those bugs or if it was just a dream.

I said, “You looked very uncomfortable just now. You couldn’t stop yourself from biting yourself, and you kept saying you were cold.”

I recounted what had just happened, and then I lifted my finger. “Look, you bit this just now.”

The commotion we had made was a little too loud. Even though I had kept my voice down, it had still woken up Suisui.

The child was so sleepy that she couldn’t even open her eyes, but she still confirmed, “Sister?”

Hearing her voice, I first made a “shh” gesture to Shen Zhiyu.

To make this gesture, people usually use their right hand to make a vague gesture in front of their lips. I was no exception.

The finger I had just put in Shen Zhiyu’s mouth happened to be my right index finger.

The night was slowly fading. It would be dawn in less than an hour, so Shen Zhiyu could see more clearly now.

My finger was long and slender. The joints were clearly defined when I held it up. Now, it was covered in various marks.

Some were light, some were deep and crisscrossed. Some spots were just red, while others had clear teeth marks. The spot closest to the base of my finger had been bitten so hard that I could even see a hint of bl00d.

Shen Zhiyu didn’t want to admit that she had made these marks, but the memories that slowly returned reminded her that during the time she was regaining consciousness, she had indeed bitten something.

After I made the gesture, I comforted Suisui. When I saw the child fall back asleep, I turned around to continue my conversation with Shen Zhiyu.

However, the interruption had made me lose my train of thought. “Where were we?”

I thought hard for a while before I remembered that the last thing we talked about was me saying that Shen Zhiyu had bitten my hand.

I hadn’t brought it up to blame Shen Zhiyu. After all, in that situation, I wouldn’t have been able to control myself either.

I just wanted to use this to prove that I had a reason to hug her.

After all, not long ago, Shen Zhiyu had just told me that the way to make her happy was to “not get so close to me anymore.”

I was about to move on to the topic of the nightmare.

But before I could even open my mouth, I heard the person who had been silent for a long time say in a low voice, “…I’m sorry.”

I was stunned. If I hadn’t seen Shen Zhiyu’s lips move, I would have thought I was imagining things.

I was used to Shen Zhiyu’s cold words, so hearing her apologize so formally made me a little awkward.

I pursed my lips and asked, “Is it because you bit me?”

Shen Zhiyu hummed in response. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

She had just felt me hug her, and she subconsciously thought that Qianyuan was doing it on purpose, trying to do something on their last night. A feeling of disgust had welled up in her heart.

But after she had calmed down and heard the explanation, Shen Zhiyu knew that she had misunderstood.

She was even the cause of the injury on my hand.

The words “I’m sorry” had gone through her mind many times.

She listened as I softly said, “It’s nothing, Suisui. Go back to sleep,” and watched me gently pat the child’s back to comfort her. Finally, when I turned back around, she said the words.

Shen Zhiyu didn’t say “I’m sorry” often. Even after living with me for so long, this was the first time she had said it.

So even though she tried her best to hide it, her voice still carried a sense of unfamiliarity and awkwardness.

I could hear it and gave a light laugh. “It doesn’t hurt much, and it’s not your fault. I’m not taking it to heart.”

Shen Zhiyu looked down. “I’m glad you accept my apology.”

When she said that, the awkwardness was gone, and her voice returned to its usual cool and indifferent tone.

Of course I accepted her apology. I returned to our previous topic. “Are you still feeling bad? Should we go to the county town to see a doctor when it gets light?”

Shen Zhiyu shook her head. “I don’t feel bad anymore. There’s no need to go to the county town.”

She could guess that this was related to her missing memories, and the herbalist had already said there was no cure.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go? Maybe we should still get you checked out,” Ji Ping’an said, still a little worried.

Shen Zhiyu, however, changed the subject. She just looked at her and said softly, “I’m a little tired.”

“Tired?” Ji Ping’an’s attention immediately shifted. She glanced out the window. “Then get some more rest. It’s still not very light out.”

She then helped Shen Zhiyu straighten out the tangled blanket and lay back down in her own spot.

Silence returned to the room. Ji Ping’an had only intended to rest for a bit until it got brighter, but she somehow started to feel sleepy herself. In her haze, she remembered the words she hadn’t finished saying.

“Ah Jiu?” Her voice was clearly heavy with sleep.

Shen Zhiyu gave a soft hum in response.

Ji Ping’an probably didn’t hear it and continued talking to herself, “You really don’t have to apologize to me…”

The last few words were so quiet they were barely audible.

“Why?”

But by the time Shen Zhiyu asked the question, Ji Ping’an was already sound asleep and couldn’t answer.

******

When Shen Zhiyu woke up again, the sun was shining brightly outside, and the bed was empty.

She got dressed and went out, where she saw Ji Ping’an and Suisui hanging blankets out to dry.

The blankets they had put out the day before hadn’t dried completely, so they had to bring them in before dusk to prevent them from getting damp from the evening moisture.

“They just need one more day in the sun, and then I’ll help you clean up the room,” Ji Ping’an told her little shadow.

With several days of rain, the inside of the house was damp, so they had opened the doors and windows.

Suisui nodded, “I’ll help, too.”

After hanging up the blankets, Ji Ping’an ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Let’s go make breakfast. Ah Jiu is probably still sleeping.”

“Okay!” Suisui obediently followed her. She reached for Ji Ping’an’s hand, but then noticed an injury on her fingers. “Sister, did you get hurt again?”

Standing at the doorway, Shen Zhiyu also looked at Ji Ping’an’s hands.

The marks from a few hours ago had deepened—a mix of faint red and deep, bruised purples that were impossible to miss.

Before Ji Ping’an could speak, Shen Zhiyu said, “Come over here.”

The two in the yard looked up at the sound of her voice. Suisui spoke first. “Ah Jiu, you’re awake!”

Shen Zhiyu said good morning to her and then turned her gaze back to Ji Ping’an, repeating her words: “Come here.”

Suisui also pulled on Ji Ping’an’s hand. “Sister, hurry up and go.”

The last time Ji Ping’an got hurt, Shen Zhiyu had applied medicine for her, so the little girl wanted her to go see Shen Zhiyu again.

Before Ji Ping’an could even wonder why the little ones in the house were so obedient to Shen Zhiyu, her feet were already moving toward the house.

Once inside, Shen Zhiyu didn’t say anything. She just turned her back to her, rummaging for something.

“Did you need me for something? Is your head hurting again?”

Ji Ping’an walked over and stood in front of her, only to see a familiar medicine jar being held out to her.

“Put some on your hand.”

Ji Ping’an took it. “You bit the bone there. It looks scary, but it doesn’t actually hurt.”

As she spoke, she bent her fingers to show Shen Zhiyu.

With the purple and red overlapping, it was hard to find a spot on her entire finger that looked unscathed.

Shen Zhiyu’s brows furrowed slightly. “Just put it on.”

Ji Ping’an sighed. “…Okay.”

She applied the ointment but couldn’t stop talking. “Is this you being concerned about me?”

The injury wasn’t on her back, so she didn’t need any help applying it. It only took a moment, but her mouth kept going.

“Don’t read into it.”

She’d only been awake for a short while, and even Suisui had already noticed the bite marks on her hand. If Ji Ping’an went out today, even more people would see them, and Shen Zhiyu didn’t want others to get the wrong idea.

After she finished, Ji Ping’an, out of habit, handed the ointment back to Shen Zhiyu. Seeing her about to put it away, she said, “You should put some on, too.”

Shen Zhiyu’s movement paused. “I’m not hurt.”

Besides the injuries she’d woken up with and the ones from being beaten, she hadn’t been hurt again since then.

“What do you mean you’re not hurt?” Ji Ping’an knew better. She pointed to the corner of her own lips. “You should put some here, too.”

The injury was a bite mark Shen Zhiyu had made on herself last night.

“It’s not bad,” Shen Zhiyu said.

Ji Ping’an just looked at her. “That’s exactly what I thought about mine.”

If hers wasn’t bad, why did Shen Zhiyu insist she use the medicine?

Shen Zhiyu hesitated, then opened the jar again and applied some of the ointment. Only then did Ji Ping’an feel reassured and leave.

After breakfast, the three of them cleaned the house from top to bottom and then sat outside in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Ji Ping’an looked at Suisui. “Do you want to go out and play today? I’ll take you fishing.”

She had been busy hunting and hadn’t spent much time with the little girl lately.

“Really?” Suisui’s eyes lit up. This was a topic she was clearly interested in. “Ah Jiu and I saw fish in the river before, but we couldn’t catch them.”

Ji Ping’an nodded. “I’ll catch them and make you and Ah Jiu some fish soup.”

They seemed to have really liked the fish she had gotten from the system last time.

Then, she looked at Shen Zhiyu.

The sunlight seemed to favor Shen Zhiyu, casting a golden glow on her long, smooth hair and making the tips of her fingers almost translucent. It was as if the sun wasn’t just happening to fall on her but was specifically seeking her out.

“Ah Jiu, you should come with us, too. We can gather some mushrooms while we’re there.”

Mushrooms grow fastest after rain, so they would probably see clusters of them under the trees if they went into the woods now. The wild ones were the most tender and tasted great in soup or with other dishes.

Shen Zhiyu wanted to refuse, but she saw Ji Ping’an subtly nudge Suisui, who then looked at her with an interested expression.

“…Let’s go.”

Ji Ping’an smiled and stood up, grabbing her bow and arrow on the way. If they saw any prey, they could add another dish to their meal.

“It’s good to get out and about. It’s great exercise, too.”

Even with the delicious food she’d been cooking, Shen Zhiyu was still a bit too thin. Ji Ping’an felt she needed to take her out to exercise and, if possible, teach her martial arts and taekwondo. She couldn’t keep Shen Zhiyu here forever; the more she exercised and gained strength now, the safer she would be in the future.

Suisui walked ahead, leading them to where the fish were. Ji Ping’an and Shen Zhiyu walked side by side behind her.

After the rain, the wild grass by the roadside had grown taller, and many wildflowers were in full bloom—plants Ji Ping’an had seen in her previous life.

“The little flowers that are yellow in the middle and white on the outside are called fleabane. They love to grow in clusters.”

“This is called violet. It blooms in the spring and summer. If you get a snake bite, you can mash it up and put it on the wound. That’s what Shuishan told me last time.”

“That small cluster of flowers at your feet is called liquorice grass. You can dry it and make tea with it. It’s a lot like chrysanthemum tea.”

As she spoke, she picked some and put them in her basket. She then asked Shen Zhiyu, “Isn’t it nice to come out?”

Shen Zhiyu gave a soft hum. “I had no choice but to agree.”

Ji Ping’an had asked, but then she had manipulated Suisui, giving her no room to say no.

“That means you’re not opposed to it,” Ji Ping’an explained. “If you’re not opposed, in other words, you like it. Right?”

What flawless logic.

Shen Zhiyu was speechless.

When they got to the river, Suisui pointed to the fish. “Sister, there’s one!”

The water was so clear they could see the rocks and water plants at the bottom. Two fish were swimming leisurely.

Ji Ping’an had never caught a fish from the river before, but she was confident. “I don’t think it’ll be hard. Suisui, stand back a little. I don’t want the water from the fish’s tail to splash you.”

Suisui obediently stepped back, not forgetting to add, “I know, Sister is the best!”

“Of course,” Ji Ping’an said, without any false modesty.

She rolled up her pants and took a newly purchased iron arrow from her basket, ready to spear a fish.

Ji Ping’an cautiously approached the riverbank, found her moment, and quickly plunged the arrow into the water.

The arrow broke the surface, splashing water and startling the nearby birds, which fluttered their wings and flew away.

Unfortunately, when Ji Ping’an pulled her arrow up, it was empty.

The fish, which had been swimming so leisurely and had no idea of the danger, were now hiding under the rocks, occasionally flicking their tails, which made Ji Ping’an grit her teeth in frustration.

Ji Ping’an cleared her throat. “Just a minor miscalculation. You have to mess up sometimes when you’re fishing. I’ll get it right next time.”

Suisui nodded seriously. “Sister is right.”

Ji Ping’an patted her head. “I’ll bring you extra candy next time, little one.”

Shen Zhiyu raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, watching as Ji Ping’an tried to catch a fish again.

This time, Ji Ping’an aimed for the same fish but moved more cautiously.

When the fish swam into the middle of the river again, she plunged the arrow down with force.

And she no longer aimed for the fish’s belly, but for its head. This way, even if the fish tried to get away, it would still be pierced by her arrow, with no escape.

The quiet forest echoed with sound again. The birds that had just landed on the branches fluttered away once more.

At the same time, Suisui’s voice rang out in amazement. “Sister, you’re so good!”

A fish was firmly speared on the arrow. The still-breathing fish wiggled its tail, trying to escape, but Ji Ping’an gave it no chance.

“We can have fish for dinner tonight.”

Ji Ping’an removed the fish from the arrow, put it in her basket, and then looked up at Shen Zhiyu, ready to ask how she would like it cooked.

But the first thing she saw was not the familiar face, but a glimmering arrow.

At some point, Shen Zhiyu had picked up the bow she had left on the ground. The arrow was on the string, aimed directly at Ji Ping’an who was just a few feet away.