A Misty Night, With A Crystal-Clear Moon - Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Budding Youthful Hearts
It was two days later when Yu Linglong woke up. In a daze, she felt extremely thirsty and wanted water. She tried to shout with all her strength, but she couldn’t even open her eyes. After calling out twice, she suddenly felt a cool liquid slide onto her lips, and she eagerly sucked in the coolness. Her throat immediately felt relief. It was so comfortable!
She opened her eyes slightly and vaguely saw a man, who was also looking at her. Was she dreaming? She couldn’t help but wonder. She felt so tired and didn’t want to get up at all, so she closed her eyes again. But this time, no matter how hard she tried to force herself to sleep, she couldn’t. So, she opened her eyes completely, wanting to see if it was a dream or reality.
Seeing the person again made her a little disappointed. Cui Xin looked at Linglong with great joy, “Miss, you’re awake! You had me so worried. Do you want to sit up?”
She saw Linglong struggling a bit to move.
“Have you been here the whole time?”
“Of course! You really scared me, do you know how terrifying you were that day? Your face was frighteningly pale, I had never seen you like that, I was truly afraid something might happen to you…” Cui Xin never minced words, but halfway through, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly patted her mouth, “Bah, bah, bah, I really don’t know how to talk, Miss, please don’t be offended.”
Linglong gave a slight smile, “How could I be offended by you? You are my joy.”
Cui Xin placed a pillow behind Linglong’s back to help her lean more comfortably, “Ah Nuo went to fetch your medicine, he’ll be back soon.”
“Ah Nuo?” Linglong asked.
“Yes, Ah Nuo, Situ Nuo. Miss, you haven’t lost your memory, have you?”
“Of course not, I just find it strange.”
“Hehe, I don’t think so. This Ah Nuo is actually quite nice. He’s been coming frequently these past few days, staying for half a day at a time, and he even hired a doctor once. I was just decocting the medicine, and it was he who was by your side.”
For some reason, hearing this news made Linglong’s heart feel very happy. It seemed that what she saw just now wasn’t a dream after all, and that blurry man was indeed Situ Nuo.
Just as they were speaking, Situ Nuo hurried in, holding a bowl of medicine. Seeing that Linglong was already sitting up, he was also very happy.
“You can sit up now, what a coincidence, this medicine of mine arrived just in time.”
He handed the bowl to Cui Xin and added, “I waited until the medicine was the perfect temperature before coming in, just feed it directly to your Miss.”
Cui Xin chuckled, “You are quite a careful person.”
Linglong saw the medicine was black and thick, and she couldn’t help but feel nauseous, her brows furrowing.
“Don’t worry, I added licorice, it’s not bitter.”
Situ Nuo’s smile was like a ray of gentle sunshine entering Linglong’s gloomy heart, warm and very comforting. She smiled slightly, took the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.
“You drank the whole thing!” Cui Xin said in surprise. Yu Linglong had always hated the taste of medicine, let alone drinking it. When was there ever a time that she didn’t need a thousand coaxing words and tricks to get her to drink it? Cui Xin smiled, “Ah Nuo really has a way.”
Linglong glared at her, “You call him Ah Nuo? That is so improper, it will definitely make people think you lack manners.”
Cui Xin froze, looking at Situ Nuo, then back at Linglong, “Miss, I…”
“He is Adopted Son of Elder Liao, he is naturally a person of status. Why don’t you call him Young Master?”
Situ Nuo quickly said, “No need, no need. I am just a small helper, what status do I have? Besides, this name is meant to be used by people, I cannot bear the title of ‘Young Master’.”
“How can you not bear it? Elder Liao values you and treats you as his successor, just for this point, your status is not unfounded. Furthermore, you have already made a name for yourself in Shanghai with your own two fists, so you naturally deserve respect.”
Situ Nuo could not argue with Linglong and said no more. Cui Xin, however, was simple-minded, only feeling a little wronged, and said, “Whatever Miss says, Cui Xin will do. As long as Miss isn’t angry.”
Yu Linglong stayed quietly in Wangyue Tower to recuperate, and before she knew it, a month had passed. Shopkeeper Li didn’t ask her to move out again, nor did he let her do any work, treating her as if a young lady were living in the house. Cui Xin was still diligent, not missing any chores, big or small. This busyness actually made her happy. The people in the building also changed how they addressed Yu Linglong, now all calling her “Miss Yu.”
Situ Nuo continued to visit daily, seeing Yu Linglong seemed to have become his daily essential task. Linglong didn’t object; during the long, boring hours, seeing Situ Nuo was a different kind of pleasure.
One day, Situ Nuo brought several boxes of mung bean pastries. He left one box with Shopkeeper Li, who smiled like a blooming flower and quickly said, “Oh my, Young Master Ah Nuo brought something again, it truly makes us workers feel ashamed.”
“Haha, if you feel ashamed, then work diligently, work well, earn more, and I will bring more delicious food for everyone.”
“Is that true, Young Master?” Xiao Yao teased.
Situ Nuo patted him on the shoulder, “Of course, when have I, Situ Nuo, ever broken my word?”
“That’s true, Young Master keeps his promises, otherwise, why would he be called Ah Nuo?”
“Hahaha, take these two boxes and divide them, including one for Aunt Liu and the others.”
Xiao Yao took the mung bean pastries, smiled, and nodded, “Thank you, Young Master.”
“Where is Miss Yu?”
“Where else could she be? It’s really strange, she stays in her room all day and doesn’t come out for a walk. Her injury has long healed, if it were me, I’d be stifled.”
“Haha, she is a young lady from a good family, not like you.”
Situ Nuo took the mung bean pastries and went to look for Yu Linglong. When he arrived at her room, she was nowhere to be seen. He searched for a long time but couldn’t find her. Suddenly, he saw Xiao Mei coming over, and he quickly stopped her, asking, “Where is Miss Yu?”
Xiao Mei rolled her eyes, “Hmph, where else? In the backyard. Cui Xin heated up a basin of water for her, don’t know what she’s doing.”
Situ Nuo ignored Xiao Mei and hurried to the backyard. He saw Yu Linglong sitting quietly on a stone bench, tilting her head to dry her hair.
He smiled and called out, “Miss Yu.”
Yu Linglong turned her head upon hearing the sound, her wet, long hair flinging backward, splashing water droplets that looked like sparkling, colorful crystals in the sunlight. Looking at Yu Linglong with her long hair spread out in the sun, she was even more delicate and lovely, like a lotus flower on the water.
“Why did you come?” Linglong asked with a smile, completely unaware of Situ Nuo’s embarrassment.
Situ Nuo, blushing, said sheepishly, “I came to bring you some mung bean pastries.”
“Mung bean pastries? How did you know I like these?”
“I didn’t know, but I thought they tasted very good, so I bought some to bring to you.”
Linglong chuckled. She saw Situ Nuo’s sincerity and was moved by it. She wasn’t an idiot; how could she not see Situ Nuo’s feelings for her? But compared to exposing him, she preferred to tease this simpleton.