The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 28

28: “I Heard He Kills Without Blinking!”

Qiao Ying came over to check his pulse, looking quite exhausted. “How is he, Miss Qiao?” Fu Yu’an asked anxiously.

Qiao Ying yawned and replied, “Nothing serious. It seems the medicine Grandma prescribed is working. Based on what you’ve described, his periods of consciousness will become longer and the intervals shorter until he fully recovers.”

“So that’s how it is.” Fu Yu’an lowered his eyelids and muttered softly.

The last time he was conscious was yesterday, and according to Fu Yu’an’s description, it only lasted about two hours. He wondered when the next episode of consciousness would occur.

He thought back to how he had doubted Elder Shu’s prescription earlier, but now it seemed he was the one lacking in knowledge.

Qi Ren watched their interaction, secretly impressed with his own acting skills.

After staying at the villa for a few days, apart from the first night, Qi Ren hadn’t regained consciousness again. He spent his days following Fu Yu’an around, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The weather was getting hotter, so they tied hammocks in the woods and lounged in them to cool off.

Qi Ren tilted his head and fell asleep, so Xia Xiu untied his own hammock and moved closer to Fu Yu’an, chatting with him in a low voice.

Xia Xiu was simple-minded, and Fu Yu’an, who had been quiet and reserved since childhood, unexpectedly got along well with him. After a few days of playing together, they had become almost inseparable, sharing everything.

Qi Ren’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he eavesdropped.

“An’an, I heard the general was conscious for a while the other day?”

“Yes, only for an hour or two… How did you know?”

“The prince told me. Don’t worry, I won’t spread it around!” He lowered his voice and raised four fingers, swearing earnestly.

Fu Yu’an immediately understood. It seemed Xia Xiu was quite close to Prince Qing. If Qi Ren regained consciousness, he would likely inform Li Ke first, who would then notify Fu Yanxiao.

“How was it?” Xia Xiu’s eyes sparkled, seemingly very interested in other people’s private affairs.

Fu Yu’an blushed, pretending not to understand, and muttered, “What do you mean? It’s the same as always… He doesn’t remember me…”

“Ah? I thought…” His tone couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Fu Yu’an glanced at him and, after a moment of thought, added, “But that night really scared me. I knew he was domineering, but I didn’t expect him to be so terrifying in person.”

“Even more frightening than the first time I met the prince!” he added.

Xia Xiu laughed and waved his hand, saying, “Fu Yanxiao is just a carefree prince, but he’s a great general! I heard he kills without blinking, with who knows how much bl00d on his hands! How could he not be terrifying?”

“Ah… that’s true…”

Qi Ren, listening nearby, gritted his teeth, thinking, Shut up already! If you keep demonizing me like this, and he really gets scared, I’ll tear down your prince’s mansion!

“I get it now,” Xia Xiu lay back, crossing his arms behind his head, and said leisurely, “You’re just a bully who’s afraid of the tough ones!”

“I get it now,” Xia Xiu lay back, crossing his arms behind his head, and said leisurely, “You’re just a bully who’s afraid of the tough ones!”

“I…”

He had no strength to argue.

Fu Yu’an glanced at Qi Ren, then lowered his eyelids and couldn’t help but sigh.

When will he get better? I really want to leave!

There were only two days left until the Qixi Festival. Fu Yu’an had no interest in celebrating, but Xia Xiu was full of enthusiasm. On the day of Qixi, he followed Fu Yanxiao into the city and was nowhere to be seen all day.

Fu Yu’an suddenly felt lonely at the villa. He had originally thought of keeping Xiao Zhu company, but who knew that this girl had also been called out by someone.

At first, he asked her who it was, but she stammered incoherently, covering her face and running off.

Fu Yu’an found it strange, but when he noticed that Li Ke was also missing, he immediately understood.

Love and romance, how shameless!

They all went out to have fun, and even Qi Ren had disappeared somewhere to go wild, while he was stuck here drawing!

This is simply unjust!

Last time, Xia Xiu had proposed a collaboration, wanting him to illustrate the content of his storybook.

His storybooks sold quite well, and Fu Yu’an had received a lot of care from him these past few days. Moreover, he really hadn’t thought of a new topic for his own drawings, so he agreed.

He had expected it to be some bland, insipid storybook, but when he got his hands on it and flipped through it, he realized they were kindred spirits.

“Kissing… kiss…” He flipped through the book, trying to find more details to enrich the scene, muttering softly as he drew.

Since no one was around, Fu Yu’an didn’t feel ashamed and relaxed even more.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened, and a few maidservants came to the riverside, laughing and playing as they set river lanterns afloat.

Xiao Zhu finally returned, thoughtfully bringing him a packed meal.

“Is the General here? I’ll go find him!”

“No need! He’s probably off in the mountains again with that girl Qiao Ying. They’re likely roasting some wild pheasant or something. Let’s not bother about him.”

Xiao Zhu nodded, served the dishes, and stood by hesitating to speak.

Fu Yu’an looked at her, puzzled, “What’s the matter?”

“Your Highness, I truly apologize for my inadequate service, but… I’ve made plans to watch the fireworks with someone tonight. Could I… leave early? Just leave the dishes here, and I’ll clean up when I return!”

“…”

You’ve been out playing all day, and now you want to watch fireworks too?!

What kind of spell has Li Ke cast on you?!

“Go ahead, go ahead! Just be careful!” Fu Yu’an had no choice but to wave her off.

Xiao Zhu, overjoyed by the permission, thanked him repeatedly and skipped out happily.

What a lonely Qixi Festival it was!

The food had gone cold and was rather bland. Fu Yu’an managed a few bites before setting it aside.

Might as well work on the sketches!

He stretched and stood up, just as someone called his name from downstairs.

It was Qi Ren returning.

He even brought back a roasted rabbit.

Outside, the moon was bright and the stars sparse. Qi Ren walked through the moonlit courtyard, placing the fragrant roasted rabbit on the table, showing it off proudly.

Fu Yu’an felt a warmth in his heart and smiled, saying, “I’ll join you after I finish this bit of work. Go wash your hands first; there are still dishes on the table.”

“Alright!” Qi Ren cheerfully went back down to the river to wash his hands.

Qi Ren had already eaten quite a bit outside. Today was Qixi Festival, and he had been planning how to invite Fu Yu’an out to enjoy the festivities. However, constrained by his “stupid” persona, he couldn’t appear too knowledgeable and thus hadn’t found the right opportunity to bring it up.

Seeing Fu Yu’an spending the entire day alone, Qi Ren felt a pang of guilt.

“An’an, when I came back, I saw something flickering outside. What was that?” he asked, taking a bite of the roasted rabbit.

Fu Yu’an paused his work, momentarily confused. “What thing?”

“It was in the grass, near the little grove. It kept flickering and even flew around!”

Fu Yu’an thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. “Oh, you must mean fireflies! Do you want some? I’ll take you to catch a few later.”

“Yes, I want them!” Qi Ren, having successfully led him into the trap, was delighted. He cheered and quickly finished off a rabbit leg.