BYBOTE Chapter 35: The Injured Qing-ge

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Once July arrived, it would rain from time to time, making the village roads difficult to traverse—let alone the mountain paths. While the rain came at just the right time and was beneficial for the crops, it was quite a hassle for Xi Yanqing, who needed to go up the mountain whenever he had no farm work to do. Normally, he would head up the mountain whenever the weather was clear, but when it rained, he sometimes couldn't go for two or three days in a row. This delay was frustrating, as it significantly impacted his ability to gather medicinal herbs.

When he last delivered herbs to the pharmacy, he had already made an agreement with the shopkeeper to deliver herbs at least once every seven days. No matter how much he managed to gather, as long as the herbs were usable, he would bring them. Since their agreement, he had never been late even once—but this time, nearly ten days had passed, and he had hardly gathered anything useful. This made Xi Yanqing quite anxious.

Foraging for herbs in the north was not the same as in the south. In the south, one could find herbs nearly all year round, but in the north, there were only two seasons suitable for gathering them. If he missed this window of time, he would have to wait until the following year.

Xi Yanqing was eager to earn money, but he also valued safety. He would never go up the mountain while it was raining. However, now that the rain had stopped, he found himself growing restless—especially after Doctor Liang had come looking for him to ask if he had Asarum (wild gingers), as the pharmacy was running low on it. Xi Yanqing knew exactly where to find it. The plant had once caught his eye because it resembled sweet potato leaves, but he hadn’t recognized it at the time, so he hadn’t picked any. By the time he realized what it was, he had already descended the mountain. Later, he had seen it in one of his herb books.

"It doesn’t look like it’ll rain again, but I wonder if the mountain trails are still in bad condition?" Luo Fei glanced outside. The rain had only stopped for half a day, and although the weather had turned hot again, the ground in the mountains might still be muddy.

"They probably aren’t in great condition. But if I keep waiting, I might miss my chance to gather herbs. Besides, it could start raining again, so I might as well go check. At worst, I'll just be extra careful." Xi Yanqing slung his bamboo basket onto his back. "Did you pack my food?"

"Yes, I packed four vegetable-stuffed buns and some side dishes," Luo Fei handed him a cloth-wrapped bundle. "There's also water and medicine in there."

"You're so thoughtful," Xi Yanqing chuckled. "By the way, where did the buns come from? I remember we had steamed buns for breakfast."

"I was steaming them while we were eating, but they weren’t ready yet. And since it was my first attempt, I wasn’t sure how they’d turn out, so I didn’t serve them right away. I just tasted one a moment ago—they turned out pretty good," Luo Fei said. "I made them with baby bok choy today. I'll try different fillings next time."

"Wife, your cooking skills are really getting better and better." Xi Yanqing took a big bite of a bun. "I used to love eating vegetable-stuffed buns, but I always thought the ones sold outside weren’t very tasty. Yours are amazing. We should dry some wild greens later so we can make these in winter too."

"Sure! Let's use shepherd's purse—it's delicious!"

T/N: Sheperd's purse is a triangular flat fruits, which are purse-like, is a small annual and ruderal flowering plant.

"Mushroom-stuffed ones are great too," Xi Yanqing added. Then, he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Luo Fei’s lips. "I'm heading out. Make sure to lock the door, don’t forget to eat lunch, and don’t spend too much time doing embroidery. Take breaks, walk around, and do some eye exercises."

"Got it, got it—you're such a nag!" Luo Fei laughed, sending him off at the door. "Be careful out there!"

Xi Yanqing waved as he made his way toward the mountain.

After Luo Fei went back inside, he quickly washed the pile of dirty clothes and hung them up to dry before returning to his embroidery.

This time, he took Xi Yanqing's advice and stitched different designs, including peacocks, flower baskets, and the twelve zodiac animals.

He figured the zodiac-themed pouches would sell well, so he planned to make two of each.

Today, he was embroidering a pig. The base fabric was a light blue color, and he used a slightly darker shade of blue for the pig, making it look like a little boar.

Luo Fei amused himself with his own thoughts. However, as he stitched away, something unexpected happened—he pricked his finger for the first time ever.

"Hiss!" He suddenly retracted his hand, quickly putting the item aside to avoid getting it stained with blood droplets. After wiping his hand clean, he picked up the embroidery hoop again. "I guess it's true—if you walk by the river often enough, your shoes will get wet. How could I, with my skills, still prick my own hand?" Luo Fei muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Ah!" He pricked himself again! What the hell!

Frustrated, Luo Fei simply tossed the embroidery hoop into the sewing basket and decided to take a break. A strange restlessness welled up inside him, though he couldn't quite figure out why.

The sky seemed to be turning gloomy again. Standing at the doorway, Luo Fei stretched his shoulders and neck while also doing some eye exercises that Xi Yanqing had taught him.

His neighbor, Aunt Zhou, noticed him and chuckled. "Erbao, what are you doing?"

"Nothing much, Aunt Zhou. Just massaging my eyes. I've been doing a lot of needlework these past few days, and my eyes feel a little uncomfortable," Luo Fei replied.

Aunt Zhou knew by now that Luo Fei frequently did needlework, and he was quite good at it. She showed her concern, saying, "You need to take care of yourself. Too much needlework isn't good—it can cause health issues."

"Don't worry, Aunt Zhou, I'm keeping that in mind," Luo Fei said with a smile. "I'll leave you to your work then; I'm heading to the vegetable garden for a bit."

The little chicks and ducklings were growing bigger and eating more. There were some greens in the backyard garden that they could eat, so Luo Fei gathered some to chop up for them. After feeding the chickens and ducks, he also picked two cucumbers.

For lunch, he made a simple smashed cucumber salad and then decided to sketch some new embroidery designs.

Xi Yanqing had gotten him some ink and paper, which he usually reserved for more complex designs. But today... he thought he'd sketch some little carp from the lotus pond.

"Clang!"

Just when he was halfway through, he accidentally knocked over his water cup! The carefully drawn picture was completely ruined by the spreading ink and water.

Luo Fei was both frustrated and oddly uneasy. He gathered up his materials, crumpled the ruined paper into a ball, and tossed it near the stove. Then, feeling restless, he decided to visit Han Xu.

Han Xu lived farther away now, so Luo Fei had to walk quite a while to get there. When he arrived, he saw Chen Huazhang sitting in the courtyard, working on a wooden table—probably another commissioned piece. Han Xu was sitting beside him, occasionally wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Luo Fei felt like he had come at a bad time, but Han Xu had already noticed him.

"Hey! Luo Erbao, why are you lingering outside instead of knocking?" Han Xu called out.

"I was just watching you two—" Luo Fei cleared his throat. "Ahem, being all sweet and affectionate, so I didn’t want to interrupt."

"What are you embarrassed about? Just come in!" Han Xu got up to open the door. "What brings you here at this hour?"

It was already past noon. They usually visited each other more often in the mornings.

"I came to check if you've gained weight," Luo Fei said, eyeing Han Xu up and down. "And it looks like you have!"

"Get lost! You're the one who's gained weight!" Han Xu retorted. "It's just because—" He suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence and changed his words. "Just because it's hot, and I’ve been drinking a lot of water."

"Yeah, right. If that were the case, with the amount of water you drink every day, you’d be as round as a pig by now. I bet it's because your carpenter hubby is feeding you too well! Just look at you—huh?"

Luo Fei suddenly noticed something—the color of the plum blossom on Han Xu's hand had changed. Originally a bright pink, it had now turned a dark red, as if tinged with blood.

"You’re pregnant?"

"...Seems like it," Han Xu admitted in a small voice. He hadn't planned on telling Luo Fei so soon. Luo Fei had been married for a while but still didn’t have children, so Han Xu didn’t want to upset him. Even though Luo Fei always seemed calm, Han Xu wasn’t sure if it was genuine or just an act.

"This is supposed to be good news! Why are you looking like a stepmother all of a sudden?" Luo Fei asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you were afraid of upsetting me?"

"No, no, I was just... surprised, that's all," Han Xu explained. He hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. He had once told Luo Fei that, for some people, it could happen in as little as ten days. He just hadn’t expected to be one of those people.

"No wonder your carpenter hubby looks like he just won the lottery. He must be over the moon, huh?"

"Yeah... a little," Han Xu admitted, unable to hide his happiness.

Luo Fei was genuinely happy for him. As for his own lack of children—well, others worried about it more than he did. He wasn’t anxious at all. In fact, he figured he might never have kids, and that was fine by him.

Seeing that Luo Fei truly didn’t seem bothered, Han Xu said, "When you have time, teach me how to make baby clothes?"

"Of course," Luo Fei replied. "When my little nephew is born, I’ll make something for him too." He remembered the tiny outfit his grandmother had sewn for him when he was born. His mother had kept it all those years, only showing it to him when he was older. It was a piece of clothing filled with love and blessings from his elders.

Thinking of that little outfit, Luo Fei suddenly thought of his grandmother. He had been feeling restless all day—was something wrong with her? But worrying wouldn’t help if he couldn’t see her.

And then there was Xi Yanqing.

The rain was starting again. Xi Yanqing should be back soon, right?

Feeling uneasy, Luo Fei got up. "Han Xu, I’d better head home. I want to make something for Qing-ge before he gets back."

Han Xu noticed Luo Fei seemed distracted and nodded. "Alright, go on then. Be careful on the way."

Luo Fei quickened his pace, and by the time he neared home, he was practically running. For the first time, he realized he wanted nothing more than to see Xi Yanqing the moment he got home.

Xi Yanqing always managed to return just before dark, as if he had some kind of built-in clock.

But when Luo Fei arrived, the house was empty.

Xi Yanqing wasn’t back yet. The door was still locked.

Luo Fei felt a pang of disappointment. He unlocked the door, distractedly started preparing dinner, and even steamed a fresh batch of vegetable buns since he had heard Xi Yanqing liked them.

With the dough he had left, he kneaded another batch and left it to rise, then stood by the door waiting.

The rain poured harder. The sky grew darker.

By now, Xi Yanqing should have been home eating dinner. But Luo Fei stood at the doorway for a long time, and there was still no sign of him.

Just as he was about to go out and search, a limping figure appeared in the distance, using a wooden stick for support. If not for the moonlight, Luo Fei wouldn’t have been able to see him at all.

"Qing-ge?!" Luo Fei shouted, rushing toward him. "You—you’re hurt?"

"Let’s go inside first," Xi Yanqing said weakly, drenched from head to toe. Luo Fei couldn’t tell if it was sweat or rainwater.

"Qing-ge, slow down," Luo Fei said gently, supporting him. Looking closer, he saw that Xi Yanqing’s foot was badly swollen—it was so swollen that he had crushed the back of his shoe and was dragging his foot along.

"Erbao, get me something to eat first. I’m starving," Xi Yanqing sighed as he sat on the heated brick bed. "I should’ve eaten more before I left today."

"More? Next time, I’m making sure you eat all three meals before going anywhere!" Luo Fei scolded, his heart aching. "Where else are you hurt? Let me see!"

"No need. It’s mainly my foot—I don’t know if it’s just a sprain or something worse. But first, get me some food, or I might pass out."

"You!" Luo Fei glared but quickly went to grab a few vegetable buns. "I just steamed these tonight—eat slowly. I’ll get some water and call Dr. Liang."

"You steamed more again? If I had known, I wouldn’t have hesitated over those few…" Xi Yanqing mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, just help me wipe my hands."

"You really shouldn’t go up the mountain after it rains. It’s way too dangerous." Luo Fei removed Xi Yanqing’s socks, only to find that his foot was swollen like a pig’s head. At first glance, it didn’t even look like a human foot! His face, arms, back, and chest all had various degrees of scratches. The worst was his chest—it looked like it had been cut by something sharp, like the tip of a rock, and the wound seemed at least a centimeter deep. It was so deep that even after all this time, it hadn’t healed properly. Just thinking about it made Luo Fei shudder! What if the injury had been somewhere even worse?!

"All wealth in this world comes with danger. There's no way around it," Xi Yanqing said as he ate something to warm up. He still felt justified, though earlier, he had been cold from the rain and hunger.

"But this is too dangerous." Luo Fei pointed at the Chinese wild ginger in the bamboo basket. "Was it worth it? If you got seriously hurt, not even a truckload of this stuff could make up for it!"

"It wasn’t for that," Xi Yanqing licked the corner of his lips. "But if I told you the real reason, I think you’d hit me."

"You have to say it! Why?"

"This." Xi Yanqing pointed at the cloth bag Luo Fei had given him. "It fell while I was picking herbs. I thought, I haven’t had enough of those vegetable buns yet—I had to get it back! So I took a little risk."

What Xi Yanqing didn’t say was how much it had hurt his heart at that moment, so much so that he hadn’t cared about anything else. The slope where he had been picking herbs was steep, and when the vegetable buns fell, they rolled far away. If not for the cloth bag, they wouldn’t have been edible anymore. He just couldn’t bear to lose that bag and those buns, so he hadn’t thought twice about how slippery the slope was. But at least he got the bag back.

"You’re just… so stubborn!" Luo Fei glared at him. "You can’t do this again! If the bag is lost, I can make another one. If the buns are gone, I can steam more. But if you get hurt, what’s more and what’s less here?"

"I knew you'd be worried about me."

"Shut up!" Luo Fei was furious at how nonchalant Xi Yanqing was. "I’m going to find Doctor Liang. You stay home and wait for me. Don’t even think about getting out of bed, you hear me?!"

"What if I need to pee?!"

"Hold it in!"

Of course, Luo Fei only said that, but he still helped Xi Yanqing to the bathroom and even helped the shameless guy take off his pants and hold his bird!

The little bird got all smug, perking up just from peeing. Luo Fei gave it a light smack, but even with that tiny bit of force, Xi Yanqing yelped, "Wife, be gentle!"

"You deserve it! I should beat you up for not being careful!" Luo Fei huffed.

Xi Yanqing knew Luo Fei was just worried about him, so even though he got scolded, he felt happy inside.

Later, Luo Fei ran to fetch Doctor Liang, who checked Xi Yanqing over carefully. It wasn’t just a sprain—his bone probably had a small fracture. Otherwise, there was no way he’d be in so much pain from just a light touch. Doctor Liang applied medicine and wrapped Xi Yanqing’s foot, then told Luo Fei to make sure he didn’t move around too much, ideally resting for ten days to half a month.

Xi Yanqing frowned immediately. "It won’t take that long, will it, Uncle Liang?"

Doctor Liang shot him a look. "Are you the doctor, or am I?!"

"But I need to get back to work in a couple of days."

Doctor Liang pointed at the door. "Go ahead, then. Go right now. Since you’re so capable, why not fly up into the sky while you’re at it?! Just don’t come crying to me when you end up crippled and someone else swoops in to snatch your Luo Erbao away! Let’s see how you chase them with a lame leg then!"

"Ugh! Can’t you say something nicer?!" Xi Yanqing was exasperated. He had to admit, the price of retrieving that vegetable bun was a bit too high. He wasn’t even sure if he should regret it or not.

At first, he didn’t regret it at all. After all, the bag and buns were made by Luo Fei. But thinking about how his injury would now make Luo Fei’s workload heavier, Xi Yanqing felt awful.

As a man, the last thing he wanted was for the person he loved to suffer.

But as the saying goes, misfortunes never come alone. It wasn’t actual rain this time, but on the very night of his injury, Xi Yanqing developed a high fever. It was unclear if it was from being caught in the rain or an infection from his wounds, but by the time Luo Fei noticed, Xi Yanqing’s face was burning red, and he was shivering from the cold.

Xi Yanqing had always been like a sturdy tree, shielding Luo Fei from the sun and rain, always standing strong behind him, making him feel safe and secure. But now, all of a sudden, he was seriously ill, and Luo Fei panicked.

He quickly covered Xi Yanqing with more blankets, then soaked a towel and placed it on his forehead. He gently patted Xi Yanqing’s face. "Qing-ge? Qing-ge, can you hear me?"

Xi Yanqing could barely hear him. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift them. He could only mumble, "Don’t worry, wife, I’m fine."

Luo Fei still felt uneasy. "You have a fever. Should I go get Doctor Liang again?"

Xi Yanqing shook his head weakly, his voice hoarse. "No need… just get me some water."

Luo Fei quickly brought him water and helped him drink before soaking another cloth to wipe his hands and neck. He remembered his mother doing this when he was little and had a fever.

Xi Yanqing still felt cold and soon drifted into a daze, unsure if he was dreaming or really sick. Everything was blurry, except for the constant gentle touch—so clear, so reassuring.

By dawn, Xi Yanqing’s fever had finally gone down a little. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he did was grab Luo Fei’s hand.

Luo Fei had stayed up all night watching over him. In the morning, he made porridge and steamed some buns. Seeing Xi Yanqing awake, he immediately asked, "Qing-ge, are you feeling any better? Do you want to eat something?"

Xi Yanqing gave a soft "mm" and tried to sit up, but moving tugged at his wound, making him wince. "What time is it?"

"It’s just dawn."

Xi Yanqing rubbed his temples. When he got home yesterday, he hadn’t even felt this much pain. But now, after a night of lying down, his whole body ached. His foot was still too swollen to step on—it looked like he’d have to hop on one leg.

Luo Fei brought the food over. "You should rest at home for the next few days. I’ll handle the work."

Xi Yanqing chuckled faintly. "What work? You just stay home and take care of your husband. If the outside work is too much, hire someone."

They had four acres of rice fields that needed weeding soon. Originally, he had planned to do it after this herb-picking trip, but now he wouldn’t make it in time.

Luo Fei agreed on the surface, but once he stepped out, instead of hiring help, he called Luo Yi to look after Xi Yanqing and went to the fields himself.

It was only after he truly started working that he realized—he had been too naïve.

The worst part is that there are leeches in the paddy field!

Luo Fei had always known that Xi Yanqing worked hard, but he had never truly experienced it himself. He never realized that it was to such an exhausting extent.

There were no boots here, so his feet sank into the muddy field, one step deep, one step shallow. After being soaked for a long time, his skin turned pale. The same happened to his hands. He had only been working for less than half an hour, yet he already felt like he was about to collapse into the mud.

How did Xi Yanqing manage to endure all this hard work?!

Luo Fei had barely weeded less than a tenth of the field before giving up. He walked to the field ridge, picked up his shoes, washed his feet in the nearby river, put his shoes back on, and headed to another part of the field—where his elder brother, Luo Ji, was weeding.

“Big brother, I really can’t do this anymore. Do you know anyone who’s free and works efficiently? I’ll pay them for a day to help me finish this work.”

Luo Ji said, “Why bother looking for someone else? Once I finish weeding our own field, I’ll help you with yours. You haven’t worked in a paddy field for years, of course you can’t handle it. I already told you that you don’t need to do this. Just go home and take care of Xi Di. He can’t sit still for long. If you leave him alone at home, who knows what trouble he’ll stir up.”

Luo Fei thought about it and agreed. “Alright then, big brother. I won’t be polite with you.”

At worst, he would just save up more money. When Luo Ji needed help in the future, he could return the favor.

The work in the field was just too exhausting!

Luo Fei had previously thought that embroidery was tiring, but compared to this, at least it was within his endurance. Who knew how much hard and dangerous work Xi Yanqing had done in places he wasn’t even aware of? He had to work harder too!

Thinking this through, Luo Fei decided that he had to continue taking work from Boss Lady Ruyi.

On his way home, he made up his mind. After returning, he washed up and made some food for Xi Yanqing. The two of them ate lunch together, and afterward, Luo Fei changed Xi Yanqing’s medicine.

It was hot, and the herbal medicine would spoil if left too long, so it had to be changed daily. Looking at Xi Yanqing’s foot, which had swollen even more than before, Luo Fei couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He asked, “Is that Liang doctor really skilled? Why is the swelling getting worse?”

Xi Yanqing replied, “It’s herbal medicine, after all. The effects won’t be instant, but Dr. Liang’s medical skills are reliable. At least I don’t feel as much pain now.”

Luo Fei touched Xi Yanqing’s forehead. “You still have a bit of a fever. Should I go pick some nightshade berries for you?”

Xi Yanqing smiled and said, “Sure.”

Luo Fei picked all the ripe nightshade berries he could find and brought them back for Xi Yanqing to eat. After finishing them, Xi Yanqing fell asleep. He did seem to be in better condition.

However, later that night, he developed a high fever again.

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, it's a big help, thank you🌰🌰🌰