BYBOTE Chapter 38: When You Get Better

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The dim lighting made Xi Yanqing feel dazed. When his eyes landed on Luo Fei, who was sleeping beside him with his head resting on the bed, he even wondered if he was dreaming. If this wasn’t a dream, why would Luo Fei—who had always treated him like a rival in love—be sleeping so quietly next to him?

Right… he remembered walking endlessly on mountain roads, just walking and walking. He wanted to see Luo Fei, and then… he had indeed seen him.

Xi Yanqing tried to lift his hand to touch Luo Fei, but just as he was about to, Luo Fei suddenly snapped his eyes open!

"Qing-ge?!"

"Lo… Luo Fei?" Xi Yanqing was startled. "Where am I…" Why did his voice sound like dry leaves scraping against each other?!

"Qing-ge, you’re finally awake!" Luo Fei was so excited that he kept his voice low, as if afraid that speaking too loudly might scare Xi Yanqing back into unconsciousness. "Qing-ge, you’re really awake! Oh my God, am I dreaming?!"

"Have I been asleep for long?" Xi Yanqing was only now beginning to process everything. It seemed like… he had been injured in the mountains, then returned home, and then…

"You’ve been in a high fever and unconscious for seven whole days!" Luo Fei's voice trembled slightly, and his eyes instantly turned red. "I thought you’d never wake up again. You scared me to death, do you know that?!"

"You've lost so much weight," Xi Yanqing said, his heart aching. His sharp jawline had become even more pronounced.

Gathering all his strength in his arm, he reached out to touch Luo Fei’s face. His wounds ached from the movement, but he couldn’t help himself—he wanted to feel Luo Fei.

His Luo Fei, the one he had been longing for, was truly by his side.

Luo Fei carefully held Xi Yanqing’s hand, leaning down slightly so that Xi Yanqing wouldn’t have to strain himself: "Don't move recklessly. You’ve just started to recover—you can’t afford to get worse again."

Xi Yanqing said, "I'll listen to you."

Seven days—it was quite a long time. For someone born and raised in this era, being able to wake up after such a long fever was almost like divine intervention. After all, a persistent fever for seven days likely meant a serious infection. But for someone who had witnessed the power of antibiotics, seven days seemed way too long.

What Xi Yanqing didn’t know was that Luo Fei had just pinched his own leg, afraid that he was dreaming. Only when he felt pain did he finally feel at ease.

At that moment, Luo Fei lowered his head and licked Xi Yanqing’s dry lips, his deer-like eyes gazing seriously at him. "Qing-ge, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Xi Yanqing: "…"

Seeing that Xi Yanqing didn’t respond, Luo Fei thought he hadn’t heard him, so he repeated, "Qing-ge, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Xi Yanqing frowned. "Everywhere feels uncomfortable."

Luo Fei panicked. "Everywhere?! That’s terrible!" He quickly placed Xi Yanqing’s hand down carefully. "Wait here, I’ll get the doctor!"

But Xi Yanqing grabbed him tightly. "I meant I can't move, so I feel uncomfortable. I want to hold you."

Luo Fei's heart trembled, but instead of pushing Xi Yanqing away, he thought for a moment before lying down beside him, carefully positioning himself so as not to touch Xi Yanqing’s wounds. "You can hold me."

Xi Yanqing carefully wrapped his arm around Luo Fei’s head, his fingers gently stroking Luo Fei’s hair. A proper embrace wasn’t possible, but just feeling Luo Fei this close gave him an immense sense of peace.

Luo Fei then asked, "Are you hungry?"

Xi Yanqing replied, "Hungry."

Without hesitation, Luo Fei said, "I made some rice porridge for you. Do you want some?"

Xi Yanqing said, "I only want to eat you."

Normally, Luo Fei would have scolded him, saying, "You just recovered and you’re already acting smug!" But this time, he just nodded and said, "When you get better."

Xi Yanqing suddenly felt even more miserable.

He wanted to jump up right now and pull Luo Fei into his arms, tear off his clothes, and do this and that! This little seductress—he must have been sent by the heavens just to torment him!

But he still couldn’t get up, which made him feel even worse. He wished he could recover instantly. But regaining strength took time, especially after such a severe illness.

The sky had yet to brighten. Seeing that Xi Yanqing still couldn’t sleep, Luo Fei fed him some rice porridge before asking, "Do you need to pee?"

Xi Yanqing actually did, but he wasn’t yet strong enough to go by himself. His voice was already weak, let alone his ability to get up and use the toilet. However, having Luo Fei help him was a bit…

Luo Fei noticed Xi Yanqing's hesitation and fetched a small chamber pot. "I’ve been helping you these past few days. What’s there to be shy about now? Hurry up, do you need to go or not?"

Xi Yanqing let out a muffled "Mhm."

Luo Fei helped him, then went outside to empty it, washed his hands, and returned to stay by his side as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

True love reveals itself in adversity. Xi Yanqing thought of this phrase as he looked at Luo Fei. But seeing the heavy dark circles under Luo Fei’s eyes made his heart ache.

"You’ve worked hard these past few days," Xi Yanqing said.

"It’s fine, as long as you’re awake, I don’t feel tired."

"Mm, then you should sleep a little longer too." There was still some time before dawn.

"I'm not sleeping. I'll watch over you." Luo Fei didn’t feel sleepy at all. He had waited so long for Xi Yanqing to wake up, and now he was too excited. He didn’t want to sleep at all. What if he woke up and found out this was all just a dream? Better not sleep!

"No need to watch over me, I feel much better." Xi Yanqing said, "Be good and get some more rest." He had always indulged Luo Fei and never let him get this exhausted before, but now Luo Fei had truly worn himself out.

"I'm really fine. Qing-ge, you should sleep. You need more rest." Though in truth, he didn't want Xi Yanqing to close his eyes at all. As long as Xi Yanqing’s eyes were open, his heart was at ease. But once they were shut, he felt uneasy again.

Seeing that Luo Fei wouldn’t be persuaded, Xi Yanqing stopped trying. After all, he had just woken up, and his energy hadn’t fully returned. Just talking for a short while already felt like it had used up all his strength for the entire year. He had no idea how long it would take to fully recover.

Once he recovered, he would have to treat Luo Fei even better.

With that thought in mind, Xi Yanqing quickly fell asleep again.

Luo Fei touched Xi Yanqing’s forehead and, realizing that he no longer had a fever, went out to clean out the ashes from the stove.

After a while, Luo Ru and Luo Ji came over. Luo Ru had brought some food for Luo Fei, and as she set it on the table, Luo Ji asked, "How was last night? Is the fever gone?"

Luo Fei swallowed a mouthful of steamed bun and patted his chest. "He had a fever for a while in the first half of the night, but it subsided in the second half. He even woke up for a bit, drank some rice soup, and chatted with me for a while."

Luo Ji and Luo Ru both looked pleasantly surprised. "That’s great news!"

Luo Fei let out a long sigh of relief. "I can finally relax a little. I’ll brew another batch of medicine later so Qing-ge can keep drinking it."

Shi Shi’s medicine was indeed more reliable. Over the next two days, Doctor Liang also came by. Seeing that they had switched to another prescription, he admitted that it was indeed better than his own. And seeing that Xi Yanqing was improving, he was genuinely happy for Luo Fei.

Luo Fei thought that once Shi Shi and the others arrived, he would have to thank them properly.

Shi Shi had said he would come in a few days, and Luo Fei had estimated that Xi Yanqing would wake up in three to five days. Xi Yanqing was clearly someone with a good physical foundation, and such people usually had stronger resistance to illness than those with weaker constitutions. So, on the fifth day after returning to town, he went to Huaping Village again—of course, bringing his wife and child along as well.

Little Changle was still thinking about the watermelon.

By this time, Xi Yanqing’s fever had completely gone, and it hadn’t returned at night. His overall condition was also better than when he had first woken up. If Luo Fei hadn’t repeatedly warned him not to move, he would have wanted to sit up for a while. But Luo Fei had said that if anyone dared to move Xi Yanqing before Shi Shi arrived, he would fight them to the death.

Luo Fei had complete faith in Shi Shi’s medical skills. He planned to wait for Shi Shi’s approval before letting Xi Yanqing get out of bed.

Xi Yanqing was both curious and slightly jealous. How had he not noticed that the man who bought the sachet that day was also skilled in medicine? Luo Fei practically worshipped the guy now, and it made him feel a little sour. His gratitude for Shi Shi’s help had even dropped by a few points.

So when Shi Shi came in to check on him, Xi Yanqing’s expression was a bit complicated. Fortunately, Shi Shi’s serious demeanor while taking his pulse quickly reminded him that this was indeed a skilled physician.

"How is he, Brother Shi?" Luo Fei asked anxiously as Shi Shi withdrew his hand.

"If there are no accidents, the fever shouldn't return. But he still shouldn’t move around too much for now. It’s best to continue resting for a while," Shi Shi said. "Before I leave, I’ll change his prescription. Luo Fei, once he finishes the medicine Uncle Jing brought, switch to the new one and have him take it for five more days."

"Got it, Brother Shi," Luo Fei asked, "Still three times a day?"

"Yes."

"Brother Shi, when can I get out of bed?" Xi Yanqing was impatient. Seeing Luo Fei working tirelessly every day, how could he not be anxious?

"As long as you take the medicine as I instructed, you can get out of bed tomorrow. But just to walk around slowly—no heavy labor. Especially lifting or carrying anything heavy, you must be careful. If the wound reopens, it’ll be even more troublesome," Shi Shi said as he wrote the prescription. "But since you have a strong constitution, your recovery shouldn’t take too long. So don’t be too impatient—relaxing will help you heal faster."

"Thank you, Brother Shi," Xi Yanqing said. "I really appreciate all your help this time."

"It’s nothing. Fate brought us together, no need to be so formal." Shi Shi handed the prescription to Luo Fei. "Luo Fei, is my wife and child still in the vegetable garden?"

"Yeah, Brother Shi. Changle is squatting by the watermelon patch again," Luo Fei laughed. "There should be some ripe ones. He can pick one to take home."

"Haha, kids this young tend to forget things quickly, but he’s been thinking about this watermelon for a long time. You must find it amusing," Shi Shi said. "Alright then, Xi Yanqing, take your time recovering. I’ll go check on them."

"Sorry for the lack of hospitality, Brother Shi," Xi Yanqing said. After Shi Shi left, he grabbed Luo Fei’s hand. "Just one more day. I just need to hold on for one more day."

"Mm, one more day of me helping you pee."

"Wife, can we not talk about that?"

"Beg me," Luo Fei leaned in close to Xi Yanqing’s ear and whispered, "Say ‘My dear, I love you so much, please stop bringing up how you helped me pee.’ Then I won’t mention it anymore."

"You little rascal, when did I ever need help peeing?" Xi Yanqing took advantage of how close Luo Fei was and pinched his ear. "Have you ever seen someone get hard while being helped to pee?"

"You’re feeling better, huh? Acting all shameless again!" Luo Fei poked Xi Yanqing. "Now be good and rest! I’m going to see what to make for lunch."

"Go on, but don’t miss me too much."

"Get lost!" Luo Fei flicked Xi Yanqing’s forehead and walked out.

Luo Fei originally wanted to invite Shi Shi’s family to stay for lunch, but it looked like it might rain soon, so Li Siyuan declined, not wanting to delay them.

Luo Fei felt bad about letting them make the trip for nothing, so he picked some of the best-looking vegetables from the garden and packed them up.

Before Li Siyuan and Shi Shi could say anything, little Changle beamed up at them and said, "Thank you, Uncle Luo!"

Luo Fei chuckled. "You’re welcome. Come visit Uncle Luo’s house often."

Changle nodded. "Mm!"

Li Siyuan pinched his son's cheek. "Then we’ll head back first. Once Brother Xi has recovered, you two should visit our home."

Luo Fei promised they would and saw them out of the village.

Back inside, Xi Yanqing raised his arm and clenched his fist. He felt weak from lying down for so long.

Luo Fei returned and, seeing that it was just the two of them, finally relaxed. He sat beside Xi Yanqing and asked, "Qing-ge, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you."

Xi Yanqing wasn’t sure if it was from lying down too long or from taking medicine, but he had little appetite. "Anything is fine."

Luo Fei noticed that he hadn’t had much of an appetite all day, so he steamed some buns and made millet porridge with diced vegetables—something easy to digest and nutritious, better than just eating pickled vegetables.

But Xi Yanqing didn’t eat much. What he did eat was mostly to avoid worrying Luo Fei.

He figured it was probably from being bedridden for too long. People needed to move around for proper digestion, so it was natural that he wasn’t particularly hungry.

Normally, Xi Yanqing could eat three or four buns and one or two bowls of porridge, but now he only ate half a bun and half a bowl of porridge.

Luo Fei looked at the situation and couldn't help but feel anxious.

In the afternoon, while Luo Ji was around, Luo Fei went out and bought some tofu to make a vegetable and tofu salad for Xi Yanqing. Xi Yanqing ate a little but soon put down his chopsticks.

"Qing-ge, is there anything in particular you want to eat? If we don’t have it here, I can go to town and buy it for you," Luo Fei asked, thinking that eating more would help him recover faster.

"You already make different dishes for me every meal. That’s more than enough. I’ve just been lying down for too long. Once I start moving around in a couple of days, my appetite will naturally improve."

"Then how about I make some vegetable buns for you tomorrow?" Xi Yanqing had said before that he loved vegetable buns.

"Sure." Thinking about the taste from that morning, Xi Yanqing really felt like eating them again.

After cleaning up the table, Luo Fei washed some greens and set them aside to drain. Then, he started kneading and fermenting the dough. The next morning, before the sun even rose, he got up early and began steaming Xi Yanqing’s favorite vegetable buns.

When Xi Yanqing got up, he ate one and a half buns along with a bowl of porridge, which made Luo Fei extremely happy.

The morning air was refreshing. Luo Fei placed a chair outside the door and, with Luo Yi's help, carefully assisted Xi Yanqing to sit outside in the sun. "Qing-ge, you sit here and enjoy the sunlight for a bit. I’m going to feed the chickens and ducks."

"You’ve really worked hard during this time," Xi Yanqing said, gently squeezing Luo Fei’s hand.

"It’s not hard at all," Luo Fei wiped his sweat. "Compared to all the work we did out there, this is nothing."

"Exactly. We’re family, Qing-ge, you don’t need to be so polite," Luo Yi added. "As long as you're safe and sound, that’s all that matters."

"Mm." Xi Yanqing smiled and let go of Luo Fei’s hand, watching him busying himself in the yard.

Not long after, Luo Fei finished feeding the chickens and started doing the laundry. He moved the chair closer to Xi Yanqing so he could chat with him while washing clothes. "Qing-ge, how about not going into the mountains to gather herbs anymore?"

Xi Yanqing thought for a moment. "That might be too much. You can’t let one snake bite make you fear the well for ten years. Besides, wealth doesn’t come easily; we still need to work hard when it's time to work. But I promise, I'll be more careful in the future."

Luo Fei bit his lip. "At the very least, don’t go right after it rains. I’d be on edge the whole time. Also, I’ve decided to take on embroidery work from Ruyi Embroidery Workshop so that you won’t have to work so hard."

Xi Yanqing hadn’t expected Luo Fei to make such a decision. He felt a pang of heartache and gently caressed Luo Fei’s face. He wanted to ask about that ginseng root, but since Luo Yi was present, he held back.

That night, after Luo Yi went home, Xi Yanqing waited until Luo Fei had finished his chores and lay down before asking, "Is that ginseng root still here?"

"Yes," Luo Fei replied. "It’s hidden safely. I had thought about selling it to pay for your treatment, but then I met Shi Shi and Li Siyuan. They didn’t charge a single cent for treating you, so the ginseng is still here. A few days ago, when you were still unconscious, I asked Doctor Liang about it. He said the medicine Shi Shi prescribed was also quite expensive, so I’ve been thinking about preparing some gifts for them. Shi Shi mentioned that Li Siyuan really likes my embroidery. He suggested I make some clothes for little Changle if I had the time. So I thought, once you’re feeling better, I’ll go to town and buy some good fabric to make a set of matching outfits for their family."

"That’s a good idea, but making three outfits will be a lot of work for you." Xi Yanqing held Luo Fei’s hand. "Looks like once I recover, I’ll really need to take good care of you."

"Listen to yourself, going off-track again." Luo Fei poked Xi Yanqing’s face. "I never noticed before that you were so unserious."

"I said I’d take good care of you—I didn’t say how. And yet, you’re accusing me of having improper thoughts. Tell me, who’s really the one with a dirty mind?"

"You are." Luo Fei playfully ruffled Xi Yanqing’s eyebrows. "But seriously, Qing-ge, getting sick or injured here is too scary. We really need to take better care of ourselves from now on."

"Mm. Don’t worry, I’ll be more careful in the future."

"…You’re not going to get a fever tonight, are you?" Luo Fei’s voice grew softer.

"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t." Xi Yanqing tucked the blanket around Luo Fei and gently patted him.

"That’s good then…" Luo Fei mumbled, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

These past few days, Luo Fei had been on edge, barely sleeping, working tirelessly around the house. He was utterly exhausted. Now that he could finally relax, he slept deeply.

Xi Yanqing, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep.

He was already planning—once he fully recovered, he would sell that ginseng root. With more money in Luo Fei’s hands, he would feel more secure.

He also wanted to use the money for something else.

Back in the army, the original owner had made some good friends. Some of them stayed in the military, while others, like him, had retired. When Xi Yu came back, a few of them had invited him to go into business together. At the time, Xi Yu didn’t immediately agree.

As for why Xi Yanqing never went, it was because some of those people were extremely shrewd. He was worried that long-term contact would make it easier for them to notice discrepancies. So he decided to settle down in Huaping Village first and win over Luo Fei before making any further plans.

No matter what, Luo Fei was always his top priority. Xi Yanqing’s goal had never changed. And now, he had achieved that goal—or at least, somewhat. Luo Fei definitely had feelings for him. They hadn’t reached that stage yet, but that was only a matter of time.

Xi Yanqing vaguely remembered that when he was unconscious, someone had whispered in his ear, promising to stay with him through life and death.

And when he had said he wanted to "eat" Luo Fei, what was Luo Fei’s response?

He had said, "When you get better."

What did that mean?

It meant Luo Fei had completely accepted him!

Xi Yanqing thought about this and suddenly felt an uncontrollable excitement. If he wasn’t still weak, he would have pounced on this little donkey beside him!

As Luo Fei slept, he felt a strange sense of danger.

He had a bizarre dream—he dreamed that he had turned into a little donkey, and beside him crouched a big tiger, its eyes shining as it stared at him!

When Luo Fei woke up and saw Xi Yanqing still asleep, he chuckled at his own dream and went to make breakfast.

But in the following days, whenever he saw Xi Yanqing, Xi Yanqing’s eyes were always gleaming at him!

Was Xi Yanqing starving to the point of madness?!

Luo Fei quickly picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it in Xi Yanqing’s bowl. "Qing-ge, eat slowly. I’m going to visit Han Xu for a bit."

This house was becoming impossible to stay in! Luo Fei felt like Xi Yanqing was about to devour him whole.

Xi Yanqing was truly at his limit. The more he saw Luo Fei liking him yet still being a little wary, the more he wanted to claim him. Watching Luo Fei grab his sewing kit and head out, he barely resisted the urge to pin him against the table.

Was he losing his mind?!

Even Xi Yanqing himself felt speechless at his own thoughts.

Fortunately, he hadn’t gone so far as to develop violent tendencies. He was just thinking that he needed to make some preparations so Luo Fei could accept him more easily.

However, as the saying goes—plans never keep up with change.

Just as Xi Yanqing decided to wait a couple more days before giving Luo Fei a surprise, Luo Fei ended up giving him a surprise first—a surprise that came with quite a shock.

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