Qu Xiaojue stared at him for a while, her expression remaining neither cold nor warm. She thought about how her feelings today were rejected to this extent, which was truly stupid and laughable, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, saying as she laughed, “Good, good—”
Laughing, she strode out the door, head held high.
Refusing Medicine
His body was not in good condition, but it was not his own. He could barely take care of himself and had no mind to nurture the original owner. Escaping was what he truly should care about. As for the excessive entanglement with Qu Xiaojue these past few days, he would better ignore it. Like today’s situation, getting too close was not good for anyone.
Qi’er entered carefully, watching his expression. Holding a bowl of medicine, he bit his lip and begged him to take care of himself. Xu Wanzhi asked, “Qi’er, do you think it’s very important whether I drink the medicine or not?”
Qi’er’s hand trembled slightly, and he smiled softly, “Young Master should cherish his health.”
He sighed inwardly but did not ask aloud, only saying, “Take it away. Just let it sit in water for a moment; it’s nothing.”
“But you—” Qi’er could not blame him and suddenly knelt down, though the medicine bowl remained steady in his hands.
“Qi’er, get up. I have my reasons for not drinking medicine. Using this method to threaten me every time is not appropriate.”
“Master—” Looking up at him, Qi’er seemed somewhat aggrieved and afraid, stubbornly calling out. He continued, “One, I’ll pour out this bowl of medicine. Two, you take it away.”
“…Servant understands.” Qi’er finally rose and weakly responded, slowly retreating. Xu Wanzhi returned to the bed, his heart unusually unsettled. He did not need these unnecessary people’s care; their self-righteous actions indeed made him furious.
He was not willfully refusing medicine. If his mother personally brewed it, he would not hesitate to drink it all. But here… to put it bluntly: incompatible.
Having reached this point with Qu Xiaojue, he also suppressed Qi’er. Life seemed to finally return to calm, continuing to sleep all day, though not lucky enough to directly sleep back. An’er visited several times but was casually dismissed.
Shen Kuang, as a temporary guest, should have proposed farewell the next day, but after his incident of falling into the water, unable to see the master of the Qu family, barely meeting twice, Xu Wanzhi was unwilling to discuss much.
Each time, he had no chance to speak, and he vaguely settled in the Qu family. He couldn’t help but wonder; when he first met these two, he thought they were an affectionate couple, but how did it suddenly become like this? He was unclear yet vaguely sensed an invisible low pressure.
He thought that since he had nowhere to go and had received the Qu family’s care for several days, he might as well stay and do some work to repay his intrusion.
After various inquiries, he finally found the steward Qu Lu. Hearing his self-recommendation as a servant, Qu Lu raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Since the young master is a guest invited by the master, just stay. Miscellaneous tasks will be taken care of by others, no need for the young master to worry.”
Thus, Shen Kuang was completely forgotten by the master and could only return to find Xu Wanzhi. He remembered his master saying that wealthy families’ masters would have countless servants, yet he hadn’t seen many in his courtyard.
Finding the deeply sleeping Xu Wanzhi again, Shen Kuang couldn’t help but be surprised. His master was a sleepyhead, so drawing water and chopping wood were always his own tasks, but he was far from the level of this master, who seemed to want to do nothing but sleep!
“A-zhi, why are you still sleeping?” The door opened from inside, and Xu Wanzhi, wearing a single layer of clothing with hair scattered, lazily put on shoes. After opening the door, he nodded at him, then sat back at the table to drink tea.
Xu Wanzhi glanced at him, pouring him a cup of tea and pushing it towards him, directly saying, “I have nothing to do.”
Shen Kuang was stunned by this response, mouth slightly agape, saying, “I heard that masters of wealthy families are never idle.”
“You’ll eventually encounter some exceptions,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Shen Kuang froze momentarily, then Xu Wanzhi tapped the table’s edge: “You came to find me, what is it?”
Pulled back by these words, Shen Kuang’s face reddened, speaking softly, “I’ve been staying in your home for several days…”
“So?”
“I have nothing to repay you with.”
Whatever you need, just order me to do it—” Shen Kuang blurted out, somewhat embarrassed, but received a serious response: “I have nothing to do myself, how can I find work for you?”
Initially worried, after hearing this, Shen Kuang felt he was not looking down on his rough appearance. Having been mocked like this before, he felt both joy and worry, looking up and saying, “I’ll do some miscellaneous tasks. Don’t worry, I often did these before.”
Xu Wanzhi had no idea where this thought came from, carefully observing him, but Shen Kuang was increasingly embarrassed by this gaze, gradually lowering his head. Finally, he heard the faint voice from across: “First, thank you for your kindness. Moreover, since you insist, if there’s anything I need you to do, I hope you can complete it without complaint. Okay?”
Shen Kuang laughed heartily, loudly saying, “Okay!”
Xu Wanzhi smiled slightly, having never seen someone so eager to work for others yet laugh so happily.
After he was happy, glancing at the sunlight outside, his eyes slightly narrowed, and Xu Wanzhi casually asked: “Why have you come to Yu Ling? I heard that men should not be alone outside.”
Shen Kuang thought for a moment, but didn’t know how to answer.
His asking was not out of genuine curiosity, but because the two were together, and he was rare to find a topic of conversation. “Master said, it’s not good to tell others,” he paused and answered honestly. Everything was “Master said,” and no one knew what kind of sage his master was, who could teach such a person. He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and said: “Never mind.”
Reality is sometimes frustrating. Xu Wanzhi didn’t care about taking medicine but was inexplicably upgraded to an internal system, and his cold and flu were basically cured. Wandering in this world for over a month, his inner world was often endlessly confused, wanting to go back but unable to. Rashly ending his own life was not impossible, but from the concepts instilled in him since childhood, the first rule was to preserve oneself, and ultimately “suicide” was not an easy way out. However, what was he living for? He couldn’t figure it out. Like now, he could stare blankly at a speck of dust for half a day. Would he ultimately become another Xu Wan? He found it truly absurd. In his heart and eyes, there had always been only his parents and relatives, yet he was truly living here, such an obvious fact. In this month, he had thought more about life and death than in the previous twenty years. Because he had not been thorough, not been clear. So he dared not act rashly, unable to bring it up, unable to let it go.
Tormented and entangled like this day after day, unless one day he could naturally accept the world before him, or calmly leave. The sun was halfway up, and Xu Wanzhi was a bit thirsty. He stretched out his finger and picked up the porcelain cup beside him, slowly sipping.
A shadow was cast at the courtyard gate, and Shen Kuang came against the light, his eyebrows clear and bright. Seeing him lazily drinking tea, he smiled and quickened his pace: “A Zhi.” The approaching gaze was clear and pure, his movements full of spirit and vitality, smiling at him so relaxed and at ease. He suddenly froze, looking at him and realizing that he had been wasting away for quite a long time.
