The dark night covered Zhao Zhan's red flush from his neck to his face.
A shower?
How?
Her back was full of bruises. Although scabs were slowly forming, there was no guarantee that the wounds would not split open when they came in contact with water. Moreover, she was so delicate. As long as Zhao Zhan thought of her crying out in pain, he wished that he was the one who fell from the top of the mountain.
After waiting for a minute without any response, Yue Jiaojiao pinched his arm. "Zhao Zhan?"
"I'm here." Zhao Zhan's adam's apple bobbed as he sized up Yue Jiaojiao's expression. "There's no bathtub at home. Why don't I boil some hot water and wipe your face first today? I'll definitely make a bathtub for you tomorrow. "
Yue Jiaojiao's eyes drooped with disappointment.
"I'll go and borrow one for you tomorrow." Zhao Zhan couldn't bear to see her unhappy at all and immediately tried to salvage the situation. "I'll go and borrow one from the village."
"I don't want to." Yue Jiaojiao turned her face away. "I don't want to use a bathtub that has been used by others."
The families in the village that had a bath barrel would definitely share one as a family. Since she had to share, Yue Jiaojiao hesitated for a moment and still felt that she would mind.
"I'll wipe it down for you."
Yue Jiaojiao moved around in the courtyard for a long time and felt much better than when she was lying on the bed. On top of that, she had eaten two full meals, so she felt that she should still have the strength to wipe down her body.
Zhao Zhan carried her back to her room like a baby and returned to the kitchen. When the water was boiling, he made it to a suitable temperature and brought it into the room. He then took two clean towels and placed them on the stool. He prepared another set of hot water in the pot and waited for her.
An oil lamp was lit in the room, and Yue Jiaojiao looked at the clothes she had taken off.
The light yellow dress had probably been washed. There was no dirt on it, but there were many traces of rough sewing. It must have been torn when Zhao Zhan picked her up.
Yue Jiaojiao lowered her head and sized up her body.
She was a bright and beautiful young lady. She was probably around 17 or 18 years old and was not married.
The cold hit her, and Yue Jiaojiao didn't think much about it after. She sat on the bench, wrung a hot towel, and washed her body. It took a lot of effort for her to do this.
Zhao Zhan, who was making her walking stick in the courtyard, could hear the sound of water splashing from time to time. His heart sank, afraid that Yue Jiaojiao's injuries would worsen if she failed to clean herself.
The half-completed walking stick was already complete, but there was no noise inside anymore.
Zhao Zhan stood in the courtyard with worry. He immediately ran to the door and raised his voice nervously. "Jiaojiao? Does it hurt? Are you okay?"
After a while, she heard a weak cat-like voice from the little person inside. "It hurts..."
"I can't stand up..."
"Should I go in and help you?"
Yue Jiaojiao didn't expect that after enduring the pain while she was washing up, she would actually stumble and fall to the ground when she stood up and hit the water basin.
Her tailbone was in so much pain that it felt like it had split open. Yue Jiaojiao couldn't move at all, and tears were welling up in her eyes. When she heard Zhao Zhan's question, she immediately replied, "Yes please, come in and help me."
The door opened.
Yue Jiaojiao saw that Zhao Zhan's eyes were actually covered with a piece of cloth.
"Zhao Zhan, I'm here."
When Zhao Zhan was hunting, he often relied on his ears to determine the direction of his prey. Although his eyes were covered and he couldn't see, when he heard Yue Jiaojiao's voice, he turned around like a normal person. Then, he squatted down and used the leather he had taken when he came in to wrap her up and put her on the bed.
Yue Jiaojiao wrapped herself in the blanket and lay flat. As the pain had not subsided, her voice was meek. "Zhao Zhan... You can untie the cloth. I've covered myself with the blanket."
Zhao Zhan obediently removed the cloth and looked at the other party worriedly. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
Under the dim light, Yue Jiaojiao's thick black hair spread out, accentuating her small face. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, and her clear eyes were decorated with droplets because of the tears. Her lips were red, and she looked like a charming demoness.
Zhao Zhan's eyes were sharp. He saw that there were traces of blood on the cloth she had used to wipe her body. He took the ointment from the box at the head of the bed and held it tightly in his palm. "Your wound is bleeding. I'll apply some more medicine for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Jiaojiao, who was lying on the bed, had already fainted.
Zhao Zhan was worried about her injuries, so he still walked to the bedside and applied the medicine to Yue Jiaojiao's wounds. His actions were as gentle as a snowflake.
When Yue Jiaojiao woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day. As if sensing something, she had just opened her eyes when Zhao Zhan pushed open the door, looking travel-worn. When his eyes met Yue Jiaojiao's, Zhao Zhan's footsteps faltered and he immediately retreated.
"Zhao Zhan, stop!"
Zhao Zhan didn't dare to move again, as if his pressure points had been hit.
Wearing Zhao Zhan's clothes, Yue Jiaojiao sat up from under the blanket. Her eyes widened as she looked at Zhao Zhan, who was frowning at her while standing at the door. Why was he so dirty and bloody?
"Did you get injured while hunting?
Zhao Zhan didn't want her to know. However the clothes were all in this room, and he couldn't get them if he didn't come in.
"This isn't my blood. It's the prey's." This was the first time Zhao Zhan had lied. He didn't even dare to look at the other person. "I didn't have time to wash the prey when I went to town to sell it."
As he spoke, he quickly took down the bag behind him and opened it.
"I bought you a few sets of clothes. Your original clothes were too torn, so I washed them for you and put them away. I even bought some clothes for you to change into.
"I went to Huichun Hall to get the medicine for you. The doctor said that you'll get better faster if you apply this medicine when you wake up.
"There are still a few pastries here. I saw that you liked them yesterday, so I bought some other fillings too.
"The buns are still warm. Do you want to… try them?"
His voice grew softer and softer until it was completely retracted. Zhao Zhan was at a loss as he held the bag and looked at Yue Jiaojiao helplessly. "I'm sorry."
Yue Jiaojiao's pretty face was frosty. Every word Zhao Zhan said made her angrier. She had read so many books, even in the fictional ancient times, she could more or less estimate the price of goods. Zhao Zhan's savings had been almost spent. He must have ventured into the mountains at night to hunt fierce prey and brought it to town to earn money.
He must have been in danger last night.
Although his waist was covered by the belt, the blood had already spilled out. If the prey's claws had been a little deeper, he would not have been able to see her today!
"Don't be angry..." Zhao Zhan didn't dare to move. Although he apologized, he was overjoyed in his heart.
She was worried about him! Otherwise, why would she be so angry?
The atmosphere in the room was stagnant. Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside the wattled courtyard. Among them, a sharp and harsh female voice shouted at the door, "Zhao Zhan! Zhao Zhan! Why would you lock the courtyard in broad daylight? There must be a demon hiding in the house!"
"Quickly open the door for Juan Zi! I know you're here."
A man beside him echoed, "That's right, Zhao Zhan. Uncle and aunt are here to see you! Hurry up and open the door."
Zhao Zhan subconsciously wrapped up the bundle and hid it in the box. Then he stood in front of Yue Jiaojiao.
"Who's that outside?"
"It's my father's younger brother's family. My uncle and aunt," Zhao Zhan's voice was low and he looked irritated. He was completely different from the sweet puppy he had been in front of Yue Jiaojiao for the past two days. "I don't know what they're here for."
"Zhao Zhan! Quickly open the door! What are you hiding in the room and dawdling around for? Do you think Juan Zi will eat you up?"
Yue Jiaojiao poked Zhao Zhan's back and said, "Zhao Zhan... Your aunt's voice is so unpleasant to hear. She's disturbing me."
"I'll ask them to leave. Stay in the room and don't come out."
When he heard that the little girl found it noisy, Zhao Zhan, who had originally intended to pretend not to hear them as usual, immediately walked out and stood in the courtyard. He looked at the two people outside with cold eyes. "What's the matter? If there's nothing else, I'm going up the mountain soon."
When Zhao Kuazi saw Zhao Zhan come out, she immediately looked inside through the fence.
"Zhan, why don't you open the door for me? It's so tiring for Juan Zi to stand at the door. Let him in to talk to you, okay?"
As she spoke, her eyes kept looking around the room, burning with curiosity.
The owner had clearly said that he had seen Zhao Zhan buying clothes for girls in the town's clothing shop, and he had even bought several sets.
To be able to have the money to marry a wife and buy ready-to-wear clothes, could it be that he had hunted some powerful prey or picked up some treasure and made a fortune?
As a family, shouldn't they be in the know about all of this?