Chapter 3

Ling Yan had come home earlier than usual.

He walked in, set down his books, and said those words without raising his voice.

His mother’s anger went out as though someone had poured water over a fire.

I took the ointment back from her and followed Ling Yan into his room.

His hands paused on the fastenings of his clothes. He frowned at me, a trace of displeasure in his eyes.

“Just keep it. There’s no need to thank me.”

I waved a hand. I worked myself to the bone for this household. I had earned it. What was there to thank him for?

“I wanted to ask if you could teach me to read.”

It was rather embarrassing to have him read every private word between Mother and me.

He was silent for a long time.

My hopes slowly faded. I lowered my eyes.

“Never mind. Scholar Li sometimes reads at the village entrance. I’ll ask him.”

Ling Yan took a book from his book chest and handed it to me. “Study with me for an hour after supper each day.”

Overjoyed, I carried the book outside.

I might as well make use of the teacher in my own home. I could not recognize a single character in this book yet, but one day I would read it from beginning to end without trouble.

That hour of study seemed to bring Ling Yan and me a little closer.

I thought nothing of it. Ling Yan remained as unsmiling as ever.

His mother, however, could not bear it. She seemed terrified that I would steal her son.

She would not even let me cook. She wanted Ling Yan to feel a mother’s love.

I was happy to have a rest.

Unfortunately, this particular mother was no cook. She made a pot of soup with wild greens.

She could not bear to spare any for me.

In the middle of the night, she and Ling Yan began foaming at the mouth. I dragged a physician to the house, and he purged their bowels and made them vomit. We worked all night before their breathing steadied.

Only then could I stop holding my breath.

His mother slept soundly. I stayed beside Ling Yan’s bed, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Every so often, I held a finger beneath his nose to check his breathing, murmuring anxiously, “You must be all right.”

He seemed to hear me. His brow stirred, and his thin lips parted. I leaned down to listen.

“Yuyan.”

His breath brushed my ear. I touched my earlobe and sat back.

If he could dream about my sister, he was probably out of danger.

I slumped over the edge of his bed and finally succumbed to exhaustion.

When I stirred, my neck was so stiff and sore that I could hardly move it. I opened my eyes, kneading it.

Instinctively, I looked toward Ling Yan.

I met his dark gaze head-on. I had no idea what he was thinking as he watched me.

I laid a hand on his forehead and breathed out. “Good. No fever. How do you feel now?”

He looked pale and haggard, but it did nothing to diminish his elegance. If anything, his frailty gave him a different sort of beauty.

“Did you look after me all night?”

I nodded. Why did he have to ask something so obvious? Had the poisoning addled his brain?

Alarmed, I cupped his face. “Are you really all right? Does your head hurt? Have you forgotten anything?”

Nothing could happen to that brain of his. Only if he rose in the world would I have a chance of taking Mother out of the Su household.

If his brain were ruined, what difference would it make whether he lived or died?

He let out a soft breath, took one of my hands, and lowered it from his face. “I’m all right. Don’t worry.”

I heaved a great sigh of relief. The fright had left me in a cold sweat, and I even forgot to pull my hand away. “You’re all right. Good. That’s good.”

His lips pressed together. There seemed to be something complicated in the way he looked at me.

I had no interest in working out what went on in the mind of someone so clever. I pulled my hand back. His fingers seemed to close faintly on empty air before his hand fell to the bed.

Supporting my neck, I twisted it with a grimace. “I’ll ask Scholar Li to cover your classes for a few days. All you need to do is rest and get well. Don’t worry about anything else.”

His brows moved, and the familiar chill returned to his drawn face.

“Do you know Scholar Li well?”

I gave him an odd look, checking once again whether his brain was damaged.

“You’re the only two teachers at the school. If you need to recover, who else can take your classes?”

I patted his shoulder and felt him stiffen slightly. Remembering that he disliked being touched by me, I hastily withdrew my hand.

“If it bothers you, just pay him for the days he covers.”

I put his book chest beside the bed so he could reach his books.

“If you’re bored, read.”

He looked at the chest, then at me. His expression seemed to soften a little. “Thank you… Yushu.”

I paused.

It was the first time he had ever said my name.

I smiled at him, my eyes crinkling.

“Of course.”