Chapter 7: Using the Prince’s Soldiers |
What should she do? Toss him into the yard? Prop him on the rocking chair? She felt there should be some payback for the jokes he’d played on her, but he looked so close to death she wasn’t sure he’d survive. She came to a decision and walked to the kitchen to prepare the medicine she usually saw him take. After it was finished, she brought it over and forced his jaw open. She was about to pour the piping hot liquid down his throat when a cry rang out.
“Stop!” Sensing the impending danger, Xíng Yún opened his eyes, and though still pale managed to cough a few times. He gently pushed the glass of medicine away. “I can do that myself.”
“Oh? Were you faking it?”
“No, no. I just had a momentary dizzy spell. I woke up just now, but was hoping to enjoy the ministrations of a fair maiden. Though it seems I was hoping for too much.”
“Tch! You used me for entertainment, dared eat all the bacon, and you still have the temerity to expect me to nurse you?!” Shěn Lí was extremely irritated. She was about to flip her clothes up and sit on the ground when she remembered she was not in her beast form, resulting in her posing in an awkward half up half down position.
The sight made Xíng Yún laugh. “Haha! See? It’s more comfortable being a chicken, right?”
Up close Xíng Yún’s facial features were really quite remarkable. If she wasn’t so angry it may have moved her heart. “Can you give me a reason to not kill you right now?”
Xíng Yún paid her words absolutely no mind at all, and instead changed the topic. “Don’t make a fuss. Just give me the medicine. There’s still some bacon left; I’ll make some good broth with it for you.”
Turned out there wasn’t a reason to kill him after all. Her heart no longer clenched painfully at the thought of bacon. At this she realized her thoughts and behavior were slowly moving farther and farther away from that of a king. Shěn Lí wondered if he had put some sort of strange array in the house, affecting her mood.
“Hey, the bacon piece is too high for me to reach. Come here and help me get it.”
Shěn Lí looked at Xíng Yún and sighed at his frail frame. Only one punch and he nearly died. How would he fare if the Demon realm were to pursue him? She sighed, shook her head and went inside.
She entered the kitchen and saw the bacon hanging by a string under one of the beams. Xíng Yún handed her a pole, but she rejected it. Instead, she picked up an empty plate and tossed it like a frisbee at the string, severing it easily. The plate curved after the strike and turned around to catch the bacon before flying back to land in Shěn Lí’s right hand.
Feeling quite proud of her self, Shěn Lí glanced at Xíng Yún to see his reaction. She expected to see admiration and maybe even awe from such a fine display. Instead of amazement, Xíng Yún passed her a bunch of dirty rags and said, “Since you have such a handy skill, use it to help me dust the beams. Make sure to give them a good cleaning.” What an unsatisfying reality!
Shěn Lí distorted her face in an ugly way. The rags in her left hand were so dirty that she couldn’t discern their original colors. In an even tone she asked, “Do you know who you’re talking to?”
“I never asked who you were . . . so how would I know?” The ugliness in Shěn Lí’s face only increased upon hearing his reply. Xíng Yún shook his head. “Okay okay, if you don’t want to dust then you don’t have to. Instead, if you can, can you help me by bringing in two buckets of water?”
Shěn Lí put down the plate of bacon and gritted her teeth. She went to leave, but because the kitchen was so narrow, she ended up bumping him on the way out. It was just a casual brush across the chest and not much should have resulted from it, however, because she was not used to wearing his overly large clothes, the bump caused the hem of the robe to catch on a burr in the door. This made what was supposed to be a haughty exit turn rather awkward for her.
“See? Didn’t I say it was inconvenient?” Xíng Yún stepped aside so she would have more space to maneuver.
“It’s not that inconvenient. Stop making a fuss.” Although she said this, inside she did somewhat agree with him. After pulling the fabric free she promptly left the kitchen and went to the well. She stood bent over the well for some time, but didn’t scoop any up any water. There was definitely something wrong with this courtyard! Looking at her own reflection in the water, Shěn Lí could clearly see two pink blotches on her face. In disbelief she reached out and poked at her reflection. Ugh! Still there! How did these blotches get there? Her, blushing at a mortal? Who dared paint them on her?!
Back in the kitchen, Xíng Yún leaned against the stove for support until the heat in his chest faded. Looking outside, he could see Shěn Lí standing by the well just staring off into space.
Xíng Yún tilted his head and rubbed his chest unconsciously. It didn’t look like he was going to get his water anytime soon. Might as well just fry the bacon then. Sometime later Xíng Yún hollered, “Cluck cluck! Chicken, time to eat.”
Shěn Lí, who was lost in thought, finally came to her senses. The flush on her cheeks vanished instantly replaced by her usual rancor. This . . . Shěn Lí was a girl ok?! Do not refer to her by an animal sound! She turned around ready to engage in battle and saw that Xíng Yún was standing by the door with a plate of vegetables in his hand. His frame cast a long shadow into the backyard as the sun set behind him. Shěn Lí wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly felt really embarrassed and so she ended up with a strange complicated look on her face.
After a moment Xíng Yún laughed and said, “Shěn Lí, time to eat.”
Shěn Lí was distracted and in her mind what she heard was, “My Lord, it’s dinnertime,” so she replied with, “OK I heard, I’m coming!” They were such ordinary words, but no one had ever spoken them to her in that combination before. To put her name and those words together . . . it made her unexpectedly feel like she had found a home.
Shěn Lí went over. “If you ruined the bacon, you’re going to have to replace it.”
“What if I cooked it deliciously? How will you pay me?”
“Well . . . hm . . . if it’s delicious then you can be my cook.”
Xíng Yún laughed at that. How could a person that could make even the most rubbish of vegetables tasty not be able to cook meat deliciously? Of course his food was wonderful!
After Shěn Lí had some, she had to admit his cooking was indeed great. As a result, the next day when Xíng Yún was about to set out for his daily ginseng foraging in the mountains, Shěn Lí ambushed him and refused to let him leave until she had her say. “Buy more meat!” She resolutely stuffed two gold coins into his pocket.
However he refused. How could he go to market and buy meat with two gold coins? He was afraid he’d get arrested for suspicious behavior! As he was trying to take the gold pieces out, a loud knock sounded on the door. Xíng Yún frowned. He tossed the pieces of gold to the ground. The moment they touched the ground, the gold lost all their luster and turned into stones.
“I’ll go.” She didn’t wait to hear what he would say, and instead stepped over and immediately answered the door. Standing outside were two guards in dark blue uniform each equipped with a large sword at the hip. They greeted her with a clasped fist salute before speaking. “Our family’s lord wishes to visit the two of you tonight. We ask that you remain at home so that you may receive him appropriately. In the meantime, we will remain here to prepare for his arrival . . .”
“Why does he need a reception if he wants to visit?” Shěn Lí frowned. “There’s no time today. Tell him he’ll have to keep waiting.” She closed the door after saying this.
The two guards had never been treated this way before! They reached out to force the door open only to find a strong pressure forcing them back. The woman from earlier looked like a lightweight so they were surprised. They turned to look at each other and seemed to come to a mutual agreement when suddenly the door opened again.
Xíng Yún kept Shěn Lí behind him as he opened the door. He had overheard the conversation so he knew what they wanted. With an air of cooperation he told them, “You want to arrange a few things. Sure, come in.” He took a step back to let them in. Although the abrupt change in attitude caused the guards to frown suspiciously, they still stepped inside. Xíng Yún led them to the kitchen and pointed to the beams. “Do you see those beams? They’re very dusty so make sure you give them a good cleaning. Here I’ll give this one to you.” He handed the rag in his hand to the guard closest and patted him on the shoulder saying, “Extra rags are under the stove if you need them.” He led the other guard to the hall. “This hall hasn’t been cleaned in a long time. Help me clean it up and I’ll receive your master in the evening with a good meal.”
He turned to Shěn Lí and said, “Shěn Lí, you supervise. I’m going to collect ginseng in the mountains.” He quickly gathered his materials and left. Shěn Lí stared at his retreating back, thinking he was too strange!
. . .Later that night, Xíng Yún surveyed the front courtyard while waiting for water to boil for tea. How satisfying! He got extra labor and everything looked clean. Just as he was thinking this, he heard heavy footsteps from outside. He could tell Shěn Lí heard it too as her face took on a long mournful appearance. “You’re going to meet this country’s crown prince. Why do you look like you’re going to cry?”
“Tch. Who’s crying?” Shěn Lí retorted. “Both sets of subordinates that came were rude and disrespectful. How can the master be any different?” Xíng Yún laughed but didn’t reply, only taking a sip of his tea. Shěn Lí walked into the house and opened the front door to take a look.
Outside a large sedan chair pulled up in front of the house. It was so large it literally took up all the space in the alley. A figure dressed in red and gold silk slowly descended from the sedan. He was so bright looking Shěn Lí had to blink a little from all the glare. After her eyesight adjusted, she saw he had a set of phoenix eyes and red rouge lips. That was normal, but what was with the rest of him? He was almost like a completely round ball.
The crown prince looked Shěn Lí up and down before moving his gaze to the entrance. He walked over to where she was. A green robed guard made a move to follow but was blocked by Shěn Lí. “There’s only one cup prepared. Only one person is invited.”
He immediately reached for his sword but was stopped by the prince.
“Wait outside.”
Shěn Lí was surprised at his action and her face took on a more amenable look.
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