Chapter 61 -

Chapter 61: Chapter

When she pushed aside the cloth curtain, Zhengyu was sitting up on his bamboo bed, staring out the small window at the dark sky. Hearing the curtain move, he turned his head, expecting to see A-Cheng.

The moment his dark eyes landed on Yimei carrying the tray, his body went stiff. His face twisted into a tight scowl, and his jaw locked up tight.

Yimei walked over, setting the water bowl and medicine tray down on the side table.

"A-Cheng had to run off to help some friends in the village," Yimei explained, sitting down beside him. She picked up the warm bowl of medicine, her face completely calm as if nothing strange had ever happened between them. "So you’re stuck with your wife tonight. Time for your medicine."

Zhengyu didn’t reach for the bowl. His eyes stayed glued to her face, looking for any sign of her usual teasing smile. When he found only a calm face, he looked down at the floor.

"Leave it," he muttered, his voice low and raspy. "I’ll drink it myself."

"And let it get cold so you can complain later?" Yimei raised an eyebrow, holding the bowl closer to him. "Drink, Zhengyu. I don’t have all night."

Zhengyu glared at her, but the bitter smell of the dark liquid filled the small room. Knowing it was useless to argue, he snatched the wooden bowl from her hands. He brought it to his mouth and drank it down in big gulps, wanting to get it over with quickly.

He winced as the bitter taste hit his throat, setting the empty bowl back on the tray with a quiet thud.

"There," he grumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve while refusing to look at her. "You can go now."

Yimei didn’t move. Instead, she reached for the small bowl of water, dipping the clean cloth inside and squeezing it out.

"Not so fast," she said softly. "You still need to clean up for bed."

Zhengyu’s head snapped toward her, his eyes wide with panic. His face turned bright red as the memory of what happened days ago rushed back into his mind.

"No," he said quickly, his voice tight as he pulled the blanket up to his waist. "I don’t need help. Get out."

"Don’t be silly," Yimei said, leaning forward without hesitating. "You’ve been sitting in this bed all day after your treatment. You’re sweaty, and A-Cheng isn’t here to do it for you."

"I said I am fine!" Zhengyu tried to push her hand away, but he was too weak to stop her.

"Hold still, husband," Yimei whispered, her voice sweet as she pressed the warm cloth against his forehead, gently wiping away the sweat on his skin.

Zhengyu went completely still under her touch. His breath caught in his throat, his heart beating fast against his ribs as her soft hands moved down to his neck and shoulders. He closed his eyes tight, his jaw locked, trying hard to ignore the warm cloth and the memory of how her hands had touched him before.

Yimei wiped down his arms and chest with gentle, quiet care. She noticed his face turning red, but for once, she didn’t tease him or make fun of him.

When she finally set the cloth back in the water, Zhengyu let out a long breath, looking completely exhausted.

"See?" Yimei said quietly, pulling a dry blanket over his shoulders. "That wasn’t so bad, was it?"

Zhengyu didn’t answer. He simply pulled the blanket tight around himself and leaned his head back against the wall, looking at her with a mix of quiet annoyance and something far softer that he tried hard to hide.

Yimei smoothed the dry blanket over his chest and pulled her hands back.

"Get some rest," she said softly. "We leave the day after tomorrow."

Zhengyu stayed quiet, staring at the wall. He wanted to ask how they were supposed to leave when his legs still didn’t work and Liu Feng was hunting them. But his pride kept his mouth shut.

Yimei picked up the medicine tray and looked at his tense face. She could easily read his mind.

"Don’t stress yourself out trying to figure it out, husband," Yimei said calmly. "I already planned everything for our trip. You don’t need to worry about Liu Feng or your legs."

She leaned in a little closer, her eyes bright in the dim lamp light. "Your only job is to rest and get your strength back. Leave the planning to me."

Zhengyu let out a breath through his nose and didn’t answer.

Yimei turned around and walked out of the room, letting the curtain fall shut behind her. Once she was gone, Zhengyu leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

She was stubborn, annoying, and shameless. But he knew she always had a plan to keep them alive.

Yimei carried the tray and the water bowl back to the kitchen to clean up for the night.

Madame Zhang was already there, wiping down the counters and clearing away the last of the cooking pots before bed. When she saw Yimei walk in, the old woman paused, setting her cloth down on the table.

"A-Yue, child," Madame Zhang said warmly, wiping her hands on her apron. "I’m glad you’re still awake. A-Cheng had to run off so quickly earlier that he couldn’t chop enough firewood for your guest room. What’s left in there won’t last through the night."

Yimei set the basin down. "Oh? Is it going to be that cold tonight?"

"The men returning from the ridge said a snowstorm is coming in tonight," Madame Zhang explained, shaking her head. "It’s going to be freezing. If your fire goes out, you’ll freeze in that room by morning."

The old woman stepped closer and gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "Why don’t you sleep in your husband’s room tonight? He has a full stack of wood in his fireplace, so that room will stay warm all night. It makes no sense for you to freeze alone when you two are married anyway."

Yimei thought about it for a second. Going to Zhengyu’s room would definitely cause another round of dramatic complaints from him, but freezing to death right before their escape was even dumber. Plus, keeping up their act as a devoted couple in front of Madame Zhang was still important.

Yimei put on her sweetest, most appreciative smile and nodded. "Thank you for telling me, Madame. I’ll move my things to his room right away."