Yun Jinnian struggled for a while but quieted down upon hearing Chu Yu’s words.
Rourou spoke up, "You go to sleep, I’ll heat up some water for you to wash up!"
Not asking where he had been?
Not inquiring what had happened, content just to be there for him!
Chu Yu gently released his hand, Yun Jinnian slowly climbed out of bed, dressed, brought water from the clean room, and with his own towel, wiped Chu Yu’s face and hands, gently cleaning each finger.
Noticing his nails had grown long and there were wounds on his hands.
Glancing outside to check the time, it was already the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, he then took an oil lamp and found scissors, sitting by the bed cautiously trimming Chu Yu’s fingernails.
Afterwards, he applied ointment to the wounds.
He fetched a stool, brought more hot water from the clean room, and prepared to wash Chu Yu’s feet.
But he saw that Chu Yu had fallen asleep on her bed with his shoes on. As she reached out to remove the shoes, Chu Yu mumbled in his daze, "I haven’t washed my feet for several days, they stink a lot!"
Yet he didn’t have the strength to sit up.
After three days and nights of nonstop riding, all he could think of was returning home and going with Yun Jinnian to enjoy the heights, picking chrysanthemums, and harvesting cornus fruit.
"No worries, I’ll just burn some incense in a moment!"
Yun Jinnian said as he forcefully removed Chu Yu’s shoes, which indeed smelled awful. Seeing the blisters on the soles of Chu Yu’s large feet, his heart ached for him all the more.
Yun Jinnian placed Chu Yu’s feet into a washbasin, then turned around to fetch herbal powder from the cupboard, sprinkling some into the basin. After several trips back and forth, Yun Jinnian finally wiped Chu Yu’s feet, lanced the blisters, applied ointment, and pulled the blanket over him.
Only then did he start to tidy up the room, also washing Chu Yu’s smelly socks.
Opening the window and lighting incense, he found fabric and sat by the bed to make socks for Chu Yu.
Despite his exhaustion, Chu Yu was aware in his drowsy state that Yun Jinnian was tending to him.
That feeling, so heart-wrenching and yet so deep, he didn’t want to wake up.
Feeling his beloved woman by his side, listening to her rustling movements, was extraordinarily comforting.
He slept especially soundly.
Yun Jinnian made three pairs of socks for Chu Yu, and as she listened to his snores, she too began to feel drowsy and laid her head down by the bed to close her eyes.
As dawn began to break, Chu Yu woke up.
After a good night’s rest, he felt reenergized, full of vigor.
Turning to see Yun Jinnian lying by the bed, her rosy lips softly breathing, a side covered with needlework and several pairs of neatly folded socks.
Chu Yu stared, smiling foolishly to himself.
But thinking of Yun Jinnian staying up late to make him socks, he again felt a pang of pity for her, fearing for her eyesight.
He lightly patted Yun Jinnian, tiptoed out of bed, careful not to make noise with his shoes, instead walking barefoot on the floor, picked her up, and placed her on the bed.
He covered her with a thin blanket before starting to put on the socks.
"They fit perfectly!"
Chu Yu studied the socks on his feet and then observed his own clean hands.
In that moment, he couldn’t entirely describe his feelings, but he knew that in this lifetime, no one else would ever touch his heart like Yun Jinnian did, influencing his emotions in every way.
No matter what she did, it was all so beautiful.
Incomparable to anyone else.
Having put on his shoes, Chu Yu looked at Yun Jinnian’s soft, fair face, kissed her forehead gently, and quickly left.
To avoid any discovery that could tarnish Yun Jinnian’s reputation.
Mrs. Yuan came over early in the morning and was taken aback to see the windows of Yun Jinnian’s chambers open; she had certainly closed them the night before when she went to sleep.
Could the young mistress have opened them in the middle of the night?