Life and death, unpredictable
Su Fu had sustained internal injuries; indeed, the term "internal injuries" could apply to numerous situations. If it were possible to cut open the body and examine the inside, Ran Yan would surely find the injured area. But Su Fu was not yet a corpse!
"Wan Lu!" Ran Yan called out loudly.
After a moment, there was the sound of footsteps thumping down the corridor, and the door creaked open. Wan Lu rushed in hurriedly, about to ask what the matter was, only to set eyes upon the prone Su Fu on the floor, her voice lowered in shock as she asked, "Wife, who is this man?"
"He is a friend, don’t ask so many questions, close the door and help me move him to the couch," Ran Yan said.
Wan Lu hastily went to close the door and then came back to help Ran Yan drag Su Fu. With great difficulty, they finally managed to lay him properly on the couch.
"Take some money and hire a cart from the village below the mountain, and go find my master in the west of the city." Ran Yan wasn’t adept at treating such injuries, but Wu Xiuhe’s medical skills were quite decent, and could probably keep Su Fu alive for now.
Wan Lu agreed, and, full of curiosity, hurriedly left.
Ran Yan grasped Su Fu’s pulse. It was faint, almost imperceptible. She pursed her lips, knelt in front of the couch, her gaze heavy with anxiety and fear. In this world, there were so many things beyond one’s control, so many irreversible matters...
"Wife, Xiao Song has come to see you," a voice from outside announced.
Ran Yan’s heart skipped a beat. Xiao Song and Su Fu were sworn enemies. Just yesterday, Xiao Song had warned her explicitly, if he found Su Fu, there was no need to save him; it would definitely be a dead-end!
Before she could gather her thoughts, she heard Xiao Song stop the servant from calling her. "No need to call her, I’ll just look from outside the curtain."
Ran Yan had just let go of Su Fu’s wrist and before she could speak to stop him, she heard Xiao Song hum lightly as he already stepped inside.
The housekeeper wondered. She had just heard the wife call Wan Lu, so why was there no sound now?
Although Xiao Song’s request was a bit excessive, he had saved Ran Yan’s life the night before and had kindly brought medicine today to visit her and wasn’t disturbing her, just looking from outside the curtain. With a thousand reasons not to hold him back, the housekeeper could only say, "Xiao Langjun, please make it quick, as there should be propriety between men and women."
Ran Yan felt her heart rise to her throat. Alone, she could not move Su Fu, and there was nowhere to hide in the room. Even if she crawled under the quilt, through the dense bamboo curtain, Xiao Song’s sharp eyes would definitely spot the anomaly.
Ran Yan bit her lip gently, resigning herself to fate, she stood up, walked straight out of the curtain, and faced Xiao Song who had just entered.
Xiao Song, seeing Ran Yan disheveled and in disarray, paused for a moment. His eyes fell on her hand, his expression softening slightly, "How is your hand?"
"It is fine," Ran Yan spoke as usual, but the slight tension in her expression did not escape Xiao Song’s gaze.
With everything in plain sight, only the area around the couch was screened off with bamboo curtains. Through the tiny gaps, Xiao Song could just about see a person lying on the couch, and judging by the physique, it was a man!
Without a second thought, he reached out to lift the bamboo curtain and peeked inside. Upon seeing indeed a man lying on the couch, his heart skipped several beats, inducing a dizzying and suffocating feeling. Although Xiao Song had never seen Su Fu’s full appearance before, it didn’t affect his judgment.
Maintaining his composure, he stared quietly for a long while, and after calming his emotions slightly, he imperceptibly exhaled and let the curtain fall, his gaze softening as he produced a plain handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Ran Yan, speaking softly, "Do not be afraid."
His words, part consolation, part reassurance, allowed Ran Yan’s elevated heart to settle a bit.
Ran Yan accepted the handkerchief, but did not wipe the light sweat on her temples, clutching it tightly in her hand instead, her calm gaze swept over his inscrutable face and subtly lowered, noticing the medicine he was holding.
"Since Seventeenth-Lady is not seriously injured, I, being occupied with official duties, will take my leave," Xiao Song placed the medicine on a table, nodded slightly to her, and turned to walk out.
"Please wait," Ran Yan’s voice was somewhat hoarse, but after stopping Xiao Song, she didn’t know what else to say. Ask him to save Su Fu? Considering their opposition, Ran Yan felt like she had gone mad even considering it. She changed her words swiftly, "Thank you."