Li Qingcang hurriedly put the things he had been carrying on the ground. He looked down at Ye Tianxin’s face worriedly.
“Your nose is bleeding!”
If she were one of his soldiers, Li Qingcang definitely would not even care.
Soldiers were trained to be resilient. Whether in training or mission, a bleeding nose was a normal occurrence. They would and should bear it.
But this was Ye Tianxin. She covered her nose and looked at him with tears welling in her eyes. She looked extremely pitiful, and Li Qingcang felt a twinge in his heart.
He rubbed her neck gently and instructed, “Be good. Lift your head carefully.”
Ye Tianxin lifted her head obediently. Li Qingcang swiftly helped Ye Tianxin to stop her nose from bleeding. When the bleeding stopped, Li Qingcang swept Ye Tianxin into his arms. He carried an item each in his hands and returned to the bookshop quickly.
Ye Tianxin buried her head into Li Qingcang’s chest. His smell was intoxicating. He smelled like pine. She hoped for this moment to last.
She was happy.
She was very happy.
“Sit here. I will go and cook.”
Ye Tianxin’s nose had stopped bleeding long ago. Li Qingcang laid her on the couch then went to the kitchen.
However, Ye Tianxin could not stay still. She found a vase and put the fresh flowers she had gotten from the market into it.
“Is it pretty?” Ye Tianxin asked.
Li Qingcang nodded. “It is. Didn’t I tell you not to move around?”
“Elder Brother Li, I just had a nosebleed. It is no big deal. Let’s cook together.”
Ye Tianxin and Li Qingcang worked around the tiny kitchen.
The evening light shone on the two, enveloping them in a faint silver light.
Dinner was cold noodles with shredded chicken, green bean soup, and fruit salad.
Ye Tianxin and Li Qingcang sat under a wisteria tree and had dinner together.
The night sky above their heads was filled with bright stars. The stars winked in the sky.
“Elder Brother Li, give this a try,” Ye Tianxin said as she stretched out her hand. Li Qingcang opened his mouth and chewed the noodles. “Is it good?”
The cold noodles with shredded chicken were spicy. He could taste a hint of sweetness as an aftertaste.
“It is good.”
“Then I shall make it for you in the future,” Ye Tianxin promised. “I know how to make other dishes too.”
Ye Tianxin’s sweet smile made Li Qingcang’s heart flutter. He placed a hand on his chest.
His heart began to beat wildly once more. Once, twice, thrice…
“Elder Brother Li, you don’t look too good. Are the noodles too spicy?” Ye Tianxin asked worriedly.
Li Qingcang shook his head. “No, I just feel a little off.”
Ye Tianxin stretched out her hand and touched Li Qingcang’s forehead. He was a little cool to touch. “Did you get a heatstroke?”
“Probably not.”
Her eyes shone brightly in the night.
Her lips parted and closed before his eyes.
But he could not hear her voice.
He only knew that at that very moment, the entire world was quiet, except for his heart that was drumming wildly in his chest.
“Elder Brother Li, hang on. I will go and buy you some medicine to dispel the heat in your body,” Ye Tianxin said before running out of the courtyard.
Li Qingcang looked at the window behind him and watched as Ye Tianxin left.
An unfamiliar reflection of himself could be seen on the glass of the window.
“Elder Brother Li, here is the medicine.”
Ye Tianxin opened the paper box containing the medicine while saying, “Elder Brother Li, take the medicine and go to bed. You need to rest.”
“Tianxin, I am fine.”
Li Qingcang’s voice was low and hoarse.