Chapter 484: Chapter 174: Girl 17_4
...
The sky gradually darkened.
Most of the Ban Wei and the ducal and noble aristocrats had already returned to the city, leaving only a few medical officers, injured Imperial Guards, and some maidservants in the encampment outside the arena, waiting to set off early the next morning.
The nobility could leave whenever they wanted, whereas the small vendors who had followed were not as easily mobile.
Especially the cooked food vendors, who had gone to the trouble of setting up their stoves at one end, had hoped to make a good profit at the night market. With the departure of the cavalry, only a few servants meandered through, but since it was inconvenient to pack up and move, they continued to lay out their wares among the trees, pushing carts adorned with lanterns, calling out loudly.
A few dozen white tents were still pitched around, and nearly a hundred people remained. Although it was not as crowded as in previous years, it lent the forest night market a lively atmosphere.
Lin Danqing had also gone out to buy cooked food, leaving Lu Tong alone in the tent, listening to the slightly noisy voices outside. She lifted the thin blanket draped over her and stood up from beside the couch.
As she moved, a sharp pain tugged at the wound on her leg. Lu Tong frowned, taking quite a while to steady herself before the pain subsided.
She leaned on the side of the tent, inching her way to the table.
The pain from the wounds inflicted by the vicious dog began to spread slowly after the medicine had been applied. Her face and head were not too badly hurt, and her abdomen was well-protected, with mostly bites and scratches on her limbs, all avoiding vital areas. The worst injury was to her left arm; in her haste, she had shoved it into the dog’s mouth, and the canine teeth had nearly sunk in completely, as if slashed by a sharp knife.
There was a "window" at the side of the white tent’s table, a small piece of curtain that could be rolled up. Lu Tong rolled up the curtain.
As she lifted the curtain, a cool night breeze immediately blew in from outside.
She looked out of the window.
Not far away, beside the narrow, winding stream that bordered the field, the lights were now lit, and the sporadic yellow glow illuminating the surface of the water brightened the night sky beneath the canopy, sprinkled with the sounds of haggling drifting up from the night market.
"Oh, this bean jelly is cut quite finely, give me a bowl! Extra sesame, please!"
"Sure thing! It’s hot, how about some pickled mustard tubers to go with it, it’ll be refreshing to taste!"
"Alright, add a sweet green bean soup too, and make it a bit cheaper..."
The clamorous voices spread between the trees, lacking the opulence of carriages and wealth, giving the night of Huangmao Hill a simpler and more authentic feel.
Lu Tong listened intently for a while, then slowly sat down at the table with the support of her hands,
When she turned her head, she suddenly remembered that the medicine Lin Danqing had prepared for her still remained untouched and had probably cooled off after sitting for a long time, so she turned back.
Not wanting to get up and walk over, as her leg wound should not be disturbed and even the few short steps she had taken felt forced, she simply leaned over towards the low stool set up beside the bed.
The low stool was not far, but the medicine bowl was placed too far inside. She stretched her body awkwardly, her fingertips just about touching the edge of the bowl, struggling to drag it closer to herself.
A hand reached from behind her, grabbing the medicine bowl for her.
Lu Tong paused in her movements.
Pei Yunmeng placed the medicine bowl on the table and then helped her sit properly in front of the table before slightly frowning at her and saying, "Didn’t I tell you to rest in bed? Why are you moving about recklessly?"
Lu Tong was taken aback.
The brown medicinal soup rippled under the candlelight. He sat down at the table and pushed the medicine bowl closer to Lu Tong.
Lu Tong looked down at the medicine bowl and asked subconsciously, "Why didn’t you leave?"
All the Dragon Guards except for a few injured had returned to the city with the Crown Prince. As the Commandant of the Palace Front Office, why was Pei Yunmeng still lingering here?
He replied, "I was injured too, so of course, I had to stay behind for treatment."
Injured?
Lu Tong suddenly remembered something Lin Danqing had mentioned: the Third Prince encountered an assassin in the forest, and Pei Yunmeng had protected him on their way down the mountain.
At that time, he had intervened to prevent Qi Yutai from humiliating her. As the Commander of the Palace Front Office, he was obliged to accompany the Crown Prince down the mountain, and she herself was taken back to the camp by Lin Danqing and Chang Jin, without seeing Pei Yunmeng again. Pei Yunmeng had appeared calm and composed, with no signs of injury.
As if sensing what was on her mind, Pei Yunmeng explained, "It’s just a minor injury, Chang Jin has already treated it for me. As for you," he paused, looking at her with a solemn gaze, "you’re seriously hurt."
Lu Tong was silent.
It wasn’t that serious, actually.
She lowered her eyes, picked up the bowl of medicine, and brought it to her lips. The medicinal soup had cooled down considerably. Lin Danqing had deliberately simmered it a bit longer, making it both strong and bitter. She drank down the bowl’s contents in one breath, and only then did she place the bowl down, to find a piece of colorful wrapped paper before her.
Pei Yunmeng offered her a piece of candy.
After a brief pause, Lu Tong took the candy and clasped it in the palm of her hand, faintly hearing the hustle and bustle of the distant night market carried over by the wind. After a while, she spoke up, "You shouldn’t have intervened today."
Pei Yunmeng watched her quietly.
"The Qi Family wants to win you over," her voice was calm, "in the public eye, you opposed him directly, causing Qi Yutai to lose face. He will surely hold a grudge against you."
"For someone as astute as Marshal, it shouldn’t have been such a rash move."
"I don’t understand..."
Lu Tong slowly raised her eyes, "Why did Marshal help me?"
Although Pei Yunmeng was a man of mystery, Lu Tong could vaguely sense that the things he was plotting must not be discovered by others. Just like herself, exposing conflicts too early was nothing but harmful and of no benefit to her.
To those in power, she was no more troublesome than knocking her head on the ground three times—not painful at all. Yet to the fierce dog, it cost a life. No matter how one looked at it, she had gotten the better deal.
Even she was close to resigning herself to this fate, having decided to accept the unavoidable humiliation, but then he had stood up for her at that moment.
The moonlight was cool and refreshing; the tent was lit by a dim, flickering yellow light.
He looked at her, his tone somewhat inexplicable, "You think quite thoroughly for me."
Lu Tong didn’t speak.
"Didn’t I say? You are my creditor."
Creditor?
Lu Tong was a bit puzzled.
Was he referring to the debt of gratitude for saving Pei Yunshu and her daughter?
But that debt of gratitude had long since been squandered in the subsequent trivial matters, and since then... he hadn’t owed her any favors.
The wind stirred the moon’s shadow, numerous rays of moonlight jostling and tumbling in, causing the delicate candle on the table to flicker in and out of view.
He reached out, the Silver Scissors playing with the lamp wick, speaking nonchalantly, "It is a bit troublesome."
"However..."
"The kindness of an old friend is profound, truly unforgettable."
Lu Tong was startled, suddenly realizing something, and sharply turned to look at Pei Yunmeng.
Not far off, in the riverside Helian Night Market, the mist was faint and the red lanterns were dim. The young man sat inside the tent, with the moonlight that the lifted tent curtain let in spreading across the ground behind him. And the silver ring he was twirling on his fingertip, so unexpectedly, took her completely by surprise as it fell into her line of sight.
It was an old ring that had tarnished, the silver rough and blotchy, becoming tender in the blur of candlelight, reflecting the warmth of days long past.
Lu Tong’s heart skipped a beat.
The young man sat quietly, the dying light illuminating his handsome features, his eyes watching Lu Tong with a silence that betrayed neither joy nor sorrow.
He looked at her, "Isn’t that right, Seventeenth Miss?"