flstandardbreds Chapter 357
Chapter 357
Pei Yunche knew that he couldn't openly earn money at this time, so being a beggar was the only quick and safe way to make money.
Harassment was inevitable, but over time he gradually mastered the methods.
The fastest way to make money is at the entrances of casinos and brothels. Although they are a mixed bag, there are many people, and since they are in the middle of a busy area, no one dares to take someone away in public, so they are relatively safe.
In addition, most of the people who go to these two places are wealthy. Some are kind-hearted, while others are guilty of bad deeds but feel uneasy. They believe that doing good deeds can avert disaster, so they will give him money. They are generous and can sometimes earn forty or fifty taels of silver a day. However, even with so much silver, it is still not enough. Every time he gets medicine for Nalan Jingwen, he spends all of it.
So they continued to live in poverty, with no improvement whatsoever.
But as long as Nalan Jingwen was alive, he could rest easy and did not feel bitter.
Nalan Jingwen woke up more than twenty days later. During this time, Pei Yunche often inquired about news from the outside world and also tried to find someone to meet them.
However, Nalan Fengxing intensified the search efforts, not daring to be too obvious, so each time he returned empty-handed.
When he returned from gathering information again, he saw that Nalan Jingwen had woken up at some point, staring at the roof with his eyes open, unresponsive, and seemingly lost in thought.
Pei Yunche's mind went blank for a moment, but his body reacted faster than his brain, rushing over to hug the person.
His voice was frantic, with a barely perceptible tremor, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Nalan Jingwen, you're awake..."
"you're awake……"
A tear fell onto her eye, and Nalan Jingwen's eyelashes trembled. She looked up at him, and when she saw his dirty little face, a little color finally returned to her empty black eyes.
"Pei Yunche?"
Her lips moved, her voice hoarse and dry.
Pei Yunche kept nodding and stroking her face, as if trying to prove whether the person in front of him was real.
"You finally woke up..."
"Do you know how long I've waited for you? Do you know how worried and scared I was? Scared that you wouldn't make it, scared that you would never wake up again."
"What will I do if you die?"
He spoke haltingly, sobbing uncontrollably, as if he were trying to vent all the grievances and fears of the past few days.
Nalan Jingwen didn't speak, staring straight at his hands. His once fair and delicate hands were now covered in scars, and his palms were rough and calloused. She never expected that these things would appear on Pei Yunche's hands.
That precious young master has become like this because of me.
Nalan Jingwen didn't know how she felt. She only felt a bitterness like a surging wave, about to drown her. She couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
She tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes fixed on Pei Yunche, her heartache undisguised.
"sorry."
She dragged him down with her. If it weren't for her, Pei Yunche wouldn't have ended up like this and suffered this calamity.
Pei Yun shook his head heavily, choking back tears, and said, "Why should I apologize? You've never apologized to me."
He didn't want to hear Nalan Jingwen apologize.
Nalan Jingwen wanted to wipe away his tears, but her hands were immobile. She could only move her body with difficulty and use her own face to wipe away his tears.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Pei Yunche hugged her tightly, his tearful whispers falling into her ear.
"Not bitter."
"It's only when I can't wait for you that I suffer."
He had been thinking a lot these days. What should he do if Nalan Jingwen really couldn't make it through?
But whenever he thought of this, a dense, throbbing pain would rise in his chest, as if countless needles were piercing his heart; just imagining it made him wish he were dead.
He couldn't imagine life without Nalan Jingwen; what difference was there between that and being a walking corpse?
He can't.
Therefore, Nalan Jingwen must live; only if she lives can he live.
Pei Yunche savored the warmth of the person in his arms, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He unconsciously hugged the person even tighter.
Nalan Jingwen leaned silently against him, enjoying this moment of peace.
Pei Yunche felt he could never hold her enough, wanting it to last forever. But when he looked down and saw Nalan Jingwen's pale face, he had to let go and carefully let her lean on him while he started a fire to cook porridge.
Nalan Jingwen's initially puzzled expression gradually turned into astonishment as he performed his incredibly skillful movements, but more than anything, she felt heartache.
It's heartbreaking to see the young master, who never lifted a finger before, now learning to serve others.
Her eyes felt hot and sore, and she felt as if something was stuck in her throat.
Pei Yunche felt her gaze, looked up and smiled at her—a genuine smile he hadn't given her in all these days.
"I'm not lying to you, I've learned how to cook, aren't I amazing?"
Nalan Jingwen also forced a smile, "Yes, very impressive."
Pei Yunche didn't notice anything amiss in her voice; his smile deepened at her praise.
"I'm not the useless person they say I can't do anything. I've learned to cook and take care of people."
“Nalan Jingwen, even if you never recover, I can still take good care of you.”
"I'm not stupid at all. I can learn anything. I definitely won't let you worry about me."
Pei Yunche spoke with absolute certainty, his expression earnest.
Nalan Jingwen recalled that he had said the same thing to her before, expressing his hope that they could have a small courtyard, just the two of them.
She said she wanted a swing so she could sit on it, snuggle up, and watch the moon.
In a daze, she seemed to see a figure kneeling in the rain, repeatedly kowtowing to the Buddha statue.
It's too blurry, like a dream or an illusion, indistinguishable from reality.
But the despair and sorrow emanating from that figure still suffocates her, echoing repeatedly in her dreams when she is unconscious.
is it him?
Is it Pei Yunche?
Was he ever that desperate?
A feeling of suffocation surged through her again, and Nalan Jingwen looked away, refusing to look at his face.
The sun is shining brightly outside; it's a beautiful day.
It will be fine.
everything will get better.
After feeding Nalan Jingwen his meal and medicine, Pei Yunche went to the river to fetch water, boiled it, and then used it to wipe Nalan Jingwen's body.
Although it wasn't the first time, it was the first time under Nalan Jingwen's gaze, so his movements were exceptionally slow. But when he lifted her clothes and saw the wounds on her body, all his shyness vanished, leaving only heartache and pain.
After carefully wiping her body, he went to the river to bathe. Usually, after bathing, he would smear ash and mud on his face and arms, but this time he did not.
He returned home refreshed. By then, it was already dark, and a bright moon rose in the boundless black night sky.
He carefully held Nalan Jingwen in his arms, sat by the door, wrapped him in his clothes, and leaned against the door, looking at the moon in the sky.
Then he gently lowered his head, looked at her, and spoke in a low voice.
"Nalan Jingwen, I want to kiss you."