Pearl Su was short on money right now. Buying all those things would cost a lot of silver.
Anyway, Alaric Yun should be able to get out of bed tomorrow. These problems could be dealt with later. For now, they'd just have to share. She decided to hold off for today.
After those thoughts passed, Pearl Su brought in the cooled medicine along with some brown sugar.
When she entered the room with the bowl, he had already finished eating. She handed him the medicine and waited quietly for him to drink it, then gave him the brown sugar to ease the bitterness.
After clearing the bowls and dishes, she sat down by the bed and said, "Sir, I'll check your pulse."
"Thank you, Miss Su," Alaric Yun replied politely and offered his hand willingly.
She looked at his hand. It was long and elegant. A few days ago, it had been soft and weak, but now it looked strong and full of life. There was an unexplainable charm about it.
Pearl Su's heart skipped a beat. Oh no. His face was already too handsome. Now even his hand looked this good. Was she supposed to survive this?
Compared to him, she felt like she wasn't even worthy of one of his fingers.
She placed her fingers on his wrist and focused. His pulse was strong. He was recovering well.
But while she was checking his pulse, she didn't know that Alaric Yun was secretly observing her.
After a moment, Pearl Su pulled her hand back and said, "Your recovery is going well. The remaining poison should be gone within two days."
"This morning's treatment needs to be changed twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night."
From his pulse, it was clear that he'd be able to get out of bed by tomorrow. She remembered that when he was unconscious, she had taken advantage of the situation. Even though she was applying medicine, she had still purposely looked at his bare chest. She felt a little guilty now.
What if he had some strange obsession about purity and blamed her for seeing him like that?
This thought made Alaric Yun's gaze deepen. He said, "Thank you, Miss Su. May I ask, how many people live in your household? Tomorrow, when I can walk, I'd like to visit and thank them."
"Uh, no need. It's just me." Pearl Su saw his expression darken, and her heart began to race nervously.
Oh no. Just look at that expression. He definitely cared that she had seen his body. He was probably planning to get back at her. Maybe even kill her.
The more she thought about it, the more she believed it was possible. Some people with intense obsessions couldn't tolerate being touched or seen at all.
She should've known. Random handsome men on the roadside weren't worth saving.
Why had she been so dumb to bring him back?
Look at this. She barely got to enjoy the sight of a pretty man and now she might die for it. Saving someone and getting punished for it.
When he heard her answer, Alaric Yun's eyes grew darker. He said, "Then you've worked hard, Miss Su. I will make sure to repay your kindness for saving my life."
What did that mean? Was that a threat?
"Um, there's no need for that. Just remember what you promised me, that's enough," Pearl Su said with guilt again.
Alaric Yun smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Miss Su. I won't forget."
What now? What now? Her chest felt tight. He was obviously threatening her.
She scolded herself. This was what she got for being handsy. This was what she got for being blinded by looks.
Pearl Su kept a calm face and nodded. "Please rest well, sir. Get better soon."
She collected the bowls and dishes with a calm face, but inside, her heart was screaming.
Dragging her heavy feet, she walked out of the room.
Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. Should she run away?
Even though she didn't know anyone here, even though the place was unfamiliar, staying alive was more important. She could survive anywhere.
But… she didn't really want to give up that one thousand taels of gold. What now? Maybe she was just overthinking…
She cleaned up in the kitchen and then flopped onto her bed like a corpse.
She couldn't focus on work anymore. Lying on the bed, she kept tossing and turning.
The sun scorched the land, but the house was a mud hut with a thatched roof, so it stayed cool. The afternoon passed quickly.
The intense heat had faded quite a bit. As the sun set, the sky was filled with beautiful red clouds.
Pearl Su stepped out of the room and admired the view. She felt lucky to see such beauty almost every day, whether it was morning light or evening glow. It was very charming.
"Colorful clouds like a fairyland. Sitting at home while time slips away, life is really beautiful," Pearl Su sighed, letting out some of her suppressed feelings.
After watching for a while, she walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She didn't know that in the house next door, Alaric Yun had the corners of his mouth slightly curved.
At noon, she had cooked stir-fried forest frogs. There were still some small birds and eggs left. The birds had to be fed, which would waste grain, and they might fly away at any time, so they couldn't be kept.
She cleaned the birds and stir-fried them the same way. She also made soup with grayleaf vegetables. One dish and one soup, simple dinner was ready.
Because of the hot weather, the rice was still steaming, so she put it in cool water to let it cool down. Then she started boiling the medicine. While the medicine cooked over the fire, the rice cooled off and she began eating.
Once full, she saw it was getting dark outside. She quickly carried the food over to his place, feeling anxious.
Maybe she was overthinking things, she told herself.
She knocked on the door. "Sir, dinner is ready."
"Please come in, Miss Su," came a calm reply.
Pearl Su let out a quiet breath and walked in. She set the food down and prepared to leave. Then she took another deep breath. Facing him now felt like facing a plague god.
She went back to the kitchen and poured the boiled medicine out to cool. When it was ready, she added brown sugar and brought it over to him.
As she walked, her eyes accidentally looked at the medicine bowl. Her gaze lit up. What if she poisoned him? Got rid of him first? That would be easier than waiting to be harmed.
Yes, this could work. As long as it was clear he wanted to kill her, she would strike first.
She knocked and entered the room again, handed him the medicine, and watched him drink it. Her mind raced through many possibilities. What kind of poison would be best? One that kills instantly? Or one that makes him too weak to move?
Alaric Yun finished the medicine. He did not touch the brown sugar but asked, "Miss Su, are you from around here?"
"No," Pearl Su replied, immediately becoming alert. Was he asking questions to hide his plan to kill her?
"I ended up here because of an accident."
"Oh? What kind of accident?" Alaric Yun asked, looking curious.
"I got separated from my family, that is why," Pearl Su said calmly. She was not afraid to admit she was alone now.
Who knew who would win in the end?
"Do you want to look for them?" Alaric Yun asked.
"What is done is done. No point in talking about it again." She could not say she was not from here and had no way to go back. She pretended not to care.
Alaric Yun's eyes flickered. He asked again, "Miss Su, how old are you?"
"18." A woman's age should never be asked. The answer is always 18, even if she was 26.
"At your age, why haven't you married?" he asked.
"Oh, I am used to being alone. I have no desire," Pearl Su muttered. Being 26 and single was normal, okay? She looked up at the sky in frustration.
"You are quite unique," Alaric Yun said, his gaze deep.
Pearl Su gave him a strange look. "Sir, it is getting late. I don't have oil lamps at home, so you should rest early."
Even if she had a lamp, she wouldn't light it for him. Besides, the moonlight outside was so bright it lit up the whole room perfectly.