Zhuang Dongqing suddenly felt a bit anxious, and he instantly became alert.

The first touch was to check for a low fever, then he touched a couple more times, but he wasn’t sure anymore. By the fourth and fifth touches, his senses were completely mixed up, swaying in a way that made it hard to judge.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

How did his aunt determine if he had a fever back when he was sick? His aunt…

Zhuang Dongqing remembered, but felt a bit embarrassed.

Well…

He took another look at Cen Yan, who was still dizzy and hadn’t woken up.

Hmm.

Speaking of which, he had seen everything of the other person, and they had even slept together. Actually, it… wasn’t that awkward, right?

Zhuang Dongqing hypnotized himself: it’s nothing, nothing, it’s not a big deal…

Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Dongqing lowered his head, closed his eyes, and used his eyelids to touch Cen Yan’s forehead.

During the process of getting closer, his eyelashes trembled violently.

Touch.

The temperature from Cen Yan’s forehead transferred to his eyelids, hot, he had a fever, but thankfully, it was manageable.

Zhuang Dongqing finally let out a sigh of relief.

He touched Cen Yan’s forehead again, and perhaps he was sure now, his heart calmed down. The feeling in his hands was a bit higher than usual, but still okay, not to the point of raising alarms.

It wasn’t a high fever after all. Zhuang Dongqing kept checking, even tried with his eyelids, after a few attempts, Cen Yan’s eyelashes fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes, but his gaze was still hazy.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Zhuang Dongqing placed his hand over them and softly coaxed, “Just sleep a little longer, it’s fine.”

“You’ve been tired for so long, just keep sleeping.”

His voice was low and fragmented, repeating it two or three times. When he lifted his hand, Cen Yan fell back asleep again.

It turned out he was just woken up by him; he still needed more sleep.

After this, Zhuang Dongqing went out and headed straight to the next room to call Liu Fu. As soon as Liu Fu heard, he jumped up in a hurry. The two guards also heard and were worried, but Zhuang Dongqing stopped them: “It’s not too serious yet, just rest for now. We’ll call you if we need you.”

Worried that his words were too soft and wouldn’t convince them, Zhuang Dongqing strengthened his tone, “It’s not completely safe today. If there are any pursuers, we still need you guards to be thorough. Don’t let a lack of rest delay important matters.”

With that, the two guards settled down.

Zhuang Dongqing said, “Rest, we’ll call you when needed.”

Unconsciously, his tone took on a commanding tone, like Cen Yan, but it was particularly effective.

He was firm, which also stabilized the hearts of his subordinates.

Liu Fu had been a book boy for the Zhuang family since he was sold in, always taking care of people. He had a lot of experience with illnesses. He reached out to check Cen Yan’s forehead and said, “Not obvious, let’s see if it can go down naturally?”

Zhuang Dongqing replied, “That’s what I was thinking.”

“Then should we keep watch over him?”

Liu Fu glanced out the window, “It’s still early, young master, you should sleep a bit more. I’ll keep watch. If the prince’s fever gets worse, I’ll call you.”

Zhuang Dongqing felt it wasn’t quite right, but as soon as Liu Fu mentioned it, the drowsiness that had been lurking began to rise slowly.

“Otherwise, I’ll just stay with you…”

“Go rest. Your body is different now. You walked too much yesterday. Just sleep a bit more. I’ll just lean at the foot of the prince’s bed; I can rest too, it won’t delay anything.”

“It’s not that I’m not at ease…”

“Just sleep, just sleep.”

In just a few exchanges, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t even realize what was happening before Liu Fu pushed him onto the bed. As soon as he touched the blanket, Zhuang Dongqing felt even more dizzy. Liu Fu quickly tucked him in, and Zhuang Dongqing said, “…But if something happens, you must call me.”

“Of course, we still need you to make decisions.”

Zhuang Dongqing mumbled a response, resting his head on the pillow, and fell asleep.

He was still exhausted.

This nap lasted until noon.

After waking up, he rubbed his eyes and instinctively looked at Cen Yan. Liu Fu shook his head at him, reassuring him, “It’s okay, it’s not a high fever.”

Zhuang Dongqing nodded, wrapped in the blanket, and sat up, dazedly waking up.

After more than ten minutes, he started to get dressed, his legs hurt from lactic acid buildup.

Zhuang Dongqing put on a pained expression as he finished dressing, gritting his teeth as he got out of bed. Cen Yan was also awake.

His eyelashes fluttered, and he simultaneously saw Zhuang Dongqing and Liu Fu, sensing something was off, he opened his mouth, but his voice was already hoarse.

Seeing that he seemed to remember, Zhuang Dongqing pressed down on his good shoulder, stopping him, “You have a fever, but thankfully it’s not too hot. Just rest for now and see if it can go down naturally.”

Cen Yan took a moment to respond and nodded.

After a moment, his hoarse voice said, “Let go, I want to relieve myself.”

Oh, he was a living person; living people have physiological needs.

Zhuang Dongqing awkwardly let go, touched his ear, and thought of something, “Can he be in the wind now?”

Liu Fu replied, “It’s best not to. Should I get a chamber pot?”

Although it was awkward, Zhuang Dongqing thought it was feasible, but he got a refusal from the main person, “No.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

Liu Fu: “…”

Zhuang Dongqing: “But right now you…”

Cen Yan lowered his gaze, “No.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “…”

Alright, alright, being a germaphobe was just a minor flaw of Cen Yan’s; he could tolerate it.

After all, he had a bit of that too.

At least for people in this era, taking a bath every day was quite an unusual demand.

Their eyes met, and Zhuang Dongqing compromised, “…Got it.”

“Liu Fu, go check if it’s cold outside. I’ll help the prince get dressed.”

Cen Yan lifted his eyelashes but didn’t look at Zhuang Dongqing. He was helped to sit up, and Zhuang Dongqing found a coat, helping him stretch out his arms, “This hand, lift it a bit. Good, don’t move this side; I’ll do it to avoid pulling at the wound.”

“Don’t tie it too tightly; after all, it’ll have to come off again.”

Cen Yan replied, “Mm.”

Looking down, he saw Zhuang Dongqing’s messy hair, still not tidied up after just waking up.

“Alright, that’s good enough.”

After helping Cen Yan adjust his clothes, he lifted the blanket to check the bite on his leg from yesterday. Aside from the wound being a bit dark, the surrounding area looked normal. Zhuang Dongqing pressed down, and the swelling had gone down.

“Does it still feel numb? Can you stand?”

Cen Yan felt it, “Let’s try standing?”

He wasn’t sure either.

Zhuang Dongqing nodded.

Liu Fu returned and said it had rained in the morning. Zhuang Dongqing then draped the thin blanket from yesterday that hadn’t been washed over Cen Yan, worried he wouldn’t like it, he coaxed, “Just bear with it; you can’t catch a chill now.”

Unexpectedly, Cen Yan didn’t say anything and accepted it.

“Come on, I’ll help you.”

After getting out of bed and taking a few steps, the leg that was bitten was still a bit unsteady, likely due to his body’s resistance being greatly weakened, but he only needed support while walking; standing was no problem.

Zhuang Dongqing let out a sigh of relief, helping Cen Yan to relieve himself.

Cen Yan saw him reach out and glanced at Liu Fu, who also didn’t move, clearly acknowledging that this was Zhuang Dongqing’s responsibility.

Cen Yan indeed didn’t like being touched by strangers.

But Zhuang Dongqing was different; he… Cen Yan lowered his gaze, focusing on walking, trying not to lean too much on Zhuang Dongqing.

The two slowly made their way out.

Once they reached outside the toilet, Zhuang Dongqing thought of something and explained, “It’s not very clean; it’s definitely not comparable to the prince’s residence. You…”

“I know.”

Zhuang Dongqing said, “I’ll help you inside.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cen Yan’s light-colored eyes focused on him, making Zhuang Dongqing’s ears heat up. He stammered, “You, you stand steady, and I’ll come out. I’m afraid you won’t be able to stand.”

“Mm.”

Once inside, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t dare to look at Cen Yan. He helped him to the right spot and wanted to leave, but the nursing knowledge kept reminding him. After hesitating for a moment, he felt Cen Yan’s gaze on him again, and Zhuang Dongqing steeled himself, “I’ll loosen your straps!”

Without waiting for Cen Yan’s consent, he quickly untied the straps, including the ones on his pants, and turned to leave.

There was no other way; Cen Yan’s right hand was injured, and using his left hand to untie the straps was a bit difficult. Zhuang Dongqing was afraid he would take too long and catch a chill.

Knowing his reasoning was quite valid and not feeling he did anything wrong, but his actions really did seem a bit perverted.

Zhuang Dongqing came out, covering his face with both hands, his palms burning hot.

Shame.

He almost ended up helping Cen Yan.

Moments later, the sound of water came from inside, and Zhuang Dongqing’s face felt even hotter, not decreasing but rising instead. He stepped a few steps to the side.

He wanted to control his thoughts… but it was impossible.

Because,

He had seen it!

As soon as that thought arose, the extra imagination was simply uncontrollable. Zhuang Dongqing lowered his head and quietly stepped a few more steps to the side.

He was guilty, oh, he was a little pervert.

When Cen Yan came out, Zhuang Dongqing approached with his head down, silently helping him back inside.

Once they were back in the room, he helped Cen Yan settle back on the bed, adjusting the straps of his inner garments. Sure enough, the side that was supposed to be tied wasn’t done properly, so Zhuang Dongqing untied it securely and hurriedly said, “I’ll go out now.”

After saying that, it felt like something was chasing him, and he walked away quickly.

He didn’t look at Cen Yan even once during the whole process.

Cen Yan, staring at the direction Zhuang Dongqing left, had just opened his mouth but had to close it again.

After a moment of looking down, he seemed to be deep in thought.

• After washing up, the guards who went to further investigate the village returned.

They had asked house by house and brought back a new blanket, two new basins, a few new cloths, as well as some eggs and a few chickens and ducks.

The chickens and ducks were from local families, and they would go and take them directly when it was time to eat.

Zhuang Dongqing hadn’t gotten up in the morning, so for lunch, Liu Fu had the host cook another pot of vegetable porridge and casually stir-fried two dishes.

The guards had eaten first and then brought the porridge in for Cen Yan. Cen Yan, aside from being weak, was already much better than yesterday. He didn’t let anyone feed him and insisted on eating by himself with his left hand.

When Liu Fu came out, he said he saw Cen Yan using his left hand quite skillfully. Zhuang Dongqing thought of something and didn’t go back in, pulling Liu Fu to eat together outside.

Eating steamed buns with porridge was still filling, but it was too plain.

“In the afternoon, let them make some chicken soup. Keep hot water ready at all times; he needs to drink more water in his current condition.”

Drinking water would get the metabolism going, preventing dehydration while also promoting heat dissipation.

Liu Fu nodded, indicating he understood.

Zhuang Dongqing broke half an egg into Liu Fu’s bowl, “I’m afraid I might be a bit too tired; I still can’t eat much, so don’t waste it.”

Liu Fu didn’t doubt him and finished it in one bite.

“I’ve had enough sleep. You should take a nap later; I’ll keep watch this afternoon.” Thinking of something, Zhuang Dongqing added, “Let’s kill a chicken tonight. The vegetable porridge doesn’t have much nutrition; we can shred some chicken for the porridge, and the rest, half for soup and half stir-fried for you to eat.”

“While you can eat, eat well. If something happens later, we can’t take these things with us.”

Liu Fu felt a bit pained, but Zhuang Dongqing’s reasoning was sound, so he agreed.

Zhuang Dongqing was indeed tired, possibly related to being pregnant. Although his body didn’t hurt, his energy was recovering very slowly.

After eating for a long time, he finally managed to swallow the food down.

A guard came to report, explaining the situation in the village, saying that the village didn’t rely on the hunting grounds but rather on labor and a nearby town to survive.

“I asked, and it seems there are only about ninety households that have settled here. The work seems to be related to this stream; two families are particularly good at fishing. Two families catch fish, and two families take them to sell, all related by marriage. Three years ago, there were a few more people here, and it started to look like a village.”

This indeed matched Zhuang Dongqing’s impression of this place: remote and unknown.

“Well…”

Zhuang Dongqing glanced in the direction of the hunting grounds.

The guard said, “It’s fine; in the afternoon, I’ll go with them when they chop wood, take a look around. If there are other people nearby, I’ll ask about the news from the mountain.”

Zhuang Dongqing nodded and reminded, “If there’s no one, then forget it. This place is too desolate, and it’s a new village. Outsiders may not know about it and may not come looking, so don’t expose ourselves.”

“Understood.”

Just as he finished speaking, he looked toward Zhuang Dongqing’s back.

The guard who had brought food to Cen Yan came out.

The porridge was finished, half an egg was eaten, but the water remained untouched.

Zhuang Dongqing thought Cen Yan didn’t want to drink, so he didn’t think much of it.

After finishing, he took the initiative to familiarize himself with the village’s paths, returning after about half an hour. He saw the guard again bringing the water out untouched, and Zhuang Dongqing finally felt something was off and asked about it.

The guard said Cen Yan didn’t want to drink.

The guard didn’t understand, but Zhuang Dongqing immediately knew it was a lie.

Even with a low fever, dehydration was inevitable; how could he not want to drink?

Zhuang Dongqing took the water and went inside.

Cen Yan had put on his outer garment and was sitting up, half-lying down, resting with his eyes closed.

As soon as Zhuang Dongqing entered, Cen Yan opened his eyes, clearly awake.

Seeing the bowl of water in Zhuang Dongqing’s hands, Cen Yan’s throat moved slightly.

“Drink water! Don’t lie to me; you definitely want to drink.”

Cen Yan didn’t deny it, but Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t read anything from his calm face. They held their ground for a while, and Zhuang Dongqing suddenly realized who the person in front of him was, and his confidence from entering the room faded a bit.

“No, it’s a hassle.”

Cen Yan said this in a flat tone.

Zhuang Dongqing didn’t understand, “Why? You need to drink more water to metabolize faster; your body’s temperature hasn’t gone down yet. What’s so troublesome about it?”

Before he could finish, Cen Yan’s gaze fixed directly on Zhuang Dongqing.

Zhuang Dongqing was at a loss for words.

He understood.

“I…”

Cen Yan said, “Isn’t it a hassle?”

“…”

Zhuang Dongqing was speechless.

Cen Yan was just sick; he hadn’t changed fundamentally. Even now, Zhuang Dongqing was standing while Cen Yan was half-lying down, looking up at Zhuang Dongqing, but… Zhuang Dongqing felt a sense of being looked down upon from Cen Yan’s gaze.

The person in front of him seemed to see through all his thoughts, as if it were an open book.

He wanted to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come out.

After a moment of eye contact, Cen Yan lowered his gaze again and simply said, “Take it out.”

Ah, ah, ah, ah!

Zhuang Dongqing felt overwhelmed.

“You…”

“You!”

Suddenly enlightened, Zhuang Dongqing realized something, “Do you only like men?”

Clearly, there were so many people around, yet Cen Yan only called on him, not even Liu Fu, who was familiar with him.

This feeling inexplicably reminded Zhuang Dongqing of his third year in middle school when he first realized his sexual orientation. At that time, he was particularly resistant to going to public baths because… it felt uncomfortable.

Plus, Cen Yan had a bit of a germaphobia… hmm.

“Why are you asking this?”

Cen Yan’s voice was distant and airy, but Zhuang Dongqing didn’t catch it.

On one hand, he was conflicted; on the other, he felt a strange sense of empathy.

Holding the bowl, Zhuang Dongqing sat down at his bedside, quietly staring at the bowl for a while, feeling defeated:

“I like men.”

“I only like men; women don’t work.”

“So, it’s not that it’s a hassle; it’s actually not too troublesome. Mainly… it’s just embarrassing.”

“I feel very awkward.”

“Right? I don’t like taking care of people like this; it feels forced.”

Cen Yan felt a sting in his heart.

Just as he was about to tell Zhuang Dongqing to leave…

“So,” Zhuang Dongqing took a deep breath, “can you get better soon?”

“Drink more water, cooperate with the dressing changes, let the fever go down faster, and let the wound heal sooner?”

“The sooner you get better, the sooner you can take care of yourself…”

“And the sooner you won’t be ‘troubling’ me.”

Cen Yan unexpectedly looked up.

Zhuang Dongqing, however, only stared at the bowl, continuing, “If you don’t agree, then I’ll…”

It seemed like he wanted to say something fierce, but his momentum was lacking.

Cen Yan asked, “You’ll what?”

Zhuang Dongqing closed his eyes, completely giving up, “Then I’ll just have to plead with you again.”

“I’m begging you, please agree.”