Chapter 262: Wall Slam Staged Again
Jiang Yichun was taken aback at first, unsure of how to respond. Then, noticing the worry in Bai Ruozhu’s eyes, he sort of understood. He was familiar with her situation, at least bits and pieces of it. But she knew nothing about him, aside from his name, which he had only told her a few days ago.
He cursed himself for being careless and thought it was no surprise she didn’t trust him.
"I guess you could say I’m from Capital City. I’m nineteen this year. You probably guessed that I work in the imperial government. The people who tried to assassinate me may have something to do with my present job, or perhaps I offended someone in the past. I’m still investigating," Jiang Yichun began to explain slowly.
Bai Ruozhu took a glance at him. He was only nineteen. In modern times, he would be a fresh young face. Why did she feel like a cougar? No, that’s not right, she hadn’t... She hadn’t feasted on him, right? The time she gave him medicine, she was the one who did all the sacrificing, wasn’t she?
"Since I have no family to be concerned with, I am still unmarried and don’t have any engagement either. You can be quite assured about that," Jiang Yichun said, winking at Bai Ruozhu complacently.
For some reason, Bai Ruozhu felt a tug in her heart. He spoke so lightly, so nonchalantly, yet hearing the words "I have no family" squeezed her heart painfully. Even his reassurances that everything was fine got ignored.
Her gaze softened as she looked at him, causing him to be mesmerized. Bai Ruozhu quickly lowered her head to cover her blushing face and pounding heart, and continued working on the portrait in her hand.
Finally, having concentrated enough to finish the portrait, she blew on it to dry and then handed it to him, saying, "It’s this person."
Jiang Yichun took the portrait, brushing against her fingers. Unlike the accidental rub when he passed her the medicine last time, this contact seemed deliberate. Her face reddened further, and she glared at him in annoyance.
What’s happened to this man? Where was the aloofness he used to carry himself with?
Jiang Yichun looked on with a twinkle in his eye, his spirits visibly lifted as he carefully memorized the person in the painting. Then, he carefully folded the portrait, slipped it into his coat, and said with a smile, "I will tell you about my life in the future; don’t worry about it."
Not knowing why, Bai Ruozhu’s heart accelerated again, causing her to lower her head and step back a few paces.
"Who says I want to listen? I was merely asking in passing." Blushing, Bai Ruozhu turned her head away and retorted in a huff.
Jiang Yichun’s smile stiffened. Somehow, he felt a wave of disappointment, even a bit of hurt. He didn’t like talking about himself, not only because his position demanded secrecy but also because of his background. Other than his martial arts master who knew his history anyway, he had never told anyone about himself over the years.
But when he finally tried to share his story, she didn’t want to hear it. Jiang Yichun shook his head bitterly.
Bai Ruozhu’s words weren’t merely a fit of pique. She was a little scared too. His situation wasn’t something that could be shared casually; the more she knew, the deeper she would be involved, causing unease in her.
Perhaps she hadn’t decided whether she should risk her lifetime of freedom for him, or maybe it was because she was not alone, she had her child and her family to think of. She was afraid her impulsive actions might put them all in danger as well.
But when she looked up at Jiang Yichun, she saw the hint of loneliness in his eyes, and her heart ached again. She couldn’t bear seeing him look so sad.
"Have you gathered all the herbs?" she quickly changed the subject.
Jiang Yichun rummaged in his pocket and brought out a packet of paper. When he opened it, several herbs were revealed. Bai Ruozhu’s face brightened up, "That’s wonderful, I’ll go make the decoction now."
Just as she turned to leave, Jiang Yichun caught her hand. "Wait! The decoction takes quite some time, and I can’t hang around."
Bai Ruozhu’s heart started racing once again. She could feel the calluses in his palm, signs of his martial arts training. She couldn’t help but glance at his hand; it was a rather handsome one, with long fingers and clearly defined joints, exuding a sense of strength. Even his nails were nicely shaped and neatly trimmed.
Although Bai Ruozhu wasn’t overly fastidious about cleanliness, she found it hard to tolerate men with ugly hands, especially those with unsightly fingernails.
What Jiang Yichun didn’t know was how his good-looking hands had just earned him some points in her book.
"Erm, I forgot about that," Bai Ruozhu stammered, too nervous to raise her head. Her gaze remained fixed on his hand.
"I have something to do later, so it’d be better for me to come back and take the medicine in the evening." There was a touch of amusement in Jiang Yichun’s voice; apparently, he enjoyed seeing Bai Ruozhu in such an awkward position, which never failed to brighten his mood.
Bai Ruozhu finally came back to her senses, wrenching her hand free from his grasp in annoyance. "Then go ahead with your work. I will leave the medicine on the windowsill tonight. You can take it by just opening the window, without needing to step inside the room."
Jiang Yichun scratched his nose awkwardly. Had he upset her? But his worry didn’t last long as he raised his eyebrows at Bai Ruozhu and said, "That wouldn’t do. What happens if I accidentally knock the medicine off the windowsill? It’ll be hard to see clearly at night."
As if anyone would believe that! Last time she threw out the medicine, he managed to catch it despite the distance. How could he possibly knock over the bowl of medicine from the windowsill? Clearly, he was making excuses!
Bai Ruozhu glared at him. "Well, you figure it out. If you spill it, you’ll have nothing to drink, and it’s not easy to find these herbs now."
Saying so, she turned to leave for the kitchen. Even the kid had been watching silently, not creating any fuss.
Jiang Yichun followed behind, pulling her back again. "Are you truly willing to let me die from poisoning?"
"Why are you so strange? Don’t most people avoid speaking of death?" Didn’t people from ancient times usually avoid mentioning death? Now he was even cursing himself?
The corners of Jiang Yichun’s mouth quirked up slightly. "Feeling sorry for me?"
Bai Ruozhu looked at the man standing right in front of her, gave him a powerful shove, and said, "Stop flattering yourself!"
But it felt like she had pushed against a copper wall. He didn’t budge at all; instead, the recoil sent her staggering backward a couple of steps.
A wave of despair surged up in Bai Ruozhu’s heart. Why was life so cruel to her? The scene, where she ended up being knocked back while trying to push him away, finally happened in her life too.
Jiang Yichun chuckled softly, stepping closer to Bai Ruozhu. "You stubborn woman, why can’t you tell the truth?"
Subconsciously, Bai Ruozhu backed away, muttering, "I..I was telling the truth." But even she could hear the uncertainty in her own voice.
Once again, Jiang Yichun pinned her against the wall, trapping her between his arms.