I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Eavesdropping

“Brother? What are you thinking about?” Wu Qinglin nudged him. “Grandmother is so happy; she says the money was well spent.”

Wu Canghai snapped back to reality and sent his younger brother away, but his heart remained uneasy. He recalled a medical book he had skimmed in the bookstore a few days ago, which stated that foolishness was often innate and extremely difficult to cure. How could a single pill fix it?

“Wu Canghai!”

The teacher’s bark startled him. He looked up to find the entire class staring at him, and the teacher standing by his desk with a stern face.

“The passage I just recited, ‘Learning without thought is labor lost’—how do you interpret it?” The teacher rapped on the table.

Wu Canghai scrambled to his feet, stammering, “It… it means if one learns but does not think, one will be easily deceived and misled…”

The teacher frowned. “Not entirely accurate, but not far off. Sit down, and do not let your mind wander during the lecture.”

Wu Canghai sat down with a flushed face, his mind in even more of a state of chaos. Learning without thought is labor lost. Was he not just thinking about the strange occurrences at home?

When the school bell rang, the students swarmed out of the academy. Wu Canghai slowly packed his books and was stopped by his classmate, Scholar Zhou.

“Brother Canghai, you seem to have something on your mind today?” Scholar Zhou asked with concern.

Wu Canghai hesitated for a moment before briefly explaining the situation at home.

Scholar Zhou stroked his beard and mused, “‘Leg-Stretching Eyes-Bulging Pill’? That is a most peculiar name. I have never heard of such a ‘Divine Physician’ in this town.”

“I find it suspicious as well,” Wu Canghai whispered. “But everyone at home believes it, and they say the physician is returning for another consultation today.”

Scholar Zhou patted his shoulder. “It is good to be cautious. If he is a true physician, that is well and good. If not… well, you had best return and see for yourself.”

This only strengthened Wu Canghai’s resolve. He thanked Scholar Zhou and hurriedly packed his things to head home.

…

The night was as thick as spilled ink. Wanfu Village was silent, save for a few stray barks.

In the low-roofed earthen house of the Wu family’s Fourth House, the oil lamp had long been extinguished. However, the two people on the kang bed were wide-eyed, ears straining to catch any movement outside.

Li Qiaoqiao rolled over and whispered a frustrated complaint to the person at the other end of the bed: “Here we go again… Mother is on the clock every night, more punctual than a crowing rooster.”

For several nights in a row, Zhang Jinhua had been sneaking over in the dead of night, either to tuck in their blankets or to sit on the edge of the bed staring at them for ages, muttering prayers that “Tie Niu” wouldn’t relapse. It kept Li Qiaoqiao and Wu Ya’s nerves on edge. They didn’t even dare bring out the soft modern blanket they had brought from the future, for fear of being exposed. Not to mention the brightly colored snack wrappers they had hidden away.

The tall figure beside her shifted. Wu Ya’s voice carried the rasp of someone recently awake, tinged with his usual sarcasm: “Tsk. Why don’t you get up and perform a shamanic dance for the old lady? Show off some ‘divine spirit,’ tell her you’re the Great Immortal Li sent to ward off evil and guarantee me a long life, so she can go back to her room and rest in peace.”

Li Qiaoqiao felt like kicking him, glaring at him through the dark. “Me? A shaman? How about we say you’ve had a sudden midnight seizure and need ‘quiet’ and ‘quarantine’!”

“And let her think I’m stupid again so she can tie us both up and take us to the village entrance for an exorcism?” Wu Ya sneered. “Use your brain, although I know that’s a high-difficulty task for you.”

As they bickered, the sound of extremely faint footsteps rose again from the yard—rustle, rustle—creeping toward their door.

Li Qiaoqiao flinched, lunged for the coarse cloth quilt to wrap herself tight, and groaned softly, “Again! I can’t live like this! Wu Ya, I don’t care, we’re doing it my way! Next time she comes, we’ll pretend to… you know, make some noise. She’s a village old lady; she’ll be too embarrassed to stay. She’ll steer clear of us from now on, and maybe she’ll even install a proper door latch for us!”

“Li Qiaoqiao!” Wu Ya’s voice was squeezed through his teeth, full of disgust. “Do you have no sense of shame? You actually thought of such a rotten idea? You want me to cooperate in a ‘performance’ like that? You might as well just hit me with a club and let me go back to being a fool!”

“Pah! Who said anything about doing it for real? Just some sounds, understand? It’s better than being stared at every night! If this keeps up, I’m going to lose my mind!” Li Qiaoqiao pinched her palms in anxiety.

The footsteps reached the door and stopped. The sound of shallow breathing drifted in through the thin wooden panel.

Just as Li Qiaoqiao thought Wu Ya would rather die than comply and prepared to just start moaning awkwardly herself, a large hand unexpectedly reached out and covered her mouth, stifling her exclamation.

A second later, a powerful force wrapped around her waist. With a dizzying whirl, she was yanked across the bed and slammed into a solid chest.

“Mph!” Li Qiaoqiao was completely stunned, her mind going blank.

Wu Ya hadn’t just pulled her into his arms; he had flipped over and pinned her firmly beneath him. This… this isn’t what we agreed on! What happened to ‘rather die than comply’? Why are his movements so practiced?!

Li Qiaoqiao’s eyes went wide, but in the pitch black, she couldn’t see anything.

Outside the door, Zhang Jinhua seemed to hold her breath. Wu Ya leaned down and spoke in a deliberately low, husky voice. It was a complete departure from his usual mocking tone, making Li Qiaoqiao’s heart shudder.

“Mother… Mother is right outside…” He breathed heavily. “Qiaoqiao… don’t be like this…” He sounded for all the world like Li Qiaoqiao was the one forcing herself on him!

Li Qiaoqiao caught on instantly. This bastard! He talks a big game about being disgusted, but his body—no, his acting—is quite committed!

She immediately entered “drama queen” mode: “Be gentler… oh… Brother Tie Niu… don’t… the door isn’t locked…” She said the last part extra clearly, terrified the person outside wouldn’t hear.

Wu Ya’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was incredibly raspy as he grunted a blurred reply: “…Lock? Who would dare look… shut up…”

The dominance in his tone was a far cry from his usual “don’t touch me” attitude. Li Qiaoqiao’s face burned hot—half of it was acting, the other half was genuine embarrassment.

Outside, the held breath disappeared, replaced by a flurry of flustered yet eager footsteps that quickly vanished into the courtyard.

Several seconds passed. Even after the footsteps were completely gone, the two people on the bed remained locked in position. Li Qiaoqiao moved her numb arm, her throat dry as she whispered, “She… she’s gone, right?”

Wu Ya practically catapulted off her, his movement so fast it stirred the air. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, haphazardly throwing on his old outer robe. His voice returned to its cold, hard state—even colder than usual, tinged with humiliated rage: “Li Qiaoqiao! Why were you squirming like that? You gave me goosebumps! Such melodramatic acting; even the blind storyteller at the village entrance doesn’t ham it up as much as you!”

Li Qiaoqiao scrambled up too, pulling her collar together. Her face was hot enough to bake a bun, but she refused to back down: “Pah! And who was it that covered my mouth so ‘swiftly and accurately’? You flipped over and pinned me like a habitual offender! Do you have the nerve to criticize me? Tsk tsk, Master Wu, were you perhaps self-taught in these matters?”

“You!” Wu Ya whirled around to glare at her. His eyes were bright in the dark, though Li Qiaoqiao couldn’t tell if he was blushing. He sputtered for a moment before choking out: “I was being professional! Unlike you, shouting ‘the door isn’t locked’—scared she wouldn’t understand?”

“That was the finishing touch! Do you understand anything?!” Li Qiaoqiao kicked at his calf in frustration.

Wu Ya nimbly dodged, sliding to the far end of the bed and wrapping himself into a cocoon with the quilt. He gave her the back of his head, signaling a refusal to communicate. Li Qiaoqiao made a face at his back and lay down huffily as well. Her heart was pounding; she shook her head violently to clear those messy images away.

It worked, that’s all that matters. Finally, I can get a decent night’s sleep.

…

Across the yard, in the main house.

Zhang Jinhua crept back into bed, her face warm but her smile uncontrollable. She nudged her sleeping husband, Wu Duofu: “Hey, old man, you awake?”

Wu Duofu gave a muffled grunt.

Zhang Jinhua didn’t care; she chuckled softly to herself, filled with relief. “Our Tie Niu is truly well! He’s alert, and he’s strong! I just passed their door, oh my… the young couple was making such a fuss, the bed was nearly shaking apart! Qiaoqiao was crying about the door not being locked… tsk, our Tie Niu even knows how to dote on his wife now…”

Wu Duofu rolled over. “It’s the middle of the night, and you’re listening to your son’s wall…”

“What do you know!” Zhang Jinhua laughed. “This is big! A heavenly blessing! It means we’ll have a fat grandson soon!”

The more she thought about it, the happier she became. Her eyes sparkled in the dark. “First thing tomorrow, I’m going to find Carpenter Li. I want a sturdy new latch for that door! I won’t have anything getting in the way of my grandson!”

…

Back in the Fourth House, the awkward heat hadn’t quite dissipated. A deathly silence reigned, more suffocating than when Zhang Jinhua was outside.

Finally, Wu Ya couldn’t hold it in. He cleared his throat, though his voice was still tight with annoyance: “Hey! Why did you pinch my waist earlier? You used so much force you nearly twisted the skin off!”

Li Qiaoqiao threw off her quilt and turned to glare at him. “I pinched you? Why don’t you talk about how you nearly smothered me to death? And why did you press down so hard? I could barely breathe! It was just acting; was that necessary, Master Wu?”

“If I didn’t press down, how would I fool Mother? That dry moaning of yours sounded like a mosquito; it wouldn’t even fool a dog!” Wu Ya bit back instantly. “And ‘Brother Tie Niu~ be gentler~’—Li Qiaoqiao, aren’t your teeth aching from the cringe? I’ve got enough goosebumps to cover the bed!”

“Still better than you! Tsk, acting like it was the real thing! Anyone watching would think you’re a veteran!” Li Qiaoqiao sat up, hands on her hips, though the gesture lacked threat in the dark.

“That was a momentary flash of genius under pressure! Unlike you—you’ve been planning this for a long time, just waiting for a chance to take advantage of me, haven’t you?”

“Take advantage of you? Wu Ya, have you no shame! With those two ounces of meat on your bones, I wouldn’t take you for free, mph mph—”

The rest of her insult was cut off by a pillow Wu Ya threw accurately at her stomach. The two of them bickered back and forth in hushed voices for several rounds, neither willing to surrender. It was as if only through this explosive arguing could they suppress the lingering awkwardness.

Eventually, they grew tired. Both snorted simultaneously and lay down back-to-back, each pulling their quilt to their own side, leaving a wide gap in the middle.

But the atmosphere was undeniably different.

The room grew quiet again, leaving only the sound of their deliberate, shallow breathing. Wu Ya stared at the dark earthen wall, unable to sleep. Behind him, Li Qiaoqiao shifted slightly, and the muscles in his back instinctively tensed.

After a long while, when her breathing became steady and rhythmic, indicating she was asleep, he finally turned over like a thief. A faint sliver of moonlight filtered in. Li Qiaoqiao was facing his way, seemingly deep in sleep.

Her eyes, usually wide and ready to argue, were closed peacefully. Her long lashes cast small shadows on her cheeks, fluttering slightly with her breath. Her nose was small, and her mouth was slightly parted. She looked quite obedient—a different person from the sharp-tongued girl she was when awake.

As Wu Ya watched, his irritation faded. He even thought: When this girl is asleep, she looks rather pleasant? At least more lovable than her usual eloquent, prickly self.

The thought startled him, and he “paged” in his mind. But his gaze felt glued to her. He watched her secretly, and slowly, his tense mouth relaxed into a tiny, almost imperceptible curve. A sense of inexplicable peace washed over him, and as his eyelids grew heavy, he too fell asleep.

…

The next morning.

At the first crack of dawn, the courtyard was buzzing. Zhang Jinhua was in a fantastic mood, humming a tune as she cooked. When Li Qiaoqiao and Wu Ya emerged from their room one after the other, a simple breakfast was already on the table.

Zhang Jinhua’s eyes crinkled into slits the moment she saw them. Noticing the faint dark circles under Li Qiaoqiao’s eyes, she assumed she knew exactly why. She pushed the thick porridge toward her: “Qiaoqiao, eat more. You must be tired.”

She then winked at Wu Ya. “Tie Niu, you eat more too. Build up your strength!”