The Comments Section Said She Was My Wife - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

◎ That waist was lean and powerful, with clearly defined muscles on the abdomen ◎

The ox cart rattled along, and the autumn breeze, still carrying a hint of restlessness, brushed against her cheeks with a touch of bland ease.

Chu Tang leaned against Xia Shi’s embrace. At first, she tried to force herself to stay awake, but she eventually drifted off before she knew it. She had no idea when they arrived, when they got off the cart, or even how Xia Shi carried her up the mountain.

When she woke up again, she was already lying in a strange room. The bed boards beneath her were slightly hard, incomparable to the high beds and soft pillows she was once accustomed to, but they were infinitely better than anything she had experienced over the past month. Lying in this completely unfamiliar environment, she actually felt a sense of peace and attachment, as if every bone in her body had softened.

Chu Tang was already physically drained by her illness. Now that the tension in her heart had loosened, the eyelids she had just opened felt heavy again. As she slowly closed her eyes to drift off, a series of footsteps finally pulled her mind back.

Her hands hidden under the quilt tightened slightly. A flash of vigilance crossed Chu Tang’s eyes as she looked toward the source of the sound.

As expected, it was Xia Shi coming in, carrying a large bowl. Seeing Chu Tang awake, the little hunter immediately beamed, happy and excited: “You’re awake? Perfect, I was just about to call you to eat something.”

As she spoke, she reached the bedside. With the bowl in one hand, she reached out with the other to help Chu Tang up.

Chu Tang subconsciously flinched, but before Xia Shi could notice, she chose to accept the gesture, letting herself be helped into a sitting position. Xia Shi’s home was sparsely furnished; there was no bedside table for her to set the bowl on.

She simply sat sideways on the edge of the bed and brought the bowl to Chu Tang’s face: “Someone who has been starving shouldn’t eat heavy fish or meat right away. I boiled some porridge so you can settle your stomach first.”

It was indeed porridge in the bowl, a massive portion, which Chu Tang knew at a glance she couldn’t finish. Before she could voice her concern, Xia Shi had already scooped up a spoonful with eager attentiveness and fed it to her lips: “Here, taste it. I added sugar, it should be sweet.”

The woman probably hadn’t taken care of anyone before, her method of feeding was blunt, the spoon pressing directly against Chu Tang’s lips.

Before Chu Tang could even refuse, she was forced to eat the spoonful…She didn’t know how Xia Shi’s general cooking was, but her porridge-making skills were genuinely decent. The rice was soft, glutinous, and thick, and the addition of sugar drove away most of the bitter taste that had lingered in Chu Tang’s mouth for days.

Seeing Chu Tang’s brow unfurl, Xia Shi couldn’t help but feel happy too. She withdrew her hand, intending to scoop another spoonful, but her wrist was suddenly caught by a cool, slender hand. Xia Shi looked up, bewildered: “What’s wrong?”

Chu Tang held onto her hand, her pale lips pursed, finally showing a hint of color: “It’s too much, I can’t finish it.”

In the past, Chu Tang wouldn’t have worried about not finishing a bowl of porridge, she would have simply had it thrown away. But things were different now, she didn’t want to leave Xia Shi with the impression that she was wasteful, nor did she want to leave half a bowl of porridge to be reheated for the next meal.

Xia Shi didn’t think much of it and shook her wrist to free herself: “It’s okay, just eat for now.”

As she spoke, she fed another spoonful. Chu Tang glanced at the bowl and finally gave up. She let Xia Shi feed her two more spoonfuls before pushing her hand away: “Alright, I’m full.”

Xia Shi looked at her, then at the still-full bowl in her hand, and muttered: “You eat even less than a cat.”

Chu Tang glanced at her, and Xia Shi immediately gave a sheepish smile. She shoved the bowl into Chu Tang’s hands: “Fine, keep eating. I won’t feed you anymore so you don’t feel awkward.”

She even stood up: “I’m going out, I’m still brewing medicine for you outside. Once you’re done eating, take your medicine and get some sleep.”

She walked out, leaving Chu Tang looking at the bowl and letting out a soft sigh of relief.

A quarter of an hour later, Xia Shi returned with a bowl of medicine. Looking down, she saw that the porridge bowl had decreased a little, though Chu Tang’s appetite was truly small, even after starving for so long, she hadn’t managed to finish the bowl.

Seeing Xia Shi return, she seemed relieved and hurriedly handed the bowl over: “I’m really full, I can’t eat the rest.”

Xia Shi nodded. This time, she didn’t force the issue. She took the porridge bowl with one hand and offered the medicine with the other: “The medicine is ready. Drink it.”

The freshly brewed medicine was steaming hot, its bitter scent wafting through the air. As soon as Chu Tang smelled it, the sweetness from the porridge was immediately overtaken by bitterness. She subconsciously tilted her head; she said nothing, but it was clear she was not someone who enjoyed taking medicine.

Naturally, no one likes medicine, but Xia Shi only found her evasive manner a bit cute.

She leaned in and tapped Chu Tang’s shoulder twice, then opened her palm in front of her with a beaming smile: “Be a good girl, drink the medicine, and I’ve prepared sugar for you. Once you drink the medicine, you can eat the sugar, and it won’t be bitter anymore.”

Chu Tang felt as if she were being coaxed like a child, and her heart felt incredibly complicated. But in reality, she didn’t need Xia Shi’s coaxing. Desperate to save herself, Chu Tang would have obediently drunk the hard-won decoction anyway—she took the bowl, tilted her head back, and downed it in one go. The bitterness spread from her mouth to her very heart, but she didn’t reach for the sugar in Xia Shi’s hand.

Xia Shi took the initiative to hold it to her lips, and even when she tried to refuse: “If I eat the sugar right after the medicine, it will ruin the efficacy.”

Xia Shi didn’t believe her, because her father used to coax her the same way. She forcefully pushed the sugar into Chu Tang’s mouth. Chu Tang couldn’t spit it out, nor could she eat it properly. As she hesitated, the sweetness of the sugar already began to drive away the bitter taste of the medicine.

Before leaving, the hunter whispered to her: “Be good, I’m going to clean up. If you’re tired, keep sleeping.”

Chu Tang fell asleep again, whether from the exhaustion of recent days or the sedative properties of the medicine, she didn’t know.

She slept very soundly. In her haze, she felt someone touching her feet, and there was a subtle, sharp, stinging sensation. But her eyelids were too heavy and her drowsiness too deep for the pain to wake her, so she drifted back into sleep.

Some time later, or perhaps a long while had passed, she felt a warm cloth wiping her cheek, but the sound sleeper still didn’t wake.

When she finally opened her eyes again, dawn was breaking.

She opened her eyes hazily and found herself leaning against a warm embrace.

Chu Tang’s body stiffened. She shifted her gaze upward and, as expected, saw Xia Shi’s sleeping face.

She was being held in a circle by this person. While it was intimate, Xia Shi was only holding her without any improper movements. But as Chu Tang stared at Xia Shi’s face, she couldn’t help but think of the words Xia Shi had said yesterday—washing clothes, cooking, and warming the bed. They had slept together last night; was she, in effect, warming the bed for this person?!

Once this thought surfaced, Chu Tang’s pale little face flushed with a crimson hue, and she felt increasingly uncomfortable in Xia Shi’s arms. Coupled with the fact that she had taken medicine and had a good night’s rest, Chu Tang, having regained some spirit, could no longer stay still. She began to shift backward, trying to detach herself from the embrace without waking Xia Shi.

However, the moment she moved, the sharp-eyed hunter jolted awake, her eyes full of keen vigilance.

Fortunately, Xia Shi quickly realized where she was, and her taut body relaxed in an instant. She looked down at the person in her arms and greeted her lazily: “Awake?”

When Xia Shi had just woken up, she was like a leopard startled from its nap, and Chu Tang was taken aback by the sharpness that flashed in her eyes. Once she relaxed, she was like a lazy lion—even with her claws retracted, her presence was still somewhat unnerving.

Chu Tang gave a soft “Mm,” and this time, she openly rolled out of the hunter’s arms.

She felt much better today. She propped herself up to sit, and only then did she notice something unusual about her feet. Remembering the vague sensation from the night before, she lifted the quilt to take a look. As expected, her foot injuries had been treated; both feet were wrapped in bandages, making her injuries look severe and quite pitiful.

Xia Shi yawned and sat up as well, visibly exhausted. To hunt that deer, she had spent two full days in the mountains without sleep and was already drained. Last night, taking care of Chu Tang had kept her up late, and one night of sleep wasn’t enough to recover.

However, since Chu Tang was awake, she couldn’t very well continue sleeping; she had to get up and take care of her.

She lifted the quilt and rose in a daze. Chu Tang heard the movement and turned her head to look, catching the moment Xia Shi’s undergarment hem shifted, revealing a segment of her waist. In that fleeting glance, she saw a waist that was lean and powerful, with clearly defined muscles on the abdomen—nothing like the soft, delicate waist of a typical young lady.

Chu Tang quickly averted her gaze, and not knowing what she was thinking of, her earlobes felt scalding hot again.