The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 28

The Lingering Shadow

Regarding whether Su Huai actually liked him, Yan Jin still couldn’t quite figure it out. But one thing was crystal clear this boy was becoming increasingly “clingy.”

In the past, they might not see each other for several days; lately, he bumped into the boy everywhere.

He would wake up and take a stroll in the courtyard, and there was Su Huai, tilling soil for the flowers. He would take Little White Plum out for fresh air, and Su Huai would happen to be returning from gathering herbs. He would go out for a consultation, and Su Huai would be traveling the same path. He would visit Boss Chen to reminisce, and upon stepping out, he would see Su Huai buying an umbrella.

Oh, and that umbrella was likely for Yan Jin. Only he loved using an umbrella printed with crabapples to block the snow, and two days ago, he had taken a spill while walking the dog, snapping his own umbrella when he landed on it.

If those were all coincidences, then what Yan Jin saw today absolutely could not be described as such.

On this day, Yan Jin had just visited the former little beggars with Li Dasheng. On the way back, he handed the letter and medallion from the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate to Yin Zhushuang, finally finding a moment to scrutinize Su Huai’s recent behavior.

To this end, he specifically consulted the System, which had created countless popular romantic pairings.

Before Yan Jin could even finish his sentence, the System grandly waved a hand and reached a conclusion: “He is seducing you.”

Yan Jin countered, “How can someone seduce like that? He hasn’t approached me directly, nor has he come within five meters of me. His distance control is exceptionally proper.”

The System said dryly, “Oh.”

As Yan Jin opened his bedroom door, he continued, “Don’t be perfunctory with me. He just happens to favor men, but toward me, it should still be normal brotherly affection. He’s just become more attentive as he’s grown up…”

Excellent. His words choked in his throat.

Because Su Huai was sitting properly on the small couch by the window in Yan Jin’s bedroom, holding a pair of torn undergarments in one hand and a needle and thread in the other, busily mending.

His expression in the warm winter sun was so tender it could practically leak water. He sewed meticulously, even leaning in close to the tear after every few stitches to check the needlework, occasionally letting out a gentle breath.

Those trousers were the ones Yan Jin had torn during his fall a few days ago; the tear was at the knee. Logically, blowing on them was fine…

But! Why did he have to blow on them?!

Yan Jin’s entire face turned bright red. He felt as though his head were emitting steam like a freshly burned coal. He stood at the door, neither able to enter nor leave.

At that moment, Su Huai seemed to sense something. He tilted his head toward the door, and Yan Jin saw that face the one he had dubbed the “Plum Blossom Immortal” smile at him in the sunlight.

He was practically glowing.

System: “Wow~”

Yan Jin: “……”

Bang!

He slammed the door shut. The same Master Yan who could usually banter his way through a mountain collapsing before his eyes fled in a frantic panic.

Heavens, there is an incubus in my room trying to seduce me!

Seeking Counsel

Yan Jin was out of options. He bolted straight to the County Magistrate’s office and hauled Lin Jiebai out. His expression was as grim as if he’d seen a ghost. “I have something to ask you.”

Lin Jiebai had been clutching his waist and cursing the Magistrate in his heart. Seeing Yan Jin like this, he quickly straightened up. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at the Hall of Three Lives?”

“No.” Something happened to me.

Yan Jin hesitated, not knowing where to begin. He wanted to ask why Su Huai had become a “cut sleeve.” He wanted to ask what he should do now that he was seemingly being “targeted” and held in a death grip he couldn’t escape. He even wanted to ask how one determines if they themselves are a cut sleeve…

His thoughts spun. He was about to speak, but as he watched Lin Jiebai squirming and shifting on a wooden chair without a cushion, the words that left his mouth were: “Does your backside hurt?”

The words fell, and with a crack, Lin Jiebai threw out his back. “…”

Yan Jin realized what he had said. His hand shook, and his tea splashed directly onto Lin Jiebai’s face. “…”

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Just then, footsteps came from outside as the County Magistrate approached. “Xiaobai, I brought the ointment. Is Doctor Yan…” He entered the room, saw the scene, and tactfully shut his mouth.

Lin Jiebai wiped the tea leaves from his face. Having finally found his tongue, he recalled the exchange to confirm he hadn’t misheard. He asked tentatively, “Eldest Senior Brother, you…”

“Stop!” Yan Jin interrupted loudly, forcing a “smile of death.” “Forget this ever happened. If you mention it again, don’t bother returning to the Hall of Three Lives.”

Lin Jiebai was usually afraid of him, but seeing him in such a state was a rare curiosity. He scrutinized Yan Jin and, understanding a bit, teased, “What? Is it Junior Brother?”

It was fine as long as he didn’t mention Su Huai. The moment he did, Yan Jin’s fur stood on end. He forgot everything he intended to ask and, in a fit of embarrassed rage, pinned Lin Jiebai into the chair, weighing whether to silence him forever.

Finally, he took a deep breath, released the struggling Lin Jiebai, and walked away shakily. He wondered what he should do—should he go back and educate his Junior Brother on “proper” views on love?

Then he remembered Su Huai acting pitiful in front of him and felt it wouldn’t work. How was that different from a sheep entering a wolf’s mouth?

Su Huai was clearly playing mind games with him in the open; the boy must know exactly what “traitorous” things he was doing. Going to persuade him now would be futile.

Is this some new type of rebellious phase? Why is raising a child so hard?

He was about to find a place to ponder if his educational methods had gone catastrophically wrong when a hand grabbed his arm.

Seeing the doctor stop, the Magistrate quickly let go. “Doctor Yan, my apologies, but you cannot leave yet. A distinguished guest has arrived, seeking the Hall of Three Lives.”

Yan Jin was stunned. He composed himself, pushed the previous matters aside, and asked, “Who?”

The Magistrate said solemnly, “The Wen family of the Marquis of Dingyuan.”

The Fall of the Wen House

If anyone were told that the Hall of Three Lives had a connection with the House of the Marquis of Dingyuan, they would be called a madman.

There was simply too vast a gap between the two. One was a dilapidated clinic that couldn’t even produce fifty taels of silver at once and relied on the neighbors for help; the other was a Marquis of a different surname who wielded power over the entire court a presence to whom even the current Emperor yielded.

However, what no one knew was that years ago, the Hall of Three Lives was a subordinate branch of the Wen family, and even now, it could be considered a remnant of the old Wen guard.

As for why they were “remnants,” it was because the leader of the Wen family had changed from the founding general, the Old Marquis, to his adopted son, Wen Wu.

Unlike the Old Marquis, Wen Wu was a true “villainous official.” In his early teens, he snatched the title of Marquis from the Old Marquis’s frail biological daughter his own adopted sister and switched his loyalty to the Empress Dowager, tarnishing the Old Marquis’s lifelong reputation for integrity.

He was erratic and bloodthirsty. During a factional struggle, he had once publicly decapitated a political rival to present the head to the Empress Dowager as a sign of loyalty. The generals and strategists of the old Wen guard could not stomach his behavior and left the Wen family one by one to find their own paths which eventually led to the creation of the Hall of Three Lives.

“That brat Wen Wu is dying?”

“The Wen family said this matter must not be publicized. Their visit is to ask Master to come out of seclusion to save his life.”

Inside the Hall of Three Lives, Yan Jin placed a medallion into Yin Zhushuang’s hand. This medallion was different from the previous one; it wasn’t the Marquis Estate’s official seal, but instead bore the character “Luo.”

Yin Zhushuang turned the medallion over several times. “So that girl Wen Luopu came personally?”

Wen Luopu was the adopted sister who, according to rumor, had her title stolen by Wen Wu.

“Yes. She wishes to see Master,” Yan Jin said.

“Pass.” Yin Zhushuang tossed the medallion onto the table and took a swig from a wine jar. “You go. I won’t. I’m afraid that if I see Wen Wu’s face, I’ll want to poison his medicine.”

“Huh? Me?” Yan Jin quickly tucked the medallion away, looking up sharply. “How am I supposed to go?” That was the Marquis Estate.

“How? With your feet.” Yin Zhushuang wobbled away with her wine, waving a hand as she left. “It’s settled then. Tell the Wen girl I’m only agreeing for the sake of her mother’s memory. If there’s a next time, let Wen Wu wait for death.”

She paused and added a final instruction: “Don’t work too hard. I don’t care if he’s left with a permanent ailment just as long as he doesn’t die.”

With that, she leaped onto the roof and vanished, leaving a bewildered Yan Jin behind.

The Journey to the Capital

The bewilderment lasted until he boarded the Wen family’s carriage.

The Marquis Estate! That’s the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the second center of power in this era. Could he really go to such a place?

Moreover, the current head of the Wen family was not a kind man. Would he have his head lopped off the next day just for stepping into the house with his left foot first?

A Wen family servant tapped on the carriage frame, his voice coming through the curtain: “Doctor Yan, would you like to alight to eat some dry rations?”

Yan Jin snapped out of his daze and quickly agreed. He lifted the curtain; the midday sun was somewhat piercing, causing him to squint.

Just as he stepped down, he saw a woman standing in the shade of a tree nearby. She wore a pale green cloak and was softly giving orders to the attendants. Hearing the commotion, she turned and offered a slight nod to Yan Jin.

She was not as fragile and helpless as the rumors suggested. Instead, her features were gentle, her aura elegant, and her mannerisms composed. Throughout the journey, everything was arranged in an orderly fashion; he had never seen her flustered.

“Doctor Yan,” she said softly. “The journey has been hard on you.”

Yan Jin composed himself and cupped his hands in a salute. “Miss Wen.”

Wen Luopu gave a faint smile and indicated the flatbread toasting over the campfire. “If you don’t mind, please share some with us. The journey is long, and we must increase our pace; there likely won’t be time for rest later. I ask for Doctor Yan’s patience.”

Yan Jin quickly agreed. He sat by the fire and took the flatbread handed to him by a servant. The bread was coarse and warm, yet it inexplicably made him think of Su Huai.

If Su Huai were here, he would surely frown, take the bread away, and pull out some pastries from who-knows-where to give me, then watch until I finished them.

I suddenly really want to eat the osmanthus honey tangyuan Su Huai makes—

Yan Jin choked down the dry bread, imagining the sweet taste of tangyuan in his mouth.

Then he paused. How did I become such a picky eater? He had eaten much worse things in the past and felt that as long as there was food, it was enough. Now, he was actually demanding quality.

All food under heaven is equal. Food is equal.

Yan Jin muttered it a few times, then suddenly laughed in frustration.

Damn it. Ever since a few years ago, I’ve been cared for by Su Huai. I’ve been “spoiled” into a picky eater and only just realized it!

Life without Su Huai was truly becoming an uncomfortable habit.

At this thought, his face fell again. By his count, this was the fourth time they had been separated, and every time, Su Huai managed to pull some stunt that left him powerless. Who knew how it would be this time? And then there was that business about being a “cut sleeve”…

Yan Jin swallowed those thoughts down along with the bread. He was the Senior Brother; a Senior Brother shouldn’t be reckless alongside his Junior. Being restrained, rational, and guiding his Junior toward a correct understanding of feelings that was what he should do.

He finished the bread along with his worries, swallowing the tiny flutter in his heart into his stomach, planning to let it out as a fart later. Suddenly, he heard a rapid beat of hooves approaching from a distance.

He instinctively looked up, and his entire body froze

Amidst the white landscape, a single horse and rider galloped toward him from the end of the road. With green robes fluttering in the wind, who could it be but Su Huai?

Yan Jin stood up blankly, the bread in his hand falling to the ground unnoticed. He suspected his overthinking had caused a hallucination, but the sound of hooves grew louder, making his chest feel numb with the vibration.

He stepped forward slowly until Su Huai yanked the reins. The steed’s front hooves reared up as it let out a long neigh, stopping barely a step away from him.

The wind died down. Su Huai flipped off the horse, his chest still heaving violently. He grabbed Yan Jin’s wrist in a death grip: “Yan Jin… Senior Brother…”

Yan Jin didn’t hear the rest. He only felt that the temperature of Su Huai’s palm was far too hot, and he truly felt like he was going to die.

He whispered to the System: “I have a new plot for you. Do you want it? ‘He flees, he pursues, and he cannot escape even with wings.'”

Someone, please save me!