When Spring Burns - Chapter 16

Sheng Tingmian was completely unaware of how close she was to He Jianxue, her slender hand still attempting to explore further.

But in the next second, her wrist was caught.

“You’re drunk.”

A stern voice sounded by her ear. Sheng Tingmian’s blurry gaze fell upon her wrist, held firmly by another hand. The ruby woman’s ring was large and expensive.

It felt just like when she was trying on a little black dress at the luxury boutique, someone had held her like this then, too.

“Carry her back to her room.”

Sheng Tingmian felt her body lift lightly, leaving the soft warmth and the rather uncomfortable wheelchair behind.

Soon, she was resting her head on an exceptionally soft pillow, relaxing entirely as she lay on the bed, letting out a soft hum.

He Jianxue wheeled herself to the bedside, her gaze sweeping over Sheng Tingmian’s smooth ankles. She looked as lazy and content as a cat.

The assistant tucked her in and asked, “Will you be resting now, Miss He?”

He Jianxue shook her head. “You may leave.”

Though puzzled, the assistant complied, closing the door behind her.

In the elegantly understated bedroom, a faint scent of incense filled the air. The woman sat motionless in her wheelchair, quietly watching the figure on the bed.

Time passed slowly, and outside the floor-to-ceiling window, camellias bloomed silently.

The person on the bed stirred, turning over.

He Jianxue’s lips curved into a slight smile. Not long after, faint singing drifted from the bed.

Unable to make out the words clearly, He Jianxue watched intently as the figure sat up and sang two lines a cappella.

This time, she heard it clearly, two lines from The Jade Hairpin.

Was she going to perform The Jade Hairpin tonight?

The figure stepped barefoot onto the floor and moved to an open space. He Jianxue turned her wheelchair, her eyes following her.

Just as expected, once she found an open area, it was as if she had found her stage, singing leisurely.

A large Burberry shawl lay on the sofa. She draped it over her shoulders, letting the ends hang down like long sleeves. After gathering her emotions, she began to sing again.

Her drunken opera voice, delicate and melodious, carried a hint of intoxication. He Jianxue could almost envision her mature self in the future, like a ripe grape, graceful and enchanting.

In this 18-year-old girl, she saw the soul and charm of a true opera artist.

He Jianxue recalled how Sheng Tingmian had once stood before her, pleading for investment, saying her aunt’s opera troupe was on the verge of collapse. That small frame had dared to come alone to the He residence, seeking help from someone she had only known for a short time.

Perhaps it was this boldness and sincerity that had made He Jianxue see her in a new light.

After singing for about half an hour, Sheng Tingmian staggered to the sofa and lay down to sleep.

He Jianxue wheeled herself closer, her lips pressed thinly. Why sleep here? Last time, at least, you made it back to the bed.

He Jianxue raised her hand, about to press the call button on her wheelchair, but stopped at the last second.

She glanced at the slender, graceful figure on the sofa, and an idea flashed through her mind.

She maneuvered her wheelchair right up against the sofa, locking the wheels so it became a stationary chair.

Then, leaning forward, He Jianxue slid her hands under Sheng Tingmian’s knees and neck. Due to nerve damage below her knees, she had no support and had to use nearly all her strength to lift the girl onto her lap.

Afraid she might fall, He Jianxue wrapped Sheng Tingmian’s arms around her own neck.

“Mmm…” Sheng Tingmian opened her eyes drowsily. “Sis?”

He Jianxue froze for a moment, then remembered that Sheng Tingmian tended to black out after drinking and likely wouldn’t recall the night’s events. Steadying herself, she said, “Hold me.”

Sheng Tingmian’s eyes shimmered with a drunken haze as she obediently complied, “Alright, I’ll hold onto you, sister.”

He Jianxue felt an inexplicable delight seeing her so docile, her little head nestled against the crook of her shoulder. She turned her wheelchair and moved toward the bed.

“Sister, are you carrying me back…?” Sheng Tingmian’s legs draped over the armrests, her words carrying a faint scent of alcohol. She was somewhat confused, yet vaguely aware of what was happening.

“Mm, I’m trying to see if I can carry you back.”

Sheng Tingmian rested her face back against He Jianxue’s shoulder, lifting her eyelashes to gaze blankly at the furniture slowly receding behind them. The wheelchair moved steadily, and a sudden wave of sadness washed over her.

“Sister…can you tell me what happened to your legs?” She fixed a pair of concerned eyes directly on He Jianxue.

He Jianxue abruptly gripped the wheels, her jaw tightening slightly. She lowered her gaze to meet the young woman’s eyes, so close to her own, and hesitated for a long moment before replying, “…Nerve damage. I’ve been paralyzed for almost a year.”

“Is it incurable?” Sheng Tingmian nuzzled against her neck. “Have you seen a doctor, sister?”

“I have, but it didn’t help.” He Jianxue began turning the wheels again.

Sheng Tingmian settled back against her shoulder, her dangling wrist brushing against the woman’s collarbone. She sighed inwardly. “Sister, you’ll get better…”

“You will definitely get better…” she murmured, her eyelids growing heavy.

“We’re here.” He Jianxue stopped by the bed and noticed Sheng Tingmian was on the verge of falling asleep but still clinging tightly to her.

He Jianxue chuckled softly, her voice husky, and tried to loosen Sheng Tingmian’s hands. Feeling her wrists being adjusted, Sheng Tingmian instinctively tightened her grip.

“Mianmian, go to bed and sleep,” He Jianxue reminded her.

“Oh…” Only then did Sheng Tingmian seem to register the instruction. Placing her feet on the edge of the bed, she knelt on the mattress and slowly crawled to her spot.

“So sleepy…” She swept her dark, silky hair over her right shoulder and lay down obediently. Through her drowsy haze, she saw a figure struggling onto the bed and lying down beside her.

The familiar scent of camellias drifted over, a fragrance Sheng Tingmian adored, it always brought her immense peace.

“Sister…” She shifted closer, her slender arm wrapping around the other’s waist as she searched for a cozy spot to nestle. Her eyes roamed over He Jianxue’s upper body before suddenly fixing on her face.

“Sister, you’re so beautiful…”

Sheng Tingmian sighed in admiration, then leaned in and, to He Jianxue’s astonishment, pressed a kiss to her cheek.

A few seconds later, content, she lay back down, snuggling into the other’s embrace, and fell into a deep sleep.

It took He Jianxue a while to snap out of her daze. She touched her cheek in disbelief, but moments later, recalling the earlier compliment, she smiled faintly, dismissing it as a childlike whim.

…

The next day, Sheng Tingmian woke up rather late and rushed to breakfast in a fluster, she still had to go to work.

“Sister, why didn’t you wake me up?” Sheng Tingmian pouted and cast a lingering glance at the woman across from her as she picked up a glass of milk. “I’m going to be late.”

“You drank too much last night, so I let you sleep a bit longer,” He Jianxue replied, sipping her coffee leisurely.

Hearing that she had overindulged again, Sheng Tingmian was taken aback. Had she gotten drunk last night?

“Then… I didn’t do anything strange, did I?” she asked uneasily, recalling how the last time she was drunk, she had gotten up in the middle of the night to sing opera, startling everyone.

He Jianxue looked at her meaningfully. “Nothing much. You just sang The Jade Hairpin for half an hour.”

“……” Sheng Tingmian bit her lip, feeling that this habit of hers was truly embarrassing. She decided she would talk to her aunt later about how to treat it.

Once she made up her mind, Sheng Tingmian continued eating breakfast. After finishing, she got into her sister’s car and headed to the theater for work.

When she arrived, her aunt surprisingly didn’t say a word about her being late. Sheng Tingmian found it strange. “Auntie, why aren’t you saying anything about me being late?”

Sheng Xiaoyun glanced at her. “Miss He called me this morning. She said you’d be coming in a bit later and asked me to schedule your rehearsal for last.”

Ever since their troupe gained attention online, more people had started coming to the theater to watch their performances, including many younger faces.

“So that’s what happened,” Sheng Tingmian murmured to herself as she applied her makeup, unable to suppress a smile at the corner of her lips. Her sister actually cared about such trivial matters.

After finishing her morning performance, Sheng Tingmian went to find her aunt. “Auntie, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Sheng Xiaoyun asked, “What is it?”

Sheng Tingmian replied, “It seems like I have this habit of singing opera when I’m drunk.”

Sheng Xiaoyun exclaimed, “What? You’ve been drinking?”

Seeing her aunt’s displeased expression, Sheng Tingmian quickly explained, “Auntie, I’m an adult now. What’s wrong with me having a little drink?”

Hearing her repeatedly use her adulthood as an excuse, Sheng Xiaoyun swallowed the scolding words she was about to say. The little girl had grown up, and she couldn’t keep controlling her like before.

“Did you drink at Miss He’s place?”

“Yes!” Sheng Tingmian nodded. “Sister gave me some red wine.”

Sheng Xiaoyun frowned. “Drink less in the future, and don’t overdo it. What were you saying earlier? Singing opera in the middle of the night when you’re drunk?”

“Right,” Sheng Tingmian said with distress. “Both times I got drunk were at my sister’s place, and I ended up singing opera in the middle of the night. What should I do… Could I be sleepwalking? Auntie, how can this be treated?”

She didn’t want to sing opera in the middle of the night, not only did it scare people, but it also disturbed her sister’s sleep.

Seeing that she seemed to be telling the truth, Sheng Xiaoyun thought seriously about the matter. “I remember the theater director knows a very famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. I’ll go ask him about it later.”

“Really?” Sheng Tingmian felt a wave of relief. It was good to have her aunt around.

After lunch, Sheng Xiaoyun went to the director and got the address of the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. “Mian, after work, I’ll take you to see him.”

“Okay.”

Just before leaving work, Sheng Tingmian called He Jianxue to let her know that she was going to see a doctor with her aunt after work and that she didn’t need to send a car to pick her up.

“Auntie, I’ve sorted it out,” Sheng Tingmian said after hanging up the phone, then followed Sheng Xiaoyun into a taxi.

It took over an hour to get there. The traditional Chinese medicine clinic was located on the side of the street, but the storefront was quite small and easy to miss at first glance.

Sheng Tingmian followed her aunt inside and watched as she spoke with the elderly practitioner. Eventually, he asked Sheng Tingmian to extend her wrist for a pulse reading.

After checking her pulse for a while, the elderly practitioner began discussing her condition with her aunt. Some of the terms he used were unfamiliar to Sheng Tingmian, but her aunt seemed to understand them perfectly and engaged in a lengthy conversation with him.

Bored, Sheng Tingmian looked around the clinic. On the wall hung a diagram of human acupuncture points, and against another wall stood a full cabinet of medicinal herbs.

Many certificates were also displayed, and she realized that this clinic belonged to a family of medical practitioners. The elderly doctor’s children and grandchildren were all studying medicine, as was the woman dispensing medicine inside.

Suddenly, she noticed the word “nerves” on the meridian chart. Her heart skipped a beat, and she inexplicably thought of her sister’s legs. She wondered if this traditional Chinese medicine practitioner could treat her sister’s condition.

Sheng Xiaoyun paid the consultation fee. Inside, a woman was collecting medicine with her prescription slip. Sheng Tingmian tentatively asked, “Sir, I have an elder sister who cannot walk due to her legs. Can you treat her?”