novelblue
Chapter 79 - 79 078 The Lasting Scent of Perfume The Obedient Xie
Chapter 79 - 79 078 The Lasting Scent of Perfume The Obedient Xie
?Chapter 79: 078: The Lasting Scent of Perfume, The Obedient Xie Shang (First Update) Chapter 79: 078: The Lasting Scent of Perfume, The Obedient Xie Shang (First Update) She suddenly raised her hand and touched his forehead, she guessed right, “You have a fever.”
She had noticed it just now, Xie Shang seemed lethargic today, and even with the car’s air conditioner set so low, there was still sweat on his forehead.
Xie Shang used his own hand to check, “I do?”
“Yes.”
His fever was not mild.
The green light turned on, and the driver behind them was impatient, continuously honking to urge them on.
Xie Shang didn’t mind, lightly stepped on the gas pedal, and drove through the intersection very slowly.
Once they reached the other side, Wen Changling said, “Pull over to the side, I’ll drive.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
Wen Changling was still not proficient at driving.
She saw that Xie Shang’s lips had lost some color, he must be feeling very uncomfortable, “It’s okay to drive slowly.”
Xie Shang pulled over and stopped the car.
The two of them switched places, Wen Changling fastened her seat belt, turned her head to look at Xie Shang, and waited for him to also buckle up before starting the car. Perhaps because of the fever, his movements were slower than usual.
“Let’s not eat out, let’s go home to eat.”
“Hmm,” Xie Shang adjusted his seat to recline.
Wen Changling drove carefully and asked Xie Shang, “Is it a side effect from that perfume?”
“No.”
Xie Shang had tested it during development, that bottle of perfume had no side effects. He wouldn’t keep something that did.
“Just a common cold,” he said.
“Are there any other symptoms besides the fever?”
“No,” Xie Shang reminded, “You need to change lanes.”
“Oh.”
They were about to turn right.
Wen Changling hastily reached for the turn signal, nearly reaching the solid line, and without waiting three seconds, she quickly changed lanes.
Xie Shang thought to himself that in the future, it’s better to have her drive less.
Along the way, Wen Changling stopped the car once.
She unbuckled her seat belt, “Wait for me in the car.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get medicine.”
There was a pharmacy across the street, Wen Changling got out of the car, waited for the pedestrian light to turn green, and ran across.
Xie Shang rolled down the car window, rested his head on the back of his seat, and didn’t feel much like moving. Outside the car window, it was busy with traffic, commuters in a hurry, and the street had numerous snack stalls, bustling and lively. The high fever made his reaction sluggish, his gaze dull, and as he stared in one direction, the shadows in his pupils slowly turned into a tiny dot.
Wen Changling bought some fever-reducing medicine.
They got home around six o’clock.
While buying medicine, Wen Changling had asked the pharmacist, the fever reducer could be taken before meals. She poured a cup of warm water for Xie Shang, “Take your medicine.”
Xie Shang took the water, swallowed the pill, and lay back down on the recliner.
“Go to sleep in the room.”
He hummed a response, and got up from the recliner.
He didn’t talk much when he was sick, his pace slowed, but he was very compliant.
“I’ll call you when the meal is ready.”
“You’re cooking?” Last time Granny Zhu returned to her hometown, Wen Changling reported to the noodle shop punctually every day, Xie Shang was a bit skeptical, “Can you cook?”
She nodded, “It’s passable.”
From his room, Xie Shang could see Wen Changling in the semi-open kitchen, bustling about, back and forth. She even stepped out once, carrying a chicken egg in each hand when she returned.
The curtains weren’t drawn, and for a time the setting sun was somewhat blinding. Slowly, very slowly, it grew darker.
*****
“Xie Shang.”
“Xie Shang.”
Xie Shang opened his eyes, a low-temperature light hung from the ceiling, slightly glaring. He shielded it with his hand, and Wen Changling’s face appeared through the gaps between his fingers.
She had her hair tied up, with a chopstick stuck in it.
“The meal is ready, do you want to come and eat?”
Xie Shang sat up.
“Changling.”
“Hmm.”
Whether it was the high fever that had made his voice hoarse, or just because he had just woken up, “Do you still smell the lime?”
Wen Changling shook her head.
Xie Shang often dealt with spices and had a more sensitive sense of smell than the average person. Perhaps because he had a low tolerance for Lian Ningsu, he could still smell it. After waking up last night, he didn’t sleep again and set the air conditioner to its lowest temperature, just letting the hours pass until dawn.
By now the sky was completely dark.
Wen Changling didn’t ask Xie Shang to do anything; she just sat in a chair in the courtyard, waiting for dinner. She was in the kitchen, serving dishes and porridge. She had also made a soup—snow pear, apple, and brown sugar stewed together.
Xie Shang propped his chin with one hand as he watched the kitchen. The light, the apron, the stove that Wen Changling had left in a messy and dirty state, the faucet that hadn’t been turned off properly and was still dripping, the homely smell of cookery filling the yard, the fireflies in the bushes… Everything looked so good.
Only—
Xie Shang took a bite of green vegetables, “How much salt did you put in this?”
“Not a lot.”
It wasn’t the first time Wen Changling had cooked, she wasn’t inexperienced.
She tasted it herself, “It doesn’t taste salty.” She thought it was quite bland.
Xie Shang drank some water.
She tasted it again, this time the vegetables were salty, “Oh, it must be that the salt didn’t get spread out evenly.” It wasn’t a big problem.
She stood up, took Xie Shang’s bowl, and added another spoonful of egg and lean meat porridge to it, “If it’s too salty, just drink more porridge, then it won’t be salty.”
Xie Shang: “…”
So this was what Miss Wen meant by saying her cooking was passable.
The lean meat porridge and shredded potatoes didn’t have any major issues. They weren’t particularly tasty, but not bad either. Wen Changling wasn’t picky about food; as long as it was cooked, it was fine.
After eating, Wen Changling went to wash the dishes. Xie Shang offered to help, but she waved him off, saying it wasn’t necessary. Xie Shang lit a mosquito-repelling incense and placed it in the kitchen. He sat in the courtyard, watching her busy herself.
The night sky was speckled with stars, and a gentle breeze blew.
After tidying up, Wen Changling dried her hands and went over to touch Xie Shang’s head. Her palms were cool from just having washed them, and Xie Shang instinctively tilted his head to press closer to her touch.
“Still a bit feverish,” she said. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“No need.”
Xie Shang didn’t feel like moving at all right now.
“Wait for me a moment.”
Wen Changling dashed out.
Xie Shang stared at the doorway, sat for a while, then got up and went to his room.
The room door was ajar, not quite closed. After Wen Changling came back, she pushed the door open. Inside, Xie Shang had just taken off his shirt.
It was rare for a man who exuded such strong masculine hormones to also possess an aura of orchids and fine trees, especially one whose clothes were disheveled but still managed to maintain an air of fresh breezes and bright moonlight.
His body clearly held desire, yet his face had an untouchable coldness.
This striking contrast made one unable to resist the urge to destroy it.
Wen Changling turned around slowly, “I’m sorry.”
She closed the door and waited outside.
Xie Shang changed into his pajamas, “Okay, you can come in now.”
Wen Changling then reentered, pulling over a slightly shorter chair.
“You sit here.”
Xie Shang sat down, wearing a black nightgown. His hair had become somewhat disheveled from changing clothes, and he hadn’t buttoned the topmost button, revealing skin that seemed even paler against the black fabric. He emanated a sense of domesticity.
Wen Changling tore open the fever-reducing patch bag, knelt down halfway, and brushed the hair from Xie Shang’s forehead before sticking the patch on it.
Xie Shang picked up the packaging she had thrown onto the table.
“What is this?”
“A fever-reducing patch. Don’t you recognize it?”
She smoothed it out.
Xie Shang had never seen such a thing; the packaging had a baby pictured on it.
“Isn’t this for kids?”
“Adults can use it too.”
Wen Changling tore open another one, looked sideways, and placed it on Xie Shang’s neck, “These were leftovers from when I used them on Tongtong, they’re about to expire.”
Xie Shang: “…”
One corner had not stuck properly.
Wen Changling leaned in to fix it.
Xie Shang stayed motionless, letting her fuss over him.
She pulled out the corner and smoothed it down, “It’s on properly now, you should sleep. I’ll be going back.”
Xie Shang held her hand.
He still felt very uncomfortable, and the fever-reducing patch worked slowly, not as quickly as the coolness her fingers brought when they brushed his skin.
“Stay a little longer before you go back.”
He stood up and embraced Wen Changling.
Again, he smelled it, the scent of lime.