Chapter 2: The night in the small house

After spending about 40 minutes with my family, I fell into a deep sleep. Because I had just recovered from a serious injury, my physical strength could not last long.

During this time, it was always my mother and two sisters talking, and my father sat by with a silly smile on his face, unable to say anything. Several times he was so excited that he reached for a cigarette, but he resisted and put it back.

The way he was so careful was clearly because he was afraid that I would get hurt again.

During those 40 minutes, I was given the best care possible. The three women all rushed to feed me soup and medicine… This is what family love tastes like, the warmest flow of the most ordinary things.

Unfortunately, I had difficulty speaking and did not talk to them much, but I think my eyes and expressions expressed all my emotions. Some things do not necessarily need to be expressed in words.

I slept soundly in this room, surrounded by all the important people, in the most familiar bamboo forest cottage. How could I not feel at ease?

Especially when my mother and I were chatting, she already mentioned to me that my fellow students and important friends were also here… It turned out that they were safe. This solved my biggest worry. I felt that this happiness was too unreal.

I don’t know when I woke up, but I woke up to the most familiar smell.

At that time, the night was as cool as water, and a crescent moon hung outside the bamboo window… On the stool under the window, a hunched figure was silhouetted by the moonlight and the black light.

Before the silhouette, a little fire flickered on and off. This was the source of the most familiar smell, the smell of my master’s tobacco. During the days I was unconscious, he must have gone to get the familiar tobacco leaves.

At that moment, I had a strong desire to ask my master where he got the tobacco leaves. I didn’t feel safe, and I was afraid that he would leave again. This familiar smell could carry my thoughts.

This scene was so familiar, and the feeling of returning to the original place was indescribable, so I dared not make a sound, wanting to indulge in this moment for a while, so that I could feel that everything was real, not a dream.

Unfortunately, I had probably slept for too long, and when I woke up, I found that this position was not very comfortable. I couldn’t help but gently move my body, making a slight noise, and the wound I pulled also made me groan.

“Don’t move around, it’s not good for the wound. When you wake up, just let me know.” Under the moonlight, the master didn’t turn around, and his words were exceptionally clear in the quiet night, with only the rustling of bamboo leaves and the chirping of insects.

It is this clarity that allows me to touch the truth.

“I’m not used to it yet.” I didn’t know how to express my myriad emotions, and what came out of my mouth was a sentence that was so misleading. I was actually just not used to this kind of happiness, so I was a little cautious.

“Yes, I’ve been away from you for too long. Have you gotten used to me?” The master put out his pipe and a somewhat despondent voice entered my ears.

In my heart, he has always been a cynical, but incredibly tough man. He rarely expresses emotions like loneliness and sadness, as if these emotions would make him weak if expressed. Tonight’s directness is unusual.

“No, I’m not used to this kind of… happiness.” I still had some difficulty speaking, but it was much better than when I first woke up. After all, Brother Chengxin once said that I had the recovery ability of a wild boar, and this time I had Uncle Chen and Brother Chengxin helping me to regulate my body.

The master was silent, but he came over to me and helped me up, propping me up with a pillow.

During this process, I could feel his carefulness, and I was also lost in thought, feeling that life is really a cycle. From when he took care of me as a child to when I found him again, it was still necessary for him to take care of me like this.

The pillow cushioning my back made me feel much more comfortable, and I felt that my chest was breathing more easily.

Master is an extreme person, at least when it comes to talking. Either he talks a lot, or he is extremely silent… Like this time, when he helped me sit up, he sat down next to me on a stool, and we were both speechless.

But I really had a lot to say to him, and for a moment I couldn’t even find a topic to talk about. I could only follow the silence for a while before I finally said, “Master, what time is it?”

“I’m not used to wearing a watch, but I guess it’s past 2 a.m., right?” The master replied casually, not sure, and then got up to get me another piece of clothing to wear.

My body was carefully moved by the master, and his strength was suitable. I didn’t feel much pain, so I asked casually, “It’s two o’clock, and you’re not sleeping? Why did you think of coming here? I don’t need someone to keep watch now, do I?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came to your room to sit down.” The master didn’t say much, but this simple sentence revealed a lot.

After all, I had already woken up for a while, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he was so close to me, giving me a dressing. I could clearly see that his eyes were just as red and scary as my family’s.

This shows that my family has spent many sleepless nights, and he has spent many sleepless nights… Even tonight, he is still worried.

When I woke up, he didn’t rush over right away. He probably wanted to give my family some time. But Master is also my family!

Master, as always, is not used to expressing his feelings in any direct way. It’s funny to think about it, but how did he end up with such a sticky disciple?

I thought to myself, “Isn’t this another kind of extreme?” My master looked up and asked me, “What are you laughing at?”

“No!” I looked out the window. The moonlight was so quiet. I had been sleeping for so long that I felt like my body was rusting. I suddenly said to my master, “Master, I’ve been lying down for a long time. Can I go out for a walk?”

“You little brat, you’re not even properly recovering from your injuries and you’re already thinking about jumping around?” Naturally, the master refused.

I could only change my approach and asked him directly, “Master, how long have I been in a coma?”

“More than half a month.” This time, the master answered very directly, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. I knew at a glance that he was blaming himself for not taking good care of me and letting me suffer such a serious injury.

Since I was a child, he has protected me too well, and this time was no exception. I was so badly injured in front of him, how much suffering must he have felt inside? During the days I was in a coma, how many quiet nights did he sit silently in my room, silent all night long?

Thinking about this, I felt a little sad, but I didn’t want Master to be consumed by self-blame, so I changed the subject and said to him, “Master, who could stand being in bed for a month and a half? Let me go for a walk?”

“Hmm…” Master was hesitant.

“Master, you’ll go crazy,” I pleaded, just like when I was a child and I was always playing tricks on my master.

The master didn’t say anything, but stood up and helped me to the bedside. He sat me down and carefully dressed me in layer after layer of clothes. Then he said, “Then go out and walk around. It’s cool at night, so don’t make any more trouble.”

“Mmm,” I nodded quickly, and couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t know that I had nodded too hard, which caused the wound to pull, making me let out a groan.

“Joy can lead to sorrow. You don’t understand such a simple truth.” The master scolded me while supporting me, letting me rest my hand on his shoulder. It was as if the whole of me was being supported by the master.

I laughed, but I didn’t answer. I didn’t think it was a case of “joy brings sorrow.” I thought… it was a way for my master to express his emotions, and it came from the care of an elder. I had been missing it for so long. A little pain could make him show his emotions. What if it hurt a little more?

“The place you were injured was your heart, so be careful… Your life is at stake. If that claw had gone in a little deeper, even the immortals couldn’t have saved you.” I walked very slowly, and my master supported me while he kept saying, “You can’t even let your heart get tired now. If you’re tired, you have to say so directly.”

I nodded and walked with my master to the corridor of the Bamboo Grove Cottage. This place was where we used to sit, whether drinking tea, playing chess or chatting, and it holds so many memories.

Now, the moonlight is as smooth as water here, and everything is still so familiar… The Bamboo Grove seems to be the same as always, except that a few temporary houses have been built next to it. There must be so many people that the Bamboo Grove can’t accommodate them.

“Keep your voice down. Everyone hasn’t slept well these days. Don’t wake them up,” my master said as he helped me down the stairs step by step.

I also tried to keep my voice down. I was moved. The reason everyone hadn’t slept well was probably because of my injury, right?

However, I was inexplicably silent, and I couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

“What’s wrong?” Master sensed my emotions.

In front of my master, I didn’t need to hide anything, and I just said in a low voice, “Master, I miss Ruoxue.”

“That girl…” Master suddenly fell silent, as if she had something to say, but didn’t know how to say it. Then she just helped me walk towards the water pool.

My heart was beating faster and faster. I knew that Master must have known something. About Ruoxue…