Chapter 48 – Astray Demon Lord’s Son (6)
Hearing the commotion behind him, Chen Luosong turned his head and saw the person who had just entered the shop. He knew they would meet again, but he hadn’t expected it to be here. Putting down the teacup in his hand, he habitually smiled and nodded slightly as a greeting.
Using this attitude towards a nobleman should have seemed too casual, but as if it were the most natural thing, no one around felt any sense of incongruity. Even the nobleman himself had no reaction.
…Or perhaps it wasn’t entirely no reaction.
The man’s ears turned slightly red. His hand, hanging by his side, twitched unconsciously. Qi Ming took a step closer and said, “What a coincidence.”
It wasn’t entirely a coincidence; the fact that they met again was because he had been looking towards the roadside. Glancing at the various medicines piled up around, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Chen Luosong replied, “Waiting for medicine.”
The medicine he needed required special processing before it could be packaged and taken away, so now all he could do was wait.
Upon hearing this, Qi Ming finally lowered his head and took a closer look at the person in front of him.
The last time they met, there was a lamp nearby. The dim light made it hard to see the man’s complexion. Now that he looked closely, he noticed that the other’s face was indeed paler than usual, with lips lacking any color, and his thin frame was barely hidden by the loose robe.
“Why did you stop so suddenly?”
He was about to say something more when footsteps came from behind. A few friends who had been waiting impatiently for his return appeared and, patting him on the shoulder, leaned over to see what was happening.
A few well-dressed young gentlemen and ladies stood together, followed by a string of servants, looking quite grand. Chen Luosong saw them and smiled.
When he smiled, he appeared very relaxed. His light-colored pupils showed no sign of avoidance or disturbance. The redness on the tips of Qi Ming’s ears hadn’t faded and even seemed to deepen. Qi Ming immediately introduced them as his friends.
Then he turned to the young gentlemen and ladies beside him and introduced Chen Luosong as a new friend.
He referred to him as a new friend, but everyone nearby knew what he was thinking, their gazes shifting back and forth between the two of them.
Before anyone could say more, Qi Ming said to the young gentlemen beside him, “You all go ahead, I’ll stay here a bit longer. I’ll come find you after I’ve collected the medicine.”
Someone asked, “How much longer for the medicine?”
The pharmacist appeared just in time to answer, “There are a few steps left, about an hour.”
“Leaving a bit later today is fine,” one of the young gentlemen said, pointing outside, “Just an hour. We’ll go to the Bamboo Pavilion first, you can come over when you’re done.”
The Bamboo Pavilion was a nice spot on a nearby street where they liked to go when they had free time, perfect for passing the time.
Qi Ming glanced down at the seated person, then turned to the others and said, “Alright.”
Thus, he naturally stayed behind.
The carriages outside left, and the servants also departed from the pharmacy. The place returned to its usual state.
Watching the others disappear through the doorway, Qi Ming sat down. After a brief hesitation, he lowered his head and took out an embroidered pouch from his sleeve. As he opened the pouch, he said, “Last time, you left your hairband at the pavilion. I intended to return it to you, but it accidentally fell into the river and got wet.”
Without mentioning his fall into the water, he took out the item from the pouch and said, “I found a new one to replace it. I hope you like it.”
What he produced was a long hairband. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary hairband, but a slight movement revealed silver patterns on it, resembling drifting clouds.
Chen Luosong accepted it. He didn’t care much for these things, as long as they were functional.
Seeing him accept the hairband, Qi Ming finally felt relieved, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
Having learned from his previous mistake, this time he clearly remembered to ask for the other person’s address.
The address was complex and difficult to remember. Borrowing paper and a brush from the store, Chen Luosong wrote down the address of the pharmacy. Once the ink dried, he handed the paper to Qi Ming, returned the borrowed brush and inkstone, then picked up the teacup that had been freshly filled.
Qi Ming carefully accepted the paper and, upon looking at it, his eyes widened slightly.
One’s character could be seen in their handwriting. The person holding the tea smiled gently, but his handwriting was extremely messy and unrestrained, with bold strokes.
—It was just a little better than a dog’s clawed handwriting.
Qi Ming’s gaze shifted slightly upwards, looking at the pale hand holding the teacup. The light here was good, allowing him to clearly see the dark veins on the back of the hand, the prominent knuckles, and the slender fingers.
It was hard to imagine that the characters on the paper were written by these hands.
Carefully folding the paper, he placed it deep within his sleeve, patting it lightly to make sure it was secure.
Chen Luosong slowly sipped his tea, half-closing his eyes as he smiled.
Though they said it would take an hour, the medicine was ready and packaged in less time. He could leave immediately upon receiving it.
After taking the medicine handed to him by the pharmacist, Chen Luosong stood up, supporting himself on the table, and immediately announced his departure.
He had promised Zhou Xiaoji earlier that morning that he would return as soon as possible, and he hadn’t forgotten.
Qi Ming realized, for the first time, how quickly time had passed. So quickly that he barely had time to react before it was inexplicably gone. The person beside him seemed easygoing, but once a decision was made, it wouldn’t change or accommodate anyone. When Chen Luosong said he was leaving, he left. Qi Ming could only accompany him for a while and saw him off at the city gate.
Watching his figure gradually blend into the crowd and disappear from sight, Qi Ming finally withdrew his gaze. As he walked back, he took out the paper he had placed in his sleeve, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips.
With the address, he could visit whenever he wanted to see him again.
“……”
His smile froze, and his steps gradually slowed. Qi Ming stood still, staring at the paper in his hand.
The handwriting was too messy for him to recognize.
Initially, he understood it because Chen Luosong had read out the address, matching the sounds to the characters. Now, with time having passed, he could no longer decipher it.
——
That afternoon, Chen Luosong returned to the pharmacy. Upon arriving, he immediately spotted Zhou Xiaoji, who had a stoic expression but was diligently working.
When Zhou Xiaoji saw him, his previously lifeless eyes brightened up. He quickly finished his task and rushed over to take the items Chen Luosong was carrying.
Most of what he carried were various types of medicine, numerous but not heavy.
As evening approached, and they left the pharmacy heading home, Zhou Ji automatically took the medicine bags and the ingredients needed for dinner.
Chen Luosong made sure to wear an extra robe to keep warm and patted Zhou Ji on the shoulder, a habit he had retained.
Zhou Xiaoji had grown taller than Chen Luosong, who originally planned to stop placing his hand on his shoulder. However, Zhou Ji would bend down naturally, so the habit continued.
By the time they reached home, it was nearly dark.
Since realizing the other person’s prowess in cooking, Zhou Ji had taken on all the cooking duties. What were once clumsy movements had become increasingly proficient, and he now knew the kitchen like the back of his hand.
During dinner, Zhou Ji casually asked if anything noteworthy had happened in the capital.
It had been a very uneventful day with nothing unexpected, so Chen Luosong simply replied that nothing had happened.
Zhou Ji quietly sighed in relief.
Given his poor health, Chen Luosong needed to sleep early. After dinner, they divided some herbal leaves, and feeling it was about time, he got up to prepare for a bath.
While he bathed, Housekeeper Zhou, took away his clothes to be washed.
…
Still steaming from the bath, Chen Luosong returned to his room as usual. He sat on the edge of the bed, slowly drying his hair. Zhou Xiaoji, who was supposed to be doing something else, entered the room with Chen Luosong’s changed clothes draped over his arm.
Standing by the door, Zhou Xiaoji lowered his eyes and opened his clenched hand to reveal an embroidered pouch. He said, “This fell out when I was taking your clothes.”
Chen Luosong had already forgotten about the pouch. He leaned over slightly, took it, and thanked him.
Zhou Ji asked, “Did someone give this to you?”
Chen Luosong nodded and placed the pouch aside, continuing to dry his hair slowly.
He didn’t usually accept things casually, but this time, when he thought of refusing, he remembered the almost-tearful face he had seen during the last Midsummer Festival. He felt that refusing might be more troublesome than accepting, so he took it.
Zhou Ji asked again, “Was it the person who gave you the lantern last time?”
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Zhou Ji didn’t say much more. He delivered the items and then left with the changed clothes.
Chen Luosong continued drying his hair. After a couple of strokes, his hand grew tired, so he put it down and let his wet hair hang loose. He turned to look at the window through which the night breeze was constantly blowing.
In the silence, he could hear the rustling sound of the leaves being blown by the wind outside the window.
Just as the person who had given up on drying his hair planned to let it air dry, the one who had left returned.
Having anticipated that he would give up halfway through, Zhou Ji came back to the room with a clean towel, skillfully taking hold of the wet strands.
It had always been this way; Zhou Ji was the one to dry his hair, to tidy it, and to tie it up.
As long as Zhou Ji was around, these tasks were reserved exclusively for him and no one else.
Bending down to carefully wipe the damp long hair, he whispered, “Just having me by your side, isn’t that enough, Brother Chen?”
No one responded. In the quiet space, there was only the sound of the wind from outside and the towel rubbing against the hair.
Zhou Ji leaned in and saw that the person had already closed his eyes, half-hidden in the shadows.
He had waited too long, and the person had fallen asleep. The face that usually concealed everything now showed faint signs of weariness only visible in sleep.
“……”
Amid the gentle sound of the wind, the standing man bent down, and his lips lightly touched the soft strands of hair.
