Seventeen thousand seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

In the original story, although Qi Jingyan was ruthless and cold-hearted, his actions were always straightforward and aboveboard. Even when he did evil or harmed others, he did so openly, never hiding anything.

So, upon receiving his single “hmm,” Meng Yuning finally relaxed. She knelt down and took two steps back, getting off the bed.

She took a full set of clean clothes from her bundle and placed them by the bedside, then began undressing. After removing her outer garment, she couldn’t help but glance out the window once more.

She saw Yi’er, who had just been running around the wheelchair holding a little woven grass animal, now quietly sitting in the wheelchair with Qi Jingyan cradling him in his arms. The two brothers faced the valley, their backs toward her.

Wait—speaking of the wheelchair, hadn’t Qi Jingyan not brought one yesterday? Where did this one come from?

Curious, Meng Yuning leaned on the window and looked carefully. To her surprise, the wooden wheelchair was brand new.

Given the many capable guards around Qi Jingyan, skilled in various crafts, making a wheelchair wasn’t surprising.

Meng Yuning stopped pondering further. She draped her discarded outer garment over the window frame, covering a large patch of the glass. Then she took off her inner shirt and trousers, leaving only her undergarments on. She squatted by the bucket, washed her face and hair, then stepped over the wooden tub and sat down inside.

Wrapped in the warm, slightly hot water, she rubbed her arms and sighed with comfort, thinking how wonderful it would be to have a hot bath every day.

She wanted to soak longer, but remembering the two brothers still sitting quietly outside, she felt embarrassed to waste time. So she quickly cleaned herself, hurriedly stood up, stepped out of the bucket, removed her drenched undergarments, and used a handkerchief to dry herself and wrap her hair. She swiftly changed into fresh clothes, and once finished, breathed a sigh of relief as she sat by the couch.

As she gently dried her hair, her eyes caught a glimpse of the ointment bottle peeking from her bundle. Suddenly recalling she had only applied it once to her leg wound, she was amazed at how nearly healed it was—she hadn’t felt any discomfort during the bath. The ointment was truly miraculous.

Outside, Yi’er had been sitting in the wheelchair for some time and was starting to get restless.

He turned his little head, trying to look back, but Qi Jingyan’s large hand gently turned his face back and said softly, “Do not look without permission.”

Yi’er nodded, then curiously asked, “Brother, why is Miss Meng taking such a long bath?”

Noticing that Qi Jingyan and others called Meng Yuning “Miss Meng,” the little boy imitated them.

Qi Jingyan replied, “Miss Meng is a young lady—she tends to be more careful and slower than men; it’s normal.”

Meng Yuning finished drying her hair, gathered it into a bun atop her head, and pinned it with a hairpin, leaving most of it loose to dry easily.

She took down the outer garment from the window, glanced outside, and saw the two brothers obediently sitting with their backs to her as she expected. She couldn’t help but smile and called out, “Your Highness, I’m done bathing—you can turn around now.”

Qi Jingyan responded with a “hmm” but did not turn.

After watching for a while and seeing he remained still, Meng Yuning didn’t mind. She put on her shoes and socks, gathered the clothes she had taken off, then opened the two doors to pour out the water from the wooden tub.

But when she reached the tub, she was stunned. Earlier, she had used a clean basin intended for cooking to bring water to the tub, but now the bathwater was dirty. She couldn’t use the basin for food again. That basin would be unusable.

She looked around but found no suitable vessel, so she stepped outside.

By Qi Jingyan’s side, she saw him holding Yi’er and pointing ahead. “That’s the direction of Lingnan.”

Yi’er was not very interested in Lingnan and soon asked, “Brother, where is the palace?”

Qi Jingyan pointed in the opposite direction. “There.”

Yi’er straightened his back and craned his neck to look. “Brother, when will we return to the palace?”

Qi Jingyan replied, “When you grow up a bit.”

Yi’er measured with his small hands holding the woven rabbit and fox, “That big?”

Qi Jingyan smiled and patted his head. “A bit bigger. When you can ride a horse yourself, we’ll go back.”

The little boy clenched his tiny fists and nodded seriously. “Then I’ll eat a lot and grow fast.”

Qi Jingyan agreed, then glanced at Meng Yuning, who had been waiting nearby. “Is there something?”

Meng Yuning pointed inside, hesitating. “Your Highness, I want to carry the water out, but I don’t have a proper tool. The wooden tub is too heavy for me to move.”

Qi Jingyan said, “Leave it. When Mu Yun and the others return, they can carry it out.”

Meng Yuning felt awkward. Although Mu Yun and the others were kind, they were still unfamiliar men. Asking them to pour out her bathwater felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Qi Jingyan looked puzzled. “Why uncomfortable?”

Remembering Qi Jingyan had countless people attending to him since childhood, Meng Yuning felt it pointless to explain. “It’s just… not comfortable.”

Qi Jingyan stared at her for a moment, making her flushed cheeks even redder from the hot bath. Then he pointed to some bamboo guards had cut nearby. “If you want to do it yourself, cut some bamboo tubes to carry the water.”

Meng Yuning’s eyes brightened. “That’s a great idea.”

She went to the stove, found a kitchen knife, and eagerly approached the bamboo stalks, choosing a sturdy one. She swung the knife at a bamboo joint.

Crack, crack, crack—

Her hands went numb from the effort, yet she couldn’t cut off a segment.

Squatting on the ground, she shook her hands in disbelief. “Is this stuff really so hard?”

Qi Jingyan’s lips twitched slightly. He lifted Yi’er and set him on the ground, then slowly pushed the wheelchair forward by turning the wheels.

The ground was uneven, and the wheels rough, so the movement was bumpy and awkward.

Seeing this, Yi’er dropped the grass rabbits and foxes, chased after, and tried to help push with all his might. But at three years old, he was too small. Despite his best effort, he barely made a dent and quickly became breathless, his little face flushed.

Hearing the noise, Meng Yuning looked up, saw the scene, and quickly dropped the knife. She got up, ran over, and joined behind the wheelchair with Yi’er to help push. “Your Highness, you could have called me.”

Qi Jingyan remained expressionless. “It’s alright. My leg is injured, but my hands work.”

Meng Yuning said, “But Doctor Tang said your leg isn’t healed yet—you must be careful.”

Qi Jingyan grunted in acknowledgment.

When they reached the bamboo, Qi Jingyan stopped and said to Meng Yuning, “Go inside and bring my knife.”

Meng Yuning guessed what he intended, nodded, and quickly retrieved the long straight sword hanging by his bedside. She returned and handed it to him.

Qi Jingyan gripped the handle, ready to draw the blade. Seeing this, Meng Yuning promptly took a step back and swiftly drew the sword from its sheath for him.

Qi Jingyan looked up, speechless.

Meng Yuning smiled. “Just a small favor, Your Highness, no need to be polite.”

After a moment of silence, Qi Jingyan reached out toward the bamboo Meng Yuning had been chopping. “Hand that to me, please.”

“Right away.” Meng Yuning carefully placed the gem-encrusted, obviously valuable sheath on the ground, picked up the heavy bamboo, and with a grunt, dragged it a few steps over to him.

Qi Jingyan took it single-handedly. “Come behind me.”

“Okay,” Meng Yuning obeyed, moving behind his wheelchair to stand alongside Yi’er, who had just gathered the woven animals.

Peering over his shoulder, Meng Yuning was struck by how large his hand was. The bamboo was too wide for both her hands, yet he gripped it easily with one.

Qi Jingyan weighed the bamboo in one hand, spun it around, then with a swift motion, the previously stubborn bamboo segment snapped cleanly.

Before Meng Yuning could retrieve it, he sliced through three more sections in quick succession, then stopped. “Is that enough?”

Qi Jingyan’s four cuts were so swift she only saw flashes of cold steel, never catching his hand movements. Four bamboo segments fell neatly to the ground.

Stunned by his speed, Meng Yuning instinctively applauded. “Wow, Your Highness is really fast.”

Qi Jingyan was speechless.

Yi’er, never one to fall behind in praising his brother, clapped his little hands and said proudly, “Brother is the fastest in the world!”

Meng Yuning was amused by the boy’s proud expression and joined in enthusiastically, “Your Highness is the fastest in the world!”

Qi Jingyan was left utterly speechless.