After loading all the luggage onto the carriage, Pei Huaijin first took her to the medical clinic to visit Qingjian.
Qingjian had three knife wounds: two on his chest and abdomen, and one on his leg. Because of this, he still couldn’t get out of bed to walk.
Qiongzhi had cared for him for several days, but Pei Huaijin found someone else to replace her afterward.
Qingjian had been to the gates of death and back. In just a few days, he had lost a lot of weight, but fortunately, his spirits were still good. It was just that being confined to bed was boring, so he was listlessly playing with his dagger.
When Shen Youran came in and saw how gaunt he looked, tears immediately welled up and streamed down her face.
Qingjian had been sitting propped up in bed, but when he saw her crying, he suddenly couldn’t sit still. However, he didn’t know how to comfort her and could only dryly say, “Young Madam, I’m fine, please don’t cry.”
Shen Youran said guiltily, “It’s all because you were protecting me that you got hurt so badly…”
“I was incompetent. I couldn’t protect you at the time.”
“You already did very well. They had too many men.”
“I’m not skilled in martial arts…”
“I’ve caused you trouble…”
Pei Huaijin watched the two of them who used to snap at each other so easily now apologizing back and forth and felt both relieved and amused. He cut them off, “Alright, stop apologizing. You two chat here for a while. I have something to handle outside.”
Shen Youran and Pei Huaijin understood each other silently, naturally knowing what he was going to do: this was the largest medical clinic in the capital; they should be able to find some method of contraception here.
Danruo and Qinghe were accompanying their young ladies here. Shen Youran wanted to do something for Qingjian, so she reached out to take his dagger, saying she wanted to peel some apples for him personally.
“Thank you for your kindness, Young Madam, but I don’t like apples.” Actually, his dagger was very sharp. Qingjian knew she couldn’t even hold a knife steadily, so naturally, he didn’t expect her to be able to peel an apple properly.
“Then do you like pears?”
Qingjian shook his head.
“How about oranges? You must like oranges.” Shen Youran took out an orange and began peeling it for him.
Qingjian understood she wanted to do something to make amends. “Young Madam, I am your servant. Protecting you is my duty. You don’t need to feel sorry for me being injured.”
“I don’t see you as a servant. To me, you’re family—just like Danruo and Qinghe.” Shen Youran peeled the orange carefully, cleaning the veins on the orange slices before handing them to him. “Here, try some…”
Qingjian took it, stunned, suddenly understanding why his husband would like her so much.
Before, Qingjian hadn’t thought highly of this Young Madam. He found her lazy, foolish, and prone to unreasonable tantrums. She didn’t compare to the Seventh Young Madam, who was dignified, polite, gentle, and gracious. But over time, he slowly realized this Young Madam was quite endearing. Although she was unworthy of his husband, she was straightforward, lively, and somewhat likable.
Now, he also discovered that this Young Madam treated everyone with warmth and kindness, regardless of status, and possessed a pure and good heart.
She was not unworthy of his husband.
From this day on, Qingjian truly accepted this Young Madam from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing him eat the orange but not immediately react, Shen Youran thought it must have been too sour and popped a slice into her own mouth. “It’s not sour, it’s quite sweet.”
Then she took out two more oranges and handed them to Danruo and Qinghe.
The three ate oranges, then dates, then pastries. Qingjian, as the one being visited, quietly sat on the bed, listening to their chattering while using his dagger to peel apples and pears for them.
Suddenly, the door was knocked, and someone peeked in, happily exclaiming, “Youran sister, it really is you!”
Shen Youran turned and saw, “Qingluo younger sister…”
Liang Qingluo happily stepped inside. “Youran sister, I haven’t seen you at Aunt Xiao’s place lately. I heard you were ill and took a long leave. Did you come here for treatment today?”
The only one in the Liang family who knew she was in trouble was Liang Xu. It seemed Liang Xu had not told his sister the truth, so Shen Youran decided to go along with it: “Yes, my health hasn’t been great, but it’s much better now.”
“You look thinner than before.” Liang Qingluo had just finished speaking when she saw the emaciated Qingjian. Having met him a few times before, she recognized him and asked with concern, “Huh? You’re sick too?”
Qingjian glanced at her and didn’t want to explain much, so he just nodded.
He recalled that the day Shen Youran was abducted had something to do with escorting Liang Qingluo home. If it hadn’t snowed that day, and if Qingluo could have ridden back, neither he nor Shen Youran would have needed to escort her, so they wouldn’t have passed through that alley.
But after he woke, Qiongzhi told him that when he was unconscious from his wounds, Liang Xu had just happened to pass by and stopped his bleeding in time, then had Liang family’s carriage driver bring him to the clinic. That was how he had narrowly survived.
Qingjian understood that Shen Luo was at fault, but his feelings were still somewhat complicated when he saw her.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight…”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Qingjian’s attitude was somewhat cold, and the atmosphere became awkward. Shen Youran had to step forward to smooth things over and handed her an apple. “Qingluo younger sister, what are you doing here?”
“My Sixth Brother is practicing archery and injured his arm tendons, so I’m here accompanying him for acupuncture…”
“Is that so? Where is he? I want to go see him.”
Previously, when she was trapped in Songlin Gorge and Pei Huaijin arrived with reinforcements, the Second Master had dragged her as a human shield. Xiao Ci and Liang Xu had coordinated: Xiao Ci drew out the Second Master, while the arrow that grazed her cheek and killed the Second Master was shot by Liang Xu.
Shen Youran hadn’t yet had the chance to thank him in person, so now knowing he was also at the clinic, she naturally wanted to go meet him.
“He’s on the second floor. I’ll take you there…” Judging by the time, Sixth Brother should have finished acupuncture by now.
This clinic had three floors. The first floor’s main hall was for consultations and dispensing medicine. The second floor had several rooms for massage, acupuncture, or treating injuries. The third floor, where Qingjian was, was primarily a recovery area for patients.
Because Sixth Brother needed to expose one side of his body during acupuncture, Liang Qingluo waited outside the room, which happened to be where Shen Youran and the others were.
There were two staircases leading down from the third floor, east and west. Liang Qingluo ate an orange while guiding Shen Youran down the western stairs to find Sixth Brother’s acupuncture room. They knocked and asked, “Sixth Brother, are you done?”
No one answered inside.
They could only wait outside. After a while, the husband of Liang Xu, who was doing his acupuncture, came out along the corridor and told them that the patient had already left long ago.
Already left?
But since Liang Qingluo was still here, Liang Xu surely hadn’t left the clinic yet. He was probably looking for her all over.
Liang Qingluo linked arms with Shen Youran. “Let’s find him, Youran sister.”
They searched along the second floor corridor and soon ran into Liang Xu coming toward them.
He lowered his head, expression heavy, lost in thought. When Shen Youran and Liang Qingluo approached, he stopped unconsciously, surprised to see her. “Lady Shen, you’re here too?”
Every time he saw her, he called her “Lady Shen,” never “Madam Shen” or “Madam Pei.”
Shen Youran didn’t think much of it and smiled, “I came with my husband to visit Qingjian. I just happened to run into Qingluo younger sister and learned you were here, so I wanted to thank you in person…”
Hearing “husband,” Liang Xu’s expression became slightly more complicated. “Where is Young Master Pei? Why didn’t I see him?”
“He’s busy at the moment. He should be here soon…”
“Lady Shen, just now…” Liang Xu hesitated to speak.
How could he tell her that he had just seen her husband in a room on the east side of the corridor?
He’d been coming here for acupuncture for some time and knew that a certain doctor on the second floor’s east side specialized in male ailments. He had seen Pei Huaijin go in there.
He had no intention of prying into others’ privacy, but since it was her husband, he hesitated and almost unconsciously went to the door and overheard some of the conversation.
Pei Huaijin’s voice was almost inaudible, but he could catch fragments of the doctor’s voice.
“So young… how could this be…”
“Like Young Master Pei… such cases are rare…”
“After this… no offspring… within three years…”
Liang Xu was astonished. He hadn’t expected that despite Pei Huaijin’s tall and graceful appearance and seeming good health, he actually had a hidden ailment.
Just now, hearing Shen Youran say she came with Pei Huaijin to visit Qingjian, and seeing her expression, he clearly understood she did not know about her husband’s condition.
But this was something he overheard by accident. How could he tell her?
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to keep Pei Huaijin’s secret for now: perhaps this illness could still be cured.
“Liang Gongzi, what’s wrong? You stopped talking halfway and look so serious.” Shen Youran noticed his sudden silence and expression.
“Nothing,” Liang Xu quickly made a lame excuse. “I just couldn’t find my ninth sister. Didn’t expect to see her with you.”
“Qingluo said you injured your arm tendons practicing archery, but your skill is already excellent. Why train so hard?”
“Next month, an envoy from a vassal state will come for an audience. His Majesty plans to host a banquet at the Southern Imperial Garden. I have to accompany in shooting practice, so I’ve been training harder lately…”
“I see.” Shen Youran couldn’t help much but offered some encouraging words. “Then take care of yourself. Balance work and rest. I think your archery skills are excellent. You’ll do fine.”
“Thanks for your good wishes.” Liang Xu was worried that if he stayed longer, he might run into Pei Huaijin. Thinking that he had accidentally eavesdropped on his secret, he felt a little uneasy facing him. So, before Pei Huaijin arrived, he said goodbye to Shen Youran, “I have to get back to training. Lady Shen, I’ll take my sister home now.”
“All right, take care.”
“Youran sister,” Liang Qingluo was reluctant to part after only a few words. “The weather is getting colder. Aunt Xiao plans to give us some days off. Are you busy recently? If not, can I come visit you?”
“I don’t have much to do. You’re welcome to come. But I might leave the mansion occasionally. Before you come, remember to send a messenger to the Shen residence a day in advance so you don’t come for nothing…”
“Shen residence?” Liang Qingluo thought she had misspoken. “Don’t you live at the Pei residence?”
“I plan to stay at my parents’ home for a few days, so I’ll be at the Shen residence for the next half month.”
Going back to her parents’ home? For half a month?
Could a married woman stay at her natal home for so long?
Could something have happened?
Liang Qingluo wanted to ask more, but the clinic corridor was busy with people coming and going, so it wasn’t a suitable place to talk. Sixth Brother was also eager to get back to training, so Liang Qingluo could only say, “Alright, I’ll send you a messenger another day.”
Shen Youran watched the siblings go downstairs. When they reached the clinic’s entrance, they turned back to wave before disappearing into the long street.
She also prepared to go back up to the third floor to find Danruo and Qinghe.
Pei Huaijin appeared beside her quietly. When she turned, she bumped into him.
He frowned slightly and took a breath, as if something had been hurt where she collided with him.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Youran thought he was pretending and teased, “Why are you suddenly so fragile?”
Pei Huaijin lowered his head and gestured for her to look three inches below his navel. “I just asked the doctor about contraception methods. There are many, but I chose one that’s once and for all.”
Shen Youran quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was passing by. Then she scolded him with a glance, “Can’t you wait until we get home to say things like that?”
Taking advantage of no one being around, Pei Huaijin explained briefly, “The doctor implanted a soft needle inside my body. You just happened to bump the spot where the needle is.”
“Implanted a needle? What needle?”
Pei Huaijin leaned close to her ear. “A contraception needle. Once implanted, you don’t need to take contraceptive medicine.”
When he was in the doctor’s room, the doctor had been surprised when he heard Pei Huaijin wanted contraception. “So young… in the prime childbearing age… why not want children?”
Then seeing Pei Huaijin insist on the needle implantation method, the doctor sighed, “A man as considerate as Young Master Pei is rare…” The doctor explained that most men chose their wives to take contraceptive pills or wore fish bladder sheaths during intercourse. However, those methods were not foolproof and pregnancy was still possible.
The implanted needle was the most effective contraception method of all.
And implanting the needle wasn’t difficult. It just hurt a bit. The doctor finished quickly and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. Once implanted, there will be no offspring. If you change your mind, the needle can be removed within three years without affecting your ability to have children.”
This method perfectly suited Pei Huaijin’s wishes.