northernbook Chapter 108 Night
Chapter 108 Night
Doctor Yuan poured Xiao Han a cup of wine and handed it to him: "Here... Your Highness, please try this fine wine that I have been saving. I usually can't bear to drink it!"
Xiao Han took the wine cup and said, "In that case, I am in for a treat today."
Because of Xiao Han's arrival, and because it was already late, Doctor Yuan went to the backyard to ask the chef to cook two dishes to go with the wine.
They drank, ate, and chatted, with Dr. Yuan's hearty laughter echoing through the pharmacy from time to time.
It was mostly Dr. Yuan and Long Chuqing who did the talking, chatting about everything under the sun.
Xiao Han sat to the side, drinking and listening to their conversation, occasionally chiming in with a word or two.
Time flies when you're drinking and chatting; before you know it, an hour has passed.
"No... I can't drink anymore, I'm already a little drunk." Doctor Yuan waved his hand and said, "Let's stop drinking here for today. I need to go back and rest. I'm too old to stay up all night with you young people."
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving, you guys keep drinking,” he stood up and staggered toward the backyard.
Seeing him staggering unsteadily, Long Chuqing stood up and asked worriedly, "Dr. Yuan... do you need help?"
"No need, no need, you can sit down." He said, waving his hand.
"Slow down, don't fall."
After Doctor Yuan left, only Long Chuqing and Xiao Han remained. Without Doctor Yuan's voice, the pharmacy immediately fell silent.
Long Chuqing glanced at the empty wine jug on the table and realized that he had actually drunk quite a bit.
Just then, the sound of the night watchman's drum rang out; it was midnight.
Long Chuqing felt it was getting late, so she called Xiao Han back: "Xiao Han... it's past midnight, you should go back now."
"You know it's past midnight," Xiao Han said leisurely, looking at her. "It's curfew, how am I supposed to get home?"
"Go back the way you came out."
Xiao Han sat at the table, propping his cheek up with one hand, staring at Long Chuqing. He noticed that she had drunk some wine that night, and her cheeks were flushed.
A gentle smile appeared on his face, and his eyes sparkled with a tenderness he had never seen before. He smiled softly and murmured, "Chu Qing...you are so beautiful."
He spoke softly, but Long Chuqing still heard him.
She glanced at him again, looking him over suspiciously: "You're acting strangely, you've had too much to drink!"
Xiao Han did drink quite a bit. He didn't say much, just sat there drinking.
Dr. Yuan also drank quite a bit, while Long Chuqing didn't drink much. She still had to check on the little girl's condition later, so she didn't dare to drink too much.
Seeing this, she quickly gathered up the untouched bottles of wine on the table and put the caps back on the opened bottles.
She reached for the pot in front of Xiao Han, but he immediately grabbed it and wouldn't let her take it.
She said with a hint of resentment, "I want to drink more..."
Seeing that there wasn't much wine left, Long Chuqing let him have his way, saying helplessly, "Drink up! We've already drunk so much, a little more won't make a difference."
She put the remaining wine in the counter and tucked the empty bottles away in a corner to avoid accidentally kicking them.
She tidied up the table again.
At this moment, Xiao Han was already a little drunk, and his head was a bit dizzy. He rested his chin on his hands and watched Long Chuqing pack up.
After Long Chuqing finished tidying up, she came over and asked, "Xiao Han...aren't you planning to go back tonight?"
Xiao Han nodded: "I won't go back, I'll stay here with you."
Long Chuqing glanced at the medicine furnace beside her; there were still some charcoal embers inside.
He told Xiao Han that she was going to see the little girl and that it was up to him whether she came back or not.
She knocked on the door and entered the room; the little girl's mother was lying on the bed next to her.
He wasn't asleep at the time, and when he saw her come in, he got up and greeted her.
The little girl was still unconscious, so she checked her pulse again and gave her acupuncture.
He fed her some more medicine, and then, when the woman wasn't looking, he pressed the phoenix hairpin under her pillow, instructing Feifeng to help heal her wounds later.
When she went out, she told the woman to let her sleep for a while and not to keep watching her, saying that she would keep an eye on her.
When she came out, it was already past midnight. She found Xiao Han asleep on the table, probably because he had drunk too much and was tipsy.
The medicine stove next to it had been extinguished. Although the doors and windows were closed, the empty medicine hall was still very cold at night.
Seeing this, she went to her room to get her own cloak and covered him with it. It was late at night and raining, and she didn't want him to catch a cold.
She grabbed two doses of medicine from the medicine cabinet, intending to take them to the backyard to brew, and also grabbed some hangover remedies to brew together.
They had all gone to sleep and turned off the lights, leaving only a lantern in the backyard, which was rather dim.
She lit two more candlesticks and placed them next to the medicine stove. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, and the candle flames would flicker with the wind, causing the medicine pot and Long Chuqing's shadow to sway in the candlelight.
The courtyard was unusually quiet, with only the dripping sound of raindrops falling from the eaves and hitting the ground.
Fortunately, there was a fire in the stove, which added some warmth to the cold night, making it less cold.
Xiao Han woke up not long after falling asleep, and as he got up, the cloak he was wearing slipped off his back.
He quickly reached out to grab her, and only when he looked at her clothes did he realize that she was covering him with her outer cloak.
His arm was slightly numb from sleeping on his stomach. He took a moment to recover, rubbed his temples, and shook his dizzy head.
After regaining his senses, he looked around carefully, but he couldn't see her in the lobby.
He got up to look for her, but couldn't find her at the counter or in the room.
Seeing a faint candlelight in the backyard, he went inside and found her there.
She was bending over to open the medicine jar to check it, and steam rose in wisps in the candlelight, brushing against her face.
Xiao Han slowly walked towards her. When Long Chuqing saw him approaching, she put the lid of the medicine jar back on.
"you're awake."
He walked to her side, unfolded the cloak he was holding, and draped it over her shoulders: "Are you cold?"
Long Chuqing pulled his collar tighter: "It's not very cold, there's a fire in the stove."
"Oh, right... I made some hangover soup, have a bowl."
After saying that, she turned around, poured a bowl of hangover soup, and handed it to him: "Drink it, it's not hot anymore, it's lukewarm."
Xiao Han nodded at her, took the bowl from her hand, and drank it all in one gulp.
After putting the bowl down, he asked her, "Chu Qing... are you sleepy?"
Long Chu straightened his clothes, sat down, and continued to watch the fire in the stove: "I'm not sleepy. If you are, go to the room on the right and take a nap! It's just not as comfortable as the bed in the mansion."
Xiao Han found a stool and sat down next to her: "I'll stay here with you."
She looked at Xiao Han and smiled gently: "Then come a little closer, there's a fire here, it's warmer."
Xiao Han smiled and moved closer to her.
After the medicine was decocted, Long Chu poured a bowl of it and set it aside to cool. It was a calming medicine she had brewed for herself.
She rested her chin on her hands, waiting for the medicine to cool, then turned to Xiao Han and asked, "You drank so much, does your head hurt now?"
Xiao Han smiled and replied, "It doesn't hurt. I was just a little dizzy, but I feel much better now."