When The War Is Over, Will You Plant A Blossom Tree For Me?Ch4 - Hairpin

The next few days passed similarly, Fei Li would remain in bed to nurse that throbbing pain in his head until Lu Qinyi would come in to help him eat or tend his wounds. Usually he would only be accompanied by the girl he called A-Jiao, but sometimes one of his two shadows would follow along, giving disapproving looks and words of complaint. A couple times Lu Qinyi tried again to let Dr Liang treat Fei Li but the latter refused to cooperate, not letting anyone but the proven gentle and trustworthy Lu Qinyi close. So Dr Liang had to make do with simply observing Lu Qinyi treat the wounds, writing a new prescription after seeing the healing progress. Although the aches across his body seemed to slowly be easing, the pain in his head just wouldn’t let up. He could still only hold a few thoughts before he would lose them to the haziness, so he could only continue like this.

But the routine was broken on this day when Lu Qinyi came to his room and announced, “You’ve only stayed cooped in this room doing nothing all day. You need to get fresh air or else you won’t recover General Fei. So we’re going for a walk in the courtyard today.” He seemed rather sure in this declaration of his, as if he was truly a physician now, qualified to comment on what would and wouldn’t aid recovery. Fei Li was able to hold a rare thought about this declaration and it was ‘Absolute nonsense’. Xj6zS

He was about to turn back to lay back on the bed when Lu Qinyi caught his wrist. His hold wasn’t firm at all but he did insistently give Fei Li’s wrist a gentle tug, that disarming smile of his wearing away Fei Li’s will to resist. And so he didn’t pull back, letting Lu Qinyi lead him out of the room.

Fei Li looked about cautiously but besides some guards that stood a comfortable distance away, there was no one else in the courtyard beyond the room. It was a rather spacey courtyard with a large tree near the center. Beside the tree there was a delicate table with a few chairs around it. The other side of the courtyard only held grass speckled with small, brightly coloured flowers. It was a rather simple courtyard but with the tree branches and grass swaying gently in the breeze that passed through, it was quite peaceful.

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Lu Qinyi had let go of his wrist as soon as he had gotten him outside, walking slowly by Fei Li’s side as he led the way around the outskirts of the courtyard. Once they reached the corner down from Fei Li’s room, he stopped, pointing at a door. “That’s my room and study. You’re free to walk around the courtyard whenever you like. If you need something, you can ask a servant or you can come ask me.”

Fei Li felt a surprise that he couldn’t quite place, almost as if he hadn’t expected their rooms to be so close by. But he couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t expect that. Lu Qinyi didn’t seem to notice this as he continued. “Some of my best guards live here as well. Same as Zhao Mei and Yang Xun, they live over there.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb to the opposite site of the courtyard. “Those two are both annoying and killjoys. I personally wouldn’t go knocking on their doors but you’re welcome to do as you like.” As usual, Lu Qinyi didn’t treat him as an idiot and as usual, Fei Li didn’t really give a response, merely glancing around the courtyard. unCD2P

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Lu Qinyi led him further then gestured to another door. “This is where the bath is.” He gave a whistle and two female servants came over. He paid no mind to how Fei Li went on high alert once more, eyeing them cautiously. Lu Qinyi put his hand on one of the girl’s heads, the one that usually served Fei Li. “The servants from my household use the surname Lin. They’ll answer to just Lin, or to their names. This is Lin Jiao.” He placed his other hand on the head of the remaining servant girl. “And this is Lin An. They are the most quiet and gentle of my servants. If you want a bath filled for you or anything else then just ask them.”

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Later that day, after some rest and with medicine running through his body, Fei Li had a few moments of near clear-headedness. Thus he recalled what Lu Qinyi had told him some time ago and had knocked on the bedside table. Sure enough one of the servant girls, Lin Jiao, responded. She had politely asked in a quiet volume if he wanted something to eat. Fei Li hadn’t responded but it seems the girl understood what to do, whether by explicit instruction or by observing Lu Qinyi’s interactions with Fei Li. She tried again, asking if he wanted a bath. Fei Li had looked at her, giving the slightest of nods and she swiftly left to prepare a bath.

Fei Li felt much better when he returned to his room afterwards. However, he had noticed when leaving and returning that the two guards he had noticed earlier… Although they moved aside to give Fei Li space, they would return to their spots on either side of the door to his room when he had passed by. They were guarding his room. Fei Li sat on the edge of the bed, his hair still dripping from the bath. He tried his best against the haziness and pain to think of why his room would be guarded. General… General Fei… him. General… General Lu… Fei Li’s brow furrowed. General Lu…

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But just as he felt close to understanding something, he was interrupted by the door opening.

His thoughts were lost to the swirling pain of his head as Lu Qinyi strolled in. “Oh! You had a bath, about time. I was starting to worry I’d have to help you with that too.” He joked as he came closer but the joke was turned on him when he saw Fei Li looking at him through his dripping wet hair. “Guess you do need some help after all.” He muttered to himself, finding a towel before coming before Fei Li again. He leant over, bringing the towel up to Fei Li’s hair, pausing a moment to see if the latter would allow it. Fei Li simply watched his actions closely but didn’t move away so Lu Qinyi set about drying his hair, gently and carefully. He cautiously avoided the wound on the back of Fei Li’s head.

Fei Li was tense at first but Lu Qinyi gave him no reason to worry so his avid attention slowly gave way and his gaze fell. He stared down at his own lap while Lu Qinyi dried his hair, his thoughts drifting. He felt it had been a long time since he had experienced someone drying his hair for him.

His attention was immediately dragged back when he heard a small, quiet gasp from above him. Lu Qinyi had withdrawn, looking at the towel that had come away with blood on it with displeasure. But once the initial shock subsided, he simply swapped out the towel for medical supplies and sat beside Fei Li to tend to his wounds. He sighed softly, mumbling to himself. “Of course the bath just had to wash off the scabs and your wound just has to be oozing blood again after all these days of careful care,” he lamented as he wound the fresh bandages around Fei Li’s head. Once he was done wallowing in pity and regret, he noticed how tangled Fei Li’s hair was. He frowned in dissatisfaction, his like for neatness leaving him unable to let it be so he got up to get a brush, holding it out to Fei Li. “Here, you should brush your hair, General Fei. It’s a mess.” X2k3q6

But Fei Li only stared blankly at him for a few moments. “What, you want me to brush your hair too?” Lu Qinyi asked. Fei Li glanced at him before turning his head away, as if exposing the lengths of tangled and knotted hair for him. Lu Qinyi couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Zhao Mei was right! You’ve become spoiled and I’m truly going to suffer because of it.” Caught between annoyance and amusement, he gave in and moved to sit behind Fei Li, taking his time to brush out each of the tangles in the other’s long black hair. Although this was somewhat closer than the distance Lu Qinyi normally maintained and the other was completely out of his sight, Fei Li only remained tense for a moment. The gentle, steady strokes of the brush only served to further lower his guard. He had the feeling it wasn’t often he experienced this either.

Neither spoke so a comfortable silence filled the room. Fei Li idly fiddled with the hem of his new robes. They were a soft material, quite comfortable. Although they were simple in design, the material was high quality and probably expensive. They were a grey blue in colour with simplistic but elegant white embroidery along the edges. He ran his fingertip slowly against the stitches of the embroidery, feeling that the people here seemed to wear a lot of blues. Blue clothes… Such a small detail and yet he felt it held a lot of importance. He tilted his head slightly, lost in thought as he tried to recall why such a detail would be important. Just as he did, Lu Qinyi’s fingers were placed against either side of his head, giving Fei Li a start. But Lu Qinyi merely straightened the position of his head before withdrawing his fingers. “Hold still will you? I’m nearly done.” Fei Li frowned. He definitely didn’t have something like that done to him very often! He had the feeling that usually no one would dare and yet Lu Qinyi just had, as if he had no regard for his own safety. But his mind fogged over again and the thoughts of beating up Lu Qinyi were lost between the throbs of pain in his head. Lu Qinyi finished up, tending to Fei Li’s other wounds before bidding good night, blissfully unaware of how close his brush with danger had been.

Days continued to drift by like this, with the only change being that on days where Fei Li felt a bit better, he would sometimes sit by the window, staring out at the courtyard at the birds and butterflies that visited or just the swaying of leaves in the tree. Lu Qinyi would continue to visit him for his meals, wounds or to drag him out to take a short walk. Except today, he didn’t come as night settled in and the time Lu Qinyi would come by to treat his wounds arrived. Fei Li had become too used to the routine and found himself waiting expectantly. But as time crawled on, there was still no sign of him. Fei Li had considered just falling back asleep but in the end, he summoned one of the servants. This time Lin An answered, hesitantly approaching. She wasn’t as skillful in handling Fei Li, seeming uncertain as she asked. “Did you need something General Fei?”

Fei Li frowned at that, thinking for a moment before raising a hand to tap at the bandages on his head. Lin An tilted her head, looking at him with a confused expression for a while before she understood. “Ah, Master Lu hasn’t come to change them. I believe he is still working in his study. I will go remind him.” She excused herself and left. But after another long while, there was still no sign of Lu Qinyi. TmS0YX

After another pause to consider, Fei Li got up from the bed, heading for the direction of Lu Qinyi’s room which had a faint light peeking out. No one stopped him even as he opened the door without knocking. Lu Qinyi was sitting at a low table he used for a desk, papers sprawled over it and he had been hastily writing on one of them. It seems he had recently bathed, with a soft robe meant for wearing around the house draped over his shoulders and a white jade hairpin holding up his hair instead of a crown.

At the sound of the door he looked up from his work, the brush in his hand pausing from writing. “Ah fuck, I lost track of time again didn’t I? Alright, come in and sit down, I’ll do it now. Lin An, get me some warm water.”

Fei Li sat down on a cushion that was placed at the other side of the desk, his gaze following Lu Qinyi as he vanished behind the screens that split the room in two. He then looked around the study part of the room. The wall across from the screen held bookcases lined with books, stacks of papers and scrolls. Spread on the wall between the bookcases was a map he was certain he was very familiar with. A thought bubbled up from the haze. ‘It’s the map of the border between the South and the North.’

Lu Qinyi returned with medical supplies, pushing aside papers to make room for them and the bowl of warm water on the desk. He then paused, “I don’t have any cloth strips…” he commented, contemplating before pulling the jade hairpin out of his hair. He used it to skillfully hook Fei Li’s hair, turning his hand to twist the hair around the pin before securing it in place. He then set about tending to Fei Li, his movements a tad faster then usual but no less careful. He then noticed that Fei Li’s gaze had shifted to the bowl of half eaten soup that sat on his desk. gvRo0K

“Ah of course, you haven’t eaten yet either.” He mumbled, feeling guilty as he pulled his soup bowl over, taking a small sip before pushing it into Fei Li’s hands. “Eat this for now. I’ll have Lin An bring some more food over.” Fei Li drank it with no reservations while Lu Qinyi finished tending his wounds.

Lin An cleaned up before placing down a plate of buns. Lu Qinyi returned to his seat at the desk and kept working. He would take a bite of one of the buns without looking up, place it down for Fei Li then return to writing. Fei Li watched him busily writing and vaguely wondered what he was doing as he ate his food. At some point, Lu Qinyi felt Fei Li’s curious gaze on him and looked up. “Ah… I need to give regular reports. I hadn’t paid them much mind but now they all need to be done by tomorrow. Talk about shooting yourself with an arrow, right?” He said in good humour, dipping his brush in the ink and laying out a new piece of paper. “If you’ve finished eating then head to bed General Fei.” He prompted gently, rubbing at one of his eyes with the back of his hand tiredly while the other kept writing.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Fei Li took his suggestion, getting up and returning to his room. He felt a bit sluggish now that he had eaten, promptly collapsing into his bed but he felt something pressing against his head. He reached his hand back and pulled the jade hairpin from his hair. It was cool to the touch, masterfully carved into smooth lines. The end of it had a pattern carved into it. A delicate, thin line of gold laid along the carved lines. The gold shimmered faintly when it caught the light of the softly glowing light cube that sat on the table. Fei Li felt he quite liked it, it was a rather elegant hairpin. He rolled it between his fingers, staring at it through half lidded eyes until he fell asleep.

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