CH 41

After a while, footsteps were heard outside once more.

Han Qingsong strode in, enveloped in a warm yellow light and he actually held an oil lamp.

Erwang and Maisui’s eyes suddenly lit up as they realized that their father remained their father forevermore— he didn’t leave in anger, but he just went to get the lamp.

It seemed like complaining was rather useful.

Han Qingsong placed the oil lamp in the lamphouse that was dug in the wall of the room. That area was made to place the lamp against the wind to make sure it wouldn’t blow out easily.

He put his hand into his backpack and rummaged around before he took out a large bottle the size of a palm. He put it on the kang and reached out to pull Lin Lan’s shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Lin Lan subconsciously avoided his hand.

Han Qingsong, “I’m going to rub some medicine to disperse the congestion.”

Lin Lan looked at the bottle of medicinal ointment that appeared to be pretty dark, “I will do it myself.”

Erwang immediately said, “Mother, I’ll help you,” He lifted Lin Lan’s arm all of a sudden and pushed up half of her sleeves, revealing bruises from her arms to her shoulders— all of which were caused by Old Lady Han.

“Mother, why do you think grandma is so cruel? You asked for money to help Xiaowang see a doctor but she wouldn’t spare you a single penny. Then you didn’t spend the money indiscriminately, but she even tried to beat you to death. Wuuuu~”

He said it as if he truly cared about her, but Lin Lan pursed her lips, “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”

God damn it, it hurts like hell. It’s a lie if I say it doesn’t hurt. It’s burning like crap and I don’t think I can lift my arms.

Maisui really started to cry as she thought about the time when she knocked her youngest aunt’s flower cream onto the ground by accident. She was beaten with a rolling pin by her youngest aunt and her grandmother, but even though it was a brief punishment, it was painful.

She knew that it was going to be a lot more painful for her mother as she saw her state.

She cried even more when she thought about the fact that her father was not always home as he needed to earn wages for the family. Despite the money being her father’s, her grandma never gave her a share of it to spend and only dolled up her youngest aunt with it. With that thought in mind, she cried even more desperately.

Lin Lan felt like she was watching a fire(1), but it wasn’t easy for her to say anything. Fine then, seeing a relative that she didn’t have the chance to see a lot, Lin Lan felt that it was alright to let her cry it all out.

(T/N: A saying to describe someone who observed a situation very clearly)

Crying was the best form of complaint, after all.

Just as she was letting her thoughts run wild, her arm was held by Han Qingsong.

The heat exuding from his body was astonishing. When he approached, Lin Lan felt a masculine aura blowing towards her, let alone his hot palm that felt as if it could burn her.

She was uncomfortable, hence the struggle, but was held by him effortlessly.

“Hold still.”

He unscrewed the cap of the medicine with one hand and poured a bit of the medicinal ointment in the palm of his hand. After rubbing it a few times, he held Lin Lan’s arm and began to massage the medication over it.

“Ah—” The splitting pain caused Lin Lan to sit up abruptly, “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…”

It was very painful.

His strength is practically carving my skin!

Is this his way of getting back at me?

Han Qingsong was at odds; he didn’t exert any strength at all. If it were the soldiers under his command, he would have rubbed it hard without much thought, uncaring towards the fact that they were sweating from the pain.

Lin Lan blinked back her tears, “I- I’ll do it myself.”