Feeling that his Young Miss seemed to be aggravated, Jang Shin chose his words carefully.
"I think, Young Miss, we should clean ourselves up first, haha," he laughed dryly.
He doesn't know what his Young Miss was playing, but looking at them both covered in dirt and dried leaves, made Jang Shin's desire to get out of this place stronger.
Tang Xinyang took a deep breath and calmed herself. She was never the type to show her weakness and grievances. Despite her conflicting feelings, she stood up and offered her hand to Jang Shin to help him stand up.
Jang Shin sighed a relief. His Young Miss was still reasonable and help him up. He took her hand and used it as support to stand up. But after pulling himself up, he felt a sharp pain on his ankle. Due to all the shocks he received earlier, he was too distracted to notice his situation. The sudden sharp pain seemed to open a gate and a penetrating pain flooded his consciousness.
He stumbled.
"Ah!" He was about to fall on the ground and reenact the earlier tragedy when Tang Xinyang caught him.
A cool lavender fragrance assaulted his nose.
"Be careful." Tang Xinyang's hand wrapped around his slim waist. Jang Shin felt that his waist was on fire.
What was that?
After steadying him, Tang Xinyang carefully put him back to a sitting position on the ground.
"Where are you hurt?" Tang Xinyang asked with an expressionless face.
Jang Shin stared at her with a dumb look while processing her words.
Then he noticed her state was so unusual that he could not help but notice amidst the pain. The current Tang Xinyang did not seem to be the naughty Tang Xinyang who would gloat over him whenever he said he was hurt.
"Ah... On my right ankle." Jang Shin sweated, both from pain and from fear. Was she angry? She suddenly became very silent after he screamed earlier. Usually, she would start yelling back or even start beating him up.
He was not familiar with this silent Tang Xinyang.
Tang Xinyang reached out and held his right ankle to check on it. She accidentally touched his sore spot.
"Argh!" Jang Shin cried out in pain. His Young Miss was clearly angry!
Tang Xinyang immediately let go. Gently, she raised his right leg and put it on her lap. She folded up the lower hem of his pants. Then, she began taking off his shoes carefully.
"W-wait..." Jang Shin was about to stop her. How could he let his Young Miss touch his dirty shoes covered in mud?
However, a cold glare from Tang Xinyang silenced him. He immediately shut his mouth.
'Never mind, go ahead. My shoe is yours.'
When she finally took off the sock covering his foot, she inadvertently took a sharp breath.
There it was.
His ankle was purplish black and swollen beyond recognition. It looked like it will burst anytime. The sight made her temporarily forget her earlier blunder.
Tang Xinyang's eyes trembled. To have his ankle so swollen like this, his injury must be a severe sprain. Jang Shin must be feeling enormous pain.
Although she did have a habit of 'exchanging blows' with him before, but she was careful to never truly cause him severe injuries, and everything was only skin deep which would fade after some time. There was only one time she lost control, a long time ago.
She blamed herself. She was at his side but he was still harmed in the end. How could she be a proper wife?
She recalled all first aid she had studied before.
First, when there was a patient with an injured or sprained ankle, raise the injured ankle to the level of the patient's heart.
Tang Xinyang kneeled in front of Jang Shin. Due to the downward slope, her chest was just at the right level with his. So she gently raised his right leg and put his foot on her chest as support.
Jang Shin's charming single lid eyes widened.
What the @#$%!
The girl's well-developed b.r.e.a.s.ts softly pressed against his bare sole.
Then he felt the incredible softness on his feet.
...!!!!
He quickly pulled his foot away like it was burned. He endured and disregarded the intensified pain as he did the action. Blood rushed to his face, spreading from his cheeks to his ears and to his neck.
Blushing furiously, he looked angrily at Tang Xinyang who was still on the kneeling position in front of him.
"Xinyang, what do you think you're doing?!" He even forgot his manners.
"???"
Tang Xinyang was stunned at his sudden actions. She eyed the swelling ankle worriedly. It must have hurt a lot when he pulled it out from her hold.
"Don't move too much, I am doing first aid." Her clueless face looked confused and worried at the same time.
...Was his Young Miss always this innocent?
She had such strength more than his, yet when it comes to EQ, she was clearly lacking.
Jang Shin covered his face. Both of his face and his right foot felt scorching hot.
How could that be called a first aid!
"Don't do that ever again. Don't ever help someone that way! Don't forget, you are still a girl." Jang Shin said a lot of 'don'ts' with his hands still covering his flushed face.
"..." Tang Xinyang was stunned. His words felt so familiar.
Unknowingly, his words brought warmth to her heart.
"...You said the same thing", Tang Xinyang quietly said in a daze.
...Huh?
Jang Shin put down his hands and looked at her. The flush on his face finally receded.
Tang Xinyang lowered her head and tore the hem of his pants.
"Do you remember when we first met?" she asked as she shook the cloth clean of the debris. She chose the cleaner parts and tore them into a long impromptu bandage.
Jang Shin watched her, finding it somewhat unbelievable. Was she actually caring for him? This... was the first time.