Jinshi and Maomao Short Stories Collection

You are really here, Part 9 (1)

A torrential, icy rain was falling over the capital of Li once again, this time accompanied by a menacing-sounding thunder that tore through the silence of the night. The strong wind broke off a few thin twigs from the trees.

And after an especially loud burst of thunder, one of the two figures who were sleeping on the narrow bed in the dark room of a certain young lord's lady-in-waiting, started to stir a bit and finally let out a quiet groan, displeased by such an abrupt and rude awakening.

Slowly cracking open his sleepy eyes, Jinshi merely stared into the darkness, slightly confused and disoriented, and then closed them again, probably intending to fall asleep once more.

There was a soothing, familiar smell hanging in the air, and it made his lips curve into a little smile. It was the scent of herbs that always reminded him of Maomao, so intense, as if he was lying in the middle of a herb garden.

Wait a minute!

Jinshi's eyes opened again on the spot.

That was right! He remembered now that he was in Maomao's room, so it was neither an imagination nor a dream: he really was surrounded by herbs. And not only was he in her room, but even in her bed.

And when a little whiff of Maomao's cold remedy reached his nose as well and made him grimace a bit, he also recalled the reason why he was in her bed in the first place. All his sleepiness vanished in an instant.

"Maomao!" Jinshi thought, slightly alarmed, and lowered his gaze, but then breathed out in relief when he noticed that she was still there, next to him and in the same position as before: curled up a bit with her back turned to him and sound asleep. His right arm was wrapped around her waist, and her head now resting on his left one, as if it was her pillow.

Without thinking twice and almost as if it were a reflex, he raised his right hand and placed it on her forehead.

"Her fever has subsided a bit... phew, I'm so glad. I was so scared yesterday," he thought.

An ice-cold shiver ran down his entire body while he remembered how he had found her the previous evening, lying unconsciously on the floor, and then walked to and fro in her room, holding her in his arms and begging her to open her eyes.

Luckily, she had ended up answering his pleas, because otherwise...

...he didn't even want to imagine what would have happened.

Something more terrifying than every nightmare in the world.

That horrible thought made him freeze from fear for a moment and then start to tremble.

"I very much hope the worst part is over now..."

He removed his hand from Maomao's forehead and stuck it back under the blanket, putting it on the apothecary's small shoulder.

That was the moment he realized that they were both covered by not one, but two blankets.

"Suiren was here," Jinshi thought. He was sincerely grateful for the additional blanket, because it had gotten noticeably cool in Maomao's room after nightfall. His left foot that was almost hanging out from the bed due to lack of space, was certainly freezing. He tried to get it under the blankets the best he could.

Next, his gaze returned to the sleeping apothecary. Jinshi carefully pulled his arm from under her head in order to hug her once again.

"I didn't know that a servant’s room could get that chilly at night."

Of course not, why would he? After all, that was the first time in his life of him sleeping in such a room.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Jinshi frowned as that thought crossed his mind. "I would have given her a brazier or another blanket right away. It would have been no problem at all."