Jinshi and Maomao Short Stories Collection

You are really here, Epilogue

It had gotten significantly colder during the last few days, and instead of rain, the first snowflakes were now floating down from the cloudy late autumn sky.

The fully recovered Maomao was squatting with a big smile on her face in front of a small, empty piece of soil and humming to herself, her cheeks reddened by happiness. She still could barely believe that said soil was truly hers. Hers alone!

While she had still been sick with her cold, Jinshi had entered her room one day and announced out of the blue that he would let her have her own little herb garden right behind his residence. It had been in construction at the moment.

The apothecary had been so baffled that she had been at a loss for words. Although she didn't have the slightest clue how and why something like that had even occurred to him in the first place, her joy was just too huge, too overwhelming to rack her brains over such trivialities. A herb garden, just for her! The only thing she had wanted to do upon hearing these news, had been to jump out of bed and run outside in order to see for herself and make sure that it wasn't a dream, but Jinshi, who had naturally guessed her intentions, had stopped her right there and commanded her to stay in bed. Only after her cold was completely gone, had she been allowed to go outside and had still been made to promise to Jinshi that she wouldn't stay out in the cold for too long.

Hence, she was now squatting there and enjoying wonderful daydreams about all the treasures she would plant into that soil. Oh, how she wished it to be spring already!

"Maybe I should fall sick more often, if I get to receive such surprises after it," Maomao thought and grinned. If Jinshi were there and able to read her mind, he would have killed her then and there. And without any poison at all.

"And? Is it to your liking?" she suddenly heard a much too familiar honeyed voice behind her and flinched. A hand placed itself on her shoulder.

Speaking of the devil...

Maomao raised her head and spotted right above her the smiling face of a certain young lord, who had bent down into her direction. But she was so happy right now that she even forgot to get annoyed.

"It is! Thank you so much, Master Jinshi!"

She got up and turned around to face him in order to bow to him.

Jinshi straightened his back and patted her head with a chuckle before tucking his hands into his wide sleeves.

But then his smile suddenly vanished and got replaced by a serious expression.

"I'm glad to hear that, but no more herb gathering in the pouring rain, you hear me? Don't do that to me ever again! Otherwise, my hair might turn gray from worry. Or start to fall out," he scolded her in a strict tone.

Maomao arched an eyebrow and gave him a weird look.

Seeing that, Jinshi gritted his teeth, glared at her and began pulling her cheek. The apothecary reflexively grabbed his wrist.

"Hey! What are you imagining right now?!"

"Nophing, phir..."

The young noble stared her into the eyes for a few more seconds, then snorted and let go of her cheek. But before she could take her hand from his wrist, he quickly placed his second one on it in order to stop her.

"Oh, your hands are cold, apothecary."

All the anger had disappeared from his face, and a slight concern was now lingering in his voice. He took both of her hands into his and squatted in front of her.

"Come here."

He pulled slightly, making her take a step into his direction, raised her small hands towards his mouth and blew his warm breath at them, before rubbing them carefully and enveloping them with his own, big ones.