Xu Nian’an closed the bedroom door, carried the food box into the inner room and placed it on the table. Then, she lit a lamp and looked for Zhao Huanxi inside the room.

She searched both the inner and outer rooms in circles but didn’t find anyone.

If he tends to get sick on stormy days, it’s unlikely he’d hide outside, especially if he’s afraid of thunderstorms. But considering the limited space indoors, where could he possibly hide? She even checked inside the wardrobe.

As Xu Nian’an was puzzled, her gaze inadvertently swept over the table in the inner room where the food box was placed. She noticed that the large red begonia tablecloth on top of it was trembling without any wind.

She walked over slowly, crouched down, and gently lifted the tablecloth. There, she saw Zhao Huanxi sitting on the ground with his knees bent, hands covering his ears, face buried in his knees, trembling and shivering.

Seeing him in this state left her unsure of what to do. After staring at him for a while and seeing no response, she gently called out, “Sanlang.” At the same time, she reached out and grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him out from under the table.

To her surprise, as soon as she touched him, he jerked her hand away as if he had been bitten. He raised his pale, tear-streaked face and, trembling with fear, shrank back while shouting, “Don’t come near! Don’t come near! I didn’t mean it! I really didn’t mean to push you!”

The space under the table was small, so when he retreated, he naturally moved outside the tablecloth. At that moment, another loud thunderclap sounded outside, illuminating the world as bright as day.

Zhao Huanxi’s slender neck arched back, his long hair cascading down. His face, devoid of color, featured eyebrows as graceful as green feathers, eyes like crystal, and lips that, lacking color, were only slightly pinker than his skin. He froze for a moment, like a jade sculpture, before collapsing suddenly!

Suddenly he jumped up, aiming to rush towards the darkest, most lightless corner. In his irrational state, he didn’t pay attention to where he was stepping. He tripped over the bed and fell heavily onto the edge of the bed.

As Xu Nian’an regained her senses, she quickly ran over and hugged his head before he could get up, suppressing her own nervousness as she comforted him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Sanlang, don’t be afraid. Let me cover your ears for you. Close your eyes, okay? It’s okay, I’m here, everything’s alright…”

The person in her arms trembled like chaff, whimpering and seeming to struggle, wanting to break free from her embrace.

Xu Nian’an held him tightly, refusing to let go.

After a while, he gave up struggling, burying his face in Xu Nian’an’s chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, crying.

The summer thunderstorm was fierce but short-lived.

After about a quarter of an hour, the wind and rain outside gradually subsided.

Zhao Huanxi had stopped crying, and Xu Nian’an felt a warm breath continuously seeping through her clothes onto her chest. During the intense situation earlier, she had no time to think about it, but now she felt somewhat embarrassed.

She lowered her head to look at Zhao Huanxi, who now seemed particularly peaceful. She wondered if he had fallen asleep, so she released her tightly held hand covering his ears.

After the emotional rollercoaster, Zhao Huanxi had indeed fallen asleep. When she moved, his arms, which had been around her waist, suddenly dropped, and he leaned back. However, he abruptly woke up, instinctively reaching forward and grabbing Xu Nian’an. Both of them fell onto the bed, with Xu Nian’an landing on top of Zhao Huanxi.

He seemed to have not fully recovered from the extreme shock just now, haphazardly holding Xu Nian’an tightly. His voice was hoarse, almost crying, as he said, “Don’t go, Dong Jiejie, don’t go. I’m scared, I’m afraid…”

Xu Nian’an, lying on top of him, listened to his abnormally fast heartbeat and said, “I’m not going anywhere. You should go to sleep, there, there.”

Zhao Huanxi’s clothes were scented with incense, and now, with a hint of his sweat, which was not unpleasant.

She had originally planned to get up after he fell asleep, but every time she moved, he woke up. After several attempts, she also felt tired. She decided to let it be, to get through tonight first, and deal with everything else tomorrow.

It was early summer, and the sky began to brighten around the Yin hour (3-5 a.m.).

The morning birds chirped, and Zhao Huanxi woke up.

As his thoughts returned, the memories of last night flooded back into his mind like a tide. He was only controlled by an extreme sense of fear last night, not completely unconscious, so he remembered everything that happened.

He was still holding onto Xu Nian’an, feeling the unusual warmth and weight in his arms. Nervously, his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and he was hesitant to lower his head to look down.

Xu Nian’an’s body emanated a faint, warm, and gentle fragrance that was both soothing and evocative.

Zhao Huanxi instinctively felt a bit tormented and uncomfortable, yet he couldn’t bear to let go of the person in his arms.

At that moment, Xu Nian’an, who knows what she dreamt of, suddenly trembled and woke up.

Seeing her eyelashes tremble, Zhao Huanxi didn’t know how to face her. He simply closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep.

Xu Nian’an opened her eyes, slowly regaining her senses, only to realize that she and Zhao Huanxi had unknowingly changed positions from last night. He had been lying on his back while she was lying on her stomach, but now both of them were lying on their sides.

He was still holding her, but not as tightly as last night.

Seeing that he was still asleep, Xu Nian’an gently lifted his arm and moved out of his embrace, sitting up.

She glanced at the sky outside and then at Zhao Huanxi lying sideways on the bed. She didn’t feel like sleeping anymore. She went to the inner room, washed her face with the cold water that had been left there from last night to wake herself up, and then came back. As she passed by, she caught a glimpse of Zhao Huanxi’s foot hanging over the edge of the bed. The sole of his foot was pink, snow-white, slender, and the bones were distinct. There was a large bruise on the top of his right foot, probably from stumbling on something last night.

She went to find some ointment and sat on the footstool, gently applying the ointment to the bruise on his foot. However, as soon as her hand touched his foot, his foot twitched.

Xu Nian’an looked at him suspiciously, thinking: This doesn’t seem like something someone who’s asleep would do.

She didn’t say anything, carefully applying the ointment to his foot. Then, she extended a finger, using its sharp nail to trace from the back of his heel to the tip of his toes.

“Hahahahaha!” Zhao Huanxi couldn’t help but laugh, rolling around on the bed and sitting up.

“Now that you’re awake, stop pretending to sleep!” Xu Nian’an teased, putting away the ointment. She turned to him and asked, “Is your foot very painful? Do you want me to ask the servant to help you inform Qu Shifu to take a break from your martial arts practice?” Qu Shifu is his martial arts teacher.

Zhao Huanxi, seeing that she didn’t mention anything about last night, felt somewhat relieved. He got out of bed, put on his shoes, took a few steps, and shook his head, saying, “No need, it doesn’t affect my walking.”

✦

The matter between him and Zhu Zhifu had come to an end. After practicing martial arts and having breakfast, he left for the Imperial Academy to study.

Xu Nian’an saw him off and then went to Yin Furen’s Jiaxiang Hiuse, as usual, to listen to Nanny Su talk about the things she should know as a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family.

Yin Furen finished her tasks before sending someone to call Xu Nian’an to the side chamber.

“How was Xi Ge last night?” Yin Furen asked Xu Nian’an with a worried look in her eyes.

Xu Nian’an told her about Zhao Huanxi’s behavior last night.

Yin Furen sighed, “It’s my fault for being so busy that I didn’t warn you in advance. I hope he didn’t scare you.”

“It’s alright,” Xu Nian’an paused for a moment before couldn’t help but ask, “Mom, Sanlang, he….. what happened?”

Yin Furen had no intention of hiding it from her, and there was nothing to hide about this matter.

“That year’s summer, when Xi Ge was seven years old, it was an evening with thunder and rain. He was playful and couldn’t stay indoors, so he was playing with his servant, Zhisan Zhisi, in the corridor on the right side of the courtyard. The three children were playing Cuju, and when Xi Ge went to grab the ball, he accidentally bumped into Zhisi, who took two steps back and leaned against the corridor pillar. Then, a lightning bolt struck, illuminating everything, and struck the child’s head directly, killing him on the spot.”

蹴鞠 (cùjū): An ancient Chinese game similar to football or soccer.

Just like Zhiyi, Zhi'er and Zhisan (Know One, Two, and Three), Zhisi mean 'Know Four'.

Xu Nian’an covered her mouth with her hand.

Thinking back to that moment, despite it being nine years ago, Yin Furen still felt a lingering fear. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued, “At that time, Xi Ge was only a few steps away from Zhisi and was also affected. He remained unconscious for two days before waking up, and then, he developed this condition. Over the years, I’ve consulted many doctors, but none could help. Later, I noticed that he only gets sick on stormy days, while he’s fine on other days, so I just… let it be.”

After listening to the past events, Xu Nian’an pondered for a moment before asking, “Then, did Mother investigate later? Was that accident really an accident, or was it deliberate?”

“Such a thing happened, how could it not be investigated? It’s just that at that time, with one dead and one unconscious, everyone was in a panic and didn’t have the time to investigate on the spot. By the time Xi Ge’s condition stabilized, any traces that should have been erased were long gone. The servants said all sorts of things; some claimed to have seen branches standing upright on the corridor’s eaves, while others claimed to have seen a snake coiled around the corridor pillar… It’s just those people who couldn’t stand seeing me having a legitimate son who did this. But without evidence, it’s all in vain no matter what is said,” Yin Furen said with hidden resentment.

Xu Nian’an pondered and said, “So many years have passed, and the truth is now untraceable. But it’s not important anymore. Sanlang is grown up now, and it’s not so easy for them to harm him again. What’s important is how to relieve Sanlang’s mental burden. He loses control whenever there’s a thunderstorm. It’s manageable at home, but if it happens outside… it’s not appropriate.”

“Yes, but this mental disease, even the imperial physicians can’t cure it. What can we do? If someone could cure his illness, I would spare no expense, but such a person is nowhere to be found!” Yin Furen said sadly.

Xu Nian’an thought to herself, if there was such a heart-wrenching experience from his childhood that made him cry and seek his mother whenever it thundered and rained at the age of fifteen, perhaps there were also stories behind his need to be fed at ten years old and his bedwetting at twelve?

Curious, she asked about it.

Yin Furen was so angry that her face turned red. She said, “When he was ten, he went to play in the Zhilan Garden. The beauty-leaning armchair in the pavilion that was in such good condition, suddenly broke. When he leaned back, he fell down and hit his head, causing a head injury and arm injury, hence the need for someone to feed him. When he was twelve, he had his first taste of lychee wine, and he loved it. I didn’t allow him to drink too much, but he secretly hid a pot and drank it in bed. After a few sips, he got drunk and fell asleep, spilling the whole pot of lychee wine on the bed. The next day, the bedding had to be taken out to dry! Those gossipers outside always make a big deal out of everything!”

Xu Nian’an, with a calm expression, was about to say a few comforting words when Qianhe came in and reported, “Taitai, Si Gu Nainai has returned.”