Help, I’m Being Forced to Marry a Frail and Sickly Immortal Doctor! 60p2

Chapter 60: A Past Dream in the Mortal World p2

Two months later, it was winter, and there had been a few battles, big and small.

The more they got along, the more Ning Man could see that a certain person was just well-bred, so she was gentle and polite to everyone and did not put on airs.

But in essence, she still had the temper of a young lady.

Yin Buran was a picky eater. She didn’t like to eat coarse rice and bean rice, and she would only take a small bite every time she ate.

She would also pick out all the bitter vegetables and then, when no one was looking, she would sneakily throw them into Ning Man’s bowl.

The sour fruits that others brought her, she didn’t want to waste and could hold them in her hand and eat them all day. She would frown every time she took a bite.

She had a slight obsession with cleanliness and would take a bath whenever she had the chance. She always carried a handkerchief with her. If the bowl was not clean or the fruit was not washed, Yin Buran would not eat it.

The temporary training ground in the military camp was the place she hated the most. The ground was not yet compacted. It would be muddy when it snowed, and dusty when the sun came out.

Yin Buran usually avoided it.

Only when it was almost time to eat would she carefully lift her skirt and stand on the viewing platform, waiting for Ning Man to finish her training.

Apart from treating people, she just wanted to nestle in the tent and read most of the time.

However, once Ning Man was going out to hunt, she would tie up her hair and then follow her nonchalantly until Ning Man carried her onto the horse.

Afraid of pain, her skin was delicate.

If she accidentally sprained her ankle, she could cry from the pain. If she wore coarse linen clothes, a large patch of red would appear in less than half a day.

She was very delicate, but she was also afraid of causing trouble for others, so she endured it and didn’t say anything.

No matter how late Ning Man came back from a battle, the light in the tent was always on.

Yin Buran would be nestled in bed reading. As soon as she saw her come in, she would check her body with a firm attitude.

At first, Ning Man would refuse. After all, the medicine was very precious, and her minor external injuries would heal on their own.

Later, as soon as Ning Man refused, Yin Buran would start to wipe her eyes, her face full of grievance, as if she were the one who was injured.

Ning Man was afraid she would cry, so she had no choice but to lift her clothes and show her the injury on her back.

It was actually not serious. It was just a scratch from a knife.

Yin Buran wiped the wound with a handkerchief soaked in medicinal water and then applied a layer of medicinal paste.

Her cool fingers then turned to touch other places, circling around her waist.

Ning Man only felt a tingling itch and always wanted to avoid it.

But she heard Yin Buran ask, “How did you get this injury?”

Ning Man forcefully shifted her attention. “I was accidentally cut last year.”

It was a little serious. She had almost died.

Yin Buran nodded, and just as Ning Man couldn’t help but want to dodge, she finally let her go with great mercy.

While she was bandaging her neatly, she said, “Ning Man, the ninth of next month is my birthday.”

Ning Man nodded. “Alright. I’ll remember to bring you a gift.”

She had understood when she was eight that sisters who took the initiative to say this were usually hinting at her to give a gift.

Yin Buran snorted lightly. “I didn’t say I wanted a gift. I just mentioned it casually.”

Ning Man: “Mm, do you want to eat longevity noodles?”

“Yes.”

After this conversation, Ning Man was busy thinking about what to give.

If it were in the past, she might have given her sisters and the matron a wooden hairpin she had carved, or a lantern and a wreath she had woven.

If it were Yin Buran, these gifts would be a little shabby.

She thought hard for half the night and finally had a good idea.

Not long ago, she had heard that the beast who had reported the Yin family had gone to Zhoucheng and become a running dog of the government.

Ning Man was afraid that Yin Buran would be reminded of sad things, so she had kept it from her.

Now, it was just right to take the beast’s head, avenge Yin Buran, and it could also be considered a gift… right?

Ning Man was a person of action and quickly made a plan in her spare time. She set off on the morning of the eighth and only came back on the afternoon of the second day.

She put the fresh head in a box and placed it in the most conspicuous place.

When the adjutant passed by and inadvertently caught a glimpse, she asked curiously, “Did this person offend you?”

Ning Man was busy washing her bloody clothes and did not look up. “No. This is a gift for Yin Buran.”

The adjutant sucked in a sharp breath, her expression changing several times, very wonderful.

This comrade and sister of hers, sometimes her mind was so delicate that she could thread a needle, and sometimes it was so coarse that she could ride a horse.

It was hard to imagine what kind of words the Yin family’s doctor, whose words and actions were all elegant and proper, would say when she suddenly saw such a gift.

The adjutant said with a mixture of laughter and tears, “I say, Ah Man…”

“Do you hate Doctor Yin very much?”

Ning Man was stunned for a moment and quickly clarified, “How could that be…”

Yin Buran was very good to her and would treat her injuries with great patience. Even if she had a little temper, in her eyes, it was very cute.

How could she hate Yin Buran?

She quickly explained the identity of the head.

Then she wiped her hands clean, and like a child who had made a mistake, she lowered her head and asked stammeringly, “This gift… is it inappropriate?”

The adjutant stroked her chin. “I can only say that it’s quite original. A young lady from a noble family like Doctor Yin, it’s probably the first time she’s received a human head on her birthday.”

“…”

Hearing her say this, it seemed a little inappropriate.

Tomorrow was Yin Buran’s birthday, and it was definitely too late to prepare anything else. Ning Man was a little dejected and silently carried the box back to the tent.

Yin Buran was not there. She borrowed the kitchen again, cooked a bowl of steaming longevity noodles, and brought it over.

The seasoning for the longevity noodles was also very simple. Salt and bone broth were added, and the noodles were made by Ning Man herself.

She waited anxiously for Yin Buran to come back. When she saw that green figure step into the tent, she stood up and wanted to explain.

“Yin—”

Before she could finish, a warm, sweet-smelling hug came up.

Yin Buran even rubbed against her, her eyes filled with undisguised joy. “Thank you. I like it very much.”

Ning Man was hugged foolishly, only feeling that the sweetness made her heart race and her head a little dizzy.

Her throat bobbed, and she said in a hoarse voice, “You haven’t even seen what it is…”

Yin Buran smiled and lifted the box. “I’ll look now.”

“Wait—ah.”

Ning Man didn’t have time to stop her, and a large, bloody thing had already come into view.

She watched as Yin Buran’s smile froze, and she couldn’t help but awkwardly pick at her clothes.

She had already thought about how to respond to Yin Buran’s questioning.

But after studying it for a moment, Yin Buran spoke with unusual calmness, “This is the person who killed my family.”

“He brought a child with a high fever and found us. My family couldn’t bear it and opened the door for him. I didn’t expect…”

She didn’t cry, and there wasn’t even much anger. She just looked calmly, as if she wanted to imprint the enemy’s death in her mind.

Finally, she said softly, “I like this gift very much.”

This was an unexpected reaction.

Yin Buran did not mention the sad things again. After eating the noodles slowly, she suddenly tugged on Ning Man’s sleeve.

She asked seriously, “You have avenged my family. How should I repay you?”

She clearly had something else to say.

Ning Man shook her head. “You don’t have to repay me with anything.”

There was no reason. She just occasionally caught a glimpse of Yin Buran staring at the horizon in a daze. She would sit alone, her back a small figure, looking very lonely.

She couldn’t stand to see Yin Buran like this.

She had an inexplicable desire to make Yin Buran smile, so she did just that.

*

The following spring, Ning Man was promoted to general by the eldest princess.

She was going to a very far place to guard the city and could not take Yin Buran with her, so she could only send letters to report her safety.

The first time, Yin Buran sent her a small bag of plump red beans.

Ning Man used them to cook a bowl of sweet porridge and wrote back to Yin Buran.

【It’s delicious, thank you.】

The second time, Yin Buran sent her a pile of stones.

Ning Man did not understand, but she still wrote back.

【They are very useful as hidden weapons, thank you.】

It was a long time before she received a letter from Yin Buran for the third time.

It was not thin. When she opened it, it was a sachet.

It had a black background, and on it were embroidered exquisite green bamboo and a bright moon, as well as two small characters, “peace.”

Yin Buran’s embroidery was very good, she had known that for a long time, but it was the first time she had received a sachet made by the other herself.

Ning Man didn’t know what to give in return, so she sent more than half of her salary back.

After that, relying on her fierceness, she led her army to capture dozens of cities in a row and became the eldest princess’s confidante.

Yin Buran was unwilling to stay in the rear and insisted on going with her. Ning Man really couldn’t refuse, so she could only take her with her.

In the dead of night, Yin Buran would treat her wounds and then teach her to read and write.

Occasionally, when they were bored, the two of them would also go up to the city wall to look at the stars.

The stars were eternal. Compared to them, mortals were as small as dust. But lying under the vast starry sky, worries would also dissipate like dust.

So Yin Buran pulled her and asked for a gift. “Is Your Highness going to enfeoff you as a marquis of ten thousand households? Can I ask for a shop?”

She gestured seriously, describing her wish to Ning Man. “I want to open a medical hall. It doesn’t have to be in a bustling city. A courtyard is fine, and a persimmon tree can be planted in the backyard.”

The sky was full of stars, and the lights in front of her were dim.

Yin Buran leaned against her shoulder, about to fall asleep, but she was still muttering.

She said, “When the world is at peace, I will go into seclusion with you.” “We’ll plant flowers in the courtyard in the spring, go to the mountains to cool off in the summer, and follow you hunting in the autumn.”

“When winter comes, we’ll nestle by the stove and eat roasted persimmon cakes together.”

This sounded like a warm story.

Even someone as emotionally shallow as Ning Man felt very comfortable.

She nodded in agreement. “Alright. I’ll give you a shop, settle Deputy General Xue’s family, and rent the rest of the land to the poor.”

Yin Buran rubbed against her. Although she was already very sleepy, she still struggled to ask, “What about you? Do you want anything?”

“Me? I haven’t thought about it yet…”

This question was really too difficult.

The world always wanted to seek perfection, but Ning Man seemed to have no desires and had never thought of asking for anything for herself.

Until the eldest princess summoned her to discuss important matters, she still hadn’t thought of an answer to the question.

The eldest princess got straight to the point. The deposed emperor was on his last legs and had led his personal army south to Qingzhou.

The eldest princess wanted her to stop this army, so as not to have their grain and fodder cut off and be attacked from both front and rear.

In the end, it was actually that she was too eager for quick success and had not left a single soldier in the rear.

Ning Man refused without any hesitation. “Five thousand people is too few. A cornered beast will still fight, not to mention that the other side is ten thousand light cavalry.”

The flat terrain of Qingzhou was easy to attack and difficult to defend. The infantry had even less of a chance of winning.

Even if she was a master of military strategy, it was inevitable that there would be a large number of casualties.

The eldest princess paced anxiously. “But the throne is not yet decided, and the wolves of the four directions are watching. I can only spare this many people.”

“You only need to guard the pass and not let them rush into the city. I will send reinforcements after I have taken the capital.”

She pulled Ning Man and said sincerely, “I trust you the most, Ah Man. If you can return victorious, I will enfeoff you.”

“The peace of the world and the well-being of the people all depend on this one battle of Ah Man.”

After a moment of silence, Ning Man bowed respectfully.

“Man has no relatives or friends, and no ties. Before I leave, there is only one thing I would like to ask Your Highness for help with.”

The eldest princess knitted her brows. “You may speak.”

Ning Man lowered her head, recalled what Yin Buran had said to her, and narrated unhurriedly.

“I would like to ask Your Highness for a medical hall in Tingzhou. It doesn’t have to be in a bustling city, a backyard is fine, and a persimmon tree can be transplanted in the courtyard.”

The eldest princess did not understand her meaning. “Hmm? Why?”

Ning Man bowed again. “Please grant the medical hall to my physician, Yin Buran.”

“Alright, I promise you.”

When she left the royal tent, she was still thinking.

Yin Buran wanted a medical hall so much. If the eldest princess failed, this wish might not be realized.

When Ning Man returned to the tent, Yin Buran was still sleeping on her bed.

Her whole body was curled up, tightly hugging a soft pillow, her brows slightly furrowed, and she was not sleeping peacefully.

It was unknown when she had developed this bad habit.

Yin Buran did not like to sleep in her own bed and preferred to sneak into her tent and sleep in her bed.

Normally, Ning Man would carry her back.

But this time, she approached silently, thought for a moment, and still did not wake her up.

She took out a black sachet from her bosom, still warm from her body, and gently placed it by Yin Buran’s pillow.

She thought, This trip is a one-way street.

Returning it to Yin Buran, it won’t be a waste of her feelings, right?