My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 25 Part 1

Chapter 25  

By the afternoon, the butcher shop had little business left. About half of the livestock had been sold, and given the autumn and winter weather, the remaining could still be sold the next day, so there was no need to worry.  

Around mid-afternoon, Butcher Qiao saw that business was slow and there wasn’t much work to do. Thinking of playing a few rounds of dice with some familiar shopkeepers nearby, he dismissed his two apprentices for the day.  

When Huo Shu left the shop, there was still a faint trace of sunlight, casting a golden glow on the street’s archway.  

He squinted at the large characters on the archway - Zhenlu Alley, then turned his gaze deeper into the street.  

The market was bustling, and his eyes flickered with uncertainty. Yet, despite his hesitation, he still felt compelled to go.  

So he pulled out a short knife he always carried with him and, without changing his expression, drew a cut across the back of his left hand. Then, covering the wound, he strode straight into the alley.  

____

"Winter’s almost here. You’ll need to wear a couple more layers in the mornings and evenings. You look like you’ve lost weight again."  

"It’s fine. Once winter comes, the New Year won’t be far off. I’ll eat plenty during the festivities, and I’ll surely put on some weight again."  

Huang Yinsheng couldn’t help but chuckle at that, reaching out to pat the young ger’s head. "Don’t keep dwelling on the past. Look forward."  

"I know."  

Huang Yinsheng nodded, then added, "By the way, I might not be able to celebrate your birthday with you in the village next month. I have to travel to another prefecture for a medicinal herb deal, and the trip will take at least ten days."  

Ji Taoyu sighed softly. "Alright. But even if Grandfather can’t come for my birthday, you still can’t skip the gift. You’ll have to bring me back some herbs from your trip."  

Huang Yinsheng shook his head with a smile. "As if the herbs in the clinic aren’t enough for you to take already."  

The grandfather and grandson chatted cheerfully as they moved from the backyard to the front of the shop. Just as they entered, they noticed a tall figure standing inside the clinic.  

Before Huang Yinsheng could even make out the face of the man, half-hidden in shadow against the light, he saw the young ger beside him hurry forward.  

"Brother Huo, what brings you here?"  

Huo Shu turned his head at the sound of the approaching voice, his brow twitching slightly, he had indeed found him.  

He raised his injured hand toward Ji Taoyu.  

"W-what happened?!"  

Ji Taoyu stared at the blood oozing from the back of Huo Shu’s broad hand, some of it already seeping between his fingers, making the large hand look particularly gruesome.  

"We need to stop the bleeding quickly!"  

Huang Yinsheng took one look and immediately turned to fetch the medicine chest from behind the counter. Just as he was about to disinfect and bandage the wound himself, his grandson snatched the medicine chest from his hands.  

After taking a few steps, Ji Taoyu seemed to remember his manners and turned back. "Grandfather, you tend to the other patients. I’ll handle the bandaging."  

Huang Yinsheng raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, watching his grandson for a moment before turning to attend to an elderly woman.  

"Brother Huo, come over here."  

Huo Shu followed Ji Taoyu to a low examination table in the corner. Sitting down with his legs spread, his frame nearly engulfed both Ji Taoyu and the table beneath him.  

The table only reached his waist, making him look comically oversized, like an adult squeezed into a child’s seat.  

But this table was clearly tailored for Ji Taoyu, who sat comfortably on the other side at just the right height.  

Huo Shu frowned slightly at the cramped space, but when a pair of warm, soft hands gently cradled his left hand and began wiping away the blood with a damp cloth, all discomfort vanished.  

"How did this happen?"  

Ji Taoyu’s brows remained tightly knit as he carefully dabbed at the wound, afraid that any rough movement might aggravate it.  

Huo Shu watched the young ger’s face up close - so close that he could see each thick eyelash, his expression earnest and full of concern. Unconsciously, Huo Shu’s breathing softened.  

"Does it hurt a lot? Why aren’t you saying anything?"  

After cleaning the wound, Ji Taoyu prepared to disinfect it with alcohol, which would inevitably sting. Seeing Huo Shu still silent, he looked up.  

"It’s fine."  

Huo Shu said, "Just cut myself at the butcher shop."  

"You came from Butcher Qiao’s shop? No wonder the wound was still bleeding, it must have just happened."  

Ji Taoyu’s frown never eased as he rambled on, "The knives in butcher shops always look so sharp, gleaming silver. You must be careful when using them."  

Huo Shu exhaled lightly, his expression indifferent, but his words carried a hint of bitterness: "First day learning. My hands are clumsy."  

Ji Taoyu quickly reassured him, "Don’t be discouraged! Everything’s hard at the beginning. Handicrafts take practice, no one starts off skilled. A few more tries, and you’ll get the hang of it."  

"Especially trades like butchery or hunting, they’re inherently tough to learn. It’s not worth hurting yourself just to rush progress. Being quick is good, but not at the cost of injuring yourself. That’s discarding the root and chasing the branches." 

[舍本逐末 (shě běn zhú mò): lit. Discard the root, chase the branches; fig. To neglect what is essential while pursuing trivial matters; focusing on superficial gains at the expense of fundamentals]

Lowering his voice, Ji Taoyu added, "If Butcher Qiao scolds you for being slow, I can ask Grandfather to drop by and put in a good word for you."  

Something flickered in Huo Shu’s eyes, a warmth he had never felt before surging uncontrollably. He stared at the person comforting him, fighting the urge to pinch Ji Taoyu’s cheek.  

He averted his gaze. "Mm."  

Only when Ji Taoyu saw that he wasn’t completely disheartened did he say, "Bear with it. I’m going to disinfect the wound now."  

Taking a deep breath, he soaked a cotton pad in alcohol and swiped it across the gash - about the length of his little finger, three times. Letting out a sigh of relief, he then applied herbal medicine and wrapped it tightly with bandages.  

"Will you need to change the dressing?"  

"Yes, come back in two days. Once it scabs over, I have a scar-removing ointment. It won’t leave a mark."  

Ji Taoyu reassured him.  

"I don’t care about scars."  

Then, Huo Shu’s brow suddenly furrowed. "Do you mind scars?"  

Ji Taoyu blinked in confusion. "Girls and gers care about beauty, so of course they mind scars. Lots of village girls and gers come to me for scar-removing ointment."  

Huo Shu didn’t respond, but his frown deepened.  

Thinking he had wrapped it too tightly, Ji Taoyu quickly loosened the bandage and rewrapped it twice.  

From the other side of the room, Huang Yinsheng glanced over at the pair. Though he couldn’t hear their conversation, he saw his grandson’s expressions shift from stern to gentle, while Huo Shu obediently endured the fussing. The two seemed entirely at ease with each other.  

He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.