Chapter 39: Enduring the Sickness and Exhaustion (8)
After lecturing Qin An, Lu Zhiyin did not immediately go home.
Despite her fatigue, she forced herself to help Qin An clean the room.
She swept everything off the table into a garbage bag and took it out to the hallway.
She quickly swept the ceramic tiles on the floor and then polished them until they gleamed with a mop.
It had been a while since she had done housework, so Lu Zhiyin felt a bit awkward doing these things, but with the electric wheelchair, it wasn’t too strenuous.
After tidying the living room, Lu Zhiyin took the crumpled blanket from the sofa, which smelled faintly of spices, and threw it into the washing machine.
She then busied herself with cleaning the sink, which was covered in limescale and grease, and while doing so, she remembered to start cooking the meal.
She supposed she should be thankful that Qin An still had some rice and the rice cooker wasn’t broken.
“…Achoo…”
The cold water from the faucet made Lu Zhiyin’s hands ache. She sneezed and thought her brain might be malfunctioning.
What was she doing? She was helping the scum who bullied her with housework. Was this really right?
In Lu Zhiyin’s heart, her hatred for the so-called deity grew stronger. If it weren’t for that guy, she wouldn’t have to keep doing things she disliked.
Lu Zhiyin wasn’t the only one who felt she was going crazy; Qin An felt the same way.
“…Am I really not running a fever?”
Sitting on the bare sofa, now devoid of blankets and covers, Qin An touched her forehead.
“It’s not hot…”
She muttered to herself, bit her finger, and the pain confirmed that she wasn’t dreaming.
The person she had bullied was in her home, helping her with housework, not like a maid, but like a mother?
What a joke, this was an impossible scenario, no matter how you looked at it.
Although Qin An and Lu Zhiyin had reached a cooperative relationship, in Qin An’s understanding, Lu Zhiyin should still hate her. But did she really hate her, the way she was diligently helping now?
Qin An had some doubts.
She wasn’t going to offer any help. Although Lu Zhiyin was busy for her, Qin An felt she shouldn’t get too close to Lu Zhiyin.
Not just because of their past adversarial relationship, but also because of Lu Zhiyin’s connection to Long Qinxin.
Qin An still remembered the ring she had accidentally seen last time. Judging by its style, it should be a wedding ring.
Sitting on the sofa, lost in thought, the time unknowingly passed until dusk.
“Ha… ha…”
Breathing slightly heavily, Lu Zhiyin maneuvered her wheelchair out of the kitchen. Her hair was damp with sweat, stray hairs clung to her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed.
Instead of resting after developing a fever, she had used her sick body to help Qin An with housework. Lu Zhiyin’s brain felt like it was going to explode, and her vision was becoming increasingly blurred.
Her hands were bright red from the cold, and the skin on her fingers was slightly wrinkled.
She felt extremely tired, but thankfully, her efforts were not in vain. In her sight, the previously messy room was now completely clean, and the pungent smell of instant noodle seasoning was gone.
Lu Zhiyin wiped her forehead.
Her hands were cold, and her forehead was hot—this extreme contrast was somewhat taxing.
“…”
Her gaze shifted to Qin An, who was sitting quietly on the sofa. Looking at the girl zoning out, Lu Zhiyin felt a little dissatisfied.
This was Qin An’s home, not hers, so why was she the only one busy from start to finish?
“The meal should be ready soon. I’m going back to get the dishes. If you’re willing, take the garbage bag by the door down to the ground floor.”
Suppressing her dissatisfaction, Lu Zhiyin casually instructed her. She slowly maneuvered the electric wheelchair back to Long Qinxin’s home.
Opening the refrigerator in the kitchen, she was greeted by the ingredients Long Qinxin had bought earlier.
Various fresh meats, some frozen seafood, and some vibrant green vegetables.
Lu Zhiyin’s cooking skills weren’t great, and with her headache, she didn’t have the energy for anything too complex. After a moment’s thought, Lu Zhiyin took out some chives and three eggs from the refrigerator.
Carrying the ingredients back to Qin An’s home, the first thing she saw was Qin An, who still hadn’t moved from her spot.
Lu Zhiyin thought she was a bit too lazy, but she probably shouldn’t be the one to say it.
After all, Lu Zhiyin and Qin An’s current relationship wasn’t very close. It was a miracle that Lu Zhiyin could act so casually without being interrogated by Qin An. She couldn’t expect more.
“Heh… I’ll go stir-fry.”
Exhaling a breath of hot air, Lu Zhiyin touched her forehead again.
Her frequent habit of touching her head attracted Qin An’s attention. As Lu Zhiyin returned to the kitchen and began to stir-fry, Qin An started to wonder if Lu Zhiyin was sick.
“…”
Silently, Qin An continued to sit there blankly. She wouldn’t ask about Lu Zhiyin’s condition, nor did she have any reason to.
The sound of oil heating up filled the room, and the house, which had felt so empty when lived in alone, now seemed less desolate in her daze.
Qin An could smell a pleasant aroma. Since school had started its winter break, she hadn’t eaten a proper meal.
“Achoo…”
In the kitchen, Lu Zhiyin turned her head. She sneezed, and her vision blurred again.
After a busy afternoon, the muscles in her arms were aching. The spatula slipped from her hand, and the wooden handle hit the edge of the pot with a crisp sound.
Qin An heard the noise. She was still conflicted, unsure whether she should go to the kitchen to check.
“…Tsk…”
Shaking her head, Lu Zhiyin picked up the spatula again. She tore the washed chives into small pieces and added them to the scrambled eggs that had been stir-frying for a while.
The aroma of chives filled the air.
Lu Zhiyin had little appetite; she simply stirred the pot numbly, and once the ingredients were cooked, she served the dish and brought the plate to the living room.
“The dishes are ready. Serve yourself rice.”
For the nth time that day, she touched her forehead. Lu Zhiyin felt like she was about to pass out.
She couldn’t clearly see the dishes on the table. In her vision, the plate of eggs she had personally fried was just a colorful mosaic. To be accurate, almost everything had become a mosaic.
But it didn’t matter; as long as it was edible, it was fine, and certainly better than instant noodles.
“Didn’t you say we’d eat together?”
Qin An turned her head, looking at Lu Zhiyin, who was operating her wheelchair and preparing to leave.
“…Hmm? I’m too tired. Eat by yourself, I’m going back.”
She was extremely exhausted, but she didn’t want to show it. She had to be strong when facing Qin An.
Lu Zhiyin remembered how she was treated when she was only capable of weak pleas. The feeling of drowning was something she would never forget.
“Okay.”
Glancing at Lu Zhiyin one last time, Qin An got up to serve herself rice from the kitchen.
Lu Zhiyin, meanwhile, returned to Long Qinxin’s home without a word. She closed the door and, with some difficulty, climbed onto the sofa and lay down.
“…The wound seems to be a bit inflamed.”
She touched the small wound on her neck. It felt sticky to the touch, and she wasn’t sure if it was pus or sweat that had yet to dry.
Too lazy to tend to the wound, Lu Zhiyin simply lay on the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.
