bookbashuk Chapter 37 Moonlight in the Drawer
Chapter 37 Moonlight in the Drawer
The summer night breeze, carrying the lingering warmth of the day, gently caressed the Li family's courtyard.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in the Tang Dynasty palace, the candlelight in Princess Jinyang's warm chamber had been dimmed. After taking the medicinal soup and having her most dangerous symptoms relieved by the "exotic medicine from overseas," Princess Jinyang finally fell into a deep sleep. Although her breathing was still slightly rapid, it was much more stable. Li Lizhi dismissed most of the palace servants, leaving only her two closest confidants to guard outside the door.
She sat on the edge of the tatami mat, gently holding her younger sister's small hand, while patting her little Qingyi, who was lying on her knees and was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, with her other hand.
Xiao Qingyi had experienced too many ups and downs today. Her emotions went from joy to fright, then to tension, and finally to relaxation, which had completely exhausted the energy in her small body. She lay softly on Li Lizhi's lap, her long eyelashes drooping, unconsciously muttering indistinct words: "Sister Sizi... get better soon... Brother's medicine... works..."
Li Lizhi listened, her heart stirred once more. She gently stroked the child's sweaty forehead and whispered, "Yiyi, be good, go to sleep. Sister Sizi will be alright, all thanks to you..."
Before Xiao Qingyi completely drifted off to sleep, her last vague thought was: Brother... Is Brother still waiting for Yiyi to come back? Is he worried? I really want to tell Brother that the medicine seems to be working...
This feeling of dependence on loved ones and the desire to share is like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake.
The candlelight flickered softly in the warm chamber. The small, pale yellow figure nestled on Li Lizhi's lap faded and disappeared silently, like a dandelion seed scattered by the wind, along with her tiny pink backpack.
Li Lizhi's patting hand suddenly missed its mark. She paused for a moment, looked down at her empty knees and the sleeping Sizi on the couch beside her, then looked up at the deep night outside the window. Her eyes showed not much surprise, but only a deep complexity and a trace of knowing melancholy.
(Modern Line)
Meanwhile, Li Qingge sat in his study, his notebook in front of him cluttered with keywords like "qi stagnation," "phlegm obstruction," and "acute attack." Beside him were images of Tang Dynasty clothing and artifacts printed from the internet, and a very rough sketch of the Eastern Palace layout he had hand-drawn based on his sister's rambling descriptions. His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the table, his gaze frequently glancing at the clock on the wall. Almost three hours had passed since Yiyi returned with that meager bag of "relief supplies."
Every minute and every second felt incredibly long. Had the medicine been administered? Had it helped the little princess named Sizi? Would it have caused more trouble? More importantly, was Yiyi safe? Countless questions swirled in his mind, making him restless. He even began to regret letting his sister take this risk…
Just as he was feeling uneasy and reached for his water glass but knocked over the pen holder, there was a gentle knock on the study door.
"Qingge, are you still awake?" Grandpa Li Minghua's voice rang out from outside the door, as kind as ever, but it made Li Qingge's heart skip a beat.
Almost reflexively, he frantically swept the notebooks, printing papers, and sketches spread out on the table into the half-open drawer and slammed it shut. He moved so fast that the edges of several pictures were still sticking out awkwardly.
"No... I'm not asleep, Grandpa." He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound normal, and got up to open the door.
Li Minghua walked in carrying a small purple clay teapot, dressed in a comfortable Tang suit, his gray hair neatly combed. He smiled and placed the teapot in an empty corner of the desk: "Your grandmother just got some pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and insisted that I bring you a pot, saying you've been studying hard lately and need to perk yourself up." His gaze casually swept over the drawer, which had clearly been tidied up but wasn't closed tightly, then over his grandson's slightly tense jawline, finally settling on the overturned pen holder on the corner of the table.
"Thank you, Grandpa." Li Qingge took the teapot, his palms slightly sweaty. His grandfather's calm, knowing yet inquisitive gaze made him feel completely exposed.
Li Minghua sat down in the wicker chair beside the desk, showing no intention of leaving immediately. He slowly poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then spoke as if casually, "Qingge, Old Chen told me that you took a jade pendant to him for appraisal the other day, is that right?"
Li Qingge's heart skipped a beat. That piece of mutton-fat jade pendant! He had told the old man that it was "a gift from a relative, and he was just asking someone to take a look at it," but sure enough, Grandpa Chen had let it slip.
"Ah, yes...yes," he mumbled, his mind racing. "Just one classmate..."
"Oh?" Li Minghua put down his teacup, looking at him with a calm yet insightful gaze. "So, what was the result? Grandpa is also a bit interested in old things."
Li Qingge's throat was dry. Grandpa really knew! "Well... Grandpa Chen looked at it and said... said it was from the Tang Dynasty, the craftsmanship was very good, it seemed... seemed to be something from the palace." He avoided the main point, and cold sweat had already seeped out of his back.
"Tang Dynasty court jade artifacts?" Li Minghua raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the rattan chair. "Your classmate's family background is quite extraordinary. To have something of this quality passed down through generations..." He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone still casual, "Speaking of which, lately Yiyi seems to be constantly mentioning 'Sister Sizi' and 'Brother Zhinu' or something like that? The names are quite elegant. Did you tell her some stories, and the little girl is captivated?"
Li Qingge's back stiffened instantly. Grandpa had connected the jade pendant with Yiyi's "nonsense"! He opened his mouth, wanting to make up another story to cover it up, but facing Grandpa's all-knowing eyes, all the words he had prepared stuck in his throat. Cold sweat quietly soaked his shirt.
"Grandpa, I..." His voice was a little hoarse.
Li Minghua waved his hand, stopping him from continuing. The old man's gaze deepened. He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the moonlit night. His voice lowered slightly: "Qingge, you're someone I watched grow up. You're smart, steady, and decisive. But lately… you seem very troubled. Not just you, but Yiyi too. Sometimes she runs back from the ancestral hall, her eyes glazed over, and the things she says don't sound like something a three-year-old could make up." He turned around, his gaze sharp. "That jade pendant, Yiyi's words, and you…" His gaze fell back to the drawer, "Those things you hid. Tell Grandpa, what's going on? Is it… that Yiyi encountered some trouble we don't know about?"
The old man's tone held no accusation, only deep worry and a heavy understanding. He had clearly sensed something unusual and connected all the clues, pointing to a single, yet shocking, possible direction.
Li Qingge looked into his grandfather's wrinkled yet still clear eyes, which were filled with unreserved love and concern for him and his sister. The pressure of carrying the secret alone for so long, the anxiety for his sister's safety, and the complex emotions of being seen through and questioned by his closest relative at this moment instantly broke down the defenses he had been trying to maintain.
He slumped back into his chair, running his hands through his hair, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion: "Grandpa... I... I don't know how to say this. This... is too outrageous, you probably won't believe it even if I tell you..."
"Go on," Li Minghua said, walking back to his grandson and placing his hands on his shoulders. His aged hands were warm and strong. "No matter how outrageous it is, Grandpa is listening."
Just as Li Qingge took a deep breath, preparing to reveal that incredible secret, and just as Li Minghua was intently waiting for his grandson to speak—
In the center of the study, a barely perceptible ripple, like water, appeared in the air without warning.
Immediately afterwards, as if emerging from an invisible membrane, a familiar figure wearing a pale yellow cartoon bunny romper and carrying a pink backpack quickly solidified from the illusion and appeared out of thin air!
It's Xiao Qingyi!
She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her small hands. When she saw that it was her brother's study and her familiar grandfather, a relieved and slightly excited smile immediately bloomed on her face. She ran excitedly towards Li Qingge: "Brother! Brother! I'm back! Sister Sizi seems to be a little better! Sister Lizhi gave the medicine to the imperial physician, and the Empress..." Her chattering stopped abruptly when she saw the sudden change in her grandfather Li Minghua's expression.
Li Minghua was struck dumb, frozen in place. He had seen it with his own eyes! From the ripples in the air to the appearance of his granddaughter's figure, the entire process took no more than two seconds, yet it happened with unparalleled clarity and realism before his very eyes! This was not an illusion, not a trick of the eye; it was a living, breathing "appearance" that defied all common sense!
The color drained from his face at a visible speed, his eyes widened, his pupils contracted in extreme shock, and his breath caught in his throat. The small purple clay teacup in his hand fell to the thick carpet with a thud, leaving a small dark stain of tea.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Only Xiao Qingyi's slightly confused breathing and Li Qingge's suddenly stopped heartbeat remained in the study.
Xiao Qingyi glanced at her pale-faced grandfather, then at her brother's "I'm doomed" expression, and seemed to finally realize she had gotten into trouble. She timidly moved closer to her brother, clutching Li Qingge's clothes with her little hand, and whispered, "Brother... what's wrong with Grandpa? Grandpa... did he see Yiyi 'come back'?"
This statement, like the last straw, completely confirmed that what Li Minghua had seen was true.
The old man abruptly raised his hand and grabbed the edge of the desk beside him, barely managing to steady his swaying body. His gaze was fixed on Xiao Qingyi, as if he were truly seeing this granddaughter he had doted on since childhood for the first time, before slowly shifting to his ashen-faced grandson.
Shock, horror, disbelief, extreme confusion... a variety of intense emotions churned in his eyes, but in the end, they strangely settled into a bottomless, heavy understanding and worry.
"Qingge..." Li Minghua's voice was terribly hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from his chest, "What...what exactly...is going on?!"