Chapter 241: Chapter 241: You Walk Ahead, I’ll Follow Behind
Qu Fulan really wanted to retort: Polite my foot!
"I’m hunting for the princess right now, so I cannot accompany you!" Qu Fulan said seriously, intending to leave, but then she heard Ji Nishang’s voice.
"Cousin, you’re here! I was just chasing a rabbit and ended up here." Said Ji Nishang, arriving on horseback, her face beaming with joy.
Then she saw Qu Fulan, her smile momentarily froze but quickly returned to normal, as she smiled nonchalantly.
Qu Fulan didn’t want to get involved in their matters, so she rode away directly.
As a result, the pouch at her waist, which had loosened and was blown by the wind while riding, fell to the ground without her noticing.
The pouch was something she embroidered herself. At first, Hua Hao encouraged her to learn embroidery in her free time. She had learned from Hai Xia for a few days, ruining quite a few pouches before she finally made one that looked decent, although it was still incomparable to others.
But since it was her own work, it held significant meaning, and besides, she needed a pouch in ancient times, so she used it herself.
She usually only carried some small change in it, nothing much more.
Now that it had fallen, even if she realized it later, she wouldn’t be heartbroken — just regretful that she lost the first meaningful pouch she ever made.
Yet, what she didn’t care about held different significance for some others.
Xiao Shiqing wanted to call out to her, but her horse ran too fast, and she quickly disappeared into the forest.
The man could only dismount and pick up the pouch, and when Ji Nishang saw it, she dismounted too. Seeing her cousin focusing on the pouch, she also examined it and then spoke.
"This pouch seems roughly made, but it looks like it’s been used for a long time. It’s probably the best one made by a beginner and holds commemorative value, so it’s kept and preserved. Let me return it to her for you, cousin; it will be more convenient."
Indeed, women understand women well, and Ji Nishang’s guess hit the nail on the head.
However, she didn’t know how skilled Li Jirou was at embroidery. After all, everyone’s skills vary; some have an innate talent for it, while others struggle no matter how hard they try, and some with good conditions don’t need to be diligent. Being able to produce something barely acceptable is already commendable.
Li Jirou’s family was well-off before, so she didn’t need to hone her embroidery to gain an advantage in marriage.
Ji Nishang might not understand Li Jirou’s embroidery skills, but would Xiao Shiqing not know?
Moreover, right now, Xiao Shiqing was wearing something she had embroidered for him.
Which is better is obvious at a glance.
Xiao Shiqing’s gaze remained on the pouch, as if muttering to himself, "A beginner?"
Ji Nishang didn’t understand why he asked this in return, but since her cousin rarely took the initiative to speak to her, she naturally was happy to chat more, "Yes, this looks like a product of a few months’ learning, probably made to meet some requirement. Otherwise, if one were truly interested in embroidery, after long-term dedication, it wouldn’t look like this, nor would someone bother carrying something like this. Miss Li enjoys business, and I suppose she spends her time on commerce rather than this."
Xiao Shiqing tightened his grip on the pouch, his gaze darkened, and he pressed his lips tightly without saying a word.
Qu Fulan rode away and soon discovered another rabbit, drew her bow, and shot the arrow successfully, hitting the target.
She quickly dismounted, ran over to get the prey, and in her excitement, tripped over a stone and twisted her foot, causing her to fall to the ground.
Qu Fulan, ignoring her injury, immediately got up and sat on a rock nearby, looked around, and upon seeing no one, let out a sigh of relief before she began to express her pain softly.
Ouch!
Then, she heard a voice from ahead, "What happened to you?"
Qu Fulan’s voice paused immediately as she looked up to see a tall man in a blue robe, with a quiver of arrows on his back, walking out of the woods with a white fox that had been shot.
Who else could it be but Pei Ji’an?
He quickly approached Qu Fulan, threw the precious white fox onto the ground, and bent down to check her foot.
Qu Fulan felt a mix of discomfort, embarrassment, and awkwardness, especially with what happened last night. He drank too much and didn’t remember anything, but she was truly embarrassed.
She quickly shook her head, "I’m fine, ah..."
Pei Ji’an gently pinched her ankle, causing Qu Fulan to cry out in pain immediately.
He frowned, adjusted his grip, and Qu Fulan instinctively wanted to pull her foot back, but the man was strong, and she couldn’t pull it away.
"Does it hurt a lot?" he asked her.
Qu Fulan was about to say it hurt and ask him to stop squeezing it, but he suddenly twisted her foot with a "crack," she didn’t even have time to gasp before he said, "Does it still hurt now?"
Qu Fulan tried moving her foot, and indeed, it didn’t hurt anymore.
As expected from a martial artist, he had some understanding of bone structures.
Actually, she had vaguely sensed that her bone might have been dislocated, but she hadn’t had a chance to check. Even if she had checked, it’s tough to administer treatment on oneself, requiring a bit of mental preparation.
"I’m fine now, thank you."
Pei Ji’an glanced at the rabbit that had been shot not far away, then at Qu Fulan, chuckled softly, and got up to help her retrieve the prey.
Qu Fulan wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground, embarrassed that something as simple as picking up a catch ended up with her in such a sorry state.
Pei Ji’an brought the prey back and said to her, "I’ll take you back first. Though it didn’t hurt the tendons or bones, it still has some impact, and you need to go back and rest properly. Hunt again tomorrow."
She didn’t need to participate in the competition, so there was no rush.
Qu Fulan thought the same; otherwise, the dislocated area might easily suffer secondary injuries.
As she was about to get up to ride her horse, Pei Ji’an suddenly picked her up. She instinctively threw her arms around his neck, surprised and shocked, "Princely Heir, put me down! I can walk by myself! If others see this, I’ll have no face to meet people."
Pei Ji’an said nothing, directly placing her onto the horse, "I wouldn’t let you be caught up in gossip. You walk ahead, I’ll follow behind. I’ll leave once I see you reach the camp."
Only then did Qu Fulan stop talking.
The two returned to the camp one after the other, and as promised, Pei Ji’an left as soon as they arrived. However, before leaving, he specifically instructed the maid to take good care of her and also mentioned it to his mother in passing.
Madam Pei only then knew that Qu Fulan had twisted her ankle and hurried over to express her concern. Seeing this, Pei Ji’an turned and left.
After handling the attentive and enthusiastic Madam Pei, Qu Fulan planned to take a bath and lie down for a good rest. Riding was quite exhausting.
As the maid prepared the hot water, Qu Fulan undressed and habitually removed her accessories, but when she reached for her waist, she stopped.
Even though she had a special space, she needed a pouch for keeping money and for appearances, otherwise if something came up, would she just take money from her space?
Now, where’s the pouch?