Chapter 157: Tao Ming Awoke (II)

Su Nanxing was in the kitchen personally preparing porridge for Tao Ming. Just as he finished mincing the lean pork, the Seventh Prince walked in. "You go take care of Mingming, let me try."

"I'd better do it, you two should talk more."

"Mingming is asleep."

Su Nanxing dropped what was in his hands, wiped them quickly, and hurried into the side room. After a thorough check to ensure Tao Ming was merely sleeping rather than unconscious, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tucking the blanket around Tao Ming, Su Nanxing returned to the kitchen.

The Seventh Prince was clumsily washing the rice. Seeing Su Nanxing walk back in, he remarked, "I suppose I really can't manage without you."

Su Nanxing took the wooden basin from his hands and rinsed the rice clean in just a few deft motions.

Watching his practiced movements, the Seventh Prince asked with a hint of confusion, "Since when does the young master of the Su family know how to cook?"

Su Nanxing was in an exceptionally good mood. "In the other realm, Mingming and I often cooked together. This is called romance, do you understand?"

The Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow. "Weren't there any maidservants in that realm?"

"None."

"How terribly inconvenient!"

Su Nanxing was unfazed. "You used to live deep in the mountains, and you didn't have maidservants either."

The Seventh Prince retorted, "People living deep in the mountains don't need to cook!"

"When you eventually meet the woman of your heart, let alone cooking, you'll be beaming with joy just washing her feet."

The Seventh Prince looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, I've never washed Mingming's feet."

*Only I get to wash her feet,* Su Nanxing thought to himself. "She is your sister, not your wife. How could you possibly care for her as meticulously as I do?"

"Care for her all the way to the bed?" The Seventh Prince meant to say Su Nanxing was careless, but realized the ambiguity the moment the words left his mouth.

Su Nanxing paused his stirring for a fraction of a second before resuming. "Never again."

It was another two hours before Tao Ming woke up. Opening her eyes, she found herself once again nestled in Su Nanxing's arms. "Aren't you tired of holding me all the time?"

"With a beauty in my arms, how could I possibly be tired?"

Tao Ming looked at the face before her, one that felt both familiar and strangely distant. "I'm hungry again."

Su Nanxing propped Tao Ming against the head of the bed, placing a folded quilt behind her. "I've cooked some vegetable and lean pork porridge. I'll bring it right over."

"I want to freshen up first."

"You're far too weak right now; even sitting up takes effort. Drink the porridge first, and I'll wipe you down afterward."

Tao Ming obediently drank the porridge, and Su Nanxing brought over a basin of warm water to meticulously bathe her.

Feeling the warm towel move across her body, Tao Ming smiled and said, "You're quite practiced at this!"

"You slept for more than twenty days. In the beginning, your whole body was burning hot, and I had to wipe you down several times every day. Of course I'm practiced."

"I slept for that long? No wonder I feel so weak." Tao Ming's expression shifted immediately. "Oh no, I haven't eaten in so long, I must be constipated, and there are no glycerin enemas here!"

Su Nanxing chuckled softly. "What on earth goes through that head of yours all day?"

"During the days I was asleep, did my period come? My stomach feels a bit uncomfortable."

Su Nanxing pulled back the towel, squatted down to wash it in the wooden basin, and kept his face turned away so Tao Ming wouldn't see the sorrow in his eyes. "Yes, it did."

Tao Ming rubbed her stomach. "Good thing I'm not pregnant. I'm truly terrified of having children."

Still crouching on the floor, Su Nanxing closed his eyes. "If you don't want to have children, we won't."

"Would your mother agree?" Tao Ming knew very well that Qiao Ruowei was eager to hold a grandchild as soon as possible.

Su Nanxing hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. "I've severed ties with my parents."

"Why?"

"They discovered Ruanruan's demonic bloodline and wanted to kill her to prevent future trouble."

Tao Ming's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's my fault when it comes to Ruanruan. I shouldn't have brought her into this world to suffer."

"Wife, what are you saying! Ruanruan is the crystallization of our love." Su Nanxing gritted his teeth and added, "In the past, the two of us never had any children."

Tao Ming's eyes widened in an instant. "Have you remembered something?"

"Many, many things. It is I who failed you." Su Nanxing stood up, a look of profound guilt on his face. "It was I who deceived myself, unwilling to face the truest desires in my own heart."

A myriad of complex emotions surged within Tao Ming. She had thought she was the only one who remembered their past, but to her surprise, Su Nanxing had recovered his memories as well. She offered a comforting word, "It's all in the past."

Su Nanxing climbed onto the bed and pulled Tao Ming into his embrace. "Wife, we will never be separated again."

Tao Ming nuzzled against his chest. "That depends on how you behave."

Su Nanxing leaned close to her ear and murmured, "You know I've always been very good at taking care of you."

Unbidden, memories of those painful bygone days surfaced in Tao Ming's mind. Stifling the heaviness in her heart, she closed her eyes and nodded.

Cradled in Su Nanxing's arms, Tao Ming quietly listened to the sound of each other's breathing and soon drifted back to sleep.

Squinting, Su Nanxing checked on her quietly and, realizing Tao Ming was truly fast asleep, finally opened his eyes. His fingers traced the imaginary outline of her face in the air, trying to overlap her features with those of the different-looking women in his memories.

Yet the Tao Ming before him lacked the seductive allure unique to those other women, possessing instead a fatal, compelling charm.

Recalling their past entanglements, Su Nanxing felt as though his heart were being clenched by a fist. What on earth had he done to her!

Clearly loving her to distraction, he had buried those feelings deep in his heart, cursing her with the most venomous words in the world, torturing her with the cruelest methods, and watching with his own eyes as she wept in agony before him.

How could he have ever done such a thing?

...

Tao Ming recovered quickly after regaining consciousness. Even so, it took another half a month of lying in bed before she was finally able to walk around with assistance.

As Su Nanxing supported Tao Ming out of the side room, she stared blankly at the empty courtyard for a moment before letting out a self-deprecating laugh. Why be greedy for anything more? Su Yanfeng and his wife had even lost their son.

Noticing Tao Ming halt her steps, Su Nanxing quickly asked, "Are you tired?"

Tao Ming lowered her gaze to conceal her emotions. "No, I'm just a bit unaccustomed to these legs."

"You'll get used to it after walking a bit more."

After a short stroll, they ran into Wen Youfang helping the old madam out for a walk. Seeing the rosy-cheeked old madam, Tao Ming smiled and said, "Mr. Wen, it seems the old madam is recovering quite well."

Wen Youfang hadn't seen Tao Ming in a long time, knowing only that she had been bedridden. Seeing her in person now, he realized just how severely ill she truly was. He replied respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Young Madam Su. The poison in my mother's system has been completely eradicated."

The old madam also spoke up tentatively, "It is a great blessing that this old body managed to cling to life; I dare not harbor any other extravagant hopes."

Noticing her slight timidity, Tao Ming reassured her, "Please rest assured and stay here, Old Madam. Mr. Wen is of great use to us." Seeing that the old madam remained tense, Tao Ming turned to Wen Youfang. "Mr. Wen, I'm a bit tired, so I'll return to my room first."

Knowing that Tao Ming was deliberately making way so his mother wouldn't feel awkward, Wen Youfang replied with deep gratitude, "Please go ahead, Young Madam Su."

Once the two of them returned to their room, the old madam whispered, "I've heard that this Young Madam Su is somewhat loose in her morals."

Though his voice was low, Wen Youfang's tone carried a trace of anger. "Mother, do not listen to other people's idle gossip."

Su Nanxing helped Tao Ming onto the bed. Sitting propped up against the pillows and feeling thoroughly bored, Tao Ming wanted something to occupy her mind. She took out the previously prepared blueprint of the shopping mall, looked it over, and asked, "Husband, is that plot of land in the northeast corner of the imperial city completely unusable now?"

Su Nanxing snatched the blueprint from her hands. "Your only task right now is to nurse your health back."

Cabin-fevered from being cooped up indoors, Tao Ming longed to go out and see the world. "I'm so bored! Let's go out for a walk and look for another suitable location."