Gu Moran didn't move, but used his other hand to catch the bowl steadily, and said in a very low voice, "Get up first."
Shen Ling'er was stunned for a moment, as if she had just realized how wrong her posture was. Her ears suddenly burned, and she kicked her hand away from his leg. However, her knees were still swaying because of the boat, and she fell forward half an inch.
Gu Moran used his free hand to hold her elbow and pulled her to the side, making her sit on the edge of the bed.
The medicine bowl stabilized.
The two sat shoulder to shoulder on the narrow bed, their bodies constantly being pushed against each other by the swaying of the dark water.
Shen Ling'er clutched her sleeve, her voice softer than usual. "Hurry up and drink it."
Gu Moran brought the bowl to his lips, took a sip, and frowned at the bitter taste.
"It's too bitter."
Good medicine tastes bitter, so stop talking nonsense.
Do you have any of those sweet dumplings that you can hold in your mouth?
Shen Ling'er rummaged through the medicine box at her waist, took out a small porcelain bottle, poured out a honey pill, and held it to his lips.
Open your mouth.
Gu Moran his mouth, and she inserted the honey pill. When her fingertip touched his lower lip, they both paused.
The boat rocked again.
Shen Ling'er's hand didn't have time to retract before it was brushed against his lips.
Her hand trembled, and she quickly pulled it back into her sleeve.
With a honey pill in his Gu Moran's voice was muffled. "Did you wash your hands?"
Shen Ling'er's face flushed crimson, but her voice remained firm. "I washed it three times! Eat it or not, it's up to you!"
"Mmm, it's sweet."
He drank the medicine in one gulp.
Shen Ling'er snatched the bowl and put it aside. She stood up and was about to walk back to the medicine pot, but her steps were unsteady. She took two steps and then stumbled back.
Gu Moran reached out from the bed, hooked two fingers around the strap of the medicine box at her waist, and gently pulled.
She was pulled back to sit on the edge of the bed.
The belt around her waist was still hooked by his fingers and hadn't been loosened. His knuckles pressed against her side, and she could feel the warmth of his finger bones through the fabric.
She looked down at the hand; she didn't knock it away.
Gu Moran.
"Um."
Do you know what you're doing?
Gu Moran released his fingers and obediently placed his hands back on his knees.
"Waiting for the shoal to recede."
Shen Ling'er turned her face away, her voice muffled. "You just learned how to coax women from those lousy books, didn't you?"
Gu Moran looked at her bright red ear tips and couldn't help but laugh.
"Then how do you think I compare to the domineering princes in books?"
"You're even more shameless than them," Shen Ling'er interjected. "At least they weren't drugged and then taken advantage of."
"That's because the boat is rocking."
Shen Ling'er took a deep breath and turned her face to the window.
It was so dark outside the window that you couldn't see anything except the rustling of branches brushing against the roof of the boat.
The aftershocks of the shoal were still lingering, and the waves were larger than before. Shen Ling'er lost her balance, her shoulder bumped into his chest, and the back of her head hit his chin.
Gu Moran a muffled groan.
Shen Ling'er jumped up. "Did you bump into something?"
"It's okay, my chin is hard."
"Let me see." She turned around, cupped his face in her hands, and lifted it up to check if his chin was bruised or scraped.
The lights flickered overhead, and her face was so close that Gu Moran could count the few light-colored freckles on the bridge of her nose, the roots of her eyelashes being a shade darker than the tips, and her cherry lips looking luscious and tempting.
Gu Moran neither retreated nor leaned forward.
Ling'er has such a sharp tongue!
"It wasn't damaged." Shen Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't put her hand down immediately. Her fingertips were still on his jawline, and her thumb unconsciously rubbed against the edge of his jawbone.
She had already rubbed against something three times by the time she realized what she was doing.
He abruptly pulled his hand back.
Gu Moran looked at her bright red ear tips, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.
" Shen Ling'er, isn't this a scheme against me...?"
"Don't speak."
"You touched my chin for quite a while just now."
"Shut up."
You look so beautiful when you blush.
Shen Ling'er grabbed a pillow and threw it at Gu Moran turned his head to dodge. The pillow hit the cabin wall with a dull thud.
The lights were still flickering.
As she reached for the lamp, the hull brushed against the dark rocks, and the entire cabin jolted abruptly.
Her hand missed, and she fell forward, but Gu Moran caught her and pulled her into his arms, her head pressed against his chest.
The medicine bowl slid off the table, spun three times on the floor, and then stopped.
The cabin fell silent, with only the sound of water lapping against the hull and the breathing of the two people inside.
Shen Ling'er lay on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
It was a steady, measured pace, neither too fast nor too slow, so steady it made you want to curse him for being heartless.
"Your heartbeat is so steady," she muttered.
"Because you're here."
"What's the meaning?"
"I feel at ease when you're here."
Shen Ling'er buried her face in his clothes, her voice muffled and almost inaudible. "You're just trying to coax me again."
Gu Moran placed his hand on the back of her head, his fingertips entwining with a strand of her loose hair.
"Is there a reward for coaxing you?"
Shen Ling'er punched him in the chest.
Like a cat stretching out a paw.
"It's no use trying to cheer me up, I've started my period."
She regretted it as soon as she finished speaking, her face flushed with embarrassment as she lowered her head.
After all, men generally consider this thing to be unlucky and bring bad luck.
Gu Moran's reaction was completely unexpected.
He didn't get up, wasn't embarrassed, and didn't even let go.
His palm slid slowly down her back, past her waist, and stopped at her lower abdomen.
"Yes, it's definitely ice." His voice was muffled above her head.
Shen Ling'er tensed up. "What are you doing!"
"I'll warm your tummy." The moment Gu Moran's palm touched her, a warm force emanated from his hand and seeped gently into her abdomen.
It was the internal energy of this Fifth Rank martial artist.
Having studied medicine for many years, Shen Ling'er immediately discerned the path of the warm current.
Guanyuan, Qihai, and Zhongji are all commonly used acupoints in gynecology during menstruation.
The technique was excellent, the acupoints were precisely located, and warmth spread along the meridians, gradually melting away the cold, hard, and aching pain in my lower abdomen.
Her body spoke before her mind.
Her waist softened, her curled legs slowly relaxed, and her back pressed against his chest.
He was still struggling to speak, "How... how do you know these acupoints?"
"I learned it from reading miscellaneous books." Gu Moran drew a small circle on the Guanyuan acupoint with his thumb, increasing the pressure slightly. "It says that massaging these three acupoints can relieve menstrual cramps in women."
Shen Ling'er opened her mouth, wanting to refute.
But that warmth felt so comforting.
It's like soaking in a pool of warm water, warming you from your stomach to your waist, and then from your waist to your tailbone.
Her whole body softened, even her clenched teeth loosened, and a very soft groan escaped her throat involuntarily.
"Um..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she was startled and quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
Gu Moran's lips brushed against her earlobe, his breath tickling her earlobe.
Then he spoke.
His voice was extremely low, with a deliberately affected tone.
"Woman, you asked for this."
Shen Ling'er was stunned.
This sentence.
That tone.
That damned novel, " The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me ".
" Gu Moran!" She struggled to get up.
Gu Moran pressed one hand on her shoulder, while the other hand continued to massage her lower abdomen with his inner strength.
"You have successfully caught my attention."
Shen Ling'er heard the vibrations in his chest, buried her face in his clothes, and felt the heat spreading from her ears to her neck.
"Stop reading it, it's disgusting."
"Not disgusting." Gu Moran changed the angle of his hand, pressing the base of his palm against the Qihai acupoint, and slightly increased the intensity of his internal force.
Shen Ling'er's waist suddenly arched, and another muffled groan escaped from her nose.
This sound was louder than the last one.
The sound was loud enough to carry through the thin wooden wall.
next door.
Su Yao's calligraphy brush hung above the account book.
She had half written the four words "Salt and Iron Remaining", and the last stroke of the word "Iron" left a long ink mark and dragged it to the edge of the paper.
She put the pen down and gripped the pen barrel with her fingers, applying pressure at the joints.
It wasn't that she wanted to hear it; it's that the walls of the ship were too thin.
Another sound.
"My husband, are you alright...?"
It was even softer than the first tone, with the ending note rising slightly.
Su Yao shoved the pen into the inkstone, causing ink to splash out and land on the back of her hand.
She didn't wipe it.
Outside the door, on the deck.
Lin Qingdai stood with her back against the cabin wall, her right hand resting on the hilt of her knife, her posture resembling that of someone on guard duty.
But her ears were burning.
Murong Xue squatted down next to her, her hands supporting her knees, her head tilted towards the cabin door, her expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
Another sound rang out.
Lin Qingdai gripped the hilt of the knife tightly.
Murong Xue turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"
Lin Qingdai gritted her teeth. "Judging from the noise up ahead, it sounds like someone is rubbing their stomach."
"Can rubbing your stomach produce this kind of sound?"
"Shut up."
Murong Xue listened intently for another two breaths.
"Hmm. Looks like getting your stomach rubbed feels good!"
Lin Qingdai turned her head and glared at her.
"So comfortable, oh my goo?"
Murong Xue said matter-of-factly, "So what if it feels too good? My sisters on the grasslands do the same thing. When it hurts, they put hot stones on their stomachs."
"Ha." Lin Qingdai's voice was squeezed out from between her teeth, "But he used his hands, and that bastard has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
Murong Xue tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Indeed."
Another sound came from inside.
Shen Ling'er's voice was hoarse and soft. "My mouth hurts..."