Plan A
Old Shadows of the Republic of China 8
Massage
Su Xin stayed at home for over ten days and went nowhere.
Actually, she wanted to go to the theater to listen to a play. Although she couldn’t understand it, at least she could sit there and feel the atmosphere and sentiment.
She also wanted to go out to places like Paramount to listen to songs and watch the dancing girls.
However, the Second Concubine did not allow it.
As an obedient, sensible, quiet, and cultured good daughter, she couldn’t bear to let her mother worry about her running around, especially to such places.
So, Su Xin held back, burying herself in her room every day reading books—physics books, applied mechanics, and various other books that Su Xin couldn’t understand before.
Su Xin would delve into researching her thoughts and design ideas, reading and writing only in English to avoid being seen by those who shouldn’t see it, as it would be troublesome if they understood.
Su Xin went daily to Master Wei’s room to report, ostensibly to show concern for her father, but actually to secretly communicate with Shen Xiangting.
Master Fourteen, how is it, no errors, right?
Su Xin stayed up late to draw the design, relying on her previous memory to make every part reasonable, and made some modifications. She wrote down the range and explosive damage power and also noted what the best raw materials should be.
After getting some food, Su Xin handed the drawing to the system in her mind for review, letting it confirm the precise numbers to see if there were any errors.
After all, with this kind of thing, a tiny mistake can lead to a huge error.
【No, it’s perfect.】
Su Xin breathed a sigh of relief, put the drawing into her pocket, and collapsed onto the table, falling into a deep sleep.
The sunset hung low.
Su Xin rubbed her eyes and climbed up, her arms and back very sore, with a red mark pressed onto her forehead, feeling as if she was dying.
Su Xin stood up from the chair, then screamed and sat back down as a piece of clothing draped over her fell to the ground.
Several intensely sour sensations.
Just now, it felt as if below her legs had lost all feeling, but now suddenly became active again, that numb feeling simply drove her crazy.
Master Fourteen, if unable to control Su Xin’s body, at least can give her some chrysanthemum tea to clear heat and reduce fire.
Su Xin felt a burst of coolness pass through her heart, calming her mood immediately.
However, it couldn’t change the fact that her body was both painful and numb.
Nonetheless, her mood was much more stable and she didn’t feel very anxious.
Thank you.
【You’re welcome.】
This clothing?
【The original owner’s mother came in and draped a coat over you.】
Su Xin sat motionless on the chair, waiting for the numbness to pass.
Her whole body still felt uncomfortable, sticky, and her originally groggy head cleared a bit because of the chrysanthemum tea. She was still very sleepy, and her nose was somewhat blocked, possibly from catching a cold.
Someone knocked at the door, knocked three times, then stopped.
“Who?”
“Miss, it’s me.”
Mei’er spoke at the door.
“Come in.”
The study was messy; the previous drawings had already been tidied by Su Xin and put into her clothes pocket.
“Miss, you finally woke up. You didn’t return to your room last night, so I went and told Madam. Madam saw your study was lit and told me not to disturb you.”
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Mei’er walked to Su Xin’s side.
“This morning I knocked on the door and you didn’t respond, so I went again to tell Madam. Madam pushed open the door and saw you sleeping on the table. She called you twice to get you to return to your room but couldn’t wake you, so she let you sleep here and had me watch over you.”
Su Xin appeared too exhausted and couldn’t be woken.
“I’ll sit here for a while, then go take a bath. You organize my study a bit; just arrange these books on the table neatly, no need to put them on the bookshelf.”
“Yes.”
Su Xin recovered, rubbed her neck, and looked at the wristwatch on her hand.
It was now four o’clock in the afternoon, and the Wei family would start dinner precisely at six.
Su Xin’s short hair still carried moisture; she wiped her hair and waited until around five o’clock, then walked towards Master Wei’s courtyard holding her results.
The cold March wind blew, and Su Xin sneezed, feeling a chill throughout her body.
She still didn’t have much strength, feeling as if her body had been hollowed out.
【Host, you are going to get sick.】
Maybe.
Su Xin pinched the tip of her nose, not taking it seriously.
The wind caused some headache, and Su Xin pressed her temples, slowly walking towards the courtyard.
Shen Xiangting thought she wouldn’t return today, but unexpectedly, she did.
Su Xin’s hair looked wet, as if she had just washed it.
“The wind is up, and your hair isn’t dry yet. Why did you come? It’s okay if you don’t come for a day; you don’t have to run so frequently.”
Shen Xiangting’s brows slightly furrowed. The girl in front of her had a slightly red face, seemed not quite right, with hair still wet and red eyes, looking in poor condition.
“I have something to show you.”
Su Xin spoke with a bit of a nasal sound, her blocked nose very uncomfortable.
“Did you catch a cold?”
“No problem, let’s first talk business, enter the room.”
Su Xin walked towards a room they dedicated for their meetings, with Shen Xiangting following behind her.
Su Xin sat on a chair and rubbed her neck, spread out the drawing, and excitedly waved Shen Xiangting over.
“Quick, come look at this. I stayed up late last night to draw it. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and finally conceived it.”
Indeed, she had wanted to modify it for a long time.
When Shen Xiangting saw the drawing, her expression immediately changed. She disregarded her reserved demeanor and leaned eagerly over the table to discuss with Su Xin.
“This is really amazing. I can imagine how powerful it will be when it’s created. Zhizhi, you’re incredible!”
Shen Xiangting patted Su Xin’s shoulder, her face filled with uncontrollable excitement and suppressed enthusiasm.
She also knows about guns and understands quite a bit in this area. If Su Xin’s design for this kind of gun is developed, she’s very clear about how great the impact will be!
“Hiss…”
Su Xin let out a painful inhaling sound. Her shoulder was already unbearably sore and painful, and Shen Xiangting’s enthusiastic pat made it worse. Shen Xiangting was obviously very excited and didn’t restrain her strength. Being patted, Su Xin’s tears almost burst out.
But it was just almost; the tears only made the corners of her eyes a bit wet, and the tears hadn’t fallen yet.
“What is it?”
Shen Xiangting watched Su Xin rubbing her shoulder, thinking she was injured.
“No problem, I was lying in the study sleeping all day and just woke up not long ago.”
Su Xin, with a nasal tone, felt she should take some medicine.
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“Need help?”
Shen Xiangting moved her fingers towards Su Xin.
“Hmm?”
Su Xin looked at her in confusion.
“Help you with a massage. I have a method for massage. I used to often help my father with it.”
Shen Xiangting walked behind Su Xin and placed her hands on Su Xin’s shoulders.
Actually, Shen Xiangting’s hand strength is quite considerable, much stronger than her appearance suggests.
“Thank you.”
Su Xin hadn’t yet had time to refuse when Shen Xiangting’s hands already began to move.
“Is this strength okay?”
“Hiss… hmm… it’s okay.”
Her sore muscles felt relief from the pressing, and Su Xin experienced a burning pain, but after the pain, it felt quite comfortable.
Shen Xiangting pressed on her shoulder for a while, and after Su Xin was completely relaxed, she gave her a few pats and moved her hands to Su Xin’s head.
Gently pressing the temples and other acupoints on the head, Su Xin felt her pain easing even more, comfortably wanting to find a bed to sleep well. However, her empty stomach made her feel uncomfortable.
“Thank you, I feel much better.”
When those warm hands left Su Xin’s head, she opened her eyes and thanked Shen Xiangting once again.
“The one who should say thank you is me. You brought me this good thing.”
Shen Xiangting preciously put those drawings away, showing Su Xin a smile.
“This kind of thing, in the hands of someone worthy, emits its deserved value better.”
Su Xin shrugged and stood up.
Yawning, she went to see Master Wei to prove she had come today.
Su Xin slowly returned to her own courtyard but was called over by the Second Concubine.
“Why do you run to your father’s place every day? There’s already a lot of idle gossip in the house.”
The Second Concubine couldn’t understand either; she didn’t go to see her own husband every day, but her daughter actively went every day.
“Are they too idle? I go to see my father, and I can see him however I like. What does it have to do with them? And there’s idle gossip about this too?”
Su Xin pulled at the corner of her mouth, expressing her inability to understand.
“People just love to talk, but it’s strange too, what’s at your father’s place that you run over every day? Even if you’re checking if your father’s illness is better, going every day is really… and you stay quite long too.”
The Second Concubine looked at her daughter and asked her question.
“Just chatting with father, broadening my horizons, that’s all.”
“What can you chat with your father about?”
The Second Concubine lightly laughed; father and daughter chatting every day, and for a long time, is really quite strange.
“The action and reaction of objects.”
Since the Second Concubine wouldn’t understand anyway, Su Xin casually threw out some basic physics knowledge.
The Second Concubine indeed didn’t understand, cleared her throat twice, and looked at the ground.
“These things I don’t quite understand either, as long as your father doesn’t find you annoying.”
Master Wei these days can already get out of bed, and is not far from walking freely.
“He won’t.”
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How could Master Wei possibly find her annoying? It’s impossible.
The system said she would get sick, so she had to get sick.
That night, Su Xin fell ill, her body too weak to function, with a high fever. It was Mei’er who felt something was wrong and hurriedly called the Second Concubine, only then did people know Su Xin was sick.
A doctor was called to see her, and after prescribing a few doses of medicine, he left.
While drinking the bitter medicine, Su Xin suddenly thought of the foreign doctor.
She really wanted an IV, really wanted to take tablets.
Chinese medicine was too bitter, and its dark color also looked scary.
Mei’er prepared some candy for Su Xin, and after Su Xin drank it all in one gulp, she was given a piece of candy.
Su Xin’s illness came quickly and left quickly, in just two or three days she was better.
On the day she recovered, she received an invitation.
The author has something to say:
Shen Xiangting: 【wiggles fingers】 Need me to help you? How is this strength?
Su Xin: Hmm, it’s okay.
Written as 【reader】, pronounced as 【wife】