Blind and Bereft

Chapter 11 | Four Days With Bun

From that day forth, Jingrui had been very careful everytime she brought food back to the injured man in her room. And she tried her best to avoid Shushu's hawk eyes that haunted her from every corner of the palace.

On the fourth day since she saved the man, she could feel the suspicion growing from those around her. That day, she was made to work several chores, and the whole time, Yuansong's strong radar patrolled her every move.

From time to time, she would glance at the xiangzhong⁷of the main hall, seeing the stick burn out little by little. Her mind wandered to the nonchalant blind man in her room, and she begged from the bottom of her heart, just like the other days, that he would stay hidden obediently. If not, she would become another dead corpse to decorate the Red Valley.

At long last, the sky grew dark, and the incense stick burned out, leaving only ashes in the tray. Jingrui's face lit up as she rushed over to her room, scanning left and right, before entering it.

The man seemed to sense her enter, but as usual, he didn't lift his gaze. He lay still on the bed, his hand resting his head as he twirled the teacup with his fingers.

Jingrui sighed as she plopped down on the floor and pulled out three steamed buns from under her sleeves. She laid them on the bed and cleared her throat. "This is all I could get you for today. You stayed in bed all day and probably don't know the hardship I endured to sneak them out for you."

He grabbed one cautiously as if he feared they were going to hurt him. A grimace flashed over his face. "Baozi⁸. . ."

Jingrui nodded as she shoved one into her mouth. "Yes. Best thing in the world when you are hungry."

"I am sick of baozi⁸," he stated, his eyes stared blankly at the wall as he fiddled with the mushy bun in his hand.

Jingrui nodded as a frown etched across her face. Anger smoldered within her as she spoke slowly, "I almost died getting them, you know that." She stood up and snatched it from his hand. Before he could say anything, she shoved it into his mouth. "So, eat it!"

The man was stunned to the point he might have turned to stone. He blinked several times before grabbing the baozi⁸ out of his mouth and slowly nibbled on it.

Jingrui sat back down and crossed her arms. "Don't complain too much. I'm only a maid, I can't give you a supreme feast of a banquet." She munched on the bun. "The deities in Heaven are all so stingy. This is the Floating Abyss Palace owned by the supreme high deity, God of War, not to mention the fact that he is a prince. Yet, the maids at his palace can only eat baozi⁸, mantou⁹, baozi⁸, mantou⁹, every day!"

The man went completely silent. He seemed to want to say something, but he sat still, nibbling on the baozi⁸. After he forced himself to swallow them all down, he looked up at her with raised brows. "Is he really that stingy, Bao Bao?"

She nodded. "Of course, he is. But I don't blame him. He seems like such a depressing guy. He probably has been through a lot for him to turn out that way." She sighed as she leaned back against the bed and stared off into a distance. Her smile faded. "You must think I am a really happy person, don't you? But to be honest, I sometimes wonder how long I can keep that up. . ."

Jingrui shook her head, and her face lit up once again. "Who cares. Let's not talk about sad things anymore, they bring bad omens. Let's talk about you. You've been here for four days already, do you feel better now? If you do, then tomorrow, I will find a chance for you to leave."

He laid back against the bedpost and gave her a dismissive nod.

Jingrui frowned at his nonchalance, feeling as if she were talking to a stone. "What a weirdo, it's like talking to an ice statue," she grumbled under her breath.

"I'm blind. Not deaf, Bao Bao," he mumbled as his eyes fluttered close.

She watched as he lapsed off into silence. Lines of grimace were clear upon his youthful face as if he had been tormented by long years of grief. Dressed in rags, he emitted a certain regality, and although he never showed that side of him, his eyes scorched with threats, like fierce clouds foreboding a storm. The ambiguity that emitted from his form sparked a certain curiosity in her that pulled her attention to him.

She let out a sigh and shook her head to clear her mind. She didn't have time to feel curious about a random stranger; she only held one sole purpose. She tore her gaze away from him and cleared her throat. "By the way, Mister, why are you calling me Bao Bao? My name is Jingrui."

His lips curled with a certain amusement, but that smile disappeared just as quickly as it came. "Your voice sounds like one. And you have a passion for baozi⁸."

"Where's the logic in that?" Jingrui pressed her lips together to prevent herself from lashing out with strings of protests. Instead, she asked him, "You've been here for four days, but you have never told me your name."

He opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side as if he didn't understand why she would ask him such a thing. "You don't need to know of it, Bao Bao, because when the time comes, you will wish you had never known me at all."

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*Bǎo Bǎo (宝宝): baby.
*Bāo (包): Bun

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