Female Consort Chapter 60

Li Qingwu’s face turned bright red as she stammered, "I... I wasn't with anyone. I... I did it myself..."

Qiu Che interjected, "You figured it out on your own?"

Li Qingwu paused for a moment, then muttered, "...Ah."

That was her way of admitting it.

Qiu Che didn’t seem angry, but she didn’t seem happy either. It was more like she wanted to laugh but held it back.

Li Qingwu watched her anxiously, waiting for a long time, only to hear her murmur, "I'll wash the medicine bowl. You can rest here for a bit."

Although the place looked like it had everything, it was still somewhat simpler than the outside world. For instance, this vast Taoyuan Village had fewer than ten books from the village entrance to the far end.

Most of them were medical texts written by Old Master Jiang, and the few remaining were idle novels brought back by his apprentices who had grown up and returned.

Li Qingwu sat on the bed, unsure of what to do while waiting for her. She walked over to the wooden cabinet, where she found a novel in the corner.

By the time Qiu Che returned, Li Qingwu was sitting by the bed, engrossed in the book she was holding.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, Li Qingwu looked up, feeling somewhat awkward. She instinctively tried to hide the book, but then stopped herself, remembering something. She asked tentatively, "Do you want to read it?"

Qiu Che had always prided herself on reading meaningful texts. She never bothered with such idle books and didn’t have time for them anyway.

The last time she had flipped through a novel from Yu Yan, she had only skimmed it, and it had been seen by Yu Ming.

She shook her head, and Li Qingwu shrugged, "Alright, it’s pretty interesting. I thought you might like it."

Qiu Che raised an eyebrow as she sat down at the desk, replying, "If I don’t like it, should I stop reading?"

Li Qingwu blinked. "You could think of it that way."

Seeing Qiu Che smile, Li Qingwu lowered her head and picked up the half-worn carving knife she had given her earlier, rubbing it against the stone, surprised. "It... hasn’t broken yet?"

Qiu Che looked down. "I tried to repair it and maintain it. It should still work."

Li Qingwu nodded. "If it doesn’t work, I can always get you another one."

Qiu Che gave her a strange look.

Before Li Qingwu could react, Qiu Che turned her gaze away and said, "No need."

"Since we’re staying here for a while, I’m not busy. How about I make you a bow and arrow?"

Li Qingwu glanced at the wooden sword hanging at Qiu Che’s waist. "Like this?"

Qiu Che smiled. "Pretty much."

Li Qingwu nodded, smiling obediently. "Alright, I haven’t practiced archery in a while."

The two chatted for a bit more before Qiu Che collected the carving knife and went outside to look for wood to make the bow and arrow.

According to Old Master Jiang, the medicinal properties of the Tengshou Grass were miraculous. Although it couldn’t bring the dead back to life or regenerate flesh and bones, it could indeed reshape bones.

To use it, the petals were to be ground into juice and mixed with water, soaking the feet for about ten days for full recovery.

That evening, Qiu Che ground the petals into medicine and brought a wooden basin to Li Qingwu.

This was the very thing Li Qingwu had gone to great lengths to find in the dense forest, even resorting to fainting Qiu Che to go alone.

And now, it was about to heal her. When Li Qingwu saw the basin of rose-red water, her expression shifted. She pulled her legs back as Qiu Che knelt to remove her shoes.

Qiu Che paused, looking up at her.

Li Qingwu softly said, "I’ll do it myself."

However, Qiu Che didn’t respect her decision this time. She stared at her for a moment before speaking, "Didn’t you say we’re in love?"

Li Qingwu froze.

"A loving couple, wouldn’t they want to share even something as simple as soaking feet?"

Li Qingwu frowned, trying to find a way to respond. She whispered, "But... you’re not a foot servant."

This gesture seemed too degrading for Qiu Che.

Qiu Che calmly grabbed her calf, removed the embroidered shoes from her feet, and said, "A husband helping his wife soak her feet is perfectly normal. I don’t think it’s degrading."

Li Qingwu wanted to say something, but Qiu Che had already lowered her head, signaling that she wasn’t planning to listen.

As Qiu Che removed the white stockings, revealing her feet, Li Qingwu held her breath, trembling involuntarily.

She was afraid to see Qiu Che’s reaction, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but want to know.

No matter how beautiful she was, she couldn’t deny that her feet were ugly.

But Qiu Che only paused for a brief moment. There was no revulsion, no shock. She merely blinked before silently placing Li Qingwu’s feet into the water.

Li Qingwu couldn’t hear her own breathing anymore.

After a long time, she saw Qiu Che slowly massaging the acupoints along her feet, glancing up at her.

That look was filled with visible pity and sadness.

"Does it hurt?" Qiu Che asked.

The breath that had been stuck in Li Qingwu’s throat suddenly left her.

She turned her head to look at the dim moonlight outside the window, trying not to let her voice tremble. "It’s fine."

The pain had passed.

Qiu Che didn’t speak again. She took over the entire process of soaking her feet, and after a quarter of an hour, helped Li Qingwu put on fresh shoes and socks, then discarded the water from the basin.

This routine continued for several days.

There wasn’t anything particularly special happening. Qiu Che started learning to cook, often sneaking into Old Master Jiang’s place to steal some tips, though she nearly burned down the kitchen and was chased out by Jiang with his cane.

By day, she learned cooking and made bows and arrows, and by night, she prepared medicine for Li Qingwu, soaked her feet, and slept in the same place. Everything was peaceful.

Li Qingwu’s feet gradually healed, and the bones that were once broken slowly mended. They weren’t exactly beautiful, but they looked much more like normal feet now, as though the bones had been reshaped after the break.

On the tenth day, after the last soak, they were as good as new.

Only two scars remained on the ankles, twisting and winding like a scarred reminder of the bone fracture. The herbal medicine had healed her feet but couldn’t remove those marks.

Li Qingwu had gone from being uncomfortable with Qiu Che caring for her feet to accepting it. Seeing her feet improve each day, and Qiu Che’s consistent attitude without any disgust, her nervousness and anxiety gradually faded.

As Qiu Che was about to finish the foot treatment, just like the previous days, Li Qingwu couldn’t hold back any longer after all this time. She hesitantly asked, "You really don’t think they’re ugly?"

"Even though the injury’s healed, the scars are still there." She lowered her head, speaking softly, "... They’re still ugly."

Qiu Che replied seriously, "Ugly or not, it’s not up to me to decide. If I say they’re ugly, does that mean you think they’re ugly too?"

Li Qingwu opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.

Because, deep down, that was exactly how she felt.

Qiu Che sighed but said nothing more.

Instead, after wiping the water off her feet with a towel, she said, "Wait a moment."

She left with the wooden basin and returned shortly, bringing a cinnabar and two brushes, placing them beside the bed.

Li Qingwu was puzzled. "This is...?"

"Yang Qiu once painted a beautiful portrait of a lady holding a fan for you, but I don’t think I ever told you, actually, I’m quite skilled at painting as well."

Otherwise, those wooden carvings wouldn't have been so lifelike.

Qiu Che picked up the brush, gently grasped her ankle, and lowered her gaze. She studied the fair, delicate skin of her ankle for a moment before smiling and looking up. "Would you like a lotus flower tattoo?"

"Or perhaps... two?"

Li Qingwu froze in place.

She saw Qiu Che lower her head again, and with a brush dipped in cinnabar, it followed the path of Qiu Che’s words, gently tracing over her ankle.

There was a slight itch, like a feather brushing against her heart.

"At first, I advocated abolishing foot binding solely to change the way women were coerced into losing themselves for the sake of pleasing men and conforming to their aesthetic preferences."

"But now, seeing you like this, I suddenly feel that my decision to abolish this law was truly the right one."

Li Qingwu couldn’t stand the itch, instinctively curling her toes, trying to withdraw her foot, but Qiu Che gently but firmly gripped her ankle, tightening her hold a little more.

Though her feet were bound, she was still a princess raised in comfort. Once her foot injury healed, aside from the scar, her feet remained soft, white, and smooth.

A bit self-conscious, she licked her dry lips. "What do you mean?"

"Only when you see someone you care about suffering can you understand just how painful it is for those stuck in the mire," Qiu Che spoke softly. "I’m not a particularly kind person, but thinking about it now, if I hadn’t abolished this vile tradition, there would likely be many more Princess Lehes in the future, "

Li Qingwu understood at once.

This was Qiu Che's subtle confession.

Because she felt the pain of others through the suffering of the one she loved, she could understand the pain of the bound-footed women more deeply.

And because she now understood Li Qingwu’s pain, she felt even more grateful that she had made the right choice back then.

Qiu Che held the brush, the cinnabar drawing over the ugly, raised scars, leaving behind only a striking, vibrant red.

She spoke lightly.

"How beautiful or ugly your body is, will never be up to me."

"Even if it is ugly, so what?"

"It’s a relic of the old era, a scar left by the historical malady of foot binding. Being bound was never your fault, nor the fault of the women."

"You only need to know that foot binding existed because the country was blind, the officials were corrupt, and the imperial court decayed."

"The bones of your feet were broken, but your spine was never shattered."

"We are still human, so no matter when, no matter where, we should never look down on ourselves."

"You don't need to lower yourself in front of me, nor do you need to lower yourself in front of men."

"In the world of animals, the weak are prey to the strong. But in this decaying country, only by making ourselves strong can we have the greatest voice."

"And when that time comes, no one will dare to criticize you. Whether you’re beautiful or ugly, it won’t matter."

"Moreover, " Qiu Che smiled as she made the final stroke.

A clear, beautiful lotus flower bloomed under her brush. When she looked up, her handsome features seemed to complement the flower perfectly.

Though only a single candle burned in the room.

Li Qingwu, in her gaze, saw something familiar, something almost like a spark of fire burning.

"Moreover... I’ve never thought you were ugly."

People often use cinnabar to test a woman’s chastity.

But now, she used a cinnabar to bestow Li Qingwu new life and freedom.

Li Qingwu stared at her, feeling a lump in her throat, unsure of what to say.

She looked up at the dimly lit beams of the room, then lowered her gaze to Qiu Che and, in a hoarse voice, said, "Thank you."

Before Qiu Che could respond, she lowered her neck again. The tassel of her hairpin swayed softly as she lightly tapped the tips of her toes on Qiu Che’s knee.

This position revealed a glimpse of her soft, fair, and slender calf, with the blooming flower at her ankle and her already enchanting face, all under the dim glow of the candlelight, giving off an alluring, almost hypnotic aura.

She spoke hurriedly, her voice trembling slightly: "I want..."

Qiu Che heard her clearly but paused, instinctively asking, "...What?"

Li Qingwu hesitated, but didn’t answer.

She couldn't resist the overwhelming emotions and the urge to get closer, but she also couldn't bring herself to say her request once more without showing her emotions.

Finally, she chose to lower her gaze, lean forward, and press a fleeting kiss on Qiu Che’s lips.

A brief touch, then away.

Qiu Che paused, even holding her breath for a moment.

Then, the flush of red spread from her neck to her ears.

In the truest sense, this was their first kiss.

Seeing her like this, Li Qingwu felt more at ease, smiling naturally and lazily, like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish: "It’s... a reward for comforting me."

For a loving "wife-wife" pair, a kiss wasn’t a big deal.

Li Qingwu forced herself to calm her racing heart and thought to herself.

She had never been cherished before, never understood self-respect and self-love.

Surrounded by people who told her that such suffering was necessary, that it was for her own good, she swallowed her pain and kept her silence.

For over a decade, she had learned the rituals, walked with delicate steps, knelt at the feet of the emperor’s yellow robes, obedient and docile, numb and unfeeling.

But now, someone had told her, the true rituals were not like this.

The bandages of foot binding were removed, like a foul, rotting piece of flesh being torn from her heart.

From now on, there would only be bright light and shimmering water in her heart.

On sunny days, buds would sprout from the scars.

Just like the lotus Qiu Che had drawn on her foot, radiant and beautiful, yet strong and unwavering.

She would understand equality, know right from wrong, and learn to resist.

She would have those she loved, and many who loved her in return.

Two years ago, at the Lantern Festival, she found a lotus lantern, though it was a found gift, it was the only gift she had received in over a decade.

Unexpected, and free from any false flattery or calculation.

A fleeting glimpse, yet her only salvation.

Since then, the obsession in her heart had grown wildly.

And years later, this lotus flower had finally bloomed in her heart.

She thought she no longer needed to ask Qiu Che if she liked her.

Such a wonderful person, whether or not she gave the response she desired, Li Qingwu never regretted falling for her.

She lowered her gaze, thinking as she looked at Qiu Che, If "forgetting" would make this tender and winding dream last a little longer...

Then she would savor it gladly.