Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Chapter 633 Zhang Chuan Investigates the Terrain

Zhang Chuan unscrewed the cap of the iodine bottle, dipped a cotton swab in the solution, and carefully applied it to the abrasion on Zhao Ci's forehead. His movements were so gentle, as if he were afraid of breaking porcelain, and he even held his breath. In fact, the wound was very minor, just a scrape with a few drops of blood, but in Zhang Chuan's eyes, it seemed like a huge injury.

Zhao Ci, being a cultured man who spent most of his time in his study, had delicate skin. When the medicine was applied, he couldn't help but shrink his neck slightly, a barely perceptible tremor flashing in his eyes. Looking at Zhang Chuan's nervous expression, he couldn't help but smile and chuckle, "I'm an adult now, not a three-year-old. This little injury is nothing. You don't need to be so careful."

Zhang Chuan glanced at him, his brows still furrowed, his tone tinged with self-reproach: "You've never been injured like this before, your skin is so delicate. If I hadn't reacted too slowly and failed to protect you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt at all." When Jiang Hu's men attacked, although he had stood in front of them, a shard of porcelain still managed to hit Zhao Ci's forehead in the chaos, which had left him feeling resentful ever since.

Zhao Ci gently shook her head, reached out and pressed down on his hand holding the cotton swab, and said seriously, "This has nothing to do with you. It's all Jiang Hu's fault. He deliberately caused trouble. I'm already very grateful that you can protect me."

Zhang Chuan didn't say anything more, quickening his movements and quickly treating Zhao Ci's wound, carefully applying a small gauze. He was about to stand up and pack his things when a sudden wave of pain surged through him—he'd been hit on the back with a stick during the fight, and while protecting Zhao Ci, he hadn't felt much pain. Now, as the pain subsided, it came in waves like a tidal wave. He instinctively groaned, his brows furrowing tightly.

Zhao Ci, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed something was wrong and quickly asked, "Are you injured too? Sit down quickly, I'll apply some medicine for you."

Zhang Chuan grinned and waved his hand, "I'm fine. I'm tough, this little injury is nothing. I'll just find some medicine to apply in a bit."

He was telling the truth. He had been through a lot in the army before, and had suffered much more serious injuries. Getting cuts and bleeding was commonplace for him, so he didn't care about this little bit of pain.

But Zhao Ci didn't think so. He clearly remembered that if Zhang Chuan hadn't stood in front of him like a mountain, those fists and sticks would have already landed on him, and the consequences would have been unimaginable. He grabbed Zhang Chuan's arm, his tone firm and unyielding: "Zhang Chuan, don't be stubborn. After you've cleaned up my wounds, I need to take a good look at you. Sit down and take off your clothes so I can see."

Seeing the earnestness in Zhao Ci's eyes, his gaze as sharp as a hammered nail, Zhang Chuan knew that further refusal would only cause him more worry. He reluctantly sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly removed his dusty coat. The rough fabric rubbed against the wounds on his back, and he couldn't help but groan. The purplish-blue bruises on his back were particularly clear in the dim light, their edges tinged with black, like ink splashed on flesh—a shocking sight.

Zhao Ci's brows furrowed instantly, and his hand trembled slightly as he picked up the medicine bottle—he had only seen the scrapes on Zhang Chuan's arm during the day, and had no idea that his back was so badly injured. The ointment in the bottle was a high-quality wound medicine that he had specially asked someone to buy, but it felt heavy in his hand, like holding a block of ice.

Zhang Chuan was about to say, "This little injury is nothing," when Zhao Ci stood up, turned around, rummaged through the cabinet, took out a clean cotton cloth, and poured half a basin of warm water. He was clearly determined to treat Zhang Chuan's wound.

"Stop being stubborn." Zhao Ci's voice was filled with unwavering determination. "If you don't get it treated, and you're in so much pain tomorrow that you can't move, who will help me?"

Unable to withstand his onslaught any longer, Zhang Chuan finally gave up and slowly removed his shirt. The worn cloth shirt slipped off, revealing a back that, while not broad, was sturdy, though now covered in scars—besides the newly added bruises on his back, there was a light brown scar on his shoulder, as if cut by a sharp weapon; and a dent on his side, clearly an old wound. Although he had driven away those who had come to cause trouble today, he himself had accumulated many new wounds, a mixture of old and new that weighed heavily on the heart.

Zhao Ci's hand, holding the cotton cloth, froze in mid-air, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He had known Zhang Chuan had a hard life, but he hadn't expected it to be like this—so many injuries, some of them looking quite old, suggesting he must have suffered a lot over the years. Yet, even so, he had just endured the pain to treat the minor abrasions on his own arm first.

Zhao Ci took a deep breath and gently pressed a cotton cloth soaked in warm water onto Zhang Chuan's back, making extremely light movements so as not to hurt him. When the medicine touched the broken skin, Zhang Chuan couldn't help but tense his back, but he didn't utter a sound.

As Zhao Ci applied the medicine, he noticed the old wounds. Some looked like they had been hit with sticks, others like they had been knocked down by hard objects; they crisscrossed like marks etched into the bone. It was the first time he had treated such a serious injury, and his technique was indeed clumsy. The ointment was not applied evenly, and occasionally when he touched Zhang Chuan's sore spots, the other man's muscles would contract, and he would quickly stop, his eyes unconsciously reddening.

Zhang Chuan felt the movements behind him slow down, and even felt warm liquid dripping onto his back, scalding him. He turned around and saw Zhao Ci with his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly, and water droplets clinging to his eyelashes—this usually calm and composed man was actually shedding tears.

"What's wrong with you?" Zhang Chuan asked, somewhat at a loss. He tried to turn around but was stopped by Zhao Ci.

"It's alright." Zhao Ci's voice was a little choked up, but she still stubbornly continued applying the medicine, only her movements were gentler. "It'll be done soon."

He suppressed the dryness in his throat, carefully applied the ointment evenly, and then gently massaged it with a cotton cloth to allow the medicine to penetrate. Although his technique was clumsy and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, it revealed a careful and earnest attitude.

After a few minutes, Zhao Ci finally straightened up, put away the medicine bottle, and said in a low voice, "The medicine is applied. Don't get it wet for the next few days, and don't rub too hard."

Zhang Chuan put on his clothes, looked at his red eyes, and felt a warm glow in his heart. He teased him, "You've finally 'successfully completed your mission' and can go to work at the mine tomorrow. With me here, I'll definitely protect you. By the way, did today's experiment go smoothly?"

Zhao Ci shook his head, his expression turning serious: "It's not that simple. Although Jiang Hu agreed to let me go to work, he's definitely still wary of us. He's a very suspicious person and will never trust anyone easily. When you report to him tomorrow, be careful not to give anything away."

Zhang Chuan nodded and patted his chest: "Zhao Ci, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I remember what I should and shouldn't say."

Zhao Ci was still worried and gave a few more instructions before saying, "I need to take another look at the coal mine blueprints and figure out the structure of the tunnels. You just finished applying the medicine, so you should rest first."