Jing Li sent the person out of the yard, and when he came back, he saw Qin Zhao standing by the table, having already started to organize the books.

Qin Zhao had brought back quite a few medical books, and before he could put them in the bookcase, they were scattered on the table and the floor. Qin Zhao bent down to pick up a book from the floor, and suddenly he felt dizzy and stumbled.

"Don't do it." Jing Li quickly walked over to support him, "Go and rest, I'll take care of these."

Qin Zhao said: "It's okay, I still... cough cough!"

He started coughing without warning.

They had been traveling all day to get back to the village today. Qin Zhao's face was already looking bad, and this cough made it look like he was coughing up all his internal organs. He put one hand to his lips, the other hand supporting the table, and his thin shoulders trembled slightly with the cough.

Qin Zhao's vision went dark, and when he caught his breath, he found that Jing Li had helped him sit on a chair.

He had a layer of cold sweat on his forehead, and his palms felt sticky and slightly cool.

Qin Zhao looked down and saw a glaring red.

“…”

He closed his eyes and sighed silently.

Jing Li went to get a clean handkerchief, soaked it in water and wrung it dry. He first helped Qin Zhao wipe the cold sweat from his forehead before coming to his lips.

The thin lips were tightly pursed and so pale that the bright red at the corner of the lips was even more shocking.

Jing Li's fingertips trembled, and he wiped away the blood without saying a word, then squatted down to help him wipe his hands.

"I told you to get some rest." After pouring a cup of warm water for Qin Zhao to rinse his mouth, Jing Li said, "I'll make the bed first. You might feel more comfortable if you lie down for a while."

Qin Zhao nodded.

They had been away from home for over a month, and all the beds had to be taken down and washed.

Jing Li was quite skilled at doing these things. He quickly took off all the original bed covers and replaced them with clean ones.

Then he helped Qin Zhao lie down.

Jing Li tucked him in and asked in a low voice, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before going to sleep?"

"Can you do it?" Qin Zhao smiled.

"No...but I can go buy it."

"No need." Qin Zhao said, "Come up and lie down for a while."

"I'm not tired. You go to sleep. I'll go organize those books." Jing Li stood up after saying that, but Qin Zhao held his hand.

The warmth of Qin Zhao's palm was transferred to Jing Li's hand. Jing Li curled his fingertips without looking back.

"Xiaoyu." Qin Zhao looked at him and said softly, "Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"...I haven't forgotten." The voice was very low, with a bit of hoarse crying tone.

Qin Zhao sighed and said, "You are just bullying me because I don't have the energy to punish you right now."

“…”

Jing Li turned around obediently.

The boy's eyes were red, and when he lowered his head, the tears that could not be held back finally rolled down and fell on the back of Qin Zhao's hand.

Qin Zhao squeezed his hand, his voice still gentle: "Come here, I'll comfort you."

Jing Li bent down and was hugged by Qin Zhao.

He buried his head in Qin Zhao's shoulder and said in a tearful voice, "I know you will be fine. As long as you find all the herbs, you will be fine. I am... I am..."

"You feel sorry for me, I know."

Qin Zhao patted his back again and again and whispered, "Okay, don't cry. People will think I bullied you later."

Jing Li responded softly.

He didn't cry for long.

After a while, Jing Li calmed down a little, tilted his head and rubbed his eyes, and took the initiative to break free from Qin Zhao's arms: "I'm not crying anymore."

Qin Zhao was already feeling bad enough, he couldn't afford to bother him anymore.

Jing Li stood up straight, his eyes still a little red, like a little rabbit that had been wronged: "You should take a rest, I'll go organize those books."

"Wait." Qin Zhao didn't let go of his hand and said, "Did you forget something?"

Jing Li: “Ah?”

Qin Zhao: "Punishment."

Qin Zhao uttered these two words lightly, but the atmosphere suddenly became a little ambiguous.

Jing Li pursed her lips and moved closer a little embarrassedly.

Qin Zhao said, "I can't get up."

Jing Li and Qin Zhao looked at each other for a moment. The latter had a smile in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was planning something bad.

Jing Li knew what he was planning.

He lowered his head and briefly touched his lips to Qin Zhao's.

Over the past month, Qin Zhao would occasionally use this method to "punish" him, but this was the first time Jing Li took the initiative to do such a thing.

The touch of their lips was fleeting, but Qin Zhao still didn't let go, with a slight smile on his face: "It was too fast, I didn't feel it."

“…” This was clearly what he had said before.