As soon as I stood still, I saw Qiuju come back carrying a ceramic teapot in one hand and two rough ceramic bowls in the other.
"Miss, Aunt Wu gave me a water jug," Qiuju said, looking behind her.
"Young Miss, you've suffered so much."
Jiang Shuyue followed Qiu Ju's gaze and saw a kind-looking woman holding two quilts.
As soon as Jiang Shuyue saw the woman enter the room, she quickly went forward to take the quilt.
Raising my arm pulled at the wound on my back, causing it to sting painfully.
Jiang Shuyue endured the pain and said softly, "Thank you, Aunt Wu. I am no longer the eldest daughter of the Jiang family. Just call me by my name from now on."
“Young Miss, you may not remember this old servant. When you were young, Madam brought you to stay at the estate for two days. You see, my hand was burned, and she even gave me burn ointment.” Wu Ma said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jiang Shuyue thought to herself that she would have to leave this place sooner or later, and she couldn't let Wu Ma get into trouble.
If Wu Ma feels grateful for their kindness and the head housekeeper finds out, she will definitely make things difficult for Wu Ma after they leave.
Jiang Shuyue shook her head: "I don't remember, Aunt Wu, don't worry about it. You go ahead and do your work! We can take care of ourselves."
Wu Ma gave Qiu Ju a few instructions, telling her to quietly go to the side room to find her if she needed anything, and then bowed deeply to Jiang Shuyue before leaving.
"Miss, please drink some water. I've already had some." Qiuju poured half a bowl of water and handed it to her.
While Jiang Shuyue was drinking water, Qiuju went out and brought in a basin of hot water.
The master and servant closed the door and carefully removed their blood-stained clothes.
Qiu Ju looked at the shocking wound on Jiang Shuyue's back, and tears streamed down her face.
“The master is too cruel. His wife has only been gone for a little over a year. How could he do such a thing?”
Jiang Shuyue gritted her teeth and let Qiuju clean her wound.
When Aunt Wu left, she left some ointment. Jiang Shuyue picked it up and sniffed it; it was a kind of dog-wind vine for treating external injuries.
The master and servant cleaned the wound, which was so large that they used up the entire box of ointment.
A basin of clear water turned red, and the room was filled with the smell of blood.
After changing into clean clothes, the two drank half a bowl of water.
"Miss, has your fever subsided?" Qiu Ju touched Jiang Shuyue's forehead with the back of her hand, and then touched her own forehead.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Let's go and come back as soon as possible. If we miss lunch, we'll go hungry again."
Jiang Shuyue herself wasn't afraid of being hungry; she was worried about Qiuju going hungry.
"I just asked Aunt Wu, and she said that medicinal herbs can be found in the bamboo grove on the estate," Qiuju said as she walked out.
Jiang Shuyue looked at the makeup box on the table and thought that these jewelry pieces were not very valuable in the capital. If she took out any hairpin and sold it, it would be enough for a peasant family to live on for a long time.
She glanced at the dilapidated door, instinctively reaching out to touch it, thinking that hiding inside the space would be the safest option.
A miracle happened; the moment she had the thought, the makeup box vanished from the spot.
"Miss, are you alright?" Qiu Ju turned around and saw Jiang Shuyue stepping one foot out of the threshold, and asked worriedly.
"Okay!" Jiang Shuyue closed the door behind her and followed, enduring the pain.
They lived in abandoned servants' quarters, and no one stopped them from leaving the former quarters.
The bamboo grove is right behind the house. Passing through the bamboo grove, a slope comes into view.
The autumn wind rustled, making the bamboo leaves whisper.
Qiuju didn't recognize the herbs, so she watched helplessly as Jiang Shuyue bent down to pick them, her clothes soaked with blood on the back.
"Miss, please teach me how to gather herbs! Your wounds will have a hard time healing if you keep doing this." Qiuju followed closely behind, carrying herbs in her hands.
Jiang Shuyue shook her head: "Many herbs look very similar, and it's easy to mistake one for the other. Don't worry, we'll pick them soon."
Jiang Shuyue estimated that the herbs she had gathered would last the two of them for three to five days before the two of them headed back.
On the way back, Jiang Shuyue picked up two smooth stones.
Seeing that it was still early, Qiuju washed the herbs. Since there was no winnowing basket to dry them, Jiang Shuyue had no choice but to clean the table and spread the herbs out on it to dry.
At noon, Jiang Shuyue placed a stone on the table, then crushed the dried herbs little by little on it before putting them into a coarse bowl.
With each strike of her hand, the pain from the wound on her back made her tremble.
Qiuju went to collect her lunch.
A moment later, Qiuju returned with a mournful face, carrying an old tray in her hands.
On the tray were two bowls of thin, watery porridge, with a dish of pickled vegetables beside them.
"Miss, the steward is going too far. She gave everyone steamed buns except us," Qiuju said, putting down the tray.
Jiang Shuyue put down the stone in her hand and comforted her, saying, "Bear with it for now. You're suffering with me, but I'll make sure you live a life of luxury and eat meat every day."
Seeing that her mistress picked up the porridge without the slightest hint of disgust, Qiuju nodded emphatically: "Miss, you are good at everything, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. As long as we leave this manor, I will sell your paintings so that we can live a life where we can eat meat every day."
As she spoke, she picked up the bowl of porridge and added, "Wearing gold and silver is one thing, but I heard from the people on the estate that many beggars who can't get into the capital are robbing people on the official roads!"
She overheard a bit of it when she went to the kitchen, but she didn't know the specific reason why.
After the meal, the master and servant applied medicine to each other's wounds.
The two quilts that Aunt Wu brought over didn't look very thick, but the cotton filling inside was quite soft. One was used as a pad underneath, and the other was used as a cover.
If the two of them get closer together at night, it won't be too cold.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the wounds of the two had scabbed over. Looking at the hideous scars on Jiang Shuyue's back, Qiuju secretly shed tears.
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