Su Xiaoning didn't take the news she heard to heart. After washing up, she went next door to find Su Qingcai, but bumped into Gu Zeyin.
Gu Zeyin stood in front of Su Qingcai, looking shy and hesitant; anyone who didn't know better would think she was confessing her feelings.
“Young Master Su, the plague victims in Ye City are pitiful. I don’t blame them for robbing me; I know they are forced by circumstances. My father said that one must be kind, so I want to go and distribute porridge to the plague victims today. However, I am a little scared to go alone. Would Young Master Su be willing to accompany me?”
"You can't even find a few guards in your huge Gu family mansion?" Su Qingcai said indifferently, not wanting to meddle in other people's business.
Gu Zeyin was anxious, wondering how to persuade Su Qingcai, when Su Xiaoning suddenly leaned in, blinking her eyes and saying, "Miss Gu is so kind-hearted, this blockhead just doesn't understand! Don't worry, if he won't go with you, I will!"
"This..." Gu Zeyin was stunned, and then she was both amused and exasperated.
Su Qingcai frowned, not expecting Su Xiaoning to join in the fun. He wondered if she wasn't worried at all that Gu Zeyin might have other ideas.
Now that's a problem. If Su Xiaoning wants to go, he'll have to go with her.
Fearing something might happen to Su Xiaoning, Su Qingcai reluctantly nodded, and the three of them went out together to distribute porridge to the epidemic victims.
The porridge distribution tents had already been set up on the street, and Gu Zeyin really didn't hold back, personally serving each person who came to line up a bowl of hot porridge and giving them a warm smile.
The people who received the charity were deeply moved and praised Gu Zeyin repeatedly.
“I used to think that the wealthy families left in this city were all bad people, but now I realize that I was very wrong. Miss Gu is kind-hearted, which makes me feel ashamed.”
"Sigh, the world is so hard these days. It's so rare to see Miss Gu with such a pure heart, not looking down on us at all."
"Miss Gu is so kind. Since we're being treated like this, we'll never speak ill of the Gu family again!"
...
The people living in the epidemic were talking about it, and all they said were words of praise for Gu Zeyin.
As Su Xiaoning listened, she exclaimed, "Miss Gu is truly beautiful inside and out; I am ashamed of myself compared to her."
"Not at all, Miss Su is very kind too." Gu Zeyin smiled shyly, glancing at Su Qingcai standing to the side. "I also have to thank Miss Su and Young Master Su for their help. If it weren't for Young Master Su's willingness to help move the porridge bucket here, I don't know what I would have done..."
"It was nothing, no need to thank me." Su Qingcai's attitude remained as indifferent as ever.
"..."
Gu Zeyin bit her lip, feeling somewhat unwilling. She scooped a bowl of porridge and handed it to Su Qingcai, saying softly, "It's almost lunchtime now. Young Master Su has been busy with my affairs and hasn't even had a meal. This bowl of porridge may be simple, but it's my token of appreciation. Please accept it."
Su Qingcai frowned. He originally wanted to refuse Gu Zeyin, but seeing Su Xiaoning's indifferent look, he felt a little resentful. So he took the bowl of porridge and even gave Gu Zeyin a slight smile, "Then thank you for your kindness, Miss Gu."
His smile was like a gentle spring breeze, captivating Gu Zeyin so much that her mind was completely out of control, her thoughts already wandering to the ends of the earth.
Su Qingcai held the bowl of porridge in his hand, but showed no intention of eating. He kept glancing at Su Xiaoning, hoping for some kind of reaction from her.
Su Xiaoning, however, was completely unaware of Su Qingcai's unusual behavior. Hearing Gu Zeyin mention that it was mealtime, she felt hungry and ladled herself a bowl of porridge. Just as she finished the porridge, she suddenly smelled a strange odor.
This strange smell... is exactly the same as the smell from last night's food!
Su Xiaoning was horrified and immediately put down her porridge bowl. She looked up and happened to see a head peeking out from a corner of the street—it was one of the plague victims who had robbed Gu Zeyin!
There's something fishy about this; these people suffering from the epidemic probably know something.
Without thinking twice, Su Xiaoning ran straight to the street corner. As soon as the infected person saw someone chasing after him, he immediately turned and ran, but Su Xiaoning persisted and chased after him.
The two chased each other for half a street, until the starving, emaciated plague victim finally stopped and grabbed Su Xiaoning's arm.
"I have no desire to have anything to do with you anymore, but why did you have to provoke me! I'm going to teach you a lesson today... Ah!"
The infected person screamed and fell to the ground.
He looked at Su Xiaoning's arm with a pale face. There was something on her arm that was incredibly hot; just touching it made his hands feel like they were about to peel.
Su Xiaoning looked at her arm with a puzzled expression. There was a faint red glow coming from it, and she immediately understood.
After the Tongcheng incident, the koi mark was upgraded again. Although she herself felt nothing when she touched it, anyone who maliciously touched her would always get burned, which could be considered a life-saving ability.
Now that Su Xiaoning felt emboldened, she questioned, "Do you know something different about the epidemic in Yecheng? When you robbed Miss Gu last time, was it just for the robbery?"
Unexpectedly, the patient was startled that his thoughts had been seen through. He then lowered his head and spoke with a bitter expression.
"Actually... we weren't sick. We just wanted to find a reason to rob Gu Zeyin, then kidnap her and get some answers. You don't know, back then Yecheng was a peaceful little town. Later, Gu Zeyin was the first to fall ill. She slowly recovered, but many people in the town never recovered from her illness..."
Having no other choice and not wanting to die, the group knew that they were bound to get sick sooner or later, so they wanted to find a cure from Gu Zeyin.
They are both hateful and pitiful.
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoning was speechless.
She couldn't blame these people who were just trying to survive, nor could she join them in attacking the seemingly innocent Gu Zeyin. In the end, she could only say, "I understand. I will help you investigate this matter. Please don't act rashly against Miss Gu."
With no other option at the moment, the infected people had no choice but to nod in agreement, and Su Xiaoning walked back with a depressed look on her face.
On the other side, Su Qingcai discovered that Su Xiaoning was missing and immediately became anxious.
He thought Su Xiaoning had run away because she was jealous. He was both happy and worried. He didn't want to help Gu Zeyin serve porridge anymore, so he put down the bowl and left.
Seeing that Su Qingcai was about to leave, Gu Zeyin hurriedly stopped him, "Young Master Su, don't worry. Miss Su is such a grown woman, how could she possibly get lost? If you're worried, I'll have the servants in the manor help you look for her. What will I do if you leave now?"
"What you do is none of my business," Su Qingcai scoffed, shoved Gu Zeyin aside, and went to find Su Xiaoning.
Watching his gradually disappearing figure, Gu Zeyin's face turned pale and then flushed, looking extremely embarrassed.
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