The next day, Bao Ning got up early and went to check on the leech. It was alive and well, so she felt relieved.

She used a stick to stir it and saw that the egg yolk she had put in last night was gone. She thought to herself that it was really good at eating. Bao Ning sat on the kang and peeled another egg. She gave the egg white to Ah Huang and threw the egg yolk into the jar. She kept the egg skin and mashed it up to feed the chickens.

She wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief, got dressed, combed her hair, and got up to cook.

Keeping her aunt's instructions in mind, Bao Ning paid more attention to Pei Yuan's meals. She didn't mind the trouble and fried a plate of buns and stewed a bowl of red date and wolfberry soup. Pei Yuan didn't like sweet food, and she was afraid that Pei Yuan didn't like it. After thinking about it, she stewed a bowl of carrot soup and put a few pieces of beef in it, stewing it until it was soft and rotten.

Soup is good, it replenishes qi and blood, and is suitable for people who are recuperating.

It was not yet dawn when Bao Ning got up. She was busy for an hour, and it was just after the morning hour.

She put all the food in the lunch box and brought it to Pei Yuan, feeling happy. She knocked on the door twice, and someone inside answered to come in, and Bao Ning pushed the door open.

Pei Yuan was sitting there changing clothes.

He didn't seem to be ashamed at all. He took off all his clothes and showed them to her openly. He faced the door without raising his head and said, "I smell something delicious. What did you do this morning?"

Bao Ning was stunned and turned her head away in panic. She didn't mean to look, but the scene just now still caught her eyes.

Pei Yuan's upper body was naked, his bones were well-proportioned, and his shoulders and arms were bulging with muscles. It was not obvious when he was wearing clothes, but now that he was taken off, it was seen that his arms were as thick as her calves. There were eight neat squares on his lower abdomen, which were more regular than the steamed buns she cut with a knife. There were several scars across his slightly wheat-colored skin.

Bao Ning was a very protective person. Perhaps because she accepted Pei Yuan, she now thought he was good no matter what. She glorified him in her heart, and the scars also revealed his masculinity.

But it was still very embarrassing to see it.

"You didn't even tell me you were changing clothes." Baoning turned her back, with a hint of complaint in her tone.

There was a rustling behind her, Pei Yuan grabbed her coat and put it on, saying in a serious tone: "That's not necessary."

Baoning looked up at the boundary between the roof and the wall, and said: shameless.

"Now that you're done changing, come over here."

Baoning touched her flushed face and walked over with the lunch box. The man was not very tidy, and when he folded the quilt, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it in the corner. Baoning couldn't stand it, so she put the lunch box aside, spread out the quilt and folded it again, then moved the kang table over and put the dishes on it one by one.

Pei Yuan put his hands behind his back and watched her do all this quietly, his eyes narrowed, and he enjoyed it a little.

He had never known before that it was so interesting to see a girl busy with household chores.

A rich meal on the table, fragrant fried buns, a dish of pickled cucumber, two bowls of soup, one salty and one sweet, and a small bowl of chicken porridge.

Pei Yuan asked in surprise, "Why so much?"

He stirred the porridge, sniffed the fragrance, and couldn't help laughing, "The emperor doesn't eat as well as I do in the morning."

Bao Ning propped up her chin and smiled, "Tomorrow I'll make you fish, angel fish, especially fragrant."

Bao Ning had a braid today, which hung softly in front of her chest. Her hands were dishonest, and she was fiddling with the ends of her hair. There was a bell-shaped hair tie tied to the ends of her hair. When she touched it, there was a soft tinkling sound.

Pei Yuan stared at her delicate fingers for a while, his eyes gradually dimmed, and his gaze glanced up, fixed on the small pink mole on her collarbone.

Baoning was unaware, and leaned over to serve him soup, muttering, "Eat more, don't waste my efforts."

Pei Yuan came to his senses, took a sip from her hand, and lowered his head. Baoning's posture was awkward, holding the bowl in her hand, the back of her hand was held by him, and her upper body leaned forward. She stared at Pei Yuan with wide eyes as he lowered his eyes to drink the soup, wondering why he suddenly made such a strange move.

Pei Yuan put down the bowl, wiped the soup stains on his lips with his index finger, and watched Baoning's cheeks turn pink little by little.

She hurriedly shook her hand away and wiped the back of her hand on the hem of her skirt. Pei Yuan's face gradually darkened when he saw this.

Baoning noticed that he was unhappy.

She didn't know why.

The atmosphere in the room was depressing. Ah Huang ran in after eating, and whimpered twice. Baoning reached out and picked it up, and walked out as if avoiding: "I remembered that Sifeng hasn't been fed yet, I'll go mix the hay."

Pei Yuan called her: "Let's eat together."

Baoning said: "I've eaten."

Pei Yuan didn't say anything. Baoning waited for a while, and seeing that he really had nothing to say, she hugged Ah Huang and left with peace of mind.

Her back disappeared at the door. The door was not closed, and a large patch of morning light poured in, and fine dust jumped. The fence door was opened, and chickens and ducks ran out, jumping all over the yard, quacking.

Pei Yuan recalled Bao Ning's actions just now, and he became more and more angry. He put his chopsticks on the table with a snap.

Why is she so stubborn!

After taking a few deep breaths, Pei Yuan picked up the chopsticks again, picked up a piece of cucumber and threw it into his mouth, sighed, and said, forget it, take your time.

...

Bao Ning moved a horse stable under the eaves and sat there to tie the net bag.

After Sifeng came, her yard became more lively. The tall horse stood in the middle of the yard. It was very well-behaved. It would not run around even if it was not tied. It was stable and imposing. Ah Huang was flattering, perhaps because he liked such a partner. He ran around to chase him and even jumped up to bite his tail, seemingly intimate.

When Bao Ning first saw it, she shuddered with fear, fearing that Sifeng would be unhappy and kick Ah Huang away.

Fortunately, Sifeng was really stable and didn't want to bother with it. He just lowered his head and ate grass without even raising his eyelids. Bao Ning followed Ah Huang.

She picked a suitable thin wood from the firewood pile, shaved it smooth and round with a knife, and put it aside to use as a handle. She also took out scraps of cloth to weave a net bag.

Cut the cloth strips into thin pieces and twist them into a thin rope. Three thin ropes are woven together into a large thin rope and the two ends are sewn tightly. If you make seven or eight such large thin ropes, you can weave a sturdy net bag to catch snails.

Bao Ning lowered her head and worked seriously. She didn't know when Pei Yuan came out. It wasn't

until a shadow fell in front of her, blocking the light and she couldn't see anything that she looked up in confusion.

Pei Yuan touched the tip of her nose, which was sweating. He frowned and asked, "Are you hot?"

Bao Ning smiled, "No."

She thought for a moment and said, "It's good to sunbathe. I'll move a stool for you. You sit next to me and we can sunbathe together."

Pei Yuan said, "I won't sit. I'll walk slowly."

This was the first time Pei Yuan said he wanted to walk around the yard in such a long time. Bao Ning was very surprised. He was finally not so negative. Bao Ning's mood now was like when Ji Yan recited the Three Character Classic to her for the first time. She felt like my younger brother had finally grown up and learned his lesson.

Baoning couldn't sit still anymore, thinking about doing something for Peiyuan.

Peiyuan held her shoulders, holding the crutch under his armpit, and whispered: "You do your things, you don't have to accompany me."

Baoning said "Oh", but she couldn't stop being happy in her heart. Peiyuan saw her smiling face, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

Ah Huang went wherever there was movement. When he saw Peiyuan coming out, he didn't follow Saifeng anymore, but ran over to join in the fun. Peiyuan walked in front and Ah Huang followed behind.

Peiyuan's left leg was still not working, it was tired, dragging him softly, and he couldn't walk fast. The man and the dog walked slowly for two laps. Peiyuan was tired and went back to Baoning.

Baoning was beating the thin wood, trying to carve a hole, but couldn't find a way. She is deft but weak, so she can't do this kind of work.

Pei Yuan looked at her for a while, then stretched out his hand and said, "Give it to me."

Bao Ning handed him the wood and the carving knife. Pei Yuan took them and leaned his back against the wall for support. Bao Ning was worried that he would fall down, so he walked to his side and supported his arm.

Pei Yuan glanced at her, and laughed softly, not knowing what he was thinking.

The wood was about the thickness of his thumb. Bao Ning spent a long time to push the carving knife in one-third of the way. Pei Yuan took it in his hand and penetrated it in just a blink of an eye.

Bao Ning exclaimed, "You are really amazing."

Pei Yuan said, "This is a job for men. Next time you encounter it, just come to me directly."

It was rare for him to say something pleasant. Bao Ning was delighted and agreed.

Pei Yuan looked at her from top to bottom. Her skin was as white as cream and her chin was pointed. She leaned against him very obediently. Pei Yuan suddenly felt soft in his heart. He moved his hand to the back of her neck and pinched it.

"What is this thing for?"

Bao Ning said, "To catch snails and feed the leeches."

Pei Yuan said, "Why didn't you buy some from the market yesterday? Why do you have to do it yourself?"

"You don't understand." Bao Ning was busy tying the rope buckle without raising his eyelids. "It's more reassuring to catch it yourself. I don't know if the ones sold in the market are fresh or not, and what they eat."

Pei Yuan didn't say anything.

He didn't like these things at first. The parents were nagging and trivial. If he had the time, he would rather go out and play horse racing than sit at home.

It's different now, maybe because he's getting older, or maybe because he has someone to keep him company, he's immersed in this kind of peace.

...

It was almost noon, the sun was getting bigger, Baoning felt hot, and she stopped staying outside, and asked Pei Yuan to go back and take a nap.

She had a regular schedule, she would take a nap at noon, and get up in two quarters of an hour. Today, maybe her eyes were tired, she accidentally slept a little longer, and when she opened her eyes again, the sun had gone, and it was raining outside.

Baoning thought to herself that it was not good. It was raining, and she couldn't go to the river in the rain? She didn't know when it would stop, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to catch snails today.

She sat on the kang for a while, and suddenly thought of Saifeng. There was no time to build a stable, and it was outside in the rain. What if it got sick?

Baoning couldn't sit still any longer, so he opened his umbrella and hurried out.

There was no sign of Sifeng in the yard, so Baoning anxiously looked around, looking around the front and back yards. He thought it had run away by itself, but when he passed by the chicken coop, he glanced inside and felt relieved. Sifeng

was smart, and hid under the chicken coop by itself, lying down with legs curled up, as if he was going to sleep. It

was the first time Baoning saw a horse lying down, and he found it novel. He couldn't help but take a closer look. Sifeng stretched out its two front legs forward, with its knees straight, and its head buried.

Baoning looked at its legs, which were thin and skinny, like a stick, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind, and he had an idea.

Pei Yuan has difficulty walking because his left leg is weak. If there is some way to fix his left leg and support it, wouldn't he have to work so hard?

The more Bao Ning thought about it, the more she thought this method was feasible. She stopped playing with her umbrella and rushed to the house, wanting to find something to make and give it to Pei Yuan to try.

What if it works?

...

In the woods not far away, Xu Guang leaned against a willow tree, picking his teeth with the tip of his tongue, staring at Bao Ning's back as she entered the house, with undisguised desire in his eyes.

He didn't look away until the door slammed shut. He hooked his little finger at Feng Yongjia beside him: "Are all the things ready?"

Feng Yongjia was drenched like a chicken in the soup, and tremblingly said: "Sure, it's ready."

Xu Guang said: "The incense will only work for a quarter of an hour. You calculate the time outside. When the crippled man's hands and feet are limp, you go in and kill him. Do you understand?"

Feng Yongjia felt scared, his tongue trembled, and he dared not answer.

Xu Guang pointed the tip of the knife at his neck and threatened him in a low voice: "If you succeed, you will have women and money. If not, I will use this knife to kill you and your damn father!"

Feng Yongjia's face turned pale, and he clenched his sleeves and said repeatedly: "Listen, I understand."

Xu Guang put away the knife, snorted and laughed, "This rain is just in time."

He patted Feng Yongjia on the shoulder: "Go, little scholar, do a good job."

Feng Yongjia nodded, not daring to move. He was pushed by Xu Guang's subordinates, and then he took two slow steps. The subordinates pulled out the sword, and he shook it, gritted his teeth, and ran into the rain curtain.

"Coward." The subordinate spat on the ground and said to Xu Guang, "Sir, why do you have to send that coward? Just give the order and I will rush in and solve it in less than three moves."

"Three moves? No more than two," Xu Guang curled his lips. His subordinate thought he was complimenting him and his face lit up. Then he heard Xu Guang say, "He can make you lose your head!"

Zhao Li smiled and said in disbelief, "He is just a cripple, how is it possible!"

Xu Guang said, "I fought with him a few days ago. He is weaker now, but his kung fu is not much worse than before. With Pei Yuan's previous martial arts, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could not get close to him, let alone you and me?"

Zhao Li said solemnly, "There is no need for that scholar Feng. With a little incense, my subordinates can also succeed!"

Xu Guang frowned, " Kill him yourself and leave a handle, are you crazy?"

Zhao Li said: "The emperor doesn't like him, so he's dead, can he still make trouble? The power is in our hands, and the Crown Prince is on our side. If we cover it up a little, the death of the useless man will be unclear, and the Crown Prince will have no more worries. We can be considered to have made a great contribution!"

Xu Guang glared at him and said: "With your reckless nature, you will only be an eighth-rank sword-bearing guard in your life, and you will never achieve anything."

Zhao Li knew that he had said the wrong thing, so he swallowed his saliva, bowed and asked: "My lord, please give me some advice."

Xu Guang's eyelids drooped, and he tapped the hilt of his sword with his fingers, and said slowly: "The general who protects the country has returned from the northern border. It is estimated that he will arrive in three days."

Zhao Li's expression changed: "Qiu Mingshan?"

Xu Guang's eyes were stern: "That old guy holds the military power, and the emperor has to be wary of him. Besides, he is the crippled master. Once he comes back, if the crippled master dies, how can he not find out about you and me?"

Zhao Li nodded and said: "Your Excellency is right..."

"So you have to borrow a knife and kill him." Xu Guang snorted coldly and continued, "Feng Yongjia and the cripple had just met. He was jealous and resentful, as the driver of that day could testify. Moreover, he was heavily in debt, so it is understandable that he was so impulsive that he wanted to rob and rape. When the incident happens and the Dali Temple goes to investigate the case, we can get involved and put the blame on that Feng guy, and then kill him unknowingly. Wouldn't it be perfect?"

Zhao Li's eyes lit up and he bowed deeply in admiration: "Your Excellency is wise!"

...

Feng Yongjia squatted in front of Pei Yuan's window, with heavy rain pouring on his head and his teeth chattering with fear.

He had a dagger in his arms and incense in his sleeves. He lowered his head, held the hem of his clothes to block the wind, took out the incense and lit it with a fire stick.

Seeing the tip of the incense burning with light, Feng Yongjia breathed a sigh of relief.

He tiptoed, held the incense in his hand, and burned a small hole in the window paper, and inserted half of the incense.

He was afraid that one stick of incense would not be enough to subdue Pei Yuan, so he did the same thing and inserted three sticks.

The sound of rain covered the sound of his movements. After he finished quietly, he squatted down, looked up and calculated the time.

Feng Yongjia was confused, staring at the window with his eyes, his mind flying around, and it was not until half a minute later that he realized something was wrong.

He suddenly remembered that the bottom of the incense was yellow, but the one he lit was red.

Did he make a mistake? Feng Yongjia's heart skipped a beat.

The red incense was brought out from the Goulan Courtyard by Qingqing before she entered his yard. She said it had magical effects, and she had been pestering him to try it. Feng Yongjia loved beauties, but he was disgusted and averse to such strange and erotic tricks. He had never used it and just put it in a box.

Last night, Xu Guang asked him to buy the incense, and he was absent-minded after returning home, so he seemed to have put it in the box.

Did he really make a mistake?

Feng Yongjia's heart was pounding, and he was so nervous that his hands and feet were numb. He wanted to slap himself twice. He stood up hurriedly, wanting to take out the incense stick to take a closer look, when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the west room.

Baoning went out with something in her arms, and saw someone standing at Pei Yuan's door at a glance.

It was raining heavily and the sky was dark. She didn't see who it was and was startled. She opened her mouth to call Pei Yuan, but before she could say anything, she saw a beam of light breaking through the window and brushing against the man's neck.

The man screamed, covered his neck and ran away.

Baoning was stunned for a while, then suddenly came to her senses and ran to Pei Yuan's room.

When she opened the door, she smelled a faint fragrance that was hard to detect without careful sniffing. Baoning had a keen nose and sensed something was wrong. She was nervous and asked Pei Yuan anxiously, "Are you okay?"

In the darkness, Pei Yuan sat on the edge of the kang, holding a broken teacup in his hand, blood dripping from his fingers.

He seemed to feel no pain, and his eyes were tightly grasping her, like a wolf.