It has been two and a half months since the city was locked down, and the atmosphere in the city is becoming increasingly tense. This morning, people who came to get water and buy vegetables were in a great hurry and disappeared before they could even exchange a few words. So Cheng Ruyi and Xu Cui also packed up their stalls and went home early.
As soon as she stepped into the main room, she saw Cheng Yun'an looking at her sister with concern, asking anxiously, "Yunle, what's wrong with you today? You look so pale?"
Upon closer inspection, Ruyi noticed that the little girl's face was deathly pale. She immediately went to her side, touched her forehead, and thankfully, she didn't have a fever.
She picked up her youngest daughter and gently coaxed her, "What's wrong with our little Yunle? Her face looks scary. Is something wrong? Come on, tell Mommy, okay?"
The child in her arms buried her head in her mother's chest, clutching her tightly, and then murmured, "I don't know... Yunle just... feels a little scared..."
The little girl's voice was already soft and sweet, and it sounded even more heartbreaking at that moment.
"Are you scared? Were you frightened the other night?" Xu Cui asked worriedly as she brought in breakfast.
For the past few nights, there have been occasional screams and cries, sometimes near and sometimes far. It's unsettling not only for children but also for adults.
I don't know if she was really scared or if the child's ability to express herself was not accurate enough. Anyway, after trying to comfort her for a long time, Yunle could only say that she was scared... Sometimes she would even cry when she was in a hurry.
This has caused great concern among the family members, since several nearby clinics have been closed recently.
A while ago, people could occasionally buy some simple medicines from the windows of the clinics, but recently things have become increasingly chaotic. One clinic was even robbed, and the remaining clinics sealed their doors and windows tightly overnight!
Just when everyone was at a loss, Cheng Yan spoke up: "How about this, after breakfast, I'll take Yunle to see Lao Wei and let him take a look."
"Uncle Wei? He knows medicine? That's wonderful!" Ruyi was genuinely excited. It would be so convenient to have a doctor next door at a time like this!
"Not really. Old Wei's father was a barefoot doctor, so Old Wei learned some things from a young age. He also worked as an apprentice at a clinic for a few years, but he said he didn't learn anything, so we don't know if he can make it."
Cheng Yan didn't dare to make any guarantees, so he could only lower everyone's expectations for now.
As it turned out, Wei Zhi did have some skills. He knew that his family had received a lot of favors from the Cheng family recently, and he also knew that a child's illness was no small matter. So he was very careful when examining the child, looking at the illness several times over, and even took out his family's little book to study it for a long time.
The final conclusion was that the child was physically healthy; perhaps the child had been frightened during the night and hadn't slept well, which caused the poor mental state.
Everyone was relieved to hear the results; it was good that no one was sick. These days, no one can afford to get sick.
Cheng Ruyi decided that Yunle would sleep with her for a while so that she could take care of her, while Yun'an would move in with Xu Cui so that they could look after each other. No one in the Cheng family had any objections to this.
At noon, Ruyi specially made Yunle's favorite dessert with Runmaidan water. The little girl seemed much happier after eating it and didn't wake up from her nap, so everyone thought everything was fine.
As a result, no matter how Ruyi tried to coax her, Yunle refused to sleep that night. She would lie down and start crying, crying so pitifully that no one in the Cheng family could sleep. They took turns trying to comfort her.
After struggling until late at night, Ruyi had no choice but to make some more sugar water for Yunle. Whether it was the effect of the sugar water or the little girl's exhaustion, she finally fell into a drowsy sleep.
Looking at the adorable little girl on the bed, Ruyi felt a mix of emotions and confusion. Raising a child is really not easy. Even a usually well-behaved and sensible little girl can be so troublesome when she gets upset.
Thinking back carefully, I don't recall ever having such a thing happen before. Yunle is the eldest of the three children and the one most like the original owner. She has never been afraid of anything since she was a child. She eats well, sleeps, and plays when she wakes up. She is a typical optimist. Could such a person really be so frightened by the crying and screaming in the night?
If it wasn't something that startled you by the sound, then what could it be? Considering recent events, could it be...?
"Ding! Special mission triggered, please check!"
............really.
Ruyi wasn't surprised at all. She seemed to understand something instantly and quickly opened the system.
Special Mission: Defeat the Thieves (Incomplete)
Mission Details: Three petty thieves will break in one hour. Please defeat them and protect your home.
A hint of surprise flashed in Cheng Ruyi's eyes after she saw the task.
During this period, the Cheng family was quite high-profile, with fresh vegetables almost every day and a lot of supplies in exchange. It was entirely expected that some people would be envious, but it also helped her accumulate a lot of popularity and prestige.
Although, according to her personality, keeping a low profile and blending into the crowd would be the safest option, that only applies to peaceful times, not to the chaotic times we live in now.
As for the specific benefits of accumulating reputation and popularity, Ruyi herself doesn't have a clear idea yet, but she has a vague feeling that she must do so.
Therefore, she has been making various preparations at home to ensure the safety of her family.
Moreover, the mission didn't mention any certain death consequences, which proves that at least those petty thieves only wanted to steal things and weren't some ruthless bandits. It shouldn't be too difficult to repel them.
To her surprise, the time and the person given in the mission were very specific, even though the details of the last mission were so vague. Was it because she had already anticipated this, so she simply told her directly?
In any case, this is a good thing for them.
With one hour left, she got up and paced around the room, pondering a solution.
*
On a dark and windy night, the entire county town was quiet, except for a group of people who were sneaking around the alleyways.
After they reached an intersection, the leader made a few hand gestures, and the group quickly dispersed into several smaller groups, each heading in a different direction.
Three of them, heading south, soon arrived at the public well outside the back wall of the Cheng family's house.
"Big brother, this is it! I've inquired, and the Cheng family has been selling vegetables lately and trading them for a lot of good stuff. They definitely don't lack food!" The shortest of the three said in a low voice, glancing greedily at the Cheng family as he spoke.
“Yes, yes, yes! And they also have a dish I’ve never seen before, it’s so delicious!” Another person, a little taller but very thin, immediately chimed in, and couldn’t help but swallow after speaking.
The last one, the tallest bald man in the trio, didn't say anything after hearing the story. He was looking at the wooden plank walls surrounding the Cheng family's house, trying to make some calculations in his mind.
The short man and the skinny man exchanged glances, and one of them spoke up again: "Don't worry, brother, their family is mostly women. There's only one old man and one weakling among the men. They're no match for you!"
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