Zhao Ru knew she had crossed Song He'er's line, so she dared not hope to continue managing the workshop. Her only worry was whether her niece could survive this ordeal.
Seeing that she was hesitating in place, Song He'er guessed what was going on. Before she could speak, she replied, "Don't worry, Madam Zhao. I always keep my word. As long as you do as I say, I will not make things difficult for you."
Zhao Ru nodded and left dejectedly with a few other men.
Jiang Huaifu had already been lifted into a carriage, which was sealed tightly so that not a breath of wind could get in.
Zhang Xiue repeatedly instructed the driver to drive the carriage smoothly to avoid excessive jolting that could worsen her condition.
"He'er, shall we go back to Lotus Garden now?"
'Heyuan' is the name given by Song Xiaoyu. It sounds very elegant, and its pronunciation is similar to 'He', meaning that this house belongs to Song He'er.
“He will definitely be staying with us for a while. I don’t know where he is staying in Jiangning yet, so we can only take him in temporarily. I think Auntie San should have no objections, right?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiu'e quickly waved her hand, "He'er, what are you saying? Young Master Jiang is our great benefactor. How could I not want him to recuperate in our home? It's just that you said his two men were taken away by those people and we don't know where they are now. What if they come back and can't find Young Master Jiang? Wouldn't they be completely helpless?"
Song He'er shook her head, seemingly not finding it a difficult problem to solve.
“Aqing and Alu have been trusted confidants of Young Master Jiang for over a decade. They've known me for a long time and surely know where I live. They should be back to inform me as soon as they return from the capital. But… the journey to the capital and back should only take three to five days. Why haven't we heard from them yet? Could it be…?”
Zhang Xiue breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to say anything else to discourage her, so she could only offer words of comfort: "Why don't we send someone over to take a look? We also employ a few workers from other places in our Xiaoye City. We can trust people like that."
"Yes, let's discuss this further when we get back."
When they returned to Heyuan, Qin Xiaoniang was planting some flowers and plants with the children in the yard. Because they had moved in a hurry, the herbs from Xiaoyangzhuang had not yet been moved here, so a large area of the yard was left empty.
"Mother, is there a spare room? One with plenty of sunlight. If there isn't one ready, then please make room for Young Master Jiang to recuperate."
Qin Xiaoniang rushed over, glanced at the people in the carriage, and her face instantly turned pale. "What...what happened? Did you encounter robbers? Are you injured?"
While helping the driver lift the person, Zhang Xiue explained, "No, I'll explain to you later. Quickly call Ruizhen out to help, and carry the person inside first."
"Oh, okay, okay."
After saying that, Qin Xiaoniang put down the tool in her hand and hurriedly ran into the house.
Ruizhen was also quick and strong. After carrying Jiang Huaifu into the house, she covered the windows tightly from top to bottom and even put curtains back on the bedside to prevent cold wind from blowing in.
“I can tell that Young Master Jiang is quite ill, and he can’t afford to catch a cold now. This room is sealed off completely, so it will be for him to live in from now on. He’er can move to my room, which is also very big!” Ruizhen said while tidying up the room.
Song He'er had no time to think about where she lived; her mind was completely focused on Jiang Huaifu's illness.
“Auntie, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep well these next few days. I need to take good care of him. Please don’t blame me for not knowing the proper boundaries between men and women and that we shouldn’t be in the same room. But I can’t care about that now. Jiang Huaifu has been kind to me, and I can’t abandon him. No matter what the cost, I must save him.”
Qin Xiaoniang breathed a sigh of relief. She knew her daughter's temperament, so she didn't try to stop her. "Mother knows. Mother will take care of Young Master Jiang with you. It's not for anything else, but because he has saved us from danger time and time again. It's only right that we do all this today."
Song He'er nodded, then turned to Zhang Xiu'e and said, "With so many people helping at home, we don't need Third Aunt for the time being. The matters in the workshop haven't been completely settled yet, so you need to go back and keep an eye on things."
"Of course I know that. If I don't keep an eye on things, that Zhao girl is bullying you so much, those two aunt and niece would probably tear the roof off. Don't worry, I'll go to the market later and buy all the vegetables you need for the next few days. Then I'll go live in the workshop. I'm determined to learn everything within ten days."
Song He'er smiled with satisfaction, then turned and went to the small kitchen.
The medicine prepared for Jiang Huaifu had to be taken from his spatial storage. Only a small portion of the Chinese medicinal herbs were available for Li Qiang's wife to purchase. However, this purchase was merely a formality to avoid being questioned about the source of the life-saving ingredients.
After two days of care, Jiang Huaifu's complexion had improved a lot. What was even more remarkable was that he was able to drink a little rice porridge, although he was still not fully awake.
Qin Xiaoniang boiled water and specially invited Li Qiang back to wipe his body.
"Don't rub these pimples, or they'll leave scars," Song He'er reminded from outside the door.
Qin Xiaoniang coughed lightly, pulled Song He'er a short distance away, and repeatedly instructed, "Whether a man has scars or not is not that important. Besides, do you know where on his body he has pimples? Girls should not talk nonsense in public."
"Where could you possibly have pimples? You're covered in pimples all over! I mean, don't rub them on your face and pop them!"
"Alright, you're getting more and more excited. Go eat, your third aunt might be back later."
Song He'er almost forgot about the workshop. Zhang Xiu'e hadn't returned for two days in a row, so she must have made some progress at the workshop. She should take some time to go and ask her about it.
If Zhang Xiue can manage the workshop, then that place will be handed over to her, and I will be able to free up my hands to keep an eye on the silk shops on the street.
As dusk approached, the clattering of horses' hooves could be heard outside.
Li Qiang's wife had just finished cooking, and the aroma filled the yard.
"He'er! I'm back!"
Zhang Xiue, unaware of the joyous news, ran into the courtyard.
.................
My darlings, I had a fever yesterday and felt really awful. Please take good care of yourselves too! Drink plenty of water!
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