His lips were warm, while Jiang Yushu's skin was slightly cold as she was feeling unwell.
When his lips fell, Jiang Yushu closed her eyes involuntarily, her eyelashes trembling, and she held her breath in the darkness. Her forehead seemed to be brushed by a fluffy feather, and she felt numb and itchy going straight into her heart; it was as if she was burned by the masculine and hot breath, and she shrank back, unable to move.
Guo Honglei cupped her cheeks in his hands, their lips touching before parting, their breaths mingling. He whispered, "Rest assured, I've already asked for leave from the village chief and the village head."
"Yeah." Jiang Yushu's face turned red instantly, her breathing and heartbeat became disordered, her mind was blank, and she wanted to say something but stopped.
Military orders were as strong as a mountain. Guo Honglei had no choice but to help the patient lie down, tuck her in with a thin blanket, and whispered, "Rest well. I'll ask the maid to come in and take care of you."
Jiang Yushu's cheeks were rosy and smooth. She lay motionless, her heart pounding like a drum. After a long silence, she whispered, "Don't miss the scheduled time, but be careful along the way."
"I know." Guo Honglei sat on the edge of the couch, his eyes fixed on the ground, his feet rooted to the spot. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and sighed, "I should go now."
Jiang Yushu's eyes were bright and she pulled out the quilt with her right hand and waved it, "Don't worry and go back! The major hidden danger at home has been eliminated by you. I can handle the other trivial matters."
Guo Honglei opened his mouth but didn't say much. Finally, he said, "I'll come back whenever I have time!"
"good."
Guo Honglei nodded, turned around quickly, and walked quickly. The corner of his military robe brought up a wisp of wind, and he walked out of the bedroom without looking back.
A moment later
"Gee!" The sound of horse hooves quickly faded away, and the four of them hurried away from home again.
Immediately afterwards, Cuimei and others entered the room carrying medicine and porridge.
"Miss, it's time to take your medicine." Cuimei put down the tray, and Xiaotao helped the patient up. "Take the medicine and sit for a while. Then have some porridge to prevent you from getting hungry."
Jiang Yushu perked up, leaned against the bedside, drank the medicine, rinsed her mouth, and asked with concern, "How are Aunt Pan and the others?"
"She and Manager Zhou woke up early this morning and are resting in bed. They will probably recover in a few days." Cuimei's eyes were red. She rolled up her sleeves, wrung out a wet towel, and bent down to wipe the patient's face.
Jiang Yushu took it, wiped it herself, and nodded, saying, "I'm glad it's nothing serious. It was really a disaster, but luckily it was a close call. Otherwise, how would I end up like this? Sigh."
"Those black-hearted beasts deserve to be hacked into pieces!" Xiao Tao, still terrified, angrily declared, "They were captured alive and initially denied everything. The wicked even filed a complaint, accusing the young master of torturing and beating innocent people. It wasn't until they were disciplined by the officers that they finally confessed. Their faces were so despicable and shameless!"
Cuimei was also deeply disgusted and angrily joined in, saying, "They've been planning this for a long time. They knew in advance that there were three of us living in this room, so they blew an extra pipe of smoke, intending to - bah, bah, bah, what filthy beasts! They deserve to be punished by my brother-in-law and his men!"
"Have they been escorted to the county government office? Humph, if I hadn't been poisoned and collapsed last night, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist beating them up to vent my anger." Jiang Yushu leaned back and closed her eyes to rest.
Cuimei and Xiaotao smiled at each other, their hatred and anger relieved. Xiaotao confided as she served her porridge, "Those beasts were punished by our family and the officials. They all kowtowed and begged for mercy, and I don't know how many bones were broken."
"Changrong said so," Cuimei raised her head and said with great righteousness, "Those who are so sinister and vicious and have committed so many evil deeds cannot be forgiven. Although we cannot execute them lynching them, we must at least cripple them to prevent them from causing trouble and harming people again in the future."
"It's time!" Jiang Yushu sighed, took the porridge and stirred it slowly. She only ate half a bowl and couldn't swallow it anymore. She waved her hand and said tiredly, "I won't eat it for now. I feel very dizzy. I'll lie down for a while."
"Well, take a rest then."
Cuimei and Xiaotao quietly packed up their things and left, sitting under the window doing needlework and keeping her company quietly.
On the couch
Jiang Yushu turned over, facing inward, suddenly smiled, and quietly raised her hand to touch her forehead.
It is already mid-September, the weather is clear and crisp, and the morning breeze is getting cooler day by day.
When she got up early and went to the fields, Jiang Yushu put on an extra coat and wore the veil hat she had used all summer, which she was used to. She still wore it to block the sun in summer and the wind in autumn.
The village head and his wife were squatting in the ridges, busy working; their sons, Big Ox and Little Calf, were playing in the water and catching fish in the canal; and hundreds of villagers were tending to their crops in the vast fields.
Cuimei simply knelt down between the ridges, looked left and right, and shouted, "All the flowers are gradually withering. Shouldn't the potatoes be ready by now?"
"When can we dig it up?" the village head's wife was looking forward to it.
The village head was very excited and said impatiently: "Sixty-seven acres of land, I must find enough people in advance and collect the grain as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble at night."
Jiang Yushu, intently fiddling with a plant, answered loudly, "Don't rush. They haven't grown yet. When the leaves turn yellow and wither, stop watering them, and then wait seven or eight days before digging them up."
After months of hard work in the wind and rain, the harvest is about to begin. Everyone is curious and anxious, like they are itching for more. They keep asking questions every day and can’t wait to start digging!
At the same time, on the other side of the canal
Liu Laozhu's family has little land here. After the corn was burned by the northern elk, they did not dare to grow crops for a while. After waiting for a long time, they hurriedly planted a field of pumpkins and took good care of them. Under the lush vines, large and small pumpkins appeared and disappeared, and they were growing well.
"Rustle, rustle~" Liu Dong squatted in the vines, pulling out weeds absent-mindedly, his eyes frequently looking towards the other side, staring at Jiang Yushu's every move, and he never got tired of it.
Liu Laozhu's wife elbowed him and made faces. Liu Laozhu turned around and saw what was happening. He immediately flew into a rage. He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at his son, then asked with a dark face, "What are you looking at?"
Liu Dong woke up as if from a dream, hurriedly looked away, lowered his head, and pretended to be diligently weeding, trying to get away with it.
However, Liu Laozhu quickly approached, picked up the old coat he used to wipe his sweat, and slapped his son all over the face, scolding him in disappointment: "Still reading? You still read? What did you swear when we talked about it two days ago? Did a dog eat your oath?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
"Dad, Dad! Stop hitting me." Liu Dong hid in panic, holding his head. He felt extremely guilty. "Who, who looked at her? I didn't."
Liu Laozhu sneered, his anger growing uncontrollable. He hit me harder and said angrily, "Did I wrongly accuse you? You bastard, you almost saw your eyeballs fall out, but what about me? I didn't even pay any attention to you!"
"Dong'er, don't be foolish again." Lao Zhu's wife was anxious and tried to persuade him earnestly: "Although the maids of the Guo family are beautiful, it's a pity that they are all convicts. However, even if they are convicts or maids, we can't afford to marry them. Do you understand?"
The old couple mistakenly thought that their son fell in love with Cuimei or Xiaotao, and never suspected Jiang Yushu.
After all, Jiang Yushu presented herself as a married woman from the beginning.
I don't like those two maids... Liu Dong held his head in his hands, saying nothing, thinking foolishly: I know I'm not worthy of her, but what's wrong with looking at her from afar? It's neither illegal nor against morality.
Anyway, she hasn't noticed yet, so I'll just watch! I'll just watch!
Liu Laozhu was exhausted from fighting, panting, and shook out his coat to wipe the sweat off his face. His wife, worried, slapped her son on the back twice, saying in panic, "The men of the Guo family are all skilled in martial arts. They dared to kill people from the Northern Qi Dynasty before being exiled, and Master Guo even chopped off the captive's head in public. And, last time, thieves broke into his house," she slapped her thigh and said in fear, "Oh, those thieves were beaten so badly! They were covered in blood and couldn't even stand up. They were dragged away by the police. It was so creepy."
"Tsk, even though you've become a fugitive, you still have wealthy relatives and friends to look after you. You're better off than ordinary people after all." Liu Laozhu sternly warned, "You bastard, don't you dare take a piss and look at yourself before you have such wishful thinking? Listen, don't you get me into trouble!"
Lao Zhu's wife sighed. "No wonder this kid goes to the melon patch every day. It turns out she's not working there, but just looking at melons—Cui Mei or Xiao Tao? The villagers all say Xiao Tao is gentle and virtuous, much better than the sharp-tongued Cui Mei."
Liu Dong held his head in his hands, remaining silent. He tilted his head slightly, glancing across the canal, continuing to observe the smiles and frowns of the man in his dream.
Ever since the four male members of the Guo family dressed in military uniforms and wielded knives to severely punish the thieves, the villagers were deeply frightened and no longer dared to brazenly fabricate "scandals of the marquis' family."
The rumors gradually decreased, and just when Jiang Yushu was feeling relieved that she could have some peace and quiet, troubles came knocking on her door.
One evening in late September, after the Guo family finished their work in the fields, they cut some grass and took half a truck home.
Jiang Yushu gathered a bundle of grass. The steward Zhou Yan had already opened the gate of the courtyard. Several people worked together to move the fresh grass in and spread it out to dry.
"From now on, we must always prepare some hay at home, so that the young master and his friends won't have nothing to feed the horses when they come back!" The young man was full of energy. Zou Gui had been busy in the fields all day, but he didn't look tired at all. He ran with fresh grass in his arms, teasing the two puppies to chase him.
Jiang Yushu clapped her hands, looked at the newly built stable, and said with satisfaction, "Not bad! They really worked hard to build it in just half a day!"
"We bought the lumber from the village headman. He brought a few relatives to help, not only building the stables but also repairing the doors and windows. He worked tirelessly, yet he left without even a cup of tea. Also, while you were recuperating, many villagers came to visit, bringing fruits and vegetables." Zhou Yan thought for a moment and then suggested, "After the autumn harvest, shouldn't we show some appreciation?"
Jiang Yushu nodded and replied with a smile, "That's the way it should be. Otherwise, our family would be too ignorant of etiquette. How about this: after the autumn harvest is over, we can find a reason and choose a day to treat the relevant people to a simple meal as a token of our gratitude. But don't make it too public."
"I understand!" Zhou Yan understood.
Jiang Yushu turned and walked into the house, but heard Zou Gui's surprised cry at the gate:
"Third, Third Young Master?"
"Third Young Master, why are you here in Heqin?"
What? Third Young Master?
Jiang Yushu was shocked and couldn't believe it. The others were also stunned and rushed out to check:
A small carriage was parked at the entrance, driven by two middle-aged, robust men who had been stationed in Changping County to cultivate the land. The curtains of the carriage were raised, and first a servant jumped out, followed by the doctor Fang Sheng, and finally they helped Guo Hongzhe down.
"Second sister-in-law." Guo Hongzhe's face was pale, his lips were blue, and he looked nervous and uneasy.
"Madam Second Young Master." The servants bowed in low voices.
Jiang Yushu was confused and puzzled. After a long while, she couldn't come back to her senses. She asked in surprise, "Third brother, why did the old lady send you up here?"
Just as Guo Hongzhe was about to answer, the officer in charge of escorting the fugitive dismounted and asked loudly:
"Are you from the Jiang clan of the Guo family?"
"Yes." Jiang Yushu managed to regain her composure, hurried down the stairs, and calmly replied, "The guilty woman is Guo Jiang."
At this time, the chief clerk Zhuang Song arrived upon hearing the news and asked with a familiar smile from afar, "Haha, Old Yu!"
The official named Lao Yu hurriedly turned to greet him and replied with a smile, "Mr. Zhuang, it's been a long time since we last met. How have you been lately?"
"Fair enough." Zhuang Song stopped, looked at Guo Hongzhe and the others, and asked, "These must be the Guo family members who came from Changping, right?"
Old Yu nodded. "That's right. Our county has five more fugitives. Lord Pan has ordered me to escort them to Liujia Village to cultivate farmland."
"Okay! I'll keep an eye on them." Zhuang Song turned to Jiang Yushu and instructed, "You know the rules, so I don't need to explain them. From tomorrow on, you will lead them to work in the fields. Don't be lazy."
Jiang Yushu could only agree, "I understand."
"Old Yu, bring your people and stay at my place tonight. Let's catch up." Zhuang Song had been in the remote mountain village for a long time and felt very depressed. He warmly welcomed his friends from the county and said happily, "Let's go, please!"
"Please." The officials followed Zhuang Song away, talking and laughing.
In the twilight, the Guo family members were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Jiang Yushu was full of doubts, but felt obliged to do so. She said, "Since you're here, let's farm together from now on. Stop standing around and come inside! Third brother, let's go."
"Yeah." Guo Hongzhe was carrying a bundle, bending over and lowering his head to go up the steps. When the wind blew, his washed-out green robe swayed. He was too thin to support the robe.
"Young master, slow down." The trusted servant was named Hu Gang, only thirteen years old, very dark and thin.
Guo Hongzhe nodded and walked along, secretly observing his second sister-in-law's expression, fearing that she would be disliked.
"Come, give me the bag." Jiang Yushu just stretched out her hand, but Cuimei, who had come to her senses, rushed to take the patient's luggage.
In fact, Jiang Yushu knew that someone from Changping would come, but she never expected that her mother-in-law would send a bastard who was born sickly!
She was baffled, thinking to herself: My third brother has a congenital heart condition and hates being frightened. How could he possibly survive the chaos and turmoil in Heqin? If he ran into danger and needed to escape, he wouldn't be able to run as fast as I could...
Unfortunately, the people had already arrived, and they had been approved by the Changping Guard Commander, Changping County Government and Heqin County Government, so there was no way to retreat.
The Guo family owes Mu Kang a favor, so it is not appropriate to frequently disturb the elders and waste their friendship.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yushu had to cheer up and made arrangements: "The family must be tired and exhausted after traveling so far. Zhou Yan, Zou Gui, quickly clean up the house and settle them in. Cuimei, Xiaotao, you two go to the kitchen and help cook."
"yes."
Jiang Yushu took the bundle from Cuimei and led her, saying, "Third brother, follow me."
Guo Hongzhe nodded awkwardly, his fingertips were bruised purple, and it was obvious that he was suffering from an illness.
After a moment, Jiang Yushu pushed open the main door with a creaky sound and said, "Come in and sit down."
"This, this is...?" Guo Hongzhe stopped outside the door and looked around the neat and elegant bedroom curiously.
Jiang Yushu put the bundle on the table and explained, "This is your second brother's room. He's been busy with military affairs and has only rested for one night so far. The farmyard is small and there are not many bedrooms. From now on, I'll have to ask you to live here. The two brothers will have to squeeze in."
"No, I'm not wronged!" Guo Hongzhe walked into the house and blurted out nervously, "This is already very good, much better than Changping County."
Much better? It seemed that his life in Changping was not going well, and it was probably very miserable.
Jiang Yushu remained calm and said gently, "Don't stand there all the time, sit down." As she spoke, Nanny Pan served tea and Zhou Yan's wife brought hot water and a handkerchief.
"Wash your hands and face first, then sit down and have some tea." Jiang Yushu noticed that the other party had been observing her expression. While feeling puzzled, she tried her best to soften her attitude.
Guo Hongzhe was well-behaved and obeyed orders. He washed his hands and face and was about to sit down to drink tea, but he stood up hastily and said shyly, "Second sister-in-law, you sit down too."
Jiang Yushu shook her head and said with a smile, "No, I have to go to the kitchen. Third brother, there's no need to be so polite. Let's talk about it after dinner, okay?"
"Okay." Guo Hongzhe nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Yushu warned: "Xiao Hu, take good care of him."
"Yes!" Hu Gang drank some water to quench his thirst, quickly packed his luggage, and worked diligently.
A moment later, next to the stable
The setting sun has sunk into the western mountains, the dusk is deep, and the wind is cool.
Jiang Yushu patiently said seriously, "Doctor Fang, I'm not asking you any questions, but I have to ask you. This concerns the patient, so please tell me the truth."
"Oh my." Fang Sheng frowned, secretly complaining, and from time to time he tilted his head to look at the side rooms and the main hall, saying with embarrassment: "I really don't know much about the family affairs in the mansion! If you want to know, you should ask Hu Gang. That guy has served the Third Young Master for many years and knows a lot of things."
Jiang Yushu felt a headache. After a moment's thought, she said sternly, "You misunderstood. I didn't mean to pry into family matters. I just wanted to ask about the patient's condition. Although I don't know any medical skills, I just observed my third brother's complexion. It seems that his old illness has relapsed, right?"
"Yes." Fang Sheng sighed deeply, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't hold it in any longer and said helplessly, "In fact, he fell ill half a month ago! At that time, I immediately treated him with the prescription given by the imperial physician in my early years. After taking the medicine, the patient gradually got better. Unexpectedly, the second young master suddenly wrote to ask the old lady to send more people to help Heqin. When he heard it, he immediately expressed his willingness to go north!"
Jiang Yushu asked doubtfully, "Strange. If Third Brother is willing, then the old lady will approve it?"
Fang Sheng shook his head, staring at the stable post, and replied vaguely, "The old lady initially refused, but the Third Young Master kept pleading, even getting a bit mad and getting upset. Well, there was an argument one night, another night—I don't remember the details. Anyway, the old lady finally agreed and sent me to accompany and take care of him."
Jiang Yushu didn't ask any more questions. After a long pause, she said slowly, "I understand. Thank you for letting me know. Since we have a patient, did you bring any medicinal herbs with you?"
"I brought it! It's three big bags, and among them are two precious herbs, which were given to me by General Mu."
Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief and urged, "I see the patient's complexion is really poor, so I dare not ask him some questions rashly. Doctor Fang, please prescribe a few doses of medicine as soon as possible and boil them for him to drink."
"Don't worry, I've already prepared it. Hu Gang should be frying it right now."
Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief again and smiled, "Very good. Then go in, have a rest early after dinner, and recharge your energy. I'll take you to the fields tomorrow morning!"
"Oh, yes." Fang Shengru felt as if he had been pardoned, and was afraid that the other party would force him to answer questions about the embarrassing things.
A few days later, early morning
Jiang Yushu led people up the slope and busily checked a large field of potatoes, fearing that they would discover pests and diseases.
"Second sister-in-law!" Guo Hongzhe called from afar, being helped up the gentle slope by his servant Hu Gang. He was panting and sweating profusely, his lips still pale, but his face was full of smiles and his eyes were bright.
"Huh?" Cuimei and the others poked their heads out. "Why is the Third Young Master here? He looks so tired, his face is pale."
Jiang Yushu stood up in surprise and asked worriedly, "Why are you here? Didn't I ask you to weed the flat ground?"
"After a few days of hard work, there's no more grass left to weed on the flat ground. I'm going up the slope to take a look." Guo Hongzhe was a refined man, his words and actions calm and relaxed, even squatting with an upright posture. He wiped his sweat, bent down to smell the gradually withering flowers, and said regretfully, "It's a pity that I'm late and missed the peak bloom. If I had come two weeks earlier, I would have seen the beauty of 67 acres of green leaves, yellow stamens, and white petals swaying in the wind."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "There will be more next year. Actually, I thought it was beautiful at first, but after looking at it for a few days, I got used to it. It's nothing special."
"Next year? Alas, I may not even make it." Guo Hongzhe gazed at the distant mountains with a melancholy look, muttering, "Doctor Fang tried so hard to conceal it, but I know my health well. I'm afraid I won't make it this year."
Jiang Yushu was stunned and quickly comforted him, "Nonsense! Sick people tend to have wild thoughts. Aren't you getting better? You'll be fine after a few more days of rest!"
"It won't heal." Guo Hongzhe spoke calmly, his voice always weak. He revealed, "When I was a child, my father asked the imperial physician to examine me. They thought I was in a coma, but I was actually awake, just exhausted and too lazy to open my eyes. That time, the imperial physician said that my disease was congenital and incurable. I was destined to die young and probably wouldn't make it to adulthood."
Not to mention this life, even in the previous one, heart disease was difficult to cure. Jiang Yushu concealed her pity and said firmly, "Why are you panicking? The imperial physician said 'I'm afraid,' not 'definitely.' With your illness, you must relax and avoid worrying. Third brother, please cheer up!"
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I will take the medicine on time and try my best to live a few more days." Guo Hongzhe was so thin that his cheeks were sunken.
Jiang Yushu was completely at her wit's end. She racked her brains and racked her brains to comfort him, "You're so young, don't keep saying depressing things. It's unlucky. If your second brother hears you, he'll definitely not allow it."
"Second brother? Oh, when will he come back? I came all the way to Heqin just to say a few words—" Guo Hongzhe stood up briskly with anticipation, but suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled and fell—
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