Within a few days, her already frail body became even thinner.
"How come you've lost so much weight?" The mother-in-law finally stopped crying after a while. "Why are you all soaked? And why do you look so pale? You must have caught a cold. I'll go boil some water for you so you can take a hot bath. I'll also make you some ginger soup later!"
With tears still on her face, her mother-in-law started nagging incessantly, talking as she went to get busy.
Despite his thin body, which seemed like it could be blown over by a gust of wind, he seemed to have inexhaustible strength.
Chang Lili wiped away her tears and grabbed her mother-in-law's hand: "Grandma, it's so late, don't bother with all this work. You keep saying I've lost weight, but I think you're the one who's lost weight. Look at your arms..."
Her face darkened as she spoke: "It's my fault, I didn't take good care of you..."
“Silly child, what are you saying? You are the one who is suffering. Look at yourself now. It is my greatest wish that you could come back. I just want to see you well. Quickly take off these wet clothes and I will go and get you some hot water.”
Chang Lili's eyes sparkled, and she nodded obediently.
But before the mother-in-law could even step out of the house, a bright, clear voice came from outside the courtyard.
Jingmei, accompanied by more than a dozen maids carrying small wooden buckets, lined up and entered the courtyard.
"What are you doing?" Chang Lili peeked out from behind her mother-in-law, who looked puzzled, and asked curiously.
Before the two could ask any questions, Jingmei stepped forward respectfully: "Grandma, Miss Chang, the general ordered me to bring hot water for Miss Chang to bathe and change."
"Meng Yuxiu?" Chang Lili looked at the steam rising from the small bucket, feeling a warm glow in her heart, thinking that Meng Yuxiu was quite thoughtful.
After this incident, the mother-in-law couldn't help but feel that although Meng Yuxiu was a great general, he had no airs of a general at all, treated Chang Lili very well, and was a reliable and good person. At this moment, she felt even more that he was thoughtful.
She couldn't help but laugh. If it were before, she would have definitely declined and couldn't accept someone's kindness in this way. But now she turned to Chang Lili frankly and said jokingly, "General Meng is quite attentive to you."
Chang Lili's face flushed red instantly. She hadn't expected her mother-in-law to say that, and immediately said coquettishly, "Mother-in-law, what are you saying? I... I'm almost catching a cold. I'm going to take a shower first. Why not take advantage of this hot water that's been delivered to my door!"
After saying that, she turned and walked into the house. Her mother-in-law smiled and turned to Jingmei, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. Please come in."
As Jingmei and her entourage carried small buckets into the house, and the last maid carried a simple yet extremely soft, light-colored dress, the mother-in-law's smile widened.
She glanced hurriedly into Chang Lili's room, then turned and went back to her own room with satisfaction.
Jingmei poured water into the bathtub but didn't leave. Chang Lili was puzzled: "You guys can leave now, thank you!"
She spoke casually, as if she and Jingmei were still close friends who could talk about anything, but the latter said respectfully, "We servants are here to help Miss Chang change her clothes."
The tone was sincere, but Chang Lili felt a chill run down her spine: "You...you should speak properly, Jingmei. I'm not a general, you don't need to keep calling me a servant."
“Yes, Miss Chang,” Jingmei replied obediently.
Chang Lili's face darkened as she listened; the words still sounded awkward and unfamiliar.
“We’ll help Miss Chang bathe and change her clothes,” Jingmei said, moving closer to Chang Lili.
Chang Lili immediately stepped back, saying in a flustered manner, "This... I can take a bath by myself. I'm used to doing it by myself. You can leave now. Thank you for bringing the water."
She smiled and declined, but Jingmei and the maids insisted, saying that it was Meng Yuxiu's order.
Chang Lili was unhappy about this. She felt that they were making things difficult for her. She said loudly, "I said I can do it myself. If you insist on helping me wash, then I'll have to serve you each and every one of you when you wash. Do you agree?"
Jingmei and the maids hesitated, looking troubled.
Chang Lili said matter-of-factly, "What? You don't want to? This is what they call 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.'"
Jingmei retorted defiantly, "How can we be like you? You're the future general's wife."
The memory of that day in prison when they secretly pledged their lives to each other resurfaced in her mind. Just moments before, Chang Lili's pale face was now flushed red as if it could bleed.
"What...what nonsense are you talking about? Get out of here, or I'll really catch a cold if I don't take a bath soon." As she spoke, she turned around and bent down as if to take off her clothes.
The maids chuckled for a moment, then retreated outside.
Chang Lili suddenly remembered something, turned around abruptly, and asked urgently, "Does the General need you to serve him when he takes a bath?"
The maids who had retreated halfway were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter in unison, their smiles wide and uncontrollable.
Chang Lili then realized what she had asked, turned around, blushed, and said loudly, "I...I was just curious, curious about whether life in such a high-class family is like that!"
Jingmei suppressed a laugh and said, "What are you thinking? The general used to be a soldier fighting in the field, and he was used to living a life of hardship and sleeping in the open. He always bathed himself. Besides, the rumors that the general is not interested in women are true. Apart from occasionally drinking with his subordinates, our general lived a life almost like a monk!"
As she spoke, the maids all laughed. After she finished speaking, Jingmei led a group of maids out of the room, closing the door behind her. Chang Lili was left with a blush on her face, her lips curving upwards involuntarily, her face filled with shyness.
Warm water soaked my tired body, which hadn't been properly cleaned in a long time. The whip marks on my skin were treated with the best ointment every day, and now they were almost healed.
Chang Lili felt as if she had been brought back to life, as if she were floating on clouds, her gaze fixed on the shelf to the side.
A set of pure white, soft-looking clothes hung there; it was sent over by Meng Yuxiu's maid.
Chang Lili wondered when he had prepared the clothes, and felt inexplicably happy.
On the small table beside her was a pale blue porcelain bottle. Chang Lili knew it was medicine for her injuries, which Meng Yuxiu had his maid bring along. She had used quite a bit of it these past few days.
Back in the house, the mother-in-law was exhausted. Now that a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, she should have been able to sleep peacefully. But even with her eyes closed, she couldn't fall asleep.
But a young, delicate face lingered in her mind's eye, as if Guo Yan were standing right in front of her. Grabbing her hand excitedly, she exclaimed, "Aunt Chang! You're Aunt Chang! I've finally found you!"
The old woman sighed in the darkness. It had been so many years since anyone had called her that. That gentle yet spirited woman, so noble yet so kind and approachable, was the one who used to call her "Aunt Chang" the most.
But she would never hear that woman call her name again in her lifetime. The old woman covered her eyes, but tears still streamed down her face.
The old woman thought that with the country destroyed and her family gone, her old friends were gone, but she never expected that there were still old friends in this world.
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