Xu Qinyu remembered that after the fourth brother jumped in from the wall, he was holding a cloth bag, and there were no other puppies around him. She looked carefully at the fourth brother's clothes, and found that his clothes were smooth and not bulging, so there was no way a puppy could be stuffed inside.

She even raised her head and looked around Fourth Brother, still a little confused, "Fourth Brother, where is he?"

Pei Weixuan stretched out his arms in front of her. Xu Qinyu didn't understand what was going on, so she leaned over and stared at her fourth brother's sleeves. Then she saw something slowly crawling out of the navy blue sleeves.

then--

A panicked scream came from the kitchen.

"ah!!!!!!!!!!"

A small snake slowly emerged from the navy blue sleeve.

The little snake was snow-white all over, its head was also white, but its eyes were red.

Xu Qinyu never expected that the guardian creature her fourth brother mentioned would be a small snake. When a small snake suddenly emerged, her first reaction was to be startled.

Pei Weixuan was also frightened by Yu Niang's scream, and a look of helplessness appeared on his face. The little snake was also frightened by Xu Qinyu's scream, and it shrank back into Pei Weixuan's sleeve.

Xu Qinyu's face turned pale, and she pointed at Pei Weixuan's sleeves and asked tremblingly, "Fourth brother, is this the thing you mentioned for guarding the house?"

"yes."

Pei Weixuan was silent for a moment before he responded with a “yes”.

He still looked a little helpless; he didn't expect to scare Yu Niang.

Xu Qinyu couldn't help asking, "Fourth brother, where did you bring this little snake back from? Can it guard the house?"

"It can grow very large and is also very good at guarding the house."

As Pei Weixuan spoke, he stretched out his hand to tease the little snake in his sleeve. The little snake slowly crawled out of his sleeve, tilted its head, and looked at Xu Qinyu with its deep red snake eyes.

Xu Qinyu thought the little white snake was pretty. After hearing what he said, she asked consciously, "How big can it grow?"

No, no matter how big it grows, no one will use it to guard the house!

Not really. Some people do like to keep pythons as pets, such as the golden python. These creatures can grow very large, and if you keep them at home, ordinary thieves would not dare to come and steal things from them.

Pei Weixuan lowered his eyelids, "I found it in the mountains. I don't know why it didn't hibernate and was coiled on a tree. It's still a young snake. It can be about ten feet long and can grow very big in a year. It's quite scary to use it as a guardhouse." He had indeed found it in the mountains. He didn't know why it was hanging on the tree. No one was taking care of it in this season and there was no food, so it would freeze to death. And thinking that Yu Niang said she wanted an animal to guard the house, it was more powerful than a puppy, so he brought it back to show her. Maybe she would like it. He never thought that he would scare her.

Xu Qinyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Ten feet is roughly three meters long. A snake that can grow that big must be terrifying!

Who would dare to come to her house then?

She was planning to sell braised fish at home. If this little snake really grows into a giant python, all the customers would be scared away.

To be honest, Xu Qinyu knew that it would grow up to be much better at guarding the house than ordinary puppies. At least Mrs. Luo would not dare to break into the house without permission. However, snakes are cold-blooded animals, and she had never raised one before. She was still a little afraid of this naked animal. She was more able to accept furry pets.

Wen and Pei Jianing were also frightened by Xu Qinyu's scream and woke up.

When they both realized that it was Yu Niang who was screaming, their faces changed color. They did not even have time to put on their clothes and hurriedly left the room. When they saw the kitchen light was on, they immediately came in. They did not even have time to ask Pei Weixuan when he came back. Wen immediately asked her daughter-in-law, "Yu Niang, what happened? How did we hear your scream?"

Ning Jie'er saw the little white snake in her brother's sleeve at a glance.

Well, she knew that if she asked her brother to find a pet to guard the house, he would definitely find some strange animal, but he actually brought back a little snake. Since it was a pet to guard the house, this little snake should grow into a giant python, and her brother would not be afraid of scaring the fourth sister-in-law. Speaking of which, her brother seemed to have a little poor ability to empathize with others. She always thought it was because her brother had been sick and weak since childhood and was a little cold. Now she realized that the fourth brother's feelings towards them and his family were probably similar. Even though the fourth brother would help them and do everything for the family to the best of his ability, it was more due to his status.

She could sense that her fourth brother was sometimes more friendly to the pets he raised in the palace.

Ning Jieer couldn't help but say, "Fourth brother, how did you get back a little snake?"

Mrs. Wen also noticed the little snake in her son's sleeve and was startled. She couldn't help but take two steps back, "Xuan brother, why did you bring back a snake?"

Pei Weixuan said calmly, "I found it in the mountains. It didn't hibernate, and it can be used to guard the house, so I brought it back."

Xu Qinyu thought about it and discussed with him, "Fourth brother, raising this is a bit scary. I'm afraid it will scare even the guests who come to our house. Why don't we not raise it?"

Pei Weixuan glanced at her and said, "The snake is too small. If you send it back, it won't survive the winter. Send it back in the spring."

"Okay." Xu Qinyu thought it was okay.

The little snake is still small. There are only two months left until the beginning of spring. It probably won't grow much in two months. Besides, this snake is jade-colored all over, so it looks quite cute and not that scary. It's fine to keep it at home for the time being.

Ning Jie'er and Wen Shi didn't have any objections either, and judging from their expressions, they both seemed to be used to it.

Xu Qinyu couldn't help but wonder why her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were so calm.

She naturally didn't know what her cheap husband had kept in the palace.

After this incident, Xu Qinyu never dared to ask her cheap husband to bring her any puppies again. She planned to ask around to see if there were any mastiffs. Ordinary puppies would only be average at guarding the house, and in winter there would be many people beating and stealing dogs, and ordinary puppies would not be able to withstand these dog thieves. Mastiffs were different. They were loyal to their owners and looked very fierce. They would not eat food fed by outsiders, and they were also very effective at guarding the house.

The small snake from Pei Weixuan's sleeve crawled out, crawled around on the ground, and finally curled up in a circle beside the stove and lay motionless.

It seems to be too cold. Knowing it is warmer by the stove, he decided to keep warm here.

Xu Qinyu didn't bother the little snake and was busy making pancakes and frying eggs.

Ning Jie'er helped to watch the stove, while Wen and Pei Weixuan went to sweep the snow in the yard. The snow on the roof of the house had not been cleared for several days and was a bit thick, so Pei Weixuan knocked it down as well and piled the snow in the backyard. The entire front yard looked clean and tidy.

After finishing all this, Wen cleaned the house again and took the clothes that the family had changed out of last night to the well to wash.

When she was a child, she cleaned her room and washed clothes by herself. Even after entering the palace and being a concubine for more than ten years and then an empress for several years, she was not unfamiliar with these tasks. In fact, even when she was an empress, she often did needlework. The underwear worn by the emperor and several children were all sewed by her. She had a very good relationship with the emperor. People thought that the emperor made her the empress because he did not want the future empress to have too much power from the outside, and because her family had no power, the emperor chose her. It was not like that. It was just because Emperor Sheng Jing really loved her and treated her as his wife.

She also knew that her personality was not suitable for being an empress. She had always known that Concubine Fu was targeting her, and she even knew that letting Concubine Fu become the empress would not be good for her children. So her thoughts were not simple-minded. She also wanted to compete for the position of empress. However, she was not as cruel as Concubine Fu. She did not expect that Concubine Fu would attack the children in the harem and even poison the emperor to death in the end.

Concubine Fu Gui is too cruel and ruthless.

Wen closed his eyes, feeling terribly pained in his heart.

…

After Pei Weixuan swept the snow and cleaned off the dirt on the ginseng, he found a shady place to cool off. It was too cold to go out in the sun or bask in the sun, so staying in the shade would be fine.

After he finished with the ginseng, he saw Yu Niang carrying a small basket of mushrooms and handing them to him, "Fourth brother, wash them for me."

Xu Qinyu planned to stir-fry some mushrooms, and she planned to save the remaining mushrooms for buying a hen in the evening to make mushroom and chicken soup, which would taste fresh and nutritious.

The climate in the southwest is humid, and the mushrooms grown there are very delicious. Just stir-fry them with a little lard and a little salt, and no other seasoning is needed, and they will be very delicious.

After eating the porridge with mushrooms, Xu Qinyu left the stall.

She didn't let Pei Weixuan go with her, guessing that he must have not slept all night. She didn't let him go out with her, so he just looked at her.

Xu Qinyu was also very persistent. She didn't sleep for a day and a night. She still wanted to lose her body! The poison in her body had not been completely removed.

"Fourth brother, go back to your room and sleep. Come back with me to open the stall tomorrow."

Pei Weixuan looked at Yu Niang. Her face was full of determination and her eyes were staring at her without blinking.

She seemed to stick to what she believed in, which was completely different from the second young lady in Marquis Dechang's mansion.

Where did she come from...

Pei Weixuan said the word "OK" in a hoarse voice. He did not insist and went back to his room to sleep.

Xu Qinyu went to the stall alone. Wen washed all the pots and pans in the kitchen and tidied up the kitchen. She said something to Ning Jie'er, asking her to look after Feng Ge'er and Yuan Jie'er, and then went out to help wash clothes.

When they arrived at the dock, Xu Qinyu's meat buns sold very quickly. She also asked the people on the merchant ship where she could buy a mastiff.

Zhuanzi bit his meat bun and told her, "What do you want to do with a mastiff, young lady? There are mastiffs in the north, but not here. They are predatory in nature and are good at hunting and guarding the house."

Upon hearing that it was only found in the north, Xu Qinyu couldn't help but sigh. It was difficult to find a powerful mastiff.

If that doesn't work, I can just wait and see if any dog ​​has given birth to puppies and then buy one.

After finishing her stall, Xu Qinyu went to buy pig offal and fish as usual. Today she also bought an old hen to make soup with it later.

Unexpectedly, when buying fish, I saw a small black ball next to the old man's stall. It was tied with a hemp rope and tied to the old man's feet. The small ball had injuries on its hind legs, as if it was bitten by something. Xu Qinyu stared at the small ball for a few seconds. At first glance, it looked a bit like a cat, furry, but after a closer look, it was not a cat, but a little leopard?

A pure black little leopard, Xu Qinyu was startled.

She remembered that there should be no black leopards in this kind of place. The local ones should be leopards with spots on their bodies. There are no black panthers.

Forget it, this isn't her time and space, the map might be different.

"Uncle He, is this a little leopard?"

Having followed this old man to buy fish for such a long time, Xu Qinyu knew his family situation and his surname was He. He lived in a village near Yuanbao Town. His son could fish, and when the weather was cold and the family had little income, he would often catch fish and sell them in the town. He had thought that the fish would be hard to sell, but he didn't expect to meet Miss Xu, and all the fish were bought by her. She would come to him to buy fish every day. These fish did not cost anything, he just dug a hole in the ice and cast a net to catch them, and he could make a lot every day.

And recently Xu Qinyu asked Uncle He to help collect eggs, radishes and cabbages in the village.

Eggs in the village are cheap, two for one cent, and radishes and cabbages are even cheaper because they are grown at home, less than one cent per pound, so she saves some money on making meat-filled steamed buns.

Uncle He said, "It's a little leopard. My son picked it up when he went fishing at the lake. It seems to be a cub. It was bitten by animals in the mountains and ran down the mountain. It happened to be picked up, so I thought of selling it in the town, but I don't know if it can survive."

Xu Qinyu knew that when the weather got cold, not only people were prone to freezing to death, but the cubs of animals in the mountains were also in the same situation.

She knew that there were some young men from aristocratic families in the capital who would keep cheetahs in captivity to help with hunting and show off, but most of them were spotted leopards, and she seemed to have never seen any black leopards.

Once this thing is tamed, it will be just like a big cat, and it is also a member of the feline family. No one can resist a big cat!

If we can really rescue it and raise it, we can use it to guard the house. It is definitely better than using a giant python to guard the house.

Thinking of the little snake, Xu Qinyu's face froze.

Xu Qinyu was a little moved.

"Uncle He, how much do you want to sell this little leopard for?"

Mr. He said quickly, "If you want it, I'll give it to you. You take care of my business every day. Besides, the little leopard has been seriously injured. I'm afraid no one else will buy it."

Xu Qinyu finally gave the money and gave all the money she earned today to Uncle He.

Uncle He was still reluctant to accept it. Finally, Xu Qinyu forced the money on him. Uncle He accepted it and helped to move the fish to the compartment under the cart. Xu Qinyu also carefully picked up the ball of cats. It didn't struggle at all and didn't move. It looked like dead, but its abdomen was still moving, so it should be alive.

My cheap husband knows how to make medicine. I’ll let him help me treat it when I get back.

Xu Qinyu quickly returned to Osmanthus Lane.

Pei Weixuan had already woken up and was chopping wood. The water tank in the kitchen was full, and there were several wooden basins and barrels next to the well, which were also filled with water.

Seeing him, Xu Qinyu immediately called out, "Fourth brother, come and take a look."

Pei Weixuan looked up and saw a black little animal in Yu Niang's arms. He knew it was a black leopard without looking at its face. He also saw the bloody patch on the leopard's hind leg. He put down his axe and walked over to take the leopard from Yu Niang's arms. It didn't move. He said, "It's seriously injured. I'll go out and buy some medicine."

Xu Qinyu took the little leopard again and saw her fourth brother striding out of the courtyard and heading towards the entrance of the alley.

Pei Jianing also brought Feng Ge'er and Yan Jie'er over.

The two children were very curious about the little leopard in her arms.

Pei Jianing couldn't help but ask, "Fourth sister-in-law, where did the little leopard come from?"

Xu Qinyu told her sister-in-law how Little Leopard came to be.

Pei Jianing was silent after hearing this. I don’t think there will be more and more animals in the house in the future…

She remembered that when her fourth brother was in the palace, he had a golden eagle, a tiger, a lynx, and a yak...

She just didn't know if those animals would be killed by that evil Concubine Fu Guifei when they were exiled. She naturally hoped that they were alive and innocent, and she used to often go to her fourth brother's palace to feed them.

Xu Qinyu carried the little black panther back to the kitchen and saw that the little snake was still coiled on the kang, not moving.

It won't just sleep like this for two months, right?

So should I feed it or not?

Xu Qinyu looked at the little black cat in her arms again. If she could save it, would the two of them fight? Would the little black panther bite the little white snake?

She has started to worry even before she even starts raising the baby.

Without waiting for Xu Qinyu to think more, she put the little black panther next to the small stove where it was warm, and went out to kill fish.

Pei Jianing also squatted over and slowly helped.

After the fish was cleaned and marinated, Pei Weixuan also bought some medicine.

He boiled the medicine on a small stove, and when it became a paste he took it outside to cool. Then Pei Weixuan went to treat the wounds on the little leopard. He shaved off all the hair on the wounds and took some strong liquor to clean the wounds. The little leopard finally showed some reaction and cried out in pain, weakly, like a kitten.

The whole family squatted in the kitchen and watched Pei Weixuan treat the little leopard's wound.

After cleaning the leopard's wound, we finally started to sew it. After the suturing was completed, we applied the cooled ointment and bandaged it.

Pei Weixuan told Xu Qinyu, "Just change the medicine every three days."

Xu Qinyu nodded.

Fourth brother was really amazing. The medicine he prescribed was very effective. She touched the frostbite on her face and found it was almost healed.

In the evening, Mrs. Wen was not surprised to learn that her daughter-in-law had bought a little leopard that was almost bitten to death. She was probably used to it.

Xu Qinyu also felt relieved and even a little excited, as it was the first time she had raised such a big cat.

Wen came back early today and helped push the cart out to sell all the fish.

In the evening, Xu Qinyu fried some tofu again. She started stewing the mushroom and chicken soup when she came back at noon. The old hen was cleaned. This was a chicken raised at home and ate wild vegetables and insects. It didn't even need to be blanched, and there was no need to add oil to the iron pot. Pour the chicken pieces in and stir-fry until the fat inside was fried out. Add two slices of ginger and bring to a boil with clean water. There was no foam in the boiled water. After boiling, pour it into a clay pot and simmer on low heat for an hour and a half. Add the washed mushrooms and sprinkle a little salt. No other seasonings were needed. It was ready to eat after cooking for another quarter of an hour.

The stewed chicken soup was golden in color. Although it was a bit oily, it was exactly what the family needed. The chicken melted in the mouth, and the mushrooms absorbed the broth from the chicken soup. Combined with their own flavor, even Xu Qinyu drank two big bowls. In the end, the whole family finished off the big casserole of wild mushroom chicken soup.

The people in Osmanthus Lane felt that the food at Miss Xu's house today was particularly delicious, more delicious than any other day, full of the rich aroma and umami flavor of chicken soup.

…

There was little snow in the next two days. The next day, Pei Weixuan went to the mountains again. He went to the mountains to collect herbs, herbs for his use and for the little leopard.

The night he just left, the little white snake that always lurked by the stove and the furnace woke up, stuck out its tongue, and swam to Xu Qinyu's side.

Xu Qinyu was still a little afraid of it, but when she saw it kept swimming around her and didn't leave, she suddenly realized what was going on.

Is it hungry?

She knew that snakes eat by swallowing, so she stood up, cut two pieces of fish, put them on a small plate and placed them in front of the little snake. It lowered its head and stuck out its tongue, and she swallowed it in one gulp.

Xu Qinyu was delighted. Seeing two children squatting nearby and looking at her eagerly, she cut two more pieces of fish meat and gave them to the two children, "Feng'er and Yan'er, come and try it."

The two children happily took the fish pieces, put them on the plates, and watched the little snake swallow the fish.

After the little snake finished eating, it stuck out its tongue and stared at Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu guessed it was not full, so she cut a few more pieces and finally fed them one piece each to Feng Ge'er and Yan Jie'er. The two children were coaxed by her and smiled rarely. The three of them fed the little white snake almost two or three pounds of fish meat. The little white snake then slithered back to the stove and curled up next to the little leopard without moving.

The little leopard refused to eat or drink and just lay beside the stove and slept.

Xu Qinyu looked at the one black and one white, both of which were almost curled up into a ball, and surprisingly found them quite harmonious.

Pei Weixuan did not return until the next afternoon, carrying two cloth bags, one of which was full of mushrooms, and the other of which was full of medicinal herbs.

Xu Qinyu also recognized some medicinal herbs, but the herbs he collected were all unfamiliar to her.

Pei Weixuan came back and dried the herbs and prepared them. He also dried the red fruit, mixed it with other herbs, and divided it into four portions.

Two days later, it started snowing heavily again.

After dinner that night, Xu Qinyu finished cooking the pig intestines, and Wen cleaned the kitchen. Pei Weixuan told the two of them, "Mother, Yu Niang, I need to take a medicinal bath to remove the poison from my body. I may need you to watch over me and tie me up with hemp ropes, otherwise I might lose my mind and destroy the house."

Wen was worried, "Brother Xuan, I hope everything will be alright."

Xu Qinyu was also a little worried. It felt a bit dangerous to tie them up with hemp ropes.

"It's okay, don't worry, mother."

The poison in the body must be removed, Wen nodded.

Pei Weixuan boiled the packet of medicine he had prepared in an iron pot, poured it into the bathtub, and added a bucket of cold water. He took off his long socks, leaving only a pair of trousers, stepped into the bathtub and sat down, then used a knife to dissolve the blood on his wrists, and blood dripped down his wrists into the bathtub.

Sister Ning had already been called by Wen to coax the two children to sleep.

There were only three people left in the room.

Xu Qinyu felt that this medicine did not have the unpleasant bitter taste of traditional Chinese medicine, but was rather fragrant.

She couldn't help but glance at her fourth brother's naked back. His skin was very white and he was a little thin, but his shoulders were broad and his waist was narrow.

At this time, Xu Qinyu was surprised to find that the blood from her fourth brother's cut wrist mixed with the medicinal bath and did not disperse. Instead, it looked like a blood vessel painting in the water. She did not dare to breathe, and the same was true for Wen.

Pei Weixuan glanced at the two of them and said, "Tie me up."

The two men then hurriedly took the hemp rope beside them and tied the man up.

"Tie it tighter."

Pei Weixuan said.

Wen gritted his teeth and pulled the hemp rope hard, until the rope was about to dig into his shoulder blade.

The way they tied him up was to first tie his hands behind his back, then wrap his arms around his entire upper body and tie it tightly, making it impossible for him to move.

After tying him up, Wen's hands were shaking. After a while, the two saw Pei Weixuan's face getting paler and paler.

The bloodstains finally melted and gradually dissipated in the medicinal bath, but the medicine should have seeped into his blood vessels through the wound on his wrist.

Xu Qinyu looked at his bulging blood vessels. The blood vessels, which were supposed to be blue, gradually turned black, as if black lines covered his entire body.