Seeing that Chen Zhaoci had lost a lot of weight from exhaustion, Xu Zhi had tears in her eyes. She followed the stretcher to the carriage and helped Chen Zhaoci into the carriage. After that, Chen Zhaoci stopped Xu Zhi and said, "Xiao Jiu, don't get too close to me yet. Let me find a place to wash and disinfect myself before you come to me, okay?"
Xu Zhi wanted to insist, but Chen Zhaoci pulled the curtain shut, so Xu Zhi had no choice but to go with Granny Lu to another carriage in the back.
The doctors sent by the imperial court have been here for two days. Several of them are from the Imperial Hospital. They examined all the patients in the ancestral hall with Chen Zhaoci and confirmed that they had all recovered before the lockdown on Zhoujia Village was lifted.
A burst of cheers erupted in Zhoujia Village. Chen Zhaoci lay on the carriage with her eyes closed, exhausted. Bai Wei, who was serving her, wiped the sweat from Chen Zhaoci's forehead and said with concern, "Madam, we must get a good rest when we get back this time."
Chen Zhaoci closed her eyes and softly hummed in agreement. Bai Wei, recalling what she had just seen, said to Chen Zhaoci, "Madam, we've been here for over ten days. I just saw several officials dressed as fourth-rank officials standing by the roadside. Do you think they were sent down by the imperial court?"
Chen Zhaoci opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Bai Wei, after we get to Yun'an County, we'll wash up and rest before heading back to Miaozhou. We'll stay in Miaozhou for another two or three days, and then hurry back to the capital. I don't know how worried our family is."
Bai Wei smiled and her two small dimples made the nearly twenty-year-old girl look very elegant and beautiful.
Bai Wei naturally understood that the "family member" her mistress was referring to was actually her husband. Bai Wei had been in the Xu family for over ten years, and could say she had witnessed Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci's relationship since she was a child. Although the two hadn't spent much time together in the past few years, and were mostly separated due to various circumstances, even young girls like Bai Wei were somewhat worried that since the mistress and husband couldn't be together all the time, their relationship might have faded, and that someone might be secretly seducing the husband and taking the opportunity to interfere in their relationship.
However, the relationship between the lady and the master has always been so good. The lady originally planned to return after about ten days. The master and lady were worried about the young lady. The master could not come out, so the lady came to see them so that they could be at ease. Who knew that they would encounter the plague? The lady naturally could not stand idly by. She stayed for more than ten days. I guess the master at home is now eagerly waiting for the lady to return.
Chen Zhaoci naturally understood Bai Weixiao's meaning, and wasn't embarrassed at all. He said, "Don't laugh at me and the old man. We've been through so many years together, sharing life and death. It's normal for us to miss each other after not seeing each other for a long time. By the way, Bai Weixiao, I've always wanted to ask you all, what are your plans for your lifelong happiness?"
Bai Wei was surprised that Chen Zhaoci would ask this question at this time. She was a little embarrassed, but still said generously, "Madam, I have thought about this question. After watching you and Master get along so much, I feel that there is no man around who can meet my requirements. You know, this world is not very friendly to girls. We can do whatever we want with you, but what about after we get married? Madam, not everyone can be as tolerant as you and Master, allowing us to do things that many people would not consider virtuous women to do. Anyway, I will definitely follow you in the future. I have no plans to get married."
Chen Zhaoci understood this principle perfectly well. It was precisely because she understood it that she was so tolerant of the girls around her. But for a girl, not getting married is fine when she is young, but when she gets old, while others are surrounded by their children, she will be all alone. How can she bear that?
Bai smiled and said, "Madam, please don't overthink it. I've already told our young lady that when I get old, I'll rely on her and have her take care of me in her orphanage. I may not have anything else, but I still have the medical skills I learned from you. With these skills, how could I possibly be left without someone to take care of me?"
That's true. Chen Zhaoci was somewhat relieved. He was too tired, probably due to his age. He closed his eyes and swayed as he fell asleep again.
Chen Zhaoci didn't wake up until the carriage stopped at the largest inn in Yun'an County. Hot water had already been prepared at the inn. Chen Zhaoci had given Zheng Boyuan a prescription earlier, and had him get the medicine according to the prescription. After boiling it in a large iron pot, he, along with Bai Wei and the others, and Ma Guang and the others, carefully washed up at the inn. They then burned the clothes they had taken off before changing into new clothes and returning to their rooms to rest.
Xu Zhi had already brought over the millet porridge she had cooked. After eating a bowl of millet porridge and a few kinds of pickled vegetables, Chen Zhaoci felt completely refreshed and sighed comfortably. She said to Xu Zhi and Granny Lu, who were sitting in the room, "I feel like I've finally come back to life. Oh, Granny, I haven't been able to wash my face or take a proper bath these past few days. I'm so tired. I was thinking that once everything was over, I would definitely find a place to take a good bath, change into new clothes, and sleep for three days and two nights."
Granny Lu collected the bowls and chopsticks on the table and put them in a food box. She said that they would be taken directly to the kitchen to be washed. Hearing Chen Zhaoci's words, she smiled and said, "Ninth Girl and I are leaving now. You should get some sleep."
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