Feverish puppy
The woman eventually left, carrying her daughter's body.
Before leaving, she disregarded all attempts to stop her, knelt down before Pei Qingwu, and kowtowed three times.
When I looked up, my face was already covered in tears.
"Thank you so much, sir. If it weren't for your kindness, my daughter would have starved to death."
"Thank you for making sure she had a full stomach on her deathbed."
Pei Qingwu quickly reached out to help him up: "There's no need for that. The most important thing right now is what will happen to you."
Having exchanged a few words with her before, Pei Qingwu knew that this woman was from Shangbang County, a subordinate county of Qinzhou. Her husband and daughter had both died in the flood, and she was now all alone.
I really don't know how to get through this.
"Me?" The woman smiled sadly, stretched out her hands for Pei Qingwu to see: "I have hands and feet, how could I not make a living?"
Those were typical working-class hands, neither delicate nor fair, but rather with large joints and calluses, clearly indicating a life of hard work.
"I can use these hands to farm, wash clothes, sew, make tofu, and steam wheat cakes. I will live the same way I did before."
Pei Qingwu said, "I know you're capable. Would you like to stay at my shop? I'll provide you with room and board and pay you your wages on time."
"Yes, our boss is the kindest person. He has never mistreated us. He always pays us on time. The people here are also very good..."
Jinniang also stepped forward to offer advice.
She and the woman were both mothers, and both came from humble backgrounds, so she naturally felt a bit of pity for them.
"Why don't you stay here with us? It's better than suffering outside."
Despite the advice of those around her, the woman simply shook her head: "Thank you, I know you all mean well, but I was born and raised in a superior country. That is my home, and also the home of my husband and my children..."
As she spoke, she looked down at her daughter in her arms, her eyes filled with tenderness.
“I promised before that I would definitely bring her home, and as her mother, I can’t break my promise.”
Knowing he couldn't persuade her otherwise, Pei Qingwu had Yin Lan pack some dry food and water for her to eat on the road.
After thinking for a moment, she gave her a bracelet made of Tianshan jade.
The material isn't particularly valuable, but it can still be exchanged for some money, or it can serve as a token of love if all else fails.
"Here you go. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, just take this bracelet and come to Qinzhou City to find me."
The woman thanked him repeatedly. Before leaving, she put her hands together, recited a Buddhist prayer, and said sincerely, "My lord, you are a kind and good person. Buddha will bless you."
Even after she left, the atmosphere in the shop remained somewhat oppressive.
After all, witnessing the passing of a young life is a huge test of one's psychological resilience.
In addition, they have a Nianci of about the same age by their side, which makes it easy for them to be reminded of painful memories.
Pei Qingwu sat sullenly to one side, fiddling with the abacus beads.
Amidst the crackling sounds, I still felt a tightness in my chest, an urge that I couldn't seem to release.
Seeing the worry on Pei Qingwu's brow, Gu Heng felt extremely anxious.
After thinking for a moment, he quietly withdrew.
When he returned, he was carrying two small figures roughly made of plain silk, one tall and one short, with their facial features hastily drawn with ink.
He himself stood behind the counter, cleared his throat, and lowered his voice, intending to perform a simple "joining the army" act.
He lifted the tall, silk-clad figure, and in a high-pitched voice, imitated some kind of official tone: "Hmm! Who is next? Why do you not kneel before this official?"
Then, he quickly picked up the short, silk-figured man and changed to a pitiful tone: "Reporting to your honor, this humble one...this humble one is just hungry and would like to ask for a bowl of porridge..."
The tall, silk-clad man suddenly jumped up: "Porridge? Humph! Don't you know that rice is as expensive as gold in the city these days? You scoundrel, you must be a Tibetan spy here to scout things out! Come on, seize him!"
This exaggerated imitation, especially Gu Heng's strange tone that he tried so hard to produce—neither authoritative nor like a spy—made Yin Lan and Jin Niang, who were watching from the side, burst out laughing.
Pei Qingwu was also drawn to this unexpected farce.
Seeing Gu Heng, a tall and handsome young man, hiding behind the counter, clumsily manipulating two ugly rag dolls and imitating the dialogue between officials and commoners, his appearance was both incongruous and earnest, which was quite amusing.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly without her noticing.
Gu Heng glanced at Pei Qingwu and saw that her expression had softened slightly, which encouraged him, so he put on an even more enthusiastic performance.
The officials became increasingly tyrannical, while the common people became increasingly pitiful.
Finally, the story goes that the "official" tries to snatch a non-existent "flatbread" from the "commoner's" arms, and the two silk figures are twisted in his hands, almost torn apart.
"Oh dear!" Gu Heng was so engrossed in singing that he lost his grip and the short, silk-clad figure fell to the ground.
He hurriedly picked it up, scratching his head somewhat embarrassedly, his face flushed. He looked at Pei Qingwu with bright, expectant eyes and a hint of shyness: "Master, I... I didn't act well, I just... I just wanted to make you laugh."
Pei Qingwu finally laughed out loud, and the frown between his brows eased considerably.
"It's kind of you to put in the effort," she said. "Your performance is even more despicable than that of a real corrupt official."
When Gu Heng saw her finally smile, he breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the two ugly figures, and grinned sheepishly.
Pei Qingwu was about to turn her head away when her gaze fell on Gu Heng's shoulder.
He had been so focused on bothering her that he had neglected himself, leaving his right shoulder completely soaked.
Now that we're inside, with charcoal fire burning, our clothes are completely dry, leaving only faint traces.
But... he was still wearing those clothes.
In other words, Gu Heng hadn't changed his clothes since he got back, and had been wearing them all this time, still soaking wet.
"You, you didn't change out of your wet clothes?"
Pei Qingwu unconsciously raised his voice, making it so loud it was almost frightening.
Gu Heng hurriedly said, "I...I forgot. Besides, it's already dried..."
"That won't do. You have to change your clothes after getting wet in the rain, otherwise you'll catch a cold and get a fever, and you'll suffer!" Pei Qingwu said as she stood up, seemingly about to go up and rip off Gu Heng's clothes.
Gu Heng quickly took two steps back, his ears turning bright red: "I... I can do it myself, I can do it myself..."
After saying that, he hurriedly went back to his room to change into clean clothes.
Pei Qingwu was worried and followed after him: "I'll go and make you another bowl of ginger soup. Drink it hot and go to sleep. Remember to cover yourself up tightly with the blanket so you can sweat it out."
"Why……"
Gu Heng was in his room, hurriedly changing his clothes.
After taking off his clothes, he went to find clean clothes, shirtless.
The candlelight lingered on his clearly defined muscles.
Just thinking about himself, separated from Pei Qingwu by only a thin door, made Gu Heng blush involuntarily.
After changing his clothes, he opened the door and found that Pei Qingwu was indeed waiting there.
Suddenly, my face felt even hotter.
"Master, what's wrong with you..." Gu Heng didn't know what he wanted to ask, and stammered.
Pei Qingwu chuckled: "Keep an eye on you, who knows if you'll forget again..."
As she spoke, she took the dirty clothes from Gu Heng's hand and casually threw them into the wooden basin beside her.
Then he beckoned: "Come here."
“Oh…” Gu Heng obediently followed.
Pei Qingwu ladled a bowl of ginger soup from the kitchen and handed it to Gu Heng: "Here, drink it quickly to dispel the chill."
Gu Heng took the bowl of steaming ginger soup, and instantly, a spicy aroma hit his nostrils.
He cautiously took a bite, and was immediately startled by the intense spiciness, his brows furrowing and his face contorting in pain.
"Boss, this is too spicy..." he muttered under his breath, trying to bargain, "I'm healthy, so it's okay if I don't drink it?"
"No way!" Pei Qingwu put her hands on her hips, her attitude firm: "If you get caught in the rain, you have to drink it, just in case..."
"Quick, drink it all in one go while it's hot, and you'll sweat it out and feel better."
Seeing that Pei Qingwu's attitude was firm and there was no room for negotiation, Gu Heng had no choice but to put on a bitter face, take a deep breath, and, as if drinking medicine, tilt his head back and gulp down the bowl of spicy ginger soup.
After finishing a bowl, my throat and stomach felt burning hot.
The spiciness made him stick out his tongue and fan himself with his hand, looking both pitiful and somewhat comical.
Pei Qingwu nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. Go to sleep now, and remember to cover yourself with the blankets."
The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.
Pei Qingwu couldn't sleep soundly because he had something on his mind.
I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night and got up to go to the kitchen to get some water.
She tiptoed out of the room, but could vaguely hear rustling noises coming from the main hall.
What is someone doing in the main hall so late?
She approached with a puzzled look, and by the faint moonlight filtering through the window, she saw Gu Heng's figure.
He was rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the house, seemingly searching for something urgently, his movements appearing somewhat flustered and clumsy.
"Aheng?" Pei Qingwu walked over in a few steps and called softly, "What are you looking for in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Gu Heng was startled by her sudden voice and turned around abruptly.
Under the moonlight, his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, his eyes were somewhat unfocused and his breathing was slightly rapid.
"Master Dong..." He opened his mouth, his voice noticeably hoarse and weak, "I...I'm thirsty, I want to find a water pouch...but it seems...I can't see clearly..."
Pei Qingwu was startled and immediately stepped forward, reaching out to touch his forehead.
The surface was scalding hot to the touch.
"You have a fever!" Pei Qingwu blurted out, her tone tinged with reproach but even more with worry: "I knew it! I told you to change your clothes, but you didn't do it right away, and even the ginger soup didn't help!"
Gu Heng felt dizzy, his body was chilled and feverish, and he even had difficulty standing.
He leaned against the cabinet, looking somewhat aggrieved, and whispered in protest, "I...I changed it...and drank it too..."
Seeing him so delirious with fever yet still trying to stay strong, Pei Qingwu felt both angry and heartbroken.
She quickly supported his swaying body: "Stop looking, go back to bed! I'll get you some water. Honestly, you don't even know to call for help when you're sick!"
"No..." Gu Heng quickly stopped him, "Brother Shi is still sleeping, don't disturb him..."
“Okay…” Pei Qingwu looked around and found a small couch in the corner.
"Then lie down over there."
Gu Heng obediently lay down on it, but the small couch was a little too big for him, so he had to curl his legs up slightly.
He was a patient after all, and Pei Qingwu was worried that he wouldn't be comfortable lying down, so he brought over a stool that was about the same height as the couch and let him put his feet on it.
"How about lying down?"
"It's fine..." Gu Heng said, indicating that there was no problem.
Pei Qingwu held the water glass to his lips. He was extremely thirsty and gulped it down in one go.
"Let me touch it again to see just how hot it is."
Not having a thermometer is such a hassle.
Her palms were slightly cool, and when they touched my forehead, they carried her fragrance.
For a moment, Gu Heng couldn't tell whether the fever was from catching a cold or from shyness.
“Don’t worry, boss. I’ll be fine by tomorrow morning,” Gu Heng said. “I’ve had fevers before, but I always just sleep it off, sweat it out under the covers, and then I’m all better.”
The madam wouldn't care about his illness.
“The past is the past, the present is the present.” Pei Qingwu glanced at him lightly: “Lie down properly, I’ll go see if there are any herbs at home that can reduce fever.”
This "home" touched a deep spot in Gu Heng's heart.
He gave a soft "hmm" and adjusted his position so that he could see Pei Qingwu's slender figure more clearly in the moonlight.
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