Chapter 114 The Rattle Drum My Mother Made for Me
"Sister Wanning, do you want to play with the rattle drum too?" Xiaodouzi ran over and handed the rattle drum to her. "Here, you can play with it."
Ye Wanning shook her head, smiled, and patted his head: "No need, you can play by yourself."
As soon as Xiaodouzi left, Ye Wanning's eyes dimmed again. Pei Zhi came over, saw her looking dejected, and asked, "What's wrong? Who made you unhappy?"
“No, I saw Xiaodouzi’s rattle drum and it reminded me of the one I had when I was little.” Ye Wanning sighed. “It was made by my mother, but she lost it and can never find it again.”
Pei Zhi's heart tightened, and he grasped her hand: "Don't be sad, I'll help you find it."
“It’s been so many years, how could we possibly find it again?” Ye Wanning shook her head, not taking his words to heart. Pei Zhi, however, took it seriously.
As soon as he returned, he ordered the Shadow Pavilion to investigate the whereabouts of the rattle drum from when the Ye family moved. The Shadow Pavilion was efficient and only took three days to get news—the rattle drum had been picked up by the servants who moved the house back then and was now at an old carpenter's house in the suburbs of Beijing.
Pei Zhi led his men over, and when the old carpenter heard that they were looking for a rattle drum, he quickly rummaged through his box and took it out. It was a red rattle drum, the body of which had faded and the little tiger pattern had become blurred, but the drumsticks and drum ropes were intact, and it made a clear "dong dong" sound when shaken.
"Is this the rattle drum you're looking for?" the old carpenter said with a smile. "I thought this drum was exquisitely made back then, so I kept it. I never thought I'd be able to return it."
Pei Zhi took the rattle drum, carefully wiped away the dust, and was overjoyed. He quickly took the rattle drum back to Ci'an Hall and handed it to Ye Wanning: "Look, what's this?"
Ye Wanning took the rattle drum, and upon seeing the little tiger on it, tears immediately streamed down her face: "This is...this is the rattle drum my mother made for me! How did you find it?"
“Yes,” Pei Zhi patted her back, “I know this is a keepsake your mother left you, it would be such a shame to lose it. Now that it’s been found, you don’t have to regret it anymore.”
Ye Wanning hugged the rattle drum, her tears falling even harder. She shook the rattle drum, the "dong dong" sound taking her back to her childhood—her mother holding her, teaching her to speak in the yard with the rattle drum, the warm sunlight shining on her.
“It’s my regret that I couldn’t be there for you as you grew up, and that I couldn’t help you find this rattle drum.” Pei Zhi held her hand tightly. “But from now on, I’ll be there for you every moment. If you want to reminisce about the past, I’ll be there for you; if you want to do something, I’ll go along with it; if you want anything, I’ll buy it for you.”
Ye Wanning wiped away her tears and looked at Pei Zhi with a smile: "With you, I'm not afraid of anything. I'll keep this rattle drum safe and give it to the children to play with in the future, and tell them that it was made by their grandmother back then."
“Okay.” Pei Zhi nodded and hugged her. “Our children will have lots of toys in the future, and with us by their side as they grow up, they won’t be like you were when you were little, losing even a rattle.”
A special patient arrived at the female clinic—a young man named Liu Qingyun, dressed in tattered clothes, clutching one eye and wincing in pain. He said his vision had been blurry recently, and he was about to take the imperial examination; if his eye had problems, his life would be over.
After a careful examination, Ye Wanning said, "This is an eye problem caused by staying up late studying and malnutrition. It's not serious. I'll prescribe some medicine for you, and with acupuncture, you'll get better soon."
She added, "But you should get more rest in the future, avoid staying up late, and eat more nutritious food."
Liu Qingyun readily agreed, expressing his deepest gratitude. However, when it came time to get the medicine, his face darkened – his family was poor, and they had sold everything they owned to prepare for the imperial examinations, leaving them with no money for medicine.
Ye Wanning saw through it and smiled, "You don't need to pay for the medicine. Just rest well and prepare for the exam. If you have any difficulties in the future, come to the clinic to find me."
Liu Qingyun was moved to tears and bowed deeply to Ye Wanning: "Thank you so much, Miss Ye! I will never forget your great kindness! I will return to repay you after I pass the imperial examination!"
Ye Wanning smiled and said, "No need to repay me. Just do well in your exams and become a well-regarded official who serves the people. That will be the best way to repay me."
Ye Wanning didn't take this to heart, but Pei Zhi kept it in mind. He had someone investigate Liu Qingyun and learned that the boy came from a poor family but was exceptionally talented, a rare and promising talent.
Thus, Pei Zhi sent silver and books to Liu Qingyun, and also wrote an anonymous letter encouraging him to do well in the exam and not to worry about making a living anymore.
Liu Qingyun believed that Ye Wanning had helped him, and he was even more grateful, studying even harder. A few months later, the imperial examination results were released, and he unexpectedly became the top scholar!
Liu Qingyun, dressed in the robes of a top scholar, was the first to arrive at the General's Mansion, wanting to thank Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi: "Miss Ye, General Pei, thank you for your help! Without you, I would never have been able to become the top scholar!"
He bowed deeply to the two of them, his eyes filled with gratitude. Ye Wanning was taken aback: "I...I didn't help you?"
Pei Zhi laughed and said, "You save people, I help people with their talents; we are a match made in heaven."
Liu Qingyun suddenly realized that it was Pei Zhi who had delivered the silver and books. He quickly bowed to Pei Zhi again, saying, "Thank you, General Pei! You and Miss Ye are both good people. I will definitely do a good job as an official in the future and live up to your expectations!"
Pei Zhi nodded, his tone serious: "Good. In the future, when you become an official, remember your original aspirations, do more for the people, and don't be corrupt or break the law. If I find out that you have wronged the people, even if you are the top scholar, I will not forgive you."
"Please rest assured, General! Your humble servant will certainly not let you down!" Liu Qingyun said firmly.
After seeing Liu Qingyun off, Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhixiao and said, "Why didn't you tell me before helping him?"
“I knew you would agree.” Pei Zhi pinched her cheek. “You’re so kind. You would definitely want to help him when he’s in trouble. I’m just doing what you want to do.”
Ye Wanning nestled in his arms, her heart filled with sweetness. She knew Pei Zhi understood her and always helped her secretly, which moved her more than sweet words.
"From now on, we will help more people," Ye Wanning said softly. "You protect our country, I will save lives, and together we will build a better nation!"
“Okay.” Pei Zhi hugged her tightly, his eyes full of determination.
The West Market was exceptionally lively in late autumn. Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi had just finished browsing the sugar painting stalls and were about to go home when they heard a "meow".
The two walked over and saw a small stray cat, filthy, with matted fur, and skin and bones, looking at them pitifully.
"It's so pitiful." Ye Wanning squatted down and gently patted the kitten's head. "Shall we take it home?"
Pei Zhi frowned. He had never liked small animals since he was a child, finding them troublesome. But seeing Ye Wanning's expectant eyes, he nodded: "Okay, but you have to take care of it and make sure it doesn't cause trouble everywhere."
"Great!" Ye Wanning hugged the kitten. "How about I name it Huzi? Its stripes look like a little tiger."
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