Chapter 22: Tailoring at Elm Evening, Compassion
It was already the hour of Xu, and Bai Xiaoye and Lu Heying hadn't returned yet. Shang Yuwan got off the carriage and ate some dried meat and sesame cakes with Cheng Yishui and the others, while Xiao Qingxu ate alone in the carriage. To avoid being seen, they took a sparsely populated route. There was no village or inn nearby, so they could only eat some dry food to fill their stomachs.
Shang Yuwan ate while looking at Ji Suxian's carriage. Two female guests brought in hot water, perhaps for the woman and child to wipe their bodies.
She thought about it, chewed the dried meat in her mouth a few times, drank a sip of water, stood up and went to find Xiao Qingxu to greet him, telling him not to soak the poison yet, as she would need to borrow it later.
After getting the promise, Shang Yuwan went to ask who had clothesline and scissors, and unexpectedly borrowed them from Ju Gongcheng. Ju Gongcheng also gave her a small bag of honey.
Shang Yuwan took the clothesline and scissors and asked Xiao Qingxu outside the carriage whether he had finished his meal. After getting a positive answer, he got into the carriage, put the things in his hands aside, handed the dishes and chopsticks that Xiao Qingxu had prepared to the guest who came up to take them, and then took out his own clothes from the secret compartment.
She had limited tools and could only cut out a simple set of clothes for the child.
Xiao Qingxu watched her sewing and cutting, and he actually had the illusion that the couple was living a simple life.
"Her name is Xiaotao? What's your name?"
Ji Suxian took a quick look at the child's condition and found that there were no wounds. She first gave him a few injections, then called someone over and told them to boil medicine according to the prescription she gave.
"Slave, I am the sixth child in the family, and my name is Liu Niang." The woman felt a little uncomfortable after sitting in the carriage. She felt that she was not clean and had dirty the young lady's carriage.
Ji Suxian watched Xiao Tao's frown relax and said casually, "Oh, Lao Liu."
Seeing that the time was almost right, she pulled out the silver needle and reached out to strip off Xiaotao's tattered clothes.
Seeing this, Liu Niang timidly said: "Miss, let me do it. I dare not..."
Ji Suxian interrupted her directly and threw a clean handkerchief over: "You have to take it off too, wipe it off, and I will help you find the part of your body that needs treatment."
"Yes, yes..." Liu Niang agreed, but she didn't dare to move her hands.
After Ji Suxian simply wiped Xiaotao's body, he suddenly realized that he had missed a problem.
She has medicines to save lives and kill people, but she doesn't have clothes for children.
Ji Suxian thought about it and decided to wrap herself in her rabbit fur cloak first.
She had never taken care of such a young child before, so she didn't understand much. She just wanted to make sure the child didn't get cold.
Liu Niang was a bit timid, and it took a lot of courage for her to follow Ji Suxian and his group. She didn't say a word when she saw Ji Suxian wrapping her child in a cloak.
“Knock knock.”
"Miss, the medicine is ready." The female guest knocked on the wall of the car and asked, "Can I come in?"
Seeing Liu Niang holding the handkerchief without taking off her clothes, Ji Suxian said, "Come in."
The female guest lifted the carriage curtain, came in, put the medicine away, and then left. Ji Suxian reached out and picked it up as if to feed it to her.
Liu Niang said timidly: "Miss, let me do it."
"Take it off first. You can't wear that outfit anymore. There's a secret compartment under your legs. Inside is my clothes. They're new and have never been worn. Take them out and wear them." Ji Suxian had already started feeding the baby. She was extremely careful with her hands, afraid that the child would choke.
Ji Suxian had finished feeding the medicine, but Liu Niang still didn't move.
"We are all women, there is nothing to be shy about. How can I see your injuries if you don't take them off? If you keep nagging, get off and sell the child to me."
Ji Suxian narrowed her eyes and threatened: "I will teach her how to kill, so that she can only live on the edge of a knife~"
Liu Niang's face turned pale, and fear and shock appeared on her already haggard face. She immediately began to take off the dirty and smelly rough cloth clothes.
Ji Suxian was just teasing her. After Liu Niang took off her clothes, she habitually glanced at her, and finally her eyes involuntarily fell on Liu Niang's belly.
Liu Niang fled with her child, and though she bore many wounds, none of them were deep. The only thing that caught her attention was her stomach. Ripped skin lines covered her abdomen, and the flesh drooped slightly, wrinkled like old bark.
"Miss, don't look, it's dirtying your eyes..." Liu Niang put her hands in front of her belly, feeling ashamed and embarrassed.
Her belly has become this ugly shape since she gave birth to Xiaotao, and her husband has been disliking her in both open and covert ways ever since.
Ji Suxian retracted her gaze and whispered an apology, "The wounds on your body are not serious or deep. Hurry up and wipe them. The water will be cold soon. Wipe them clean and apply some ointment. You will be fine."
Liu Niang didn't dare to delay and make Ji Suxian unhappy, so she quickly wiped herself and put on her clothes.
So comfortable...
Liu Niang put on Ji Suxian's light blue long dress and touched the sleeves.
It was a perfect fit for her, made of satin, and it was the first time she had ever worn anything like it. The lady was truly kind, not only for saving her daughters but also for giving them new clothes.
Ji Suxian asked people to carry the two cold buckets of water down. Although the carriage was not small, it was now more spacious.
"Here, eat. We don't have anything delicious, just some coarse grains."
Ji Suxian pulled out a plate of mung bean cakes, some dried meat, and a few large sesame cakes from the secret compartment, then a pot of water. She loved the mung bean cakes, while everyone else ate sesame cakes and dried meat, aside from a few snacks they brought with them. Xiao Qingxu ate any finer dishes.
She was afraid that Liu Niang wouldn't eat it, so she stuffed a sesame bun into Liu Niang's hand.
“Knock knock.”
"Little sister."
It was Shang Yuwan's voice. Liu Niang and Xiao Tao were in the carriage, so she didn't dare to call Ji Suxian's real name.
Ji Suxian handed Xiao Tao to Liu Niang and reached out to open the car curtain: "Sister-in-law...what's wrong?"
Shang Yuwan didn't get on the carriage. He just handed the things up through the right window and said, "Here, the candy is from Ah Cheng."
A small bag of honey was placed on a child's dress.
Ji Suxian's eyes lit up and she reached out to take it. She could see that the stitching of this little dress was very neat and tight.
"You also know this?"
"It's a small matter. Just a needle and thread. But it might be a little big. I can't tell the size of the child."
Needlework was not difficult for Shang Yuwan. Although her needlework skills in her previous life were not as good as those of the top embroiderers, they were not far behind.
Ji Suxian gave the clothes and honey to Liu Niang, and Liu Niang thanked her repeatedly.
Shang Yuwan smiled at her and was about to turn around and leave when Ji Suxian called her.
"What's wrong?" Shang Yuwan stopped.
"I, that..."
Ji Suxian wanted to say something but stopped herself. Shang Yuwan saw her difficulty in speaking it and chuckled.
"Little sister, you did great."
Ji Suxian was stunned for a moment, blinked, and then nodded heavily, like a chick pecking at rice.
She was being petty and thought that Shang Yuwan would blame her.
"We've saved them now, but what will we do next?"
Shang Yuwan returned to the carriage, and Xiao Qingxu had already set up the chess game waiting for her.
"Ji Suxian saved it if she wanted to, she did a great job. If there is anything unusual——"
Shang Yuwan looked at the Rain Needle soaked in poison, calculated that it needed to soak for a while longer, and moved it aside.
She held the white chess piece and made her move without hesitation.
"Then kill them all."
Shang Yuwan said this without a ripple of emotion. Although she sympathized with the weak and could lend a hand within her ability, if they hindered her work, then she couldn't blame her for being ruthless.
Xiao Qingxu placed a black chess piece on the chessboard. "When my younger sister was young, she fled to Dayu with the refugees. That woman refused to leave and followed us closely. She felt pity for her. This action was a bit willful, but also understandable."
Xiao Qingxu had no intention of exonerating Ji Suxian, he just simply stated the reasons why she did this.
Shang Yuwan nodded and said, "Wait a little longer. Bai Xiaoye and the deputy building owner should be back soon."
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