Half an hour later.
Jiang Shan sat by Fu Qiyuan's bedside, looking at the person on the bed whose face was so pale that it had no color in his skin, and felt a bit complicated.
Jiao's mother gently patted the sleeping baby in her arms and said affectionately, "It's all my fault. I didn't listen to Fourth Sister and insisted on sending plum blossom pastries to Yan'er. Yan'er was injured by the pirates while saving me. I'm really heartbroken."
Jiang Shan's mood that day was like a rollercoaster, with highs and lows, but now he felt a sense of calm as if the dust had settled.
Fu Qiyuan fought desperately, snatching Jiao's mother back from the clutches of death. He took a fatal blow for her, suffering a deep wound from Sha Laoda's knife that cut from his shoulder to his chest, and nearly died from blood loss.
Jiao's mother was shocked, frightened, regretful, and resentful. She fainted several times, which terrified everyone.
It was truly a thrilling and dangerous experience!
Sanlang wiped away his tears, holding onto Fu Qiyuan's hand tightly, and sobbed, "Mother, when will my brother wake up?"
"Don't worry, Young Master Jiao, my master is blessed with good fortune. The doctor said he'll definitely wake up in the next couple of days!" Fu Shu patted his chest and said eagerly.
Jiang Shan shifted his gaze from Fu Qiyuan to Sanlang and said, "Sanlang, be good, go and rest so you'll have the energy to take care of your brother tomorrow."
Sanlang thought for a moment, nodded silently, and went downstairs with Steward Zhou.
"Mother, you should go and rest too. I'll take Jianghuai to sleep tonight."
Jiang Shan spoke up, and Jiao's mother reluctantly handed Jiang Huai to Liang Chen, glanced at Fu Qiyuan, and went back to her room to rest.
Fu Shu hesitated for a while before saying, "Young Master was afraid that Miss would worry, so he didn't let me send a message to Yuzhou. Please don't blame Young Master, Miss."
Jiang Shan shook his head. "Do you think I can blame him right now? What right do I have to blame him?"
She couldn't even imagine what would happen if something really happened to Fu Qiyuan; the Jiao family would never have a good life again!
The next day, Jiang Huai woke up from a sweet dream, rubbed his eyes, and saw a figure standing by the bed through the light coming in from the window.
He skillfully rolled over and sat up, his gaze fixed on the person beside the bed.
It's not Mother, not Liangchen, and not Xier, so who is it?
Hearing the noise, Jiao's mother turned her head to look, and sat down on the edge of the bed with a smile.
"Huai'er is awake. Do you still remember your grandmother?"
Jiang Huai opened his big almond-shaped eyes, supported himself on the bed with his little hands, and slowly walked to Jiao's mother's side.
The joy and tenderness in Jiao's mother's eyes were almost overflowing. She looked at Jiang Huai with a smile, hoping that he would remember her and sweetly call her "Grandmother".
But Jiang Huai's expression at this moment was enough to show that he had truly forgotten her.
He left her only eight months ago, and when he came back he was already babbling. She missed his growth during that time, and now she has no memory of him.
A wave of disappointment washed over Jiao's mother. She lowered her head sadly and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Seeing that Jiao's mother had lowered her head and was ignoring him, Jiang Huai reached out and grabbed her sleeve, snuggling closer to her, and said in a childish voice, "Hug me!"
Jiao's mother looked up at Jiang Huai, who grinned, revealing a set of small white teeth, and tilted his head to smile at her, saying, "Give me a hug!"
Jiao's mother happily hugged Jiang Huai and said with a smile, "Okay, Grandma will hug you! Get dressed first, and Grandma will take Huai'er to drink some milk!"
Jiang Huai ate a bowl of steamed egg custard, two small shrimp-filled buns, and a bowl of milk. Satisfied, he was led by Jiao's mother to find Jiang Shan.
Jiang Shan had just finished washing up, with a homemade face mask still on her face, when she took Jiang Huai to Fu Qiyuan's room.
As soon as Jiang Huai saw Fu Qiyuan, he climbed onto the bed, scaring Jiang Shan into a cold sweat.
He's still injured, and he can't withstand the turmoil in Jianghuai.
Jiang Shan grabbed his son, pressing down on a corner of the face mask on his face, and yelled, "You better behave yourself! Take one look and get out. This isn't a place for you to run wild!"
Jiang Huai stubbornly grabbed Fu Qiyuan's hand, calling out "Father" while raising one leg high, trying to scoot onto the bed.
"Son! My little devil! Calm down for a bit. He's injured and can't play with you today. Go find your uncle to play with you, go now!"
Jiang Huai was stronger than most children. In Jiao's mother's words, he was just like Jiang Shan, born with a brute force.
He held onto Fu Qiyuan tightly, and Jiang Shan was afraid of hurting Fu Qiyuan's injury, so she didn't dare to use too much force. The mother and son were locked in a stalemate, neither willing to let go.
The two, one big and one small, chattered incessantly in Fu Qiyuan's ear, as if they were arguing.
When Fu Qiyuan opened his eyes, Jiang Shan impatiently grabbed the face mask off his face and slammed it onto Jiang Huai's forehead.
Jiang Huai paused for a moment, then finally let go of Fu Qiyuan's hand and touched her own face.
No sooner said than done, Jiang Shan bent down and hugged Jiang Huai. In the instant he looked up, his eyes met those of Fu Qiyuan.
The person on the bed had a smile in their eyes, and their dark eyes made their face appear almost transparently white.
"You're awake?" Jiang Shan asked hesitantly.
Fu Qiyuan closed his eyes briefly, then slowly opened them. "I think I'm awake. I heard Huai'er calling for her father, and I saw you two, mother and daughter. It wasn't a dream."
"Daddy, Daddy, hug me!" Jiang Huai was hugged around the waist by Jiang Shan and reached out to Fu Qiyuan with all his might.
Jiang Shan tightly gripped Jiang Huai's restless little chubby hand and said, "I'll take him out first; he's getting in the way here!"
Fu Qiyuan smiled radiantly as he watched the mother and son leave the room.
Before long, Fu Qiyuan's room was packed with people; apart from the little people who were in the way, everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived.
After examining the body, Dr. Yuan said with relief, "There's nothing seriously wrong. You just need to take good care of yourself, and you'll recover soon."
Everyone was happy!
In the following days, the Jiao residence was filled with a long-lost joy and liveliness. The county magistrate and the registrar of the county government found all sorts of ways to visit the Jiao residence, visiting the county magistrate one day and discussing official business the next, all in order to get a free meal and drink.
Jiao's mother and her children and grandchildren were overjoyed to be reunited. She looked radiant and several years younger.
Whenever they had free time, Qiao Shi and his son would run to the Jiao residence, bringing food and drinks. Qiao Sheng also sent Jiang Huai a lot of toys.
Jiang Huai really liked the little wooden horse that Qiao Sheng gave him. He would sit on it and rock back and forth, which was a lot of fun.
Fu Qiyuan's eyes hurt from looking at it, so he sent Fu Shu back to the county government office. When Fu Shu returned, he brought back a large box.
When Fu Shu opened the box and took out the items one by one, even Jiang Shan was attracted.
All sorts of toys were laid out on the floor, including exquisitely crafted mechanical birds and beasts, complex nine-linked rings and puzzles, as well as an intricately carved wooden sword and two pairs of small, different-sized slippers with wheels.
These toys are not something that ordinary craftsmen could make. Each one is a rare and valuable item in this era. And there is more than one here; it's a whole box!
"Where did you get this...?"
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