3. Chapter 3 Heavy Rain
Xiaoxiao was tired after a day of work and fell asleep quickly. She drank a lot of water and woke up once in the middle of the night. When she was lying in bed in a daze, she thought of Pei Xiuhan who had a broken leg and suddenly woke up.
What should I do when he has difficulty moving and needs to go to the bathroom?
Xiaoxiao was a little annoyed for a moment, as she had just remembered this. She quickly got out of bed and found a small bucket. She originally wanted to wait until dawn to give it to him, but unexpectedly there was still a candle burning in his room. Xiaoxiao simply knocked on the door.
Pei Xiuhan hadn't rested yet. When he heard the knock on the door, his narrow eyebrows raised slightly, "Come in."
Xiaoxiao walked in carrying a small bucket. The man was leaning against the head of the bed, playing with his small porcelain bottle. He had a calm expression. Under the candlelight, his handsome face was flawless, as if looking at him any longer would be an offense to him.
Thinking of the purpose of this trip, Xiaoxiao's cheeks felt a little hot. She said nothing, put down the bucket and wanted to escape.
When Pei Xiuhan saw the bucket, he vaguely guessed something. He was a little embarrassed at first, but when he saw that the little girl was even more embarrassed than him, he felt more at ease. He called out to Xiaoxiao, "Little girl, do you have any planks and wheels at home?"
They were not related in any way, and even if she was kind-hearted and didn't mind these things, Pei Xiu Han couldn't feel at ease letting her serve him.
He plans to make a wheelchair himself.
Of course there were no extra planks. Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and pushed the cart in. "Is this okay?"
When Pei Xiuhan saw the cart, he supported himself and tried to get out of bed. Xiaoxiao quickly supported his arm to prevent him from falling. Pei Xiuhan didn't like others getting close to him, so his body stiffened for a moment. When he met the little girl's clear eyes, his frown relaxed and he said, "I can do it myself."
Xiaoxiao didn't let go and helped him sit on the stool.
It was already very late at night, and seeing that he wanted to reform now, Xiaoxiao simply helped him with chores.
His fingers were long and white, like the finest white jade, so beautiful that Xiaoxiao couldn't take her eyes off them for some reason. She just thought that these hands were very beautiful, unlike her palms which were full of calluses.
If Xiaoxiao knew how to do the modification, she would have wanted to help him do it directly. She always felt that his hands were not suitable for doing rough work. However, he worked very skillfully and quickly took down the pieces of wood.
After Xiaoxiao figured out how to dismantle it, she also helped. Pei Xiuhan chased her away once, but the little girl didn't listen. She looked well-behaved, but sometimes she was very stubborn.
Pei Xiuhan ignored her.
When Xiaoxiao was using a hammer to remove the last piece of wood, she was accidentally pricked by a nail on the board and hissed in pain.
Pei Xiu Han frowned and glanced at her fingers, only then did he realize that the little girl's white and tender palms were covered with thin calluses. It was obvious that she was used to doing farm work. A bead of blood appeared on her fingertips due to being pricked.
He spoke again to drive them away, "Go back to sleep."
Xiaoxiao wanted to say it was okay, but when she met the man's unyielding gaze, she subconsciously swallowed the words back.
She obediently returned to her room and tossed and turned but couldn't fall asleep. Xiaoxiao always felt that he was working in the middle of the night because he wanted to go to the bathroom, and she didn't know if he could succeed.
She quietly got out of bed, tiptoed to the window, grabbed the window frame with her slender white hands, and peeked inside to see if he was done.
The man had good hearing and heard the sound as early as when she got out of bed. Seeing the little girl lying in front of the window and peeking around, Pei Xiu Han raised his eyebrows.
He had just pinched her and thought she would be afraid of him, but unexpectedly, she came closer without fear of death. Thinking she was curious about how the wheelchair was made, Pei Xiuhan ignored her.
He was very nimble and quick, and in no time, he had made the wheelchair. With a push of his arms, he sat down steadily on it.
Xiaoxiao's eyes sparkled, and it wasn't until the man looked in her direction that she realized she had been caught. Then his cool and pleasant voice rang out from the room, "Haven't you seen enough yet?"
Xiaoxiao felt a little guilty, and ran away with a grunt. It was too dark at night, and she ran too fast, so she tripped and fell to the ground, gasping in pain.
Pei Xiuhan pushed the wheelchair out of the house.
Xiaoxiao hurriedly got up, feeling very embarrassed. Her little face turned red. Her forehead hurt and she hissed softly. Her cheeks also felt a little itchy. She reached out and scratched it, and her fingertips felt sticky.
It was actually blood.
She sat on the ground in a daze. Seeing the man pushing the wheelchair towards her, Xiaoxiao hurriedly got up.
It was dim outside. When Pei Xiuhan got closer, he realized that the little girl had hit her head. She sat on the ground in a daze, looking inexplicably pitiful.
Pei Xiuhan was not one to meddle in other people's business. Seeing that she was so young and there was not even an adult at home, he patiently said, "Come in."
Then he pushed the wheelchair back inside.
Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then followed him obediently. The towel was in his room and she needed to wipe her face.
She pressed her injured forehead with one hand and wrung out the handkerchief in the basin with the other. After wringing out the handkerchief, she wiped it casually. The cloth was too big and accidentally touched the wound, causing her little face to wrinkle in pain.
Pei Xiuhan called the person over and said, "Come here."
Xiaoxiao stole a glance at him, hesitating and not moving. She felt embarrassed, her cheeks burning intensely, her small ears tinged with a faint pink. ( ° °) Gently ( ° °) kiss ( ° °) the most ( ° °) handsome ( ° °) tallest ( ° °) ( ° °) ( ° °) brother ( ° °) ( ° °) tidy up ( ° °)
It was the first time he showed kindness, but the little girl was not obedient at all. Pei Xiuhan frowned unhappily. He didn't have the patience to waste time with her, so he pushed his wheelchair, walked up to her, and reached out to take the towel from her hand.
Because it had just rained, there was still some mud on the ground, and the little girl's fair and tender face was also covered with mud.
Pei Xiu Han avoided the wound and wiped her face roughly. The wound was still bleeding. He motioned Xiaoxiao to put her hand on it and wiped the blood off her face. Then he took out the small porcelain bottle in his arms and applied some medicine to her.
The two were very close, so close that Xiaoxiao could even feel his warm breath. She was inexplicably nervous, standing there stiffly with a dazed look in her eyes.
She remembered that her grandmother had applied medicine to her in this way. She didn't know why, but her heart felt so sour, her eyes were red, and a layer of mist appeared in her bright eyes.
Thinking she was in pain, Pei Xiu Han sneered and felt that this little girl was really delicate, so he subconsciously reduced his strength.
Xiaoxiao held back her tears only after he finished applying the medicine. She felt ashamed, so she said thank you sullenly and ran back to the house quickly.
After going to bed, she hugged her grandmother's clothes in her arms. She felt so embarrassed that she even tripped over herself. He must think she was very stupid, right?
Xiaoxiao sighed and fell asleep after a while.
She was used to getting up early, so even if she didn't sleep well, Xiaoxiao still woke up early the next day. While she was still not too hungry, she went to the carpenter's house, exchanged a bag of mushrooms for some new wooden boards, and picked some Polygonum multiflorum and Dipsacus asper at the foot of the mountain.
Xiaoxiao often went to pick herbs with her brother and knew these two kinds of herbs. The former could strengthen bones and muscles and improve essence and blood, while the latter could promote blood circulation and relieve pain. Xiaoxiao had no money to buy medicine, so she picked some more and after drying them, she gave them to him.
Xiaoxiao handed the wooden board to him before going to cook.
When she brought the food over, she found that the man was having his bones set. One of his legs had been fixed with a wooden board. He didn't make a sound from beginning to end. Only the sweat on his forehead and the bulging blue veins on the back of his hand showed that he was indeed having his bones set.
Xiaoxiao subconsciously held her breath until the splint was about to be fixed, then she hurried over and said, "Let me do it."
“No need.”
He fixed the splint in a few strokes. When he looked up, he glanced at the little girl's forehead. The wound was not too big. The bleeding had stopped long ago because of the medicine applied. It just looked a little purple.
He had suffered many injuries before, and this one was nothing in his eyes. Thinking of the little girl crying in pain last night, he threw the porcelain bottle to her and said, "Wipe it again."
Xiaoxiao hurriedly caught the bottle and put it on the bedside. Last night, after she applied the ointment, her forehead no longer hurt. This ointment must be very precious. "Your injury is more serious. Use it yourself. I'm fine now."
Pei Xiuhan was too lazy to care anymore.
While eating together, Pei Xiu Han discovered again that there was only clear soup in the little girl's bowl, and the only rice was in his bowl. He was also given two steamed buns, but she only ate less than half of one.
Pei Xiuhan raised his eyebrows slightly. He didn't like to meddle in other people's business, so he didn't ask. He thought the little girl just ate little. Unexpectedly, in the evening, she simply refused to eat and only served him a bowl of vegetables and two steamed buns. The same thing happened the next day.
Children are picky eaters and often don't eat well. His nephew is one of them. Pei Xiuhan glanced at the little girl's thin appearance and expressed some disapproval.
In the evening, when Xiaoxiao put down the meal and was about to leave, Pei Xiuhan asked lazily, "Where's yours?"
Xiaoxiao was a little nervous under his stare, and stammered, "I, I ate in the kitchen. You can eat quickly and don't worry about me."
She said she had eaten, but her stomach started to growl as she smelled the delicious food.
Xiaoxiao's face flushed red, and for a moment she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into the ground. "I, I ate too much and my stomach feels uncomfortable, so that's why my stomach is growling."
After she finished explaining, she wanted to escape, but was pinned to the spot by the man's gaze. For a moment, she was so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands.
She was the only one in the house, without an adult. Thinking of what she had said before about not having money, Pei Xiu Han tightened his grip on the chopsticks, and then he realized that his existence was a burden to her.
Pei Xiuhan frowned unhappily, "Sit down and eat together."
He was used to being in a high position, so any words he said sounded like an order. Xiaoxiao inexplicably did not dare to disobey him and sat down beside him obediently.
Pei Xiuhan gave her a steamed bun.
Xiaoxiao buried her head in the food, her little face almost buried in the bowl. She felt ashamed and embarrassed, and was also full of worries about the future. If they continued to eat like this, they would have no staple food in three days at most.
Xiaoxiao had a hard time eating and it took her half a day to finish a small half of it. She wanted to save the rest for tomorrow. She couldn't help but secretly glance at the man.
Pei Xiuhan ate slowly, his simple movements revealing a sense of nobility. When he caught a glimpse of her expression, he looked up and glanced at her, then ordered, "Finish eating."
There was a hint of resentment in Xiaoxiao's eyes, but she dared not say anything. She finished the steamed bun in her hand with a wronged look. After she finished eating, Pei Xiuhan threw the jade ring on his thumb to her.
"Pawn it."
Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved her hands, "No, there's still some food at home, don't worry, I'll find a way."
"I told you to put it away, so I put it away. Why are you nagging?"
When he looked cold, Xiaoxiao felt a little scared and couldn't help but shut up.
Pei Xiuhan then said calmly: "After you finish pawning, buy some paper, ink, brush and inkstone, and buy me some clothes, and use the remaining money to buy some meat."
Even if she had money, Pei Xiu Han would ask her to pawn her ring. There were special patterns on the back of the ring that only the secret guards could recognize. Once the ring was put on the market, the secret guards would be able to find him in no time. He was unable to move around easily and could only rely on the ring to pass on messages.
Xiaoxiao glanced at his expression and agreed obediently.
Grandma Li went to the town to sell vegetables every day. Xiaoxiao went with her. She went to the pawnshop as the man said. Holding ten taels of silver, when she came out of the pawnshop, Xiaoxiao's heart was beating very fast and she felt a little dizzy.
She had never touched so much silver before. When she came out, everyone looked like a thief, and she was afraid that someone would suddenly appear and steal her silver.
She was very cautious. After leaving the pawnshop, she also found a street stall and sold the vegetables in the bamboo basket. After selling half of them, she closed the stall. After buying the things, she hid the things at the bottom of the bamboo basket and put the remaining half of the vegetables on top.
She was trembling with fear the entire day, and only when she was safely home did she take out the things one by one as if they were treasures, her eyes sparkling, "Your ring is so valuable! It actually pawned it for ten taels of silver!"
How could she know that this ring could not be bought for even a hundred taels? The shopkeeper only gave her ten taels because he saw that she was young and knew nothing.
Pei Xiuhan was afraid that she would be targeted by bad guys if she took on too many responsibilities, so he didn't explain anything. Seeing that ten taels of silver made her so excited, a strange look flashed in Pei Xiuhan's eyes.
On weekdays, she is always well-behaved and doesn't talk much. She is always eager to do work like a little adult. It was not until today that she finally showed some of the behavior of a child.
After taking out the things one by one, she handed the remaining silver to Pei Xiu Han, with more than six taels left.
Pei Xiuhan pushed it back again, "You keep it as food money."
Xiaoxiao didn't dare to accept it, shaking her head like a rattle, "I definitely won't be able to sleep with so much money, you keep it."
Promising.
Pei Xiuhan glanced at her sideways and didn't force her.
Xiaoxiao braised the meat in the evening. She hadn't eaten meat for a long time. When she was cooking, her mouth was watering, but she managed to hold it back and didn't secretly taste a piece.
After she finished cooking, she served the braised pork to him, but she refused to eat it. Only when the man looked at her coldly and sternly told her to sit down did she obey him.
She hadn't eaten braised pork for a long time, and she felt that this bowl of braised pork was the pinnacle of her cooking skills. She was so satisfied after eating it that her cheeks bulged.
Pei Xiuhan also ate a little more, which was a rare occasion, and the two of them finished the whole bowl of meat.
Fearing that she would be targeted by someone with ulterior motives, Pei Xiuhan stopped letting her buy meat and only asked her to use some copper coins to exchange for some flour.
For Xiaoxiao, there was not much change in the family with one more person. He spoke very little and was as cold as the ice on the top of the mountain. He was even more taciturn than herself. Xiaoxiao did not dare to disturb him. When she had nothing to do, she would go to the mountains to find food. She had adopted him for seven or eight days, but Xiaoxiao didn't even know his name.
She did tell him her name, but Xiaoxiao had never heard him call it.
On the ninth day after picking him up, it started raining again. Xiaoxiao did not go out. After breakfast, she returned to her brother's thatched hut.
It has been more than a year since my brother left, and this thatched house has not been repaired for a long time. It started leaking last year, and now it is getting worse. There are several leaking places. The rain is getting heavier, and the basins and buckets are full of water. The ground is also wet. Xiaoxiao is pouring water out in basins.
Pei Xiuhan was originally writing a letter in front of the window. He happened to see Xiaoxiao holding a basin and pouring water out, and his hand stopped writing for a moment.
The rain was heavy and didn't stop until evening.
After the rain stopped, Pei Xiuhan pushed his wheelchair to take a look next door, only to find that the room was muddy. This room was even smaller than his residence. Apart from a bed, there was only a wooden box and not even a table.
Pei Xiuhan couldn't imagine how she lived before.
Xiaoxiao was wiping the wooden board. The bed was all wet. She was trying to wipe it dry when she heard the sound of a wheelchair turning. She turned her head and saw him. A hint of surprise flashed in her clear eyes.
Pei Xiuhan's eyes moved slightly. He felt that the little girl was so miserable that he couldn't bear to look at her. After a while, he said, "Don't wipe it. Go sleep next door tonight."
Xiaoxiao blinked and hesitated for a moment, thinking that the wooden bed was indeed difficult to wipe dry, and the mattress at home was not thick. Once it got wet, it would be better to sleep on the floor. She nodded obediently.
When it was time to go to bed at night, Xiaoxiao first spread a layer of wheat straw on the ground before putting on the mattress. Seeing her movements, Pei Xiuhan directly ordered: "Go to bed."
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