Ning Zhao smiled weakly at Jiang Yuwei.
"Mom, I'm alright now. Look at me... cough cough..."
Ning Zhao started coughing again before she could finish speaking.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly stepped forward to support Ning Zhao and said worriedly:
"You said you were fine, but look how badly you're coughing. Go back to your room quickly. I'll bring you your food in a bit. It looks like you'll need to take another bath with honeysuckle water tonight to fully recover, so you don't get a fever again tonight."
Ning Zhao looked at Jiang Yuwei gratefully. In the past, when she was sick, she still had to go up the mountain to collect firewood and cut pig feed for the pigs.
Ning Zhao still remembers one time when she got caught in the rain and had a fever. She was picking up firewood in a daze and then fainted in the mountains. She didn't wake up until she was hungry at night. After struggling down the mountain, she was beaten by Chen Guixiang for not bringing back any firewood.
Thinking of this, Ning Zhao smiled at Jiang Yuwei with tears in her eyes:
"Mom, no one has ever been so good to me before. I will definitely take good care of you from now on."
Jiang Yuwei helped Ning Zhao onto the kang (a heated brick bed), covered him with the quilt, and smiled:
“You’re already very filial. It’s only right that your mother takes care of you when you’re sick. Don’t think about anything else. Lie down and rest for a while.”
Ning Zhao nodded gratefully to Jiang Yuwei.
Jiang Yuwei went out and brought in the dinner she had prepared for Ning Zhao. Just as she was about to go to the yard to boil another pot of honeysuckle water, she saw Ning Huaizhi and the others returning in the oxcart.
Jiang Yuwei hurriedly went out to greet them and helped them unload the things from the car. Ning Huaizhi then quickly stuffed the money he had received that day into Jiang Yuwei's hand.
“Yuwei, I noticed that you usually put this silver away when you close the shop, so I brought it back for you today. Weigh it, and you’ve earned a total of five taels of silver today. The second young master also brought a few classmates to become members.”
Jiang Yuwei smiled and accepted the silver.
"I was thinking I'd forgotten to tell you about the money, but I didn't expect you to remember to bring it back for me. Well done, Manager Ning!"
Hearing Jiang Yuwei praise him like that, Ning Huaizhi scratched his head shyly and smiled:
"It's all thanks to Manager Jiang's excellent teaching."
Ning Qiu, who had come up from behind and overheard their conversation, laughed and said:
"Stop flattering each other here, Yuwei. I'm starving! What delicious food did you make tonight?"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"I just cooked these wontons, they haven't even come out of the pot yet. Quick, get me a bowl, let's eat right away!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Qiu quickly washed her hands and then took a stack of bowls from the cupboard, placing them beside the stove. Jiang Yuwei was in charge of serving the wontons, while Ning Qiu and Ning Daya were in charge of carrying the bowls.
The pot of wontons was quickly emptied. Everyone had lost their appetite because of the heat, but with Jiang Yuwei's refreshing and sour wontons, they all had a great appetite and started eating with their heads down.
Jiang Yuwei watched as everyone ate with satisfaction, but her mind was in turmoil. She was considering whether to tell everyone what the village head had said that day. She was afraid that if she spoke first, it would cause everyone to panic, but she was also afraid that if she didn't speak, the bandits would catch everyone off guard when they came to Ningjia Village.
While Jiang Yuwei was hesitating, Ning Huaizhi noticed that she hadn't touched the wontons in her bowl, so he spoke up:
"Yuwei, is something on your mind? Why aren't you eating?"
Jiang Yuwei looked up and met Ning Huaizhi's worried gaze. She quickly lowered her head, picked up the bowl, and shoveled a couple of mouthfuls into her mouth before mumbling:
"No, it's nothing, eat up."
Ning Huaizhi frowned, looked at Jiang Yuwei, and slowly said:
“Yuwei, there are no outsiders here. Just tell me what happened. I saw those crossbows you made as soon as I walked in…”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei put down her chopsticks with a serious expression, looked at everyone present, and said in a deep voice:
"Actually, I didn't want to tell you, but you'll find out sooner or later, so I thought I might as well tell you sooner so that you can all be on guard."
Hearing this, Zhang Tianhe asked in confusion:
"What happened, Sister Yuwei?"
Jiang Yuwei looked at the crossbow she had been making all afternoon in the courtyard and said:
"News came from the village today that the bandits and outlaws of the Guanzhong uprising are heading south. Wherever they go, they've looted everything, and some villages have even been completely wiped out by these scum!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou turned deathly pale. Seeing this, Tie Zhu quickly patted Aunt Zhou's shoulder to comfort her:
"Mother, don't be afraid, your son will protect you."
Aunt Zhang was also quite frightened; her hand trembled, and she dropped all the chopsticks on the ground.
Ning Huaizhi's face darkened further upon hearing this. Having survived the battlefield, he knew all too well the atrocities committed by those people. Now, with his leg injured like this, if something were to happen to him, he would only be a burden. Therefore, Ning Huaizhi spoke:
“Yuwei, we must not take this lightly. If they really come, you take the children and run first. I will stay behind to cover your retreat. Anyway, I am a cripple and should have died on the battlefield long ago. Now that I can sacrifice myself for my wife and children, it will not be in vain for my life.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei felt extremely guilty. Ning Huai had always placed her in the same position as Ning Wan and Ning Zhao. She had been ignorant before and even thought of poisoning him. Now, she was becoming more and more dependent on him. With him around, she could have someone to discuss things with, and she could vent her frustrations and sadness to someone.
Thinking this to herself, Jiang Yuwei spoke up:
“Huaizhi, if we’re going to leave, we’ll leave together; if we’re going to stay, we’ll stay together. Right now, I think we should hold back for the time being. After all, these bandits are unpredictable, and we don’t know where they’re going next. If we rashly abandon our family and property and run away, I’ll be reluctant to do so.”
After saying this, Jiang Yuwei addressed the crowd:
"Our families live relatively close to each other and are also very close to the back mountain. We must be careful and be alert if we hear strange noises at night or if strangers try to inquire about us."
Jiang Yuwei thought for a moment and then continued:
"When you get back today, pack an important bundle, be ready to run away at any time. Put all your money in there, and a few pieces of clothing for your personal use."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Jiang Yuwei pointed to the crossbow bolts on the ground and said:
"Take a few with you when you leave, secure them to your own yard wall, and leave the rope in the yard. That way you can have an emergency in case of any unforeseen circumstances. I'll make more when I have time tomorrow."
Jiang Yuwei looked at Tie Zhu and Ning Wu and said:
"Tomorrow, finish all the remaining paper and spread the word that we are temporarily suspending the purchase of wood ash and paper mulberry bark. We need to make more preparations in the next few days before I can feel at ease."
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