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墨書 Inktalez
At the entrance of a slum, looking at the winding path, He Yu stopped and said to the captain of the guards behind him, "You find someone to follow the child inside and make sure to bring him out completely safe."
The child in front heard this and turned back with a puzzled look at the couple, running back to tug at Xiao Yao's clothes. "Aren't you leaving?"
Xiao Yao extended a finger, not minding the dirt, and gently touched the boy's face a few times. She half-squatted down and said softly, "They will follow you to find your brother and take him to my house to see a doctor, okay?"
Disappointment and distrust crossed the boy's face. Seeing this, Xiao Yao continued, "Look, my clothes really aren't suitable for going in there, and my shoes aren't either. If I go in with you and get hurt, then this uncle won't be able to treat your brother. That wouldn't be worth it, right?"
Hearing his daughter-in-law carelessly tarnish his reputation, He Yu was also taken aback. However, seeing the child's slightly fearful gaze towards him, He Yu could only touch his nose and let it go; after all, she was his daughter-in-law.
In the end, under Xiao Yao's persuasion, the child hesitantly nodded and allowed the captain of the guards to take him into the narrow alley.
Xiao Yao and He Yu stood by the roadside waiting.
"Daughter-in-law, are you planning to raise these two children?" He Yu asked.
"I'm not thinking about that right now," Xiao Yao smiled. "The child doesn't trust us yet; let's first find a doctor for his brother. We'll deal with future matters later."
"Actually..." He Yu paused and said, "This child is quite responsive; aside from not being able to speak, he's doing well in other aspects."
"Really? Do you want to take him as what?" Xiao Yao turned to meet He Yu's gaze. "As a shadow guard?"
"That's not good," He Yu shook his head. "Let's see how things go with yours in the future."
"True."
After about a quarter of an hour, the child and the guards came out. One of the guards was holding a child in his arms. Xiao Yao quickly walked up but was surprised to find that this child was unexpectedly clean.
Unlike his muddy-looking brother, no wonder people said these two children didn't resemble each other—one was clean while the other was so dirty that it was hard to tell if they looked alike.
The younger brother's face was flushed; after a few seconds, he let out a labored breath and was already delirious from fever.
"No, if this continues, it might turn into pneumonia!" Xiao Yao thought to herself, feeling anxious. She quickly said to He Yu, "Let's take him back to the Post House and have someone fetch a doctor. If this fever keeps up, something bad is bound to happen!"
"Alright." He Yu immediately instructed someone to call for a doctor and then had the guards take the child back to the Post House.
The older child looked at Xiao Yao's serious and worried expression, his eyes filled with deep concern, but he didn't rush forward. He simply watched everything quietly, remaining silent beside her.
Xiao Yao didn't even care whether the child's hands were clean; she grabbed him and rushed towards the Post House.
The child walked briskly alongside Xiao Yao. Fortunately, the distance to the Post House wasn't far; they returned in less than half an hour. Yun Yue had already placed the child Zi An in the side room of the courtyard, and when Xiao Yao entered with the older child, the doctor was already examining him.
Upon seeing the doctor, hope and joy flickered in the older child's eyes.
The doctor checked his pulse, stood up, and unexpectedly turned around to see Xiao Yao standing behind him. He was taken aback and immediately bowed, saying, "Commoner pays respects..."
"Doctor, please rise quickly," Xiao Yao hurriedly stepped forward to help him up. "Doctor, how is this child?"
"It seems he has caught a cold and developed a fever due to prolonged dietary imbalance, which has weakened his body." The doctor glanced at the child. "I will prescribe a few doses of medicine; once he takes them, the fever should subside. However, his body is weak and will need gradual recovery. If this child doesn't take care of himself afterward, it could lead to lasting health issues."
Upon hearing the doctor's words, Xiao Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She squatted down and gently patted the head of the boy beside her, smiling as she said, "It's alright now; your brother will be fine."
"Really?" The child grasped Xiao Yao's skirt tightly, his eyes sparkling with hope. Xiao Yao nodded affirmatively, "It's alright; he will be better in a couple of days."
The child seemed stunned for a while as he processed what Xiao Yao had said. Eventually, he broke into a smile that lit up his face like sunlight breaking through frozen ground—joyful and bright.
Years later, when Xiao Yao recalled that moment, she felt that smile was truly astonishing. Although the child's face was dirty and his hair greasy, at that moment it felt like he had found a rebirth in his smile that made everything around them fade away.
Having heard that his brother was going to be fine, the older boy relaxed completely and leaned against the edge of the bed, gradually dozing off.
Xiao Yao gently woke him up and smiled as she said, "Go take a good bath, then I'll find you a nice place to rest."
Now the Boys have complete trust in Xiao Yao, obediently nodding their heads. Just as they were about to go out, a voice suddenly exclaimed from behind, "Ah! Master, what happened to your skirt? It's black!"
Several people turned to look at Xiao Yao's skirt. The Boys became awkward and embarrassed; the two black marks on the skirt were clearly handprints from the child. Xiao Yao looked at her own hands, which were also dirty. However, seeing the Boys standing beside her with a nervous expression, she smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's just dust; a wash will take care of it. No need to worry."
Then she told the Boys, "Alright, hurry up and take a bath. Once you're clean, there won't be any of this."
The Boys nodded obediently and followed the others in the courtyard to take a bath. Meanwhile, Xiao Yao was being attended to by Yun Zhu and Yun Yue as she changed and bathed.
After Xiao Yao finished her bath and returned to the main room, He Yu was sitting on the couch reading a book. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw Xiao Yao, smiling as he waved at her. Xiao Yao smiled back and walked over. He Yu took a large towel and gently dried her long hair until it was no longer dripping wet. He then leaned down to sniff her hair and asked, "Did you add rose and jasmine?"
"You have such a keen nose! Like a dog!" Xiao Yao teased, playfully slapping He Yu's chest.
He Yu chuckled lightly, "My dog-like nose exists for my wife."
"…Smooth talker."
"Absolutely."
After exchanging playful banter for a moment, He Yu said, "Those ruffians really do have some backing."
"Huh? Really?" Xiao Yao turned her head to look at He Yu.
"Yes," He Yu nodded. "The leader is a distant relative of the Jinling Prefect who has never done anything good. The Prefect's surname is Yu; can you guess what that implies?"
"…Grand Prince Consort?" Xiao Yao asked tentatively.
"Exactly. This Prefect is part of a side branch of the Grand Prince Consort's Yu family. He got his position as Prefect through connections, and the leader is some distant relative of his—tch." He Yu shook his head.
Xiao Yao sighed in agreement, "This family relationship is quite complicated."
"This is a big family, large but not thriving," He Yu said, stroking his chin with a mischievous look.
"However, the centipede, even when dead, does not stiffen; that's the idea, right?"
"Yes."
"So what do you plan to do?" Xiao Yao asked.
"What to do..." He Yu pondered for a moment and then revealed a sly smile. "Isn't the Eldest Prince currently in the capital overseeing the state? We should find him something to do; otherwise, it's just too dull to be living in peace."
Xiao Yao thought He Yu would scold him for being too mischievous, but instead, she smiled back. "That's true; it would be too lacking in challenge and quite boring!"
The couple exchanged glances and both burst into laughter, collapsing onto the couch.
"Master," Yun Yue called out cheerfully from outside.
"All cleaned up?" Xiao Yao turned around and saw a clean child standing shyly not far away. His skin was somewhat tanned, probably from spending a lot of time outdoors. His hair was dry and loosely tied at the back of his head. He was very thin, but perhaps because he often had to run around, he looked sturdier than his younger brother.
Yun Yue smiled as she pushed the child forward and joked, "Finally cleaned up! It took several buckets of water!"
Upon hearing this, the child's face showed signs of shame and anxiety. He cautiously looked at Xiao Yao and He Yu, afraid they would be angry. However, Xiao Yao smiled and said, "Well done! Now that you're clean, you're quite a handsome lad! Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
The boy glanced at He Yu and, seeing no reaction from him, timidly nodded. Xiao Yao then told Yun Yue, "See what's in the kitchen and bring something over; at least let the child eat something first."
"I've already brought it," Yun Yue replied as she instructed someone to bring the food. "When I took the child to bathe earlier, Sister Yun Zhu told the kitchen to prepare some food. The child was hungry; the doctor advised that he should eat something before taking medicine, or it could hurt his stomach. So everything is ready."
The child's eyes lit up at the sight of food. After receiving permission from Xiao Yao, he rushed to the table and grabbed a pie to munch on. Even when he choked a bit, he kept shoving food into his mouth. Xiao Yao felt her eyes warm with emotion as she gently patted the child's back and softly said, "It's okay; there's more. Don't rush; take your time."
Looking at these two children and then at her own child—though both were brothers—the difference in their fates was so vast.
This is fate, isn't it?
He Yu stood silently beside Xiao Yao, simply wrapping his arms around her waist.
Finally, the child slowed down his eating speed, picked up a few pieces of snacks from the table, and looked at Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao understood the child's intention and smiled, saying, "It's okay, your brother can't eat these right now; he has other food prepared for him."
Hearing this from Xiao Yao, the child felt reassured and carefully placed the food back, even arranging it to look exactly as it had before.
Xiao Yao found it both amusing and heart-wrenching as she stroked the child's hair. "Alright, once you're full, you can go see your brother."
The child nodded vigorously and turned to run outside, quickly disappearing by the door.
Xiao Yao sighed, feeling heavy-hearted. "Let's put this away. Is there any tea? Please brew me a pot of tea."
"Yes," Yun Zhu replied and went to fulfill the request.
"Ah, right! We were supposed to go to the emperor!" After a morning of commotion, Xiao Yao finally remembered that there was still important business to attend to.
He Yu chuckled and patted her head. "By the time you remember, we won't be able to eat at all. I've already sent someone to inform the emperor about this morning's events and requested leave; we'll go tomorrow instead."
"Oh, alright." Xiao Yao finally felt relieved and leaned against He Yu, sweetly saying, "Both the child and I want to thank you for giving us such a good life."
"Nonsense," He Yu said as he tucked a stray hair behind Xiao Yao's ear, frowning in discontent. "What thanks? We're family!"
"Yes, we are family!"
With the doctor's medicine administered, the younger brother's fever subsided by the second day.
When Xiao Yao arrived in the morning, Boys was sitting beside the younger brother, placing a cloth soaked in cool water on his forehead. Xiao Yao stepped forward a few paces to her brother's bedside, reached out to check his temperature, sighed in relief, and said to Boys, "Alright, no need to cool him down anymore. Your brother's fever has broken."
The child heard this and finally relaxed his worried expression. He placed the cloth in the water, cleaned up the wet floor, and then carried the basin outside. Throughout the process, Xiao Yao merely watched from the side without offering help or calling for the servants.
After all, these two children were not born into the upper echelons of society; they did not come into this world with a silver spoon in their mouths. Their future depended on their own efforts, so Xiao Yao did not intend to pamper them like she would her own children.
She could provide them with food and shelter and treat them well.
However, her kindness was similar to how she treated all her servants—she would not scold or beat them indiscriminately. After all, this was simply the fate of these two children.
As the saying goes, it is easy to fall into extravagance from frugality, but difficult to return to frugality from extravagance.
They had to fight for everything in their lives bit by bit so that they would understand what it meant to cherish, what responsibility and ambition were.
For those accustomed to living at the bottom of society, if luxury comes too suddenly, it will only lead to confusion and may ultimately lead them astray.
While lost in thought, she suddenly heard a weak voice beside her, "Who are you?"
Xiao Yao turned around in surprise and saw her younger brother lying on the bed, staring at her with calm and questioning eyes. Xiao Yao smiled and said, "You're awake! This is my home. You were sick, so I brought you here to see a doctor."
"Oh," the child replied, "Can I ask where my brother is?"
"Oh, he is..." Before Xiao Yao could finish her sentence, she heard the sound of a basin falling to the ground. Then a figure quickly darted to the bedside, grabbing her brother's hand tightly with a slight tremble.
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