Chapter 12: Wanting to Cry!

It was all because he went to buy medicine for her...

Yang Ruoqing silently lowered her head, her mood feeling somewhat heavy. The hand hanging by her side was suddenly gently grasped by a rough, large hand.

She looked back and saw it was Sun-shi.

“Why are your hands so cold? You aren’t running a fever again, are you?” Sun-shi immediately grew anxious, raising her hand to touch Yang Ruoqing’s forehead, only to have her hand caught by Yang Ruoqing in return.

“I checked myself; I’m not burning up. It’s probably just because it’s night now, and it’s a bit cold,” Yang Ruoqing said.

She truly loathed the original owner of this body. She had eaten so much for no reason, stretching her stomach out, and because her digestion was so fast, she had been tossing and turning all day. Now that it was time for dinner, there was nothing in her stomach, and she had no energy, so naturally, her hands and feet were ice-cold.

“Come, sit here by Mother, let Mother warm you up.” Sun-shi pulled Yang Ruoqing’s hand without room for argument, shifting her own body to the other end of the long bench to make space. She pulled Yang Ruoqing to sit beside her, tucked her daughter’s slightly chilled hands into the hem of her own top, and pressed them against her thin but warm belly, holding them tightly.

Sun-shi’s other hand gently hugged Yang Ruoqing’s back, and a sigh sounded softly in her ear: “I never dreamed your father would run into such a thing. My heart has been in a panic all day, and I haven’t been able to look after you. My poor Qing’er, you’re still sick, and now you’re cold and hungry, my poor daughter…”

Before she could say much more, Sun-shi choked up, unable to continue.

Yang Ruoqing lowered her head, feeling that sliver of warmth slowly transferring from Sun-shi’s body into her own hands, bit by bit dispelling the chill in her palms.

What Yang Ruoqing never expected was that, even in such a situation, Sun-shi could still be thinking of her, worrying that she hadn’t eaten or taken her medicine. Sun-shi herself was completely distraught, feeling as if the sky were collapsing, yet she could still use her own body heat to warm her daughter’s hands…

In her past life, she was an orphan, free to come and go as she pleased in this vast world. She wouldn’t be moved by anyone, nor would she be missed by anyone.

Whether she lived or died, was sad or happy, she faced it alone and carried it alone!

On such an autumn night, in this poor farming courtyard, inside a dim room flickering with the light of a bean-oil lamp, being cared for by her mother like this, her nose suddenly stung. Having lived nearly half a life without tears, she suddenly had an urge to weep.

Yang Ruoqing turned her head away, forcing back the moisture in her eyes with effort. When she turned back, under the lamplight, those eyes—now embedded in this new body—were many times clearer than usual. There was no panic, only composure.

“Mother, don’t worry about me. Qing’er is already twelve; I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. You just stay by Father’s side and take good care of him.”

Hearing these words from Yang Ruoqing, Sun-shi nodded with relief. Her eyes drifted to Yang Huazhong lying on the bed, and her tears fell once more.

“Uncle Fu said your father’s leg might never get better. If he really can’t get out of bed for the rest of his life, what are we supposed to do?” Sun-shi began to cry helplessly again. Afraid of disturbing Yang Huazhong, she covered her mouth tightly with her hand, her thin shoulders trembling slightly.

Yang Ruoqing knew that the ‘we’ Sun-shi referred to included not only the mother and daughter but also her two younger brothers, who had been taken away by their grandfather in an ox cart a few days ago for a visit.

Her older brother, Yang Da’an, was eight, and her younger brother, Yang Xiao’an, had just turned three. If Yang Huazhong’s leg were truly crippled, it would be the end of the world for this family. The burden of feeding five mouths would fall entirely on Sun-shi’s shoulders. In this ancient agrarian society, men were the primary labor force, and women were merely auxiliary. Besides, Sun-shi was so frail—could she carry such a load?

“Mother, don’t worry too much. Uncle Fu also said that Father’s leg isn’t completely hopeless. As long as we work together, we will definitely find a way!” Yang Ruoqing pulled her now-warmed hands out from Sun-shi’s clothes, held her mother’s hands tightly, and comforted her softly.

Sun-shi nodded without a word. She knew her daughter was just comforting her, not wanting her to be too sad. She sighed inwardly—even if they worked together, what could they do? Without the silver to send Qing’er’s father to a big city to find a famous doctor and get good medicine, his leg would never heal!

However, Sun-shi would never say these things in front of her daughter. Her daughter had just recovered from a major illness and hadn’t even had a single day of being pampered by her parents before having to worry about this. Sun-shi couldn’t bear it!

Yang Ruoqing saw through Sun-shi’s thoughts completely.

She didn’t say anything more. In the face of adversity, words were often the most pale and powerless things. Action was the foundation of turning everything around.

Her gaze fell back onto Yang Huazhong on the bed. The room was dim, and her own body and spirit were not in the best shape. When Uncle Fu came to change her father’s dressing in a couple of days, she would find an opportunity to take a good look at the injury on his leg.

She had great confidence in her own traditional Chinese medicine skills, especially in bone-setting. No matter what, she would find a way to heal her father’s leg and help him stand up again. This family could not do without him!

Neither mother nor daughter spoke again. Both pairs of eyes remained fixed on Yang Huazhong on the bed, each lost in their own thoughts.

After a while, the door to the side room was pushed open a crack, and a tall figure slipped inside.

Yang Ruoqing turned her head to look; the person who had arrived was her fifth uncle, Yang Huazhou.

Seeing his niece, who was usually erratic and foolish, now sitting so obediently beside her mother, a flash of surprise appeared in his large eyes. If it were any other time, he might have teased her a bit, but at this moment, he truly didn’t have the heart for it.

“Fifth Brother, why have you come over so late at night?” Sun-shi recognized him and stood up from the long bench.

“Third Sister-in-law, how is Third Brother doing? Has he woken up? Did he drink his medicine?” Yang Huazhou walked to the bedside, looked at Yang Huazhong for a moment, and asked.

Sun-shi also stood by the bed, her gaze following his to Yang Huazhong, and sighed: “He woke up half an hour ago. I fed him half a bowl of medicine. He didn’t say a word to me; he kept his eyes closed while drinking it, and lay back down as soon as he finished.”

“It’s good that he drank the medicine.” Yang Huazhou nodded, turned to look at Sun-shi, and said in a muffled voice: “Third Sister-in-law, don’t push yourself too hard. With Third Brother like this, you cannot fall ill at such a critical time. Qing’er, Da’an, and Xiao’an are all counting on you.”

Sun-shi nodded, her voice hoarse: “Fifth Brother, today we owe it to you for coming back to bring us the news, otherwise we wouldn’t even know that Third Brother had an accident…”

“Third Sister-in-law, don’t say such distant things. We are family!” Yang Huazhou said.