Chapter 3: High Fever
Xiao Huan’s cooking skills were good. Including the roasted snake meat, there were two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and one soup in total.
She also specially made minced meat porridge for Yuan Yuan and steamed smooth and tender steamed egg custard. Little Friend Yuan Yuan was very satisfied and ate until her little belly was perfectly round.
While Xiao Huan was clearing the bowls and chopsticks, Shang Wan and Shi Tou worked together to clean out all the mice in the room and the cellar.
Shi Tou felt that Shang Wan’s hearing was so sharp it was terrifying. No matter where the mice hid, as long as they made the slightest movement, Shang Wan could immediately pinpoint and drag them out accurately.
In less than a quarter of an hour, all the mice and their offspring were consigned to the sack.
At Shang Wan’s request, Shi Tou woodenly carried a sack of dead mice to exchange with the villagers for things. Unexpectedly, he really traded for two sets of bedding, perfect for sleeping that night.
Shang Wan and Xiao Huan took Yuan Yuan to sleep in the main room, while Shi Tou slept alone in the west wing room and was also in charge of keeping watch at night.
Light leaked through the roof, wind seeped through the walls, and the bedding had a faint musty smell. The resting environment was hardly comfortable.
But since there were no zombies in this world, Shang Wan slept very soundly. So much so that when she was pushed awake in the middle of the night, she almost twisted the intruder’s neck.
Fortunately, she was only dazed for less than a second. Upon seeing Xiao Huan’s face, she instinctively let go.
Xiao Huan clutched her neck and coughed twice. Ignoring her fear and surprise, she said eagerly, “Young Madam, Miss has a high fever!”
Yuan Yuan’s little chubby face was flushed red, but her lips were pale. Touching her forehead and body, it was scalding hot.
“It must be that Miss isn’t adapting to the sudden change of place, and she was exposed to wind at night, which caused the high fever.” Xiao Huan’s eyes welled up with tears from heartache. Helplessly, she said, “Young Madam, what should we do now?”
Shang Wan signaled her not to panic. “You go fetch a small bucket of well water first.”
“Okay.” Xiao Huan ran out in response.
Taking advantage of this time, Shang Wan pried open Yuan Yuan’s little mouth and dripped a drop of spiritual spring water into it.
“Young Madam, the water is here!” Xiao Huan placed the bucket on the table.
Shang Wan walked over and, while wringing out the towel, covertly dripped a drop of spiritual spring water into the bucket.
“What happened?” Shi Tou was woken by the noise of Xiao Huan fetching water. Seeing the light on in the main room, he hurriedly put on his clothes and came over.
Because Shang Wan was inside, he didn’t rashly barge in and just stood by the window to ask.
“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.” Shang Wan replied outward. Her hand took turns testing the temperature on Yuan Yuan’s palm, sole, back, armpit, and forehead, keenly sensing the burning temperature slowly dropping.
Good, it’s working.
Shang Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Shi Tou still standing at the window without leaving, she had him go to the kitchen to boil a pot of water for giving Yuan Yuan a bath later.
Shi Tou went without a word.
By the time everything was settled, the sky was almost bright.
Dark circles hung under Shang Wan’s eyes, and she was so sleepy she kept yawning. She thought to herself that raising a child was really not easy.
Xiao Huan considerately said, “Young Madam, this servant will go to the kitchen to make breakfast. You stay with Miss and sleep a bit longer.”
Shang Wan didn’t stand on ceremony. She lay down, pulled the little meatball into her arms, closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became even.
Yuan Yuan smacked her little lips in her arms, her small hand unconsciously grabbing tightly onto Shang Wan’s collar.
Xiao Huan tucked the two of them in with the bedding, then quietly left the room. Meeting Shi Tou’s gaze, she raised her hand and pointed outside the courtyard.
The two walked outside the courtyard, and Shi Tou asked in a lowered voice, “How is Miss?”
“The high fever has gone down. As long as it doesn’t come back, she should be fine.”
“That’s good.” The Young Master was still in prison; Miss couldn’t have an accident.
Shi Tou frowned and said, “Don’t you think Young Madam has been like a different person since she woke up after hitting her head? Her temperament has changed too. She hasn’t cried once since waking up.”
Xiao Huan nodded in agreement.
Not to mention proactively helping her with chores, just last night, the previous Young Madam would never have stayed by Miss’s side the whole time, let alone personally change the towel for her.
Before being driven out by the Lu Family, Young Madam only worried about catching Miss’s illness. Not to mention personally caring for her, she wouldn’t even come over to look.
“You saw Young Madam killing the snake last night too, right?” Shi Tou gestured with his hand to Xiao Huan. “Such a big snake—I secretly tested it with a dagger while skinning it last night. I couldn’t do it from that distance, but Young Madam killed it with just a wooden stick as thick as her little finger. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.”
Xiao Huan also recalled that scene from last night. She had seen with her own eyes Shang Wan throw the wooden stick; she hadn’t even looked out the window when she threw it.
Shi Tou rubbed his chin, puzzled. “How could Young Madam, a delicate lady from a boudoir who can’t carry anything on her shoulders or lift anything with her hands, have such good kung fu? There was no sign of it before.”
When they were at the Lu Family, every time she was bullied by people from the eldest and second branches, Young Madam was like a doormat who could only cry aggrievedly without knowing how to resist. If not for the Young Master protecting her, Young Madam would probably have been worn down to death by Madam and those two branches long ago.
“You know Young Madam is someone with deep thoughts; it’s possible she was hiding her skills.” Xiao Huan sighed. “We had the Lu Family’s protection before, but now we’ve been driven out by the Lu Family, the Young Master is in prison, and Miss is counting on Young Madam. If Young Madam doesn’t step up, we really won’t be able to get by.”
Shi Tou felt a lump in his chest. “You watch over Young Madam and Miss well. I’ll go to the city to inquire and see how the Young Master’s case is going. I’ll also look for places hiring laborers to earn some silver and bring it back.”
Although they traded a silver hairpin with the villagers for grain yesterday, that little bit, even if rationed carefully, would last at most two days. They couldn’t just sit and eat up their reserves.
Xiao Huan said, “Go after having breakfast. Only with a full stomach will you have the energy.”
“Okay.” Shi Tou nodded and leaned close to Xiao Huan, lowering his voice to exhort, “After I leave, you must stick to Young Madam without leaving her side.”
He emphasized the words “without leaving her side” heavily. Xiao Huan was first stunned, then realized what he meant, her expression suddenly becoming a bit complicated.
Their own Young Madam had always disliked the Young Master’s frailty and worried he would die young, so she had long harbored intentions of cheating. Shi Tou was worried Young Madam would abandon Miss and run off by herself.
Lying on the kang in the main room, Shang Wan easily overheard the entire conversation between the two in their lowered voices.
In the apocalypse, human genes evolved, significantly enhancing all aspects. Shang Wan was even an ability user. Although not a combat-type ability, her skills were far beyond ordinary people.
In terms of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Shang Wan’s current strength was equivalent to a martial arts grandmaster with profound internal energy.
Yesterday, she had deliberately not hidden her skills, just to see how Xiao Huan and Shi Tou would react.
Now, their reactions hadn’t exceeded her expectations. She hooked up the corner of her lips, gently poked the peacefully sleeping little meatball in her arms, closed her eyes, and truly fell asleep.
Whether for survival or saving people, she had to rest and recuperate her spirit first.
