Xiao Bao’s eyes sparkled, tear drops still clinging to his face before he broke into a shy smile.
But soon, his expression turned anxious again. As if they shared a silent understanding, Jiang Yunshu held his hand.
“You want to say thank you to me, don’t you?”
The child’s gaze was pure and clear, free of any impurities—his gratitude written plainly across his face.
Da Bao and Er Bao stepped forward to protect their younger brother, politely and obediently saying, “Thank you, big sister.”
The three little ones were soft and sweet, and Jiang Yunshu’s heart softened for a moment.
Not all children are little troublemakers after all.
“No need to thank me. Just make sure to protect yourselves in the future. The sun is about to set—where do you live? I’ll take you home first.”
Seeing that it was getting late, she couldn’t quite feel at ease letting the three children go back on their own.
After speaking, she wrapped Xiao Bao’s coat tighter around him.
Only when she lowered her head did she realize she was completely soaked—her clothes clinging tightly to her skin.
If the children’s parents saw this, it would be rather inappropriate.
“Ah-choo—!”
Just as Jiang Yunshu was hesitating whether to go change into dry clothes nearby, a gust of cold wind blew past. Xiao Bao tilted his head and sneezed.
The little one immediately wrapped his arms around himself.
“Why is your face so red, Xiao Bao?”
Er Bao reached out to touch his forehead with concern. Her chubby little hand couldn’t really tell the difference—she had just seen adults do it before.
“Pretty auntie, my little brother’s forehead feels kind of hot… is he sick?”
Er Bao’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
Since birth, Xiao Bao had always been the weakest of the three.
They had promised their father they would take good care of their younger brother.
Jiang Yunshu pulled Xiao Bao into her arms and pressed her forehead against his.
Just seeing his flushed cheeks, she had already guessed what was wrong.
The abnormal heat from his forehead confirmed it. Without hesitation, she scooped him up.
“Your brother has a fever. We need to go to the clinic right now. Once he’s stable, I’ll take you home.”
Children had weaker immunity to begin with—the most urgent thing now was to bring his fever down.
Er Bao pursed her lips, on the verge of crying.
Da Bao tightly held her hand, comforting her.
“Don’t be afraid, little sister. Nothing will happen to him.”
Jiang Yunshu didn’t have time to say much more and hurried toward the clinic with Xiao Bao in her arms.
The two smaller children struggled to keep up on their short legs.
But neither of them complained—their faces filled with worry.
“Xiao Bao probably just caught a chill and has a fever. Don’t worry too much. At worst, he’ll need an injection, and he’ll recover quickly.”
Seeing how such young children already looked so burdened with worry, Jiang Yunshu patiently reassured them.
Da Bao and Er Bao exchanged a glance. Of course they were worried about Xiao Bao—but they were even more worried about money.
Xiao Bao had always been frail. Last winter, he had a high fever, and no matter how hard the siblings tried to care for him, it didn’t help.
Left with no choice, they had taken him to the clinic.
But they had no money—and were harshly scolded by the staff there. If they hadn’t run away quickly, they might have even been beaten.
“Big brother, the uncles and aunties at the clinic are really fierce. We don’t have any money… will they drive us out? If only Dad were here, Xiao Bao wouldn’t have to go without treatment.”
The memory of last time was still vivid. Even on normal days, Er Bao would go out of her way to avoid passing by the clinic.
Originally, the three children had lived carefree lives. Their father had earned many military merits.
Even living in the countryside with their grandmother, their livelihood had always been secure.
But now, their father was missing, and their grandmother had gone to live with their uncle’s family.
Although their aunt appeared gentle, she constantly assigned them chores—and would beat or scold them at the slightest provocation.
Da Bao clenched the corner of his clothes, clearly nervous.
But seeing Er Bao so worried, his gaze turned firm.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll figure something out. I’ll make sure Xiao Bao gets better.”
Er Bao lowered her head, her voice soft and tinged with sadness.
“Big brother… Grandma Liu always says Dad has sacrificed himself. Does that mean we’ll never see him again? What does ‘sacrifice’ mean?”
She missed their father deeply.
She could only count to twenty.
And since they parted from him, countless “twenties” had already passed.
Xiao Bao didn’t understand what “sacrifice” meant either.
But he believed their father would come back.
“It probably means he went somewhere very far away. But we’ll see him again. When Dad left, he told us to wait for him. He never lies to us.”
Behind her, the two children slowed down noticeably. Jiang Yunshu turned back.
“Are you tired? Hang in there a bit longer—we’re almost at the clinic.”
She wished she had three heads and six arms—taking care of one meant neglecting another.
Da Bao had already spotted the clinic sign. He clenched one small fist.
“At worst, I’ll make a big scene later. You run far away so they don’t hurt you. Even if I get spanked, it’s fine. As long as things get serious enough, Auntie will give us money for Xiao Bao’s treatment.”
He knew—there was money in the house.
Every meal, their cousin had meat and eggs in his bowl.
Er Bao and Xiao Bao could only stare longingly. If their aunt caught them looking, she’d scold them for being greedy.
All the good food in the house was hidden away by their aunt.
Fortunately, she still cared about her reputation in the village. As long as Xiao Bao could be saved, even getting beaten would be worth it.
Er Bao sniffled, still afraid.
“When will Dad come back? If he comes back, big brother won’t get beaten… and Xiao Bao can see a doctor.”
She no longer longed for the chicken drumsticks or eggs in their cousin’s bowl.
As long as her father and brother could be safe, she was willing to do all the chores in their aunt’s house.
Da Bao looked at Jiang Yunshu’s back as she hurried ahead with Xiao Bao in her arms.
While comforting Er Bao, he said firmly, “Dad will come back. Very soon.”
Everyone said he wouldn’t.
But he didn’t believe it.
The Dream Grandma had told him their family would soon be reunited.
Their mother was in his dreams too.
Although he couldn’t see her face clearly, she was gentle and beautiful—very much like the pretty auntie.
The two children murmured to each other along the way.
Jiang Yunshu, anxious, didn’t hear what they were saying.
“Doctor! This child has a fever—does he need an injection?”
The moment Jiang Yunshu stepped into the clinic, she called out.
“Jiang Yunshu? Why are you back so soon? Are you feeling unwell?”
There weren’t many doctors in the clinic, and the room was empty.
Doctor Wang, who had just taken Jiang Yunshu’s blood sample earlier, walked in from outside and saw her anxiously looking around.
“Doctor Wang, perfect timing. It’s not me—this child fell into a pond and was exposed to cold wind. He may have caught a chill. His forehead feels very hot.”
Doctor Wang looked at Xiao Bao in Jiang Yunshu’s arms.
Da Bao and Er Bao, barely taller than the desk, stood there like two little dumplings, gazing up at her with worry—and a hint of apology in their eyes.