Madam Zhang smiled as she helped wipe away the drool and coaxed her gently. “Sweetie, go to sleep after you’ve eaten. Mama will stay with you.”
Xiaorenshen had not wanted to sleep. It had taken her so much effort to leave Madam Zhang’s belly that she ought to take a good look at what this family was really like.
But she truly could not resist the instincts of her body.
Under Madam Zhang’s gentle patting, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Every time she closed her eyes, it became difficult to open them again.
Just as Xiaorenshen finally gave up resisting and prepared to enter dreamland, a sudden commotion came from the courtyard.
“Who is it?” Qin Shiqian asked warily as he snatched up the fire poker.
Xiaorenshen was startled awake as well. Sensing that someone had jumped into their courtyard, she immediately turned her head toward the doorway.
“Third Uncle Qin, it’s me!”
A thin teenager of about fifteen or sixteen, carrying a bowl in his hands, wriggled into the room like a loach.
Only after seeing that it was He Qingze, the grandson of Old Madam He from next door, did Qin Shiqian lower the fire poker in his hand. He asked in puzzlement, “Qingze, you had a perfectly good door to use. Why did you climb in instead?”
“Fortunately, my leg is injured. Otherwise, I would have knocked you flat already.”
“Third Uncle Qin, you still don’t know?” He Qingze said. “The Hu family has spread word throughout the village that no one is allowed to associate with your family!”
“Then why did you come here?” Qin Shiqian immediately said. “It’ll be trouble if the Hu family finds out.”
The He family had once been exiled here with more than a dozen people. Now, only Old Madam He and He Qingze remained, struggling to survive. They absolutely could not afford to provoke the Hu family.
“Uncle Qin, it’s fine. Didn’t I climb over after dark?” As He Qingze spoke, he placed the bowl on the brick bed. “My grandma heard a baby crying in this room and figured Auntie had given birth, so she had me bring you some food.”
Qin Shiqian took a close look and saw that the bowl actually contained several pieces of brown sugar about the size of chess pieces.
“No, we can’t accept this. It’s too precious. Hurry and take it back!” Qin Shiqian waved his hands repeatedly.
Although he knew that brown sugar was excellent for women who had just given birth, in Songjiang Village it was an extremely rare thing—something one might not even be able to buy with money.
Besides, the He family now consisted of an old woman and a child. How could Qin Shiqian bring himself to accept something so precious from them?
“Uncle Qin, whenever our family has anything tasty, you always send it to us. Don’t be so polite with us now.”
Madam Zhang hurriedly said, “Qingze, listen to me. Go back and tell your grandma that we appreciate her thoughtfulness.
“But her health isn’t good either. Take this brown sugar back quickly and save it for your grandma to eat.”
He Qingze looked away and turned his gaze toward Xiaorenshen, changing the subject. “Auntie, is this a little brother or a little sister?”
“She’s a little sister.”
This was the first time He Qingze had ever seen such a tiny baby.
He reached out and lightly touched Xiaorenshen’s cheek.
“Her face is so soft and tender…”
【Hey, don’t touch me carelessly!】
Xiaorenshen turned her head and bit down on He Qingze’s finger.
Unfortunately, she did not have any teeth yet, so she could not pose the slightest threat to him.
【Ptui, ptui, ptui—】
Xiaorenshen spat out He Qingze’s finger. It did not taste good at all.
“Is little sister hungry?
“Uncle Qin, hurry and take it!
“This is for Grandma Qin and Auntie, not for you.”
As He Qingze spoke, he forcibly stuffed the brown sugar into Qin Shiqian’s arms, then ran off in a flash.
“You child…” Qin Shiqian held the bowl, his heart filled with gratitude. He thought that he would definitely find a way to repay this kindness in the future.
He gently pushed his mother, Madam Zhou, by the shoulder and said, “Mother, look. Auntie He sent our family some brown sugar. I’ll make some brown-sugar water for the two of you to drink.”
After pushing her a few times, Qin Shiqian suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Madam Zhou’s body was limp and unresponsive, and she did not react at all when he pushed her.
Qin Shiqian instantly panicked. Raising his voice, he called, “Mother, Mother, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”
“Husband, what’s wrong with Mother?” Hearing this, Madam Zhang leaned over and felt Madam Zhou’s pulse. Her expression changed in an instant.
Madam Zhou’s health had already been declining day by day.
Most of the time, she was in a deep sleep.
Today, Qin Shiqian and Madam Zhang had both been busy caring for the baby and had failed to notice Madam Zhou’s condition in time.
They had never expected that her condition would have worsened so severely.
Looking at Madam Zhou, who could not be roused no matter how much he called her, Qin Shiqian could no longer control his emotions. All the pressure he had endured these days came pouring out at once.
“Mother, Father hasn’t come back yet. You absolutely cannot let anything happen to you…”
As Qin Shiqian spoke, he could not help choking up.
He was only just over twenty. Before his exile, he had been a spirited Palace Front Military Commandant, the dream man of countless noble young ladies in the capital.
He had only recently married, his wife was pregnant, and his heart had been filled with hopes for a beautiful life ahead.
Who could have known that the situation at court would change so suddenly? Old Master Qin had fallen into disgrace because of his upright and incorruptible character, implicating the entire family.
Their once-prosperous family had been torn apart in an instant: some were imprisoned, while others were exiled.
Tears also streamed down Madam Zhang’s face. “If Father-in-law were at home, they wouldn’t dare humiliate us like this.”
Qin Shiqian clenched his fists and ground his teeth. “They must have feared Father, so they took the opportunity to harm him in the mountains!
“It’s all because I’m useless. I’m even dragging around this injured leg, so I can’t go up the mountain to look for Father!”
As he spoke, Qin Shiqian desperately pounded his injured leg with his fists.
This imposing man of seven feet was reduced to tears, each drop striking the earthen brick bed with a plop.
Madam Zhang had no time to comfort Qin Shiqian now. She urged him, “This is no time for crying. Hurry and make a bowl of brown-sugar water for Mother to drink. Maybe it will help her feel a little better.”
“I’ll do it right away.” Qin Shiqian wiped away his tears and hurried off to prepare it.
That night, the husband and wife took turns holding Xiaorenshen while keeping watch beside Madam Zhou.
But until dawn, Madam Zhou still did not wake up. Instead, her breathing grew increasingly labored.
Madam Zhang struggled to sit up and shoved Xiaorenshen into Qin Shiqian’s arms.
“No, Mother’s illness is getting worse and worse. I have to hurry to the mountain and dig up some medicinal herbs to boil for her.”
Qin Shiqian anxiously said, “You just gave birth. How can you go up the mountain? If anyone is going, it should be me!”
Madam Zhang said helplessly, “But you don’t recognize many of the medicinal herbs…”
Just as the husband and wife were arguing over who should go up the mountain to dig for herbs, Xiaohua suddenly poked her head through the doorway.
“Uncle Qin, Auntie, is everything all right? I cooked some millet porridge and brought it over for you.”
Seeing Xiaohua, Qin Shiqian immediately thought of an idea. “How about we have Xiaohua watch the baby for us while the two of us go up the mountain together?”
Madam Zhou’s condition was critical, and Madam Zhang had no time to think it over carefully. She immediately agreed. “Xiaohua, could you stay here and help look after your little sister?
“Your Uncle Qin and I have to go up the mountain to dig up some medicinal herbs.”
“All right!” Xiaohua had been worrying that she had no excuse to get close to Xiaorenshen, so she agreed at once.
Who would have thought that the moment Xiaohua moved closer, Xiaorenshen, who had been lying there obediently, instantly furrowed her brows. Her little mouth opened wide, and she began to wail.
Madam Zhang quickly picked Xiaorenshen up and patted her a few times. “Sweetie, don’t cry. This is Sister Xiaohua.
“Sister Xiaohua is a very good girl. She’s always helping your papa and mama.
“Would you like Sister Xiaohua to keep you company for a while?”
【No! I don’t like her!】
Xiaorenshen felt an instinctive aversion toward Xiaohua.
Unfortunately, she could not speak yet. All she could do when she opened her mouth was cry.
Seeing her daughter cry harder and harder, nearly to the point of losing her breath, Madam Zhang was overcome with heartache and hurriedly coaxed her. “All right, all right, we won’t have Sister Xiaohua watch you…”
She thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, “If there’s no other way, Mama will take you up the mountain with me!”
As soon as she heard that she would be taken up the mountain, Xiaorenshen immediately stopped crying.
【Going up the mountain sounds great! Maybe it can even help me recover my spiritual power!】