Uncle Lu laughed and waved his hand.
“All right, we’ll collect next time. Let’s head back—don’t keep the two little ones waiting.”
Pei Luo nodded, slinging her basket and heading home, thinking that after she slaughtered the wild boar, she could bring some pork to Third Uncle in return.
As soon as she pushed open the front door, she called inside,
“Xiao Man? Xiao Chen? Mom’s back! Look what I brought for you!”
She stepped inside but didn’t see the two little ones coming to meet her. Confused, she put down the basket and called again,
“Xiao Man? Xiao Chen?”
When she opened the door to the main hall, she saw the two children standing neatly, trying with all their might to hide something behind them—but they were too small to fully conceal it.
“Mom, Handsome Uncle… is dead,”
Xiao Chen spoke first, pointing at the object behind them—a body covered in blood.
Pei Luo froze, startled.
“Xiao Man? Who is he?”
She instinctively looked at the older child, Xiao Man, who looked frightened and guilty. Just as Pei Luo spoke, Xiao Man burst into tears and threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing,
“Mom, Xiao Man didn’t mean to… didn’t mean to kill him, sob sob sob.”
Her voice was choked with grief, broken as she insisted it wasn’t intentional.
Xiao Chen, also scared, gestured to Pei Luo, trying to explain,
“Mom… sister climbed the roof… fell down… thump~ and hit Handsome Uncle… killed him.”
Though broken and hesitant, Pei Luo understood. She rushed to Xiao Man anxiously.
“Xiao Man, you climbed the roof? Fell down? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”
She checked Xiao Man carefully. Seeing no external injuries, she quickly took her pulse. Xiao Man trembled with sobs, explaining,
“Mom, Grandpa Zhao said the weather is changing. It might rain tonight. Our roof had a big hole, so I tried to patch it with straw. I didn’t stand steady and fell… I didn’t know someone was behind our yard. I accidentally hit this uncle and… killed him. I was scared someone would see, so Xiao Chen and I dragged him inside. Dad said killing someone means jail… Xiao Man doesn’t want to go to jail… Xiao Man wants to wait for Dad… sob sob sob… I really didn’t mean to kill him.”
The little girl trembled with fear. Pei Luo, after confirming her pulse, relaxed and said,
“Don’t cry, sweetie. Mom will check on this uncle. Maybe he isn’t dead.”
Finding his breath and confirming he was alive, Pei Luo took his pulse. His pulse was irregular and weak. Though he had no internal injuries, he had many latent weaknesses—external wounds would heal easily, but his congenital frailties would take time.
“Mom, is he still alive?”
Xiao Man timidly asked, her eyes red from crying.
Pei Luo nodded reassuringly,
“Don’t worry, he’s fine. He’s injured, but it wasn’t Xiao Man who hurt him. He just happened to be behind our house when Xiao Man fell. Mom will take care of him, so don’t be scared.”
“Really?” Xiao Man asked, her eyes glistening with tears. Pei Luo hugged her, rubbing her head.
“Yes, really. You’ll see—Mom promises, he’ll wake up before nightfall.”
She mentally scolded the man—if he had stayed away, her precious daughter wouldn’t have been scared or feeling guilty for so long. But considering he unintentionally protected Xiao Man from a high fall, she would help him this once.
After sending the two little ones out for candied hawthorns, Pei Luo prepared to remove the man’s clothes and treat his wounds. Looking closer, she realized he was not ordinary—handsome, fair-featured, and dressed in high-quality clothing. His hairpin was white jade, and the jade pendant at his waist was valuable.
Could he be the son of some noble family who had fallen into misfortune? Or a benefactor sent by fate?
Following the principle that saving a life surpasses building a seven-story pagoda, Pei Luo decisively removed his shirt and began treating the wounds.
“Wow, despite looking thin, he’s well-built… eight-pack abs too,” she muttered in admiration before remembering her professional ethics: look, don’t ogle.
His injuries were three deep cuts: one to the chest, one to the arm, and one through the lower abdomen. Though deep, no vital organs were damaged. His frail constitution, however, made these wounds serious. Luckily, she had Spirit Spring Water. To avoid drawing attention, she only gave him a small amount to promote coagulation and accelerate healing. Even with minimal water, his wounds would mostly recover in three to five days, potentially nearly fully healed.