The house was so poor that it didn’t even have a bamboo hat. Pei Luo felt the raindrops hitting her like tiny pellets, and with her thin clothes, it was uncomfortable, though not exactly painful.
Gritting her teeth, she climbed onto the roof, wiping the rain off her face, and began repairing it. The house was the old Lu family residence, a long-neglected mud-brick home. When Lu Yuan moved out, he had intended to renovate it once he had money. The original owner had agreed to move in because Lu Yuan had promised her this. But shortly after moving in, Lu Yuan was drafted into labor. The original owner had often wanted to return to live with the old lady, but Lu Lao Tai naturally refused. Without income or land, it was far from easy to support two children.
Fu Yunqing, seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, worried whether the woman could handle it alone. He looked at his injuries, then at the two children, and finally gritted his teeth, deciding to help her.
When Fu Yunqing emerged, he saw the slender figure braving the storm, fixing the thatch. He climbed up the ladder, and Pei Luo shouted, “Why are you up here?”
Fortunately, she had already removed all the thatch from the space at once, so he wouldn’t have seen it.
Pale-faced, Fu Yunqing gritted through the pain and grabbed some thatch by her feet. “The two kids are worried about you. I’ll help—it’ll be faster.”
Pei Luo didn’t refuse his help, but she asked, “…Fu Yunqing, are you really here to help, or just to make a joke?”
Looking at the way he spread the thatch, she felt like crying. Did he think this was making a bed? Just laying it flat was not enough.
Fu Yunqing was confused, but glancing at the thatch, he realized his mistake. The thatch needed to be layered so that water would fall down in tiers. Embarrassed, he lowered his head and started again. Since there were many leaks, Pei Luo had patched the thinner areas with extra thatch.
Clearly, this was his first time doing such work. He was slow at first but gradually picked up speed—proving that men were naturally suited for repair work, thanks to their innate intuition.
After half an hour of effort, the repairs were done. The two carefully descended. Pei Luo went first and was about to get off the ladder when, unexpectedly, Fu Yunqing slipped and fell straight toward her. Pei Luo swore she wanted to avoid it, but she hadn’t left the ladder yet, so he landed on her directly.
Wasn’t it in dramas that the heroine falls from above and the handsome guy catches her? How did it turn into her becoming a human cushion? Did she pick up the wrong script?
Fortunately, there was no awkward kissing.
“My back…”
Pei Luo groaned, trying to get up, but suddenly realized… she had been… groped?
Fu Yunqing, seeing where his hand was, was shocked too. Ignoring the pain, he flipped and rolled off her, missing her fist entirely. Holding his abdominal wound, he slowly stood. “Sorry… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Pei Luo glared at him and then went inside.
Fortunately, the roof was no longer leaking, so her efforts weren’t wasted.
“Mom,”
The two children ran into her arms. She quickly separated them. “I’m all wet—don’t get your clothes soaked.”
“Mom, here’s a handkerchief, wipe quickly.”
Thoughtful Xiao Man handed her one, and seeing Fu Yunqing enter, also gave him one. Fu Yunqing didn’t care that it was old and worn; he wiped his face.
He looked down at his abdomen. The once-blue robe had been stained with red patches, and his chest wound was still bleeding. The red on the blue robe didn’t look out of place, but the smell of blood was strong.
Pei Luo, initially a bit angry, saw his severe condition. She was about to lay him down to treat his wounds, but Fu Yunqing swayed and collapsed with a “plop.” Luckily, she caught him in time, avoiding new injuries—not out of pity, but to prevent him from hitting Xiao Chen, who had been standing nearby.
“Mom, what’s wrong with Handsome Uncle?”
Xiao Man was shocked at his fainting. Pei Luo calmed the kids and told them to go sleep. She herself wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. Since the children’s beds were soaked, she would have to sleep on her own, small door-panel bed—the limit for two kids already, leaving no room for her.
Resigned, she helped Fu Yunqing into the corner of the living room, where the ground was higher and still dry. She laid him down.
She removed his wet clothes—if he slept in them, he would catch a cold. Seeing that his injuries were worsened while helping her, she took care of him carefully through the night.
After changing his bandages and giving him some spiritual spring water, she covered him with the remaining blanket. Then she went to her space to wash and change, lest she herself fall ill.
After bathing and drinking a large bowl of spring water, she returned. Fu Yunqing was still unconscious. Seeing that only his area had a place to sit, she simply sat down there and leaned against the wall, falling asleep.
She had only planned a short rest, but fatigue overtook her, and she slept until dawn. Upon opening her eyes, she saw Fu Yunqing staring at her. Flustered, he quickly averted his gaze.
“Ah-choo!”
Pei Luo sneezed violently, rubbing her nose. “You’re awake?”