Pei Luo was speechless. Seeing her looking listless, Fu Yunqing thought she might have caught a cold. His gaze was complicated as he looked at her. “Are you all right?”
Pei Luo shook her head. “I’m fine. Just drink a bowl of ginger soup later to drive out the chill. How about you? Feeling any better?”
“Much better,” she said, pulling the blanket up. He noticed the embarrassment on her face.
“Do you have a fever? Why is your face so red?”
Pei Luo reached out to feel Fu Yunqing’s forehead. Just as he was about to deny it, she said, “You really do have a fever. I told you—your body is weak by nature, prone to illness, already with injuries, and after getting drenched last night, it’s no wonder you’re running a temperature.”
Fu Yunqing was surprised. She didn’t even care that she was nearly naked. “How do you know I have a congenital weakness?”
Even the imperial physicians could only tell such conditions in one or two cases. How could she, such a young girl, pinpoint it so accurately?
Pei Luo spoke calmly, “Congenital weakness often comes from malnutrition in the womb, prolonged exposure to toxic substances, or a mother taking medications during pregnancy. These cause underdeveloped bodily functions at birth, making the child frail and sickly. You also have a congenital heart condition, passed down from your mother. She must have had a heart illness and taken medicine often during pregnancy, causing your weaknesses. It’s not a major disease, though. With proper care, it can still be cured—but it will take time.”
“Cured…?”
Fu Yunqing froze. In all his years, she was the first person to say his condition could be cured. He had seen many renowned doctors, even imperial physicians, who all said he wouldn’t live past thirty. And now this young woman dared to say his illness… could be healed?
Pei Luo rubbed her temples, feeling the headache from her own cold. As a healer, she never held back from patients. Fu Yunqing’s condition was no problem—she had treated similar cases in her previous life, and now with her space and spiritual spring water, it would be even easier.
“If you trust me, you can try. But the consultation fee will be one thousand taels of silver.”
Pei Luo had converted the fee based on her previous-life standards. About one thousand taels. Judging from his appearance, he clearly wasn’t short of money.
“You can really cure this illness?”
Fu Yunqing grabbed her wrist in excitement, startling her. Pei Luo nodded, but her gaze inadvertently fell on the eight-pack abs revealed as his blanket slipped.
“All you need is to prepare the silver,” she said. Truthfully, his healthy appearance likely came from discipline and regular exercise. While a heart condition limited intense activity, proper moderate exercise could still be done.
Noticing her glance, Fu Yunqing cleared his throat and pulled the blanket up. Pei Luo touched her nose, embarrassed, and turned away.
“Mom, look! There are so many mushrooms growing behind our yard!”
She wondered why she hadn’t seen the two kids earlier, only to find they had gone mushroom hunting.
“Dad used to take us for mushrooms, so Xiao Chen and I know which ones are safe. Many villagers gather mushrooms on the back hill. Mom, we have to hurry, or there won’t be any left!”
Xiao Man tugged Pei Luo toward the door, with Xiao Chen nodding in agreement. “If we’re late, there’ll be no mushrooms.”
Unable to resist the children’s enthusiasm, Pei Luo left Fu Yunqing behind and went with the kids.
They say the mountains provide food for those who live there—and it was true. The mountains offered abundant resources, sustaining both animals and villagers. But the deep mountains were dangerous. Without strong weapons, they only dared to gather mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and some wild vegetables along the outskirts.
Pei Luo and the children collected plenty of mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Arriving a bit late, most villagers had already filled their baskets. Though they didn’t gather as much as others, it was enough for a few meals.
Too many mushrooms couldn’t be eaten immediately, so Pei Luo dried them. The bamboo shoots were peeled, cut, and prepared to be sun-dried.
After a simple breakfast for the children, Pei Luo began brewing medicinal soups. Fu Yunqing’s injuries were severe, so he needed the medicine. She also discovered that spiritual spring water helped only with external injuries, not colds. She wasn’t sure about internal injuries or toxins, so it was worth trying.
Pei Luo brewed ginger soup for herself to drive out cold, and a small Bupleurum decoction for Fu Yunqing. In her previous life, this decoction had many uses. Unlike modern processed pills, the raw herbs in the ancient era were natural, free from chemicals, and more effective.
The prescription was simple: Bupleurum, Pinellia, Licorice, and fresh ginger—three bowls of water reduced to one. It took nearly half an hour.
When Pei Luo brought the medicine to Fu Yunqing, he was already up. Not that he hadn’t wanted to, but his clothes were soaked and bloodied. He couldn’t expect her to clean them, so he borrowed her man’s clothes. Luckily, they were of similar size. The coarse linen was uncomfortable, but wearable.
“Drink this quickly,” Pei Luo said, handing him the bowl.
Fu Yunqing hesitated for a moment. “I see you’re only sixteen or seventeen—how do you already have children this big?”
At first, it didn’t strike him as odd, but the more he looked, the stranger it seemed. Had this girl become a stepmother at eleven or twelve?
“I’m their stepmother,” Pei Luo said plainly, seeing no issue in stating it.
Fu Yunqing was stunned. So young, and already a stepmother? What a pity. “Then… where is the father of the children?”