Zhao Da stopped his wailing.
Zhou Shi glanced quickly at the candy in Zhao Da’s hand, and her icy glare finally receded.
But Zhao Da wasn’t satisfied. Why were there only two pieces left?
He reached out to pry open Zhao Xiao’er’s hands and searched his entire body, but couldn’t find a third piece.
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly caught a very fragrant smell.
“Zhao Xiao’er, you smell so good! What did you eat?”
Instantly, Zhou Shi thought of something else. What shopkeeper would be so kind as to give away such good candy for free?
Then, she leaned closer to Zhao Xiao’er and sniffed. Sure enough!
It was exactly the same fragrance from when her father-in-law returned from gathering mushrooms the other day!
Her eyes, like two ice-cold awls, fixed tightly on Zhao Xiao’er’s face. “Zhao Xiao’er, did you also eat that… that noodle thing? This scent is exactly the same as the one when Grandpa came back with mushrooms the other day!”
Once the smell of instant noodles clung to you, it wouldn’t go away for half a day.
Then, Zhao Da turned and clung to Zhao Sheng. “Grandpa, Da’er wants to eat noodles too, the really, really fragrant kind! Grandpa, take me! Let’s go right now!”
At that moment, Old Mrs. Zhao walked in. “What’s all this racket at noon? Don’t you need to eat? Can arguing fill your bellies?”
If there was anyone Zhou Shi was somewhat afraid of in this household, it was Old Mrs. Zhao.
The moment Old Mrs. Zhao entered, her imposing air was instantly deflated by half.
Old Mrs. Zhao was originally a young lady from a wealthy family; that air of authority was ingrained in her bones.
“Mother-in-law, Zhao Xiao’er ate that noodle thing, but Zhao Da hasn’t had a single bite…”
Old Mrs. Zhao gave her no face at all. “If you want to eat it, go find it yourself! Who told you to take Da’er away? You take Da’er back to your parents’ house every few days to eat well and drink well. Why didn’t you think to bring some back?”
Zhou Shi muttered, “…That’s different. That’s my parents’ house. If Sister-in-law has the ability, let her go back to her parents’ house to eat well and drink well too.”
It was precisely the backing from her parents’ family that gave her the audacity to act so brazenly.
Just then, Zhao Kun also walked in. The small kitchen was now crowded.
Zhao Kun pulled at Zhou Shi. “What are you making a scene about again?!”
Zhou Shi shoved him off and glared. “What scene? Your son is being wronged. As his father, you won’t stand up for him, and you won’t let me, his mother, do it either? Might as well throw your son out to be a beggar! What’s the use of marrying you? Honestly!”
“Enough!” Zhao Sheng couldn’t take it anymore. “That instant noodle was something I shamelessly begged the shopkeeper to let me try. If you want to eat it, go ask for it yourself with a thick skin! I don’t have the face for it anymore!”
So it was called instant noodles. Zhou Shi wanted to say more.
A single glance from Old Mrs. Zhao swept over her. Zhou Shi immediately shut her mouth.
Villagers generally had the habit of taking a midday nap.
After lunch, Zhao Qian’s family of three returned to their small room.
Zhao Qian peeked through the door crack and saw Zhao Kun’s family of three also return to their room before he shut the door tightly.
“Xiao’er, I’m sorry. It’s your mother’s fault for being useless, not being able to give you good food and drink.” Li Shi hugged her son tightly, her heart aching.
She wasn’t like Zhou Shi. She had been orphaned as a child and raised in an uncle’s house. After marriage, contact became even more sparse. She had no parental family as a backup.
That’s why she had to endure grievances in this household, and even her own son had to constantly yield.
“Mother, in the future, Xiao’er will earn lots and lots of money. I’ll buy Mother lots and lots of candy to eat! I’ll make sure Mother’s days are always sweet!” Zhao Xiao’er said in his childish voice.
These words warmed Li Shi’s heart and nearly brought tears to her eyes again.
Zhao Qian walked over and gently tapped Zhao Xiao’er’s little head.
“You little rascal!”
Then he opened his palm, revealing a White Rabbit milk candy lying in his hand.
Li Shi gasped in surprise and quickly covered her mouth.
Lowering her voice, she asked, “How do you have candy?”
Only then did Zhao Xiao’er smile and say, “Mother, I slipped it into Father’s hand. This candy was originally meant for Father to eat.”
Zhao Qian looked at Li Shi lovingly. “You should keep it for your mother to eat.”
Li Shi wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and hugged Zhao Xiao’er tightly again. “Having the two of you is the greatest sweetness in my life!”
The noon hour had passed.
The villagers were frugal, preferring to eat at home rather than spend money outside. Moreover, everyone had the habit of taking a midday nap to conserve energy for the afternoon work.
At this hour, almost no one was out and about.
Jiang Ling’s biological clock had finally given out. She had no choice but to close the wooden door and go upstairs to catch up on sleep.
No sooner had the wooden door closed than several people came galloping on horseback.
Leading them was a boy of about twelve or thirteen. Frowning at the firmly shut door, he asked the men behind him in a voice that held a natural-born authority, “Wasn’t it said to be open?”
A man behind him, wearing a sword, bowed with cupped fists, his eyes somewhat evasive. “Your Highness, this subordinate did indeed see the shop open this morning. There were even a few customers coming and going. I immediately rushed back to report to you, but for some reason, the shopkeeper has closed again.”
He was lying.
A few days ago, he had indeed waited diligently, but the door never opened. He thought today would be the same, and since there was a temple fair on the mountain, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to step away for a moment. By the time he came down from the mountain, it was already noon. He was startled to see that the general store was open and immediately rode back to report. Who knew he would be too late upon returning? He dared not tell the truth, or his life might be forfeit!
Another sword-bearing man bowed and said, “Your Highness, it’s midday. Perhaps… perhaps the shopkeeper has gone for a nap?”
Such a simple task, and they couldn’t even manage it properly! The young boy shot them a look of utter disappointment.
It had already been seven days.
He had clearly promised he would not break his word, yet seven days had passed!
The boy clenched the Yunnan Baiyao spray in his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still, unwilling to give up, stepped forward and knocked on the door several times.
Just like the dozen or so times before, he waited for a long time, but there was no response. It was as quiet as an abandoned house.
The day he returned to the palace, he had ordered the imperial physicians to examine this medicine. Strangely, none of the several dozen imperial physicians in the palace knew the origin of this drug. Upon analyzing its components, they found it was composed of dozens of rare and precious medicinal herbs. The absurd thing was, even the most senior physician in the palace couldn’t list all the ingredients in detail, let alone analyze the dosages.
Yet, all the dozens of physicians unanimously agreed that this medicine had miraculous effects in dispersing blood stasis, stopping bleeding, promoting blood circulation to relieve pain, detoxifying, and reducing swelling.
After returning, he had also strictly followed the young woman’s instructions, spraying it three to five times a day. The wound showed no redness, swelling, or inflammation, and the effect was surprisingly good. By now, the injury on his knee was seventy to eighty percent healed.
Such a miraculous medicine actually came from a small shop in a desolate village…
For these seven days, he had come here every day.
On the first day, he had prepared gold and silver to personally express his gratitude. But from sunrise to sunset, no one came to open the door. No matter how he knocked, there was no response, and he couldn’t even push the door open.
He waited for a full three days, letting official duties pile up for three days.
On the fourth day, with no other choice, he had to send people to stand guard, instructing them to report to him immediately upon seeing the shop open.
Who would have thought that just as he rushed over upon hearing the news, he was again a step too late.
The shop wasn’t large. He had taken people to inspect it; there was no back door.
For seven days, there hadn’t been a single sound from inside, nor had anyone come out.
He had asked the nearby villagers, who also said this shop had been abandoned for many years.
The boy tightened his grip on the Yunnan Baiyao spray and murmured to himself, “Could it be… are you really an immortal fairy who appeared out of thin air to save me?”