The ibuprofen for reducing fever was strawberry-flavored, so Erbao drank the medicine without any resistance.
“Make sure Erbao drinks plenty of water. That will help the medicine take effect more quickly.”
Ruan Tong didn’t forget to remind them.
Half an hour later, Erbao broke into a light sweat and seemed much more energetic.
“He’s sweating, he’s sweating!” Gu Wenlin wiped the sweat from Erbao’s forehead and exclaimed joyfully.
Ruan Tong stepped forward, took Erbao from Gu Wenlin’s arms, and placed him on the bed, then checked his pulse.
The pulse wasn’t as weak and shallow as before.
“Erbao, be good. Open your mouth and say ‘ah’—”
Erbao stared at Ruan Tong with wide eyes, not opening his mouth.
“Erbao, be good. Open your mouth!” Gu Wenlin urged anxiously, trying to coax him from the side.
But Erbao still didn’t respond. Gu Bai stood nearby, somewhat helpless. He couldn’t force the child’s mouth open if he didn’t cooperate.
Ruan Tong rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a lollipop with a cute, cartoonish wrapper.
“Erbao, if you open your mouth, you can have this candy.”
Ruan Tong waved the lollipop in front of him.
Seeing the lollipop, Erbao’s eyes lit up. He obediently opened his mouth while reaching for the candy: “Ah—”
Ruan Tong quickly used a flashlight to check Erbao’s tonsils, then tore open the wrapper and placed the lollipop in his little mouth, smiling as she coaxed him. “Erbao is such a good boy.”
With the sweet candy in his mouth, Erbao obediently went to play with building blocks on the bed.
Ruan Tong turned to the two worried men and said, “Erbao has an upper respiratory infection. I’ll go get some medicine. Just make sure he takes it on time.
Once the fever reducer wears off, he might get a fever again. Erbao tends to have convulsions when he has a fever, so you must keep a close eye on him and give him the fever reducer promptly.”
After saying this, Ruan Tong turned and left to get the medicine.
In the room, Gu Wenlin looked completely confused, not understanding what she had said. He turned to his son and asked, “Did you understand what Tongtong just said?”
Gu Bai nodded, glancing meaningfully at the doorway where Ruan Tong had disappeared.
As soon as Ruan Tong returned to her room, she quickly entered the Space. She replaced all the modern packaging of the medicine inside with paper wrappers or bottles from this era, making it easier for her to use.
Just as she opened the door, she ran into Gu Bai, who was about to enter the room.
Gu Bai glanced at the medicine in her hand, and a flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
His undisguised scrutiny made Ruan Tong feel slightly awkward. She had been so focused on saving the child that she forgot that, although the two of them had been intimate the night before, they were still essentially strangers before that. Her behavior would inevitably arouse suspicion.
“Is something wrong?” Ruan Tong asked, trying to appear calm.
“Did you learn your medical skills from Su Yue?” Gu Bai’s voice was low. “I remember he’s a medical student.”
Su Yue?
Ruan Tong was momentarily stunned before remembering that Su Yue was the original owner’s lover, wasn’t he?
How… inconvenient.
Ruan Tong pursed her lips, wondering if her cheap husband was jealous.
“Fourth Brother, I learned my medical skills from the village’s barefoot doctor. He was incredibly skilled, proficient in both Chinese and Western medicine. It’s just a shame he’s no longer around.” Ruan Tong spun her lie without batting an eye.
As for the Su Yue Gu Bai mentioned, he was just a medical student who hadn’t even grasped the most basic medical knowledge yet. Hah…
The original owner treated that weakling like a treasure, but she wouldn’t follow in her footsteps.
Ruan Tong’s call of “Fourth Brother” made Gu Bai pause slightly.
Due to their arranged marriage since childhood, they had known each other since they were young, but every time Ruan Tong saw him, she acted as if her eyes were on the top of her head, looking down on him completely.
His refined brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the woman before him, his confusion growing deeper.
“Let’s talk later, I need to go give Erbao his medicine first,” Ruan Tong said briskly before hurrying off.
If one observed carefully, her steps seemed somewhat unsteady.
Only when she could no longer feel that oppressive gaze from behind did she finally catch her breath.
Ruan Tong felt she was too useless—what storms hadn’t she weathered in her past life? How could she be intimidated by the gaze of a country boy?
Could it be because he had served in the military?
Just as she handed the medicine to her mother-in-law, Wu Minzhen, an urgent voice came from outside.
“Family Gu, has your Erbao’s fever gone down? My Erdan’s fever is getting worse and worse, and now he’s all dizzy and lethargic! What should we do!?”
As he spoke, a sturdy man jogged in, wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve, his expression anxious.
Gu Wenlin and Wu Minzhen both looked at Ruan Tong simultaneously. After all, this medicine was like a miracle drug to them, incredibly precious.
Ruan Tong blinked. Were the two elders seeking her opinion?
“Daniu, your Erdan has a fever too?”
Seeing that Ruan Tong hadn’t spoken, Wu Minzhen asked with concern.
“Ah, yesterday he was playing by the water with Erbao, and he came down with a fever last night. I heard Erbao was burning up badly last night too?”
As he spoke, Daniu’s gaze fell on Erbao, who was energetically playing with building blocks on the bed. Daniu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“I just went to find the barefoot doctor, but he’s sick himself and said he can’t make any house calls for the next couple of days. Since he didn’t come, how did Dabao’s fever go down?”
The surprise and hope in his eyes were unmistakable. Ruan Tong knew what he was thinking, so she spoke up: “Erbao took the fever-reducing medicine I prepared, so his fever went down.”
Seeing Ruan Tong speak, Wu Minzhen helped explain: “Our Tongtong once learned medicine from a doctor in her village and knows how to prepare some remedies. Isn’t that right, Tongtong?”
Ruan Tong nodded. Her mother-in-law’s words were measured—neither boastful nor exaggerated.
After all, she had just married into the family and was unfamiliar with the place. Even if she wanted to help, she would only consider stepping in if the other party trusted her.
“Then could you please take a look at my Erdan?” Daniu bowed slightly, pleading.
Ruan Tong didn’t refuse. Before leaving, she took her mother-in-law along to avoid any gossip in the village about her going to the neighbor’s house alone.
After examining the neighbor’s Erdan, Ruan Tong had just stepped out of the yard when she felt the world spinning.
She instinctively gripped Wu Minzhen’s hand with one hand while pressing the other to her forehead, weakly saying, “Mom, I’m dizzy. I want to go back and rest.”
Seeing Ruan Tong’s pale, bloodless face, Wu Minzhen quickly helped her home.
Once home, Ruan Tong fell into a deep, dazed sleep that lasted three days and three nights.
The entire Gu family was on edge during that time.
When she finally woke up, the calendar on the wall told her three days had passed, and she suddenly remembered something very important.
It seemed… after the wedding night, she hadn’t taken any contraceptive pills!
Feeling a bit more energetic, Ruan Tong slowly sat up.
She pondered for a moment. Those few days should have been her safe period—surely she wouldn’t be so unlucky as to get pregnant, right?
After calming down, she took her own pulse and realized that the original owner’s body was too weak. Coupled with the mental and physical exertion from using the Space, her energy and stamina had been completely drained, which was why she had slept for so long.