Qi Huan frowned: "Looking for me?"
"Yes. The visitors are from the Song Family in the Capital City, which is your great-grandfather's family."
"Why have they suddenly come?"
"At first, they refused to explain. After being pressed, they said that since rumors spread in the imperial court that the Emperor intended to grant a general amnesty, Song Zhensheng arranged for them to travel here to Mo County to retrieve you all and return to the Capital City."
"They arrived in Mo County after traveling for a few months, only to learn that the amnesty decree had already been issued. While searching for you, they were mistaken for villains by the Yunying Caravan and secretly captured."
After listening to the explanation, Qi Huan began searching the original host's memories for information about her maternal great-grandfather.
The original host's maternal great-grandfather, Song Zhensheng, was an Assistant Supervising Secretary Overseeing Miscellaneous Affairs of the sixth rank in the Censorate. In the Capital City, where imperial kinsmen were ubiquitous, he was considered insignificant. Furthermore, as an incorruptible official leading a frugal life on meager salaries and income from his modest shops and estates, his family lived a rather impoverished existence.
The original host's father, Qi Yue, was the distant nephew of Song Zhensheng's wife, and the original host's mother, Song Zhibai, was his first cousin. Qi Yue was a skilled physician with great potential.
However, Qi Yue's father was accused of substituting inferior medicinal ingredients for profit, leading to their family's property being confiscated and his banishment.
Of the entire family, only Qi Yue, his wife, and their daughter Qi Huan survived the journey to the remote Mo County.
In Qi Huan's recollection, her great-grandfather in the Capital City had sent them silver a few times in the past.
But Qi Yue, relying on his exceptional medical skills, managed to eke out a living in Mo County and refused his great-grandfather's assistance, sending a letter exaggerating their decent circumstances.
After being rejected repeatedly, the Song Family eventually lost contact with them.
It wasn't until they heard rumors of the Emperor's intention to grant a general amnesty that they sent maidservants and elderly women to retrieve Qi Huan's family.
Little did the Song Family know that Qi Huan was now the only surviving member of the Qi Family.
And Qi Huan had a different soul inhabiting her body.
Qi Huan sighed deeply. Since she had taken over the original host's body and benefited from her circumstances, it was only proper to visit the Song Family upon returning to the Capital City.
If they got along well, she could maintain contact and gain additional relatives, which would be a good thing. If they didn't, she could politely distance herself, as she had no emotional attachment to them.
Clearing her thoughts, Qi Huan decided to address the immediate matter first.
"I'll go see them tomorrow."
They had traveled a great distance, so it was only courteous to meet them.
As she finished speaking and was about to say good night, she unexpectedly noticed that Li Shuchen's face was flushed.
Reaching out to touch his forehead, she realized he had a fever, but he was unaware of it.
Earlier, after soaking in cold water and listening to Yan Jiu's report, he had hurriedly ridden his horse to interrogate the visitors from the Capital City, with his damp hair frozen stiff in the wind and snow. The cold wind had blown through his collar, causing Li Shuchen to catch a chill in the freezing temperatures.
Qi Huan dragged him back to the room, went to the kitchen to boil water, and prepared ibuprofen powder.
When she returned, she found Li Shuchen leaning against the heated brick bed, his eyes slightly closed and brows furrowed.
Qi Huan nudged him, but he murmured, "Don't disturb me, Ahuan."
"Drink the medicine first."
"Feed me."
In the dim candlelight, he appeared somewhat frail, unlike his usual composed demeanor. His voice carried a slight hoarseness and a hint of childlike petulance, which Qi Huan found irresistible.
She held the bowl, scooped up the medicine with a spoon, and patiently fed it to him one sip at a time.
"I'll go wash the bowl. Get some rest."
Li Shuchen pointed to his cheek, taking advantage of her concern for him to ask for a kiss.
Qi Huan gave him a quick peck and patted his head. "Good night."
After washing the bowl, she still felt uneasy and quietly pushed open the door to check on him. She found that Li Shuchen had already undressed and fallen asleep on the bed.
Qi Huan tiptoed inside, tucking the blanket around him.
In his sleep, Li Shuchen appeared remarkably docile, lying perfectly straight on the bed. His features softened, his long, thick eyelashes pressed tightly against his lower eyelids, and his thin lips naturally pursed. The candlelight cast a faint glow upon him, making him resemble a beautiful piece of luminous jade, captivating the eye.
Qi Huan felt his forehead and applied a cooling patch to help reduce his fever. As she was about to leave, he suddenly grabbed her hand.
Craving the cool sensation, he pressed her hand against his flushed face, unwilling to let go.
Qi Huan remembered how he had watched over her day and night when she was ill, so she didn't struggle and sat by the bed to care for him.
Gradually, drowsiness overtook her, and she dozed off leaning against the wall.
In the middle of the night, half-awake, Li Shuchen noticed her sleeping posture and pulled her onto the bed, embracing her before falling into a deep sleep.
The next day.
When Qi Huan opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Li Shuchen's loosened collar.
Looking up, she saw his serene sleeping face.
After a moment of stunned silence, Qi Huan regained her composure and reached out to feel his forehead.
It wasn't hot anymore; his constitution really was exceptional.
Sensing her touch, Li Shuchen's eyelids fluttered open.
Although his arm was numb from being used as a pillow, he couldn't bear to release the soft, delicate figure in his embrace.
He quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.
However, Qi Huan had already noticed and called out to him, but he didn't respond. She then tickled him playfully, and when he still didn't react, she leaned over and kissed him.
As expected, Li Shuchen passionately kissed her back.
After a moment, he abruptly released her. Although he hadn't had enough, he was worried about passing his illness to her, so he pursed his lips, averted his gaze, and said hoarsely, "Let's get up."
Qi Huan, her face slightly flushed, sat up and leaned over to put on her shoes. Since she hadn't undressed the night before, she didn't need to change her clothes.
Seizing the opportunity when no one was paying attention, she rushed back to her room and wrote in her diary: On the eighth day of the tenth month of the fifteenth year of the Longshun era, I slept with Li Shuchen.
After breakfast.
Yan Jiu reported that the visitors from the Song Family had been released the previous night, as instructed by Li Shuchen. They were staying at the cheapest inn in the city.
How frugal.
Qi Huan was slightly surprised. Even if the Song Family wasn't very prosperous in the Capital City, surely they could afford a better inn in this impoverished county?
She returned to her room to change into a new set of clothes and poured a cup of hot water for Li Shuchen, placing it in front of him on the table. "Drink more hot water."
"I'm going to the restaurant 'Qi's Restaurant'. Don't wait for me for lunch."
"I'll accompany you."
"No way." He flatly refused him, and Qi Huan turned to Zhao Man: "Keep a close eye on your brother Li Shuchen, don't let him go out and get into trouble."
Zhao Man obediently nodded and brought over a small stool, sitting in front of Li Shuchen, his gaze like a torch fixed on him: "I'll make sure to complete Sister Qi Huan's instructions!"
Qi Huan smiled with relief, turned around and went into the room to get some candy, handing it to him and Yan Qing.
Zhao Man counted and saw there was an odd number, so he gave Yan Qing an extra piece.
But Yan Qing didn't want to take advantage, unwrapping the candy paper and eating half the candy, then passing the remaining half to him: "Here, let's split it evenly."
Looking at the bite mark on the candy, Zhao Man turned his head away: "I don't want it."
"Alright, I'll divide it again!" Yan Qing ate the remaining half, took a piece of candy from his hand, went to the kitchen, sliced it in half with a knife, and ran back to hand him one half: "This should work, right?"
Zhao Man gave her an annoyed look and took the half piece of candy.
Indeed, he could accept this way of dividing it. The problem was, originally he was only getting half a piece less, but now he was getting a whole piece less!
However, Yan Qing, who was not good at arithmetic, didn't realize this, humming a tune and bouncing away to join Qi Huan at Qi's Restaurant, waiting for the Song Family to come looking for them.
