After changing into dry clothes and coming out, there was a new fire basin in the main room. It wasn't filled with the fancy silver-thread charcoal, but rather a basin of vigorously burning flames.
This kind of fire was the quickest way to warm up. Everyone had changed into dry clothes and gathered around the fire, feeling comfortable as the heat enveloped their bodies.
Lady Zhang beckoned to her daughter, "Come quickly and drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold."
"Just a moment," Zhu Changle rushed over to Qiuli. Under the varied gazes of her family, she felt his sleeve and then moved behind him to touch his back. It was dry?!
Was this... dried by using inner energy? Zhu Changle looked at the two who had been in the kitchen earlier.
Dingding nodded, "It's exactly what you're thinking."
Zhu Changle was shocked. Apart from practicing evil techniques, even she, despite being quite formidable for her age, couldn't achieve such profound inner energy skills. Qiuli didn't seem like someone who would walk the path of evil, so how did he manage this?
She crouched in front of Qiuli, her eyes shining brightly, "Are you the disciple of some reclusive master?"
Qiuli thought for a moment, then nodded. His grand-master could indeed be considered a recluse.
The scope had narrowed. Zhu Changle stood up and exchanged a glance with her friend. There weren't many reclusive masters; they'd put their heads together later to figure it out.
At this moment, Zuo Qing came in to report, "Master, Xu Zheng and the others have found their way here."
Zhu Changwang asked, "How many have come?"
"Four people."
"Let Xu Zheng come in. The others can find shelter from the rain on their own."
"Yes, sir."
Xu Zheng entered and greeted the roomful of masters, then voluntarily reported, "I arrived in Yunbei two days ago. Except for leaving four men at your disposal, I've dispersed the others throughout Yunbei County, awaiting the eldest young master's instructions."
Qiuli raised an eyebrow. It was the eldest young master's instructions, not Zhu Maonian's. Although he had already noticed that Zhu Changwang could make decisions in the Zhu family, Zhu Maonian's reliance and trust in him still surprised Qiuli. After all, Zhu Maonian was not an incompetent person; in fact, he was truly capable. From what he could see now, Zhu Changwang might be even more outstanding than he had thought.
Zhu Changwang nodded, "Immerse yourself deeper. I don't need information that's just floating on the surface."
"Yes, I've instructed them likewise."
"I trust your handling of matters." Zhu Changwang listened to the rain outside, which seemed to have lessened somewhat. "How far are we from the county office?"
"Forty li."
That wasn't too far. Zhu Changwang knew his own body; even with Changle providing energy to alleviate his condition along the way, he feared he might not be able to withstand the effects of this rain. However, now that they were in their own territory, there was no reason to do nothing. He beckoned Zuo Qing over and whispered a few words in his ear.
The martial artists naturally heard clearly. Zhu Changle inwardly clicked her tongue twice. It's starting, it's starting. Big brother was stepping onto his battlefield. On that battlefield, a hundred Zhu Changles bundled together would be no match for big brother.
Adding a stick to the fire basin, Zhu Changle didn't escape her mother's bowl of ginger soup. The taste made her grimace and contort her face. Was even the ginger in this place inferior to elsewhere? The ginger soup she had drunk before tasted much better than this!
The old lady was amused by her granddaughter's expression and teased, "Do you think every household has ginger root? Ordinary people drink this."
Zhu Changle had known for many years that there was a difference between commoners and her family, but she didn't understand everything clearly. Hearing her grandmother's words, she stuck out her tongue and decided that from now on, she would also plunder – no, request – ginger root from the old monk.
Zuo Qing returned, holding something in his hand which he spread out before Zhu Changwang, speaking in a low voice, "We found this and half a jar of beans."
"Nothing else?"
"No, sir."
Zhu Changwang pinched a bit and placed it in his palm, remaining silent for a while.
Zhu Maonian stood up and said softly, "Take me to see."
Zuo Qing led the way, and after a moment's hesitation, Zhu Changning followed.
Zhu Changwang looked at what was in his palm for a moment, then turned to ask his little sister, "Do you recognize this?"
"Chaff."
Zhu Changwang had only asked casually, not expecting his little sister to actually recognize it. He frowned slightly, "You shouldn't know what this is."
"I've even eaten it before," Zhu Changle took a bit from her big brother's hand. "That family only had this. To make sure I had enough to eat, they didn't eat themselves. I learned the phrase 'economize on oneself to treat guests' there."
Lady Zhang was so shocked her voice trembled, "You, how could you eat this? You're not short of money, and even if you were, you could always find a way..."
"But that's all they had in their home. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?" Zhu Changle's expression brightened. "Big brother, is that how you use this phrase?"
"Yes, and 'economize on oneself to treat guests' is also used correctly." Zhu Changwang stopped his mother from asking further questions. What they considered a earth-shattering matter was no big deal to Changle. If others used this to entertain her, she would eat it, just as she would eat a grand feast if that's what was offered.
Dingding poked her and asked in a low voice, "When did you eat this? How come I don't know about it?"
"It was during those two years when Master took me out, and you weren't with us. Of course you wouldn't know. And I've eaten more than just this, lots more, though I can't remember it all right now. I only recall when I see it." Zhu Changle sighed. She missed her master a bit.
Zhu Changwang understood now. This had also happened when Changle was nine years old.
He never doubted Zhong Ningmei's affection for Changle as her disciple, but if he had the chance, he wanted to ask her face to face how she could bear to let such a young child understand those things, and why she did it. Changle had a kind nature; there was no need for her to be tempered by these experiences to become a good person. Why did she have to witness things she could have gone her whole life without knowing?
He couldn't understand it.
The child suddenly began to cry softly. Madam Xu panicked for a moment, hurriedly standing up with the child and walking around to soothe him. But the child wasn't comforted and cried even harder.
With everyone in the room staring at her, Madam Xu became more flustered. "I, I'll give him that medicine."
"There are no enemies here, there's no need to use medicine all the time," Lady Zhang opened her arms. "Let me see."
Madam Xu dared not disobey and walked over to place the child in her mother-in-law's arms. However, her thoughts uncontrollably drifted to when her sister-in-law had brought the child in earlier. Surely it couldn't be...
"Is he overheated? His face looks a bit red." The firelight made it hard to see clearly. Lady Zhang wanted to feel if he was sweating. As soon as she touched his cheek, her heart sank. She immediately turned the child around, "Mother, please feel."
The old lady glanced at her daughter-in-law, then used her sleeve to feel the child's forehead. After a moment, she nodded, "He has a fever."
"A fever?" Madam Xu immediately became anxious, her arms outstretched to take the child.
Lady Zhang's face darkened, "Sit down, why are you panicking!"
"Mother, the child isn't even a month old yet..." Madam Xu looked at the child squirming and crying softly, large tears rolling down her cheeks.
The child wasn't a month old, and hadn't the new mother also not completed her month of confinement? Forget about being exposed to the wind, she had even been caught in the rain. Thinking this, Lady Zhang's heart softened, and her voice became gentler, "Don't worry. As soon as the rain stops, we'll leave. When we reach the county office, we'll use your father-in-law's name card to summon the best doctor in Yunbei to see little Anan."
