After Qin Chuqin and Qin Ziyu were sent to the Qin residence, the Qin family sent out a large number of people overnight to look for Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua.
Except for Zhao Rou, who needed to comfort the frightened Qin Ziyu, the rest of the people in the Qin family's third house did not sleep all night, waiting anxiously for news.
When the sky started to light up, the housekeeper hurried in from outside.
Qin Chuqin went up to him: "How is it?"
"Miss, Master, Mistress, Young Master and Young Mistress have not been found yet."
Hearing this, Qin's third wife could no longer sit still. She stood up from her chair and anxiously walked up to the housekeeper: "What about the Dali Temple? Do they have any news?"
The housekeeper shook his head: "No."
"It's been a whole night, so many people went out to search and they still haven't found Chuyuan and them. What should we do, dear? Could something dangerous have happened to them?"
Qin's third master waved his hand at the housekeeper to signal him to withdraw, while reassuring his wife, "That won't happen. Xiaohua is by his side, she will definitely protect Chuyuan." Though he reassured his wife with his words, he was also extremely worried himself.
"I hope so. She's shown some conscience this time, knowing to immediately jump down after Chuyuan to save him."
Soon after, Zhao Rou came in from outside and paid her respects to the couple: "Father, Mother."
"Sister-in-law." Qin Chuqin and Zhao Rou greeted each other.
"Rou'er, no need to be so courteous. How is Ziyu?" As soon as she saw Zhao Rou come in, Qin's third wife quickly asked about Qin Ziyu's condition. She had been worried about Chuyuan all night and hadn't paid much attention to her grandson's condition.
"Don't worry, Mother. Ziyu is fine, he was just a little frightened. He fell asleep at the hour of zi last night. He's still sleeping now."
"That's good to hear. It was also hard on the child to see such a scene, yet he didn't cry when he came back, instead he kept asking if his uncle and auntie had come back."
"Last night before falling asleep he kept asking if his uncle and auntie were back yet! Mother, is there any news about Chuyuan and Xiaohua?"
"No, not yet."
Seeing the exhausted faces of her father- and mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Zhao Rou said, "Father, Mother, and sister, you've also been waiting here all night. Please go rest first, I'll stand guard here. If there's any news, I'll notify you right away."
They had waited up all night. It was indeed too strenuous for their elderly bodies. Qin's third wife turned to look at Qin Chuqin and saw that her daughter's face was also ghastly pale: "Chuqin, let's go rest together. Your sister-in-law can stand guard here first."
"All right." There was no use standing here, it would be better to conserve her energy so she could take care of them more diligently when they returned. She still believed that with Xiaohua's abilities she would definitely bring Chuyuan back safely.
Later, after Gong Xiaohua and Qin Chuyuan safely returned to the residence, Qin Chuqin became even more attentive towards Gong Xiaohua, much to Qin Chuyuan's speechless resignation. Sister, there really is no need to be like this!
That night, due to the infection in his wounds, Qin Chuyuan developed a high fever. Gong Xiaohua kept him company the entire night, continuously applying physical cooling treatments until his fever finally broke at dawn.
When Qin Chuyuan awoke, what he saw was Gong Xiaohua leaning against a maple tree, her left leg bent at the knee with her left elbow propped upon it supporting her left cheek. She was sleeping peacefully.
The morning autumn sun shone on her fair and smooth face like jade. A wisp of black hair by her temple blew gently over her face in the breeze. At that moment, he only wished that time would stand still and the peace would remain eternal.
Perhaps sensing an intense gaze on her, Gong Xiaohua opened her eyes to see Qin Chuyuan attempting to sit up.
"Let me help you, don't use too much strength for now, be careful not to tear your wound open again." She said as she came to Qin Chuyuan's side and supported him to the maple tree she had been leaning against earlier.
"I cooked some fish soup, eat a little to pad your stomach and warm yourself up."
Qin Chuyuan looked puzzledly at Gong Xiaohua: "This place is desolate without any villages nearby, where did you get the cookware from?"
"Last night while you were sleeping, I went to hunt some game and happened to come by a temporary cottage, probably used by hunters for temporary lodging. I found some spices and cookware there that I borrowed."
"I see."
Gong Xiaohua used an earthen bowl to serve some of the fish soup. The thick white fish soup had been cooked for some time and she had added a little salt, some wild ginger and vegetables that she had found in the mountains. It looked appetizing.
Qin Chuyuan accepted the fish soup and slowly drank it. The aroma and lingering fragrance of the fish soup as it entered his mouth was like a gentle spring breeze caressing his face, warming his entire body and making him feel exceptionally comfortable.
"The fish soup you made not only doesn't have any fishy smell but is savory as well. We also loved that potted meat you sent to the Qin residence before. Mother especially still often has the housekeeper get more from your cousin's shop. I didn't expect you to be so skilled at other cuisines too."
"I just spent some time and effort experimenting with some unique flavors, it's nothing worth boasting about."
"Don't be so modest. Your cousin's potted meat shop is now one of the most famous snacks shops in Daye. You taught him those skills, didn't you? For the food to be loved by most people in Daye, those are not mundane skills."
It wasn't really because her skills were good. She had merely researched some unique gourmet dishes in modern times. Being praised for her cooking skills now felt like a beautiful misunderstanding. But she couldn't clarify that so she changed the subject, "Hurry up and drink, after we clean up I'll support you to that cottage over there to rest. I'll try going down the mountain to see if there are any nearby villages. Let's get back as soon as possible."
"Going back so soon?" Qin Chuyuan murmured.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. Don't trouble yourself, I've cultivated a group of skilled intelligence gatherers. They should be able to find us today."
"You really are not as simple a young master as you appear on the surface. I want to ask, with the obvious assassination attempt yesterday, is your Qin family involved in the struggle for the Crown Prince's position?"
"You really are clever. You could say the Qin family is involved, you could also say we're not involved at all."
"What do you mean?"
"The Qin family has stood for a hundred years precisely because we never participate in the struggle for the Crown Prince's position. However, because my father is exceptionally learned and disinterested in court politics, His Majesty granted him the role of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. So even though our family, or at least we three houses, have never been involved in any factional struggles, in the eyes of others we would still seem to be aligned with the Crown Prince's party at the minimum." Qin Chuyuan frowned.
"Your house really has endless troubles."
"I'm sorry to have implicated all of you."
"I don't want to get involved in your court affairs, but if it affects and harms my family and my uncle, I hope you can arrange for them to withdraw ahead of time. They are just ordinary low-ranking officials and commoners, don't let this calamity reach them."
"Don't worry. If it comes to that, I will naturally arrange a way out for them. What about you then?"
"As Daye's general, how could I fear death? Of course I won't just stay in place waiting to die either."
"I believe you don't fear death of course, but still, I hope that if the situation really turns against us, you can live well and help me take care of Mother and the others. With you there, I'll feel reassured."
Hearing Qin Chuyuan's words that sounded as if making final arrangements, Gong Xiaohua felt very uneasy: "They should still rely on you to take care of them."
In the late morning, people did come to find them as expected. The arrivals were all dressed in black with fierce devil masks, concealing their true appearances.
"We are late serving you, Master. Please punish us."
"All rise."
"Thank you Master."
"Xiaohua, these are the people I secretly cultivated to gather intelligence throughout most of Daye. Not even my grandfather knows about them. From today onward, you are also their master."
