Chapter 256: Chapter 238, Worry_1
Wangyue Academy.
After reading the letter from home, Yan Wenxiu was silent for a moment before he said to Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao, “Grandmother and the others are very worried about us.”
Yan Wenkai quickly asked, “Surely they’re not opposed to our going, are they?”
Yan Wenxiu shook his head, “That’s not the case, but they did instruct us to be extra careful. Father has even sent some of the Protectors from home to accompany us.”
Although Father did not say it explicitly, he also understood that even if they were with the Little Prince, and the Little Prince had his own bodyguards, in the event of danger, those bodyguards would only come to their aid after ensuring the Little Prince’s safety first.
By then, it might already be too late to rescue them at the optimal moment. Therefore, they couldn’t fully rely on the Little Prince for their personal safety.
The last time they went to Fenxi, Big Brother Dong and the others had all brought quite a few of their own men.
Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao exchanged a silent look.
Father (Uncle) might not often joke and laugh with them at home, but he truly cared about them.
“Oh, what’s this?”
Yan Wenkai pointed at the bundle in Qin Yong’s hands.
This time, Qin Yong was leading the team. Originally, Yan Zhigao wanted Qin Wu to come, but he had much to attend to on his end, so in the end, Qin Yong was sent over.
Qin Yong set the bundle down, “It’s some common medicines prepared by the eldest young lady for you three gentlemen. She also said, if the Little Prince and his people need any, you may share with them as appropriate.”
Yan Wenkai took a look and laughed, “Eldest sister is so considerate. I never even thought of preparing medicines.”
Yan Wenxiu also smiled. The last time they went to Fenxi, they hadn’t made any preparations at all, and had used whatever the Little Prince had for everything on the road.
This time, with their own preparations, they wouldn’t have to trouble the Little Prince anymore.
“Let’s go, let’s inform the Little Prince. I reckon we will be setting out in the next couple of days.”
…
Yan Residence.
After entering July, the sky had not seen any more rain, but it was getting hotter and hotter.
Such weather made Daohua somewhat anxious.
“What are you sighing about now?”
Zhou Jingwan walked into the Daohua Pavilion with her maid, feeling agitated by the recent scorching heat. Only a few bites of watermelon and grapes could soothe the restlessness in her heart.
Her favorite were the watermelons and grapes from Daohua’s place.
Oddly enough, her family had also planted watermelons and grapes, but she always felt they were not as tasty as those from Daohua’s.
Seeing it was Zhou Jingwan, Daohua laughed towards Guyu, “Didn’t you see Miss Zhou has arrived? Hurry up and chill a watermelon for her.”
By this time, Zhou Jingwan had approached, shaking Daohua’s arm, “You really understand me.”
Daohua saw the fine sweat on her forehead and shook her head, “With such hot weather, only you wouldn’t be too lazy to come out. If you’re craving watermelons from here, take more back with you this time.”
Zhou Jingwan fanned herself with her round fan while speaking, “It’s good to get out and about. I get so annoyed being cooped up all the time. By the way, I saw you sighing just now. Are you worried about Yan Big Brother and the others?”
Daohua nodded, “Big Brother and the others have been in Jiguang for over half a month now, I wonder when they will return?”
Zhou Jingwan seemed to take it in stride, laughing as she said, “When they’re supposed to come back, they will naturally come back. Besides, wasn’t it mentioned in their last letter that everything was fine after they arrived in Jiguang? What else do you have to worry about?”
Daohua shook her head and glanced at the burning sun overhead, anxiously saying, “But when the levee broke in Jiguang, didn’t many people drown? With the weather being so hot now, if the bodies aren’t dealt with properly, I’m afraid an epidemic might break out.”
Startled at first, Zhou Jingwan suddenly stood up, her eyes wide with alarm as she exclaimed, “An epidemic?! Are you certain?”
Seeing her raise her voice, Daohua immediately stood up and pulled her back to sit down, “Don’t shout, I’m just speculating wildly!”
Zhou Jingwan instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but still patted her chest with lingering fear, “You scared me to death. If an epidemic really broke out in Jiguang, then our brothers would be…”
At this point, Zhou Jingwan stopped abruptly and then spat ‘ptui ptui ptui’ a few times, “It definitely won’t happen, there definitely won’t be an epidemic.”
Daohua grabbed her hand, patting it reassuringly as she said, “I was just saying, look how frightened you’ve gotten.”
Zhou Jingwan replied, “How can I not be afraid? I’ve heard the elders in the residence say that if an epidemic really breaks out in a place, it would cause death across entire cities.”
Daohua’s heart tightened, and she couldn’t help swallowing nervously, “What you said is scaring me too.”
Just then, Guyu came carrying slices of watermelon.
Daohua quickly shifted focus, “Let’s eat the watermelon.”
Zhou Jingwan nodded, took a wet towel brought by Lixia to wipe her hands and then started eating the watermelon.
Both girls ate in silence, neither speaking, evidently the recent conversation had left them both unsettled, with worry visible on their faces.
…
In Jiguang Province, Xingyun Prefecture.
“Big brother, are you okay?”
Watching Yan Wenxiu who was so weakened by diarrhea, Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao were fraught with worry.
The Little Prince had already sent the Imperial Physician who was accompanying them to take a look. He had taken several prescriptions, but to no avail.
Yan Wenxiu offered a wry smile shaking his head, “I used to focus solely on my studies and neglected to toughen up my body. These recent outings have made me keenly aware of how important a good physique is.”
He wanted to lament further, but Yan Wenxiu felt another turmoil in his stomach and immediately clenched his teeth. With the help of the servant Qin Shisan, he staggered toward the latrine.
Seeing him like this, Yan Wenkai became so anxious that he started clutching at his head in distress.
Qin Yong said with a frown, “Third Master, Fourth Master, it won’t do for the eldest master to keep going like this. He will be completely worn down.”
Yan Wenkai said irritably, “I know it’s not good, but the Imperial Physician can’t solve it, what do you expect me to do?” With that, he pounded his hands together, “When we were younger, I should have made my brother exercise more, look how frail he is now.”
Suddenly, Yan Wentao thought of something. He ran back into the room and then came out with a package, “Let’s try the medicine our elder sister prepared for us.”
Yan Wenkai’s eyes lit up, only to dim quickly again, “The medicine prepared by our elder sister must have been bought from a pharmacy, can it really be more effective than the one prescribed by the Imperial Physician?”
Yan Wentao didn’t respond but rapidly opened the package. After rummaging through it, he found a porcelain bottle labeled ‘Anti-diarrhea Medicine’, “This should be for treating diarrhea. Let’s give it to big brother when he gets out.”
With no other options, Yan Wenkai decided to resort to treating a dead horse as if it were alive. After all, the worst that could happen with the medicine prepared by their elder sister was it wouldn’t cure the illness, but it wouldn’t make things worse.
Soon, the door to the latrine opened.
This time, Yan Wenxiu couldn’t even stand upright, his face was deathly pale, and he was carried out the entire way by Qin Shisan.
Seeing this, Yan Wenkai and Yan Wentao changed expressions then quickly surrounded him. One gave the medicine, the other gave water, and without further ado, they administered the medicine to Yan Wenxiu.