"Maaa! We have to do something, Tha-that Lin Xu is making so much money from selling meat. Now that she's left our Lu family, she is doing so well... Ma! It's not fair."
Li Fei complained as Aunt Lu just sighed, "What am I supposed to do, if only your idiot brother had remembered the color of the lamb then we would have teached her a very good lesson."
"Ma, I can't take it anymore.. that plan you made up, we have to do it now.. I can't stand seeing them so happy. It's not my fault, that little brat Mo Yuen tricked me." Lu Fong complained as His sister agreed along with him.
"In that case then OKAY! We'll finally let Lin Xu Know who's boss."
***
Upon arriving home, I quickly got started with making dinner. Thanks to the lamps the house brightened up more.
I cooked the remaining Lamb meat and Served with white rice and some vegetables as side dishes.
Yan Mei left quite early and with her gone I could now go into the mountain to hunt for more animals.
With the help of my gun, I was able to catch a white lamb these time, with three rabbits.
By the time I dragged the animals into the yard, my back felt like it had been split in two. I let out a tired breath, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
"Mama? Are you back?" Mo Yuen came running out, his eyes widening when he saw the lamb and rabbits lying on the ground.
"Yes," I said, forcing a small smile. "Today was a good hunt."
He looked at me for a long moment, his little brows furrowed in worry. "Mama… I wish I was strong enough. If I was stronger, I could go into the mountain with you. I could protect you and help you carry things. Then you wouldn't have to work so hard all by yourself."
My chest ached a little at his words. I crouched down and cupped his cheek, looking into his eyes. "Silly boy… you're already helping me more than you know. Just being by my side, helping me sell food, and taking care of your brother and sister that's a lot."
He bit his lip. "But it's not enough. One day, I'll become strong enough to take care of you and my siblings. You won't have to do everything alone."
I smiled warmly and pinched his cheek. "And I believe you will. One day you'll grow taller, your arms will be strong, and you'll be able to carry twice what I can. But for now… let me be the strong one. Alright?"
Mo Yuen's eyes lit up and he nodded hard. "Alright, Mama!"
Just then, the door creaked open and Yiling came running out, her face pale with panic.
"Mama! Mama!" she cried, stumbling toward us.
"What is it?" I asked quickly, my heart dropping.
"It's Bao Bao, he's heating up! His body is burning hot!"
My heart tightened. Without a second thought, I rushed inside. Bao Bao was lying on the bed, his tiny face flushed red, sweat beading across his forehead. My hands shook as I touched him. He was burning up.
"Yan Mei isn't here… what do I do?" I muttered before scooping him up in my arms. "Stay with him, both of you! I'll bring Physician Li."
Without wasting another moment, I ran down the street to Physician Li's home, my breath coming out sharp and heavy.
He answered the door, surprised to see me in such a state. "Miss Lin, what brings you here at this time of the night?"
"Physician Li! Please, it's Bao Bao, he has a high fever again! Please come quickly!"
His face grew serious, and he grabbed his medicine bag without a word. Together, we hurried back to the house.
I laid Bao Bao carefully on the bed as Physician Li checked his pulse. His brows furrowed slightly before he asked,
"Has he been taking the medicine I gave last time?"
"Yes," I answered quickly. "Not a single dose has been missed. I've been making sure of it."
Physician Li gave a firm nod. "Good. Then it's not about the medicine. His body is still weak, and with this sudden cold weather, he caught the chill. That's why his fever came."
My heart tightened. "What should I do?"
He reached into his box, pulling out a packet of herbs. "Boil this now and feed it to him warm. After that, keep him in a hot place. Burn charcoal in a brazier and place it in his room but not too close. He needs warmth to drive the cold out of his body."
"Alright," I said quickly, already moving to prepare water.
Mo Yuen hurried to fetch firewood while I boiled the herbs, the bitter smell filling the small house. When it was ready, I cooled it slightly and fed Bao Bao little sips. He frowned but obediently drank, his small face pale against my arm.
Physician Li watched carefully. "Good. Now, burn the charcoal. Make sure his room stays warm through the night. He mustn't be exposed to cold air."
"Yes, I'll do that," I promised.
He packed away his things, then looked at me seriously. "Stay with him tonight. If his fever rises too high, send for me again. But with this, he should begin to sweat, and the fever will ease."
After he left, I set a brazier in the room and lit the charcoal, the faint glow filling the space with warmth. I sat beside Bao Bao, dabbing his forehead with a cloth as Yiling and Mo Yuen helped by fanning the fire carefully.
All through the night I was awake, making sure Bao Bao was taken care off and thankfully around 3 in the morning, his fever has already subsided.
The kids fell asleep as they got really tired form fanning the brazier so I carried them both to the bed to sleep.
Sigh! Being a mother was truly something else.
..
The next morning, Yan Mei came and I told her about all that had happened and she took it upon herself to take good care of Bao Bao while I went out to sell the braised meat.
In the morning, Physician Li would come to check on him before leaving and he came all through the following week until Bao Bao got better.
"He's much better now, thankfully so far he stays away from cold places.. he won't get sick again anytime soon." Physician Li informed me as he packed his things ready to leave.
"Thank you sir!" Bao Bao said innocently as physician Li patted his head softly. He then got up and left, leaving us alone.
Before I could escort him out, suddenly a beep sound was heard.
[ Attention! Attention! Initial Plot Loading! ]
A tab appeared from no where taking me by surprise, "Susu? What is going on?"
Before I could receive an answer, the door suddenly bashed in and making their way in was Aunt Lu, Uncle Lu, Village Chief Yan and an unfamiliar looking woman.
"See! I knew they were having an affair!"