Chapter 60: Chapter
Mada Fu’s footsteps approached quickly, uneven with worry.
"Why hasn’t the dicine been brought yet?" she muttered, pushing aside the cabin flap. "What is taking so—"
Her words stopped short.
Her eyes landed on the bed, on Bia Ming lying pale and trembling, and on
seated beside her with my hand pressed to the girl’s burning forehead.
"Su Long?" Mada Fu asked softly, shock and concern flooding her face. "What is going on?"
"She has a fever," I said calmly, not looking away from Bia Ming. "I found her in the corner. She was freezing."
Mada Fu moved closer at once, her usual sharpness replaced by worry. She reached out, touching Bia Ming’s arm, then quickly pulled back when she felt the heat.
"Why didn’t anyone tell ?" she murmured.
"There was no ti," I replied. "I’m handling it."
Mada Fu studied
for a mont. Seeing my steady expression, she nodded. She did not argue.
"What do you need?"
"Hot water. Herbs. Clean cloths," I said. "And the girls."
Mada Fu turned imdiately. "Fu Li. Fu Fei. Co here."
The two sisters hurried over, their earlier argunt forgotten the mont they saw the situation.
"She has a fever," Mada Fu said. "You’ll help Su Long."
Both nodded at once.
Fu Sheng stood nearby, tense and helpless, stepping forward whenever needed, holding things, passing items, staying close to the bed.
We moved quickly.
Fu Li sorted through the herbs with practiced hands while Fu Fei poured water into the pot. Mada Fu added firewood to keep the flas steady. The cabin soon filled with the sharp, earthy sll of herbs boiling.
Bia Ming stirred on the bed, her brows knitting together.
"It’s hot..." she muttered weakly.
"I know," I said, wiping her forehead gently. "Bear with it."
When the herbal tea was ready, Fu Li poured it into a bowl. The liquid was dark and steaming.
I took the bowl and sat beside Bia Ming, lifting her carefully.
"Drink," I said.
She took one small sip.
The next second, she grimaced and slapped the bowl away. The liquid spilled across the floor.
"It’s bitter!" she snapped hoarsely, turning her face away. "I won’t drink it."
I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t get angry.
I simply looked at her.
"You will drink it," I said firmly. "Whether you like it or not."
She glared at
weakly. "I said no."
I leaned closer, my tone calm but leaving no room for refusal.
"This is dicine, not candy. If you don’t drink it, your fever will worsen."
I raised my hands slightly, demonstrating to her what will be done if she refused
one more ti.
Her lips trembled, whether from anger or weakness, it was hard to tell.
Fu Li and Fu Fei exchanged a quick glance.
Fu Fei leaned toward her sister and whispered, "We should prepare ourselves."
Fu Li nodded seriously. "When Sister-in-law says eat or drink sothing, arguing is useless."
Fu Fei sighed. "I’ll make sure I tell the boys too."
I took another bowl of the herbal tea and brought it back to Bia Ming’s lips.
"Drink," I repeated.
This ti, she hesitated. Then, slowly, she swallowed. Her face twisted at the taste, but she didn’t push it away again.
"That’s it," I said quietly. "All of it."
She drank, sip by bitter sip, her hands clenched tightly in the blanket. When it was finally done, she lay back, exhausted.
I wiped her lips gently and covered her properly.
"Rest," I said. "I’m not going anywhere."
Her breathing slowly evened out. It was as though everyone seed to sigh and exhale in unison.
Mada Fu was the first to stand up.
"Since she is much better, I’ll go join your father outside now. Call
if there’s anything."
She then looked at the girls, who imdiately went to get the blankets and dicines Su Long was ant to bring earlier. With everything gathered, they quietly left the cabin.
Soon after, the room fell silent.
I stood up slowly, the exhaustion finally catching up to . My legs felt weak, and before I could steady myself, Fu Sheng stepped closer.
"Careful," he said softly.
He slipped an arm around , his hand firm at my waist as he helped
up. I didn’t resist. I was too tired to pretend I was fine.
Together, we walked out of the cabin.
The cold night air brushed against my face as we stepped outside. The rest of the family was gathered around the fire, talking quietly. When they saw us, they made space without asking questions.
Fu Sheng guided
down to sit beside him. Only when I was settled did he loosen his hold, though he stayed close.
For a mont, neither of us spoke.
The fire crackled softly.
Then Fu Sheng turned to , his voice low and careful.
"Su Long," he asked, watching my face closely, "why did you do all that for her?"
"Huh?" I replied, though I had been expecting that question from at least one person.
"Even after everything she has done to you, you still decided to help her... why?" he asked again.
I smiled slightly and faced forward, my gaze fixed on the fire.
Yes, Bia Ming has been a nuisance since the beginning of all this, I thought. But I wouldn’t completely label her as a bad person. She’s just pitiful.
She married a fool and a scumbag and still had to call him her husband. And her in-laws—cruel and wicked to the core. If I were her, I would have directed all my hatred at them and made sure their lives were never peaceful.
Yet like every foolish side character, she attacked the wrong person instead, and that path only ever ends one way.
I turned back to Fu Sheng and finally answered him.
"Because she was sick," I said simply. "And because leaving her like that would have been wrong."
Fu Sheng stiffened.
For a mont, it was as if my words struck him in the chest. He stopped speaking, his gaze drifting forward, his expression unreadable.
It still felt strange to him, how different I was now from the person I used to be.
Just then, the boys ca running toward him, laughing loudly as they climbed over him and tugged at his clothes.
Fu Sheng frowned slightly. I could tell he was already fed up with the noise and wanted to tell them to behave, but he didn’t seem to know how to do it without sounding frightening.
So I spoke first.
"Enough," I said calmly.
The boys froze at once.
"Go sit with Fu Li and Fu Fei," I added. "No more running around."
They nodded quickly and rushed off without another word.
I let out a small laugh.
When I looked back at Fu Sheng, I noticed sothing unexpected.
The corner of his lips had lifted—just a little.
He was smiling.
I stared at him, surprised. I had seen him blush, get angry, and even look afraid, but never laugh.
"Oh?" I said teasingly. "So you can smile."
He imdiately turned his face away. "I wasn’t smiling."
I laughed softly. "You were."
He didn’t respond, but the faint curve of his lips lingered.
I laughed softly, still watching the boys as they ran around the fire. Their voices blended into the night, lively and carefree.
And then, suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.
Who is the boys’ mother?
If I rembered correctly from the script, their mother was barely ntioned. They weren’t Su Long’s children, that much I knew. But the story never really went deep into the male lead’s past. Whatever backstory he had, I didn’t know it clearly.
The thought lingered.
Without thinking too much, I turned to Fu Sheng.
"Tell
about the boys’ mother," I asked casually.
The reaction was imdiate.
Master Fu paused mid-motion. Mada Fu stiffened. Fu Tong, Fu Teng, Fu Fei, Fu Li everyone turned to look at
at once, their faces frozen as if I had just spoken a forbidden word.
Fu Li reacted first. She quickly reached out and covered the boys’ ears, her movents were fast.
Mada Fu recovered next. Her expression changed as she stood up at once.
"That’s enough for tonight," she said firmly. "It’s ti for the children to sleep."
Fu Li nodded quickly, not daring to question her. She bent down, lifted the boys into her arms, and carried them away without another word.
The laughter faded and silence settled heavily over the group.
I sat there, suddenly aware that I had stepped on sothing sensitive, sothing no one wanted to touch.
Fu Sheng didn’t look at . His gaze stayed fixed on the fire, his expression unreadable, his jaw tight.
Only then did I realize, I had asked a question no one was ready to answer.
"Umm it’s late for us as well.. Ma! i and Fu Tong will carry father inside to rest, he even looks sleepy." Fu Teng said as Fu Tong nodded at her words.
They both imdiately carried Master Fu inside, and Fu Tong and the girls quickly cleared the place and ran in as well, leaving only Fu Sheng and
behind.
"Oh boy... curiosity truly kills the cat."
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