"Whoa," the carriage suddenly halted, nearly sending Ling Qingyu head over heels. She rubbed her nose as she got up, then opened the curtain and asked, "Zheng Xi, what happened?"
Zheng Xi, while calming the horse, pointed to a small figure lying in front of the carriage and said, "This kid suddenly darted out from the side. Miss, you weren't startled, were you?"
"Ye'er, you little rascal, where are you running to!" The small figure on the ground was still struggling to get up when a tall, stout woman, brandishing a cleaver, chased after him.
Ling Qingyu looked at the woman, then at the steamed bun clutched in the grimy little hand. She got out of the carriage, pulled a handful of copper coins from her purse, and as the stout woman rushed over, she said, "Sister, I'll pay for the bun he took. Would you please let him go?"
The address "Sister" stopped the stout woman in her tracks, and the handful of copper coins made her face light up with a smile. She said, "You are truly a kind person, Miss. But you must be careful not to get mixed up with people like him. This little rascal has been lurking around here for days; he's no good."
Ling Qingyu smiled as she saw the stout woman off, then turned to look at the small figure. He wasn't very old, perhaps seven or eight, dressed in rags, but his dark, grimy face held a pair of clear, bright eyes.
"Sister," the child hesitated, calling out. Ling Qingyu raised her hand to stop his next words, poured some copper coins from her purse, then, after a thought, placed the entire purse into the child's hand and said, "Sister isn't rich either, so use these sparingly."
Then she immediately got back into the carriage and gestured for Zheng Xi to drive off. If she stayed any longer, she might give in to her conscience and take him in, but given her current situation, it was best to avoid people of unknown origin and refrain from interfering in injustices. She couldn't even protect herself, let alone save others.
The child clutched Ling Qingyu's purse, which still carried her scent, blinking his eyes. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He had seen that carriage before. He heard it belonged to a family that had recently moved in, and during idle chatter, the gossiping women had disdainfully mentioned that it was a female-headed household.
It was early summer, and the morning dew still carried a hint of coolness. A sliver of dawn light peeked over the horizon, casting a hazy glow over the courtyard.
Ling Qingyu stretched, took three deep breaths, letting the fresh air fill her lungs, then did a few stretches, preparing to begin her standing meditation.
In her previous life, she was busy with various hobbies and sports during her school years. After work, she was constantly rushing to earn money. She had also attended Tai Chi and Five Animal Play classes with her best friend, but they all ended prematurely.
The only thing she remembered was this standing meditation. Since coming here, she had been busy with various situations, but yesterday she finally made some progress, so Ling Qingyu decided to start exercising properly. After all, going to sea required a healthy and strong body.
She assumed the posture, knees slightly bent, hips lowered. Ling Qingyu searched her memory for the correct stance, slowly drawing in her abdomen and raising her qi, allowing it to circulate. Just as she entered the state, she heard a creak at the gate, followed by soft crying.
Ling Qingyu ignored it and continued to raise her qi, but the crying grew louder, accompanied by sobs. After a few rounds, Ling Qingyu finally couldn't resist. She walked to the gate and opened it.
The small courtyard Ling Qingyu bought was originally the residence of an outside steward for a wealthy family. Because he had to follow his master to Guangzhou, it was sold quickly and at a low price. It was located in a commoner's gathering area on the east side of Quanzhou, surrounded mostly by well-off families.
This courtyard was at the end of an alley, a solitary house that was very quiet. However, the downside of the quiet was that if someone collapsed outside the gate, no one else would know.
Ling Qingyu looked speechlessly at the two people outside the gate. A young man lay on the ground, unconscious, while a ragged child was crying over him.
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft; it was just loud enough for Ling Qingyu inside to hear, but too quiet for anyone in other courtyards twenty meters away to hear.
Ling Qingyu's first instinct was to close the door and go home, but the child was faster than her. He pounced forward, hugging her leg, and cried, "Sister, kind Sister, please have mercy and save my brother!"
Ling Qingyu's eyelid twitched. Seeing the child about to burst into loud sobs, she felt her head ache. Indeed, it was true that one shouldn't be too kind.
Zheng Xi, hearing the commotion outside, hastily threw on an outer garment and rushed out from the east wing. He saw his young mistress being hugged by a child who was crying so sorrowfully, and his mind began to conjure up all sorts of possibilities.
Ling Qingyu saw Zheng Xi's stunned expression and snapped, "Come help! Help me move this fellow inside, don't let anyone see!"
She had Zheng Xi move the unconscious young man from the ground into the west wing, then kicked the little brat into the courtyard. She peered outside the gate; both sides were silent, with no one in sight or sound. Only then did she close the door, lead the little brat to the west wing, and sit down grandly in a chair, leaving the little brat on the floor. Just as she was about to speak—
"Sister, please take pity on us. My brother and I were robbed by bandits on the road, and my brother was injured. We have no money and are stranded here, but I'm too young to even find work. Sister, I can do chores, anything for a meal."
The child rattled off, then crawled to the young man Zheng Xi had placed on the bed, wiped him thoroughly with his sleeve, and continued, "Sister, do you want to find a husband? Look, my brother is very handsome. Many sisters wanted to marry him before, but he refused them all.
As long as you can cure him, I guarantee he will be a willing son-in-law for you, working without complaint."
Ling Qingyu was speechless by his string of words. Seeing Zheng Xi's gaze, full of knowing mischief, she quickly coughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense! When did I ever say I wanted to find a husband?!"
"I heard the old lady selling buns on the street say that independent female-headed households either find a husband or… that other warehouse thing," the child said, lowering his head.
"You little rascal, what nonsense are you spouting!" It was Zheng Xi who was angered. He was about to slap him, but Ling Qingyu blocked his hand and gently shook her head.
Seeing Zheng Xi's and Ling Qingyu's expressions, the child knew he had said the wrong thing. He figured this family probably wouldn't take them in now. His face darkened, and he said, "I understand. I'll take my brother and leave now. I'm sorry for troubling you, Sister. I'll repay you for the buns."
"Wait," with a quick glance, Ling Qingyu could see that the young man's face was as pale as paper, and his already grimy clothes had several dark bloodstains. If they delayed any longer, he would truly become a corpse.
"Room and board, and I'll pay for his medical treatment. I'll buy you two for ten years, how about it?" Ling Qingyu's words delighted the child but made Zheng Xi inwardly grumble. "Miss is really good at saving money! Nowadays, hiring a servant costs 500 cash a month. This is for two, so ten years would be hundreds of taels of silver, wouldn't it?"
"Zheng Xi, go find a doctor," Ling Qingyu said, ignoring Zheng Xi's gaze.
"No," a weak voice came from the half-dead young man on the bed. He struggled to sit up but fell back down powerlessly, urgently saying, "You can't find a doctor, Ye'er."
"Brother, you're awake!" The child joyfully pounced beside him, his hand reaching to touch his forehead, blocking the young man's words.
Ling Qingyu's face darkened again. This, it didn't look like a good situation at all. There was a conspiracy, a hidden agenda!
"Hmm?" Ling Qingyu drew out the sound, then sat back in the chair, watching the little brat at her leisure. She watched until the little brat felt uneasy, then he lowered his head and whispered, "My family was harmed by villains.
Big Brother Lu took me to escape. We are hiding from pursuers here. Sister, please save Big Brother. We won't cause you any trouble. If there's trouble, you can just hand me over to them."
"Ye'er!" the young man said urgently.
"If Big Brother Lu dies, what will I do alone?" The little brat held the young man down, looked up, his eyes clear, and said, "My surname is Ye, and I am the eleventh in my family. This is Lu Yao, the son of my father's good friend."
Ling Qingyu didn't know whether she should feel empathy or the urge to run from trouble. She was in an internal struggle when she heard Zheng Xi say beside her, "Miss, the ship needs sailors, a cook, and laborers."
Ling Qingyu rubbed her forehead. Then, on second thought, it was true. Even if these two had enemies, they could take them out to sea in a month. Once out, it would be smooth sailing. And she would conveniently have two grateful subordinates to use.
It's just this physique, Ling Qingyu's gaze swept over the boy's thin body, Ye Shiyi's small frame, with a look of disdain.
This little fellow can only help her serve tea and water.
If the boy really isn't good for anything else, maybe she can train him to be a helmsman?
"Miss, if you don't treat this young master Lu soon, you might lose one of your sailors," Zheng Xi's voice rang out again.
Seeing Ling Qingyu glare at him in annoyance, he added, "If we can't use an outside doctor, Boss Ding has a ship's doctor who won't talk nonsense."
Ling Qingyu stood up and walked out the door, pulling a hundred-tael silver note from the small pouch on her chest.
She turned back and handed it to Zheng Xi, saying, "Go invite that ship's doctor and buy some medicine.
Bring some ginseng and such too; we'll need it on the ship anyway."
Zheng Xi took the silver note, a wave of emotion welling up in his heart.
Throughout their journey, the young lady had been so frugal, saving money to the point of not even employing a maid, managing everything herself.
Yet, for a stranger, she was willing to spend an amount equivalent to this small courtyard.
The young lady was indeed still the kind and lovely young lady she used to be.
Watching Zheng Xi scurry out the door, Ling Qingyu led Ye Shiyi to the kitchen and said, "I don't care what your previous status was; since you've sold yourself to me, you'll do your job properly.
First, boil some hot water.
See that side room next to it?
There's a wooden tub in there; carry the water into it."
Leaving Ye Shiyi in the kitchen, Ling Qingyu turned back to the west wing.
She tore open the boy's clothes and pulled them off.
The clothes must have been made of good material; the tearing sound was crisp, and they felt very smooth to the touch.
However, Ling Qingyu had no time to consider the fabric, nor did she notice Lu Yao's face turning green.
Her attention was completely drawn to the crisscrossing scars on his naked body, and she couldn't help but gasp.
There were more than a dozen scars on his body; some were so deep they revealed bone, and the flesh that had peeled open had already begun to rot, oozing pus and blood.
Fortunately, the wounds had all avoided vital areas, and there were also traces of medicine having been applied.
Otherwise, he would have bled to death.
Ling Qingyu couldn't help but exclaim, "You're so rotten, how are you still alive!"
Lu Yao had been holding on by a thread, but being stripped naked by this woman and then hearing such a remark, he couldn't catch his breath and fainted.
Ling Qingyu was about to check the other injuries on his body when she smelled a burning odor.
Saying, "Oh no!" she rushed out of the west wing and indeed saw thick smoke rising from the kitchen.
By the time Zheng Xi returned to the courtyard with the ship's doctor, the courtyard was a mess.
Half of the kitchen door was burned, water was everywhere in the courtyard, and Ling Qingyu stood with her hands on her hips, scolding Ye Shiyi.
"I told you to make a fire, and you burned my kitchen.
I told you to carry water, and you flooded my courtyard.
I told you to take a bath, and you overturned the tub.
Ye Shiyi, are you actually here to get revenge on me!"
Zheng Xi and the ship's doctor ignored the courtyard and went directly into the west wing, where they saw Lu Yao lying naked on the bed.
His upper body had already been cleaned, and on a nearby chair, there was a basin of water with a cloth draped over its edge.
The ship's doctor said nothing and immediately began his examination.
"You go in there and take a bath properly, by yourself, understand?" Ling Qingyu said, finally relieved that Zheng Xi had brought the doctor in.
"Before, Xiao Tao always helped me wash," Ye Shiyi said in a small voice, head bowed.
"That was before.
Now you need to learn to be self-reliant, understand!" Ling Qingyu said fiercely.
"Mm, I'll learn," Ye Shiyi looked up, his delicate features, now clean, showing a pitiful expression.
He said, "Sister, you won't abandon me, will you?"
A handsome young boy embryo speaking in such a soft, pleading tone immediately softened Ling Qingyu's almost forty-year-old auntie heart.
Thinking that since the doctor was here, there was nothing for her to do with Lu Yao, she softened her voice and said, "I'll teach you how to wash this time, but from now on, you'll have to wash yourself."
"Mm."
"Shi Yi, how old are you?" Ling Qingyu asked casually as she wiped off the muddy water from Ye Shiyi's back.
"Seven years old," Ye Shiyi sat honestly in the wooden tub, allowing Ling Qingyu to clean him.
He was so dirty.
Although Lu Yao's body was covered in wounds, he wasn't this dirty.
But as the grime was washed away, a fair and tender body, like fine white jade, appeared before her.
His skin was delicate and fair, soft and smooth to the touch, feeling better than the finest silk satin.
Coupled with his shiny black hair and exquisite, almost inhuman features, Ling Qingyu paused and asked, "Did you deliberately put so much mud on yourself?"
"When we were being chased, someone said they wanted to catch me to be a catamite.
Big Brother Lu said that wasn't a good thing, so I thought if I made myself muddy, no one would recognize me, and they wouldn't catch me to be a catamite," Ye Shiyi yawned and said, "After we got here, no one was willing to take us in, so we had to stay in that broken temple.
I originally wanted to beg for some money to treat Big Brother Lu's illness, but no one paid attention to me.
These past few days, only you, Sister, have paid attention to me, so tonight, I moved Big Brother Lu here."
Ling Qingyu felt her heart touched by the child's gentle voice.
She picked up the freshly washed and fragrant Ye Shiyi from the tub, dried him off, and seeing that the child's eyes were almost closing, she wrapped him in a bath towel and walked towards the main house, coaxing him, "You sleep first.
Don't go out during this time.
Once we go out to sea, you won't have to fear the people who are chasing you."
The main house had three rooms.
The middle one was the hall, and Ling Qingyu lived in the right one.
Recalling that Lu Yao was seriously ill and Ye Shiyi was just a child, there was no need to be too particular, so she placed Ye Shiyi on the bed in the left room.
Fortunately, the steward of the original wealthy family had left in a hurry, taking some bedding and furniture with him, which Ling Qingyu bought for a little extra money.
The bedding had all been washed clean by the neighborhood laundress and dried in the sun.
After all, he was only a seven-year-old child; Ye Shiyi fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, clutching the quilt.
Ling Qingyu closed the door for him and went to the west wing to check on Lu Yao's condition.
"Fortunately, no vital points were injured, and the medicine he applied himself was excellent hemostatic powder.
Otherwise, after a few days' delay like this, he would have died long ago," the ship's doctor said while writing a prescription.
"I'll leave some topical medicine.
You buy a few more doses of these.
He's still young; with good recuperation, he'll recover very quickly."
"Thank you, Old Shi," Zheng Xi said, taking the prescription and expressing his gratitude.
"It's nothing big, I know, I won't say anything," the ship's doctor suddenly leaned close to Zheng Xi and said, "Last night, I heard that Boss Ding is preparing to go to sea again.
I wonder if the ship still needs a doctor?"
"A doctor is definitely needed, but whether you, old sir, can get on the ship, you'll have to ask Boss Ding," Zheng Xi said, stepping back.
Shi Fang's medical skills were excellent, but he was too fond of alcohol, and his drinking habits were bad.
Eight out of ten days he would be drunk.
Once, after he drank all the cargo on the ship, no one dared to hire him anymore.
"Got it, got it," Shi Fang took the consultation fee, waved his hand, and then returned a bow to Ling Qingyu, who was bowing deeply at the doorway.
He swayed out, carrying his medicine chest.
"Well, I'm going to get the medicine now," Zheng Xi said, taking the prescription and leaving.
Ling Qingyu looked at Lu Yao, who was wrapped up like a zongzi on the bed, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Compared to Ye Shiyi, Lu Yao's appearance was very upright: thick eyebrows and large eyes, very heroic.
It was just that now he was so bundled up that only his head was exposed, and he looked truly comical.
Lu Yao was woken up by the doctor's torment.
First, alcohol was sprayed on his wounds, then some deeper wounds were directly stitched, and then a layer of excruciatingly painful ointment was applied.
Finally, when Shi Fang forcefully bandaged him, Lu Yao felt like he had lost all sensation.
So, when he saw Ling Qingyu enter, Lu Yao merely fluttered his eyelids, too weak to say anything.
But Ling Qingyu didn't need him to speak.
She stood by the bed, observed him thoroughly, and then said, "Ye Shiyi is already asleep.
You should also rest well for now.
When Zheng Xi buys the medicine and breakfast and comes back, I'll call you.
Don't worry, since Ye Shiyi has sold both of you to me, you are now my people.
I will do my best to protect your safety.
Mm, I won't let anyone catch Ye Shiyi or you to be catamites."