Yun Qinghuan was awakened by her mother-in-law, Liu Yuzhi. She groggily opened her eyes to find her mother-in-law anxiously placing her hand on Yun Qinghuan’s forehead. “Qinghuan, how do you feel now? The fever on your forehead has subsided a bit. I had the doctor come and prescribe more medicine for you. It’s already brewed; go ahead and drink it while it’s hot. The sooner you finish it, the better.”
Only then did Yun Qinghuan notice that it was already completely dark outside, and she had no idea how long she had been asleep.
Upon waking up, she was a bit disoriented, unsure of her surroundings.
When she realized she had transmigrated, a trace of desolation flickered in her eyes. “Mom.”
She spoke, and her voice sounded hoarse, as if her throat was on fire, causing her intense pain.
She had no strength in her entire body.
Liu Yuzhi saw her struggle to sit up and, with a furrowed brow, helped her into a sitting position. She then brought over the dark herbal medicine she had prepared. “It’s still a bit hot, be careful not to burn yourself.”
Looking at the murky herbal medicine, Yun Qinghuan froze, revealing a pained expression.
She wasn’t eager to drink it; she despised bitter tastes the most!
Liu Yuzhi couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction, feeling relieved. When she had called the doctor earlier, Yun Qinghuan wouldn’t wake up no matter how much she called. It was only when she felt her forehead, burning hot, that she realized something was wrong. Fearing that her daughter-in-law might develop complications due to the fever, she had been anxiously using warm water-soaked towels to cool her down.
Her grandson, An’an, seemed to sense that his mother was unwell and had been sitting by her side, refusing to leave.
Seeing Yun Qinghuan’s expression now, Liu Yuzhi playfully took out a piece of candy from her pocket. “Don’t worry about the bitterness; Mom prepared a candy for you. Even An An doesn’t have one. After you swallow the medicine, have the candy, and it won’t taste bitter at all.”
Her tone was gentle, as if soothing a child.
Yun Qinghuan was momentarily stunned, pursing her lips. Glancing at the candy in Liu Yuzhi’s hand, she took it out of her pocket with great care. The wrapper had faded a bit from being kept for so long. She handed it to herself with a smile, radiating warmth and affection.
Beside her, An An saw the candy in his grandmother’s hand and couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, but he refrained from asking.
His mom was sick, and Grandma said she would give Mom some good food to nourish her.
He loved milk candies the most, thinking they were the best in the world. If Mom eats milk candies, she’ll surely get better quickly.
Yun Qinghuan felt a slight soreness in her eyes. She smiled, took the medicine bowl from Liu Yuzhi’s hands, and suddenly felt that the dark herbal medicine wasn’t as bitter as before.
“Mom, I’ll drink.”
After speaking, she bravely took a sip directly, and as soon as the medicine reached her mouth, her little face twisted in discomfort.
Too bitter!
Liu Yuzhi chuckled, “After drinking, you’ll get better.”
While saying this, she peeled off the candy wrapper and quickly stuffed it into Yun Qinghuan’s mouth. “Doesn’t it taste better now?”
Yun Qinghuan hesitated for a moment. There was a rich milky fragrance in her mouth, sweet and delightful, instantly overpowering the bitterness of the medicine.
Honestly, she had eaten many candies sweeter than this milk candy. However, at this moment, she felt that this milk candy was sweeter than any she had ever had, to the point where her heart felt warm.
Seeing the little dirty fellow staring at her eating the milk candy, Yun Qinghuan finally couldn’t help but show a relaxed smile.
Perhaps, in this era, apart from being a bit poor and going through hardships, things weren’t that bad.
“Mom, it’s not bitter anymore.”
Liu Yuzhi saw her take the medicine and smiled, “Good, are you hungry now? I’ll bring your meal over while it’s still hot.”
Yun Qinghuan only now realized how hungry she was; her stomach was rumbling loudly.
Moreover, since the death of Bai Wensong, the original host hadn’t eaten much these past few days, feeling uncomfortable due to hunger.
She not only heard her own stomach growling but also the little fellow’s beside her.
“Mom, have you eaten? You don’t need to bring it over. I just woke up, so I’ll go eat with you.”
“Alright.”
Liu Yuzhi nodded, handing her clothes over. “Then tidy up a bit, and we’ll go eat together later.”
As they left, Yun Qinghuan dressed herself. The little dirty fellow beside her watched eagerly, his eyes fixed on her, blinking as if afraid she would disappear.
Yun Qinghuan couldn’t help but smile and gestured to him, “An An, come over here.”
The little guy moved a bit but didn’t walk towards her. Instead, he opened his big eyes, looking at her warily.
Yun Qinghuan felt a pang in her heart as he stared at her. She then remembered that the original host had been in a low mood these days since Bai Wensong’s death. With the grandmother taking care of her and An An, managing the eldest son’s funeral affairs, and the sudden return of the younger son with an injury, a series of busy events left her without the energy to pay attention to the original host’s emotions.
So, the original host vented her frustration on An An, blaming him for everything. If it weren’t for him wanting to eat bird eggs, her husband wouldn’t have indulged him by going up the mountain to try his luck, possibly falling off the cliff and dying.
In short, the original host harbored a lot of resentment, feeling that her son had caused the death of her husband, and she directed her anger towards An An.
An An, being young and not understanding many things, felt wronged and scared when scolded by his suddenly affectionate mother. When Yun Qinghuan suddenly asked him to come over, he showed a vigilant look.
Thinking about all this, coupled with the child’s desire to get close yet not daring to, Yun Qinghuan suddenly thought of herself as a child isolated in the orphanage, wanting to play with others but afraid of being bullied, softening her heart. She beckoned to An An, trying to appear friendly, “An An, can you come over and help Mommy get dressed? It seems the illness hasn’t completely gone away; my hands can’t be lifted.”
As she spoke, she made exaggerated movements as if putting on clothes was particularly difficult.
An An became worried all of a sudden. Regardless of potential scolding from his mother, he quickly ran over, “Mommy, I’ll help you get dressed.”
Clumsily, he handed the clothes to Yun Qinghuan.
Yun Qinghuan suppressed a smile and, following his movements, managed to put on the clothes. Seeing the small handprints he left on her clothes, she wasn’t as repulsed anymore.
After dressing, the little guy, very considerate, brought her shoes over and placed them neatly under the bed, “Mommy, wear shoes.”
Once everything was settled, Yun Qinghuan couldn’t resist patting his little head, “An An is amazing. Without you, Mommy wouldn’t know how long it would take to get dressed.”
The little guy blushed when praised, unable to contain a suppressed smile. Even his dirty little face revealed a sudden flush.
Yun Qinghuan pretended not to notice his excitement but felt considerably more at ease in her heart.
Taking his hand, she walked outside.
Perhaps she could try to guide this child onto the right path. After all, he seemed not to have a bad nature, and with his Uncle Bai Naihan around, even if she eventually left this family, as long as she could teach the child well, he wouldn’t suffer the miserable fate depicted in the original story.
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Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 25 (12am GMT + 1)
«There’ll be extra chapters for Christmas, stay tuned! ^^
Hopefully, there’ll also be advance chapters after Christmas bonus chapter updates 🌸»
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