Lin Zhi took the medicine, glanced at it, and brought it to his nose to smell. "It's fine. The medicinal properties of ten-year-old Polygonum multiflorum are a bit weak, so we'll just add more medicine."
"That's good... that's good..."
Cai Qing breathed a sigh of relief, a relaxed smile on her face, relieved that she hadn't made a mistake.
It didn't matter if the ten-year-old Polygonum multiflorum was a bit weak, as long as it could be used.
"Then I'll go and brew the medicine now."
Wasting no more time, Cai Qing eagerly picked up the medicine and hurried out.
Lin Zhi watched Cai Qing's retreating back and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He never expected that Lu Shi, such a simple-minded and slow-witted person, would have a girl so devotedly following him.
Looking at himself, he was clearly handsome and talented, yet no girl was like that towards him.
Heaven was truly unfair... unfair!
After Cai Qing finished brewing the medicine, she quickly fed it to Lu Shi.
She didn't know when Lu Shi would wake up. He had already taken the medicine, but there was still no sign of him regaining consciousness.
Cai Qing stayed by his side until after midnight, when Lu Shi finally stirred slightly.
Lu Shi opened his eyes and saw Cai Qing by his bedside. His throat was extremely dry, and as soon as he made a sound, his throat felt a sharp pain.
The faint sound awakened the sleeping Cai Qing. She instinctively stood up, lifted her eyelids, and saw that Lu Shi had woken up.
"You're awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'll go call Doctor Lin right away!"
The joy in Cai Qing's eyes was unconcealable, and her voice was full of excitement. Without waiting for Lu Shi's reply, she hurried to call Lin Zhi to check on Lu Shi's condition.
As soon as she stood up, her wrist was grabbed by Lu Shi behind her.
"What is it?" Cai Qing turned around and asked, thinking Lu Shi was uncomfortable somewhere. She asked anxiously, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'll go call Doctor Lin right away..."
"I... I'm fine..."
Lu Shi forced out a few words with all his might, and the pain in his throat intensified.
"I want... want to drink... drink some water..."
"I'll go get it for you."
Knowing what Lu Shi wanted, Cai Qing quickly got up and brought a cup of water to feed him.
"Do you want to drink more?"
The dryness in his throat had lessened considerably. Lu Shi shook his head, "No, it's much better."
Their gazes met, and a moment of awkwardness filled the air.
Cai Qing quickly lowered her head. "Um... um, the Young General and the others were anxious to return to the capital, so they left first... You were seriously injured, and they were worried about further accidents on the road, so they found this residence for you to recuperate for a few days. You can return to the capital once your injuries have healed."
Lu Shi's eyes suddenly tightened. It must have been something very important for the Young General to choose to leave in advance.
With this thought, Lu Shi immediately became restless and tried to get out of bed, throwing aside the covers.
"What are you doing? You can't move around now! Don't you know how badly you're injured? Madam and Doctor Lin saved you all night and pulled you back from the brink of death!"
Cai Qing scolded him angrily, pushing Lu Shi back onto the bed. "Don't move around again. I'll go find Doctor Lin to examine you again."
Fearing that Lu Shi would run out again, Cai Qing closed the door behind her as she left.
She searched the entire courtyard and found Lin Zhi, then quickly grabbed him and left.
"Slow down. How can you be so strong for a young lady?"
"Doctor Lin, Lu Shi is awake. Hurry and come with me to see him."
Cai Qing said in a hurried tone, pulling Lin Zhi along and running forward, not daring to slacken her pace for a moment.
Upon arriving at the room, Cai Qing pulled Lin Zhi to Lu Shi's side. "Doctor Lin, please examine him quickly."
Lin Zhi placed his hand on Lu Shi's wrist, his expression faint, revealing no emotion.
"Doctor Lin, how is it? Is there anything wrong?" Cai Qing asked with a slight worry.
After a slight pause, Lin Zhi withdrew his hand. "It's fine, you're recovering well. You still need to rest for a few days. Avoid any strenuous activity for now. Your wound hasn't healed yet. If it splits open, I don't have Madam's skillful hands to stitch it up for you."
Upon hearing this, Cai Qing quickly told Lu Shi to lie down in bed. "Just listen to Doctor Lin. You should try not to get out of bed for the next two days. If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll get it for you."
"He just likes to scare people. I'm already much better."
"As you wish. If you don't listen, I can't do anything about it, but you'll have to bear the consequences. I'll be leaving now."
Lin Zhi casually dropped his words and stood up to leave.
Cai Qing, however, took Lin Zhi's words to heart and absolutely refused to let Lu Shi get out of bed.
"If you hadn't saved me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. Let me take care of you these few days. Only when you're better will I be at ease."
If Lu Shi had really met with an accident, she would have been tormented by guilt her entire life. Fortunately, Lu Shi was finally unharmed, and the heavy burden on her heart for days could finally be lifted.
"I was willing to save you. If something happened to you, I... I..."
He never regretted saving Cai Qing. As long as he could save Cai Qing, he would be willing to lose his life.
However, these words, when they reached his lips, he couldn't utter them.
"In short, it's good that you're alright."
After saying this, Lu Shi turned his head away, avoiding Cai Qing's gaze.
"Then you rest. I'll send a carrier pigeon to Madam to inform her that you're awake."
...
"Madam, please have some water and rest for a while. You still need to continue the journey."
Chu Qing handed a cup of warm water to Feng Jin. They had been traveling all day without any time to rest.
They only had the chance to get out of the carriage and move around for a short while during meal times. Sitting in the carriage the entire day made every bone in her body ache faintly.
Feng Jin ate a few bites of the biscuit and felt full. Perhaps it was because the dry biscuits were too filling, or perhaps she had been eating dry biscuits for days, which had completely ruined her appetite.
"Madam, you should eat more. There might not be a place to eat tonight."
Cai Qing handed over a piece of pastry, urging Feng Jin to eat more.
"I'm not eating anymore. I'll eat when I'm hungry."
After eating this for several consecutive days, she really had no appetite left. She simply couldn't eat these things anymore.
Especially as they got closer to the capital, she missed those delicious foods so much.
She hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, and her stomach had been neglected for a long time.
"You eat more. I'll go sleep in the carriage first."
The journey was constantly bumpy. She would be woken up shortly after falling asleep. Taking advantage of the brief pause before the carriage started moving, she had to catch up on sleep. Otherwise, once the carriage started moving again, she wouldn't be able to sleep.