Xiao Man woke up after ten days of unconsciousness. The General's mansion was bustling with people. Xiao Zhen's face, which had been cold for days, finally showed joy. He repeatedly questioned the doctor, only relaxing when he confirmed Xiao Man was fine.
Wen Mohan came to visit every day. Watching the unconscious Xiao Man, his heart was filled with torment. Upon learning Xiao Man had woken up, he rushed to the General's mansion to see her.
"Man'er, you're finally awake. If you hadn't woken up, we wouldn't have known what to do." Wen Mohan's gaze fell on Xiao Man's pale face, his expression full of heartache. "Look at you, you've lost so much weight from being ill."
Xiao Man touched her face. "It's nothing. It'll fill out in a few days. I heard from the maids that you came to visit every day. Thank you."
"It's good that you're alright."
"You, when did you become so weak? You never used to get sick. Now you've been in a coma for ten days, and Uncle Xiao was almost frantic," Chu Qingge muttered from the side. "If your brother saw you like this, he'd be heartbroken."
Xiao Man smiled. "It was just a common cold."
"A common cold made you this ill? You're too delicate," Chu Qingge pouted. Although she knew there were many untold stories, she didn't want to expose them. After all, they were family secrets, and revealing them would be a joke.
When Qiu Tong brought the medicine, Wen Mohan took it voluntarily. Chu Qingge helped Xiao Man to sit up. "I remember you hated taking medicine as a child. They used to put a lot of sugar in it to make you take it. Did they put sugar in this?"
"Sugar reduces the efficacy of the medicine. Doctor Ye didn't allow it."
Chu Qingge frowned, snatched the medicine bowl from Wen Mohan's hand, and brought it to Xiao Man's lips. "Sister Xiao, there's no sugar, so you'll have to bear with it. Drink it all in one go!"
Xiao Man smiled weakly, took the bowl, and downed it in one gulp. Her brows furrowed at the bitterness. Suddenly, a preserved fruit was placed in her mouth, its sweet and sour taste immediately dispelling the bitterness.
"I saw a fruit stall on the way here and bought some preserved fruits. It seems they've come in handy," Wen Mohan said with a gentle smile. "Have another one."
"Thank you," Xiao Man said with a smile.
"Young Master Wen is truly thoughtful. Whoever becomes your wife will surely be very happy," Chu Qingge exclaimed.
Wen Mohan secretly glanced at Xiao Man, but Xiao Man's eyes were fixed on the preserved fruits in his hand. He quickly offered them to Xiao Man, letting her choose her favorite.
Since Xiao Man was sensitive to cold and had just woken up, she couldn't get out of bed. Xiao Xiang also stayed in Shui Yue Xiao Zhu. Xiao Man suggested they play Pai Gow together.
Yin Zhu and Qiu Tong set up a table by the bed, added two stoves, and wrapped Xiao Man in a thick cloak to prevent her from feeling cold. The four of them then started playing Pai Gow.
"I'm a bit short on cash lately, so it's perfect to win some money to spend," Chu Qingge said, rubbing her hands excitedly.
"Sister Chu is short on money?"
"Of course, I am. I'm not like you, with the General and your brother subsidizing you. You never lack money. I'm very short on cash," Chu Qingge said while shuffling the cards. "Young Master Wen also has money, so you two should lose some to me."
"I... I don't have much money..." Xiao Xiang said softly.
"Play with confidence. If you lose, it's on me!" Xiao Man said with a gentle smile, pushing half of the silver coins beside her towards Xiao Xiang.
"This... how can I?"
"Your sister has money, so play without worry. Lose more to me!" Chu Qingge said happily, patting Xiao Xiang's shoulder. "Lose until your sister feels heartbroken."
Xiao Xiang smiled shyly. The four of them had started playing, but things didn't go as planned. The more Chu Qingge tried to win, the more she lost. Conversely, Xiao Man won a lot of silver.
"Man'er has such good luck."
"You're not bad either. I didn't expect you to be so skilled at Pai Gow."
Wen Mohan smiled and played a card. "I know many things. You'll find out slowly."
Xiao Man immediately took the card Wen Mohan played. "I heard the chronicles are being recompiled, and you are the person in charge."
"Yes, the old chronicles were unbearable, so I petitioned His Majesty to recompile them, and he appointed me as the chief compiler," Wen Mohan said softly. "Much has been written already. I'll tell you when it's finished."
"My brother is also participating in this compilation. I heard my father say that compiling chronicles is not a good job. If one is not careful, one could anger the king and lose their head."
"If you're afraid of death, you're not qualified to compile history," Wen Mohan said calmly. "Excuse me, I've won."
"Ah, you won again!" Chu Qingge glared at Xiao Man mournfully. "Sister Xiao, Young Master Wen is handsome and gentle, but you can't always feed him cards!"
Xiao Man looked at Chu Qingge with disdain. "Look closely, it's you feeding him cards, not me. Besides, I've also won."
"What?" Chu Qingge was about to cry. Looking at her shrinking purse and the piles of silver next to Xiao Man and Wen Mohan, she desperately wanted to win it back.
"I think I've also won," Xiao Xiang said softly. Chu Qingge looked at her and was utterly helpless. "No, I need to switch seats. Young Master Wen, you switch with me. You two sitting together must be up to something!"
Wen Mohan calmly switched seats with Chu Qingge. However, the unlucky Chu Qingge, after countless seat changes, didn't win a single hand and lost all her money.
"Miss, His Highness Prince Qi and His Highness Prince Chu have arrived."
As soon as the words fell, Nangong Yi barged in and saw the four of them gathered around the table playing Pai Gow. "Xiao Man, I heard you were very seriously ill. Very seriously, indeed, and here you are playing Pai Gow!"
A smile appeared on Xiao Man's pale face. "It's boring lying in bed, so I decided to play a game with them."
Nangong Yi quickly came closer. "I want to play too."
"Your Highness Prince Qi, please sit here," Xiao Xiang immediately got up and offered her seat. Nangong Yi sat down without hesitation and pushed the cards away. "I am a seasoned veteran on the gambling table. Today, I will win all your money!"
"Your Highness Prince Chu, would you like to play?" Chu Qingge asked Nangong Yan.
"I'm not very good at this. I'll just watch you play," Nangong Yan said gently. "I didn't expect that Eldest Miss, not only are you skilled at polo, but you're also good at Pai Gow."
"Third Brother, Xiao Man knows many things. She used to follow me to casinos and never lost!" Nangong Yi said while drawing cards. "Wen Mohan, if we team up, we can definitely beat Xiao Man!"
Wen Mohan said without looking up, "Man'er, shall we team up?"
A brilliant smile curved Xiao Man's lips. "If we team up, won't it be a bit of bullying?"
"No."