Cu Huan, who hadn't slept for a day and a night, was sound asleep in the swaying carriage. When the carriage jolted, her left hand slowly slid off her lower abdomen. Half - awake, Cu Huan raised her hand and hugged the slender waist of the person beside her.
Tsk tsk, Miss Wei's waist seems to have gotten a bit thicker, and it's firmer than before.
Cu Huan thought to herself, still half - asleep without opening her eyes. She nuzzled into the person's arms and fell into a deeper sleep with her face pressed against a warm arm.
Luo Xunlong looked at the woman beside him in surprise. Her face was tinged with a shy blush, and her long, narrow eyes stared without blinking, filled with joy and excitement.
Miss Cu Huan is really beautiful!
Her skin was as delicate as porcelain, with willow - leaf eyebrows, thick fan - like eyelashes, a small and upturned nose, and well - defined lips that were naturally red. Her natural and unadorned face was truly beautiful.
Luo Xunlong stared at Cu Huan's face lovingly, not daring to even breathe loudly for fear of disturbing the beauty's dream.
But there was a commotion outside.
Wei Dongling saw a mother and son lying in the field not far away. She quickly reined in the horse and stopped the carriage.
The carriage jolted violently, and Cu Huan, who was sound asleep inside, almost rolled out.
Luo Xunlong was quick - eyed and grabbed her in time. Cu Huan fell into his arms, pulling at the wound on his chest. He let out a pained grunt.
Cu Huan woke up with a start and was stunned to find herself in Luo Xunlong's arms. She quickly shrank back. Seeing Luo Xunlong coughing non - stop, she was worried.
Wei Dongling covered her face with a black cloth and gently jumped out of the carriage, walking towards the mother and son.
The woman had a turban around her head and was listless, slumped on the ground and vomiting from time to time. The little boy beside her was only about three years old, with an abnormally red face and looking sickly.
Seeing this scene, Wei Dongling felt a pang in her heart.
When the woman saw someone coming, she pleaded repeatedly, "Kind - hearted person, please save my child! We haven't eaten for three days."
"Wait here." Wei Dongling turned back to the carriage to get some steamed buns and medicinal herbs and stuffed them into the woman's hands.
The woman gave the steamed buns to the child and struggled to kowtow to Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling quickly helped her up and asked worriedly, "Where's your home? I'll go and boil the medicine for you."
The woman nodded repeatedly and led Wei Dongling towards a village in the distance.
The woman took them to a blue - tiled house. Cu Huan parked the carriage in the yard and followed them inside.
Old Master Lin helped to build a fire and boil the medicine.
Wei Dongling looked around inside and out. There really wasn't a single grain of rice in the woman's house.
Looking at the mother and son gobbling up the steamed buns, Wei Dongling asked, "Is there no one else in your family?"
Hearing this, the woman's eyes dimmed. She replied, "All the men in our Wangjia Village were taken to the tea - picking farm to work. Later, the tea mountain collapsed, and none of them came back alive."
It was the tea - picking farm of the Zhao family!
Wei Dongling and Cu Huan glanced at each other, feeling extremely sad.
The woman then continued, "This year, the heavy rain washed away the crops, and there was no harvest in the fields. We really had no choice. The child's grandmother passed away from a fever a few days ago."
Wei Dongling asked, "Doesn't the government care?"
The woman replied with tears in her eyes, "How can they care? The village said that disaster - relief grain was distributed, but we still had to buy it with silver. Medicine is even more expensive. A small packet of medicine costs five taels of silver. How can us common people afford it?"
Wei Dongling was secretly shocked. Medicine was so expensive? What would these villagers do if they got a fever or diarrhea?
The woman ate two steamed buns and saved the rest for her child. She groped towards the water tank to scoop up water to feed the child.
Wei Dongling said anxiously, "Raw water is not clean. How can you feed it to the child?"
The woman stood there holding the gourd ladle, looking blankly at her.
Wei Dongling took out her water bag, poured a bowl of water for her to feed the child, and reminded her, "The epidemic is serious, and the water source is severely polluted. All raw water must be boiled before drinking."
The woman nodded blankly and took the bowl of water to feed the child.
Wei Dongling asked the woman about the location of the village head's house. Then she took Cu Huan and Old Master Lin, picked up a bag of rice and some medicinal herbs, and went there.
The village head of Wangjia Village was an old man. Seeing the grain and medicinal herbs they brought, he was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. He bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
Wei Dongling asked him to gather the villagers and distribute the grain and medicine on the spot. Looking at the sickly old people, women, and children, they all felt uncomfortable.
While distributing the rice and medicine, Cu Huan and the others publicized to the villagers: To avoid infection, raw water should not be drunk. It must be boiled first.
A bag of grain was distributed to dozens of households, and each family couldn't get much on average. Judging from this situation, it wouldn't last for many days.
Wei Dongling was secretly anxious. Cu Huan said to her, "Let's make a few more trips to the capital and bring more supplies."
Wei Dongling nodded and said, "Let's go and meet up with Lord Shen and the others first. This matter in the village must be reported to the court."
The villagers who had received the rice and medicine dispersed one after another.
Village Head Wang got up to see Wei Dongling and the others off. Looking at the remaining grain and medicine on the carriage, he felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to keep more.
Wei Dongling shook her head and refused, "We have to rush to the north of the county town to meet up. Don't worry, sir. After the situation in the village is reported to the court in time, all the problems will be solved."
The old village head's eyes were filled with tears, and he didn't say anything more.
The group got into the carriage and headed north. Wei Dongling took out half a chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf and handed it to Cu Huan, who was driving the carriage. "We've all eaten. You were sleeping soundly, and we didn't have the heart to wake you up."
Cu Huan nodded and took big bites of the chicken with the steamed buns.
Halfway through eating, a group of villagers suddenly emerged from the side of the road and blocked the way of the carriage. Cu Huan reined in the horse and stopped the carriage, shouting, "What are you doing?"
The group of villagers surrounded the carriage, their eyes red with anxiety. Someone shouted angrily, "Why did Wangjia Village get the grain and medicine, but we didn't?"
Cu Huan bowed and said, "The medicinal herbs are limited. We can't deliver them to everyone. But we will immediately report the disaster situation here to the court, and we will help solve everyone's problems!"
The crowd didn't listen at all. A group of people surrounded the carriage and pushed it, insisting that Cu Huan hand over the grain and medicinal herbs.
Cu Huan struck a man who was trying to lift the curtain of the carriage, angrily saying, "You scoundrels want to rob us, don't you?"
The man staggered and fell to the ground. Immediately, he cried out loudly, "Ouch, my leg! My leg is broken! Everyone, come and judge. They're beating people!"
It seemed that these people were trying to be rascals. Wei Dongling in the carriage was angry. Just as she was about to lift the curtain and get out, Luo Xunlong grabbed her and jumped out of the carriage before her. He roared, "Get out of here!"
The people who were surrounding and tugging at Cu Huan were stunned. They saw a tall man get out of the carriage, looking fierce as he drew out the long knife from the scabbard.