The moon was high in the sky, and the small courtyard of the Pei family was in a flurry of activity.
People were boiling medicine, taking care of the wounded, and preparing dinner. Everyone was bustling in and out, with not a single idle moment.
Doctor Gong first went to check Ye Geng's injuries.
As the saying goes, the older, the wiser.
Doctor Gong took out his silver needles and pricked several acupoints on Ye Geng's head, then supplemented it with moxibustion.
Before long, Ye Geng woke up.
He was lying in bed, the wound on the back of his head throbbing, but his eyes were clear.
Jiang Yuniang fed him half a bowl of hot water. Ye Geng seemed to regain some energy. He grabbed Jiang Yuniang's hand and said, "Sorry to make you worry."
Jiang Yuniang's eyes were red. She stroked Ye Geng's face and said, "Don't talk. Take a rest."
Sister Qin was being held by Uncle Ye and babbling, "Die... Die..."
Jiang Yuniang gently coaxed Sister Qin, "Our dear sister is worried about daddy. Daddy needs to rest. Sister Qin should be good and don't bother him."
She looked up at her father - in - law and said, "Father, I'll take care of Dalang here. You take Sister Qin to the other room to rest."
Uncle Ye said okay. He asked Doctor Gong about Ye Geng's injuries again. After confirming that it was just a bruise and there was no damage to the brain, he finally felt relieved and carried his granddaughter out.
For the convenience of treatment, Ye Geng and Pei Xia, the two seriously injured, were lying in the east wing.
The others were in Pei Li's room.
Doctor Gong examined Pei Xia's injuries. Twirling his goatee, he said, "You're really lucky, kid. The deepest wound is just two fingers below your heart. But the wound has been treated quite well."
Pei Xia's clothes were stained with blood. To prevent the wound from getting inflamed, Qi Jiao had already made a simple treatment before Doctor Gong came - she used scissors to cut off the fabric on Pei Xia's body and wiped and disinfected the wound with cotton wool dipped in liquor.
Doctor Gong used a lot of force to stop the bleeding. After applying the golden sore medicine, he wrapped several thick layers of bandages around Pei Xia's wound with his dexterous hands.
Doctor Gong exerted so much force that even though Pei Xia was very tough, he didn't utter a single sound, but fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Pei Xia was quickly wrapped like half a mummy, and it was so tight that he could hardly breathe.
Qi Jiao felt both heart - ache and amused when she saw this.
Doctor Gong instructed Qi Jiao, "Just leave it like this for today. Loosen the bandage a bit after the wound recovers a little."
Qi Jiao quickly agreed and thanked Doctor Gong profusely, "We had no choice but to invite you here tonight and disturb your good sleep. Don't leave in a hurry later. There's some midnight snack prepared in the kitchen."
Doctor Gong had been soundly sleeping in his quilt when Pei Li half - invited and half - dragged him here to save the injured.
He was an old man, and his sleep had been interrupted.
It had to be said that Doctor Gong was a bit grumpy when he came.
But when he heard what Qi Jiao said, he immediately beamed, "Sure, sure."
Who didn't know that Jiao Niang was an excellent cook!
Doctor Gong had only tasted Jiao Niang's dishes a few times, but the taste was unforgettable.
Doctor Gong walked briskly to check on the other injured.
Qi Jiao couldn't help laughing. She turned around and wrung out a handkerchief to wipe Pei Xia's face.
The warm touch was like Qi Jiao's boneless hands. Pei Xia was leaning on the big pillow. His face looked weak due to blood loss, but his eyes were as bright as stars.
He said hoarsely, "Jiao Niang, hug me."
Qi Jiao felt a pang of tenderness in her heart. She put down the handkerchief, leaned beside Pei Xia, avoided the wound, and gently pulled him into her arms, stroking his ink - black hair one by one.
Pei Xia buried his head in Qi Jiao's chest. Smelling the orchid - like and osmanthus - like fragrance on her body, he finally relaxed, and the pain seemed to ease a lot.
Apart from Ye Geng and Pei Xia, the other young men who participated in the fight were all injured to varying degrees.
Under Doctor Gong's guidance, Pei Li applied medicine to each of them one by one.
Among them, a young boy had a dislocated arm. He was grimacing in pain and crying as he asked Doctor Gong, "It hurts so much! Doctor, am I going to die?"
Doctor Gong walked up to him and said impatiently, "Don't worry. You won't die!"
Then he grabbed the dislocated arm and with a click, the joint was back in place.
The boy: "..."
Over there, Pei Jin and Huier quickly boiled the medicine. After Ye Geng and Pei Xia took the medicine, they fell into a deep sleep.
Qi Jiao took Leng Yao to prepare the midnight snack.
There were many people at night, and most of them were injured, so it was not suitable to eat heavy - flavored food.
Qi Jiao made cucumber, egg and shrimp ball soup, green vegetable and tofu casserole, blanched seaweed, garlic sprout fried with dried tofu, and also cooked a big pot of fragrant chicken and mushroom porridge.
When the injured smelled the aroma of the food, they even forgot about the pain for a moment.
Both Qi Jiao and Leng Yao were very capable. With the help of Aunt Zheng and Mrs. Cai and her daughter - in - law, the meals were served on the table in less than half an hour.
Like a whirlwind, soon, only empty plates and bowls were left on the table.
Everyone had a satisfied smile on their faces.
Doctor Gong even drank two taels of wine and couldn't help humming a tune.
Tang Guiniang and Aunt Ye cleaned up. It was too late and the night road was not safe. It was better for these young men who came to help to stay overnight.
Doctor Gong was also left behind.
Everyone was tired and went to rest. It was a peaceful night.
The next day, Qi Jiao woke up early.
Since Ye Geng was staying in the east wing, she had slept with Pei Jin last night.
Qi Jiao got up, washed briefly, and then went to find Tang Guiniang.
Tang Guiniang had also just got up.
She put down the comb and said, "Jiao Niang, why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Qi Jiao smiled and said, "I'm here to discuss something with you, mother."
Many people had come to help yesterday.
If it hadn't been for Qu Si and the others, they didn't know what the final situation would have been. It was really scary.
Out of gratitude and propriety, they had to thank these people properly.
Tang Guiniang naturally understood what she meant. After discussing for a while, the two of them decided to give each helper ten taels of silver, two bottles of olive oil, and two jars of locust flower honey.
In the countryside, oil and sugar were precious things.
There were no less than twenty young men who came to help, plus Doctor Gong. This would cost several hundred taels of silver.
It was only because the Pei family was doing well now. Jiao Niang had led everyone to earn a lot of money. Otherwise, the Pei family wouldn't have had the financial resources to give out these things.
On the one hand, Qi Jiao was grateful to the villagers who had helped. She felt that these things were not enough to express her gratitude, but she couldn't give too much at once. She had to match the family's economic situation.
On the other hand, she marked all these expenses down on Fu Chengyi's account.
That damned Seventh Young Master Fu.
Over there, Seventh Young Master Fu suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Who is scolding me?"
His elder sister, Mrs. Fu, teased him, "You must have owed someone a debt somewhere and are being scolded."
Seventh Young Master Fu said, "You're right. I've been away from Jiao Niang's restaurant for these days to avoid trouble. I don't know how they are doing." Nostalgia appeared on his face.
When Mrs. Fu heard this, she thought he had fallen in love with Jiao Niang. She angrily poked his head and said, "Jiao Niang is smart and capable. She already has a husband. You mustn't be so wayward."
Seventh Young Master Fu was stunned. When he reacted, he said speechlessly, "Sister, what are you thinking? I'm not thinking about Jiao Niang!"
Mrs. Fu smiled and said, "Last time I sent someone to give them five hundred taels of silver, but they refused. It shows that Jiao Niang and her husband are very kind and honest. You should remember their kindness well. When you regain your family property, you can repay them."
When it came to the Fu family, which was constantly in internal strife, a deep hatred and pain flashed in Seventh Young Master Fu's eyes. "Of course."