Chapter 463 – The First Winter (10)
The two remained silent, with only the biting wind and the sound of horse hooves striking the ground around them.
With the city gate wide open and no pedestrians on the street, she rode straight to the county government office.
With a swift motion, she pulled the person off the horse. Big White, quite intelligent, made its way to the young servant, glaring down at him with disdain.
The young servant, feeling the pressure, reached out to grab Big White’s reins and led it toward the stable.
Jiang Pengji had a clear path and entered her room in the backyard of the county office, calling out as she passed.
“Go fetch the Young Doctor!”
There were no divine doctors in Xiangyang County, but they later hired a few, and Jiang Pengji even allocated a clinic for them.
They could take on apprentices, serve as in-house doctors, rotate shifts, and the operation model was somewhat like a hospital.
These Young Doctors were all hired at high salaries by Jiang Pengji, and the entire clinic was part of the county’s operations.
The Young Doctors worked for the government, earning high wages; only a few of them would go out to make house calls. The Common People would come to them when they were sick, making this system more efficient than the Young Doctors visiting the households.
Upon hearing this, the county office sent someone to fetch the Young Doctor who was on duty today.
Jiang Pengji kicked the fan door open, placed Wei Ci on the bed, and then lit several coal basins, quickly warming up the room.
Ta Xue rushed in at the sound of the wind, almost being scared away by the unfamiliar man on Jiang Pengji’s bed.
Stammering, she asked, “Young Master… who is this…?”
“A friend I met while hunting today; he’s very ill,” Jiang Pengji said dismissively. “Go get some hot water and prepare clean, warm clothes…”
Although Wei Ci was thin, his frame was still that of a standard man, broader than Jiang Pengji.
But right now, he was so thin that he could barely squeeze into Jiang Pengji’s clothes.
After a while, the Young Doctor on duty, sweating profusely, rushed in with his medical box.
First, he paid his respects to Jiang Pengji, then sat down and took Wei Ci’s pulse.
The Young Doctors Jiang Pengji had hired were quite skilled and worthy of the salaries she paid.
In just a moment, the Young Doctor figured out Wei Ci’s condition.
“Is he going to die?” Jiang Pengji asked.
Wei Ci, feigning unconsciousness, felt his brow twitch but still dared not open his eyes.
The Young Doctor paused his hand that stroked his beard, chuckling softly, “No. Looking at the pulse, this Young Master has a cold constitution. After being seriously ill before, he left some aftereffects. Furthermore, he has been overworked, mentally and physically exhausted, without proper rest. Now that he’s seriously ill again, it’s actually a blessing in disguise, drawing out the hidden ailments. Thus, while his condition seems dire, with good care, he may actually become healthier than before.”
Jiang Pengji asked, “How should he be cared for?”
The Young Doctor opened a prescription, detailing the various medicinal herbs, and emphasized key points to pay attention to.
“As the saying goes, dietary supplements are better than medicinal ones. Once the Young Master recovers, appropriate medicinal meals can be used to condition his body.”
Medicines can be toxic; currently, Wei Ci couldn’t withstand any major turmoil.
Jiang Pengji replied, “Dietary supplements are good; they can also help him gain some weight.”
She sent someone to the clinic to fetch the medicine, while the Maidservant brought in several basins of hot water.
Suddenly, the audience in the live stream had an ominous premonition.
With a crack, the screen went dark—no, they shut the live stream down.
The viewers were left bewildered, while Jiang Pengji reached to Wei Ci’s waist, preparing to pull off his belt.
“You—” Wei Ci couldn’t hold back any longer, suddenly opening his eyes.
He raised his hand to stop her, but even speaking was laborious, let alone stopping Jiang Pengji.
“Relax, who’d find that little figure of yours appealing?” Jiang Pengji sneered. “This is the inner courtyard; aside from me, there are no other men around. Do you plan to have the other Maidservants help you clean up? That would require my consent, right? Tsk, who knew you had such thoughts…”
Despite being this thin, he was still a grown man; ordinary Maidservants wouldn’t be able to assist him, or else she wouldn’t move a muscle.
Wei Ci’s face flushed with irritation, “I don’t have—”
“Mm, I know. Don’t move around,” Jiang Pengji said without even blinking, swiftly stripping away his clothing and helping him sit up against herself, using a warm, wrung out cloth to wipe him down…
Seeing his upper body, Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but sigh; indeed, he was as skinny as a skeleton, each rib easily visible…
With warm water for wiping and fresh clothes, this was much warmer; who knows how long it would take to warm up by just lying in the quilt.
Jiang Pengji had a sharp tongue, saying, “Good thing you can still talk. Otherwise, I would have thought you were a corpse.”
The warmth of his skin was shockingly low; although not as icy as a corpse, it was still quite chilling.
Wei Ci was very embarrassed and annoyed, deciding to just close his eyes and let her dress him in a new undergarment and a thick woolen shirt. Compared to the bone-chilling cold he felt earlier, he slowly started to feel warmth, and he could begin to sense his limbs once more.
After a while, with two basins of hot water replaced, Wei Ci’s pale face finally flushed with color.
Seeing this reaction, Jiang Pengji crossed her arms and said, “Why are you so shy? Let’s be real, your physique is nothing to brag about; you’re as thin as a stick. Do you think I’d do anything to you? You don’t need to look all wronged like a little wife being harassed…”
Looking so pitiful, making her seem like a beast.
“Young Master, the medicine is ready,” Ta Xue’s voice came from outside.
Jiang Pengji, sitting by the edge of the bed, lifted her head when she heard and said lightly, “Come in.”
After a glance, she unfolded a set of bedding that was stacked at the side of the bed and covered Wei Ci with an extra layer.
With two thick blankets over him, Wei Ci almost struggled to breathe.
“Don’t sit up. Just turn slightly to the side to drink the medicine. Otherwise, you’ll be hot and cold, which might worsen your condition.”
Ta Xue entered the room and noticed Jiang Pengji still maintaining her indifferent expression while the unfamiliar Young Master wore an expression of embarrassment and anger.
Wei Ci smelled the medicine’s scent, realizing it was the right remedy for his illness. He closed his eyes and gulped it down, no matter how bitter it was.
Slowly sipping the medicine, Wei Ci looked up and saw Jiang Pengji sitting by the bed, her head down, with piles of paperwork beside her.
From the evening until nightfall, she hadn’t paid any attention to him, which secretly relieved him and made things less awkward.
At candlelight time, Ta Xue came over to ask if a new set of bedding was needed.
Jiang Pengji said, “No need.”
Wei Ci had taken a nap in the afternoon and still felt a bit groggy, his thoughts sluggish.
Just as he processed this, he nearly gasped in cold sweat, “You…”
Jiang Pengji squinted her eyes slightly and asked him with a smile, “Aren’t you my strategist?”
Wei Ci replied, “That is indeed my intention.”
“To show respect, isn’t there a common custom of sharing a bed to signify trust?”
Jiang Pengji whispered this in his ear, leaving Wei Ci’s body stiff.
She had no idea that a bed could be this cold.
“You’ve been lying there for an entire afternoon, and you’re still this cold?”
Wei Ci suppressed his emotions and asked her, “What exactly do you want to do?”
“I originally wanted to snuggle under the covers, but who knew you’d lie there for an entire afternoon and still be this cold—” Jiang Pengji shot Wei Ci a reproachful look, leaving him speechless. She continued, “Don’t be so tense. Let’s be honest; right now, you’re just a sickly patient. Even if you were healthy, what could you possibly do to me? Make sure you sleep well; otherwise, I don’t want to wake up to find that I’ve killed someone.”
Wei Ci remained silent for a long while, finally saying, “One must heed the words of the people.”
Jiang Pengji scoffed coldly, “Would I care about that?”
