Chapter 139

Chapter 139

"Uncle," Minghe called out.

Hearing the voice, Xiao Yu's unfocused gaze concentrated on Minghe's face.

Minghe asked, "Uncle, why are you spacing out?"

Yue Niang looked concerned, "Your complexion doesn't look good. Are you feeling unwell?"

Pei Yanli immediately took Xiao Yu's wrist to check his pulse.

The chaotic images in his mind were fleeting, and Xiao Yu couldn't grasp any of them. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he felt normal now and reassured them, "I'm fine, just got a bit dazed. Don't worry."

Pei Yanli, unable to diagnose anything specific, suggested, "Let's see a doctor when we get back."

Xiao Yu nodded and then turned to ask Danzi and Ya Ya how they were.

Danzi said, "Brother protected me, I'm fine."

"He protected me too," Ya Ya looked at Minghe, "Thank you, Minghe brother."

Danzi also remembered to thank Minghe.

"I'm your brother, it's my duty to protect you," Minghe proudly declared, patting his chest.

Xiao Yu smiled.

Xiao Zhongzi and the others felt extremely guilty.

Xiao Yu reassured them, "Xiao Zhongzi, it's alright. Minghe only has a bruise on his forehead, a little ointment will do when we get back. Besides, if you hadn't controlled your strength in time, Minghe could have been more seriously injured."

That was true.

When someone bumped into Xiao Zhongzi and the others, they were already unstable, but when they saw the rack falling towards Minghe, Danzi, and Ya Ya, they braced themselves, causing the rack to only lightly hit Minghe's head. Otherwise, the consequences could have been much worse.

"Did you twist your ankle?" Xiao Yu noticed Xiao Zhongzi's foot.

Xiao Zhongzi checked his foot and quickly replied, "It's nothing, really nothing."

Xiao Yu pointed nearby and said, "There's a clinic over there. Go see the doctor and get some medicine first."

"No need, no need," Xiao Zhong hastily said.

Xiao Yu insisted firmly, "Go and have a look, I'll pay for it. Rest well when you get back."

Grateful for Xiao Yu's kindness and understanding, especially given his lowly status, Xiao Zhongzi went to the clinic nearby.

The quarreling outside had also ceased at this time.

Xiao Yu asked, "Is it resolved?"

Grandma Yu, holding Cong Ge'er, came from outside and said, "The constables came to mediate. It was just a trivial matter, but everyone was making a big fuss."

Yue Niang remarked, "People here really aren't as good as those in our Shuiqing Alley."

Xiao Yu chuckled, "It's the same everywhere. There are good people and frictions in every place."

Yue Niang thought about it and realized it was true, so she said no more.

"Alright, let's move the antique shelf inside. We'll have a meal together and then open for business tomorrow," Xiao Yu suggested.

And so, this small interlude passed.

After lunch, Xiao Yu and his group returned to the palace.

Pei Yanli took Xiao Yu straight to the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Seeing Xiao Yu looking normal, Physician Yan asked, "What seems to be the issue with Xiao Ziqing?"

Pei Yanli asked Xiao Yu, "How have you been feeling these past few days?"

Xiao Yu honestly replied, "Occasionally I feel dizzy, but other than that, nothing unusual."

Physician Yan examined him thoroughly, and his conclusion was the same as Doctor Shi's – they both thought Xiao Yu was just overtired.

Xiao Yu insisted that he was resting well, but Pei Yanli still wanted him to rest more. Knowing Pei Yanli's concern for him, Xiao Yu didn't resist and negotiated, "I'll take a break after going out of the palace once more tomorrow."

"No," Pei Yanli firmly refused.

Xiao Yu, with his arms around Pei Yanli's waist, said, "Tomorrow is the grand reopening of our restaurant, and as the owner, it's not appropriate for me not to be there."

It was rare for Xiao Yu to speak so gently, so Pei Yanli could only reply, "I'll accompany you."

"Okay."

The next day, Xiao Yu left the palace again to attend to the reopening and management of Little River No. 2 Restaurant. Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, he began to feel dizzy again.

Suspecting he was just tired from the day's activities, he quickly rested, skipping his usual cooking, and kept his days simple with reading, writing, and tending to the garden. However, the dizziness became more frequent.

Previously, he would only experience dizziness every few days, but now it happened daily. His mind was filled with various images, and he had restless nights with dreams. He started eating and sleeping poorly. As winter approached, many in the palace fell ill with colds, and he too caught it, suffering daily from dizziness, a runny nose, and coughing, making him feel utterly miserable.

To ensure the well-being of Minghe and Danzi, he stopped eating, sleeping, and playing with the two young ones and strictly forbade them from coming near him.

The two children were extremely upset.

Pei Yanli rushed to the East Palace, expressing his concern, "Why has your health suddenly weakened so much?"

Xiao Yu, holding a hand warmer, stepped back, "It's a cold, contagious. Keep your distance from me."

Pei Yanli ignored his warning and embraced him.

"You—" Xiao Yu, resigned, said, "It's contagious."

"Then let it be contagious," Pei Yanli replied, pulling him into the warm pavilion and reaching out to feel his forehead.

"No fever?" Xiao Yu inquired.

Pei Yanli, frowning, asked, "Where does it hurt?"

"My head feels foggy," Xiao Yu replied.

In the room heated by underfloor heating and Xiao Yu wearing thick clothes, Pei Yanli asked, "Are you feeling cold?"

"A little," Xiao Yu admitted.

"Sweating it out might make you feel better," Pei Yanli said, holding Xiao Yu close.

Xiao Yu, who had been sleeping poorly recently, now nestled in Pei Yanli's arms, comforted by his pine-scented presence, fell asleep unknowingly. Upon waking, he was still in Pei Yanli's embrace, covered with a thick blanket, and noticed fine beads of sweat on Pei Yanli's forehead.

"You're sweating more," Pei Yanli noted.

Only then did Xiao Yu feel the heat, but his body felt much more relaxed.

"Feeling any better?" Pei Yanli asked.

"Much better," Xiao Yu sat up and took Pei Yanli's hand, "I'm fine now, but you might catch a cold."

"I won't," Pei Yanli said.

"I don't believe that."

"Let's wait and see."

As it turned out, Pei Yanli didn't catch a cold. Xiao Yu's cold got better, but he felt even weaker, sensing something was amiss.

The imperial physician couldn't diagnose any specific illness, making Xiao Yu anxious. He feared he might have a terminal disease, but none of the symptoms matched any known fatal illness, increasing his anxiety.

Pei Yanli visited the East Palace almost daily.

The Empress and the Empress Dowager also visited Xiao Yu.

Hearing the news, Yue Niang, undeterred by the heavy snow, brought Ya Ya to the East Palace, asking, "Xiao Yu, what exactly is happening to you?"

Xiao Yu smiled, "I don't know either."

Yue Niang, worried, said, "Could it be something evil targeting you? How about praying at temples or Taoist temples? You can't go on like this without energy. How will you get married after the New Year?"

"Yes, Yanli has already prepared for that." With Xiao Yu's sudden illness, Pei Yanli was the most worried. After futilely consulting various books, he turned to temples and Taoist temples, planning to try each one.

"That's good. You should also relax and not worry too much," Yue Niang advised.

Xiao Yu nodded, "Okay."

"Uncle! Uncle!" Minghe ran over excitedly.

Danzi followed, saying, "We made a snowman for you."

"Sure, I'll take a good look!" Ya Ya followed, saying, "You need to be happy."

Danzi suggested, "Let's go have a look."

Xiao Yu got up and said, "Let's go and see."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Minghe hurried to the screen to fetch a cloak, "It's cold outside, Uncle, you need to dress warmly."

"Yes, our Minghe is becoming more caring by the day," Xiao Yu said as he put on the cloak.

Madam Yue helped tie his sash.

Minghe took Xiao Yu's hand and said, "Uncle, you need to get well soon."

"Okay, Uncle will get better," they said, leaving the courtyard with the children.

From a distance, they saw a lopsided snowman, and Madam Yue laughed.

Ya Ya said proudly, "We made it ourselves."

Xiao Yu smiled, "You did a great job."

"There's writing on it, too," Danzi said, dashing toward the snowman.

"The writing is here, the writing is here," Ya Ya ran over, pointing at the back of the snowman.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, shaking thick snow off the trees, piling it onto Danzi and Ya Ya, slipping down their necks and making them shiver from the cold.

"Don't move, I'll get it off," Minghe let go of Xiao Yu's hand and quickly came forward, carefully removing the snow from Danzi and Ya Ya's necks and brushing the snow off their bodies and heads, asking, "Is there any snow left on your necks?"

The two children felt around and shook their heads, "No, it's gone."

"Don't stand under the tree," Minghe pulled Danzi and Ya Ya aside, warning, "Snow can fall on you and make you sick."

The two children nodded in agreement, "We won't stand under the tree anymore."

"Minghe really is becoming more and more like a big brother," Madam Yue remarked sentimentally.

"Yes, he's grown up a lot." Xiao Yu remembered how Minghe used to get angry and yell at Danzi for calling him "Uncle," even wanting to fight. Now, faced with danger, his first instinct was to protect Danzi and Ya Ya. Xiao Yu watched with great satisfaction, but just then, his mind was again filled with jumbled images, causing him to pause in his steps.

Madam Yue, not noticing Xiao Yu's pause, saw Ya Ya adding more snow to the snowman, about to knock it over, and quickly went over to stop her.

Danzi, seeing a white light above Minghe's head, excitedly ran to Xiao Yu and said, "Uncle, there's a white light above brother's head, just like yours and Uncle Yan's, really bright."

This statement seemed to have a magical power, instantly freezing the chaotic images in Xiao Yu's mind. He finally saw clearly what those images were: an office, a computer, colleagues, an ambulance, doctors, nurses, a hospital, a ward... As if a giant hand had suddenly grabbed his soul, trying to pull him back.

"Xiao Yu!" Pei Yanli's voice came through.

Xiao Yu heard Pei Yanli's voice but couldn't locate him. He reached out, feeling like he grasped something, yet also as if he grasped nothing.

Was he going back?

But he hadn't left any instructions, had he?

Pei Yanli, Minghe, Danzi... so many people, he had so much to say to them... and he hadn't had the chance yet...

"Xiao Yu! Xiao Yu!"

"Uncle!"

"Xiao Ziqing!"

"Uncle!"

"Xiao Yu!" Pei Yanli, arriving in haste, caught Xiao Yu as he fell, shouting loudly, "Quick, call the Imperial Physician!"

"I'll go!" Minghe immediately ran towards the Imperial Medical Bureau, but he was so scared and worried that he slipped and fell into the snow. Quickly getting up, he had just been worried about Danzi and Ya Ya getting sick from the snow, but now, ignoring the snow covering himself, he ran swiftly towards the Imperial Medical Bureau.