Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The rain outside hadn't stopped, and the water had already risen to the height of their calves, making squelching sounds as their straw shoes stepped through it.

The two returned to their courtyard one after the other. Lu Yao looked at the small house swaying in the wind and rain, feeling a pang of sadness.

Although he had only lived here for half a month, perhaps due to the imprinting effect, this was the first place he saw when he opened his eyes, and he had developed an attachment to it.

Lu Yao was about to step into the house to fetch something when he was pulled back by the person behind him.

"The house is dangerous. Wait here; I'll go in first."

Zhao Beichuan circled the old house, assessing whether it could still be repaired. When he reached the back, he saw the vegetable patch ruined by the rain, silently deciding to help tidy it up once the rain stopped.

The main beam had broken, and half of the load-bearing wall had collapsed. It was clear that repairs were impossible, leaving only the western wall standing, which could collapse at any moment if the rain continued.

Zhao Beichuan stepped over the broken window into the bedroom, dug out a hidden earthen jar from under the bed, and handed it to Lu Yao.

"There are five strings of coins here. Use them to settle down."

"Okay, okay." Lu Yao hugged the heavy jar, surprised that this big river was quite wealthy! He had given himself two strings earlier and still had five stashed away. Lu Yao remembered that the original family didn't have this much money, yet he was willing to entrust it all to him!

Indeed, generous men are more appealing. Regardless of whether the money could be spent, the trust was heartwarming. Lu Yao was delighted, having initially been interested only in Zhao Beichuan's physique, but now he felt genuine affection for the man.

The bedroom was in shambles, with the roof completely collapsed, crushing the chests and bedding beneath it. If Lu Yao hadn't managed to take the children away in time, the outcome would have been disastrous.

Zhao Beichuan cleared the broken wood, finding one of the chests still usable while the other was damaged. He decided to move both to the neighboring house to prevent them from being soaked.

The chest of drawers was also smashed, but he salvaged some usable items and placed them in a complete drawer, handing it to Lu Yao to take out.

Next were the bedding and quilts, soaked and covered in mud, but they couldn't be discarded. Replacing them would be too expensive, costing hundreds of coins just for the fabric and cotton. They would clean them when the weather improved.

The kitchen roof hadn't collapsed, and the two jars were intact. Zhao Beichuan emptied the water from the jars and moved them outside. There was still some millet in the grain jar, which he planned to give to Tian Er's wife later.

He placed the ceramic bowls and chopsticks into a wooden bucket and took out the ceramic pot and lid.

With most things packed, Lu Yao went to move the chicks, fearing they might drown if the rain continued overnight, causing the children to cry.

The two carried their belongings back to the Tian household without exchanging a word.

Lu Yao didn't know what to say, and Zhao Beichuan was naturally taciturn.

After setting down their things, Zhao Beichuan instructed them not to leave and went to check on the crops in the fields.

This rain came at the worst time, late June being the peak growing season for millet, which had just started to form ears. The tiny millet ears floating in the water were uncertain to survive.

Their land only grew millet, not wheat or beans. Uncle Zhao's bean field next door was even worse, with the bean pods washed away by the rain, likely leading to a total loss.

Many people had come out to inspect their crops, their faces filled with worry.

"Da Chuan, how's your land?"

Zhao Beichuan shook his head solemnly. "The higher ground is fine, but the lower acres are flooded."

"Sigh, this is cruel. How can we live like this?" The man speaking had tears in his eyes.

Peasants relied on these few acres for their livelihood. With the flood, the autumn harvest would be meager, barely enough after taxes.

"Let's hope the rain stops tomorrow. If it does, we might save the crops."

"I heard several houses in the village collapsed. Yang Laosi's house in our backyard caved in, breaking his father's leg."

"Right, Da Chuan, how's your house?"

Zhao Beichuan replied, "It's also half-collapsed."

"Oh no! Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, my husband didn't sleep and took the children to Brother Tian's house."

"That's good. It's important to have someone watching over the home. Otherwise, the kids wouldn't know what to do."

Everyone chattered, though sad, they knew life must go on. They could only hope the heavens would show mercy.

After surveying the fields, Zhao Beichuan had a sense of the situation. The rain showed no signs of stopping, so he decided to return and wait. Even if the fields failed, he could still hunt to feed his siblings... and that little husband.

Thinking of Lu Yao, Zhao Beichuan felt uneasy.

Initially, he believed Lu Yao was as others described: sharp-tongued, lazy, and bad, preparing to divorce him upon return.

But he found Lu Yao wasn't as bad as rumored. This person was gentle, spoke softly, worked hard, and genuinely cared for the children.

This was the kind of husband Zhao Beichuan had always wanted.

Unfortunately, his heart belonged to someone else, someone he had even tried to hang himself for...

Zhao Beichuan's expression darkened. He decided to discuss separation once the rain stopped, unwilling to keep dragging it out.

*

By the time he returned to the Tian household, it was already late.

Everyone had finished dinner, leaving a bowl of porridge for Zhao Beichuan.

He quickly ate and entered the room, seeing Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou feeding the chicks, while Lu Yao lay on the bed facing away, asleep.

"Brother, you're back," Zhao Xiaodou greeted.

"Hush, be quiet."

Xiaodou covered her mouth, and Xiaonian whispered, "Elder brother, your husband seemed unwell today. He lay down right after returning and didn't eat dinner."

Zhao Beichuan frowned, sitting beside the bed. "Are you feeling unwell?"

No response.

"Lu Yao?"

Still no movement.

Zhao Beichuan couldn't resist touching his forehead, finding it scorching hot. He quickly pulled him up.

"Mmm, so cold..."

Zhao Beichuan wrapped him in a blanket.

"Xiaonian, go get Sister-in-law Tian!"

Lu Yao, burning with fever, opened his eyes, struggling to sit up upon seeing the man beside him.

Zhao Beichuan held him down. "Don't move. You have a fever."

So it was a fever. No wonder he felt so cold.

It must have been from the rain last night. His clothes hadn't dried properly today, which led to this cold. Yet Zhao Beichuan and the two children had also been in the rain but were fine, while he alone had fallen ill.

A moment later, Aunt Tian Er came over and felt Lu Yao's face. "Oh my, you're burning up! What should we do?"

Zhao Beichuan got up and said, "I'll go to the town pharmacy to buy medicine."

"At this hour, with the rain outside, which pharmacy would still be open?"

Lu Yao, barely managing, waved his hand. "No need... just find me a needle."

Aunt Tian Er hurriedly brought over the sewing basket. Lu Yao took out a needle, heated it over the oil lamp for a moment, and then gritted his teeth as he pierced the tip of his thumb. Blood beads immediately welled up!

He then proceeded to pierce each of his other fingers one by one.

Aunt Tian Er was startled. "What are you doing!"

"This method can help reduce fever. Don't worry." He had learned this technique called the 'Ten-Finger Heat Release Method' online. In his previous life during the pandemic, when medical supplies were scarce, Lu Yao, isolated at home, had learned many fever-reducing remedies online out of boredom, fearing he might not be able to get medicine if he fell ill.

After piercing all ten fingers, Lu Yao, sweating from the pain, said, "Could you please boil some hot water for me?" Without medicine, the only option was to drink plenty of water to speed up metabolism and flush out the inflammation.

Zhao Beichuan went to the kitchen to start a fire and boil water. Zhao Xiaonian and Zhao Xiaodou stood beside him, their faces full of concern.

"Sister-in-law, does your hand hurt? Let me blow on it for you," said Xiaodou, pursing her lips and gently blowing on his palm.

Xiaonian helped tuck him in. "Sister-in-law, rest well. I'll stay up with you tonight."

"No need, Sister-in-law is fine."

"I'm not sleepy. If you feel uncomfortable, you can tell me."

Lu Yao smiled appreciatively. How considerate these two children were.

"You two shouldn't disturb him; go to bed quickly." Soon, Zhao Beichuan entered the room with a bowl of hot ginger soup.

The two children reluctantly climbed into bed. Lu Yao sat up, took the ceramic bowl, and slowly drank the water, which tasted both spicy and sweet due to the added sugar.

Zhao Beichuan explained, "I found some cane sugar in the cabinet and put some in the bowl."

After finishing the hot water, Lu Yao broke into a sweat and quickly covered himself with the blanket before falling back asleep.

In the middle of the night, his stomach churned violently, and Lu Yao quickly got up from the bed, vomiting all over the floor.

Having eaten nothing that evening, he vomited only acid, causing his whole body to tremble with discomfort.

In the darkness, someone held him and wiped his mouth with a cloth. A rough hand gently patted his back to comfort him.

Perhaps when one is sick, they become more emotionally vulnerable. Lu Yao didn't know why he suddenly started crying.

Maybe it was the pain in his stomach, or maybe it was the soreness from the pricked fingers. Mostly, it was the fact that the reality of his time travel weighed heavily on his mind.

An adult's breakdown often happens in such moments.

Seeing him cry, Zhao Beichuan panicked. "Are you feeling very unwell? I'll go to the town now to buy medicine."

"Come back."

Zhao Beichuan stopped and immediately returned to his side.

Lu Yao choked out, "Didn't you say you were going to divorce me? Why do you care?"

"When did I ever say I wanted to divorce you?"

"You said it last time, that if I treated Xiaonian and Xiaodou badly, you'd divorce me."

"At that time, I didn't know what kind of person you were."

"Do you know now?"

"Yes... you're a good person."

Hearing those words, Lu Yao's nose stung, and his tears flowed even more. He grabbed Zhao Beichuan's hand and bit it hard!

He didn't want to be a good person; he wanted to be a rogue!