Chapter 95

Chapter 95

◎ Brothers in the same boat, barely escaping with their lives. ◎

That night, Maomao spiked a high fever again. But Maomao's grandpa was old and wasn't up to it, couldn't keep going. Once Maomao's fever broke, he crashed and didn't wake till dawn. Good thing Li Qingjiang had the sense to insist on keeping watch. When he found Maomao's fever was back, he was able to get Maomao to take his herbal meds, massage the right pressure points, and bring his temperature down again.

Kids are tough and have a lot of energy. By the next morning, Maomao was bouncing off the walls again, his appetite fine, like he was never sick. In contrast, his grandpa was totally wiped out, dragging and low on energy, with no appetite, barely eating a few bites of breakfast. Worried the old guy might keel over, Li Qingjiang put together a remedy to settle his stomach and boost his energy after breakfast. He also helped gather all the herbs and handed them over.

Although Meng Qi hadn't had a relapse, his strength and spirit were way behind Maomao's. He didn't want to get up, eat, or even say a word—he was basically a clone of Maomao's grandpa.

After breakfast, Maomao toddled over to Meng Qi's bed, shyly shoved a piece of fruit candy into Meng Qi's hand, and said awkwardly, "Thank you, Teacher Ran. Here, have some candy. Grandpa says after eating candy, you'll feel better." The kid, getting nervous, spoke louder and louder, the last bit came out like a shout: "Then, then you won't hurt anywhere, and you'll want to eat too."

Meng Qi looked down at the fruit candy in his hand. It was the same candy Zhao Zheyuan and Qu Liang had given Maomao when they last visited. The kid had never been willing to eat it, keeping it like a treasure in his pocket, taking it out to rub it a few times a day until the wrapper had faded. How could Meng Qi take his favorite thing away? He faked a sniff through the wrapper, then handed it back, smiling gratefully. "Maomao's candy is amazing. Just smelling it made Teacher feel better. Thank you, Maomao. But you take the rest back. Teacher's already good, no need for the candy."

Hearing Meng Qi was better because of his candy, Maomao lit up with joy, like he'd done something really important. The kid's innocent smile was as bright as summer flowers, instantly brightening Meng Qi's whole room. It made Meng Qi's heart warm, and he smiled back at Maomao, his eyes crinkling. That made the kid's cheeks turn red. He shyly tilted his little head, then, clutching the candy, darted out of the room like a whirlwind, plunging into his grandpa's arms, refusing to lift his head again. That got the old man laughing heartily, his voice full of life, like all his tiredness just melted away in his grandson's dependence.

Looking forward to a new life coming, giving him a warm childhood with all his heart, a passionate youth, building his foundation, helping him grow—when he grows into a strong tree that can weather any storm, the relief, the joy, the pride—right then, Meng Qi really got it.

Afterward, he pulled his gaze from Maomao and stared at the ceiling for a long time. Unexpectedly, the knot in his heart that had been there forever suddenly untied. A wave of total ease washed over him, so good he couldn't help but let out a huge, lazy stretch. From that moment on, he fully accepted being different and was totally pumped with anticipation for a new life coming.

From last night's fear, panic, and confusion to now openly accepting the change, Meng Qi had also, without realizing it, grown into a strong tree standing tall in the wind. Without his grandparents' protection, he'd protect himself, protect his new family, and look forward to the day he goes back to reality and makes his grandparents truly proud.

The smile on Meng Qi's face just kept growing.

"What's so funny you're grinning like that? Spill it?"

If Li Qingjiang had walked in while Meng Qi was still brooding, Meng Qi would've felt awkward again for sure. But now that he'd made peace with it, everything seemed fine. When Li Qingjiang asked, he was in the mood to answer. "I was thinking I gotta follow the doc's orders from now on. Whatever the miracle doc says, that's the rule. I'll do whatever you say, whatever feels right."

Li Qingjiang looked at Meng Qi in surprise, then smiled knowingly. He followed up, "So, about the apprenticeship? Is that up to me too?"

"Yeah, it's up to you," Meng Qi said, throwing off the covers and making to get up. "Do I need a formal ceremony? Any specific number of kowtows?"

"Alright, just stay lying down. Our Dong lineage doesn't bother with empty formalities. It's all in the heart." Li Qingjiang quickly pressed Meng Qi back onto the bed, grabbing his wrist to take his pulse. As he felt it, he nodded. "Pulse is strong and steady, orderly and calm. Looks like you've really made peace."

Meng Qi nodded along. "Thanks to your guidance, I couldn't be more open now."

"Good, good. Keep it up. As long as you trust your master, I can guarantee the safety of both you and your kid."

Meng Qi: ...

Well, after "calming the fetus," he'd been hit with another term that made his heart tremble. This master sure had some tricks up his sleeve. Over time, even if he couldn't make peace, he'd get immune...

Zhao Zheyuan and Qu Liang didn't show up until after ten in the morning. After Meng Qi's call the night before, they'd driven non-stop, spending over ten hours on the road before finally appearing, looking beat. Normally, two hours would've been enough.

As usual, Qu Liang's voice came before he did. Before he even entered the yard, he was yelling, "I'm dead tired!" Once inside, he kicked off his boots, flinging them forward alternately. In a flash, his combat boots, caked with yellow mud, flew through the air. Then, barefoot, he padded over to the well, grabbed a ladle, and started drinking. Meng Qi didn't even have time to stop him; before he could say a word, Qu Liang had downed a whole ladle of water.

Zhao Zheyuan wasn't as wrecked as Qu Liang. Though he looked like he'd crawled out of a mud pit, he kept his composed demeanor, moving with steady grace. He first walked over to Meng Qi, carefully checking his condition, then headed toward the well, probably planning to down a ladle of raw water too.

"Don't drink the well water. There's cooled ginger and brown sugar water in the kitchen. You two sit and rest; I'll get it," Meng Qi said.

"No need, I'll get it myself." Qu Liang shoved the ladle into Zhao Zheyuan's hand, spun around, and dashed into the kitchen. When he came back, he was holding a bowl, which he walked straight over and handed to Zhao Zheyuan.

"You drink first. I'll get my own from the kitchen," Zhao Zheyuan declined.

"I've already finished mine. This one's for you." Qu Liang shoved the bowl into Zhao Zheyuan's hand, took off his jacket as he walked over to Meng Qi, and kept talking. "That rain was insane, I tell you. We hit a mudslide on the way. If Brother Yuan hadn't been such a good driver, flooring it and charging through, we'd have been done for last night."

Mudslide! Remembering the ruins buried under mud and sand he'd seen when he first arrived, Meng Qi's heart tightened. He quickly asked Qu Liang, "You two hurt?"

Qu Liang casually tossed his dirty clothes aside, then plopped down on the ground, stretching his limbs to recover. "Neither of us is hurt, but our car is wrecked. We'll have to find a way to get it into the city for repairs someday."

"Damage bad? Can it be fixed?" Meng Qi's brow furrowed into a knot.

"Hard to say. Roof has a big dent from a rock, windshield is cracked, and the engine's probably shot too. It was clanking for a while, then finally just started smoking."

After saying this, Qu Liang sniffed twice. Turning his head, he saw Li Qingjiang coming out of the room, so he waved and said with a grin, "Hey, Doctor Li, could you grab us some tissues? I really can't be bothered to move."

Li Qingjiang agreed, went back into the room, and came out with a pack of tissues, handing it to Qu Liang.

Qu Liang pulled one out, wrapped it around his nose, and blew hard. The tissue instantly turned black.

Meng Qi: ...

Looking at the tissue in Qu Liang's hand, his heart filled with guilt. He kept blaming himself for calling Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan, almost costing them their lives, while nothing had even happened here... He'd overreacted!

After finishing the ginger and brown sugar water, Zhao Zheyuan first took the bowl to the kitchen, then strolled over to Meng Qi and asked carefully, "You okay? And the kid? No major problems?"

Qu Liang summed up their journey with "we hit a mudslide," but in reality, it was way worse than that. First, a big boulder rolling down smashed into their car roof, then gravel shattered the windshield. During this, though he gripped the wheel tight and tried to floor it, the impact knocked the car off its path. Both wheels on the cliff side slipped at once. In an instant, half the vehicle was hanging over the edge, a total wreck.

Later, they struggled to climb out of the teetering car, so tense they forgot to bring their phones...

It was a narrow escape, by the skin of their teeth.

But since they were hired for the job, no need to explain the process to the employer. Just the results. The result was that although they were late, they'd still shown up.

However, because they hadn't brought their phones and the car had slid halfway down the mountain, they couldn't contact Meng Qi to explain the delay. Meng Qi also couldn't reach them to say he'd already found Maomao and there was no need to rush.

Meng Qi looked at Qu Liang sprawled on the ground and Zhao Zheyuan standing before him. Still shaken, he replied, "Everything's fine here. It's just that you and Qu Liang had a rough time. If I'd known it'd be like this, I really shouldn't have called you two."

"Why not? This is mine and Brother Yuan's job. Call whenever you want, don't worry about us. Besides, even if we'd lost our lives, we'd still have to finish the job. And we're fine, not a scratch," Qu Liang said to Meng Qi, then looked up at Zhao Zheyuan, grinning cheekily. "Am I right, Brother Yuan?"

Zhao Zheyuan gently nudged Qu Liang's calf with his toe, a faint smile on his face. "Right."

Li Qingjiang sensed something off. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Zheyuan's right arm. Zhao Zheyuan winced and let out a soft groan. Li Qingjiang immediately diagnosed, "Hairline fracture in the forearm. You're really tough."

Last night, Maomao had only a bone misalignment, not a fracture, and the little guy was in so much pain he was gasping. But Zhao Zheyuan, with a cracked bone, could still talk and laugh. Truly impressive!

Meng Qi felt even more guilty. He quickly asked Li Qingjiang, "What should we do? Does he need to go to the hospital?"

"Hey, what am I here for? I'm a Dong lineage descendant. I can treat any injury. From now on, you need to change your thinking and have complete faith in your master." Li Qingjiang said, then went to the kitchen stove to pick out a few wooden sticks of similar length and thickness. He also had Meng Qi find an old T-shirt from the room. Then, the two of them worked together to tie a bow on Zhao Zheyuan's arm.

"Is that it?" Qu Liang asked.

Zhao Zheyuan moved his arm up and down, examining it, his expression shifting. He didn't seem to like this new look.

Li Qingjiang replied to Qu Liang, "Of course not. I still need to go outside to find some herbs for the fracture. But before that, I have to do one thing first."

"What thing?" Qu Liang asked again.

Li Qingjiang gave a mischievous smile. "You'll see."

Then he ran over to the classroom and called out a little boy, about seven or eight years old. He whispered something in the kid's ear for a while. The little boy laughed and ran into the kitchen alone. A moment later, he ran out again, looking as pleased as a cat that had stolen some fish.

Then, Li Qingjiang brought out a bowl of brownish warm water from the kitchen. He told Zhao Zheyuan to drink it all in one go. The taste was probably bad, as Zhao Zheyuan frowned deeply while drinking. After finishing, he immediately asked Li Qingjiang, "What did you give me to drink?"

Li Qingjiang smiled mysteriously. "A good thing. Reincarnation wine."