Chapter 843: Chapter 845: There Really Is an Inside Story
Very quickly, Yang Ming finished brewing the herbal medicine to reduce fever. He instructed, "Little Shitou, the medicine is right here. It’s hot, so don’t take it yourself. I’ll go get your aunt now, alright?"
"Got it." Little Shitou nodded and stood in the kitchen, watching the bowl of medicine that could save his mother. He obediently didn’t move because he was afraid his clumsiness would spill the medicine, leaving his mother without the remedy.
Seeing Little Shitou agree, Yang Ming left the kitchen and returned to the house. As he entered, he asked, "Wife, is our son asleep?"
Upon hearing Yang Ming’s voice, Xiaoxiao quickly gestured for silence, "Shh! Keep your voice down; our son just fell asleep."
The child had just gone to sleep, and this was the most restless time. Even a little sound could wake him, but he would sleep more soundly later.
Yang Ming glanced at their son and spoke softly, "The medicine is ready. You should take it to the sister-in-law."
"Alright, I’ll head over now. You should get some rest early too," Xiaoxiao said, gesturing as she went out the door.
Xiaoxiao quickly arrived at the kitchen and saw Little Shitou waiting there obediently. When he saw Xiaoxiao enter, he happily called out, "Auntie."
Xiaoxiao gently patted Little Shitou’s head and said, "Let’s go, let’s take the medicine to your mother."
As Xiaoxiao approached the bowl of medicine, Little Shitou quickly reminded her, "Auntie, be careful, it’s hot."
Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, "Let’s use a cloth as a pad, then it won’t be hot."
Little Shitou quickly found a cloth and handed it to Xiaoxiao, "Auntie, here you go."
Xiaoxiao took it, picked up the medicine, and the two of them went into the room.
Inside, Shitou’s mother, upon hearing the door open, knew it was Xiaoxiao coming. She asked, "Is that you, sister?"
As she spoke, she sat up. Little Shitou quickly went to support his mother as Xiaoxiao walked to the bedside and said, "Sister-in-law, it’s me. The medicine is ready, brought it for you. Please drink it quickly."
With tears in her eyes, Shitou’s mother said, "Thank you, sister."
Xiaoxiao genuinely didn’t think it was a big deal. It was merely a small favor, as they happened to carry the herbs. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to help much, as they couldn’t afford to delay because of their child, and they weren’t the type to offer help unnecessarily.
"Sister-in-law, no need to thank me. If anyone should be thanking, it’s me thanking you and Little Shitou. If you hadn’t taken us in, our family of three would have had to sleep in the wild again. In this village, only you were willing to help us, while the others weren’t. You are the truly kind people."
Shitou’s mother shook her head and said, "Sister, don’t blame the people in the village; everyone has their difficulties."
Xiaoxiao felt something was off about the village. Her family of three wasn’t some terrible threat, so why wouldn’t they lend a hand? Clearly, there was more beneath the surface, and she was eager to know, so she asked, "Sister-in-law, what are these difficulties? Could you tell me?"
Shitou’s mother sighed, recalling the past, her eyes welling up with tears again. Xiaoxiao worried she was reluctant to speak, and quickly said, "Sister-in-law, no need to force it. If it’s hard to explain, let’s not talk about it. But first, drink the medicine."
Shitou’s mother wiped her tears and said, "Sister, it’s not that I can’t say, just that it brought back memories."
"..." The past? She felt that this sister-in-law seemed like someone with a story.
"Five years ago, our family also took in an outsider."