Becoming the Cannon Fodder Wife of Crazy and Powerful Official - Chapter 18

At dawn, Que Ma emerged from the room.

He wiped his hands, his expression somber as he glanced at Xin Yueying.

Xin Yueying followed Que Ma out of the courtyard. She hadn’t even noticed that the sky was almost light or when the rain had stopped.

“How is he?” Her voice was hoarse.

“Not very good,” Que Ma said gravely. “I didn’t expect it to be this severe.”

“Is there still hope for treatment?”

Que Ma looked at Xin Yueying. “I can only say I’ll do my best.” He shook his head. “But I can’t make any promises.”

Xin Yueying took five taels of silver from her purse and handed them to Que Ma. “Please take this. I’ll bring you here every day.”

Que Ma nodded and sighed. “Don’t lose heart.”

Xin Yueying, “I am losing heart. I thought you could heal him. Everyone says you’re miraculous.” She sighed. Even now, she didn’t forget to hit Que Ma’s sore spot, “Meng Ruxin came to see him and said she could cure him, but she seems too young, and I’m afraid she might be deceiving me.”

“If she can cure him, I’ll write my name ‘Que Ma’ upside down!” Que Ma’s spirits lifted at the mention of Meng Ruxin, his fighting spirit seeming to ignite like a mad dog’s, “What skills does she have?! She just studied medicine on her own for a few years and, relying on a bit of talent, dares to practice? I curse her ancestors!”

Xin Yueying looked at Que Ma speechlessly.

Que Ma seemed to realize his own impulsiveness and quickly calmed down, stroking his beard and waving his hand. “Let’s not talk about that for now.”

He turned to Xin Yueying, “I’ll be straight with you. My family has been practicing medicine for generations. I have a secret ancestral formula. I used it to treat a child once—he fell off a mountain while gathering firewood with his father and shattered his knee. That formula healed him. But children and adults are different. A child’s regenerative ability is beyond that of an ordinary person.”

“But I heard from my father that my great-grandfather once cured a man whose kneecaps were shattered. Later, that man could even ride horses and run. Isn’t that a complete recovery?”

Xin Yueying wasn’t interested in how his great-grandfather did it; she just wanted to know if Que Ma had any confidence, “Have you ever treated an adult with shattered bones like this before?”

“No. The most severe cases I’ve handled are broken legs from mountain falls or dislocated bones.”

Xin Yueying nodded. “Please do your best. I’ll take you back in the donkey cart.”

Que Ma nodded. Seeing how exhausted Xin Yueying looked, he felt a bit apologetic, but there was no helping it—if he had to walk back through the muddy path on his one good leg, it would surely give out.

Huo Qi came out, “The master is asking for you. I’ll take the doctor back.”

Xin Yueying nodded and stepped into the room.

Shen Qingqi was half-lying on the kang, his gaze fixed on Xin Yueying. He stared intently at her damp hair and her clothes, soaked by the rain and now half-dried.

Xin Yueying glanced at the kang and noticed someone else still lying there. She slapped her forehead. “I forgot about him! I’ll go catch up with Que Ma and ask him to take a look at this one too, on the way.”

“Come back.”

His voice was low.

Xin Yueying walked over. “What is it? Is your leg still hurting?”

He shook his head coldly, lost in thought. “Go bathe, change your clothes, and get some rest.”

Only then did Xin Yueying realize how uncomfortable she felt. She looked down at her sticky clothes, then up at Shen Qingqi. “Are you hungry?”

“Go bathe, change your clothes, and get some rest,” he repeated.

This time, his voice was even lower.

Xin Yueying had no choice but to go to the kitchen to bathe.

The room was simply too small. She didn’t want to bathe in the main hall either, so she had to squeeze into the kitchen for a wash.

Ah, if only that man would wake up, he could help build the house and tidy things up properly.

At least Que Ma’s place had a fenced yard. This open space had nothing.

After her bath, Xin Yueying changed into clean clothes. By now, she was truly tired. She reheated the leftover food from the previous night, placed it on a small table, and said to Shen Qingqi, “I’m not sleepy anymore. Once Huo Qi returns, I’ll go to the market to deliver the wheelchair to Carpenter Yang.”

“I’ll go,” Shen Qingqi said, looking at Xin Yueying.

For a moment, Xin Yueying thought he was joking.

The swelling in his knees had only just subsided slightly, and besides, he was a fugitive. How could he show his face in public?

Shen Qingqi looked up at Xin Yueying. “Don’t worry, my legs don’t hurt anymore, and there’s been no sign of enemies around the village lately. What’s the address?”

It was a command. His dull eyes were fixed firmly on Xin Yueying.

Xin Yueying didn’t want to say he couldn’t do it—that would be like gently reminding him that he was disabled, confined to this small space for life.

If he wanted to go out, it was a good thing.

So, Xin Yueying told Shen Qingqi the address.

She ate a little and, feeling drowsy after the meal, struggled to keep her eyes open. She yawned, got off the kang, and prepared to make a bed on the floor in the main hall to catch up on sleep.

“Sleep here,” Shen Qingqi said, looking at Xin Yueying.

“The floor is cold,” he said.

Xin Yueying nodded, took off her shoes, and lay down by the window in her clothes.

Her feet were positioned near the man’s head, which felt a bit odd. The man’s head was oriented in the same direction as Shen Qingqi’s. Shen Qingqi, half-reclining, seemed to notice her discomfort.

“When Huo Qi returns, I’ll have him move this man to the small hall.”

“It’s fine, really. The kang is quite spacious,” she said, yawning before closing her eyes.

Shen Qingqi watched Xin Yueying intently, his gaze lowered.

She fell asleep quickly, her breathing gradually becoming steady and even.

Shen Qingqi carefully picked up the blanket covering his knees and gently draped it over Xin Yueying.

He continued to watch her without blinking.

His eyes, usually dull and lifeless like stagnant water, gradually began to shimmer with emotion.

“How fascinating,” he tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with a curious and exploratory light. His penetrating gaze rested deeply on her face, as if attempting to see through her body and into her very soul.