Chapter 45 – Healing

Inside the house, Shen Nian heard a loud “clang” from outside, as if something had fallen. He quickly rushed over in three steps, asking, “What happened?”

“Shen Dage, look!” Xia Tian pointed at the bloodstains on the wall, trembling as she spoke.

Shen Nian raised his head and saw a large bloody handprint on the wall. It was quite startling at first glance.

This should have happened when Mu Feng climbed the wall last night and left a mark.

He spoke soothingly, “It’s fine, don’t worry. This is probably from Mu Feng when he climbed over the wall last night.”

“Ahh! You scared me!” Xia Tian patted her chest, regaining her composure. “Then, there should be blood stains all along the way Mu Feng came. Should we cover them up?”

“Mm, I’ll do it!” Shen Nian bent down, picking up a basin and handing it to her.

“Okay, Shen Dage, be careful!” Xia Tian took the basin, cautioning him.

After seeing Shen Nian leave the house with the hoe, Xia Tian turned back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Currently, there were four men at home, all of them recovering from injuries.

Xia Tian washed a pumpkin, peeled it, and cut it into small pieces. She took a bowl of millet, rinsed it, and found a larger clay pot. After lighting a small stove, she added the pumpkin and millet, adding water to begin cooking porridge.

She then went to the garden, picked some spinach, washed it, and took a bowl of white flour. After cracking an egg, she chopped the spinach and added it to the flour. Then, she lit the stove again to fry some vegetable and egg pancakes.

The meals were all easy to digest.

Once the pancakes were ready, she prepared some side dishes.

Since it was early in the morning, she didn’t want to prepare anything too greasy. She made a cold salad with shredded vegetables, smashed cucumber, stir-fried vinegar potatoes, and stir-fried green beans with shredded pork.

By the time the breakfast was ready, Shen Nian had returned.

“Shen Dage, is everything settled? Is there no problem?” Xia Tian asked softly as she poured water into a basin.

“Mm, it’s fine now.” Shen Nian washed his hands and took the cloth Xia Tian handed him to dry his hands.

“Then let’s eat. Breakfast is ready.”

“Alright.”

Shen Nian followed Xia Tian into the kitchen, and they both brought the food to the table in the main room.

By now, Mu Lin had also woken up. The three of them were sitting on the bed, staring at each other.

Seeing the two enter, Mu Lin shyly greeted them, “Master, Sister-in-law.”

“You’re awake?” Xia Tian smiled as she set the bowls on the table. “Are you all hungry? Let’s eat something first.”

Mu Chen was better off. He got up on his own, helping Mu Yang sit up and lean against the wall. Mu Lin, whose back and thighs were injured, was unable to get up, so he stayed lying down on the bed.

Seeing that Mu Feng and Mu Lin couldn’t move easily, Xia Tian went to move the bed table to the middle of the bed, placing the food on it.

Mu Feng and Mu Lin insisted on feeding themselves, and Xia Tian observed that although they were slow, it didn’t affect them, so she left them to it.

The four of them were all young men around their twenties. Though injured, they were likely very hungry, as they finished off a large pot of pumpkin millet porridge and a stack of vegetable egg pancakes.

After breakfast, Xia Tian took the bloody clothes from the three men and burned them in the backyard. She left a pot of warm spring water and told Shen Nian before heading to town.

As Xia Tian left, the three men seemed to have regained some strength. Shen Nian then asked about the situation.

“Tell me, what exactly happened?”

“I’ll speak,” Mu Chen began. “After we completed the task you entrusted us with, we followed the mark Mu Feng left to find you. When we reached Lingxi County, we noticed people asking around about your whereabouts. Mu Lin and I followed them, but when they went in another direction, we stopped following. When we met up with Mu Feng and were about to come find you, we were ambushed.”

“How many people were there?”

“A lot. There were mainly some martial artists. We didn’t notice in time and fell into a trap.”

“What happened to them?”

At this point, Shen Nian’s expression turned cold enough to freeze water.

“We dealt with them. Not one left,” Mu Chen said, and Shen Nian’s expression slightly softened.

“Have the traces been cleaned up?”

“Yes, it’s all taken care of. No one will come looking,” Mu Chen replied. The three men nodded in unison.

“Good. Now, you three can focus on recovering. We’ll talk more once you’re better.”

“Yes, Master.” The three of them answered in unison.

“Master, you were poisoned…” Mu Chen asked curiously, “Was it really Sister-in-law who cured you?”

“Mm,” Shen Nian nodded. “This matter must remain between you three. No one else can know.”

“Understood!”

Meanwhile, Xia Tian had arrived in town, first checking on the rented courtyard. Everything was normal.

After giving Xia Yang some instructions, she greeted the others and went to the market to buy supplies.

She first went to the pharmacy and bought some medicine for wounds, gauze, and bandages. Then, she went to the grain shop to purchase rice and flour.

At a miscellaneous goods store, she bought some red dates, yam, and red beans for nourishing blood.

Thinking about the clothes the three men were wearing, which were Shen Nian’s, she went to the embroidery shop and bought two complete sets of clothes for each man, along with two pairs of shoes and socks.

After putting these things in her space, she went to Uncle Niu’s meat stall and bought 30 jin of front leg meat and 30 jin of ribs.

She also bought 10 jin of tofu and two old hens from a roadside vendor.

Since there were now three more patients at home, she couldn’t come to town every day, so she bought as much as she could. It wouldn’t spoil in her space.

At noon, Xia Tian made a soup with the old hens, adding red dates and yam for nourishing energy and blood. She steamed white rice and prepared six dishes – sticky rice steamed ribs, pan-fried meat and tofu, stir-fried pig liver, spicy stir-fried meat, stir-fried cabbage, and cold seaweed salad.

Whether it was due to the spring water or not, by noon, Mu Feng and Mu Lin were both able to sit up and eat on their own.

Mu Chen, who was the least injured of the three, was already moving freely by noon.

Shen Nian’s complexion also looked much better.

Mu Chen and Mu Lin were both handsome with sharp features. Mu Lin was steadier, while Mu Chen had a sunny disposition.

Mu Lin looked at Xia Tian as she served their meals, occasionally helping them. Although surprised, he didn’t show it.

“Thank you,” he said quietly before starting his meal.

Mu Chen, on the other hand, smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

He and Mu Lin had long known from Mu Feng that this girl had saved their master. Now, from their master’s words, they also knew that she had saved all three of them.

Thus, Mu Chen’s “Sister-in-law” was heartfelt.

After finishing the meal Xia Tian prepared, Mu Chen was even more determined that she would be his true sister-in-law, and anyone who disagreed would have to deal with him!

Mu Lin, when he was able to get up, sincerely cupped his hands and thanked Xia Tian, saying, “Mu Lin is grateful for Sister-in-law’s life-saving grace!”

As for Mu Feng, he didn’t need to say anything—Xia Tian had long been his true sister-in-law!

Shen Nian nodded to himself, feeling that these young men were finally showing some maturity.

With three more people eating at home, Xia Tian would go to town every few days. When there was nothing urgent, she would stay home, and aside from cooking and doing housework, her favorite thing to do was to turn the vegetables in the backyard into various dried goods.

Time quickly passed, and it was now August 16, the day of Xia Yue’s wedding. After half a month of rest, the injured men at home had fully recovered.