Chapter 13

Yun Shuang’s mind snapped into clarity. She sat up abruptly and scooped up Erya, who had curled herself into a small ball like a tiny potato. Her cheeks were flushed red, and Yun Shuang’s voice trembled. “Erya, what’s wrong with you?”

Outside, dawn had just begun to break. It was a chilly autumn morning, and cold air kept sneaking through the cracks in the house, biting at their skin. However, Yun Shuang didn’t mind the cold. She tightly wrapped Erya, who could only murmur, “It hurts,” in a blanket, then quickly got dressed.

At that moment, Goudan was also startled awake. He rushed to Erya’s side, crying out anxiously, “Erya! What’s wrong? Don’t scare me…” His voice betrayed the edge of sobs.

Yun Shuang, already ready to head out, picked up Erya in her arms and said firmly to Goudan, trying to steady her voice, “I’m taking Erya to see a doctor. Watch the house.”

There was no doctor in the village. Usually, they had to wait for a traveling physician to pass through, or go to town to find one. Fortunately, Changsheng Village wasn’t far from the county seat, Shanyang. It was just over half an hour by vehicle. However, they didn’t own a vehicle. Whenever the original host was sick, she’d have to tag along when someone else in the village went to town, or get treatment when other villagers invited a doctor over. Most of the time, she simply endured the illness. As for the two children, they rarely fell ill—at most, a few minor aches and pains. In hindsight, that itself was a little unusual.

Goudan bit his lip and shook his head. “No! I want to stay with Erya!”

Yun Shuang understood his feelings, but she didn’t have the energy to reason with him. She simply said, “Then hurry and get dressed. It’s cold in the morning—wear more,” and rushed out with Erya in her arms.

Next door, Sister Hua’s family had a donkey cart, and Yun Shuang could only hope they’d give her a ride.

As luck would have it, she had just stepped outside when she saw Sister Hua coming out holding a basin of dirty water. When she saw Yun Shuang carrying the little girl tightly wrapped in a blanket, her face pale, she immediately realized something had happened and rushed forward, asking, “What’s wrong with Erya?”

“Sister Hua, Erya’s sick. Can you take us into town with your cart? She needs to see a doctor right away!”

Sister Hua quickly felt Erya’s forehead and exclaimed, “Oh no, she’s burning up like a furnace. Shuangniang, don’t panic. I’ll have my husband take you right away!”

In the village, people got up early. Sister Hua rushed back inside and dragged her husband Lao Li out mid-breakfast to prepare the cart.

Lao Li was an honest farmer who didn’t speak much, but he was dependable when it mattered. Once he heard about Yun Shuang’s situation, he didn’t say a word—just pulled out the cart.

Yun Shuang carefully placed Erya inside. Goudan immediately climbed up beside her, eyes never leaving his sister.

Yun Shuang got on the cart too, turning to Sister Hua with deep gratitude. “Thank you, Sister Hua… I truly don’t know how to repay your kindness…”

“What are you talking about now? Hurry, hurry—what matters most is the child’s health!”

Sister Hua had already stepped forward, urging Lao Li to pick up the pace, while calling out loudly to her eldest daughter-in-law to bring out a thicker blanket to cover Yun Shuang and the children.

The northern autumn winds at dawn were merciless. If Erya fell ill and her siblings caught the illness, then it would be a real disaster.

Yun Shuang wrapped the three of them tightly in the blanket Sister Hua gave, holding Erya close in her arms. From time to time, she gently wiped the beads of sweat from the girl’s burning forehead.

After all the commotion, Erya finally regained a bit of consciousness. Her eyes—red and exhausted—struggled to stay open as she bit anxiously at her chapped lower lip and whispered weakly, “Mother… I’m sorry… I got sick…”

Yun Shuang was taken aback and instinctively hugged her tighter, forcing a smile to her face. “Why are you apologizing, Erya? It’s not like you wanted to get sick.”

It was her fault. These two children had lived in hunger for so long that their bodies were fragile. Yet she’d let them eat so much all at once—how could their stomachs handle that?

She was an adult; what filled her belly last night was far too much for them. And lately, the weather had grown colder. They only had one thin, patchy blanket at home. These past few nights, the three of them had huddled together tightly to keep from freezing. But she was the one who didn’t feel the cold. Again—it was her adult body. How could it possibly compare to such little ones?

She’d never cared for children this small before. The original host’s memories didn’t help much either. That was how she ended up making such a critical mistake. She had thought, with those two strings of coins they’d earned, that life could begin improving slowly.

Now she realized—they couldn’t afford to wait. The ticking time bombs buried in their past could go off at any moment. She might be able to tough it out, but the children couldn’t.

“Mother…” Erya’s unease hadn’t faded. Her eyes reddened further. “Will you abandon me? When Niuniu from the village got sick, her grandma said… she didn’t have money for medicine, so she just threw Niuniu away, and we never saw her again. Please don’t throw me away, Mother… I’ve tried so hard… not to get sick…”

Yun Shuang’s heart twisted like something had sunk its teeth into it—not painful, but unbearably sour.

Goudan immediately cried, “Erya, I won’t throw you away! Never!”

Yun Shuang gently brushed back the damp hair from Erya’s forehead and said softly, “Your brother’s right. How could I ever throw you away? You and your brother are my children. I care about you more than I can even say. Don’t overthink it. Close your eyes and rest.”

Erya studied her mother’s face for a moment, as if searching for a lie. But when she saw only sincerity, her little mouth curved ever so slightly, and she peacefully closed her eyes. Even so, the small hand clutching Yun Shuang’s sleeve never once let go.

Lao Li drove fast, doing his best to get them to Shanyang County in the shortest time possible. In less than half an hour, they arrived.

When Lao Li asked which clinic to go to, Yun Shuang said, “Uncle Li, let’s go to Tongxintang. Thank you so much.”

Lao Li glanced at her, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded silently.

Yun Shuang understood that look.

Shanyang County was near the border and constantly under threat of war. Most common folk weren’t willing to live there. Those who did were either military households or civilians who couldn’t afford to leave. It wasn’t a particularly bustling town, and good clinics were scarce. The two decent ones were Tongxintang and Huayang Pavilion—and both were expensive.

Yun Shuang had chosen Tongxintang because it had a better reputation and higher fees.

Lao Li’s hesitation likely came from concern that she might not have enough money for Erya’s treatment.