Chapter 8

The second aunt invited Shi Jieyi to visit Cheng Yi, while Zhou Honghong continued to stay in the courtyard

Cheng Yi let out a hum through his nose. "Zhou Honghong, those are the main characters on the television, what about the supporting roles?"

Mother Zhou then said: "Second Madam, you might as well move to my elder brother's house first. He has a small courtyard there, and when Cheng Yi is able to move around, he can exercise there as well"

Mother Zhou and the second concubine tidied up the vacant house a bit and also carried Cheng Yi over. The two houses are not far apart, making it very convenient to look after each other

The second concubine suppressed the fluctuations of her emotions and, once she had calmed down a bit, said: "Let's not talk for now; focus on healing your injuries."

This frail and sickly appearance, combined with such a tender expression, exudes a charm reminiscent of the ancient aesthetic of the sickly beautiful man

Mother Zhou shared a bed with Zhou Honghong for one night

It is uncertain whether the medicine Cheng Yi took is effective or not

"He is a real man." Dr. Zheng remarked after making the proper connection

Cheng Yi saw her, yet still showed no expression

How could it possibly reach this extent?

Zhou Honghong's heart trembled for a moment, and then she calmly replied: "It is impossible for me to be with him"

Cheng Yi coughed a few more times. "Mom, it's nothing. I won't die..."

Mother Zhou and the second concubine have agreed

She truly did not anticipate such a situation. Had she known earlier, she should have resisted to the end when Cheng Yi proposed the idea of appeasing the old master, rather than allowing herself to become ensnared in a false triangle.

The second concubine dozed off in a chair while watching Cheng Yi. When she noticed that the temperature of the medicine pack was insufficient, she went to the kitchen to heat it up again and continued to apply it to him

Cheng Yi occupied Zhou Honghong's bed

Cheng Yi chose a room with a window facing the small courtyard. He is the patient, and his authority is paramount; no one dares to object

The second concubine continued to sigh. "I think so too. My son, apart from having a handsome face, is lacking in every other aspect. He cannot focus on his studies and has no serious demeanor."

Zhou Honghong suggested: "It would be better to wait until the old master has calmed down. Moreover, Cheng Yi's injury also needs to be properly healed, and then I will go with him."

The second concubine was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat. "This is likely a fracture; what are you being so stubborn about?"

She walked into the room with trepidation, while Cheng Yi sat on the bed, his head lowered as he smoked, preventing her from seeing his expression

The second aunt said, "No need. Honghong, I will heat it up myself. You and mom can rest first, really no need to accompany me. I have troubled you too much." By the end of her words, the second aunt's voice became a bit choked.

As Shi Jieyi left, Zhou Honghong gazed towards the window of Cheng Yi's room

Zhou Honghong instead felt that this smile was much more comforting than the fake smiles he had shown her in the past

After he was moved, Dr. Zheng came to check on him several times. Seeing that his condition had improved, he began to change the medicinal materials. The various medicinal materials had slightly different methods of steaming and applying, which truly exhausted Zhou Honghong.

Zhou Honghong turned her head and saw Cheng Yi's gentle gaze again

If only his useless father were still around... the second concubine sighed, her gaze distant, as if lost in thought about something.

Zhou Honghong feels that the plot has become chaotic

The second concubine brought him a chamber pot, but he refused and insisted on getting out of bed

Honghong, Cheng Yi has woken up, thank heaven and earth. You go and steam the medicine, the second madam is waiting there.

Zhou Jiaben originally had three rooms, but one was repurposed as a storage space for miscellaneous items, which cannot be sorted out in a short time. Thus, only two rooms remain.

Cheng Yixing is awake, but for the time being, the pain is excruciating, rendering him unable to move. His stomach is experiencing severe cramping.

Before long, the second concubine emerged

After observing Cheng Yi's condition, I suddenly grabbed his hand with a snap while we were chatting. Then I smiled and said: "I can only catch you off guard like this once; I won't be able to use this trick again. The bones need to be set properly for the medicine to be effective. Young man, bear with it."

She gazed at the ceiling, and for some reason, thought of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. However, she wondered if she herself was not that Ma Wencai

"No, I cannot." Shi Jieyi smiled faintly. "I am leaving now, goodbye."

Zhou Honghong did not know how to respond to the derogatory remarks made by the second concubine about her son, so she chose to remain silent

The second concubine is once again expressing her gratitude profusely

During the day, Dr. Zheng came over again

He did not take it seriously and smiled at Zhou Honghong in a mischievous manner

He glanced at her and said with a self-deprecating smile, "Isn't it just a matter of smoking and drinking after a breakup"

How is it possible

While Shi Jieyi is still lying in the hospital, another incident has occurred on his side

Are you a supporting character

At the appropriate time, Zhou Honghong was in the courtyard picking vegetables with the second concubine, while Young Master Cheng Yi was in bed living his sickly life

Zhou Honghong heard this and was momentarily taken aback. She felt that Shi Jieyi's expression concealed deep and complex emotions, but unfortunately, she could not comprehend them and could only politely suggest: "Why not stay for a meal?"

As she passed by the kitchen, Zhou Honghong saw him and thought that he was barely hanging on yet still trying to save face. However, she had long lost her temper towards him given his severe injuries, and she simply continued to steam the medicine in silence

The next morning, Zhou Honghong finished her breakfast and took a glance at Cheng Yi. Seeing that he was sleeping soundly, she went to school

Cough... Cheng Yi coughed and felt pain all over his body. "Mom, I... cough, I'm fine."

Fortunately, a few days after the exam, Zhou Honghong had her summer vacation, and she would go over there to help whenever she had the time

"You only have half a life left, yet you still smoke." She stepped forward and snatched his cigarette.

The second concubine is a person who has never touched water for washing, but now, out of necessity, she has learned some cooking skills and household chores, though she often ends up making a mess.

Zhou Honghong thought to herself: My hands can hardly be lifted, how can I wipe it?

After Dr. Zheng left, Mama Zhou thought about her daughter's exam tomorrow and suggested that she take a rest for a while

After being assisted to the bathroom by his second aunt and the others, he leaned against the wall and asked them to leave first

During the bone-setting process, Cheng Yi gritted his teeth in pain but did not utter a word.

Really

Cheng Yi calmly withdrew the cigarette from her head, placed it in her mouth, and took a puff. "Hmm, it's over."

Suicide of the suicidal, beaten of the beaten

Second Aunt suddenly asked: "Hong Hong, don't you like Cheng Yi?"

Zhou Honghong nodded and said, "If this medicine pack cools down, just call me again, and it will need to be reheated"

In the evening, Mother Zhou and the second aunt were discussing whether to go to the old master to plead for mercy or to wait for his anger to subside and address the matter later.

Zhou Honghong spoke cautiously. "I can continue to play along with him, making the old gentleman happy first. However, it is a bit unfair to the two of them, having a romantic relationship that feels like being part of an underground party."

The second concubine turned pale at the sight.

Seeing Cheng Yi's insistence, Mother Zhou said, "Let's support him over there. We shouldn't waste any more time."

In fact, Zhou Honghong had previously obtained Shi Jieyi's phone number through an old classmate, intending to inform her about Cheng Yi's situation. However, after calling three or four times without anyone answering, she gave up.

Zhou Honghong replied succinctly: "Yes"

Zhou Honghong listened and said, "Then I will go take a nap first. Call me when it's time to steam the medicine, as the process is quite complicated"

On that day of the examination, Zhou Honghong performed neither well nor poorly

Upon witnessing such a scene, Mother Zhou understood a bit more and then went to rest with Zhou Honghong

He looked at her with a smile on his face but not in his eyes. "I have no interest in making such jokes"

Zhou Honghong exited the room, took a deep breath, and smiled

The window has been closed

When the second concubine was applying medicine to Cheng Yi, she still couldn't hold back her tears. "You said there are things that can be dealt with gradually, taking your time to think of a plan before making decisions. If something happens to you, what am I to do..."

Upon hearing the footsteps of Mother Zhou, Zhou Honghong pretended to be asleep. After Mother Zhou gently called her name, she opened her eyes

Zhou Honghong listened and quickly got up to prepare the medicine

Zhou Honghong lay in bed, wanting to sleep, but she simply could not fall asleep, tossing and turning.

After the medicine was steamed to perfection, Zhou Honghong took some gauze, wrapped the medicine, secured it with tape a few times, and handed it to the second concubine

He remained quite indifferent towards Zhou Honghong, not even uttering a word of thanks. One day, as she passed by his window, he suddenly remarked: "Zhou Honghong, you truly are a diligent village woman"

Cheng Yi was panting, and speaking caused a sharp pain in his chest. "I need to go to the restroom..."

Zhou Honghong, seeing her in such a state, no longer spoke to disturb her

"It's fine, Second Madam, let Honghong handle it." Mother Zhou thought that this was a matter of life and death, and it truly could not be taken lightly. "We are getting older and our memories are not as good. When it comes to medicine, we are afraid of making a mistake at any step. By the time Honghong finishes steaming it, we can go to sleep."

... ...

Shi Jieyi said softly, "Zhou Honghong, I entrust Cheng Yi to you."

When the second concubine met Shi Jieyi, her expression was not very good, but she still received her politely

You ... ... with her?" Zhou Honghong was quite surprised

The old master does not care about you. If you provoke him, neither of us will have a good life. I didn't dare to take off his clothes before, but now that I have, I realize that there is not a single good spot on his body. The second concubine cried harder and harder.

Zhou Honghong originally intended to be honest with the old master, but given the current situation, if she does not cater to his wishes and smooth over his temper, it is possible that he will truly no longer recognize Cheng Yi and her son

Cheng Yi has finally been saved

Mother Zhou understood that the second concubine had cast aside her pride to seek refuge, and did not reject her words of gratitude.

The second concubine said, "However, my son has a very good heart"

Zhou Honghong felt a turmoil in her heart and could only speak words of comfort. "There must be some misunderstanding in this matter. For instance, the pressure from her parents, the pressure from the old gentleman, or perhaps she is suffering from some illness and does not want to burden you, and so on."

Cheng Yi is completely unable to exert any strength, and can only manage a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth as a response

She is completely broke, and the medical expenses for Cheng Yi and the living costs for the two mother and child rely entirely on the Zhou family. She feels very ashamed and has mentioned several times that she will definitely repay them once she has money in the future

Cheng Yi often sees his mother learning in the yard alongside Zhou Honghong, but in reality, it is mostly Zhou Honghong who is doing the work, while his mother merely assists.

The outcome remains a mystery as to how he managed it, yet he truly resolved it on his own

The second concubine sincerely apologized and insisted, "Sisters of the Zhou family, Honghong, I can handle it, you all go and rest. Just tell me how to steam the medicine."

Zhou Honghong pretended not to hear. It was the second concubine who reprimanded him.

She sighed and said, "It would be wonderful if lovers in this world could finally be together. If Cheng Yi continues to associate with this young girl, the old man will never forgive him."

The second concubine, unable to resist her son, slowly assisted him to move forward with the help of Mother Zhou.

A few days later, Shi Jieyi suddenly arrived

When Shi Jieyi came out, the second concubine had already gone to the kitchen, and only Zhou Honghong was in the yard

It is not easy to have the second concubine serve, so I said it is better for me to apply the medicine myself

The kitchen of this house is small, and the second concubine feels that it is too cramped for two people. She prefers to go to the small courtyard to wash vegetables and roll dough, only moving to the kitchen when it is time to cook.