This was the first time Ye Jiao saw Qi Yun's face flushed with color. His usually pale cheeks were rosy, and even with his eyes closed, he looked stunningly handsome.

But the man's good looks at this moment made Ye Jiao panic.

The first thing that came to her mind was whether she had done something wrong yesterday that made his already poor health even worse.

Thinking of this, Ye Jiao felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up.

Originally, the woman didn't have much strength, but at this moment, she somehow mustered up the energy to support Qi Yun all the way from the table to the bedside.

After laying the man down on the bed and removing his outer clothes and shoes, Ye Jiao wrapped Qi Yun tightly in the quilt.

Since Ye Jiao had run out of bed barefoot upon hearing the noise, the bedding hadn't been tidied up yet. As she wrapped Qi Yun up, the quilt still carried the woman's soft osmanthus fragrance and the warmth heated by her body.

Qi Yun's head was still dizzy, but he didn't make a fuss or struggle, appearing unusually docile.

Ever since he was a child, his body had been like this - getting cold or feverish, fainting from time to time had become commonplace for Qi Yun.

But this time was slightly different.

He felt hot, but his internal organs weren't aching. Although his head was heavy and dizzy, he didn't feel nauseous or like vomiting.

It was as if he had been immersed in warm water - not exactly comfortable, but not unbearable either.

However, he could clearly feel someone supporting him, pulling him up, and then dragging him onto the bed.

This was Qi Yun's own bed that he had slept in since childhood. Even with his eyes closed, he could recognize it.

...No, that wasn't right. He hadn't been sleeping here recently.

Before Qi Yun could figure it out, he smelled the scent of osmanthus and felt genuine warmth.

His body was cold and the quilt was usually lacking warmth, but now it was pleasantly warm, making him a bit sleepy.

This was the first time he felt he could leisurely feel drowsy when his body was unwell. Qi Yun still didn't have the strength to open his eyes and just lay there in a half-asleep state with a peaceful expression.

Ye Jiao, on the other hand, had no idea about the man's feelings. The reincarnated little ginseng spirit didn't have the ability to probe people's hearts and could only feel Qi Yun's burning body temperature.

Sitting by the bed, Ye Jiao felt for the first time that this body wasn't obeying her commands.

She clearly wanted to touch his face, but her hands kept shaking, especially her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.

Opening her mouth to speak and call out to him, what came out instead was a whimper. The little ginseng spirit herself didn't know what she was saying.

She looked at her hands in a daze, then touched her neck and nose.

Stuffy and a bit sour. The thought of this man possibly not getting better made it even more sour.

The little ginseng spirit who had just become human had only been a person for three days at most. And in these short three days, Qi Yun had treated her the best.

Pouring her tea, feeding her snacks, and even holding her hand to tell her not to be afraid of anything with him around.

The little ginseng that had been buried in the soil for over a thousand years stubbornly believed that being able to eat and drink was the greatest benefit of being human.

Qi Yun had satisfied all that for her, so Qi Yun was the best of the best in the world.

Ye Jiao had gained a husband who cared for her before she even understood what marriage was.

The little ginseng didn't want him to die.

If previously it was because the memories in this body told her that being a widow wasn't good, so she had to keep Qi Yun alive. But now, Ye Jiao truly didn't want him to die.

Qi Yun treated her well, extremely well. Ye Jiao didn't think she would have the chance to find someone who treated her this well again.

Now seeing Qi Yun like this, Ye Jiao's mind was in a mess.

Not caring whether she was wearing shoes or about her pounding heart, Ye Jiao bit her lip and reached her hand under the quilt to find the man's wrist.

Back when she was still a ginseng, she had no body. Occasionally, when the spirits she was familiar with nearby fell ill, she could only use her leaves to feel their pulse, which always took a long time.

Now that she had hands, taking a pulse was convenient, but Ye Jiao had no time to be happy about it.

She grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, controlling herself not to tremble. Closing her eyes, she focused on Qi Yun's pulse. After a few breaths, Ye Jiao finally let out a sigh of relief.

The breath she had been holding was also released, and her tense body relaxed, feeling a bit weak as she leaned against the bed frame. But her hand still didn't let go of the man's wrist.

She wasn't checking his pulse, but softly holding it, as if doing so could ease her heart a little.

Seeing that Qi Yun still hadn't woken up, Ye Jiao said softly, "That's good, that's good..."

Her spirit could nourish people. Just holding hands with Qi Yun for a couple of days could already make him much better. Although he wasn't fully recovered and his complexion was still pale enough to stop a crying child, Ye Jiao could feel that compared to the man who could be blown over by the wind on their wedding night, Qi Yun was already developing in a good direction.

This gave Ye Jiao motivation. Last night, she had secretly squeezed into the man's arms, letting him hold her to see if it would be effective.

As a result, there was an effect, but the effect was too stimulating.

Qi Yun had a weak constitution and she was a powerful tonic. This directly led to Qi Yun being unable to handle the nourishment, and coupled with being hit by the morning chill, it caused this scene.

Fortunately, the situation wasn't serious. As long as this heat was dissipated, he would be fine. Not only would it not leave any illness behind, it would actually make Qi Yun's body even better.

But no one could withstand such tossing and turning. It seemed that in the future, they could only take it step by step, and the hand-holding action would have to continue.

Knowing that Qi Yun was alright, Ye Jiao's heart was no longer as panicked as before. But as soon as she calmed down, she suddenly felt something cool on her face.

Ye Jiao wiped her face with the back of her hand in a daze and saw that it was wet. She curiously licked it and found it a bit salty.

What was this...?

"Jiao Niang, don't cry."

The man's voice rang out, and Ye Jiao couldn't help but look towards him.

With this glance, Qi Yun, who had just woken up, subconsciously held his breath.

Ye Jiao was beautiful, which Qi Yun knew from the first time he saw her. There was never any resentment of poverty on her face, nor worry about the future. Instead, she was always full of vitality, especially cute when she smiled.

The most beautiful part of a woman was her eyes.

Large and bright, with a clear gaze, like a limpid spring.

Now Ye Jiao's eyes were wet with tears, misty, and the tear stains on her face had been wiped away, but those eyes were so clean after being washed that it was unbelievable.

Qi Yun reached out to touch her face, his voice even gentler, "Don't cry. The weather is getting cooler. Crying too much might hurt your eyes."

But Ye Jiao was quietly looking at the wetness on the back of her hand.

She cried?

So these were tears...

The little ginseng seemed to have gained some new life insight, the worries from earlier completely gone. She touched her eyes with some curiosity, wanting to lick the back of her hand again to taste it.

Qi Yun pulled her hand away, finding it both funny and exasperating.

Feeling that his head was much clearer, Qi Yun half-propped himself up, leaning against the pillow. He held Ye Jiao's hand and instructed, "Go have Xiao Su call for the doctor. Don't alarm my mother, lest she worries."

Ye Jiao knew in her heart that Qi Yun was fine, so she didn't ask much and obediently nodded, "Alright."

After putting on shoes and an outer garment, Ye Jiao went out to call Xiao Su who was sweeping outside, telling her to go fetch the doctor.

Xiao Su immediately dropped the broom and ran, as fast as a rabbit.

After the earlier bustle, it was still early in the day, with the sky just brightening and the outside still quiet.

While waiting for the doctor to arrive, Ye Jiao went to pour hot water and wring a towel to wipe her face. She put up her hair, then went to wipe Qi Yun's face and brought him some salt water, "Rinse your mouth."

Previously, Ye Jiao had never taken the initiative to do these things. In fact, she had learned them one by one from Qi Yun. The Qi family was well-off and could afford to use salt water for rinsing. He was just afraid that Ye Jiao wouldn't understand, so he had taught her hand in hand.

Now seeing Ye Jiao take the initiative to bring over the salt water for him, Qi Yun couldn't help but smile.

Perhaps it was because the heat in his body hadn't dissipated yet, but Qi Yun's face had a rosy glow, looking much more lively than his usually ghostly pale appearance.

After rinsing his mouth with the water, Qi Yun said softly, "Is this a rare benefit of being sick?"

Ye Jiao lightly coughed, too embarrassed to say that her good intentions had backfired, otherwise he wouldn't be lying here.

But Ye Jiao was still a bit worried about Qi Yun's condition. Before the doctor the Qi family had called for arrived, she reached her hand under the quilt again.

Qi Yun was stunned for a moment, feeling the woman's slender fingertips touching his arm. He subconsciously flinched, "Jiao Niang, what are you looking for?"

Ye Jiao didn't look up, "I'm feeling it."

...Oh, feel away then.

Qi Yun very calmly leaned against the pillow, allowing Ye Jiao to feel his arm all over.

Her soft hands went back and forth over the man's wrist several times, then pinched his forearm before letting go.

Qi Yun actually felt a bit of regret. In fact, she could have felt more.

But as soon as this thought popped up, Qi Yun suppressed it, once again starting to despise himself for his terrible thoughts.

When the doctor arrived, he indeed didn't alarm anyone. Even if someone saw, they wouldn't find it strange.

Qi Yun inviting doctors over for checkups had become a regular occurrence. Even if he wasn't feeling unwell, Madam Liu would have someone come take a look. Over time, it had become a matter of course.

After taking Qi Yun's pulse, the doctor spouted a string of medical jargon, and his final conclusion was: "Second Young Master's pulse is steady, just with some fire energy not dissipating. Rest will suffice."

Hearing this, the two had different thoughts.

Ye Jiao: It's all my fault. I can't be so impatient in the future.

Qi Yun: It's all my fault. I was thinking all sorts of nonsense in my dream yesterday...

After seeing the doctor off, Ye Jiao heard Qi Yun say, "Today is the day for you to visit your family. Wait a bit, get ready and we'll go."

"No!" Ye Jiao, who never said no to Qi Yun, this time firmly shook her head at him.

The weather was getting cooler now, and Qi Yun had vigorous internal heat. He should be recuperating well. If he went out with her like this and was hit by the cold wind, he might collapse again.

Ye Jiao didn't hide it from him either, tucking in his quilt whilesaying, "You can't move around. Didn't they say you need to rest? Resting means no going out."

Qi Yun, however, stared at her, slightly furrowing his brows, "But I'm a bit worried about you going back alone."

Ye Jiao was completely unconcerned, "Then I won't go back either."

This time, it was Qi Yun's turn to shake his head, "You should go back and take a look today."

It wasn't that Qi Yun placed great importance on the Ye family as in-laws. To be honest, the Ye family's foundation was worlds apart from the Qi family's.

The Qi family was a well-known wealthy household in the area, while the Ye family was dirt poor. If it weren't for this accidental marriage, the two sides would never have crossed paths.

Not to mention that they were actually able to push Ye Jiao into a pit of fire, which made Qi Yun look down on them even more.

Evidently, Qi Yun had a very accurate understanding of the fact that he was a pit of fire.

However, Qi Yun knew that in the future, it wouldn't matter if they had no contact with the Ye family, but for now, they had to keep up appearances.

The Ye family had accepted a hefty bride price to marry Ye Jiao off, and the Qi family had only wanted to find a woman to ward off misfortune for their son. This was something both families tacitly understood, but on the surface, they couldn't miss a single step.

One side was unwilling to be gossiped about for selling their sister, while the other didn't want people to talk behind their backs about their son being a consumptive ghost. So the necessary things had to be done in full.

Qi Yun wasn't afraid of being talked about. After all, he had been talked about for so many years that he had gotten used to it even if he wasn't used to it before.

But he didn't want people to always gossip about Ye Jiao. Jiao Niang was his properly wedded wife and now the treasure in his heart, so he couldn't give others any reason to gossip.

However, Qi Yun wouldn't tell Ye Jiao about these things. He could also see that Ye Jiao didn't understand, and he didn't want to make her understand either.

Holding Ye Jiao's hand, Qi Yun lightly coughed twice before saying, "Don't worry. I'll tell Mother later to have the family's servant women accompany you back. Xiao Su will also go with you. If you get tired on the way, take a break at our family's medicinal garden. If you don't want to stay long at your brother's place, just take a quick trip and come back."

Ye Jiao didn't really care where she went. Although she didn't know what Qi Yun was thinking, she knew that he had said so much for her sake, so going once wasn't a big deal.

What really made Ye Jiao curious was the medicinal garden Qi Yun mentioned.

Ye Jiao could slowly nourish Qi Yun's body, but this was a long process. The earlier experience told her that she definitely couldn't rush it.

But with Qi Yun's weak constitution, it was hard to say when he might fall ill. Ye Jiao still wanted to understand the differences between the medicinal materials in this life and her previous one, to prepare early for her husband.

She shook Qi Yun's fingers, "Husband, where is that medicinal garden?"

Qi Yun just thought she was curious and gently said, "You should be able to see it on the way. Our family has a medicine shop, and most of the medicinal materials in it are processed in this garden before being sent to the shop."

Ye Jiao's eyes sparkled as she nodded repeatedly, suddenly full of anticipation for this trip back to her family.

But soon, Ye Jiao had some worries again.

This morning, Qi Yun had vigorous internal heat and had been hit by the cold wind early in the morning, causing him to collapse.

If she wasn't by his side, with just Qi Yun alone, what if something happened again?

After much thought, Ye Jiao had an idea.

She got up and went to the outer room, took the scissors from the cabinet, and cut off a strand of hair from her bun.

Although this couldn't compare to her being by his side, it was taken from her own body. Leaving it with Qi Yun, if something really happened to him, she would be able to sense it a little.

She casually took a brocade pouch, stuffed the hair inside, and tied it up. After rearranging her bun, Ye Jiao then walked into the inner room.

Qi Yun couldn't see clearly what Ye Jiao was doing. Seeing the pouch Ye Jiao was holding, he recognized it as the pouch he usually used for protective talismans.

Madam Liu had prayed to the gods and Buddha for his sake quite a bit, so he had many of these pouches.

But when Ye Jiao stuffed it into his hand, Qi Yun felt that it was light and airy inside, as if there was nothing.

Ye Jiao rarely told him solemnly, "Keep it well with you."

Qi Yun thought she also knew it was a protective talisman. He felt it was useless in his heart, but facing the woman's clear eyes, he still nodded in agreement.

Just then, Madam Liu had someone come over to call Ye Jiao. Qi Yun figured that Madam Liu was probably talking about the same matter. He casually stuffed the pouch into his clothes, then patted her hand, "Go. Have a good talk with Mother. Do you want me to accompany you?"

Ye Jiao very insistently told him to rest well and went to Madam Liu's courtyard herself.

And after she left, Qi Yun no longer restrained himself and suddenly started coughing.

Although he didn't feel dizzy, his throat had been itchy since earlier, especially after talking quite a bit with Ye Jiao, he felt his throat becoming more uncomfortable.

But he didn't want to make Ye Jiao worry, so he had been enduring it. Now suddenly coughing, it inevitably sounded heart-wrenching.

Xiao Su, who was cleaning outside, was startled. Although she was afraid of the always gloomy Second Young Master Qi, the young girl knew that if something happened to Qi Yun, Madam Liu had the ability to make sure no one had it easy.

Upon hearing the coughing, Xiao Su immediately jogged to the door and peeked through the window, asking, "Se- Second Young Master, should I call the doctor back?"

Qi Yun took the teacup Ye Jiao had left on the bedside table and drank from it. The warm tea made his throat much more comfortable.

Hearing Xiao Su's voice, Qi Yun breathed a few times, then said hoarsely, "I'm fine. Don't alarm others."

His voice was a bit raspy. Coupled with Xiao Su's innate fear of him, the girl's mind matched this hoarse, low voice with his pale face, and she actually trembled a bit.

At this moment, Qi Yun's voice came through the window again, "By the way, when you accompany Jiao Niang back later, be careful. If anything happens, come back and tell me."

Xiao Su shrank her head and answered in a small voice, "I understand."

"Don't be afraid to offend people. Protect Jiao Niang, understand?"

"Un- Understand."

Seeing that Qi Yun wasn't speaking anymore, Xiao Su immediately let go of the window and jogged away.

When she passed by that black feather shuttlecock, she ran a bit faster.

Second Young Master was indeed the scariest!

Author has something to say:
Doctor: Your fire energy is a bit vigorous ah.
Qi Yun: ...Indeed, I shouldn't casually think nonsense.
Jiao Niang: What were you thinking?
Qi Yun: Cough cough cough
=w=
Hugs to the darlings~ Thriving growth, daily updates continue! Heart!