Let’s not talk about the reactions of those two people. Xu Qi was also restless in the carriage.

The person in her arms was as soft as tofu, leaning against her with a feverish body. In her daze, she held onto her clothes tightly with two skinny fingers, as if grasping onto some form of support, unwilling to let go.

Xu Qi held a box of ointment in her hand, given to her by Doctor Chen, to apply to the person’s wounds.

But just having the person lying in her arms already made her blush and her heart race.

Xu Qi couldn’t figure out how embarrassing it would be to apply medicine to this person. Just the thought of it made her feel incredibly hot.

On the way back, since the carriage curtain shielded her, she didn’t need to greet the people she encountered on the road. She only got noticed when she was getting the person off the carriage by a neighbor.

The neighbor rushed over and exclaimed, “Hey, Qi’er, who is this?”

“Uncle Man, this is someone I brought back from town today.”

Xu Qi didn’t intend to hide the identity of the person in her arms. He had no family here and was bought by her. Instead of letting others speculate, she preferred to explain herself.

“Ah, did you buy him from the market in town? I heard there aren’t many clean men there.”

Uncle Man followed Xu Qi and observed the man’s attire, guessing something, and then expressed some concern.

Xu Qi’s parents passed away early, and he had watched Xu Qi grow up. Naturally, he hoped she would find a better man.

Xu Qi smiled and said, “I don’t have many requirements for these things.”

The palpitations she felt at first sight were enough for her to bring him back and keep him at home.

She wasn’t familiar with this world. She vaguely knew that if she didn’t find a husband, the people in the village would keep bothering her, and there would be no peace for her.

There were no men in Xu Family Village that she liked. Instead, she found them annoying. But this man, whom she liked at first sight, was an exception.

Xu Qi’s slender white fingers carefully traced his eyebrows.

The man on the bed still had a dirty face, his brows furrowed, moving restlessly.

Uncle Man couldn’t persuade her, seeing the man on the bed looking unkempt, he asked if she had any men’s clothing.

Xu Qi was a woman, so how could there be any men’s clothing in the house? Naturally, she turned to Uncle Man with a puzzled look.

Uncle Man shook his head helplessly. “I knew you young people do things as you wish. I still have some new clothes for my son-in-law. I’ll bring them over for you to change him into.”

The clothes the man was wearing were simply unsightly! Uncle Man didn’t want to strain his eyes any further.

Thinking of having to help the man change clothes and make medicine at the same time, Xu Qi blushed and felt extremely shy.

But she couldn’t just do nothing. So, she answered softly, “Thank you, Uncle Man.”

Uncle Man waved his hand with a smile, “Don’t be polite with me, I’m like your elder. Since you’ve brought someone home, consider this an early wedding gift from me.”

In her previous life, most people around Xu Qi were emotionally restrained, and few people held her hand and spoke such warm words to her.

Xu Qi felt warm in her heart.

After sending Uncle Man away, there were only her and the man on the bed left in the room.

The man occasionally made gasping sounds, indicating discomfort, but at least he was alive.

Xu Qi carefully helped him up, placed her hand on his soft and weak neck, then unbuttoned the buttons on his chest and the belt around his waist. The thin clothes fell off, revealing his snow-white skin underneath.

But on that skin, there were scars one after another, making Xu Qi’s pupils tremble uncontrollably.

She held the man’s forearm with her other hand, feeling a surge of anger for him. How cruel must someone be to inflict such wounds on a fragile man?

After coming to this place for only a month, Xu Qi had been influenced by their thinking. She perceived men as the weaker and oppressed party.

She opened the ointment and carefully applied it to the man’s wounds.

It must have hurt, as the man in her arms couldn’t help but move a little. His unconscious head nestled into Xu Qi’s embrace, and she held him tighter, feeling his trembling from pain.

There weren’t many good spots on his body.

Xu Qi bit her lip, carefully turning the man over, and indeed, she saw scars covering his back, even more shocking than the ones on his front!

No wonder the doctor said she was too harsh, and no wonder he struggled and frowned every time she made him lie down…

It was because he was in pain.

The tenderness in Xu Qi’s eyes was unknown to Ye Lan, who was still in a coma. He just trembled slightly from the pain, wondering in his dim consciousness, is dying this painful?

With this thought, Ye Lan’s weak consciousness gradually dissipated, and his world plunged into darkness.

“Xu Qi!”

A shout came from outside the door. Xu Qi had just finished applying the medicine to Ye Lan. Hearing the voice, she carefully put him down and covered his upper body with a blanket.

People here didn’t care much about this, and many boys liked to sleep shirtless, but here, it should be treated with special care.

She tried to imagine herself as a woman from the historical dramas she had watched, thinking about how they would handle such situations.

After covering him properly, Xu Qi took the medicinal herbs and went out.

Her good friend had finally managed to bring back her donkey cart after rushing around for half a day.

Seeing Xu Zhi muttering and grumbling, looking dissatisfied, she handed the rope to Xu Qi, swaggering into Xu Qi’s yard.

Xu Qi stood at the door in a daze for a while, suddenly remembering something, and hurriedly rushed in, blocking Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi looked puzzled, “What’s wrong? I worked so hard to bring your donkey cart back, can’t I come in for a cup of tea?”

Hearing her lack of self-awareness, Xu Qi could only say helplessly, “You sit outside, I’ll go pour you a cup of tea.”

In the past, when Butcher Xu lived alone, his requirements for the house weren’t high. The main hall and her room were separated by a curtain.

After hearing Xu Qi’s words, Xu Zhi seemed to have realized something but still felt a little unhappy. “What are you thinking? You spend one or two silver coins to buy him, two silver coins to treat his illness, even if you marry a decent man from a reputable family, the betrothal gift would only be five coins, right?”

She brought this up again, and Xu Qi was already a bit impatient. She didn’t like others constantly meddling in her affairs. However, Xu Zhi had a good relationship with the original owner, and she meant no harm, so Xu Qi could only bear with it.

“Even if the gentlemen from other families are good, it’s useless. After all, they are not the ones I like. You don’t have to say more about it. Drink your tea quickly and go back. If you’re late, your father and brothers will worry.”

Thinking of the two statues of deities at home, Xu Zhi rubbed her forehead in distress, “Then I’ll go back first. When you go to town tomorrow, wait for me. Let’s go together.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhi was playful by nature, and even when selling things, it was on and off. Therefore, there was no special cart at home for her. Usually, except for spending a little money, she would hitch a ride on Xu Qi’s donkey cart.

Xu Qi found her life quite boring alone, and having Xu Zhi around made it more lively.

After seeing Xu Zhi off, Xu Qi looked at the sky. It was already past noon. She went back to the house, took out some rice, washed it, and started cooking.

She wasn’t particularly skilled in cooking, just like in modern times where various seasonings and cooking videos were available. In ancient times, she was even more at a loss.

After pondering for a month, she could only make some simple dishes. Cooking porridge was the most convenient, and she only needed some pickled vegetables made by the original owner to go with it.

She washed the rice and put it in the pot to cook over high heat. Feeling that things were almost done, she decided to eat and rest. A wave of exhaustion swept over her.

“I should go lie down.”

Thinking so, Xu Qi was about to enter the house when she heard something fall to the ground.