Inside the room.
Fu Zhinian stood by the bed. On the bed, Ruan Jiaojiao's face was flushed with an unnatural heat, her brows tightly furrowed as if she were caught in another nightmare.
Fu Zhinian reached out and felt her forehead. Sure enough, she still had a fever.
Gu Yu had already mentioned earlier today that she might run a fever tonight, and this temperature did not seem low.
"Xiaohua," Fu Zhinian called out toward the doorway.
The maid, Xiaohua, walked in. "Second Master, did you call me?"
"She has a fever. Go fetch a basin of water."
"Right away, I'm on it."
Xiaohua hurried into the bathroom, brought back a basin of cold water and a towel.
She dipped the towel in the water, wrung it out, and placed it on Ruan Jiaojiao's forehead.
Fu Zhinian went to get a thermometer and handed it to Xiaohua. "Help her take her temperature."
Xiaohua took it with both hands, lifted the edge of the blanket, reached inside from the collar, and placed the thermometer under Ruan Jiaojiao's armpit.
The collar slipped down to her shoulder, exposing Ruan Jiaojiao's fair and delicate collarbone. Fu Zhinian's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away.
After a moment, Xiaohua helped take the thermometer out and checked it. "Thirty-nine degrees."
Fu Zhinian gave a soft acknowledgment. He reached out and pulled the blanket up over Ruan Jiaojiao's shoulder, covering her up.
"Go downstairs and cook some porridge."
"Yes."
Xiaohua withdrew from the room.
Fu Zhinian sat by the bed with the basin of water beside him. He picked up the towel from her forehead, put it back into the water to wet it, wrung it out, and placed it back on her forehead.
Gu Yu had given him some fever-reducing medication, but medicine is three-parts poison, and given her deficient kidney and spleen energy, Fu Zhinian had no wish to administer it directly.
Recalling what Gu Yu had said, Fu Zhinian pulled her hand out from under the blanket and examined it closely.
The back of her hand looked fair and flawless, but her fingers were slightly rough. When he turned her palm over, he found heavy calluses right below the four fingers.
An illegitimate daughter... It seemed these past years had been very hard on her.
Fu Zhinian rubbed the pad of his thumb across her palm, his gaze inscrutable.
"Second Master, is Miss Jiaojiao running a fever?" Lin Xiao pushed the door open and walked in.
Just now downstairs, he had seen Xiaohua cooking and asked about it, only to learn that Ruan Jiaojiao had a fever.
Fu Zhinian put Ruan Jiaojiao's hand back under the blanket, stood up, and did not reply.
Lin Xiao glanced at Ruan Jiaojiao on the bed and said, "Second Master, I heard from Xiaohua that Miss Jiaojiao's fever is at thirty-nine degrees. Didn't Gu Yu give you fever medicine? Why not use it on Miss Jiaojiao?"
"It's fine, let's monitor her first. If her temperature hasn't dropped in an hour, we'll give her the medicine," Fu Zhinian said.
Lin Xiao nodded. Though he did not know the Second Master's reasoning, he asked no further questions.
An hour later.
Ruan Jiaojiao's fever had dropped somewhat to thirty-seven point eight degrees.
"Second Master, you should let Xiaohua take care of her. You ought to go eat something, or your stomach trouble will flare up again," Lin Xiao reminded him, watching the Second Master, who was once again changing the towel on Ruan Jiaojiao's forehead.
Fu Zhinian gave a low affirmation, stood up, and told Xiaohua, "Keep a close eye on her."
"Don't worry, Second Master," Xiaohua nodded.
Fu Zhinian and Lin Xiao left the room. Xiaohua had already cooked some porridge in the kitchen, but Fu Zhinian was always particular about his food, so a dedicated chef prepared his meals and had them delivered over.
On the dining table, a food container sent over by the chef had already been set out.
When opened, steam was still rising from it; the container had an insulation layer that could keep food warm for hours.
Lin Xiao laid out the dishes and looked at the uninspired food on the table. Fu Zhinian waved a hand.
"Don't bother setting out the rest. I'll just have a few bites."
Lin Xiao glanced at the other lunchboxes in the bag and muttered, "Those chefs make the exact same things every day. We should just replace them."
Fu Zhinian took a sip of soup and said, "Forget it. Elder Master meant well. As long as it's edible, that's enough."
Those chefs had all been arranged by Elder Master. Back then, when Fu Zhinian had suffered from stomach cancer—fortunately caught in the early stages—and recovered, Elder Master had instructed chefs to follow him and prepare nutritionally balanced meals for him.
At first, Fu Zhinian had tried to decline, but Elder Master had been so persistent that he eventually gave in.
"Second Master, do you still need the herbal bath tonight?" Lin Xiao asked.
Fu Zhinian paused mid-motion with his chopsticks, then picked up a piece of food, put it into his mouth, chewed, and remained silent.
Lin Xiao continued, "Miss Jiaojiao was here last night, and you slept very soundly, Second Master. Since Miss Jiaojiao helps you sleep, why don't you sleep in Miss Jiaojiao's room tonight?"
"Soaking in that medicinal bathwater too often isn't necessarily a good thing either."
Still saying nothing, Fu Zhinian quietly continued eating.
After a few bites, Fu Zhinian put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, stood up, and walked toward the stairs.
Just as he reached the top of the stairs, he heard a sound coming from the room.
He pushed the door open to find Ruan Jiaojiao trying to get out of bed while Xiaohua attempted to stop her.
"Miss, you still have a fever. Lie down and rest."
Ruan Jiaojiao shook her head, struggling to get up. She wanted to speak, but her throat hurt and her head was dizzy and heavy.
When she woke up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar room. Remembering how she had collapsed to her knees earlier, she seemed to have seen the Second Master.
"Miss, you really should lie down... Second Master!" Xiaohua spotted the Second Master walking in and looked flustered.
Hearing the sound, Ruan Jiaojiao also looked toward the door. Seeing Fu Zhinian walking over, she opened her mouth to call him "Second Uncle," but before the words could escape, she nearly collapsed to the floor.
"Careful."
Fu Zhinian strode forward and caught her.
Ruan Jiaojiao's frail body leaned into his tall, sturdy embrace, and a single arm of Fu Zhinian's was enough to envelop her entirely.
Ruan Jiaojiao's body was still somewhat feverish.
"Second Uncle..."
Ruan Jiaojiao forced the two words out, her throat burning as if touched by fire.
Looking at the frail woman in his arms, Fu Zhinian bent down slightly, picked her up, and carried her toward the bed.
He placed her on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.
Ruan Jiaojiao looked somewhat panicked, opening her mouth as if to say something more, but Fu Zhinian cut her off.
"You have a fever, just lie down."
With that, Fu Zhinian told Xiaohua, "Go pour a cup of water."
"Yes, Second Master."
After Xiaohua went out, she quickly returned with a cup of water.
Fu Zhinian took the water, propped Ruan Jiaojiao up, scooped some water with a spoon, and brought it to her lips. "Drink some water first."
Ruan Jiaojiao glanced at Fu Zhinian, reached out to take the cup herself to show she could manage, but was stopped by Fu Zhinian's gaze.
She had no choice but to open her mouth and drink the water from the offered spoon.
Her parched, burning throat instantly felt somewhat soothed.
"Xiaohua, come along, we have things to do." Lin Xiao grabbed Xiaohua, led her out of the room, and closed the door.
Inside the room, there were suddenly only two people left, and the sound of the spoon tapping against the cup stood out with exceptional clarity.
Ruan Jiaojiao drank nearly a full cup of water before Fu Zhinian finally put the cup down.
"They cooked some porridge downstairs. Want some?" Fu Zhinian asked.
Although her throat had eased somewhat, Ruan Jiaojiao still felt dizzy and heavy-headed, with no appetite at all. She shook her head in refusal.
"Second Uncle, I'm not hungry. Thank you."
"Second Uncle, what time is it now? How long have I been unconscious?" Ruan Jiaojiao asked with a hint of worry.
"A little past eight in the evening."
"It's so late, I should head back. Thank you for helping me today, Second Uncle," Ruan Jiaojiao said, attempting to get out of bed once more.
But Fu Zhinian pressed down firmly on her shoulder, forcing her back onto the bed as he commanded in a stern tone, "If you want to keep your legs, stay put and lie properly."