Chen Xiaobei quickly released his hold, but Feng Xiaoyue was caught off guard and collapsed, falling to the ground again.
Cui Hongyu, seeing this, seemed to understand something and hurried forward to help Feng Xiaoyue up once again.
She casually checked Feng Xiaoyue's pulse.
Feng Xiaoyue's pulse was erratic and weak.
Cui Hongyu couldn't help but frown. "Miss Xiaoyue, you're in a very weak condition. You've been badly hurt."
Feng Xiaoyue looked at Cui Hongyu in obvious surprise. This person had simply taken her pulse and immediately knew she was injured.
Chen Xiaobei was even more surprised.
It was Cui Hongyu who was the hidden expert. Without making a sound, just by taking the pulse, she could tell the cause of the injury.
"Miss Xiaoyue, what exactly happened to you? Do you need help?" Cui Hongyu gently asked again.
Her words caused Feng Xiaoyue to start sobbing uncontrollably.
At first, she cried softly, but soon, her sobs turned into loud wails.
After crying for a while, she managed to speak between sobs, "I went to work at Lord Zhao's house. Lord Zhao is kind, but his wife is extremely cruel, always beating or scolding the servants."
"Yesterday, while I was washing clothes, the mistress called me twice, but I didn't hear her, which angered her. She picked up a stick and started beating me."
"I tried to dodge, but I still couldn't escape a brutal beating."
Chen Xiaobei felt a surge of anger. But in this era, all he could do was feel angry—what else could he do?
Cui Hongyu carefully helped her sit up and gently said, "Miss Xiaoyue, your body won't recover in less than ten days or half a month. Maybe you should quit that job."
Feng Xiaoyue shook her head. "No, I can't. Yanzi and the others are still waiting for me at the temple. If I stop working, what will happen to them?"
Chen Xiaobei felt a jolt in his heart, recalling the scene when he chased the little boy to the ruined temple. There were seven or eight children in the temple, some of whom were as small as Chen Qiao'er.
"Miss Xiaoyue, don't tell me those children are depending on you for food?"
Feng Xiaoyue nodded. "They're all homeless children. I can't just stand by and watch them starve."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but reflect. It is said that it's better to be a dog in prosperous times than a person in times of turmoil.
Although the current times aren't chaotic, surviving isn't easy either.
Especially for these orphaned children—if it weren't for a kind person like Feng Xiaoyue, they would have likely starved to death by now.
Cui Hongyu was also moved by Feng Xiaoyue's spirit. She said sincerely, "Miss Xiaoyue, where do you live? Later, I'll prepare two doses of medicine and send them to you."
Feng Xiaoyue waved her hand, thanked them, and insisted on walking on.
Chen Xiaobei was also moved by Cui Hongyu's kind words. Since she wanted to do good, he of course supported her.
Moreover, those children lived in the ruined temple, which he knew about.
"Hongyu, I think we should not only prepare medicine for Xiaoyue, but also buy some rice to send to them. If she rests, those children will surely go hungry again."
"Everything depends on your arrangement, husband." Cui Hongyu spoke gently, but her heart was filled with joy. Chen Xiaobei valued her opinion, and this made her happy.
Chen Xiaobei thought for a moment, then took Cui Hongyu to Huahaotang.
Jia Wannian, seeing Chen Xiaobei, smiled and came forward to greet him. "Brother Xiaobei, you're here. Come in, come in, and have some tea."
As he spoke, he noticed Cui Hongyu standing behind Chen Xiaobei. He froze for a moment.
But Cui Hongyu, with her usual grace, spoke up confidently. "Uncle Jia, do you still recognize me?"
Jia Wannian chuckled. "Of course, of course. Miss Hongyu, how's your father doing?"
Chen Xiaobei was quite surprised to learn that they knew each other. But then he thought about it: Cui Hongyu's father, Cui Fugui, was a well-known village doctor, so it was natural that they would know each other as they were both in the same line of work.
To his surprise, Cui Hongyu wasn't shy at all. She directly spoke to Jia Wannian. "I need to prepare two doses of medicine. Please get me some paper and a pen."
Jia Wannian, as always, was polite. He pointed to a consultation desk not far away.
That was where he usually sat to see patients, and it had all the necessary supplies.
Cui Hongyu sat down, grabbed a pen, dipped it in ink, and started writing. Her writing flowed effortlessly, and in no time, she had written out a prescription.
After finishing the prescription, she read it through from beginning to end, a smile appearing on her face as if she was very satisfied with it.
The young assistant, watching this, was dumbfounded. He had never seen someone come to get medicine and write their own prescription.
Cui Hongyu smiled and handed the prescription to the young assistant.
"Make ten doses of this for me."
Ten doses. The young assistant was stunned and turned to look at Jia Wannian.
Jia Wannian, however, just smiled and nodded. "Alright, prepare the medicine as Miss Hongyu said. And, the medicine fee, don't charge her."
The young assistant's eyes widened even more.
Even Chen Xiaobei was a little surprised. "Shopkeeper Jia, this doesn't seem right. We came to get medicine, and we should at least pay for it."
Jia Wannian, however, smiled and waved his hand. "No need, no need. Don't say ten doses, even if you ask for a hundred doses, I can't accept Miss Hongyu's money."
Unexpectedly, Cui Hongyu didn't take his favor, but simply said, "Then thank you, Uncle Jia."
The exchange between the two of them appeared to be full of smiles, but Chen Xiaobei still felt something was off.
After sipping his tea for a bit, he quickly stood up to leave once the medicine was ready.
Once they were outside Huahaotang, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but ask, "Hongyu, you and Shopkeeper Jia..."
Before he could finish, Cui Hongyu interrupted him, "There's nothing to say. He and my father were fellow apprentices. Later, his master handed over Huahaotang to Jia Wannian, and my father returned home."
Alright, when it comes to the old generation's grudges, as a junior, it's really not something he could comment on.
Chen Xiaobei then went to the grain store to buy some rice, tossing it onto the donkey cart before heading towards the ruined temple, relying on his memory.
At the entrance of the ruined temple, the little girl named Yanzi was playing with a few others.
Oh, the child named Xiaomu wasn't there; perhaps he had gone out begging again.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei approach, Yanzi became very cautious, staring at him with wide eyes and tightly watching his every move. "What... what do you want?"
As she spoke, she reached out to pull the younger children behind her.
This instinctive gesture made Chen Xiaobei feel a mix of admiration and a touch of sorrow. It seemed that they often faced danger.
He looked towards Cui Hongyu for help, thinking that, as a woman, she might be able to communicate with them more easily.
Cui Hongyu first held the medicine in her hand and took a few steps forward, squatting down. "Did your sister Xiaoyue get hurt?"
Yanzi nodded. Tears immediately filled her eyes.
It seemed they were about to fall.
Cui Hongyu handed her the medicine. "This is the medicine I prepared for her. She just needs to brew and take one dose a day."
Yanzi nodded and obediently took it.
Fortunately, after this, things became much simpler.
Chen Xiaobei then took the bag of rice from the cart and carried it down.