Chapter 51
Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened.
The caravan members gradually got up and began packing up in preparation for departure.
A good night's sleep had truly restored much of their energy and spirits.
When Huo Shu fetched breakfast from the kitchen and returned to the room, he also brought a boiled egg.
Last night, Ji Taoyu had cried on his shoulder for a long while, and when he opened his eyes this morning, he noticed the person in his arms had slightly swollen eyes. The egg would help reduce the swelling.
By the time he entered the room, Ji Taoyu had already gotten out of bed and was sitting by the table, gently wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.
His swollen eyes felt sore and ached at the slightest touch.
Just as he was blinking weakly, a hand suddenly covered his forehead.
"I'm not sick."
Ji Taoyu said honestly.
Perhaps due to the half-month of morning exercises he had been doing, despite the exhaustion from traveling all day yesterday, he woke up feeling no real discomfort—just a bit sore.
But after crying last night, he knew his eyes would be puffy in the morning.
Even without a mirror in the room, he was well aware of how pitiful and sickly he looked after a night of tears. Anyone who didn’t know better might think he was seriously ill.
Huo Shu felt the temperature under his palm and, detecting no abnormality, withdrew his hand in relief. "Eat something."
Ji Taoyu wiped his hands clean. Knowing they couldn’t afford delays on the road, he quickly picked up the bowl of porridge and started eating.
Meanwhile, Huo Shu sat beside him, cracking and peeling the eggshell.
The peeled egg was smooth and flawless. For no particular reason, Huo Shu glanced at the little ger next to him, who was eating his porridge.
Noticing Huo Shu’s gaze, Ji Taoyu blinked in confusion.
He swallowed the porridge slowly.
Thinking of his behavior last night, he felt a pang of guilt over his earlier bold declaration at home that he wouldn’t cause any trouble for Huo Shu on the journey.
He cleared his throat. "Um… yesterday, I was just a little unaccustomed, so…"
Seeing Huo Shu’s unchanged expression, he pursed his lips and raised a hand to his temple. "I promise I won’t be like that tonight!"
Huo Shu looked at his furrowed brows and determined expression, it was no different from a child making a solemn vow to an adult.
It was almost amusing.
His expression softened as he pressed the peeled egg against Ji Taoyu’s eyelid, rolling it gently. "Hurry up and eat."
"It’s normal to feel homesick when leaving home suddenly. You’ll get used to it after a while. Back when I left home for the north, I often missed home in the military camp, it’s nothing to be ashamed of."
"You’ve never been away from home before. This is just another kind of tempering."
Ji Taoyu tilted his chin up, gazing at Huo Shu, whose tone was calm yet gentle. A warm current flowed through his heart.
Huo Shu hadn’t scolded him for last night’s episode. Instead, he had comforted him, how could he not be moved?
Ji Taoyu nodded. "I already feel much better after waking up. Don’t worry about me."
By the time the two finished packing and went downstairs, the others were nearly ready as well.
"Excuse me, little brother, could you fill my water flask? Plain tea will do, no need for bitter tea in this weather."
Ji Wenliang and a few others were by the staircase, asking the waiter for tea. When he looked up and saw the two coming down, he immediately noticed Ji Taoyu’s red-rimmed eyes and slightly reddened nose—he looked ill.
"Brother Taoyu, are you feeling unwell?"
Ji Wenliang quickly set down his flask and hurried over. "Did you catch a chill from the wind yesterday?"
"No, I just didn’t sleep well last night."
Ji Taoyu was too embarrassed to admit he had cried under the covers out of homesickness on the very first day, so he made up an excuse to brush it off.
"Your voice is hoarse, and you still say it’s nothing? Maybe you should take some medicine."
"Really, it’s nothing serious. Besides, I have medicine with me, if I feel unwell, I’ll take it."
Only then did Ji Wenliang relax slightly.
"Then give me your flask. I’ll get you some hot water for the road. Warm water is much better for your throat than cold."
Ji Taoyu’s eyes curved into a smile as he nodded.
"Are you really alright?"
Ge Liang also asked when he saw them.
Huo Shu replied, "He’s fine. Tell everyone to stock up on supplies if needed. Once everything’s packed, we’ll set off."
With that, he led Ji Taoyu out to the carriage first.
"If he’s already like this after just one day, who knows how he’ll be later."
A man beside Ge Liang, who had just filled his tea, let out a deep sigh as he watched them leave.
"He said he’s fine. Tian Fu, for a grown man, you’ve got quite the petty heart. How do you expect to find a wife like this?"
Ge Liang teased him good-naturedly before adding patiently, "We should look out for each other on this journey. If you were injured or sick, and everyone gave you the cold shoulder, how would you feel?"
Tian Fu grumbled, "I’m not some frail weakling."
"I’m not here to save up for a wife, I just want to earn enough by harvest season to pay off my debts. But if someone’s constantly falling ill and slowing us down, we might as well have stayed home and farmed."
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