"The water is gone... my amu and little brother... little brother... wuwuwuwu..." Perhaps Ping'an's words had touched upon the child's sad memories, as he cried even more sorrowfully.
[阿姆 (Āmǔ): shuang'er parent]
"Hey... don't cry..."
Ping'an, flustered, took out a handkerchief and helped wipe the dirty mud from the child's face.
However.
It was precisely this act of wiping by Ping’an that accidentally revealed the very faint mark unique to a shuang’er, on the child’s forehead to Li Jin and the others.
"Shuang'er?"
Zhou Yunting raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that the one who stole from them was actually a shuang'er.
Li Jin took a step forward. "We still have the water you need."
"Really?"
The child was overjoyed, his eyes full of expectation as he stared at Li Jin. But remembering his earlier act of falsely accusing them, the child didn't dare ask Li Jin for water.
Li Jin smiled slightly. "If you tell me why you need the water, I will give you a full waterskin. How about that?"
"Just by telling you?"
The child rubbed his eyes vigorously, unable to believe it.
"Mm." Li Jin nodded. "Ping'an, fetch a waterskin."
"Yes, Third Young Master."
Ping'an, seeming intent on comforting the child, quickly brought a full waterskin from the carriage and handed it to Li Jin.
These full waterskins were filled by Ping'an and Zhou Yunting just before reaching Zhouzhou on Li Jin's orders, there were quite a few left in the carriage. Initially, Ping'an had privately wondered why Li Jin wanted so many waterskins prepared for their small group, never expecting they would come in useful so soon.
Li Jin took the waterskin, unscrewed the cap, and poured a little water out to demonstrate.
"I'll tell you."
Seeing the water flow from the skin, the child agreed without a second thought.
"Good, tell me."
"It's for my amu and my little brother." The child sniffled and continued, "My amu is about to give birth, but the wenfulang said he needs a full waterskin as payment... That's why... that's why I wanted to steal one."
In Da Xia, similar to midwives who assisted women, a wenfulang was a person specialized in assisting shuang'er during childbirth.
"Water?"
Ping'an was stunned, not connecting the dots immediately.
Zhou Yunting reminded him from the side, "Have you forgotten the drought in Zhouzhou?"
Ping'an shot Zhou Yunting a look. "How could I forget? But it's strange for the child to say the wenfulang wants water, right? Even with the drought, it shouldn't have reached the point where no one can get any water to drink?"
Li Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, looking around, and said unhurriedly, "What if the water source has been monopolized by someone?"
Once Li Jin said this, the child was astonished.
"You're so amazing, I hadn't even said it yet and you already know..."
The only well with water in their village was indeed monopolized by the local bully, just as Li Jin said. Every time they needed water, they had to pay a significant amount of copper coins. To make matters worse, the magistrate had fled. The village chief trying to scare off these bullies using the government's authority was completely ineffective.
Ping'an listened, utterly dumbfounded, never having imagined that such despicable people could exist.
"Take it."
Li Jin handed the waterskin to the child.
"Th... thank you..." The child hurriedly took it and held it tightly in his arms.
Great, now with the water, Amu will be alright.
"Hurry along now."
"Mm."
The child nodded and ran off quickly.
Thud.
Unfortunately, the child's body seemed very frail, and he fell several times while running. His face, which Ping'an had just cleaned, became dirty again mixed with sweat.
"..."
Ping'an stared blankly at the child, finally understanding why the child was so filthy head to toe, it turned out he kept falling over.
"Seventh Brother, let's get in the carriage."
"Alright."
Ying Yuan nodded and followed onto the carriage.
At this time, their group consisted of only five people. The rest had been ordered by Li Jin to stay at the previous resting place, awaiting further instructions.
Ping'an looked worriedly at the child's retreating back. "Third Young Master, aren't we going to help the child? It seems pitiful for him to walk back like that, and he looked very anxious."
"Not yet." After saying this, Li Jin looked at Ying Yuan. "Seventh Brother, there's something I need your help with. I wonder if you're willing."
"What is it?"
While asking, a flicker of curiosity passed through Ying Yuan's eyes. Generally, Ying Yuan would readily agree whenever Li Jin asked for help. But this time, because Ying Yuan noticed a trace of embarrassment in Li Jin's eyes, he wanted to ask the reason.
"I hope you can pretend to be a shuang'er and come with me to that child's village to take a look."
"Uh..."
"Ahem..."
Aside from Ying Yuan, everyone present who heard Li Jin's request for Ying Yuan to pretend to be a shuang'er was startled.
"Th... Third Young Master... that might not be appropriate."
Ping'an swallowed hard.
Although Ying Yuan had always been on good terms with Li Jin, pretending to be a shuang'er was considered a great humiliation for a man. How could Li Jin suggest it so directly?
"As a precaution."
Li Jin had considered doing it himself, but since they had already spoken with the child, presumably the child remembered their appearances. That's why Li Jin asked Ying Yuan. After all, among them, only Ying Yuan wore a forehead ribbon. Having him pretend to be a shuang'er was the most suitable.
"Alright."
Ying Yuan paused, then agreed.
Did they hear correctly? The Seventh Prince actually... agreed?
The three, including Shi Weixu, were dumbfounded, momentarily at a loss for words.
Having obtained Ying Yuan's consent, Li Jin turned to Shi Weixu. "Physician Shi, do you have anything that can temporarily confuse other people's eyes?"
"Young Master, this might help." Shi Weixu took a box of ointment, about the size of a baby's fist, from his medicine chest and handed it to Li Jin. "I made this ointment unintentionally a few days ago. Applied to the skin, it will temporarily dye it red. However, the effect lasts only for one hou (候, a five-day period). After one hou, the red color will fade completely."
"Thank you for your help, Physician Shi." Li Jin took the medicine box, opened it, picked up a new brush, dipped it in the ointment, and began painting on Ying Yuan's forehead.
While Li Jin was painting shuang'er mark on Ying Yuan's forehead, Ying Yuan remained rigid the entire time.
So close.
Ying Yuan felt his heartbeat suddenly become somewhat uncontrollable, and he instinctively wanted to lean back.
"Don't move. If I paint it wrong, it won't look good." Li Jin used his free hand to hold Ying Yuan's shoulder in place and continued painting.
"Mm."
Hearing this, Ying Yuan didn't dare to move recklessly.
Before long.
Li Jin finished painting the shuang'er mark between Ying Yuan's brows. Every shuang'er's mark has slight variations. The one Li Jin painted was modeled after Gu Rushuang's, but he added a few strokes on that basis, instantly making the mark harmonize perfectly with Ying Yuan's features, adding a touch of charm.
"This shuang'er mark is really beautiful, and it's vermilion red."
Ping'an praised sincerely.
In all his life, this was the first time he had seen a vermilion red shuang'er mark.
"Ping'an, if you really like it, how about I paint one for you next time?" Zhou Yunting suddenly whispered these words beside Ping'an's ear.
"..."
Ping'an was choked up by Zhou Yunting's words.
He instinctively wanted to retort, but this time Ping'an reacted quickly. Remembering that Ying Yuan had just had his shuang'er mark painted on, he forcibly swallowed the words that had reached his throat.
Zhou Yunting didn't give Ping'an a chance to refuse. "Good, since you're not saying anything, I'll take it as your agreement."
"..."
What should I do? I really want to punch Zhou Yunting right now.
"Don't move, I'll help you put the forehead ribbon on." Li Jin picked up the forehead ribbon that Ying Yuan had placed aside and helped him put it on.
"N... no need, I can do it myself."
"It's already on."
Li Jin's movements were swift. By the time Ying Yuan finished his sentence, Li Jin had already fastened the ribbon.
"Uh..."
"The timing is about right. Let's go find that child."
Li Jin, as if nothing had happened, instructed Zhou Yunting to change the carriage's direction and head towards where the child went.
"Waa... No, I finally got the water. I must get back today." The child slowly got up, patted the dirt off his clothes, and continued walking forward.
At the same time.
The fear of being too late was gradually spreading in the child's heart.
"Whoa..."
Just as the child had gotten up and taken only a few steps, a carriage suddenly stopped in front of him.
"It's their carriage?"
The child immediately recognized the carriage as belonging to Li Jin and the others and immediately became wary.
Weren't they gone? Why are they back? Did they change their minds? Do they want to take back the waterskin they gave me?
The more the child thought about it, the more distressed he became.
Because he knew that alone, he was no match for Li Jin and the others. If it really was as he thought, he would be powerless to resist.
Amu...
No sooner said than done.
The moment the child resolved to protect the waterskin even at the cost of his life, Ping'an opened the carriage curtain. "Get in quickly, we'll give you a ride."
"Ah..."
The child was stunned.
"I said we'll give you a ride. If you keep walking back like this, it will be dark before you arrive."
"How could..." The wenfulang said his amu's situation was complicated. If he couldn't return before the sun set, his amu would be in great danger.
"Hurry up, don't delay."
"Alright."
Ping'an's words snapped the child out of his stupor, and he obediently got into the carriage.
The child came from a farming family. Sitting with people like Li Jin and the others, who were dressed so finely, inevitably made him feel awkward. "Thank you for helping me. The village is just up ahead. When I get to the village, I'll wash clean any places I've dirtied."
"Physician Shi, please take a look at the scrapes on his body." Li Jin had been secretly observing the child earlier and naturally hadn't missed the bloodstains on his clothes.
"Yes, Third Young Master."
"N... no need..."
The child hurriedly refused.
However, his eyes held a sense of nostalgia for this feeling of being cared for.
Because in all his life, aside from his amu, no one had ever paid him any mind. When he came out to find a waterskin, many people in the village who looked down on him had made sarcastic remarks and even openly mocked him.
"Don't you know that major illnesses often start from minor injuries? If you don't treat them early and it becomes serious, what will your amu do?" Li Jin's words directly hit the child's weak spot, making him dare not refuse further. He obediently let Shi Weixu examine his injuries.
"Those are..."
Ping'an, seeing the obvious bruises on the child's body that looked like they were from being hit by stones, gasped sharply.
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