"Agh!" Jie Jingjue snapped back to his senses and reached for the dicine pot, burning his palm.
"Careful, it’s hot," Qin i reminded him, but she was a step too late.
Jie Jingjue looked at his reddened palm, his expression full of grievance. "Fourth Sister-in-law."
"Where’s your Fourth Brother?" Qin i asked, picking up a nearby towel. She wrapped it around the handle of the dicine pot and poured the dicine into a bowl.
"I don’t know." There was contempt in Jie Jingjue’s eyes as he looked at Qin i. He reminded her, "This is Fourth Brother’s dicine."
Qin i rolled her eyes at Jie Jingjue. "I can tell whose dicine is whose just by the sll. I only asked to see if you were reliable."
Jie Jingjue was speechless.
Qin i poured Jie Jingshan’s dicine into another bowl and carried it out of the kitchen.
"When you see your Fourth Brother, make sure he drinks his dicine."
Qin i’s words made Jie Jingjue stare blankly at the dicine in the bowl, his mind flashing to the story of Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian.
’Wu Dalang... But Fourth Brother’s looks and build are better than even Xin Qing’s.’
’If Qin i were to poison Fourth Brother to death, it would be an unforgivable injustice.’
Qin i suddenly returned to the kitchen. Under Jie Jingjue’s confused gaze, she picked up a rolling pin and walked out again.
Jie Jingjue frowned, full of suspicion. He muttered to himself, "What’s the rolling pin for?"
When Qin i returned to Jie Jingshan’s room, Mrs. Xie had already helped her get dressed. Seeing Qin i holding a dicine bowl in one hand and a rolling pin in the other, Mrs. Xie’s eyes flickered with confusion.
"Xiao i, what’s the rolling pin for?"
"It’ll be useful in a bit." Qin i didn’t explain further, handing the dicine bowl to Jie Jingshan.
Jie Jingshan took it and drank it all in one go. Qin i placed a candied fruit by Jing Qi’s mouth. Jing Qi froze, not opening her mouth, and instead stared at Qin i.
"Today’s dicine is very bitter," Qin i said with a slight smile.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m not afraid of bitterness." Jie Jingshan gave a bitter smile, but at Qin i’s insistence, she obediently opened her mouth and took the candied fruit.
Jie Jingshan’s words made Qin i’s heart ache. Jing Qi was only fourteen. How could a girl of that age, in the flower of her youth, truly not be afraid of bitterness? But to her, what was the bitterness of dicine compared to the paralysis in her legs?
"Jing Qi, are you afraid of pain?" Qin i asked, her tone casual but her question deliberate.
Jie Jingshan hesitated for a few seconds, then smiled until her eyes crinkled and shook her head solemnly. "I’m not."
’Not afraid of bitterness, not afraid of pain... How is that possible?’
Qin i took the empty bowl from Jie Jingshan’s hand and passed it to Mrs. Xie, who was standing nearby. Qin i then cupped Jie Jingshan’s face. Her once pale and gaunt cheeks, thanks to Qin i’s efforts these past few days, were still thin but now had a healthy, rosy color.
"Jing Qi, today, I will show you a glimr of hope," Qin i said, each word slow and distinct.
Jie Jingshan looked at Qin i, her soulful eyes shimring with light. She understood Qin i’s words but was filled with confusion and doubt.
She still rembered her fourth sister-in-law’s words clearly.
"As long as you cooperate with my treatnt and don’t interfere with my work, I’ll give it my all. I guarantee that within three months, you’ll be able to get out of bed and stand. As for walking, or even running, that will depend on your physical therapy afterward."
Those words from Qin i were etched into her mind, verbatim.
’Fourth Sister-in-law promised three months, but the treatnt only started a few days ago. Could it be...’
"Fourth Sister-in-law." Jie Jingshan’s voice trembled with an excitent she couldn’t suppress.
"Xiao i, after today’s treatnt, will Jing Qi’s legs be healed?" Mrs. Xie also couldn’t hide her excitent.
"Ma, I said a glimr of hope," Qin i said helplessly. She let go of Jie Jingshan’s face, raised a hand, and rubbed the bridge of her nose. ’Did I phrase that wrong?’
A flash of disappointnt flickered in Jie Jingshan’s eyes and was gone. Afraid of discouraging Qin i, Jie Jingshan imdiately flashed a sweet, toothy smile and said in a light tone, "Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s only been a few days of treatnt. Three months is still a long way off."
Qin i froze. She had promised she could get Jing Qi standing within three months, and Jing Qi had taken it to heart.
For soone with paralyzed legs, a promise like that was a lifeline. How could she not have it etched deep in her heart and soul?
"I was the one who got ahead of herself. Xiao i, don’t take it to heart, and don’t feel pressured. Jing Qi’s legs..." Mrs. Xie trailed off. She had wanted to say that Qin i should just do her best, and that if Jing Qi couldn’t be cured, it was alright—no one would bla her, and she shouldn’t feel burdened. But she knew that saying sothing so negative in front of Jing Qi would extinguish the very hope and fighting spirit that had just been rekindled.
Qin i didn’t respond to Mrs. Xie. She knew that actions would be far more convincing than any promise.
"Jing Qi, bite down on this." Qin i handed the rolling pin to Jie Jingshan.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m not afraid of pain," Jie Jingshan refused.
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