"What are you thinking about?! He was lying on the ground with his head bent, just enough to show a small section of his neck, and I could see the pulse on his neck! From that, I can deduce the rhythm of his heartbeat!"
"S-See the heartbeat?" Qian Wanjin immediately used his hand to touch the carotid part of his neck. His fingers could indeed feel the carotid artery throbbing. And then his eyes again aimed at the little girl's neck to make sure he could see it. What he saw, however, was only pink and white. "Ahem! I can't see anything."
"Your focus is off course." Liu Yusheng sighed helplessly. "I'm saying that there's something wrong with that person, so I won't save him."
"Did he really come to kidnap? Now that the winery business is getting better and better, my worth has risen so high, so coming to kidnap me is indeed a big possibility." Qian Wanjin knitted his brows. "But why didn't he stop us when we left just now and didn't catch up? He didn't move at all; it's not right."
"I sprinkled anesthetic powder, so he couldn't get up."
"…" Qian Wanjin moved his buttocks closer to the little girl. "Lucky Nannan, do you still have anesthetic powder left? Give me some for self-defense."
"…"
"I'm not kidding! I hardly ever go out in Cangwu Town without an escort, so if criminals do find a chance to kidnap me, I'll have a much better chance of surviving with your anesthetic powder!" The teenager stretched his palms with a give-me-something, give-me-something look on his face. "When did you get these things? I always thought you only refine medicines that save lives."
"I refined it when I had nothing else to do." She evaded the crucial point and took out a small vial and handed it to Qian Wanjin. "Don't tell my family about this when we get back, lest they worry."
"I know-I know. Am I such a thoughtless person?!"
The young man got the medicine bottle and excitedly wanted to study the powder inside, but was slapped by Liu Yusheng. "Wait until I get back and prepare the antidote for you before you play. Otherwise, I won't be able to help you if you're paralyzed later."
"There's an antidote?"
Liu Yusheng shook the small spice pouch hanging around her waist. "This is it."
"…" Exceptional.
Looking down at the small satchel, Liu Yusheng's eyes dimmed.
After her kidnapping in the mountains at the age of three, she thought of concocting a psychedelic poison to protect herself. She had been researching it all these years, and succeeded a bit. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the person she wanted to share the results with was now unknown.
Back home, she took out those little things she bought and made the family smile with joy. Their eyes on Nannan were as sweet as melted sugar.
The three old men even directly replaced their boots, looking proud and satisfied.
Qian Wanjin secretly turned a blind eye. Petty favors could actually earn such a whopping response.
Next time, he would do the same.
When Da Huang brought down the big bag of cotton from the back of the carriage, Grandma Liu was between joy and distress. "Why did you buy cotton? This stuff is very expensive, especially new cotton. The cotton quilts and mattresses at home, as well as other things are still soft. There's no need for a change."
"Grandma, the mattress that you and grandpa are using is so hard. I've bought everything, so just make the whole mattress cotton-padded. Use the rest of the cotton to make jackets, enough for everyone in the family." Liu Yusheng hugged her grandmother's arm and acted like a baby. "The muslin cloth that Young Boss sent before has been useless all this time right? It's just right to use it to make cotton overcoats. This year's winter is particularly cold. My brothers may be shivering in the school, so they won't be able to concentrate on their studies."
The grandma was originally a bit distressed, but the thought of sewing a small overcoat for the child and saving the rest for later use, and hearing that the two brothers at school might be freezing, she was immediately swayed.
"Listen to Nannan. We'd be idle nesting at home and unoccupied the whole time, so just take Xiulan and Du Juan to make new clothes for the New Year." The old man gave the go signal. "We're not short of this money now, so eat better and wear better. Let the children be happy."
Otherwise, the child's filial piety would be wasted.
"Fine. I'll bring out the muslin cloth later. Xiao Jinzi gave away a dozen or so of them, in all sorts of patterns – enough for the purpose." The old woman didn't dwell on it, nodding her head in agreement.
A piece of jujube cake was immediately stuffed in her mouth. "Grandma, the next step is hard work for you, mother and second aunt. Here's a piece of jujube cake reward!"
"Hahaha!"
Qian Wanjin wasn't about to be left alone. "Grandma, mine too. I want a new cotton coat too, make me one too!"
"Okay, I'll take your measurements later."
"Young Boss, you're not short of cotton overcoats, are you?" Liu Yusheng was between tears and laughter.
"Why isn't there a shortage of them? There's a shortage of grandma's craft!" Qian Wanjin audaciously reasoned out, "I'm also a family member. How can you leave me out in the open like that? How sad would I be? Am I right, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Auntie? Isn't it?!"
"Yes, yes, that's right. We're all family. Here, jujube cake, have a piece." The old lady happily handed over a small piece of jujube cake.
Qian Wanjin lifted his chin and speedily stretched out his hand.
The whole family laughed and chatted around the burning brazier, eating the snacks that the young child had bought. The house was overflowing with happiness.
Outside the house, the wind was bitterly cold. A whiff would sometimes blow in and instantly sweep away the warmth inside.
Time passed quietly as the family worked together to sew cotton quilts and clothes.
"Hand me the scissors."
"This corner is sewn, just flatten the cotton core."
"Stitching, have you stitched it? I'm missing a sleeve here."
"Nannan, don't move. Don't hold the scissors, or you'll cut yourself! Let your Dad bring it!"
The only thing that Yusheng could do was to bake a warm charcoal fire and watch her family work vigorously. She didn't get bored at all.
The pictures before her were so vivid that even a shout at the top of their lungs and a small gesture of threading a needle and stitching, made her feel good. She wanted this beauty to last forever.
The weather was getting colder and colder. The sky was grey and the wind was whipping around outside the house, clanging the unclosed windows.
The three old men were ordered around by the women of the house. They occasionally stole a spare moment to go and roast their hands, and started to sigh whenever they saw the weather outside.
"It's freezing cold and it's probably going to snow."
"It's been raining for a few days and it's just stopped. If it snows again, we may not get out for a month."
"Why else would you call it a cat winter (hiding at home for the winter)? Don't worry, there's enough food piled up in the cellar for us to eat for a long time. We won't starve if we don't go out."
As soon as the words fell, their little girl suddenly pointed outside and yelled, "Look! Look! It's snowing!"
Everyone immediately peeked out and saw that the sky was pressed extremely low. It was as if they could reach out and touch the gray canopy.
In that gray canopy, a patch of dark shadows, shaped like goose feathers, fell silently to the ground and turned into snow. Soon, the layers wrapped the earth in silver.