Chapter 4 was quite thoughtful.

Chapter 4 was quite thoughtful.

Jiang Yuan explained, "The east wing has been uninhabited for almost half a year."

The place was dusty and the kang (heated brick bed) had never been heated. Given Xie Wanniang's health condition, it was impossible for her to wait for him to clean it up temporarily.

Wang Xiaozhi blinked and lowered her voice to ask Jiang Yuan, "You really don't have any other feelings for that girl?"

She is the biological daughter of Jiang Yuan's adoptive parents. Although she knew from a young age that Jiang Yuan was not her biological brother, she always treated him like her own child, just like her parents.

Therefore, after her parents passed away, Wang Xiaozhi took on the responsibility of arranging her younger brother's marriage.

Although each of her enthusiastic efforts ended in failure, it did not stop her from becoming more determined with each setback.

Jiang Yuan knew Wang Xiaozhi far better than she knew him. Seeing Wang Xiaozhi's expression, Jiang Yuan immediately looked back at her seriously, "Sister, it's wrong to take advantage of someone in distress."

Under his earnest and persistent gaze, Wang Xiaozhi had no choice but to raise her hands in surrender with a helpless expression. "Okay, okay, I know. I won't say anything out of line, alright?"

Jiang Yuan nodded in satisfaction. Wang Xiaozhi put down the basket, tiptoed into the house, and went to check on Xie Wanniang, who was already fast asleep.

"She really is a young lady from a wealthy family." Stepping out of the room and back to Jiang Yuan's side, Wang Xiaozhi continued to whisper to her younger brother, "Her skin is so fair, her hair is so black, her features are so beautiful, oh my, she looks so lovely."

Jiang Yuan didn't respond to that.

Wang Xiaozhi was discouraged. She pointed to the basket she had brought and said, "I can't get anything good right now, so I only brought a basket of eggs. Don't be stingy with them."

It wasn't that Wang Xiaozhi's husband's family was so poor that all they had to offer was this basket of eggs; it was just that, as one of the daughters-in-law, she felt embarrassed to take more of the family's resources to help her own family.

Rather than risk upsetting her sister-in-law over such a small thing, she preferred to pay for it herself.

Jiang Yuan knew her situation well. He took out a piece of silver and said, "Buy me a chicken and some rice. Also, tonight..."

Wang Xiaozhi reached out and took it, saying, "Then I'll come over again tonight."

She didn't argue with Jiang Yuan about whether or not to accept the money because if she refused, her stubborn brother would refuse her help.

Wang Xiaozhi didn't want to miss out on even the chance to help out, so she could only follow Jiang Yuan's habit each time, putting in the effort but not spending any money.

After putting away the money, Wang Xiaozhi left in the same hurry as when she arrived.

She still had to go weeding in the afternoon, so she could only ask around in the evening if anyone was willing to sell her rice and chicken.

Not long after Wang Xiaozhi left, Dr. Chen's eldest grandson delivered the prepared medicine to Jiang Yuan's house.

Jiang Yuan thanked him, paid the consultation fee and medicine fee, and then obediently followed Doctor Chen's instructions to prepare the medicine for Xie Wanniang.

He cleaned the herbs and put them into an earthenware pot, added water, and simmered them over low heat. Before the water boiled, he ran to the vegetable garden and quickly picked some vegetables.

When Xie Wanniang woke up from her deep sleep, she could eat the medicine he had brewed, the porridge he had cooked, and the steamed egg custard he had made. Hearing a sound coming from inside the room, Jiang Yuan immediately and nimbly went to her door. "Is the young lady awake?"

Xie Wanniang responded. Although she was awake, she felt weak all over and her head was dizzy. When Jiang Yuan came over, she was struggling to put on her shoes and get off the kang (a heated brick bed) to go out and relieve herself.

"Thank you for saving me, my benefactor." Opening the door, Xie Wanniang curtsied. "My surname is Xie, and my given name is Wanniang. May I ask how I should address you, my benefactor?"

"Jiang Yuan." Jiang Yuan spoke concisely as always. He said, "The medicine is ready. I've prepared porridge and steamed egg custard for you for dinner. Would you like to eat now?"

Xie Wanniang shook her head, "I need to use the restroom."

She spoke frankly and openly, but Jiang Yuan's handsome face turned red from his cheeks to the roots of his neck from her sudden remark.

"It's...it's in the northeast corner of the backyard." Jiang Yuan, who rarely stuttered, quickly pointed in the direction he indicated, and then walked away without looking back.

Xie Wanniang felt ashamed in her heart. In the sixteen years since she transmigrated to this world, this was the first time she had acted so "unconventionally" when interacting with people.

But what could she do? In Jiang Yuan's family, where she had been taken in, there was no woman who would allow her to make such a request without being impolite.

While hypnotizing herself with the thought that "as long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed," she slowly took her time to resolve her personal issues.

When she returned from the outhouse, which was cleaner than she had expected, Jiang Yuan had already prepared a cloth, soap, and a basin of clean water for her.

Well... that's quite thoughtful.

After slowly washing her hands, Xie Wanniang went to the dining table to eat and drink her medicine without waiting for Jiang Yuan to remind her again.

On the table were a large bowl of porridge, a large bowl of steamed egg custard, and a large bowl of dark, bitter-looking Chinese herbal soup. Xie Wanniang first picked up a spoon and took a sip of the porridge, and then scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg custard.

The porridge was made from white rice, thick, soft, and naturally sweet. The steamed egg custard was a little overcooked and a bit too salty, but Xie Wanniang liked it very much.

The familiar slightly salty taste and the long-lost fine pores perfectly replicated the homemade steamed egg custard she made before she time-traveled.

Even though she had been eating Xie family cook's steamed eggs, which were as delicate and smooth as tofu pudding, for sixteen years, Xie Wanniang still stubbornly believed that the best steamed eggs should have tiny air pockets and a slightly salty taste.

The food was to her liking, and Xie Wanniang ate happily. This good mood made her no longer feel any resistance when she looked at the bowl of dark, murky medicine.

Suppressing the bitterness, Xie Wanniang finished the drink in large gulps. Just as she was about to return the bowls, chopsticks, and spoons to the kitchen, Jiang Yuan, who had been listening to the commotion, appeared out of the kitchen before her.

He quickly cleared away the tableware, and seeing that Xie Wanniang had a good appetite, he asked again, still not entirely at ease, "Would you like to eat anything else?"

Xie Wanniang shook her head, "No need, thank you."

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly to her, then took the bowl and chopsticks and went back to the kitchen.

He acted swiftly, giving Xie Wanniang no time to react. Xie Wanniang had no choice but to slowly move back to the room where she was temporarily staying.

Never mind, once she recovers, she'll repay the favor she owes double. For now, she won't rush to show her gratitude and diligence in such trivial matters.

Xie Wanniang quickly fell asleep again after lying back down on the warm earthen bed, unaware that Wang Xiaozhi had come to deliver something to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan, who was surprised that she fell asleep so quickly, patiently waited until she had to get up to relieve herself because she had drunk too much soup. Then he seized the opportunity to tell her that she might have a fever during the night, "...My sister will stay and take care of you."

Xie Wanniang turned her head and met Wang Xiaozhi's bright and curious eyes. She quickly returned a smile that, though weak, was sincere, friendly, well-behaved, cute, innocent, and harmless. "Then I'll trouble you, sister."