After resting for two days, Zhou Yu left Jianye with the ointment and a box of pineapple cakes sent by Mrs. Wu and returned to Chaisang to recuperate.
Inside the cabin, Zhou Yu stared at a box of pastries in a daze, and the man's hearty laughter echoed in his ears again.
Back then, Sun Ce loved to eat this pineapple cake the most. Every time he got it from Mrs. Wu, she would invite herself to the boat to share it, and they would drink in the wind and talk about life.
Now I am alone, looking at the familiar brocade box, with the familiar smell lingering at my nose, but the delicious taste is no longer palatable.
When the boat arrived at Chaisang, Zhou Yu saw that the water fort was very clean, the warships were neatly arranged, and the navy was training at the river mouth. He nodded secretly. Although Xu Sheng was young, he was good at commanding the army and was a rare general.
Xiao Qiao was waiting at the dock early. Seeing Zhou Yu looking haggard, she burst into tears and squatted on the ground.
When Sun Ce was unfortunately killed, she watched her elder sister remain a widow for many years, lonely and miserable. When she heard that Zhou Yu was shot by an arrow, she was so frightened that she fainted on the spot.
Zhou Yu came ashore, helped Xiao Qiao up, and said with a smile: "It is inevitable for a general to get injured, there is no need to do this. You are pregnant now, so you must take care of yourself."
Xiao Qiao burst into tears. The two of them got on the carriage. Xiao Qiao snuggled tightly in Zhou Yu's arms, afraid of losing him again.
When he returned home, Xiao Qiao had already prepared fish head soup for Zhou Yu to nourish his body, and then she asked about the war situation.
After chatting for a while, Zhou Yu only drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and had no appetite, so he said, "Xu Sheng has been working hard day and night to defend Chaisang. If you can't eat, why not give this box of pastries to General Xu to comfort him for his hard work? It would be a pity if it goes bad."
"Okay!" Zhou Yu nodded slightly, and suddenly asked, "Did Da Qiao write to you after arriving in Jingzhou?"
Xiao Qiao was slightly startled, then she knew what Zhou Yu wanted to ask, and shook her head and said, "Since my elder sister left, there has been no news, and it seems...she has no connection with Jiangdong anymore."
Zhou Yu frowned and reached out to cover the brocade box. "You should keep this box of pastries. I will go to the riverside to pay tribute to Bo Fu tomorrow. Also, you should write a letter to Jingzhou to say hello to my elder sister. She is alone in a foreign land. The New Year is coming soon, so you should pay attention to her."
Xiao Qiao wanted to say something but stopped herself. She followed Zhou Yu's wishes and helped him to the back hall to rest and to the study to prepare the letter.
Zhou Yu sat up alone and sat on the dressing table in front of the bed. He looked at his slightly haggard face in the bronze mirror. His expression became more solemn and hesitant, as if he was having a conversation with himself.
After a long time, she took out a silver hairpin from her dressing table. She held it in her hand with trembling hands. She pierced the pineapple cake through the hairpin, waited for a moment, and took out the hairpin. She saw that the color was normal, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
He took out the porcelain bottle again and applied the ointment on the silver hairpin. There was nothing unusual. After trying the two items, Zhou Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
In the bronze mirror, I saw beads of sweat on his forehead. It was just a cup of tea, but it seemed like he had gone from night to day.
"Liu Qi, how much of the truth have you found out?" Zhou Yu frowned, looking painful.
After sitting there for a long time, he suddenly had an idea. He cut off a piece of cloth, gritted his teeth and cut his finger, letting the blood soak the cloth, then turned and went to the backyard.
I found an ant nest in the flower bed and threw the piece of cloth down. Soon, I saw a group of ants gathering and carrying the piece of cloth under the grass.
Zhou Yu stared at the group of ants, his expression suddenly changed, and he sat down on the ground with a pale face.
Suddenly, a few ants fell behind, with their four legs facing the sky and kicking continuously. Soon, all the ants fell down and died of convulsions.
Seeing this scene, Zhou Yu knew that what Da Qiao said was true. What was even more terrifying was that he was also poisoned, most likely like Sun Ce.
All of a sudden, all kinds of emotions surged into my heart: anger, sadness, despair, hatred, it was a mixture of all five feelings. In an instant, my blood surged and my chest was filled with anger.
Zhou Yu sat on the ground, digging his fingers into the soil, his face grim. He wanted to roar but no sound came out. Suddenly, he felt an unbearable itch on the wound on his back, and the wound seemed to be showing signs of cracking.
"If it weren't for his hot temper, his anger would have caused the wound to burst..."
Zhou Yu suddenly remembered Mrs. Wu's words and shuddered all over. He tried his best to calm himself, but his body still couldn't stop shaking.
After Xiao Qiao finished writing the letter, she returned to her bedroom but did not see Zhou Yu. She found him in the backyard, sitting on the ground, shivering from time to time. She exclaimed, "Zhou Lang?!"
Zhou Yu was soaked in sweat and almost fainted. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face, only to find that his fingers had been scratched and were bleeding profusely.
Xiao Qiao hurriedly took out a silk scarf to wipe him clean, crying, "What happened? Why did you do this... Ah—"
Halfway through crying, she suddenly pointed at the ground and screamed: "Big sister, big sister..."
Zhou Yu looked down and saw that in the pit where his fingers had just touched, there were ants following the smell and coming over in a circle, but they all died soon.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu said in a deep voice: "Don't tell anyone about this."
"Husband, you... have you also been poisoned?" Xiao Qiao knelt on the ground, breaking down and crying.
"Bofu's will tells me to do my best to assist the Marquis of Wu and not to betray our friendship..." Zhou Yu burst into tears and looked up at the sky, mumbling, "Bofu, your spirit is in heaven. How should I choose between loyalty and righteousness?"
Xiao Qiao grabbed Zhou Yu's arm, shook her silver teeth and said, "Zhou Lang, have you ever thought that when Bofu entrusted his son to you, he didn't know that he was poisoned and killed. He died unjustly. If he knew about this, he would die with regret!"
Zhou Yu said painfully, "But if we investigate this matter thoroughly, I'm afraid that the foundation of Jiangdong will be affected, and the business that Bofu and I have built will be wasted!"
Xiao Qiao raised her eyebrows and said sternly, "Someone wants to harm you and steal your foundation. Why do you have to think about the consequences? They were unkind first, so don't blame us for being unjust!"
"Xiao Qiao, you..." Zhou Yu was shocked and looked at Xiao Qiao who suddenly became angry in astonishment. Is this still the gentle and docile little wife
Xiao Qiao looked grim and gritted her teeth as she said, "Whoever wants to harm my husband, I... and the baby in my belly, will never be reconciled with him!"
Zhou Yu was shocked. It turned out that Xiao Qiao also had such a strong side. He reached out and stroked Xiao Qiao's slightly bulging belly. He said with emotion: "Madam, what you said makes sense. From now on, I, Zhou Yu, cannot just remember Bo Fu's trust to me. I must also think about you and your son."
Xiao Qiao threw herself into Zhou Yu's arms and cried, "My husband was born so hard for Jiangdong's cause, but he still suffered such a cruel death. Let's go... Let's go and find my elder sister!"
"No!" Zhou Yu was startled, and quickly supported Xiao Qiao's shoulders and ordered: "This matter must be kept strictly confidential!"
Xiao Qiao complained: "My husband has been poisoned, he should be treated as soon as possible. I asked you to go to Xiangyang, not to betray my master, but to see the great doctor Hua Tuo. Otherwise, if you delay, I am afraid..."
"Don't panic, I have my reasons!" Zhou Yu took a deep breath and finally made up his mind: "I have no choice but to take responsibility for this matter, both publicly and privately. I have no choice but to stick to it. Otherwise, how can I face Bo Fu in the afterlife?"
The couple helped each other up and returned to the room. Zhou Yu wrote another secret letter to Liu Qi, hid it in a family letter and sent it to Jingzhou, insisting that he must tell Liu Qi about the matter and investigate it with all his strength.
Then he called Xu Sheng and ordered him to find the expelled military doctor. At that time, everyone called him a quack who was just filling in the gaps, but now it seems that they were not talking nonsense.