After hearing this joking remark, Qin Zhao just glanced at Jing Li indifferently.
That is to say, we should take advantage of the fact that he is burning with fever and cannot move or speak, otherwise we will not allow this little fish to be so arrogant.
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Jing Li scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew it cool, and fed it to Qin Zhao's mouth.
This porridge was just ordinary rice porridge, nothing was put in it, it was cooked for a long time, and the texture was soft, sticky and thick. But when Qin Zhao drank it, he actually tasted a bit bitter.
These are all symptoms of typhoid fever. Qin Zhao knows medicine, so he naturally understands them.
He frowned slightly, his throat rolled, and he swallowed it despite the pain, then he said in a low and hoarse voice: "Increase the dosage of the preventive decoction by 30%. You and Ah Qi should take it every morning and evening. Don't-"
"I know." Jing Li fed him another spoonful of porridge and interrupted, "Qi has already prepared the medicine. You don't have to worry about these. Just take care of yourself."
Jing Li lowered his eyes and sighed silently: "You didn't see your son crying outside the door. I felt so sad."
Qin Zhao swallowed a mouthful of porridge and said softly, "Okay."
Not long after he finished drinking the porridge, Jing Li brought him some medicine. Qin Zhao's consciousness was already a little fuzzy when he drank the medicine. He felt unbearable pain in his muscles and bones, and his clothes were almost soaked with cold sweat.
Jing Li was no longer as panicked as he was when he first saw Qin Zhao fall ill.
He stayed by the bed all night, feeding him water, cooling him down, wrung out the towel, and wiped Qin Zhao's body over and over again.
The next day, Qin Zhao opened his eyes.
The temperature of his body had dropped, but his limbs still felt sore and weak from the high fever, and his head was aching so much that it was about to split. Qin Zhao took a breath silently, and just as he was about to get up, he touched a cold, bare arm.
Jing Li was lying beside him, with his limbs covering him and his head resting in Qin Zhao's arms.
He was shirtless, and Qin Zhao's shirt was also open, allowing him to directly touch the other's slightly cool skin.
Is this... to help cool him down
Qin Zhao lowered his head and looked at Jing Li's sleeping face.
The boy didn't sleep well, his brows were tightly knitted, and he looked a little tired. Qin Zhao was in a daze last night due to fever, and he could feel that this person was always by his side.
Judging from his appearance, he probably hasn't slept all night.
Qin Zhao gently stroked Jing Li's hair. The latter was indeed not sleeping soundly, and he woke up almost immediately after he moved.
Jing Li straightened up slightly and tested the temperature of Qin Zhao's forehead with his palm: "The temperature has dropped a little, but it's still a little hot."
"This is typhoid fever, it's not that easy to recover." Qin Zhao's voice was still a little hoarse. He stroked Jing Li's hair and asked in a low voice, "When did you go to bed last night?"
Jing Li slid out of the quilt, picked up the clothes thrown aside and put them on, rubbed his eyes and said, "I don't remember."
"You..."
Qin Zhao sighed and was about to say something when he heard Jing Li say, "Ah Qi said that Yuzai was very well behaved last night and slept peacefully without anyone coaxing him."
He knelt down beside Qin Zhao and whispered, "This is the first time I didn't coax him to sleep..."
Qin Zhao was silent for a moment, then stood up.
"Don't move." Jing Li quickly held him down. "Whatever you want to do, I'll do it. The doctor said you need to stay in bed and rest more."
"Okay, I won't move." Qin Zhao said, "Then come here."
Jing Li: “Ah?”
Qin Zhao stretched out his arms: "Come here and let me hug you."
Jing Li bent down obediently and was hugged by Qin Zhao.
"I'm fine." Qin Zhao said softly, "Don't worry, I'll be fine soon."
Jing Li uttered a low "hmm".
He knew that it was just typhoid fever, which in modern times would be no more than the level of influenza. Although it was difficult to cure in this era, there were ways to treat it.
But when he saw Qin Zhao's high fever still persisting, he still felt very uncomfortable.
Because this once again reminded him that Qin Zhao's body was far less healthy than that of ordinary people.
First he was poisoned, and then he was injured by the medicine. Even after recovering now, he was still very weak, so weak that a small case of typhoid fever could knock him down.
Jing Li felt a slight sour taste in his nose.
He took a deep breath and quickly calmed down: "It's okay, just lie down for a while, I'll ask Ah Qi to make you breakfast and boil the medicine."
"Okay." Qin Zhao let go.
Jing Li got out of bed, took his coat from the hanger and put it on, then walked back to the bed: "Are you thirsty? The water is probably cold. I'll go to the kitchen to heat it up."
As he spoke, he lowered his head to pick up the teapot and teacup on the small table, but he was stunned.
There was still half a cup of water left in the teacup. A small fish sank to the bottom of the water, looking up at him with its head tilted innocently.
Jing Li: “…”
"What's wrong?" Seeing Jing Li hadn't moved for a long time, Qin Zhao tilted his head and asked.
Jing Li scowled and handed the cup to Qin Zhao: "It's okay, your son wants to help you have a snack, fish soup."
Qin Zhao saw clearly what was in the teacup: "… "
The little fish finally saw his father. He wagged his tail happily, fluttered out of the teacup, and landed in Qin Zhao's hand.
During these days, they gradually discovered that the little fish was not as dependent on water as ordinary fish. Perhaps because it had half human blood in its body, this little guy could stay on land twice as long as Jing Li.
Fish are not afraid of dehydration, and humans are not afraid of drowning. They are truly amphibious.
However, this was the first time that the child took the initiative to transform back into a fish form after being able to transform into a human form.
Qin Zhao held the jumping fish firmly in his palm, not daring to let him get too close, and asked: "Do you miss me?"
The fish cub rubbed Qin Zhao's fingers with its head.
Qin Zhao said: "But Daddy is sick and can't play with you for the time being."
The little fish stopped moving.
He raised his head and looked at Qin Zhao for a moment, and the fish fin gently touched Qin Zhao's fingertips, leaving a soft and cool touch.
"He feels sorry for you." Jing Li said.
Of course, Jing Li was not the only one who was worried about Qin Zhao. Yuzai and Ah Qi were also worried because they were a family now.
"Yeah." Qin Zhao stroked the fish cub's head, "Daddy will be well soon, and then he will take you to play in the snow, okay?"
The little fish wagged its tail gently, which meant it agreed.
Qin Zhao put him back into the teacup.
"This little guy... I don't know when he ran out." Qin Zhao didn't seem angry, but found it interesting.
Last night, it was clearly Ah Qi who was taking care of the little fish.
Those who could stay by his side as shadow guards must have top-notch kung fu skills, but now, they can't even keep an eye on a child. Although Ah Qi didn't know the identity of the little fish, he was able to escape without alerting the guards at such a young age...
Qin Zhao looked at the little fish swimming around in the teacup and said with a smile, "This kid... is very smart."
Just then, Ah Qi's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Sir, Madam, the young master is missing!" Ah Qi's voice was trembling as he said anxiously, "I was guarding outside the house last night and saw with my own eyes that the young master was asleep. He definitely didn't go out. But just now... just now I went into the house to wake him up, but found that he was gone!"
Jing Li: “…”
Qin Zhao: “…”
The little fish was still swimming in the teacup, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
Qin Zhao pressed his eyebrows and handed the teacup to Jing Li: "Tell the truth, Ah Qi won't leak the secret."
Jing Li never doubted Qin Zhao's decision, and went out with the teacup.
As Qin Zhao expected, Ah Qi was only slightly surprised after knowing the truth, and didn't say anything more. Not saying or asking, this is the duty of a shadow guard.
Compared with these, the most important thing is that the little master is not lost.
Qin Zhao was ill for more than half a month.
Since he cured Shen Huan of the poison, he had not had such a serious illness in the past year. This illness now seemed to make up for all the previous vacancies.
The typhoid epidemic in the city disappeared before the New Year because of the proper control by the prefect.
In the entire city, Qin Zhao was probably the only one who was still confined to his room because of his occasional fever.
The only good thing is that no one in the family was infected.
Jingli and Yuzai have special physiques and are not prone to illness. Ah Qi has been practicing martial arts since he was young and has a strong body. So, after all the calculations, Qin Zhao is the only sickly person in the family.
As the New Year was approaching, Jing Li asked Ah Qi to buy some red paper and bamboo strips, and taught him how to cut window decorations and paste lanterns when he had nothing to do.
This skill was taught to him by Ayi last year, and Jing Li has now mastered it quite well.
Qin Zhao was only allowed to walk around in the yard and bask in the sun at noon when there was no wind. It had just snowed that day, and after the snow stopped, Jing Li took Ah Qi to hang lanterns in the yard, and Qin Zhao leaned against the window to watch them.
"What are you looking at? Be careful of the cold wind. Go back and lie down." Jing Li noticed him and hurriedly sent him away.
Qin Zhao was helpless: "I'm fine now."
"You said the same thing the day before yesterday, and you insisted on coming out to paste window decorations, and ended up catching fire again at night." Jing Li said angrily, "Go back, go back."
Qin Zhao had no choice but to go back to the bed and spread his hands to the kid sitting on the bed: "Look, Daddy can't go out, so I can't build a snowman with you."
Fishboy was playing with a doll. Hearing this, he shook his head: "Ah!"
He didn't want to go out and play. It was obviously Dad who wanted to go out.
"You kid..." Qin Zhao noticed the new thing in his hand and asked, "Who gave this to you, Ah Qi?"
The fish cub shook his head again.
In his arms, he was holding a rag doll in the shape of a small fish. It had a round body and a small tail. The scales were embroidered with cotton thread and stuffed with cotton, so it was very soft.
Xiao Yuzai put down the doll, supported Qin Zhao's arm and stood up, with his arms spread out in front of him, forming a semicircle.
Qin Zhao understood: "Oh, Chen Yanan."
Fat is deeply rooted in people's hearts.
"It was just sent by Chen Yan'an." Jing Li had come back after hanging up the lanterns. He closed the door and said, "I received a letter from him this morning, saying that his mother was still angry and that he had to stay in the village for the New Year. So he sent the gift for Xiao Yuzai first."
Qin Zhao asked: "What about Ayi?"
"Yeah." Jing Li sighed, "I knew it wouldn't be that easy."
Chen Yanan's mother attached great importance to fame, wealth and money, otherwise she would not have tried so hard to send Chen Yanan to school. Chen Yanan married Shuang'er and wanted her to be his legal wife, but he knew it would not be so easy to be accepted.
"And Ayi doesn't know about this yet." Jing Li smiled and said, "Chen Yan'an is really a jerk. He tried so hard to convince his mother. What if Ayi doesn't like him at all? What will he do?"
Qin Zhao said: "He may not be unaware of this."
Although he knew he might be rejected, he still decided to convince the elders in his family first.
This shows respect for the other person and is also the responsibility that a man should have.
Even Jing Li was surprised at Chen Yanan's growth.
You know, at the beginning that person was just an impulsive and reckless little fat boy.
Jing Li thought of something else: "A while ago, Ayi wrote to ask us if we would like to go to the county to celebrate the New Year. At that time, you were still sick, so I didn't reply. But seeing how you are now, I'm afraid you can't go far. Should we not go this year?"
Qin Zhao nodded: "Yes, I'll listen to you."
In addition to sending replies to Ayi and Chen Yan'an, Jing Li also sent a letter to the village chief of Linxi Village, explaining Qin Zhao's illness and indicating that he would stay in the city to celebrate the New Year this year.
Attached to the letter were window decorations she had cut herself and Spring Festival couplets written by Qin Zhao.
Before sending the letter, Jing Li gave it to Qin Zhao to look over, and he handled it very properly, with nothing wrong to find.
Jing Li asked: "Do you want to send a pair of Spring Festival couplets to the Gu family and the prefect as well?"
This is actually optional.
There were many people who wanted to curry favor with those two. Qin Zhao was just a scholar now, and was not outstanding among the literati in the capital. Even if he gave the gift, the other party might not see it, let alone hang it up.
But it would seem impolite not to give it.
That's why Jing Li couldn't make up his mind.
"Give it to me." Qin Zhao said, "It's a token of my appreciation after all."
As for whether they will be executed or not... the prefect doesn't know, but the Gu family will most likely be executed.
Jing Li: "Okay."
Jing Li did as he was told. Qin Zhao looked at Jing Li's back as he left and breathed a sigh of relief silently.
Unconsciously, his little husband had become much more sensible and had learned to stand on his own.
He is still a waste.
Qin Zhao laughed.
On New Year's Eve, the city also lifted the curfew, and the people celebrated the New Year all night long. Across the river, fireworks were bright, and there was singing and dancing. Qin Zhao and Jing Li sat in the yard on the other side of the lake, with Xiao Yuzai and Ah Qi, and the family of four had a plain New Year's Eve dinner.
Jing Li looked at the lights in the distance and silently made his only New Year wish in his heart.
—I hope Qin Zhao gets better soon and no longer suffers from illness.
Perhaps Jing Li's New Year's wish worked, and after the New Year, Qin Zhao's health really got better day by day. But Jing Li was worried and still did not allow him to resume teaching at Gu Mansion.
Jing Li's expression was unusually serious: "The doctor said that you can't overwork now, you need to rest."
"I know medical skills myself, and there's nothing serious going on." Qin Zhao said, "And the Gu family can send a carriage to pick him up—"
"Haven't you heard that a doctor can't treat himself?" Jing Li did not give in. "In short, it won't work. You need to rest for a while."
Qin Zhao: "But I've been at home for almost two months..."
It has been almost two months since he fell ill in mid-November and now in early January. It is ridiculous enough to spend two months recovering from a minor case of typhoid fever, not to mention that he has no income if he does not teach.
Half of the money he earned before was used to repay Fang Tianying, and the other half was used to supplement the family expenses. Qin Zhao didn't have much left at the end of the month from his monthly salary.
What's more, he has never stopped taking medicine in the past two months.
How can the family savings be enough
Qin Zhao tried to reason with Jing Li, but Jing Li said, "Don't worry about the money. I have a way."
"Method?" Qin Zhao keenly heard something from his words and asked with a smile, "What new way have you found to make money?"
Jing Li realized that he had let the cat out of the bag and looked away guiltily: "I can't tell you yet, anyway, you just need to rest."
Negotiations failed.
Qin Zhao had no choice but to obey.
But he couldn't rest for too long this time, because Ah Qi brought news from Gu Changzhou.
The great general Xiao Yue, who protects the nation, has already taken care of his mother's funeral and will pass through Jiangling Prefecture in the next two days.