Chapter 198: Yuan Jin'er

Thin mist hung over the river as day was just breaking. When Ning Yi arrived at the small building glowing with warm yellow lights, he saw two figures talking by the doorway. Yun Zhu was turning as if to close the door when Jin'er's voice faintly reached him: "Oh, he's here, he's here..."

Even when they bickered, they had developed a sort of camaraderie, but Jin'er usually looked displeased when Ning Yi arrived. It was rare for her to be so excited this time; she was clearly eager to show something off.

He didn't know what the two had been doing by the door, but Yun Zhu, however, looked a little awkward. With a wry smile, she pushed Jin'er towards the door. Her gaze flickered towards Ning Yi, and her original intention to close the door faltered. As Ning Yi drew closer, he caught the faint scent of medicine wafting from the kitchen. It probably wasn't for Yun Zhu, as Jin'er, standing inside the doorway, was bundled up tightly. Wrapped in two layers of overcoats, she resembled a panda, as if she wished to wrap her entire quilt around herself. Leaning half her weight on Yun Zhu's shoulder, her eyes held a brief flicker of triumph as she proudly announced to Ning Yi: "I'm sick."

"Uh..." Ning Yi paused, a little taken aback. "Then why are you standing out here?"

"I'm not standing out here!" Jin'er declared. "I just came out to pull Sister Yun Zhu back inside." Her small hand, bundled in thick clothing, tugged at Yun Zhu's sleeve.

It took Ning Yi a moment to understand what had just happened. Traditionally, Yun Zhu would wait outside for Ning Yi every morning. This custom deeply annoyed Jin'er; she felt that the beautiful, generous, and elegant Sister Yun Zhu shouldn't act like a meek, submissive young wife. She had protested several times, but to no avail.

This morning, after caring for Jin'er's illness for a bit, Yun Zhu, figuring that Ning Yi would certainly come given yesterday's major events, stepped outside to check. To her surprise, a sick Jin'er, dressed and wobbling like a roly-poly toy, had followed her out. The morning breeze was chilly, and for someone already suffering from a cold, Jin'er couldn't bear the chill. Upon seeing her, Yun Zhu immediately pushed her to go back inside.

Jin'er insisted, "Then Sister Yun Zhu must come inside and stay with me too." Already sensitive to cold, she had bundled herself up in so many clothes that she appeared almost twice her normal size; her slender figure was nearly spherical. Yet, her words conveyed a clear message: "If you don't agree, I'll freeze to death out here." With a wry smile, Yun Zhu nodded in agreement. As they turned to go back, they saw Ning Yi approaching. Jin'er immediately stopped at the doorway, eager to show off to Ning Yi.

"After a long struggle, Sister Yun Zhu is finally *mine*!"

Normally, when Yun Zhu wasn't present, the two of them would bicker like rivals. Ning Yi clearly understood what she was implying, and for a moment, he was both amused and speechless. Jin'er had just gotten out of bed and hadn't put on any makeup. Even without makeup, she was usually a beautiful, vibrant young woman. However, combined with her illness, her face showed an undeniable weariness. Despite this, she still paraded her triumph to Ning Yi in a rather ungracious manner, like a mischievous child.

Yun Zhu, too, had only recently woken up. She wore a simple, slender dress, and her long hair, still unbound, cascaded down her back. At that moment, her primary concern was Jin'er. She gently pushed Jin'er, trying to guide her back inside, saying with a wry smile, "Alright, alright, let's go back." Jin'er swayed a few times and finally began to turn and walk back inside. But with her fever, her balance was off. As she turned, her left foot caught on her right, and she tumbled backward onto the ground.

"Jin'er, are you alright?"

Yun Zhu was startled by the sudden fall. Ning Yi was also a little startled, but then he saw Jin'er, still lying on the ground, wave her hand: "No, I'm... I'm fine..." Her thick padded jacket and layers of clothing made her resemble a bulky cannon barrel. From within, two small hands extended, making her look almost like a baby in a cradle.

Yun Zhu leaned down to help her up. Jin'er squirmed a few times on the ground, rolling her body first to the left, then to the right. Her short arms and legs flailing, she looked exactly like a turtle flipped onto its back. She struggled, but couldn't get up.

In fact, she had no strength due to her illness, and Yun Zhu had injured her shoulder yesterday and couldn't exert much force either. The two maids of Yun Zhu and Jin'er were also in the small building — Hu Tao had married before the New Year, but she had rushed back last night to care for her young mistress due to the events of the previous day. However, it was almost customary for the maids not to appear when Ning Yi came to see Yun Zhu, so they couldn't rush over to help immediately. As Jin'er continued to struggle like a turtle, unable to right herself, both she and Yun Zhu grew a little embarrassed. Ning Yi, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into a gleeful laugh.

Yun Zhu shot him an exasperated look. "What are you laughing at? Come help!"

"Well, gentlemen and ladies shouldn't have too much physical contact..."

"I don't want his help! I'd rather die than let him help!" Jin'er, her short limbs splayed out on the ground, tilted her head and declared indignantly. Her face, peeking out from under her cloak, was a picture of indignation, like a pouting little girl.

Ning Yi chuckled and continued, "But seeing her resist so much, I suddenly feel it's worth helping..."

"Stop spouting nonsense and help quickly, I have no strength!" Yun Zhu urged.

"Don't touch me, don't touch me! I won't get up, I like lying here..." Jin'er whined.

"Stop fooling around. The ground is cold. Get up and go back to your room quickly," Yun Zhu said.

"Don't let him touch me! I, Yuan Jin'er, have a pure body..."

"Pure your foot!" Ning Yi retorted. "You're a ball now. With so many thick clothes, he can't touch anything. I don't even know how many layers you're wearing..."

Ning Yi chuckled as he tried to help her up from the ground. Normally, Yuan Jin'er and Ning Yi understood boundaries, and she would have likely complied and gotten up. But now, being sick, her mood was different. Embarrassed that he had seen her fall like a turtle and unable to get up, she stubbornly struggled, refusing to stand upright. Ning Yi shrugged and easily scooped her up horizontally.

With Jin'er's current attire, carrying her was difficult, mainly because she was uncooperative. However, Ning Yi was strong, and his brute force overcame her resistance; at the very least, he wouldn't let her fall. Jin'er's clothes were so thick that her waist, backside, and thighs were practically indistinguishable. Ning Yi could barely feel anything through the layers, and Jin'er probably couldn't either. She swung a hand toward Ning Yi's face, but her clumsy, short arm only managed to brush his shoulder.

"If you don't let me go, I'll scratch your eyes out!" Jin'er threatened.

"Go ahead and scratch if you dare," Ning Yi taunted.

"Jin'er, stop being silly," Yun Zhu interjected.

After much commotion, he carried Jin'er all the way back to the bedroom. Originally, Jin'er slept in the same bed as Yun Zhu, but as she had caught a cold yesterday, she was now staying in the guest room. After they entered, Yun Zhu turned to fetch some hot water. Ning Yi placed her on the bed and pulled a quilt over her. Although she was still wearing her shoes, Ning Yi found it inappropriate to remove them for her. Jin'er, lying there, seemed utterly put out, her eyes flashing with displeasure. "I'm wearing so many layers, and you still cover me with a quilt? Do you want to roast me alive? You want to murder me because I can't move, right?"

"What's hot about it? It's just been put on. I can't be bothered with you," Ning Yi retorted. "Yun Zhu will be here any minute; she can help you take off some clothes then. I really don't know why you wear so much..."

"But what if my cold gets worse...?" Jin'er muttered. Medical conditions were still limited then, and while there were relatively reliable treatments for colds and fevers, people still sometimes died from such illnesses. Deep down, she was indeed afraid.

At that moment, Yun Zhu had not yet returned. Jin'er's face subtly changed after she spoke. Her bloated body tried to roll to the side, only to fall back. Ning Yi frowned, walked over, and pulled her upper body closer to the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"

Jin'er made a muffled sound and clapped a hand over her mouth. Ning Yi immediately understood and handed her the ceramic pot that was likely intended as a spittoon, letting her vomit noisily into it. Perhaps because she had already vomited yesterday, there wasn't much left to come up now. Ning Yi patted her back; to allow her to lean comfortably over the bed's edge, he had to sit sideways himself. He chuckled, "How many months along are you?"

Jin'er finally finished vomiting and slowly recovered. Hearing his comment, she glared at him. "Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

"If I don't hold you, you'll just tumble right off," Ning Yi retorted. Exasperated, he pulled her back onto the bed. Then he went to the washstand, wrung out a facecloth, and wiped her mouth. Only when Yun Zhu returned did he hand Jin'er over to her, turning to leave the room. As he closed the door, he saw Jin'er pointing and whispering in their direction, likely complaining about him to Yun Zhu.

After a long while, Yun Zhu emerged from the room. As she opened the door, Ning Yi saw Jin'er lying on the bed, completely covered by the quilt. Yun Zhu had evidently helped her undress, for her body had shed its bloated appearance. Her small face peeked out from the quilt; Yun Zhu must have just wiped her down, as her face was flushed and rosy, and she appeared to be asleep.

"Every time you come, you just bicker with Jin'er. She's like a child, and so are you..." The sky was already fully bright. Yun Zhu brought over some tea, her voice tinged with a slight reproach.

Ning Yi smiled. "Having a childlike heart is a good thing... Oh, right, how's your shoulder?"

"I can't exert much force, but it's fine. What about you?" Yun Zhu replied.

"All good. Oh, and for you and Jin'er, it's best not to go to Zhu Ji for a while," Ning Yi said. "It's unlikely those escaped assassins will come back looking for you, but it's always better to be careful. Perhaps this afternoon I'll discuss with Lu Agui and the others about finding another place for you to stay."

Yun Zhu took a sip of tea, looked at him, and nodded. "Mm."

After chatting for a while about yesterday's events and Old Qin, Ning Yi finally left the small building. In the eastern sky, the sun was already out, casting brilliant rays of dawn.

What Ning Yi didn't notice was that throughout his time entering and exiting the small building, two pairs of eyes were constantly fixed on it. In a nearby patch of woods, a carriage was quietly parked. Two constables had been stationed there; one, surnamed Chen, and the other, surnamed Xu, were the chief and deputy constables from the yamen. They happened to be assigned to the Liao assassination case this time, and with the task handed down, several teams were now busy throughout Jiangning City.

This wasn't considered a primary stakeout area for them. After all, the likelihood of the Liao people retaliating against these two girls, who reportedly participated in yesterday's fight, was extremely low. However, the girls seemed to have some background, and their superiors had assigned the task of ensuring their safety. Last night, Chen and Xu's subordinates had been on guard here; they had only arrived this morning to relieve their men for a short shift. Nevertheless, in that brief time, they had indeed observed something interesting.