Doctor Zhao gently stabbed the index finger of Li Wenqing's left and right hands with a three-edged needle, and looked up to observe Li Wenqing's expression.

"Ah......" Seeing two drops of black blood flowing out of her fingers, Li Wenqing's eyebrows stretched slightly, and she let out a long breath.

"Huh...... The depression in my heart is a small half, I will prescribe two more pairs of medicines, and I will ask your girl to follow me to the house to pick it up and bring it back to fry it. Doctor Zhao looked at Li Wenqing with a smile, completely ignoring Sister-in-law Wu's appearance of wanting to speak and stopping.

"Thank you, Doctor Zhao, bothering you to make this trip......" Li Wenqing reluctantly stood up and nodded at Doctor Zhao.

"Mother!" Li Chuan'er, who was already frightened, saw that her mother could speak, and she cried and pounced, "Mother, what's wrong with you?" You're scaring me to death! Mother, where is my father, where is my father? ”

Hearing Li Chu'er say this, Li Wenqing, who had already collected her tears, burst into tears again, and Dr. Zhao sat on the side, watching the mother and daughter start to hug and cry again, shook her head and stood up to put away the medicine box.

"Chu'er! Chu'er, don't cry, are you ready? Sister-in-law Wu hurriedly pulled Li Chu'er.

"Huh? It's good! I've already put water in the pot......" Li Chu'er wiped her nose with her sleeve and looked at Sister-in-law Wu and said.

"Then you hurry up and go with Dr. Zhao to get the medicine, come back and fry it for your mother, be obedient!" Sister-in-law Wu pushed Li Chu'er's shoulder, "I'll go see if the water is hot, first wipe your mother's face with a twisted hand towel!" ”

"Chu'er, you can take the money in the low cabinet, and give Dr. Zhao the money for the visit in a while." Li Wenqing commanded Li Chu'er with a strong spirit.

"Hey......" Li Chu'er wiped her face clean, looked back at her mother again, and then reluctantly followed Dr. Zhao out of the door.

When Sister-in-law Wu saw that the child was gone, she bombarded her man into the courtyard and sat on the edge of Li Wenqing's bed with a concerned face.

"Wenqing, you tell your sister-in-law, did the person surnamed Zheng run away with the family's money?" Sister-in-law Wu raised her eyebrows and squeezed her small eyes to look at Li Wenqing.

Li Wenqing turned over, her face facing the wall, but she didn't answer.

"Hey...... I told you earlier, outsiders are unreliable, how can we know the roots of people strong! Look at that Xu Dazhuang, who married the Sun family girl from the next village at the autumn equinox, although the Sun family girl has a little lame on one leg, but now she is pregnant with a doll! You're so good, now you're all over with your personal wealth! ”

Sister-in-law Wu was foaming at the mouth, and Li Wenqing listened to it in her ears, only to feel that it was a spike piercing her heart. She finally couldn't help it, lifted the quilt violently, and sat up.

The strength was too great, she only felt dizzy, so she had to lean on the cage to breathe evenly, gasping for a while, she looked at Sister-in-law Wu coldly: "Sister-in-law Wu, thank you for your kindness, please go back first!" I'll be able to get out of bed by myself after a while, and I won't bother you anymore! ”

Sister-in-law Wu saw that Li Wenqing's face changed, and she knew that she had said the wrong thing, so she said a little sarcastically: "Then I'll go back first, I'm still simmering chicken food on the stove." What's the matter with you, tell Chu'er to call me, but don't be polite to me. ”

"No, Sister-in-law Wu, if there is anything in our family in the future, we will take care of it ourselves, so we won't bother your family!" Li Wenqing's tone was even colder, her eyes glancing at the door, not looking at her.

When Sister-in-law Wu heard this, she snorted, and strode out of the house with the cotton curtain.

Li Wenqing closed her eyes tightly, only to feel that the whole body and limbs were so weak, she slowly slid onto the bed, lying obliquely like that, tears falling down in strings, I really wanted to close my eyes like this, never to open them again.

Wouldn't it be nice if that could be done? There is no need to think about the cold words of Uncle Zheng's brothers, no need to worry about whether he can escape the pursuit of officers and soldiers, no need to think about the gossip of the people in the village, and no need to think about how she and Chu'er will live in the future!

But no! Chu'er, and Chu'er!

"Mother......" Hearing Li Chu'er's scream, Li Wenqing opened her eyes and saw her daughter standing at the door timidly, carrying two medicine bags in her hands, and her little face was red from the cold.

Li Wenqing secretly scolded herself, only caring about her own discomfort, just now Li Chu'er forgot to tell her to put on a coat when she went out, she was already sick, and then the child was frozen, but how to make it!

"Chu'er, it's frozen! Get in bed and get warm under the covers! Li Wenqing said distressedly.

Li Chu'er put the medicine bag on the low cabinet, took off her shoes and got into Li Wenqing's arms, her small body trembled slightly, she raised her head and looked at Li Wenqing, "Mother, where is my father?" Does he not want us anymore? When I came back just now, I saw Wu's mother outside the yard telling people that my father had taken our family's money and ran away, is it true? ”

Li Wenqing's heart was on fire when she heard this, she wrinkled her brows, looked out the window angrily, and her lips were biting blood.

"Mother!" Li Chu'er was frightened by Li Wenqing's appearance, pulled her sleeves, and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

Li Wenqing looked down at the daughter in her arms, remembered the instructions he gave when he left at night, and slowly shook her head, but she didn't know where to start.

"Mother, Daddy doesn't want us, does he? Is it Daddy's enemy who has come to him? So Daddy has to go out and hide for a while? Li Chu'er wiped away her tears, looked at Li Wenqing and asked.

"Mother? Why don't you speak? Daddy won't want us, don't you think? I don't believe what Mother Wu said, Mother Wu is lying, isn't it? Li Chu'er saw that Li Wenqing didn't speak, and shook her arm vigorously.

Li Wenqing was sad when she heard this, and hugged her daughter tightly, "Chu'er is right, it was Wang Yong and Uncle Chen Song who picked up your father late last night, and his enemies knew that he lived here, so he had to hide for a while." But we can't tell outsiders about this, you know? It must not be said, you have to remember, do you understand? ”

When Li Chu'er heard this, she pursed her lips and laughed, "Hehe, I know!" How could Daddy not want us? But the undried tears on her face rolled down Li Wenqing's sleeves, showing tears.

The sky outside the house was gloomy and terrible, and the lead-gray clouds were low and pressed down, and I was afraid that there would be a heavy snowfall......

+

The third day of the Lunar New Year, Red Dog Day.

Li Wen got up early in the morning, wrapped the dumplings, put all kinds of snacks she bought a year ago on the bed, lit incense candles and took out paper money to prepare, ready to wait for Li Chu'er to get up and get a piece of burning paper.

After taking the medicine prescribed by Dr. Zhao for two days, Li Wenqing's wind chill improved a lot. In fact, she herself knows that suffering from the wind and cold is a trivial matter, and she will be so sick that she will fall in bed, but in fact, it is caused by a rush to attack her heart.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, she supported herself to get out of bed, wanting to make a few dumplings for Li Jun'er to meet the occasion. It's also the New Year, and other people's homes are full of lights, and firecrackers are in the sky. But his own house is a gloomy cloud and miserable fog, cold and deserted.

Unexpectedly, Li Chu'er, who has always been greedy, insisted on asking her to go to bed to recuperate, she also burned the kang in the east wing room hot, moved Li Wenqing's futon over, helped Li Wenqing to lie on the kang, and put the dried fruit snacks they bought years ago on the side of the bed, saying that it would be good for her to eat these, and she would accompany her mother to have a warm Spring Festival.

Overnight, Li Chu'er seemed to have grown up a lot. She still grinned as before, but her eyes seemed to be foggled. When she was sitting, she no longer hummed a small tune and played with the gadgets that Uncle Zheng bought for her, but stared at those things in a daze.

Li Wenqing saw it in her eyes, but she didn't know how to persuade her.

She knew that rumors had spread in the village now that the man she was looking for had run away with the family's money in the middle of the night, and she knew how this word had spread. She also knew that according to Li Chu'er's previous temperament, she must argue with those who broke her mouth when she heard this.

But for the sake of Uncle Zheng's safety, because of his own confession, this kid held everything in his heart. A small child, but only eight or nine years old, how much does she have in her heart?

"Mother! How did you get up? Are you all cured? Li Chu'er rubbed her eyes and opened the cotton curtain, and saw Li Wenqing placing dried fruits, "Are you going to burn the door god paper today?" But our family didn't post a door god this year? ”

"It's okay! The gods know about our family, so we just burn some paper money for them, and they will take care of us. Li Wenqing walked to the basin stand and took a wooden comb and helped Li Chu'er comb her hair.

"Then can I ask the immortals, when will Daddy come back?" Li Chu'er stood obediently, begging in her voice, "I miss him so much......"

Li Wenqing pursed her lips and said nothing, combed Li Chu'er's hair, and put down the wooden comb, "The water in the basin is hot, you hurry up and wash it, I'll go and make dumplings for you to eat, I didn't ask you to eat dumplings during the New Year, it's a ......."

"Wenqing! Wenqing! Before Li Wenqing's hand touched the door bolt, she heard the screams of Sister-in-law Wu next door.

Li Wenqing frowned, hesitating whether to open the door, but heard Sister-in-law Wu say eagerly: "My kid was setting off artillery at the entrance of the village just now, and I saw Ma Xiaowu coming to the village with a large group of officers and soldiers, so Ma Xiaowu still told the official on horseback what Li Wenqing's family was talking to!" ”

Li Wenqing was stunned for a moment, standing there like a wood, and Sister-in-law Wu was still making noise outside the house, but she couldn't hear a word clearly.

In a trance, she felt that someone was constantly pulling the corners of her clothes, she lowered her head and saw Li Chu'er staring at her with panicked eyes, "Mother? Mother, what's wrong with you? ”

Her body shook with Li Chuan's tugging, and she opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but she couldn't utter a word.

"Anyone? Is there anybody? This is Li Wenqing's home! A man's voice sounded outside the courtyard, impatient and anxious.

"Who is it?" Li Chu'er asked in response, Li Wenqing covered her mouth and whispered, "Chu'er, no matter who asks, you only said that your father's name is Zheng Cong, saying that he went to the county to do business, and he couldn't go home for some reason, you must say so, remember?" ”

Li Chu'er was frightened by her mother's sudden move, her two big eyes were full of horror, but her mouth was covered and she couldn't speak, so she had to nod heavily.

Li Wenqing let go of Li Chu'er, took a heavy breath, pulled the deadbolt and walked out......