TSWPF -Chapter 359 Falling Ill

As soon as Uncle He returned home, his face darkened. With a crash and clatter, he smashed everything in the room that could be smashed, gritting his teeth as he shouted Liu Zhimou’s name.

How dare Liu Zhimou treat the He family like this? He would never let him off.

Thinking of his nephew who had been sentenced to three years in prison, Uncle He collapsed into a chair, panting as he pressed a hand to his throbbing temple. How was he supposed to get his nephew out?

When his elder brother had passed away, he had promised to take good care of his nephew. And now…

Uncle He let out a helpless sigh. For the moment, he could think of no good solution.

Just then, the butler came to report that Wang Yang and the other two had arrived to see him.

Glancing at the wrecked room, Uncle He waved his hand for people to come clean it up, then stood and headed to the flower hall.

The moment he stepped inside, Wang Yang and the other two stood up, frowning as they said that He Xin had acted far too impulsively. Such behavior would only make Liu Zhimou even more vigilant.

Uncle He walked over and sat down. He could keenly sense the dissatisfaction in their hearts.

He snorted coldly inwardly and said expressionlessly, “He acted out of desperation to save someone, which is why he made such a mistake. Last time, Wang Yang already alerted the enemy. This time… it seems our plan will have to be postponed.”

He could accept the anger of the other two, but Wang Yang—what right did he have to be angry?

Hadn’t he made the same mistake before?

When Wang Yang heard this, his expression stiffened, and his dissatisfaction toward Uncle He deepened.

“Then when do you think it should be postponed to?”

Uncle He glanced at Wang Yang, whose tone was sharp, then turned to Lin Sen and Zhao He, asking if they had any opinions.

Lin Sen and Zhao He exchanged a look and both shook their heads, signaling for Uncle He to explain his thoughts.

After hearing Uncle He’s plan, the two expressed no objections and agreed to follow his lead.

“And you, Wang Yang? Do you have any opinions?” Uncle He looked at Wang Yang again, wanting to hear what he had to say.

Wang Yang pressed his lips together, forced a smile, and said he had no objections.

Even if he voiced his ideas, the other three wouldn’t agree anyway—so why bother?

Uncle He studied Wang Yang deeply and said that if he had opinions, he should speak up. They were all in the same boat—what couldn’t be said?

“Really none. Your idea is quite good. Let’s do it your way.”

“Good…” Uncle He stopped pressing the issue. Since Wang Yang had agreed to his plan, he wouldn’t be able to oppose it later. “I hope the four of us can discuss things together from now on and not act on our own again, all right?”

His gaze swept over the three of them, lingering deliberately on Wang Yang.

Wang Yang hated this to the core. He Tao was clearly saying this to him. He ground his back teeth and replied in a low voice, “All right.”

Lin Sen and Zhao He had no objections either and nodded.

They were all on the same boat—only by discussing things together before acting was it the right way.

After settling this matter, Zhao He asked Uncle He how He Xin was doing. Was it true that he really had to stay in prison for three years before he could come out?

Three years was neither long nor short, but being locked inside for that long could drive someone mad.

Uncle He sighed helplessly and nodded, saying yes.

“This is really going too far. Liu Zhimou should pray he never falls into our hands—otherwise, we’ll make him taste how formidable we are,” Zhao He said through clenched teeth. “First it’s He Xin. Next, could it be one of us? That dog official Liu Zhimou must be eliminated.”

Uncle He nodded in agreement. He absolutely had to be removed.

If Liu Zhimou wasn’t dealt with, they wouldn’t be able to act so conveniently.

The four discussed this issue for a while longer before finally getting up and leaving.

While things were gloomy on this side, over on Liu Zhimou’s side, his mood was light.

After handling the case, he directly gave both himself and Magistrate Ma a half-day off, deciding to rest properly for the afternoon.

As soon as he got home, he was called into the study by Mr. Luo.

Holding a teacup, Mr. Luo was silent for a moment before speaking, telling Liu Zhimou to be even more cautious of the He family.

Having thrown He Dianshi into prison, the He family would surely hate him to the bone. They might even be plotting to take his life at any moment.

Liu Zhimou nodded solemnly, saying he understood.

Even though he had guards and Liu Shi protecting him, it was never wrong to be more careful.

So many people died because of minor accidents. He didn’t want to be one of them. He hadn’t even taken his wife to see the great mountains and rivers yet—how could he die so soon?

Seeing that he knew his limits, Mr. Luo stopped dwelling on the matter and shifted the topic to the terraced fields.

“When do you plan to report this to the prefect?” This matter was of great importance and couldn’t be kept from the prefect.

“In four or five days. I plan to make a trip to the prefectural office,” Liu Zhimou replied. He wanted to refine the entire plan before presenting it.

Mr. Luo glanced at him, lifted his teacup, took a sip, and then said he would go with him.

Liu Zhimou instinctively objected. He didn’t want his mentor-grandfather to run around and tire himself out. He could handle it on his own.

Mr. Luo shot him a glare and said irritably, “Do you know who Fang Fei is?”

“Mentor-Grandfather, what are you trying to say?” Liu Zhimou sensed something was off and raised his brows at him. Was there something wrong with Fang Fei?

“Fang Fei is Yuan Zhihua’s disciple. The Yuan family is the Liu family’s sworn enemy.” If Fang Fei knew Liu Zhimou was from the Liu family, would he give him a good attitude? Would he agree to his terraced field plan? “If I’m there, he won’t dare target you.” His title as Imperial Tutor was still somewhat useful.

Hearing this, Liu Zhimou fell silent for a moment before nodding. “Mentor-Grandfather, I’ll have to trouble you again.” He engraved his mentor-grandfather’s kindness to them deep in his heart.

Mr. Luo waved it off indifferently. “What trouble? As long as you’re all doing well, I’ll be able to face your father with peace of mind in the future.”

Thinking of his youngest disciple, his heart ached.

Liu Zhimou pressed his lips together and hummed softly in response.

He knew that his mentor-grandfather and his father had been as close as father and son. Every time his father was mentioned, his mentor-grandfather’s mood would drop, so they tried their best to avoid such topics.

After sitting in silence for a while, Mr. Luo smiled and spoke again. “Why not take those little ones to the prefectural city for a trip? Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Going out to see the world will broaden the children’s horizons.”

Liu Zhimou frowned. “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”

“What trouble? Isn’t it just preparing two more carriages?” Mr. Luo glared at him. “It’s decided. I’ll go tell the children the good news.”

With that, he stood up and briskly walked out.

“…” Liu Zhimou stared at his mentor-grandfather’s back, speechless.

He reached out, lifted his teacup, took a sip, then slowly stood up and went back to the room to look for Li Qingling.

When he returned, he saw Li Qingling sitting with her head lowered, sewing a white robe. Judging by the size, it looked like it was made for him.

In an instant, his heart swelled to fullness. He stood at the doorway for a while before quietly walking over.

He squatted in front of Li Qingling and looked at her intently.

Li Qingling was startled by the sudden appearance of someone in front of her. Her hand slipped, and the embroidery needle pricked her finger.

“Does it hurt?” Seeing the drop of blood on her finger, Liu Zhimou immediately brought it to his mouth and sucked on it. “Sorry, I scared you.”

Li Qingling glanced at the door that hadn’t been closed properly, feeling a little embarrassed. She tugged at her hand and softly told him to let go.

Liu Zhimou kissed her finger once more. Seeing that it had stopped bleeding, he finally felt at ease.

“Is this made for me?”

Li Qingling smiled and nodded. “I noticed your previous robes were a bit short, so I wanted to make a few new ones for you.” She pouted slightly as she looked at him. “Brother Zhimou, you’ve grown too fast.”

She was almost a whole head shorter than him now.

Why couldn’t she grow taller?

Her actual height was only about 1.6 meters—too short. She still wanted to grow another five centimeters.

Seeing her look so aggrieved, Liu Zhimou chuckled softly, lowered his head, and kissed her lips, soothing her by saying she was just fine.

He knew her little thoughts, but unfortunately, he couldn’t help her with that.

Still, he really liked her petite figure. Holding her in his arms felt just right.

Li Qingling shot him a reproachful look and told him to go rest and not disturb her sewing.

Liu Zhimou reached out, set the robe aside, scooped her up in his arms, and strode to the bed. He set her down, lowered his head to look at her, and said, “Stay with me.”

“…,” Li Qingling sighed helplessly and nodded. Fine, she’d keep him company.

Unfortunately, she nodded too quickly—it was too late to regret it.

“Liu Zhimou, what are you doing? Didn’t you say we were going to sleep?”

“We are sleeping.”

“Hey, no—this is the middle of the day!”

“Then like this, isn’t it dark?” Liu Zhimou pulled down the thick mosquito net. Inside the bed curtains, everything turned pitch-black.

Li Qingling: “…”

In the end, he got his way again.

Li Qingling didn’t even want to speak anymore. She glared at him and closed her eyes to sleep.

Liu Zhimou, thoroughly satisfied, held her in his arms. He had been so busy lately that he hadn’t had time to be intimate with his wife—it had made him unbearably frustrated. This time, he had finally gotten what he wanted.

Occasionally taking a break was nice. It allowed him to spend time with his wife.

If Li Qingling knew that this was what he meant by “spending time together,” she would be so angry she’d kick him right off the bed.

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Qingling suddenly opened her eyes and frowned, calling out, “Husband…”

“Mm? What’s wrong?”

“I… my stomach hurts a little.”

Her stomach hurt?

Liu Zhimou reached out and touched her abdomen, asking if it hurt badly.

Li Qingling gently shook her head, saying it wasn’t very painful—just a dull ache.

Could it be that she needed the toilet?

With that thought, she got up, wanting to put on her clothes and go to the latrine.

“Husband…”

The change in her voice when she called him startled Liu Zhimou badly. He asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“You… you have to get someone to call the doctor. Quickly…” Li Qingling glanced at the bloodstains on the bed. Thinking of a certain possibility, she was so frightened that she quickly lay back down, her face turning pale as she instructed Liu Zhimou.

Seeing her face white as paper, Liu Zhimou didn’t dare waste a second. He hastily threw on a robe, rushed outside, and shouted for Liu Shi, ordering him to fetch a doctor immediately—no delays.

After giving his instructions, Liu Zhimou rushed back to the bedside and tightly grasped Li Qingling’s hand. “Wife, does your stomach hurt badly? Hang on a little longer—the doctor will be here soon.”

Seeing how panicked he was, Li Qingling forced a smile and said she was fine, telling him not to worry.

Noticing how disheveled his clothes were, she even urged him to quickly go and get properly dressed.