Chapter 46: Moved the Heavens, Rouge for a Life

"Uncle Wang, are you alright?"

Li Xian helped Wang Yonghou up, dusting the snow off his body. Wang Yonghou supported his waist, howling with pain, his face bruised blue and purple.

Seeing a big tear in his cloth coat made him feel like his heart was bleeding. He’d rather take a few more punches than have a hole in his clothes.

"Nothing, Li... Li Xian, thank you."

"I knew you had potential. That martial arts you showed just now was really impressive."

"You really helped me vent my anger, thank... thank you."

As he spoke, Wang Yonghou suddenly realized something and hurriedly said, "That... that, I haven’t chopped firewood yet. Can you let Uncle Wang off this time?"

"I won’t hit you, otherwise Aunt Liu would scold me to death." Li Xian chuckled.

Only then did Wang Yonghou relax, and the two of them went back to Qingning County, naturally keeping each other company.

"Your biggest advantage, kid, is that you never forget your roots."

Wang Yonghou sighed. Seeing him limping badly, Li Xian squatted down to help adjust his bones. Although it still hurt thereafter, walking wasn’t a problem.

"These bastards, they were ruthless."

If it weren’t for you, I might have really been left here."

Wang Yonghou took a cold breath.

Li Xian asked, "Uncle Wang, why did you steal firewood? Don’t you know that’s dangerous?"

"Sigh..." Wang Yonghou sighed, "What else could I do?"

"Your Aunt Liu got sick a few days ago, with constant high fever. The doctor said if we couldn’t afford medicine, at least we should ensure she doesn’t catch cold."

"Only then there might be a chance of recovery."

"But that doctor talks nonsense. In this dead of winter, who could avoid catching cold? Let the damned woman freeze to death, damn it."

"I won’t care anymore, no more."

However, he started sobbing, wiping his tears with his sleeve, but seeing the footprints on his clothes made him even more speechless.

All the bitterness swallowed down.

Only turned into a light sigh.

"Aunt Liu is sick?" Li Xian frowned.

This time of year, common folk simply can’t afford to get sick. It’s fine for the young and strong, they might pull through.

But those slightly older might just worsen to death.

"These past few days that sharp wind cut down, is it so strange to get sick?" Wang Yonghou cursed, "Stupid woman, why now of all times to fall ill."

"Made me get a beating for nothing."

Li Xian could see the couple actually loved each other very much. Despite Yonghou’s cursing, he ran over ten miles to steal firewood for Aunt Liu.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out and he got caught.

Li Xian told Wang Yonghou he was going the same way and would go check on Aunt Liu with him, to which Wang Yonghou agreed.

In Leaking Bottle Lane.

"Damn woman, I’m back, you better not die now." Wang Yonghou shouted a few times.

Inside came a weak cough, "You bastard, you won’t let up till you curse me to death," Aunt Liu weakly scolded.

Wang Yonghou gently opened a crack in the door, almost "squeezed" into the room, trying to stop the cold air from rushing in. But the room was already cold, so what difference would it make?

Li Xian also "squeezed" into the room.

"Oh, it’s Little Immortal?" Aunt Liu was stunned, then quickly said, "Don’t come too close, if I infect you, that wouldn’t be good."

"Your Xiaofan went to take the winter exam recently. Maybe he’ll turn out well when he comes back."

Aunt Liu said with a cheerful tone.

Li Xian felt somewhat sad. Since his father left gambling debts and took his own life, he and his brother have been relying on each other and it’s thanks, in no small part, to Aunt Liu’s help.

Not to mention anything else, just the loan of a stove was a kindness.

Each time the two brothers came to borrow the stove, Wang Yonghou would curse, but Aunt Liu would take the initiative to agree to lend it to them.

"Aunt Liu, are you feeling any better from your illness?" Li Xian moved closer.

"Sigh, this illness..." Aunt Liu said, "Whether I’ll get better, it’s still uncertain."

"Stop spouting nonsense, you stupid woman, shut your mouth." Wang Yonghou scolded.

"Aunt Liu, what did the doctor say?" Li Xian felt her forehead and noticed her hand was burning hot, the fever was high.

"The doctor said I have a cold. If we had money, a few doses of decoction would help. But where’s the money?"

"And those doctors, with their black hearts, claim medicine is expensive because herbs are hard to gather in winter."

As Aunt Liu spoke, she suddenly noticed the bruises on Wang Yonghou’s face and immediately sat up straight, "Old bastard, you got beaten?"

"No... no..." Wang Yonghou shrank his neck.

"Did you go to steal firewood?" Aunt Liu frowned. Though frail, she still had an air of authority that made people tremble.

"Yes..." Wang Yonghou, at this moment, was very honest.

"Your clothes are torn." Aunt Liu said painfully, "Come here, let me patch them up for you."

The couple, both over fifty, without children, yet they treated each other like guests. At this moment, wounds and sickness, supporting each other, was a scene that moved Li Xian.

"No matter how chaotic the times, in unknown corners, there’s always true emotions revealed."

Li Xian watched silently, without disturbing.

He had no money on him, but he did have a box of rouge he’d bought last time, a box he hadn’t given to his lady.

His lady naturally wouldn’t care for such rouge.

But at this moment, it could save lives.

Li Xian turned and left, walking to Dream Immortal Pavilion on Shuisha Lane, seeing that bewitching middle-aged woman again.

"Oh, young master, you’re not dead yet?"

The woman chuckled.

"I’m here to pawn rouge, unopened." Li Xian got straight to the point.

After some negotiation, the woman laughed, "Alright, you bought this rouge for three taels of silver. I’ll offer you seven hundred Wen coins in return."

"You can’t be dissatisfied; seven hundred Wen, enough to save a life, maybe even two."

"You, back when you were selling yourself, wasn’t it just for a few hundred Wen? If you agree, it’s a deal. If you want more, find another place."

"After all, people pawn jewelry, paintings, copperware, but as for rouge... apart from my kind heart, nowhere else would bother with you."

Li Xian readily nodded, "Deal!"

The woman smiled, took out a cloth bag with seven hundred Wen inside. Not a coin more or less.

"Shopkeeper, you’re not usually this agreeable, you know."

After Li Xian left, a shop assistant at Dream Immortal Pavilion couldn’t help but say.

"Get lost, get lost."

"I find him pleasing to the eye, if you were as handsome as him."

"Not to mention pawning rouge, I might even consider you if you wanted me myself."

The assistant, hearing this, quickly said, "No thanks, no thanks."

Just as he spoke, two slaps landed, leaving the assistant’s face swollen, the woman sneered, "Just you? You dare look down on me? Know your place?"

...

On the other side.

"Alright."

Aunt Liu put away the needle and thread, Wang Yonghou’s clothes now had several patches.

"You, stop stealing firewood."

"We actually all know, I probably won’t last. How many of our kids, our family’s brothers, have died like this?"

"Just see it through, it’s no big deal."

Aunt Liu gently patted her husband’s back.

"Stupid woman, if you go, what’s left for me?"

"Think about it, usually with hunger, hardship, and exhaustion, we counted the days together, day by day, wasn’t there some sweetness to it?"

"But this... this..."

Wang Yonghou turned his head, the couple cried quietly.

Suddenly.

Aunt Liu noticed an eye-catching brocade bag, tapped her husband, signaling for him to take a look.

He opened the brocade bag, finding seven hundred Wen coins inside. Wang Yonghou was ecstatic, this windfall from heaven was a lifeline for them both.

"Stupid woman, you don’t have to die, with this money, we can afford medicine, and medicine will make you better."

"We must have moved the heavens, hahaha."

Wang Yonghou said joyfully.

"Bah bah bah."

"What moved the heavens, I’m afraid this money"

"was... put here by Little Immortal."

"It’s nobody but him."