Nan Quanyou also worried for Nan Feng. He suddenly remembered, “Could it be the leaves of the red fruit? We’ve fed everything else, just not these leaves. The bamboo rat might be eating the leaves!”
The leaves?
Yes, why didn’t Nan Feng consider this aspect?
It’s true that all things in the world have their interactions, but the same things can also behave differently. For instance, someone who becomes heated after eating lychee can drink water steeped with lychee skin to cool down quickly.
Could it be…the antidote to the red fruit’s poison is its leaves?
Nan Feng quickly plucked some leaves of the red fruit and fed it to the bamboo rat, then securely tied up its cage before going to bed.
That night, Nan Feng dreamt about the antidote, sometimes not finding it and her facial sores multiplying, and at other times finding it and returning to her former beauty.
…
The next day, Nan Feng woke before dawn. The first thing she did was check the bamboo rats.
She lit a lamp and one by one, inspected their sores. Delightfully, they seemed to be healing.
“That’s fantastic!” She excitedly put the bamboo rats back into their cage. If they weren’t covered in mud, she’d have been tempted to kiss them.
Nan Quanyou, hearing the excitement, also got up and asked Nan Feng rubbing his eyes, “So, did the leaves work?”
Nan Feng immediately leapt towards her father, laughing, “Yes, it’s the leaves, the leaves! I’ve found the antidote. Hahaha, dad, I won’t be ugly anymore!”
Nan Quanyou, all sleepiness forgotten, joined in his daughter’s jubilation, “That’s great! My Fengfeng will soon be a great beauty!”
…
Nan Feng wasn’t sure whether she should steep the leaves in water or brew them like tea, so she simply chewed on them like the bamboo rat.
She had been applying aloe vera on her face, which only helped the sores from inflaming further. But after taking the antidote, the sores surprisingly began to shrink.
The bamboo rats recovered completely after eating the leaves for a few days. Nan Feng, however, was heavily affected by the poison, so her recovery was slower. It took consuming the leaves for half a month before the sores shrank to the size of typical pimples.
Nan Feng guessed she would need at least another month to fully recover.
With the sores reduced, her face was no longer frightening. At most, she looked like a girl with a bad case of acne.
She was already satisfied with this. At least she looked better than she did before.
Would Wild Brother be surprised to see her?
Nan Feng suddenly realized it had been half a month since she last saw Wild Brother.
Ever since the day he was startled by her and dropped his bowl, after she told him he was not the type she liked.
She had been busy battling the sores on her face, which was why she didn’t seek him. But what about him?
What had he been doing?
…
One day as Nan Feng was returning from the mountain, she intentionally passed by Wild Brother’s home. Zhou Er was chopping firewood in the courtyard, so she greeted him.
Zhou Er teased Nan Feng again, “Lady Feng, haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been busy with?”
“Nothing much, where’s Wild Brother?” Nan Feng asked.
“He went to town today, didn’t you go with him?” asked Zhou Er.
“No,” Nan Feng sounded disappointed.
“Did you need Wild Brother for something? When he returns, I can ask him to find you?”
“No, no need. I was just passing by and asking casually. Uncle Zhou, I’ll head home now.”
“Alrighty then.”