Chapter 46: Chapter 46 It Really Stinks
However, she had no idea that she had been sitting for several hours, and it was now dusk.
When she opened her eyes, she found her father staring at her with a worried expression.
“Baby! What’s wrong with you?”
“Huh?” Yue Qingqing was stupefied, slightly frightened that she might have given something away, tilting her head and feigning ignorance.
Yue Jiandong indeed noticed something was amiss, but he completely misunderstood the situation.
“This is no good, she’s sweating so much, her clothes are totally drenched. She must be sick.”
Yue Jiandong took the jacket he’d left aside while working and draped it over Yue Qingqing, wrapping his daughter tightly and immediately started running back home.
Yue Qingqing, who was already feeling a bit warm, felt even more overheated and dizzy with this additional layer.
By the time they arrived at the Yue family home, her little face was bright red.
The family was startled when they saw her.
“What happened here?” Lin Chunju had been in the middle of cooking dinner and rushed out upon hearing the commotion.
The two brothers were panting heavily, still out of breath.
Yue Jiandong’s face was filled with guilt, “At first, I was paying attention, but then I got caught up in the work and forgot about her. I thought Qingqing wouldn’t walk far, but when I finished, I found that she seemed off.”
As for what was off, Yue Jiandong couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She just seemed asleep and didn’t respond when called, drenched in heavy sweat.
Zhang Ying was frantic with concern and immediately ran out, “I’m going to the clinic to find a doctor.”
Lin Chunju, knowing Yue Qingqing was different from other children, quickly stopped her.
“Don’t rush, we don’t know what it is yet, she might just be asleep.”
Zhang Ying was on the verge of tears, “But Qingqing is covered in sweat.”
Lin Chunju touched Yue Qingqing’s forehead and found that despite her flushed cheeks, her head wasn’t feverish.
“Kids have a lot of energy; we should wait and see, no need for someone to make an unnecessary trip.”
Yue Qingqing also nodded eagerly, agreeing with her grandmother’s words.
Seeing her daughter seemingly spirited, Zhang Ying finally began to calm down.
She wasn’t usually one to overreact, but she cherished this hard-won daughter too much.
Plus, since Qingqing had always been easy to look after and healthy, Zhang Ying would panic over any little thing.
Yue Jiandong also felt relieved but was still filled with remorse, “It’s all my fault for not paying attention.”
Yue Qingqing felt guilty for giving her father such a scare.
She clenched her fists and bowed awkwardly, her gesture comical yet endearing.
When Yue Jiandong picked her up, he noticed a smell.
“Why does it stink so much?”
At first, he thought it might be the smell from a day’s work, but after sniffing his own collar, he realized it was just the usual sour scent of sweat.
Yue Qingqing stared at the ceiling, pretending nothing was amiss, but the family smelled around and wouldn’t let her off so easily.
In the end, Zhang Ying carried her to prepare a bath.
Motherly love is great, but even Zhang Ying couldn’t help but hold her nose in the face of her dirt-covered child.
“My little darling, did you secretly roll in the mud? How did you get so dirty?”
After softening a loofah sponge with boiling water, then soaking it in warm water, it could easily scrub off a thick layer of mud-like substance from Yue Qingqing’s body.
As for the outer layer of clothing stained with smelly sweat, they had already been soaked in a basin and scalded with boiling water.
Yue Qingqing at first pretended to be just a baby, unaware of anything.
But when the removed filth became too much, she could only move closer with a flattering expression, trying to charm and beguile.
Zhang Ying felt that the dirt was somewhat unusual but didn’t dwell on it, rinsing her daughter repeatedly with warm water.
Once she was thoroughly cleaned, they noticed that Qingqing’s skin was even whiter and brighter than before.
She was already cute and rosy, but now she looked more like a little jade carving.
The phrase “delicately carved and polished” was a literal description, not just a figure of speech, when it came to her.
Zhang Ying held her daughter, again unable to part with her, “Such a good girl.”
Smelling the fresh scent that was now on her body, Yue Qingqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed she would have to be more careful in the future about leveling up; that ordeal had been too intense.