But when the pot lid was lifted, there was nothing.
Not a drop of soup medicine was left.
Glimpsing the neatly washed bowls and chopsticks beside, one, two, three, four, a total of four sets?
There were four people in the family, Second Brother, Yixuan, he, and Dong Dabao!
But he had been by the river and hadn’t eaten, so whose was this extra set of bowl and chopsticks?
Grinding his teeth viciously.
His illness had been cured by Xiao Qingyao, and his meal was eaten by Xiao Qingyao as well, making his eyes turn red all of a sudden.
With a ’bang’, there was a loud noise.
Dong Huiying turned around and saw that the door to the southern room had been forcefully slammed shut by Liang Yuening.
She was utterly baffled. What on earth was the boy doing?
Scratching the back of her head, she continued sorting the herbs.
Dong Huiying had been busy all morning when she suddenly noticed that Liang Yixuan looked heavily preoccupied. She asked in confusion, "What’s the matter?"
Yixuan replied helplessly, "Fifth Brother refuses to take his medicine."
"What is he causing a fuss over now?"
After wiping her hands, she frowned and strode towards the southern room. Upon entering, she nearly stepped on Liang Yuening because he stubbornly insisted on sleeping on the floor instead of climbing onto the kang bed.
She moved her foot aside and looked at Liang Yuening, who was facing away from her, hugging a quilt with the sulky demeanor of a child.
"Hey, Liang Yuening?"
She nudged his leg with the tip of her foot.
Tsk, quite a temper he had.
Liang Yuening sat up irritably and glared at her in annoyance.
"Take your medicine."
"You need to take the medicine to recover quickly when you’re ill."
"Are you going to take it or not?"
"I said I won’t, what’s all the nagging for?"
For a moment, silence.
Dong Huiying looked at him without a word, yet it made him inexplicably uneasy.
He awkwardly turned his head away, his eyes downcast, unable to meet her gaze.
Although he wanted to apologize, he was too embarrassed to do so.
Suddenly, Dong Huiying said, "Alright then,"
As he looked at her, puzzled, he saw her grab the medicine bowl and break into a grim smile.
"You’re in your twenties and still think you’re a child; you need to be coaxed to take your medicine?"
She wouldn’t indulge this bad habit of his.
Resolutely, her small hands pried open his mouth and poured the soup medicine down his throat.
"Cough cough, cough cough cough—!!" Liang Yuening choked and coughed violently, trying to push her hand away. But she was surprisingly strong, and he was like a fish on a chopping block, with nothing to do but wait to be slaughtered.
After pouring the medicine, with a ’clunk’, she put down the medicine bowl.
Her brows were fiercely knit, "Remember this, be good next time and drink it yourself, or I won’t be blamed if you choke to death!"
With that, she turned on her heel and left.
Liang Yuening had choked several times just now and was still coughing while clutching his chest. By the time he had caught his breath, Dong Huiying had already left.
His face was flushed, and he felt extremely displeased. Looking up, he inadvertently locked eyes with Second Brother on the kang bed.
Seeing the teasing glint and banter in Second Brother’s eyes, even mockingly playful, he didn’t know why, but it made him irrationally enraged.
He wiped his mouth and lay back down on the floor, hugging the quilt.
He thought of Dong Huiying’s ferocious manner as she forced him to drink the medicine and thought to himself, what a fierce woman, not gentle at all! In all under heaven, besides our Liang family, probably no one else could put up with her, hmph!
At noon, Dong Huiying made a meat dish, a vegetarian dish, and a bowl of sleeve-flinging soup.
Yixuan set the bowls and chopsticks and helped the ailing Second Brother to the table.
"Where’s Liang Yuening?"
After the two were seated, Dong Huiying asked.
"Fifth Brother said he wasn’t hungry," Yixuan said, glancing at her expression and trying hard to suppress his laughter.