The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl-Chapter 81: Hold on Tight

The small room in the medical clinic could only accommodate a small bed and a set of small tables and chairs. Liu Yizhu occupied the bed, leaving no place for Old Lady Wang to stay. Li Mingwei had to invite her to rest in the room she had booked at the inn.

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on him. I can't just leave him alone."

Old Lady Wang initially wanted to stay, but Tang Jue and the others persuaded her, "You're still not fully recovered from your illness. It's better for you to rest. If your condition worsens and he wakes up, we won't be able to explain it to him."

"Miss Ming is younger after all. It's just one night, nothing to worry about. You should go back and rest, and come back to switch with her tomorrow morning."

Helpless, Old Lady Wang followed Dong Shan and left. These past few days, she had already spent quite a bit of money on medical expenses, and she was afraid of any further health issues that would burden her son.

After they left, Li Mingwei quietly watched Liu Yizhu for a while. Seeing that he showed no signs of waking up, she ate the packed meal that Tang Jue and the others had prepared for her. Then she blew out the lamp and sat on the chair, preparing to rest for a while.

She had been on the road all day and was indeed quite tired.

Just as dawn broke, Old Lady Wang got up and, feeling her way, bought some breakfast from the street. She went to the medical clinic to relieve Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei immediately stood up when she lifted the curtain.

The chair was too hard, and she only dozed off for a while, but her back and waist were already in pain. In the latter half of the night, she practically sat through it all, hardly getting any sleep and staying awake.

"You're up so early."

Old Lady Wang placed the breakfast on the table and handed her a portion, lowering her voice, "Did Yizhu wake up last night?"

"No."

Old Lady Wang nodded and shooed her away, saying, "Alright, you should go back and rest. I'll take care of things here."

"Okay."

Li Mingwei was extremely tired and didn't delay any longer. She only instructed Old Lady Wang that if he slept too long, it would be best to call the doctor to check on him again.

Old Lady Wang acknowledged.

Back at the inn, Li Mingwei didn't immediately fall asleep. Instead, she went to knock on Dong Shan's door to see if he was leaving today or waiting for her to go together.

Dong Shan was a bit torn, "When will you be able to go back?"

Li Mingwei shook her head, uncertain herself. For now, Liu Yizhu hadn't woken up yet, so they couldn't be sure of his condition. Old Lady Wang was still taking medication as well.

"I have to wait until Liu Yizhu wakes up before deciding."

"Alright, he should wake up today. The doctor said yesterday that he didn't have any major issues."

"Yeah, he should be able to."

"In that case, I'll accompany you for one more day. I originally told Chunhua that I'd be back in a maximum of five days. If I don't go back tomorrow, she'll worry."

Li Mingwei nodded, went downstairs to extend their room for another day, and requested some hot water. After quickly freshening up in the room, she collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Old Lady Wang kept watch by the bedside, just as Liu Yizhu had done for her these past few days. Her rough hand brushed her son's forehead, her mind in a haze. Even now, she couldn't understand why she had trusted that woman with her son last night.

Perhaps, in her heart, her son's happiness was more important than the prosperity of the Liu family.

As soon as the possibility crossed her mind, Old Lady Wang's heart trembled. Suddenly, she felt sorry for her own husband. Unconsciously, her grip tightened, causing Liu Yizhu pain, and he slowly regained consciousness.

Old Lady Wang quickly withdrew her hand and looked at her son's gradually opening eyes. Apologetically, she said, "Mother didn't mean to wake you up. Would you like to go back to sleep for a while?"

She looked at her son's bloodshot eyes and anxiously grabbed his arm. "Go back to sleep for a while. The doctor said you need more rest."

"No need." Liu Yizhu sat up, feeling a bit dizzy and with fragments of memory missing. He vividly remembered talking to Mingwei yesterday, and she promised not to leave. How did he end up sleeping here?

He pinched himself to force himself to wake up a little. He helped Old Lady Wang sit on the bed and said, "Mother, you should rest. I occupied your place last night, and you didn't get much sleep."

"I slept, I slept." Old Lady Wang pressed him back onto the bed, urging him to continue resting. "Yesterday, I slept at the inn outside. Mingwei stayed with you all night, and I came to relieve her."

"Mingwei?"

Old Lady Wang explained what happened last night and worriedly said, "The doctor said you haven't slept much for two or three days. Are you worried about Mother's health, or is there something else bothering you?"

"You lied to me the other day, saying you went back to the academy to sleep. Your classmates said you didn't go back at all. So, where did you sleep?"

Liu Yizhu kept his head down and remained silent.

Old Lady Wang was angry. "You're grown up now, and Mother can't control you anymore, right? If you go back, I'll find you a wife, and she can take care of you!"

"Mother~"

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't want to get married. Then tell me, where did you go the night before yesterday!"

Ignoring her questions, Liu Yizhu lay back on the bed and covered himself with the blanket. "Mother, I need to sleep a little longer. Please don't talk anymore. Wake me up around the time of the Snake hour."

Snake hour was the time when he would go downstairs to fetch her medicine. Old Lady Wang naturally wouldn't forget. Her son was in such a state, and she didn't want to bother him anymore. She let out a sigh of relief and looked at his tightly closed eyes, deciding not to disturb him further.

Li Mingwei was already awake. She pulled open the curtains and glanced at the gloomy sky outside. For a moment, she couldn't tell the exact time. After tidying up, she knocked on Dong Shan's door.

Dong Shan quickly opened the door and smiled. "You're awake? When I went out to eat just now, I knocked on your door to see if you were up, but you didn't respond, so I went ahead and had my meal."

"Yeah, just woke up. What time is it now?"

"It's almost the Horse hour."

"It's getting late." Li Mingwei stretched her body and eased her stiff muscles. She had been sitting on a chair all night, and her back was sore. "Shall we go eat? Does Brother-in-law want to take a walk with me, or rest?"

"Together, together." Dong Shan closed the door behind him and prepared to go out with her. He had been feeling restless in this small room and wanted to go out for a walk, but he was afraid she would wake up and not find him, so he hurriedly went out to eat and came back.

The taste at the small restaurant last night wasn't great, so the two of them walked a little farther and found a larger one. The waiter led them to their seats and asked them to place their orders.

"Brother-in-law, what did you have for lunch? Do you want to eat more?"

Dong Shan waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. You eat your food. I had a full lunch."

He didn't want to say what he had eaten. Li Mingwei guessed that he probably had eaten steamed buns again, so she ordered their usual dishes and also packed a bowl of chicken soup.

"Oh." Dong Shan, who was seen through, felt a little guilty. He thought that steamed buns would be enough to fill him up, but he didn't know how to explain.

Li Mingwei smiled and said, "It's boring to eat alone. Brother-in-law, just consider it as keeping me company."

Dong Shan muttered, "You've already ordered. If I don't eat, it will go to waste."

During the wait for the food, Dong Shan glanced at Li Mingwei several times. Meeting her inquisitive gaze, he hesitated and said, "Girl, between you and Liu Yizhu, that chicken soup you ordered was for him, right?"

"Hmm."

"It's not that I'm criticizing you, but you two... " Dong Shan didn't know how to address this matter concerning a young girl, but he couldn't help but say, "Last time was understandable. Your leg was hurting, and he helped you out. But last night, what happened between you two...?"

"What exactly do you want from us?"

Dong Shan cared about her, and he was genuinely concerned. However, Li Mingwei couldn't give him an answer right now. They hadn't even discussed it yet before Liu Yizhu fainted. She was also helpless.

"Brother-in-law, let's wait a bit longer and discuss it when he's better."

Dong Shan reluctantly nodded and reminded her, "Don't delay too much! This matter can't be dragged on."