Feng Jin spoke in a hurried manner, her aggrieved expression making others think she was a cruel mistress who bullied her servants.
"This servant just wants to serve the young madam and the young master properly. I don't want to get married yet."
"Alright… alright, as you wish!"
What else could she do? Force the young lady into a sedan chair? A forcibly acquired melon wouldn't be sweet, and coercion wasn't the way. She had done what she could, and now it was up to their own fate.
Receiving Feng Jin's definitive answer, Cai Qing breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Lu Shi, she simply felt that it was too early to get married now; it wasn't the right time.
Besides, she wasn't sure if Lu Shi was truly the person she could walk with for a lifetime. What she desired was a relationship like the one between the young general and his wife, a bond of mutual reliance. If it wasn't that, she would rather remain unmarried.
"The little girl has grown up and has her own thoughts, which is a good thing. But if you meet someone you truly like, you must hold onto them tightly, otherwise, you'll regret it when you miss your chance."
It was evident that Cai Qing liked Lu Shi, but she was also somewhat resistant. After all, it was difficult to guess the thoughts of a young girl.
She just hoped that Cai Qing wouldn't deliberately ignore her true feelings due to other factors and end up regretting it later.
"I understand, Young Madam." Cai Qing nodded very seriously, her lowered eyes concealing her complex emotions.
Feng Jin sighed softly. Indeed, it was hard to settle family matters, and the situation was tangled. It was best to let them think it through themselves.
...
Upon arriving at the town ahead, the group checked into the inn.
"Young Madam, the hot water is ready."
Cai Qing poured the last bucket of hot water into the bathtub. After checking the water temperature, she called for Feng Jin.
"Young Madam, you bathe now, and I'll guard the door for you outside."
"No need. You've also had a busy day. Go back and rest quickly."
Cai Qing had also traveled all day and helped her heat a pot of hot water. Feng Jin felt too embarrassed to ask Cai Qing to continue guarding the door for her.
"It's alright, Young Madam. I'll just stand guard outside. I can't sleep if I go back."
She couldn't sleep alone if she went back now. It was better to stay here and guard, so she wouldn't have to go back and overthink.
"No, go back and rest quickly. We have to continue traveling early tomorrow morning."
Feng Jin forcibly sent Cai Qing away and locked the door from the inside, giving Cai Qing no chance to enter. "Go back and rest quickly, we have to travel early tomorrow morning."
Even an iron man couldn't withstand such a strain. Feng Jin was truly worried that if this continued, Cai Qing would fall ill.
After there was no more sound from outside, Feng Jin opened a crack in the door to confirm.
Finally, she had gone back. Otherwise, this girl wouldn't leave her side all night.
Now that she was gone, she could finally take a quiet bath.
She hadn't had a proper bath for several days and felt like she was stinking all over.
As her body sank into the hot water, the discomfort instantly subsided, and her body felt somewhat light and floaty. Feng Jin was so comfortable she almost fell asleep.
It wasn't until a knock echoed from outside that Feng Jin was pulled back from her drowsiness.
Feng Jin woke up abruptly, pulled a nearby garment to cover herself, and asked with full vigilance, "Who's outside?"
After a long pause, a familiar voice came from outside: "It's me."
Feng Jin immediately recognized who it was and relaxed slightly. "Just a moment."
As soon as she finished speaking, she quickly stood up from the bathtub, put on her clothes, and wrapped her wet hair loosely in a towel. She busied herself to open the door.
"Are you crazy this late at night, wandering around here? Don't you know about gender separation? Be careful, I'll tell Ling Mohan to break your legs."
Seeing Chu Chenyi standing outside the door, Feng Jin said irritably. Coming to find her late at night, precisely when she was bathing, was purely out of boredom and an attempt to scare her.
"A soldier has been injured. You need to come with me quickly to check."
"What happened?"
Chu Chenyi's panic didn't seem faked. Feng Jin immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
"There's no time to explain. Go and check first."
It was difficult to explain everything in a few words. The situation was urgent, and Chu Chenyi directly pulled Feng Jin to leave.
"Wait a moment, I'll get the medicine chest."
Feng Jin hurriedly returned to her room to grab the medicine chest and then rushed to follow Chu Chenyi.
When they arrived, they heard cries of pain and whimpers. The scene was chaotic, and Ling Mohan stood there like a statue, his expression extremely grim.
"What's the situation?" Chu Chenyi asked.
"Two soldiers are already dead, and over a dozen are vomiting incessantly," Ling Mohan said in a deep voice, his expression unusually somber.
"Let me see."
Feng Jin said in a deep voice, took out a specially made mask from her sleeve, and went forward to examine the patients.
Their faces were pale blue, with dark circles under their eyes, their lips slightly purplish, their tongues coated thickly and white, and they were vomiting and having diarrhea constantly. Wasn't this symptom typical of food poisoning?
"Did you eat anything?"
Finding a patient with milder symptoms, Feng Jin bent down and asked.
"We… we… in the forest, ate… ate… *urp*…"
Before he could finish speaking, the person slumped over and vomited.
"Do you know what the illness is?"
Ling Mohan tugged at Feng Jin's sleeve and asked, his tone slightly anxious. Two soldiers were already dead, and more soldiers were showing the same symptoms. If it wasn't controlled promptly and spread, things would be dire.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be food poisoning."
"Food poisoning?" Ling Mohan frowned and asked, "You mean someone poisoned the food?"
Feng Jin shook her head. "No!"
She really admired Ling Mohan's imagination. He had even thought of poisoning, which was quite an effort.
"I mean, they might have eaten something unclean or poisonous. If I'm not mistaken, it should be something they ate in the forest."
They had all eaten the same things on the way. If someone had deliberately poisoned them, then it wouldn't just be these few people lying here.
It must be that they ate something unclean or poisonous in the forest out of greed. Feng Jin looked at everyone and asked, "Think carefully, did you eat anything haphazardly in the forest? If you don't tell the truth, I can't save you."