Cold Eyes

When the sweet potatoes were cooked, they were fragrant, sweet, soft, and full of honey-like syrup.

Yu Li’s original host was accustomed to roasting sweet potatoes.

In the past, when she followed her mother into the kitchen, she would occasionally steal a tuber and bury it in the hearth to share with her younger sisters when she returned at night.

For children in the countryside, roasted sweet potatoes were a very precious snack that filled the belly.

Before long, the thick scent of medicinal herbs filled the room.

This bowl of medicine was brewed for Fu Wenxiao; each dose was not cheap. Although the physician had advised the family to prepare for the funeral, Madam Chu was still unwilling to give up, hoping a few doses of medicine along with ginseng could prolong her son's life.

The Fu family had few members, and since their fields were leased to others, there wasn't much work to be done.

After carrying the water, Yu Li had nothing to do, so she sat by the stove to watch the fire for the medicine, waiting for the sweet potatoes to cook before using a poker to pull them out.

She peeled a piping hot sweet potato, and the sweet aroma immediately wafted up. Yu Li swallowed her saliva and carefully took a bite, her eyes widening at the deliciousness.

The two children in the kitchen saw Yu Li eating the sweet potato and suddenly felt a craving, unconsciously swallowing their saliva.

Usually, they didn't lack roasted sweet potatoes to eat, but seeing Yu Li eat so heartily made them suddenly crave it strangely.

The children's gazes were too obvious for Yu Li to ignore. She looked at the two little ones and then at the sweet potato in her hand, finally enduring the "pain" of sharing one with them.

"Thank you, Little Auntie." The two children thanked her sweetly, smiling at her with pure obedience.

The freshly roasted sweet potatoes were still burning hot. Yu Li carefully peeled off the charred outer skin, revealing the soft, fragrant flesh inside. She waited for the potato to cool slightly before handing it to the two children.

The three of them, one adult and two children, squatted in the kitchen eating sweet potatoes together, none of them minding the sweltering heat.

Seeing this scene, Madam Chu's face lit up with a gentle smile.

But when she thought of her youngest son still lying unconscious on the bed, her smile faded, replaced by a look of sorrow.

When the medicine was finished, Madam Chu poured it into a bowl and set it aside to cool before taking it into the room to feed Fu Wenxiao.

Meanwhile, Yu Li scooped a basin of clear water and carried it into the room.

She set the basin down and took advantage of the moment before Madam Chu entered to quickly open the window to ventilate the room.

As the window opened, light immediately flooded in, making the room much brighter.

Yu Li approached the bed and finally saw the face of the man lying there clearly.

Though his skin was as pale as a corpse, there was no denying that Fu Wenxiao was truly very handsome.

He was about twenty years old, with delicate features and an elegant countenance.

Even as he lay quietly on the bed with his hair in disarray, his face looked as if it were carved from jade—refined and ethereal, unlike a mortal.

In this simple countryside room, the man on the bed radiated a beauty as brilliant as an angel's.

Yu Li stood dazed for a moment, staring at him a few more times before calmly picking up a clean towel.

Although she had only seen it once, Yu Li had the ability to learn very quickly, so she very skillfully followed the steps Madam Chu had taken earlier to wipe Fu Wenxiao's body.

After wiping his face, she continued with his body.

Just as Yu Li was about to unbutton Fu Wenxiao's clothes to wipe him, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, blocking her movement.

She froze and looked up, immediately meeting a pair of cold, gloomy eyes.