Chapter 50: Yushui Falls Ill

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu got up to prepare breakfast. After finishing the cooking, he set the food on the table, but Yuzhu still hadn't come out.

With no other choice, He Yuzhu went to call Yuzhu. Walking up to her bedroom door, he knocked and said, "Yuzhu, breakfast is ready. Time to get up and eat."

After waiting for a moment with no sound from inside, He Yuzhu called out once more, receiving no reply. Feeling a surge of anxiety, he pushed the door open and walked right in, only to find Yuzhu still lying in bed.

He Yuzhu hurried over and gently shook her. "Yuzhu, what's wrong?"

In a hazy, drowsy voice, Yuzhu mumbled, "Brother, I don't feel well."

He Yuzhu reached out and touched her forehead; it felt somewhat feverish.

She had a fever. A wave of panic washed over He Yuzhu. Since coming to this world, this was the first time Yuzhu had ever fallen ill. In this era, a common cold and fever could easily turn fatal.

Moreover, for the past two years, He Yuzhu had consistently added a small amount of spiritual spring water to the drinking water they shared. Although the quantity wasn't large, it should have been more than enough to gradually improve their physical constitutions.

Neither of them had fallen sick over the last two years, which he had attributed to the miraculous effects of the spring water. Thus, seeing Yuzhu fall ill now made He Yuzhu panic slightly, fearing that the spiritual spring water had lost its efficacy.

Yesterday among the six of them, Yuzhu had played the most frantically. While everyone else would skate for a while and then rest, Yuzhu had kept playing wildly without stopping, and He Yuzhu hadn't stopped her. Because of this momentary carelessness, she had ended up sick.

He Yuzhu quickly retrieved the thermometer he had bought and prepared to take her temperature.

"Yuzhu, hold this properly," He Yuzhu said, placing the thermometer under her armpit.

"Lie back down nicely. Brother is going to pour you a glass of water."

He Yuzhu went to the living room, poured a glass of warm water for Yuzhu, and added one-third of a cup of spiritual spring water to it. Carrying the cup back to her bedside, he helped her sit up. "Here, drink some water to soothe your throat."

Yuzhu drank from the cup held to her lips by He Yuzhu.

After finishing the cup of water, Yuzhu looked a bit more spirited.

"There, lie down slowly." He Yuzhu placed the cup on the nearby desk and gently helped Yuzhu lie back down.

After a short wait, He Yuzhu took out the thermometer and checked it: 38 degrees Celsius. He reached out to feel her forehead again; it felt about the same as the first time. He Yuzhu went out to fetch a towel, rinsed it in cold water, and wrung it dry. After folding it neatly, he placed it on Yuzhu's forehead.

"Brother is going to bring you a bowl of millet porridge," He Yuzhu said, gently stroking Yuzhu's head.

"I'm not hungry. I don't want to eat," Yuzhu said weakly.

He Yuzhu insisted, "You're sick now. You need to eat enough so you can get better faster. Just eat a little bit."

Yuzhu nodded obediently and said, "Alright."

He Yuzhu went out, ladled a bowl of millet porridge, and plated a small serving of pickled vegetables before returning to Yuzhu's room.

Placing the food on the desk, he said, "Here, Brother will help you sit up."

Once Yuzhu was propped up, He Yuzhu held the bowl and used a spoon to feed her the millet porridge. Yuzhu obediently swallowed it spoonful by spoonful. After finishing a little over half the bowl, she shook her head and refused any more. "Brother, I'm full. I don't want to eat anymore."

"Alright, we can eat more later if you get hungry." He Yuzhu looked at the remaining porridge in the bowl; Yuzhu had eaten less than half of her usual portion.

He Yuzhu carried the bowl out, returned to replace the warm towel with a fresh one, and said, "Let's check your temperature again to see if the fever has gone down."

"Okay," Yuzhu cooperated by holding the thermometer under her arm.

He Yuzhu stayed by the bedside to keep her company. After a short while, he took out the thermometer and checked: 37.7 degrees Celsius. Her temperature had dropped a little. It seemed the spiritual spring water was still effective; he would give her a bit more to drink later.

"Your temperature has dropped a little. We'll measure it again in a while. As long as it doesn't keep rising, we won't need to go to the hospital," He Yuzhu reassured her.

"Mm," Yuzhu replied softly.

"Then Yuzhu should sleep for a bit longer, while Brother goes to make you something delicious," He Yuzhu said.

"Mm," Yuzhu obediently closed her eyes.

He Yuzhu tucked the blanket snugly around her and walked out. After eating his own breakfast first, he stepped into the kitchen.

What should you eat when you are sick as a child? Naturally, it was the universal remedy: canned yellow peaches!

Although He Yuzhu didn't have yellow peaches in his spatial dimension, he had other varieties of peaches. He selected peaches that were slightly firmer to the touch, peeled them, sliced them, and removed the pits. After rinsing them in salted water, he placed them in a large bowl, added water and rock sugar, covered the bowl with a plate, and steamed them in a pot for about 15 minutes.

Once the peaches were steaming, He Yuzhu poured another cup of hot water mixed with one-third spiritual spring water and entered Yuzhu's room. Seeing that she was still asleep, he didn't wake her, gently replaced her damp towel with a fresh one, and slipped the thermometer in to check her temperature.

After waiting a while, He Yuzhu took out the thermometer and looked at it: 37.5 degrees Celsius. The temperature hadn't risen and had dropped a little further. He Yuzhu quietly breathed a sigh of relief. At this rate, Yuzhu's temperature would likely return to normal by evening.

He Yuzhu stepped out of Yuzhu's room, went to the kitchen, timed it, and removed the steamed peaches from the pot, setting them aside to cool.

Soon, noon arrived, and it was time for lunch. He Yuzhu steamed some rice and stir-fried a few light, vegetable dishes, avoiding anything greasy.

Carrying the lunch to the living room table, He Yuzhu walked into Yuzhu's room and gently nudged her. "Yuzhu, Yuzhu, time to get up for lunch."

"Brother." Upon being awakened, Yuzhu felt her body was much more comfortable than it had been in the morning, and she had regained some strength.

He Yuzhu asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Yuzhu replied, "I feel a lot better."

"Then get up and eat. You can rest again after you finish." He Yuzhu saw that Yuzhu had much more spirit than she did in the morning.

"Mm, I'm getting up right now."

He Yuzhu helped Yuzhu put on her clothes, and the siblings came out to sit at the living room table to eat.

"Since you're sick right now, we're eating something light so you can recover faster," He Yuzhu said, dishing up a bowl of rice for Yuzhu.

At lunch, Yuzhu managed to eat an entire bowl of rice before finally putting down her chopsticks. Seeing this, He Yuzhu finally felt completely at ease. As long as she could eat, her cold would pass quickly.

After cleaning up the dishes and utensils, He Yuzhu brought the canned peaches he had cooked earlier into Yuzhu's room.

"This is the canned peach Brother made for you. Have some later," He Yuzhu placed the bowl on the desk and picked up the thermometer. "Come on, let's take your temperature again."

Yuzhu cooperatively placed the thermometer under her arm. Sitting at the desk, she picked up a spoon and took a bite of the peaches. "It's so sweet and delicious."

He Yuzhu smiled. "Of course, Brother made it especially for you."

Yuzhu took another large bite. "Mm, Brother, you're so good to me."

"If Brother isn't good to you, who would he be good to? Alright, take out the thermometer so I can see," He Yuzhu said.

Yuzhu took out the thermometer and handed it over. "Brother, take a look quickly. Am I all better now? I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere anymore."

He Yuzhu glanced at the thermometer: 37.2 degrees Celsius. There was still a slight fever, but it was within an acceptable range. "Well, you still have a tiny fever. Rest properly in your room; you can only go out to play once you're completely well."

Hearing that she couldn't go outside just yet, Yuzhu let out a disappointed little "oh."

Throughout the afternoon, the siblings stayed indoors. He Yuzhu took out his woodcarving tools to continue practicing his craft, while Yuzhu ran over to lie down on He Yuzhu's bed and read comic books.

By dinnertime, Yuzhu's temperature had dropped below 37 degrees Celsius. As long as she didn't run a fever again the next morning, Yuzhu would be completely recovered.