Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2691 Still Vigorous in Old Age 75.0
Shen Cha slept very deeply and comfortably; she didn't even have a dream. The good sleep finally swept away the fatigue of the past few days, leaving her feeling much lighter.

She slowly opened her eyes, smelled the medicinal fragrance in the room, and stretched comfortably.

"Boss, you're awake?"

Merlin, who had been waiting on the side, heard the movement on the bed and quickly stood up. He lifted the bed curtains and saw Shen Cha giving him a faint smile. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, she's finally awake. If she hadn't woken up, the Duke would have turned Miao Miao's medicine shop upside down."

"Why?" Shen Cha slowly sat up, looking at Merlin with a puzzled expression. "Did I sleep for a long time?"

"No more, no less, one day and one night." Merlin handed Shen Cha some tea to rinse her mouth and sighed softly. "The Duke thought there was something wrong with the calming incense, but after asking Sister Miaomiao, he said he specially asked Old Master Yelü next door to adjust the prescription so that you could rest a little longer. Old Master Yelü also said to put the Duke's mind at ease, that this is all normal."

"I noticed it when I was drinking it, but I didn't have time to tell my brother before I passed out." After rinsing her mouth, Shen Cha slowly got out of bed, stretched, yawned, shook her arms and kicked her legs, and asked, "Where's my brother? Did he go to the camp?"

"No, I was just worried about you, so I stayed in the flower hall the whole time!" Merlin sighed, prepared water for Shen Cha to wash up and change her clothes, and leaned against the side watching her, saying, "Nothing happened while you were asleep for a day and a night, it's just that the snow hasn't stopped, although it's a bit light, it's still snowing. Not only here, Liao and Jin have also sent messages that they are in the same situation."

“That’s for sure. They’re so close to us. We’ve been experiencing blizzards here for days, they won’t be immune either.” Shen Cha dipped her toothbrush in Jin Miaomiao’s special tooth powder and said, “What about the nearby prefectures? Are they in the same situation?”

"Yes, news has been slowly coming back these past two days. Apart from the rain in the Jiangnan region, most areas are experiencing snowfall, it's just a matter of how much." Merlin shrugged helplessly. "Fortunately, we sent the message to the capital in advance, but we don't know if it will arrive in time."

"Whether we make it or not, we've reminded them," Shen Cha said, her mouth full of toothpaste. "Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

“That’s right!” Merlin thought for a moment, “By the way, Boss Luan wants to see you.”

"See me? What have you remembered now?"

"Didn't Thirteen capture two old Taoist priests before?" Seeing Shen Cha nod, Merlin continued, "He said he had seen them at the Cui family's mansion in Fenyang."

"The Cui family of Fenyang? They've been living in seclusion for so long, why are they suddenly active again?"

“It’s not the main family, but a branch family in Jiangnan, specializing in business.” Mei Lin thought for a moment. “The original words of that person surnamed Luan were that they had seen people dressed like this in the residences of the Cui, Gao, and Li families. They only said that they were worshippers, but no one knows whether they were really worshippers.”

"Understood." Shen Cha wiped the water off her face with a handkerchief, applied some special face cream, and said, "Regarding matters in Jiangnan, we should first ask our great-uncle and General Eagle Leopard, as well as my master. They have deep roots in Jiangnan and know more about the intricacies between these aristocratic families than we do. If we find out the details, we can avoid being led astray."

"Yes." Merlin was about to say something when she heard footsteps outside. She walked to the door, looked around, and turned to Shen Cha, saying, "The Duke is back!" Before Shen Cha could react, the door was pushed open, and a gust of cold wind rushed in. Then, Shen Haolin, who had shaken off the snow, came in from outside.

"Good morning, brother!" Shen Cha pointed to the heater by the door, "Let's warm up here."

"Awake?" Shen Haolin asked, warming himself by the fire while looking at Shen Cha. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Not at all, my head doesn't hurt, my back doesn't ache, everything is great." Shen Cha shook her head gently and said with a smile, "Not only do I not feel uncomfortable, but I feel relaxed all over. All the fatigue I've felt these past few days has subsided."

"Really?"

"Hmm, as expected, experience counts. The medicine adjusted by Uncle Shi is very effective. It seems that Miao Miao still has a lot of room for improvement, right?"

"Just say these things to me, don't let Miaomiao hear them." Shen Haolin finished warming himself by the fire, took the tea that Meilin handed him, took a couple of sips, and said, "If she hears you say these things about her, she'll be sad again."

"She won't be sad, she'll only be more determined. Uncle, leaving the border will be even more difficult." Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin and said, "Nothing much happening today?"

"It's been snowing for so long, and everyone's staying home and warming themselves by the fire. What could possibly happen?" Shen Haolin took Shen Cha's hand and led her to the small tea table, where they sat down. "I figured you were about to wake up, so I've already arranged for someone to bring you some food."

"Okay!" Shen Cha moved closer to Shen Haolin and asked, "What's the situation with those two Taoist priests and Lai Mazi? Has Uncle already gone to check on them?"

“I specifically sent someone to the teahouse. With such heavy snow, they should stay there. They can play cards or chat if they want, but they shouldn’t go out to avoid catching a cold or getting sick, or slipping and falling on the road. At their age, if they really fall, it could be a serious matter.”

“Brother is right. If they run out of food, we can send some over.” Shen Cha sighed. “How’s the horse farm?”

“Everything is normal. Uncle Qi said that Huihui will give birth in the next day or two, and he can’t take care of anything else. Anyway, there are people to take care of Little Water Baby, so we don’t need to worry.” Shen Haolin touched Shen Cha’s forehead and squeezed her hand. Everything was normal, so he was relieved. “I was thinking that if you still didn’t wake up, I would go next door to settle accounts with Uncle Shi.”

Merlin glanced at the two of them, then quietly left, but didn't go far. He simply went to the next room to wait for breakfast to be delivered.

"Isn't this great? I can finally relax completely. You guys kept telling me to get some rest!" Shen Cha hugged Shen Haolin's arm, yawned, and said, "How's the camp these past few days? Nothing should have happened?"

"Aside from two minor tents collapsing, nothing else happened." Shen Haolin patted Shen Cha. "Don't worry, everything is normal. We just need to wait for the snow to stop."

"When will it stop?" Shen Cha sighed softly. "When it first started raining, I didn't expect it to last this long!"