Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

"I, let me do it." Just as the two were arguing, a somewhat timid voice suddenly sounded. Only then did the two realize that Lin Xi was still in the room, and they couldn't help but glare at each other.

"How could you, a girl like you, do such a thing as stripping a young man's clothes?"

Yang Guifen looked back and said with some disapproval, although many young men in the village would go shirtless when it got hot, and the teenagers would even run around the village with their bare bottoms.

But the educated youth from the city were all educated, and they valued propriety, integrity, and the differences between men and women. Although Song Zhiqing was unconscious, it was not appropriate to let a little girl like Lin Xi help him take off his clothes.

"He, he's my cousin, he's fine." Lin Xi took a few steps forward, tears welling in her eyes as if they were about to fall any second, "And my cousin became like this because of me..."

Zhao Youde and his wife then remembered that the two people did have this kind of relationship. Seeing that Lin Xi was so thin and small, and looked like a child who had not yet grown up, they thought that she was just worried about him and didn't think about the deeper level. Their worries were immediately dispelled.

"Then you come, and don't pull on the wound on his back." Looking at Lin Xi's tearful face and then at the sleeping Song Guanwen, Yang Guifen finally nodded and made way for Lin Xi.

Lin Xi's fingers trembled slightly. She took a deep breath, carefully avoided Song Guanwen's red and swollen neck, and quickly unbuttoned her clothes. The subtle sound of the fabric rubbing against each other was particularly clear in the quiet room.

As the shirt slowly opened, Song Guanwen's pale chest gradually became visible. He inherited his father's tall frame and broad shoulders. He usually wore clothes, so Lin Xi only thought he was tall and strong.

But now, after taking a closer look, she realized that Song Guanwen was actually very thin. Not only was there not a trace of excess fat from his chest to his abdomen, but she could even vaguely see his ribs as he took some breaths.

Perhaps because he wore long sleeves all year round, his skin was not as dark or wheat-colored as the young men in the village, but was unusually white, as if he had not seen the sun for a long time.

But such pale skin was now covered with large areas of abnormal redness and swelling, spreading from the neck to the chest, and some places even had tiny red rashes appearing, which looked particularly shocking under the light coming in from the window.

Lin Xi's tears suddenly burst out and rolled down her cheeks silently, but when they were about to fall on Song Guanwen's skin, she reached out and caught them.

She bit her lip, took two steps back, and made room for Zhao Youde and his wife. Her voice was choked with sobs, "Aunt Guifen, please take a look at him."

After hearing this, Yang Guifen stepped forward and first checked the skin on Song Guanwen's face and neck. Seeing that there was nothing serious, she instructed Zhao Youde to gently turn the man over.

The next second, Song Guanwen's red, swollen and bruised back was exposed to the eyes of several people. Lin Xi's already red and swollen eyes were suddenly filled with tears, but she covered her mouth sensibly and did not cry out.

Yang Guifen, with a serious expression, gently pressed the two most swollen spots on Song Guanwen's back. Song Guanwen, who had been frowning, suddenly let out a painful groan, which made Lin Xi's heart tighten.

Yang Guifen checked carefully again, and then asked Zhao Youde to turn the man over. Seeing this, Lin Xi hurriedly stepped forward and asked nervously, "Aunt Guifen, cousin...he."

"The bones are fine." Yang Guifen wiped the sweat from her forehead, her brows furrowed so tightly that they could kill a mosquito. Lin Xi's knees softened at these words, and she breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could completely let go, Yang Guifen suddenly added, "It's just a muscle injury, so I need to rest for a while."

Zhao Youde, who was standing by, saw this and glared at his wife. "You old woman, why are you talking like a bellows? It's so intermittent!"

He reached out and smoothed Song Guanwen's sweat-soaked hair back, then turned to Lin Xi and said, "Don't worry, your aunt is just trying to scare you. She means it's nothing serious."

"You're the only one with a clever tongue!" Yang Guifen glared back and suddenly shouted out the door, "Zhuzi! Did you go up the mountain to fetch water from the Dragon Pond? You're taking even longer than a young woman embroidering!"

Before he could finish his words, the blue curtain at the door was flung aside. Zhao Changzhu came in panting, carrying a heavy wooden bucket. He dropped it to the ground with a thud, wiped the sweat dripping down his chin, and began to explain.

"Mom, our bucket is missing, so I went to my uncle's house to borrow it."

Yang Guifen snorted and was about to bend down to pick up the coarse cloth handkerchief floating in the bucket, when she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Lin Xi behind her and said.

"Our hands are like old tree bark, so we don't use enough force. Girl, you should wipe Song Zhiqing's body. Be gentle and don't rub the rash on his neck and face."

Then he shouted to his son, "Go to the back slope and dig up some purslane. Get the older ones. If you come across any wild mint or dandelions, pick some too."

Zhao Changzhu responded and was about to walk out when Lin Xi, who was twisting her handkerchief, hurriedly called out to him, "Brother Changzhu! No need to go to the back mountain. My cousin dug up quite a bit of it from the bamboo basket by the well in the Youth League compound. I was in a hurry to send it over here, and it fell there..."

Zhao Changzhu nodded and waved his hand, "No need, you have thin arms and legs. I'm fast, I can just run for it."

Lin Xi glanced at Song Guanwen, who was pale on the kang, and hesitated for a moment. Finally, she bit her lip and thanked him in a soft voice.

Yang Guifen interrupted and urged, "Hurry up! Oh, and tell the group of educated youth at the door that it's nothing serious. It's a hot day and they have to go to work later. They should all go back first. Just leave two strong ones to carry the person."

"okay."

Zhao Changzhu lifted the curtain and went out. With the help of Zhao Youde and his wife, Lin Xi carefully wiped Song Guanwen's face and body. Seeing that his expression had eased a lot, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, girl, you stay here and watch over your brother. Don't let him grab you. I'll go to the kitchen to see how the medicine is going." Yang Guifen picked up the palm-leaf fan she had just thrown aside and handed it to Lin Xi, "Fan him a little to help him cool down."

Lin Xi hurriedly took it and thanked her with tears in her eyes. Yang Guifen waved her hand nonchalantly and turned to greet her husband, "Old man, come out. I have something to tell you."

"It's so hot outside, can't we talk about it inside..." Zhao Youde muttered reluctantly, but still followed his wife to lift the curtain and go out.

The voices of the two gradually faded away, and the room suddenly became quiet. Only the deep and shallow breathing of Lin Xi and Song Guanwen could be heard.