Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

Li Bao'er's cold and fever came on suddenly and fiercely. Not only was her body burning hot, but every bone in her body ached. She could endure all of this, after all, she had experienced the devastation of COVID-19; she could also bear the bitter medicine, having endured the pig-swill-like military rations for months. But what worried her most was that if she didn't get better, she wouldn't be able to go out and find that strange little boy.

The two days of rest given by Peng Zizheng had passed. Given Peng Zizheng's decisive nature, he would not delay the entire journey for one person. Moreover, this place was not far from the capital. Therefore, he gave Li Bao'er enough silver and his own token, and without hesitation, abandoned Li Bao'er and led everyone else to hurry to the capital.

Before leaving, he stood by Li Bao'er's bedside, his thick eyebrows furrowed, and reprimanded her again with dissatisfaction: "I've never seen a man as weak as you! Once you're better, you'll have to do horse stance for two hours every day! I refuse to believe it!"

Huddled under the covers, Li Bao'er, her body burning red with fever, was cursing inwardly: Two hours of horse stance! That's four hours! Tell me, is this man an animal?! Isn't he?! What decent person could stand in a horse stance for four hours?! What a pervert!!

Strangely enough, the very night after Peng Zizheng and the others left, Li Bao'er broke out in a sweat, leaving a human-shaped sweat stain all over the bed. Li Bao'er knew this meant her fever had subsided, and at the same time, she was convinced that it was Peng Zizheng, that perverted freak, who was bringing her bad luck, which was why her fever hadn't gone down for so long. Otherwise, how could she have gotten better as soon as he left?

When Li Bao'er woke up the next day, she felt completely refreshed. She first asked the waiter for hot water, then took a comfortable and carefree bath in the room. Having learned her lesson, she even dried her long hair before going out.

The steamed bun shop was still packed with customers, which showed that the buns were indeed delicious. Li Bao'er ordered another basket of buns, gave the waiter a few coins, and asked, "Young man, do you still recognize me? I came to your shop to eat buns two days ago, but I had to leave in a hurry."

Actually, the moment Li Bao'er entered the steamed bun shop, the waiter recognized him. Their job was demanding; they were not only quick and efficient with sweet words, but also incredibly observant. Not only was this young man exceptionally handsome, but his act of ordering a single steamed bun and leaving without eating it had also made the waiter remember this troublesome fellow. Thinking of this, the waiter immediately put on a smile: "Young master, you are so handsome, a rare sight indeed! Of course I'll remember you!"

"May I ask, young man, do you know the young master who sat down with me? Is he the son of your host or some other guest?"

The waiter was stunned; he had never seen any young master sitting next to this man before.

Li Bao'er quickly added, "She looked about three or four years old, with a pigtail sticking up in the air, and was chubby and fair-skinned."

The waiter held the few coins the innocent boy had given him, handed them forward, and apologized with a hint of reluctance and regret: "I'm really sorry, young master, I really didn't notice there was such a child at the time."

Li Bao'er didn't take back the tip; she simply waved for the waiter to leave. The waiter immediately beamed with joy, thanked her, and went back to his work.

Li Bao'er picked up another steamed bun with her chopsticks. By sheer coincidence, just as she tilted her head to put it in her mouth, she caught sight of the little boy she was looking for standing across the street from the bun shop. Seeing the boy about to leave, Li Bao'er reluctantly glanced at the bun on her chopsticks, then, with a heavy heart, dropped the money and chased after him.

The waiter looked at the steamer full of buns and the empty chair: "Hey! You see all sorts of people here, buying buns just because they smell them, huh!"