The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1169 - 1148: Awakening

Chapter 1169: Chapter 1148: Awakening

Manbao went to ponder over medical cases. She took with her a medical book, yet her mind was immersed in the system chatting with Teacher Mo. Xiang Chao was feeling much better compared to yesterday just after the caning, but he could only move slightly.

Cooking such things still fell upon Bai Shan to do.

Perhaps fearing they wouldn’t have enough condiments, Zhou Lijun also brought them two small jars of oil and salt. They were really small, only the size of a palm, normally used at home for storing honey.

Bai Shan glanced at Xiang Chao then added a spoonful of water into the pot. As soon as the water boiled, he put in a handful of noodles and then, in a flurry, threw in a bunch of green vegetables. Finding the water insufficient, he gurgled in nearly half a pot of chicken broth.

After boiling for a while, he served the first batch of noodles he cooked to Xiang Chao, "Here, you eat."

Xiang Chao looked towards the sauce on the table.

Bai Shan said, "You can’t eat that. Bamboo shoots and lamb are foods that can cause irritation. I’ve purposely added more green vegetables for you."

Xiang Chao: "..."

After cooking once, Bai Shan had gained a bit of experience. He added two spoonfuls of water, thought for a moment, and put in a little less noodles. When the noodles seemed about ready, he then threw in a handful of green vegetables.

Bai Shan poured out the reasonably well-done noodles, nodded in satisfaction, then ladled a large spoonful of sauce on top. A slight stir released a fragrant aroma.

Manbao, attracted by the scent, withdrew her consciousness from the system, and just then saw Bai Shan about to cook the third pot of noodles. She quickly exclaimed, "Aren’t you supposed to put the noodles in after the water boils?"

Bai Shan looked down at the water in the pot and asked, "Is that so? I put them in without boiling earlier, and they were cooked fine."

Manbao glanced at the bowl of noodles on the table and decided promptly, "You eat that bowl. The next one we’ll cook after the water boils."

The two of them squatted in front of the stove waiting for the water to boil. Meanwhile, Xiang Chao bowed his head and looked at the lump of noodles in his bowl, grudgingly took a bite. Did he complain about eating such noodles?

As it turned out, noodles cooked in boiling water almost separated into individual strands, and were even better than the second pot. Manbao also topped hers with plenty of sauce. Then the two of them cheerfully beckoned Xiang Chao to join them in eating.

After finishing the meal, Manbao went to bother Xiang Ming, who was still unconscious, "If you don’t wake up soon, you won’t even have any chicken broth left to drink."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Xiang Ming’s eyelashes fluttered. Xiang Chao, who had been attentive all along, immediately shouted, "He’s awake, he’s awake!"

Bai Shan also rushed over to check, and after Xiang Ming struggled for some time, he finally slowly opened his eyes under the watch of three pairs of eyes.

He was still a bit dazed as he opened his eyes, staring blankly back and forth with the three of them for a while. It was only when Manbao asked, "Do you feel unwell anywhere?" that he came to his senses.

Xiang Ming initially intended to shift his gaze indifferently away, but as soon as he moved it halfway, he caught Xiang Chao’s concerned eyes. He froze, his eyes slowly widening. Raising his hand, he grabbed Xiang Chao’s arm desperately, his eyes filled with intensity, "Why are you here?"

"Second Young Master, you’re finally awake!" Xiang Chao embraced his hand, crying.

Xiang Ming’s chest heaved rapidly. Fearing that the shock might be too much for him, Bai Shan hurriedly explained, "Second Young Master Xiang, this isn’t the Prince of Yizhou’s dungeon; this is the heavenly prison of the Ministry of Justice."

Xiang Ming was startled, "Heavenly prison? How did I end up here? Did the Prince of Yizhou hand over his case of being assassinated to the court?"

"Of course not," Bai Shan quickly explained, "The Prince of Yizhou was captured. Manbao and I filed a lawsuit. He was going to present a memorial to the emperor, jointly accusing the Prince of Yizhou of nurturing private troops, intending to rebel."

Xiang Ming, stupefied for a long while, couldn’t recover his senses. He turned his head to look at Xiang Chao, who kept nodding, "Young Master Bai is right."

Xiang Ming then withdrew his hand and closed his eyes again, breathing more lightly as if he had fallen asleep once more.

Three pairs of eyes widened as they stared at his resting face.

After a while, Xiang Ming opened his eyes again, met by the same three faces. He slightly furrowed his brows and closed his eyes firmly again, his hand slightly lifting to pinch himself...

Bai Shan finally realized what was amiss and quietly said, "Stop pinching yourself, it’s not a dream."

Xiang Ming then opened his eyes, and Xiang Chao also came back to his senses, immediately flipping over half of the blanket to show him the marks on his back, "Second Young Master, it’s not a dream, this is real. We filed an imperial petition yesterday; Lord Wei Zhi found you last night at the Prince of Yizhou’s residence and brought you here. A whole day has passed."

Xiang Ming’s gaze towards Bai Shan and Zhou Man became sharp as he asked, "Then who are you?"

Manbao carefully observed his complexion, got up, and said to Bai Shan, "I’ll go get some fresh medicine and hot chicken soup for him. Could you explain things to him?"

Bai Shan nodded, although there wasn’t much to explain, he simply said, "My father was the previous County Magistrate of Shu County. Twelve years ago, he was killed for discovering evidence of the Prince of Yizhou’s rebellion. Not just my father, but also my Senior Sister’s parents, as well as the Assistant County Magistrate of Shu County and a group of yamen bailiffs. In August, when the Prince of Yizhou concealed you within a carriage to the capital, Manbao smelled the blood and found your Xiang Family. That’s how our two families formed an alliance."

Xiang Chao kept nodding to one side.

Xiang Ming was skeptical, "What month is it now?"

"Today is the 18th of September, yesterday was the Empress Dowager’s Thousand Autumns Festival."

Xiang Ming sneered, "In just over a month, you found out about our Xiang Family and even negotiated an alliance? I’ve been active in the Yizhou region for years and have never heard of a Bai Family."

Bai Shan replied, "My ancestral home is in Longzhou. You should have heard of the Bai Family in Mianzhou, right?"

Xiang Ming’s eyebrows twitched, he raised his head to look at Bai Shan, and after a moment, he said, "Does Old Master Bai have such influence?"

"He doesn’t, but County Magistrate Tang does. It was the County Magistrate of Tang County who found your Xiang Family. If you don’t believe me, ask your relatives."

Xiang Chao kept nodding, his voice lowered, "Second Young Master, it was the County Magistrate of Huayang County from Tang County who found us. We were almost caught completely, but instead of arresting us, he asked us to go to Mianzhou to find County Magistrate Yang and the Bai Family. After Sixth Master and Old Madam of the Bai Family discussed it, our two families formed an alliance..."

Xiang Ming: ...

Remembering the initial fear, Xiang Chao’s eyes were still a bit red, he wiped his eyes and said, "At that time, we were truly frightened. Since you, Second Young Master, hadn’t returned, Sixth Master thought it was worth the risk. If successful, we could at least save you. If not, our Xiang Family wouldn’t have many people left anyway, and we would all eventually reunite underground..."

Only then did Xiang Ming stop talking. When facing Bai Shan again, he was much kinder, apologetically saying, "Forgive me, Young Master Bai, for my suspicion was unfounded."

Bai Shan didn’t mind, "Had I been in your position, I would have been suspicious too."

Manbao brought over the hot chicken soup, "Eat something first, Bai Shan. Go grab a bite so you can take your medicine. Now that you’re awake, that’s good. We need to perform a thorough examination later."

Only then did Xiang Ming realize he was wrapped up like a bundle, and why was there a woman in a jail cell?