Night Wanderer

Chapter 41 Shattered with Single Blow

From August until now, Zong Ying hadn't returned to Apartment 699 of the year 1937 for dozens of days.

The changes in the apartment were obvious. The dining table was no longer tidy, piled high with children's items. Clothes and books were thrown on the sofa. An empty milk bottle was placed on the coffee table. A white porcelain bowl lay shattered on the floor, the spilled rice soup yet to be cleaned.

It seems that Qinghui is not very good at taking care of the children.

At this thought, Zong Ying suddenly realized that Qinghui and the children were currently in the apartment, while she had rashly appeared at the door of Sheng Qingrang's bedroom, and one hand still tightly holding the other person, which was too suspicious.

She let go as if shocked by electricity. Suddenly, the cry of a child sounded upstairs. Qinghui leaned on the handrail and looked down. Seeing Zong Ying, she thought she was hallucinating, hurriedly carried A Jiu down the stairs, stopped a few steps away, and stared at Zong Ying in confusion, asking: "Miss Zong, didn't you... go abroad?"

Zong Ying shoved both hands into her trouser pockets, lowered her head to quickly sort out her emotions and thoughts, and was just about to speak when Sheng Qingrang turned sideways and said first, "Miss Zong encountered some obstacles while going abroad, so she'll be staying in Shanghai for a few days."

Zong Ying found his explanation acceptable, but Qinghui became suspicious.

She asked, "When did Miss Zong arrive?"

At that moment, Zong Ying was standing right at Sheng Qingrang's bedroom door, wearing a T-shirt and loose home pants. Two mosquito bites reddened the exposed ankle. Her hair was in the messy state of just waking up—it was obvious she had stayed overnight here.

Sheng Qingrang quickly glanced at Zong Ying, then calmly told Qinghui, "When I went out last night, Miss Zong happened to arrive, so she stayed over for the night."

"I must have slept so hard that I didn't hear anything." Qinghui hadn't been able to rest well these two days because of Ah Jiu. She was so tired that she fell asleep when she went upstairs yesterday evening. She didn't even know when Sheng Qingrang had left the house.

She looked weary and glanced at the neatly dressed Sheng Qingrang, asking, "Third Brother, you just got back?"

"Yes." Sheng Qingrang was just about to hand over the medical kit when A Jiu, crying in Qinghui's arms, suddenly started wheezing.

Zong Ying stepped forward, reached out to check—his breathing rhythm was rapid but clearly labored, lips turning slightly purple—not a good sign.

"Go upstairs first." She said, taking the medical bag from Sheng Qingrang's hand, and gently holding Qinghui's back with her other hand, urging her to take the child back to the room upstairs.

Their feet clattered quickly upstairs and a small head popped out of the guest room on the west side - it was Ah Lai who had just woken up.

He saw Sheng Qingrang, cautiously greeted, "Good morning, sir," then headed to the living room to help tidy up the mess on the dining table and sofa.

The upstairs room Zong Ying had slept in was now Qinghui and A Jiu's bedroom. Due to the lack of tidying up, it looked chaotic and messy.

Zong Ying took A'Jiu's temperature again, carefully listened to his lungs, then asked the flustered Qinghui, "How long has the fever lasted?"

Qinghui replied, "Quite a while. He won't take milk, and he looks very unwell."

Sensing the anxiety in her voice, Zong Ying straightened up and said, "Don't panic." Then opened the medical kit, pulled out a fever patch and medicine, and handed Qinghui some alcohol wipes and a dropper: "Sterilize the dropper."