Zhou Yu frowned deeply as he followed Cao Pi into the Eastern Gardens. There he saw Zhen Mi chatting with a middle-aged noble lady.
“Are you Zhou Yu?” The woman started to smile.
Stunned, Zhou Yu asked, “You recognize me?”
“You’re the son of Zhou-laoye, are you not?”
That noble lady was Sun Jian’s wife, Sun Ce and Sun Quan’s birth mother, the Lady of Wu. She came forward and took Zhou Yu’s hand, smiling.
“You were small the last time I saw you. Look at you! You’ve grown so tall! Every time Ce-er is home, he never stops talking about you. I never expected to see you here.”
A hint of worry creased Zhou Yu’s forehead. “Greetings to Madame Sun.”
“You can call me Aunt,” the Lady of Wu replied.
Zhou Yu nodded, but just as he was about to open his mouth again, he remembered Zhen Mi was standing to the side, and he didn’t dare say too much in front of her. The Lady of Wu sensed his hesitation; understanding leveled over her face.
Zhou Yu found an excuse. “Where’s Didi?”
“Didi is ill,” the Lady of Wu said. “Why don’t you check in on him? I’ll be there in a bit.”
A serving girl came and led Zhou Yu into the back courtyard of the Eastern Gardens. The Lady of Wu’s expression was placid, and she smiled faintly as she and Zhen Mi chatted idly.
✦ ✦ ✦
A small child lay in the room situated at the back courtyard, his face flushed red with fever and burning hot to the touch. He was about the same age as Cao Pi.
“A chill invaded his body,” Zhou Yu said.
It was the same illness he himself had caught previously. Cao Pi slumped at the side of the bed, and after Zhou Yu made his pronouncement, he glanced at him.
“Amazing! You can even diagnose illnesses? You just need to flip his eyelids up and then you know what’s wrong?”
Before Zhou Yu embarked on his journey, Lu Su wrapped four bundles of medicine for him, which he had specially prepared. However, Zhou Yu’s health was usually good, and he never touched them.
He told Cao Pi, “Go into my room and bring me the bundles of medicine up on the very top of the shelves.” Zhou Yu stroked Sun Quan’s head. “All is well. After you take the medicine, you’ll recover.”
Lying there, Sun Quan panted, his lips a vivid red. The wind must have gotten to him on the way here. The sight of little kids sick often tugged at the heartstrings of adults around them. Cao Pi returned shortly with the medicine, and Zhou Yu brewed it in the room, exchanging the medicine Yuan Shu’s subordinate concocted for the mute monk’s blend. That night, he poured it down Sun Quan’s throat.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Lady of Wu came to check on him, and Zhou Yu took the opportunity to fill her in on the current situation. The lady’s face was grave when she heard the news, and she didn’t say a single word.
“Yu-er,” she asked, after his explanation, “as of right now, do you have a way to leave?”
“Fei Yu took a letter,” Zhou Yu reported. “I must remain in Shouchun for the time being, to prevent any mishaps.”
“That’ll work,” the Lady of Wu sighed. “With both father’s and son’s explosive tempers… All right, thank you for the information. Fei Yu flies faster than a human can travel, so it will definitely catch up to them.”
Zhou Yu’s heart was heavy with concern. He had to take care of Sun Quan, but he also had Yuan Shu’s actions to worry about. The thing he was most afraid of was that Fei Yu would not make it in time, and the situation would devolve into a bloodbath.
Cao Pi patted Zhou Yu’s shoulder. “Relax. Everything will be all right.”
Zhou Yu smiled.
“Do you know how to treat migraines?” asked Cao Pi.
“I don’t. Why? My medical skills are limited to common illnesses and external wounds.”
Cao Pi blinked, nonplussed. He frowned for a moment. “My dad gets very bad migraines.”
“I heard that there is a famous doctor wandering the world,” Zhou Yu said after a minute of thought. “His name is Hua Tuo. If you can find him, he might have a method of treatment.”
“When are you sending me out of the city?”
“Patience. I must find aid before I can send you to your dad’s side.”
“Will that be Sun Ce?”
Zhou Yu didn’t respond.
“It seems he’ll be hard-pressed to keep his head attached. Can he actually escort me out? If not, I’ll have to think of something else.”
“What ideas are you considering?” Zhou Yu was already familiar with Cao Pi. He never minded the difference in their ages. “You think you can walk back on your own into your dad’s camp?” he scoffed. “You probably don’t even know where he is.”
“Ah,” Cao Pi sighed. “The affairs of the mortal world, both joyous and sorrowful, are like the dew of the morning, vanishing under the sun, and the years that have passed have been painful… A pity, a pity.”
“Who taught you this stuff?”
“My dad.”
Feeling as if he had lost to Cao Pi somehow, Zhou Yu said, “Wait for a little while longer; there will be an opportunity. We cannot act hastily.”
Cao Pi nodded.
At that moment, Sun Quan woke.
“Big…Big Brother…” Sun Quan gasped, trying to rise. Zhou Yu hurriedly pressed on his small shoulders, forcing him to lie back down.
“Have you sent a letter to my brother?” Sun Quan asked.
Sun Quan had probably overheard some of their conversation just now, so he needed soothing. “Fei Yu is on its way. Fei Yu is faster than a human; your mother said so.”
Hearing that, Sun Quan nodded. “Thank you…”
Even though Sun Quan was ill, he was still frowning. Zhou Yu reasoned it was because he wasn’t comfortable with this situation either.
He thought to himself, Why do all these kids now have such old souls?