Chapter 26

"Are you planning to get back the territory that was taken away?" Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou also put away their playful attitudes and asked seriously.

"Yes!" Jiang Xingchen turned to look at Meier on the bed and nodded resolutely.

"Your territory was taken back, and it won't be easy to get it back!" Wan Rou frowned slightly and pondered.

"I know! At least I need the title of a baron! I will achieve it... even though I can't practice martial arts!" Jiang Xingchen said with great confidence.

"It's not as simple as you think!" Mo Hongxian shook her head and explained, "The title of a baron is just the basic requirement, but having the title doesn't guarantee you will be granted a territory. You also need to make contributions to the Great Lord or the Empire... Most importantly, your territory has already been taken back. Even if you have the chance to be granted a territory, it won't be the original one. If the Great Lord did that, it would clearly show dissatisfaction with the noble management department, and the head of the noble management department in large territories is usually a count, directly appointed by the Empire... Do you understand?"

"The head of the noble management department is like a monitor sent by the Empire to each large territory! The Great Lord wouldn't want to conflict with them..." Jiang Xingchen quickly understood and nodded, "If I want to get back my territory, I not only need the title of a baron but also need to deal with the head of the noble management department!"

Although Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou hadn't heard the phrase "deal with" before, they understood the meaning. Wan Rou then said, "You don't necessarily have to contact the head of the noble management department. If your contribution is significant enough to be recognized by the Empire, the Great Lord will put aside all his reservations!"

Mo Hongxian also nodded, "Your family's original territory is in a remote area with poor land, so it won't be given out. You don't need to worry!"

"I understand! Leader Mo, Miss Wan Rou, thank you!"

"You say you consider us friends, but look at how you address us... Just call us sisters, little brother!" Wan Rou gave Jiang Xingchen a slightly angry glance, but her tone sounded more like teasing.

"Uh! Why do they seem to know what 'little brother' means!" Jiang Xingchen's eyes twitched.

This time, Mo Hongxian didn't look at him with murderous intent but patted his shoulder, "Little brother, call us sisters!"

"Ah~~~" Jiang Xingchen felt so depressed he wanted to bang his head against the wall, "It never ends, do I look like something?"

Although he was depressed, Jiang Xingchen knew that Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou were really acknowledging him and treating him as a trustworthy friend, just like when he deliberately mentioned he had secret recipes.

Throughout the conversation, Jiang Xingchen never asked about Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou's backgrounds. Similarly, Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou didn't show curiosity about the source of his secret recipes, giving each other enough respect.

Afterward, Mo Hongxian directly advanced Jiang Xingchen 50,000 yellow crystal coins, of which 30,000 were given to the Zhao family pharmacy to purchase drugs containing essence. The remaining amount given to Jiang Xingchen was two soft animal skins, each with an amount written and a complex seal.

"Banknotes from the Empire's bank, one for 10,000 each. Keep them well, you need your identity card to claim them!"

"Turns out there's a bank here... makes sense, in an orderly society with a unified currency, there must be a bank!" Thinking this, Jiang Xingchen didn't hesitate and reached out to take them. Selling the secret recipe to the entire city's restaurants and then selling it externally would definitely earn more than this, not to mention the dividends from Fuyongzhai and Cuiguanlou before selling.

Finally, when Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou left, they told Jiang Xingchen that helping the Zhao family pharmacy would not be without reward.

Zhao Zixiang saved Meier, and as a return, he didn't expect anything, so he didn't pay much attention to it...

After a night, the heavy snow had stopped, and the world was covered in white, making the morning even colder.

Meier had broken out in a sweat, her fever had completely subsided, and she was now awake. Jiang Xingchen immediately said goodbye to Mo Hongxian, wrapped Meier tightly, and prepared to return to their home in the civilian area.

Mo Hongxian didn't try to keep them, but she handed over ten packets of medicine sent by the Zhao family pharmacy to Jiang Xingchen. The mercenary group had many people coming and going, and the environment was chaotic, not suitable for Meier to recover.

Seeing the medicine, Jiang Xingchen's expression changed. He knew that drugs containing essence were expensive, but he didn't expect them to be this expensive. 30,000 yellow crystal coins for ten days of medicine, which means 3,000 per day, equivalent to 150,000 in his world. Spending 150,000 a day was a huge pressure for him.

However, he didn't show it, nodded, and said goodbye, then got on the carriage.

Although Meier was out of danger, she was still weak, and this severe illness had almost drained all her energy. On the way, she was held in Jiang Xingchen's arms, trying to speak several times but found it difficult to open her mouth.

Back home, Jiang Xingchen gave each of the two thugs ten yellow crystal coins as a thank you. Without them last night, the little girl wouldn't have made it until Zhao Zixiang came to save her.

He first started a fire in the room, and when it was warm, he removed the brazier to avoid too much carbon monoxide, then placed the little girl on the bed and went to the kitchen to boil the medicine. Zhao Zixiang had already written down the method and placed it with the medicine.

The medicine contained essence, and the temperature couldn't be too high. It was more like soaking in warm water, almost like brewing leaves in hot water.

He set up another stove, used a ceramic jar to boil water, and put in the medicine... soon, a fragrant aroma filled the air, mixed with the smell of Chinese medicine. Jiang Xingchen saw it was almost ready, quickly poured it out, and carried it into the room.

"Meier! Drink the medicine while it's hot!" Sitting by the bed, Jiang Xingchen supported the little girl's back, lifted her upper body, and held the bowl to her mouth.

"Brother!" The little girl softly called but didn't open her mouth, just looked at Jiang Xingchen with tears in her eyes. Although she was in a semi-coma all night, she knew what had happened and remembered what her brother said.

Seeing her brother take such good care of her, she was moved, and her emotions fluctuated.

"Drink the medicine quickly, the temperature is just right, it will cool down soon!" Jiang Xingchen scolded, moved the bowl closer, and the edge of the bowl touched the little girl's lips.

"Drink it quickly!" He urged again, chuckled, "Little girl, you always force-feed me, now it's your turn to taste it!"

Meier's lips twitched, almost couldn't hold back a laugh, and her emotions slowly stabilized. Then she glared at Jiang Xingchen, opened her mouth, and bit the edge of the bowl.

"Hey! I told you to drink the medicine, not to eat, why are you biting the bowl?" Jiang Xingchen was speechless; this girl, a little better and she starts acting up.

"Swallow, swallow, swallow..." A large bowl of medicine quickly went down her throat, and the little girl burped, a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"How do you feel? Are you better?" Jiang Xingchen asked.

"Much better! My body feels warm, and it's not as hard to speak as before!" Meier nodded.

"That's good!" Jiang Xingchen smiled, rubbed Meier's head, and said, "It won't be long before you're as lively as before!"

"Brother~" Meier pouted, what does "lively" mean?

Seeing the little girl's condition improve, Jiang Xingchen felt much better, patted Meier's head, and was about to get up to clean up in the kitchen.

But just as he stood up, the little girl called him, "Brother, make some hot water, I want to take a bath! I feel sticky and uncomfortable!"

"Take a bath!" Jiang Xingchen was taken aback, "Do you have the strength to lift your hands?"

"I think I can!" Meier tried, pouted, and after taking the medicine, she felt much better, thinking she could move, but found she still couldn't, and said dejectedly, "I still don't have the strength!"

"No problem! I'll help you, brother!" Jiang Xingchen smiled and said softly.

"Ah!" Meier's face turned bright red, and she quickly said, "No, brother!"

"What's there to be shy about! I'm your brother..." Jiang Xingchen gently tapped Meier's head and teased, "Besides, your body is like a bean sprout, there's nothing to see!"

"Hmph!" Meier's eyebrows shot up. She didn't know what a bean sprout was, but she knew her body well and understood that her brother's description wasn't a compliment.

"Besides, you said there was nothing to see, in the Zijing Mercenary Group, I kissed you for a long time, one after another!" Meier suddenly said.

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen was stunned, his feet wobbled, and he almost fell to the ground.

"I wasn't kissing you, what's in your little head..." Jiang Xingchen's face was full of black lines, he pointed at Meier for a long time, and finally turned and left, helpless.

"Ha ha!" Seeing Jiang Xingchen retreat, the little girl's eyes sparkled, and she showed a very happy smile...

Steam filled the room, and the temperature rose. Jiang Xingchen held a wooden water scoop and slowly poured hot water over the little girl's body.

Before, when Jiang Xingchen said the little girl was like a bean sprout, it was a joke. Now, while giving her a bath, he realized that her body was even worse than a bean sprout. At thirteen, a girl should have developed, but she still looked like a child, her body was thin and frail, with almost no flesh.

"I don't know how much suffering the little girl has endured over these three years..." Jiang Xingchen felt a pang of sadness.

Meier, on the other hand, was no longer playful, her head was lowered, her face flushed, and she didn't say a word.

Although she was shy, Meier felt an unusual calm and enjoyment. For so many years, it was the first time someone had given her a bath, and this person was her beloved brother! She even hoped that this moment would never pass...

However, Meier's wish couldn't come true. She was a girl, and Jiang Xingchen couldn't give her a thorough bath. He just roughly washed away the sweat to keep her clean.

After cleaning her, he dressed Meier in her undergarments, carried her to the bed, and covered her with a blanket before going to pour out the water and clean up.

Just as he finished cleaning, heated the cake and meat that Meier didn't eat yesterday, and was about to eat, Sun Sanqiang came!

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