This grounded feeling was much better; she preferred walking on her own two feet.
"Young Madam, your servant has brought the water," Cai Qing said, jogging over with a water pouch and panting as she handed it to Feng Jin.
"Young Madam, I searched for a long time to find this water. Everyone is running low, but the Young General said that once we cross this forest and reach a town, there will be water. Please bear with it for now."
Even this small amount of water had taken her a long time to request from Lu Shi and involved searching with over ten people to gather. It was truly precious.
"It's alright, you should drink some first."
She was truly parched. Knowing they were short on water, she had insisted on having some salty pickles with her meal earlier. She really wanted to be thirsty to death.
Feng Jin took the water pouch, drank a few mouthfuls, and then handed it back to Cai Qing. "Drink quickly. You searched for so long to find this little bit of water."
If not for Cai Qing’s hard work in finding water, they might not have even seen this much. She felt too embarrassed to drink too much. After a couple of sips to quench her thirst, she quickly passed it back to Cai Qing.
"Young Madam, I've already drunk. I'm not thirsty. Please drink it yourself."
Cai Qing hastily refused. Although her throat felt uncomfortably dry, she still didn't reach out to take the water pouch.
"That's enough, drink it quickly. We've finished our water long ago. You only found this much. Tell me where you drank, hurry and drink it!"
Feng Jin saw through Cai Qing's lie at a glance and quickly pushed the water pouch into Cai Qing's hand, forcing her to drink.
Cai Qing glanced at the water pouch in her hand, then at Feng Jin, and under duress, took a couple of sips before reluctantly stopping.
This was all the water they had, and she didn't know when they would find more. It was better to ration it.
"Don't worry, with the Young Madam here, you won't go thirsty. Later, when we go through the forest, I'll pick some fruits for you to eat."
There had to be some fruit in the forest to sustain them. They wouldn't die of thirst.
"Fruits? Could they be poisonous?" Cai Qing hesitated before finally asking.
"What are you thinking? With the Young Madam here, can she let poisonous fruit hurt you?"
She was a divine doctor. How could she let them get food poisoning? If that happened, all her years of medical study would have been in vain.
Upon entering the forest, Feng Jin took the opportunity to dismount from the carriage. In a short while, she returned with many fruits.
"Young Madam, can this be eaten? It's so dark."
Cai Qing picked up a cluster of dark, inky fruits, their appearance not at all appetizing.
"That's mulberry. It's all edible, don't worry."
She hadn't expected to find mulberry trees here. She had picked some and then, after sorting out a portion, Feng Jin lifted the carriage curtain, found Lu Shi, and handed him a bag. "Give this bag of fruit to your Young General. Keep this other bag to share with the brothers."
"Thank you, Young Madam."
Lu Shi hadn't expected any for him. As he took the fruit, his gaze instinctively scanned into the carriage, searching for Cai Qing.
"Cai Qing is coaxing Da Bao," Feng Jin said casually, answering Lu Shi's unspoken question.
His thoughts suddenly exposed, Lu Shi awkwardly touched the back of his head, a hint of embarrassment on his face. "Young Madam, I shall take my leave. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call me."
Feng Jin nodded with a smile. Lu Shi, who usually seemed taciturn, was surprisingly quick to understand. He had great potential, and if things continued like this, good news would surely arrive soon.
"Lu Shi is quite perceptive, good..." Feng Jin murmured to herself as she returned to the carriage, still praising Lu Shi.
As expected, Cai Qing, who was holding Da Bao, felt an involuntary blush creep onto her cheeks upon hearing this.
"Yi... yi... red..." Da Bao, who could babble a few words, pointed at Cai Qing.
"Indeed, why is her face so red? Is Miss Cai Qing perhaps ill?"
Granny Zhang, who was closest to Cai Qing, looked at Cai Qing's face upon hearing the sound, her tone slightly excited, as if she wanted everyone to know about it.
Cai Qing's face flushed even deeper, and she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself.
"Perhaps it's too hot in the carriage. Let's get some fresh air."
Feng Jin kindly offered, thus helping Cai Qing out of her predicament.
"I'll go out for some air right away," Cai Qing said, as if she had grasped a lifeline. She quickly handed Da Bao, who was in her arms, to Granny Zhang and hurried out of the carriage.
As soon as she exited, she bumped directly into Lu Shi. Now she was truly in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.
Cai Qing stood there awkwardly, momentarily forgetting that the carriage was still moving. A jolt caused her to lose her balance, and as she swayed, about to fall, she was suddenly caught in a strong, warm embrace.
After a brief daze, Cai Qing suddenly realized what had happened and stared at the person in front of her with a slightly blank gaze.
Her mind buzzed, and she couldn't even think.
"Are... are you alright..." Lu Shi asked awkwardly after a moment's hesitation.
Cai Qing snapped back to reality, lowering her head in embarrassment. "Could you... could you put me down first."
"Okay!"
Lu Shi clumsily placed Cai Qing steadily on the ground. Then, realizing how intimate their previous actions had been, he quickly explained, "That... just now... just now..."
"Thank you for what happened just now..." Cai Qing quickly interjected, cutting off Lu Shi's words.
"It's nothing... as long as you're alright..." Lu Shi murmured, his eyes downcast.
After a pause, as if remembering something, his voice involuntarily rose. "You can't stand outside the carriage anymore. The carriage was still moving. If I hadn't caught you, and you had fallen, it would have been terrible."
"I know," Cai Qing said hastily. If Lu Shi hadn't suddenly appeared before her just now, she wouldn't have been so stunned that she forgot to sit down.
If she were to be strictly truthful, Lu Shi also bore some responsibility for what happened. Of course, she only dared to grumble this to herself. She would never dare to say it to Lu Shi's face.
"I'll go back to take care of the young master now."
Saying this casually, Cai Qing quickly walked forward, only to realize that they had fallen far behind the group.
"Oh no, this is bad. How could we be so far behind?"
Estimating the distance, she knew that even running with all her might, it would be difficult to catch up. This was truly troublesome.
"I'll ride a horse and take you to catch up. We'll be there soon."