Awake
He had actually still let his younger brother bathe alone...
If he hadn't returned in time...
If something had happened to his younger brother...
The woodcutter would never have forgiven himself for the rest of his life.
The Young Scholar finally stopped coughing.
The woodcutter helped the Young Scholar put on his outer robe, then supported him to the bed.
He covered the Young Scholar with a quilt.
"Don't catch a chill."
The woodcutter immediately went to the table and brought back some ginger tea.
"Drink."
The woodcutter handed the ginger tea to the Young Scholar.
The Young Scholar looked dazed.
It seemed he still hadn't fully recovered from his coughing fit.
"Hold this."
The woodcutter took the bowl and placed it in the Young Scholar's hands.
"Do you still want your brother to feed you?"
The Young Scholar shook his head sluggishly.
"Then hold it steady."
The woodcutter didn't dare withdraw his hand.
"This ginger tea is very hot."
The Young Scholar nodded.
He slowly, very slowly, lowered his head.
"Hiss!"
If the woodcutter hadn't been quick enough, the Young Scholar would have been scalded by the ginger tea.
The woodcutter was both worried and angry.
"Are you all right?"
"Didn't I tell you to be careful?"
"How could you—"
Seeing his younger brother's blank, dazed expression, the woodcutter fell silent.
He sighed deeply in his heart.
"It's my fault."
"I shouldn't have given you ginger tea this hot."
The woodcutter stirred the ginger tea with a spoon to cool it faster.
"All right."
The woodcutter handed the warm ginger tea to the Young Scholar. "It isn't hot anymore."
"Drink."
After that first scare, even though the woodcutter said it was fine, the Young Scholar still carefully