One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 29

He was carrying a rather large cloth bag filled with newly bought rice, some vegetables, meat, several packets of herbs for treating external injuries and replenishing strength, and even a few sets of clean, ordinary women's clothes suitable for Robin and Olvia.

He put his things down and went to the simple kitchen outside to start a fire and boil a large pot of water.

Then, he took out the packets of herbs, prepared them according to his limited medical knowledge, and boiled them in another small jar with water.

The bitter smell of herbs quickly filled the small room.

After doing all that, he carried the bucket of boiled water and a set of clean clothes into the inner room.

Robin was still sitting by the bedside when he saw Liu Jiu come in, and he immediately stood up.

Liu Jiu placed the hot water and clothes on the low stool beside the bed and said to Robin:

"Give her a bath and change her into clean clothes."

His tone remained flat, as if he were giving instructions for a mundane household chore.

Robin paused for a moment, looked at the unconscious aunt on the bed, then at the bucket of steaming hot water and the neatly folded clean clothes, and a look of embarrassment and shyness appeared on her little face.

Is she...is she going to wipe it?

Giving a stranger, an older woman, a bath...?

Liu Jiu seemed to sense her hesitation and added:

"Be gentle and avoid the wound."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned and walked out, closing the door to the inner room behind him, leaving them alone.

Only Robin and the unconscious Olvia remained in the room.

Robin stood by the bed, looking at the bucket of hot water, then at his aunt's pale and haggard face, and hesitated for a long time.

Finally, she mustered her courage, rolled up her sleeves, picked up a clean cloth draped over the bucket, soaked it in warm water, and wrung it out until it was half dry.

She carefully lifted the tattered blanket covering her aunt and slowly took off her old clothes.

What came into view were even more shocking scars and grime. Some wounds had scabbed over, while others were still slightly oozing blood, mixed with the salt and mud of the sea.

Robin's heart clenched.

What exactly did this woman go through?

She took a deep breath and began to gently wipe her aunt's cheeks, neck, and arms with a warm cloth, bit by bit...

The movements were clumsy, but very careful, trying to avoid any obvious wounds.

The warm water seemed to bring a bit of comfort to the unconscious Olvia; her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she let out a barely audible groan.

Robin was startled, stopped moving, and looked at her nervously.

Seeing that her aunt hadn't woken up, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued what she was doing.

After wiping the upper body, she struggled to turn the aunt over and wipe her back. Then came the legs…

The whole process was slow, and Robin was so tired that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

But she did it very seriously.

After washing and cleaning, she picked up the clean clothes. The clothes were made of ordinary cotton and were very soft.

She clumsily, yet with extraordinary patience, helped her aunt put on her shirt and pants.

When Robin finished dressing and buttoning up her clothes, she looked at the aunt on the bed, who was now clean and tidy, though still unconscious. She felt a strange sense of accomplishment and a subtle sense of closeness that she herself didn't even realize.

She tidied up the dirty clothes and used towels and covered the aunt with a blanket.

After doing all this, she finally felt exhausted.

Just then, the aroma of food wafted from outside.

Liu Jiu's dinner is ready.

Robin took one last look at the aunt on the bed, whose breathing seemed to have calmed down a bit, and quietly walked out.

On the small table in the outer room, two bowls of steaming rice, a plate of simple stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of thick, simmered herbs were already laid out.

Liu Jiu was sitting at the table waiting for her.

"Eat first, then you'll need to give her her medicine later," he said.

Robin nodded, sat down opposite him, and picked up his rice bowl.

The warmth of the food and her uncle's silent companionship dispelled her earlier tension and fatigue.

She ate her meal in small bites, but her mind was on the unfamiliar aunt in the inner room.

When will she wake up?

What will it be like when I wake up?

Chapter 29 Olvia Awakens

After dinner, Liu Jiu handed the bowl of thick, dark, and bitter herbal juice that he had prepared to Robin.

The medicine was still hot and had a pungent smell.

Robin carefully held the rim of the bowl with both hands, her fingertips turning slightly red from the heat, but she endured it without making a sound.

"Feed her the drink," Liu Jiu instructed.

Robin nodded, picked up the medicine bowl, and took small steps into the inner room.

Olvia was still unconscious, but her complexion seemed a little better than before, and her breathing was slightly stronger.

Robin placed the medicine bowl on a low stool beside the bed, then laboriously climbed onto the bed and knelt down next to Olvia.

The aunt is unconscious and cannot drink it herself.

Robin stared at the bowl of dark, murky medicine, perplexed.

She thought for a moment and tried to imitate how her relatives used to feed her medicine when she was sick. Although her relatives were very impatient at the time, they would first scoop up a little medicine with a small spoon, bring it to their lips and blow on it gently, and then carefully place the rim of the spoon between Olvia's chapped lips and slowly tilt it.

The dark medicine seeped into his lips.

But most of it spilled from the corners of his mouth, wetting the clean collar of his newly changed clothes.

Robin quickly wiped it with his sleeve.

She looked at Olvia's unconsciously closed lips, hesitated for a moment, then reached out her small hand and very, very lightly tried to pry open her jaw with her fingertips.

Perhaps sensing the touch from the outside world, or perhaps driven by the instinct for survival, Olvia's teeth loosened slightly.

Robin's eyes lit up, and he quickly scooped up another spoonful of cooled medicine, aimed it at the crevice, and slowly poured it in.

This time, most of the medicine flowed in successfully.

Occasionally, Olvia would cough slightly due to her swallowing reflex, and a little medicine would spill out.

Robin was extremely patient, feeding the medicine spoonful by spoonful, blowing on it to cool it down, and wiping away any spilled medicine with a clean cloth from time to time.

Her movements were slow and focused, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

It took almost half an hour to feed him a bowl of medicine.

After successfully feeding the last mouthful of medicine, Robin looked at the empty bowl, let out a long sigh of relief, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

She climbed out of bed and took the empty bowl out to wash it clean.

When she returned to the inner room, Liu Jiu was already standing at the door.

He glanced at Olvia on the bed, whose breathing seemed to have become more steady and deep since taking the medicine, and then at Robin, whose face showed weariness but who was forcing himself to stay awake.

“Tonight,” he began, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet night, “you will sleep next to her.”

Robin looked up at him.

Liu Jiu's gaze swept over the unconscious woman on the bed, and he added in a calm tone:

"Keep an eye on her."

"Call me if you need anything."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the inner room without waiting for Robin's response, closing the door behind him. A slight rustling sound came from next door as he closed his door to rest.

The room fell completely silent.

The only sounds were Olvia's even breathing and the occasional chirping of unknown insects outside the window.

Robin stood by the bed, looking at the aunt who took up most of the bed, and then at the remaining cramped space.

The uncle let her sleep here and watch over the aunt.

She obediently finished her bath, took off her shoes, carefully climbed into bed, and lay down on her side next to Olvia, close to the edge of the bed.

The bed was small, so she had to curl up to avoid touching her aunt's wound.

She was facing Olvia and could clearly hear her steady breathing, smell the soapy scent of her freshly changed clothes, and a faint herbal aroma.

Who is this auntie?

Why did her uncle save her?

She looks badly injured...

Robin's mind was filled with questions, but the day's travels and exhaustion made his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

In the moments before she drifted off to sleep, she vaguely thought: I need to keep an eye on Auntie... If anything happens... I need to call Uncle...

In the small room, a seriously injured woman who was unconscious and a tired little girl who had fallen asleep nestled together on the same bed, each lost in their own dreams.

Just a wall away, Liu Jiu lay on a hard wooden bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes open, staring at the dark ceiling.

In my ears, I could hear two steady breaths mingling in the next room.

His eyes remained calm and still in the darkness, like a deep pool.

The next few days passed smoothly, filled with the aroma of herbal medicine and careful care.

Olvia's condition improved at a visible pace. She was no longer in a coma and would occasionally regain consciousness briefly. Although her consciousness was still hazy and her eyes were unfocused, she could at least swallow some liquid rice porridge and water.

Robin did almost all the chores of feeding and cleaning.

Liu Jiu was responsible for providing supplies and preparing medicine, but he spent most of his time outside or going out briefly to ensure the safety of the surrounding environment.

Robin never complained, and even became more and more skilled at it. She would patiently blow on the rice porridge to cool it down before carefully feeding it to Olvia when she was briefly awake; she would regularly wipe her cheeks and arms with warm water; and she would still sleep beside her at night, listening to her gradually steady breathing.