Chapter 76: You don't seem to know how to Read
Translator: CokeZero Editor: Rainystars
Xie Yunjin looked at her and decided to drop the matter. With a cold expression, he asked, "What happened when you visited my brother? Did you get hurt?"
Lu Jiao knew he was asking about when she took the children to the Xie family.
Lu Gui must've told him all about how the Second Born got hit.
Lu Jiao told him what happened and coldly hissed, "You didn't see just how sad your dad looked when Caidou was being hit. I don't understand. All the children are his grandchildren, why does he only care about your elder brother's children? Why doesn't he care about ours?"
Lu Jiao thought of a possible explanation and asked Xie Yunjin, "Could it be that you are not biologically their children? Were you picked up off the street?"
Xie Yunjin's eyes gloomed over. He's had his fair share of suspicions about that. He even investigated in secret. However, in the end, it was concluded that he truly was Xie Laogen and Lady Ruan's child.
"I've looked into that. I am my parents' child."
In this world, not all parents love their children.
Under circumstances where there were multiple children in the same household, it was common for parents to have favorites.
This was why he was determined to be a fair father after he had his four children.
Lu Jiao sighed, "This family of yours will drag you down in the future."
Xie Yunjin raised an eyebrow, "Are you worried about me?"
Lu Jiao froze, then shook her head, "You're overthinking. I'm worried about the quadruplets."
She really was. It was a misfortune to have grandparents like that. Those people were the elder generation and it was easy for them to mess with the younger generations.
Xie Yunjin whispered, "I have ways to make them quiet down. I'm bedridden right now and cannot put up a fight. Once I heal, they won't have the energy to act like this."
He spoke so calmly and nonchalantly it was as if this was nothing.
Lu Jiao remembered how capable he was and decided not to worry.
Xie Yunjin thought of the surgery he'll be having, "The most pressing matter right now is my surgery. I need to get that done as soon as possible."
Lu Jiao thought about it, "Then, the day after tomorrow, I will go into town and talk to Doctor Qi about your surgery."
Xie Yunjin was impatient, "Can't you go tomorrow?"
If she goes tomorrow, then they could be ready to operate the day after. At the end of the day, he wanted to be able to stand as soon as possible.
After this incident, he's learned the true personality and intentions of everyone around him. Going forward, he will repay those who deserve it and distance himself from others.
Lu Jiao disagreed with his suggestion, "Your concussion only just got better, you shouldn't rush it. I will go in the day after tomorrow to ask Doctor Qi about your surgery. I have something I need to do tomorrow. Tomorrow, I have to teach my mom how to make tofu."
Xie Yunjin stared at Lu Jiao in astonishment. Strong physique, knew medicine, knew herbs, and now she revealed she knew how to make tofu? Just what kind of woman was she in the past?
"You know how to make tofu?"
Lu Jiao grinned, "I learned it from reading."
Xie Yunjin chuckled lightly and reminded, "You don't seem to know how to read."
Lu Jiao's face darkened. After a long pause, she finally murmured, "I listened to others read out loud."
"Ah, then you are truly amazing. You learned so many skills by listening to others read books."
Lu Jiao was a little stunned. Was this man mocking her?
Since Xie Yunjin finished eating, he said to Lu Jiao, "Go out and eat. It's late."
Lu Jiao walked away with the empty bowls.
Behind her, Xie Yunjin softly grinned.
The thought of Caidou hitting the Second Born made his face cold again. His fingers tapped gently. Once he could walk away, he will need to find something for the Xie family to do. That entire family was far too free.
After dinner, Lady Tian washed the dishes and heated up medicine for Xie Yunjin.
Lu Jiao washed the four little ones and changed them into their new clothes. In the end, she brushed their hair and put them into two high pigtails. The boys' hair was shaved bare before and only started to grow over the last year. So, two little pigtails were all she could do. She tied them using hair bands that were the same color as their clothes.
After this little dress-up, the boys were now the spitting image of cute babies found in drawings.
Especially since the four of them were dressed exactly the same way – the picture of them together was a blessing to the eyes.
Lady Tian couldn't help herself and hugged each one of them and gave each one of them a fat kiss.
"Ah, whose babies are you? You're so good-looking. You're truly carved from the same mould."
Lu Jiao subconsciously checked out the four children. The quadruplets actually didn't look that much alike if one looked closely. It was because they were the same age, had the same haircut, and wore the same clothes, that most people couldn't tell them apart.
Lu Jiao smiled at the four little ones, "Okay, go show your daddy. You guys are so good-looking today."
The four little ones smiled so big their lips couldn't find each other anymore.
Drowning in joy, they headed to the east bedroom.
Lu Jiao poured the hot medicine into a bowl. Beside her, Lady Tian patted her head, "My Jiaojiao is going to have such a good life."
Lu Jiao was speechless. What good life? The man wasn't hers, and the babies weren't hers.
How could she explain all this to Lady Tian? Lu Jiao was troubled and her head hurt.
Oh well, she will leave this matter to deal with at a later date. She smiled at Lady Tian, "Mom, I'm going to feed Yunjin medicine. You should wash up."
"Okay."
Lady Tian went to get clothes and get washed up. Lu Jiao went to the east bedroom with the medicine. Before she reached the door, she already heard the children chirping like little magpies.
"Daddy, do we look good?"
"My new clothes are so comfortable."
"I've never gotten new clothes before."
"Mommy said she will make us a lot of new clothes in the future."
Xie Yunjin's lips curled up as he watched how excited the four little ones were. When they were happy, he was happy.
Lu Jiao came in with the bowl of medicine, "Alright, stop showing off. Get up there and go to sleep. It's late."
The four little ones nodded. They suddenly thought of Soot and Marble and said, "Mommy, we want to see Soot and Marble. We'll come back soon to sleep."
"Okay, go ahead."
Soot and Marble were pretty down because they'd just been taken away from their mom. They enjoyed hiding in the little dog house that was built for them. Therefore, the four little ones visited them whenever they found the time.
Lu Jiao didn't stop them.
Inside the room, Xie Yunjin took over the medicine. However, he wasn't in a rush to drink it. He looked up at Lu Jiao, a little dazed.
"Thank you for everything you've done for the four little ones."
Lu Jiao stared at him in surprise. The great villain was thanking her? That sure was rare.
Xie Yunjin then drank his medicine in silence.
Lu Jiao's mood lifted, "Why thank me? They're my sons as well!"
Xie Yunjin's eyes darkened a little when he heard those words. Without flinching, he finished the medicine, "That's true."
Chapter 77: The Best General
Lu Jiao beamed ear to ear and took over the empty bowl, "Don't worry. I will take good care of them."
She meant in the next two to three months.
After the next two to three months, the four little ones will no longer be hers. Lu Jiao was depressed about that thought but also knew there wasn't much she could do about it.
In this day and age, the mother never got to keep the children. Plus, Xie Yunjin really cared for the four little ones.
So she wasn't going to even suggest to him to give her the children.
Xie Yunjin's gaze darkened even more. He wondered silently. Did she mean, she wasn't going to leave anymore? That wouldn't be the worst thing.
He's been closely observing these few days and has to admit that this woman truly did care about the quadruplets.
If she could care for the children, then he would focus on his exams. As long as she helps him take good care of the four little ones, then he will treat her well once he achieves success.
Lu Jiao had no idea that her mindless statement would trigger so many thoughts in the future First Assistant's head.
She left with her bowl and saw Xie Erzhu coming over, "Second brother, you're here."
Xie Erzhu returned the greeting with a complex expression. He personally witnessed this sister-in-law make a scene at his parent's. Somehow, he didn't find her so scary anymore.
On the contrary, he felt satisfied. His parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law needed to be taught a lesson by someone like his third sister-in-law.
"Hello."
Lu Jiao caught sight of the four little ones showing off their new clothes to Soot and Marble. Lu Jiao couldn't help but shake her head. Just how happy were they? They were showing off to their puppies?
"You four, come back and sleep. Why are you showing off to dogs? Hurry up."
The four little ones ran back. The Fourth Born hugged Lu Jiao's leg.
"Mommy, let's sleep together. You tell me a story."
The other three ran over as well and gawked at her with their eyes wide. It was obvious that they wanted a story too.
Lu Jiao didn't fight it. She went to the living room, put down the bowl, and led the four little ones into the west bedroom for a story.
By the time Lu Jiao was done telling the story, Xie Erzhu was done helping Xie Yunjin.
"You three, go back to your dad's to sleep."
The Second Born looked at the First Born and whispered, "First Born, I want to sleep with mommy."
Before the First Born could speak, Lu Jiao spoke up first, "It's not good to sleep here. You go?and sleep with your dad."
The Second Born felt wronged and pointed at the Fourth Born, "How come he gets to sleep here then?"
The Fourth Born hugged Lu Jiao's arm as if terrified that she would shoo him into the other bedroom as well.
Lu Jiao's head hurt. She patted the Second Born's head, "Grandma's here. The bed's too small for all of us. Once grandma goes back home, you can sleep with whoever you want."
The Second Born was okay with this and nodded heavily. The First Born took the Second and Third Born back to the east bedroom. However, the Third Born wouldn't sleep. He sat on top of the bed and refused to lie down no matter what others said.
Inside the west bedroom, Lu Jiao and Lady Tian were ready to sleep with the Fourth Born but when they heard the commotion in the other room, they got up to check it out.
"What's happening?"
The Second Born tattle-taled, "Mommy, look at the Third Born. He's not sleeping and he's just sitting there. Daddy asked him why he's not sleeping and he refused to answer."
Lu Jiao walked over to the Third Born and asked him in a gentle voice, "Third Born, why are you not sleeping? You can tell mom what you are thinking of."
The Third Born looked at Lu Jiao, then looked at his new clothes. Lu Jiao guessed what was in his little mind right away.
"You're worried about wrinkling your new clothes?"
The Third Born nodded violently, "Sleeping would press onto the clothes too hard and cause wrinkles. I'm not sleeping."
Lu Jiao's heart was bitter. This was all because these children never had much to wear growing up. Plus, by now, she's discovered that the Third Born was very into appearances and loved dressing up.
Lu Jiao patted the Third Born's head, "Go to sleep for tonight. Tomorrow, I will make you a set of pajamas."
The Third Born's never heard of that word, "What is 'pajamas'?"
"It's clothes you wear to go to sleep. That way, you won't have to worry about wrinkling the clothes you're wearing now."
The Third Born immediately smiled, "Okay, mommy, then you make me one tomorrow."
"For sure."
The Second Born sat up straight and shouted, "Mommy, I want one too! I want one too!"
Lu Jiao made him sit down, "Okay, I will make each one of you a set. Go to sleep."
Lu Jiao settled the children down and left. Behind her, Xie Yunjin stared.
Pajamas? That was a wild new word. Just where did she come from?
The next morning, when the Sun had just risen and before Lu Jiao had gotten up, she hazily felt like someone was standing beside her. Scared, she jolted awake and found a little guy standing at the head of the bed.
It was the Second Born.
Lu Jiao rubbed her eyes and sat up. In a whisper, she asked, "Second Born, why aren't you sleeping?"
The Second Born lowered his voice and whispered back, "Mommy, you said you'd teach us how to defend ourselves."
Since Lu Jiao brought it up, of course, she was going to teach them. However, wasn't this just a little too early?
The Second Born seemed to have realized he was pushing it. Mommy didn't seem too pleased. Was she going to refuse to teach them now because she was angry?
The little guy carefully observed Lu Jiao and grasped his hands together, "I don't want others to take advantage of us anymore. They also take advantage of daddy. If I can learn how to defend myself, I can protect daddy."
Lu Jiao's heart softened and she hugged him, "Okay, I got it. I'm not mad."
She then gently and carefully got out of bed and took the Second Born outside.
It was so early in the morning that it was still somewhat dark. The entire yard was silent without any traces of noise.
"I'll take you up the mountains first to collect some hay. We'll make a scarecrow out of the hay. Then, I can teach you how to defend against bad people."
The Second Born's eyes were as clear as water, "Okay, okay."
Lu Jiao went to retrieve her basket from the kitchen. She placed the Second Born into the basket and put it on her back.
Scared that he would fall, she warned him, "Hold onto my neck, don't fall out."
"Okay!"
The Second Born laughed and quickly wrapped his arms around Lu Jiao's neck. The mother and son duo went up the mountain quietly. This time, they didn't collect firewood because there was no space. They managed to get a stack of hay and Lu Jiao cut up some bamboo. She was going to teach her mom how to make tofu today. The bamboo could be used as a simple container for tofu making.
Though the Second Born was very little, he did his best to help Lu Jiao with the hay. As he pulled them up, he asked curiously, "Can we really make a scarecrow out of this?"
"Yes, we can. We'll put it together once we get back."
The Second Born blinked stars at Lu Jiao and said stickily, "Mommy, you're so capable. You can do anything."
He felt so proud. This was his mother! He straightened his chest and decided to be as capable as his mother in the future.
His mother got a hold of Shen Daniu's dad and beat him up enough that he cried. Plus, his mother attacked in a way that left no wounds. The more the Second Born thought about it, the more capable she appeared to him.
Lu Jiao smiled at him, "In the future, you are going to be far more capable than me."
The Second Born nodded. In the future, he will ride giant horses and be the best general there is.
Chapter 78: Teaching the Quadruplets how to Fight
As Lu Jiao tied up the hay and the bamboo, she asked the Second Born, "What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you want to be a great scholar like your daddy? If you want, ask your daddy to send you to study when you're a little older."
The Second Born instantly shook his head and straightened her back, "Mommy, I don't like to study. I enjoy riding horses and I want to be a general in the future."
Lu Jiao cooperated by praising him, "Okay, then work hard so you can become a great general in the future."
The Second Born was overjoyed to hear the encouragement, "Mommy, when I become a general, I will look after you every day. Whoever dares you to hurt you, I will hit them to death."
Lu Jiao's eyes darkened. Though she wasn't going to stay by them forever, she didn't want them to grow up with poor morals.
She stared at the Second Born and said in a serious manner, "Second Born, even if you do become a general one day, you cannot be a general who hurts people without good reasons, got it?"
The Second Born explained, "Mommy, I am saying I will hit those who hurt me. I will only beat people who take advantage."
"Even if someone does hurt you, you have to judge if their crime is unforgivable or not. If they hurt you, you can protect yourself, but you cannot threaten to kill them every time, okay?"
The Second Born thought about it and decided Lu Jiao was right. He should protect himself but he shouldn't kill others.
"Mommy, I understand."
Lu Jiao smiled. She placed him into her basket and put it on. As for the hay and bamboo, she tucked them under each one of her arms.
On her back, the Second Born felt that walking down the mountain must be too tiring for her and struggled to come down.
"Mommy, I can walk down the mountain. You can use the basket for hay and bamboo."
"It's okay, I can carry them. Don't move around too much. You might fall."
The Second Born didn't dare to move then. He extended his arms and wrapped them around Lu Jiao's neck and his little head reliantly pressed against Lu Jiao's back.
The mother and son duo went home. Before they got there, however, they saw two people walk toward them. The sight of Lu Jiao made those two walk forward faster.
"Yunjin's wife, Erdan pooped last night and his fever disappeared. It didn't come back all night so I think he is fine now. I must thank you profusely."
Lu Jiao nodded lightly and reminded Erdan's parents, "Don't let your children eat too much meat in the future. They're young and their stomachs are weak. It's better for them to consume more vegetables and fruits. Plus, when you cook meat, cook it for a longer period of time so the meat is very tender. That way, the children can digest better."
Erdan's parents nodded, "We understand. We will be more careful in the future."
Erdan's parents then took out some silver and said embarrassingly, "Yunjin's wife, we don't have much money so please don't mind."
Lu Jiao straight away raised up her arm along with the hay in her hand to decline, "Take that back. I don't want money."
Erdan's parents exchanged glances, "How can we do that?"
Lu Jiao smiled, "It's okay. We are all neighbors after all. You guys should go back to take care of Erdan now."
Erdan's parents thanked her again. As they left, they still muttered words of appreciation.
The Second Born felt very proud to have witnessed that. He silently exclaimed over how incredible his mother was. Not only did she cure Erdan, but she also refused the money.
With the Second Born on her back and hay and bamboo under her arms, they reached home. Outside her trellis, the other three little ones had woken up and were playing with Soot and Marble.
After they took some time to adjustment, the puppies now leisurely played with the children.
When Lu Jiao appeared, the three little ones came to greet the puppies. The Third Born was the first to speak, "Mommy, where are those pajamas you promised to make me?"
Still on Lu Jiao's back, the Second Born complained, "No! Let mommy teach us how to fight bad guys first."
The Third Born wanted to argue but the First Born spoke up, "We learn how to fight first so we don't get beat up by others. After that, you can get your pajamas."
The Second and Third Borns stopped talking then. The Fourth Born shot over like a bullet and hogged onto Lu Jiao's leg, "Mommy, where did you take the Second Born? When I woke up, I didn't see you and I missed you!"
Lu Jiao put down the hay and bamboo to pinch his cheek, "I went up onto the mountain to get some hay."
The Second Born chimed in quickly, "Mommy said she can make the hay into a scarecrow. Then use it to teach us how to fight."
The Third Born howled, "Really?! Hay can be made into a scarecrow?"
The others were intrigued by this. Lu Jiao put down the Second Born, put away the bamboo, and started to tie the hay together.
The four little ones circled around her to observe. Lu Jiao took the time to explain every step of the process, "See, this is the head."
"This is the body. These are hands and these are legs."
By the time she was done putting everything together, a scarecrow was formed.
The four little ones cheered, "Ah, it really is a scarecrow! It looks just like a person!"
"It really does look like a person!"
The Second Born was impatient, "Mommy, teach us how to beat up bad people!"
Lu Jiao nodded. She made the scarecrow stand up to demonstrate, "First, observe if your opponent is bigger than you. If they are and you cannot beat them, then grab their legs first. Use your strength to make them fall and use your elbows to hurt them. There are a few spots that hurt more than others. Such as the lower body. You strike here…"
Lu Jiao continued to teach her sons how to beat up bad guys. Lu Gui rushed over with interest.
Lady Tian also came over after she cooked breakfast. She watched everything in fear and grabbed onto Lu Jiao, "Jiaojiao, why are you teaching the children how to fight?"
The four little ones looked over to Lady Tian, confused. What was wrong with defending against bad guys?
Lu Jiao stood up and smiled, "Mom, it's okay. It's to prevent others from hurting them."
"If you teach them how to fight, they'll fight people all the time. It won't save them from any pain."
Lu Jiao reminded the four little ones with a grin, "You are not going to randomly hit others. You will only defend yourself against those who hurt you. Once you are older, you will not take advantage of the weak."
The Second Born clarified in a hurry, "Who are the 'weak'?"
"The weak are those who are smaller or weaker than you. Don't take advantage of others. If you do, you will be as annoying as Caidou."
The four little ones nodded to confirm they understood, "Mom, don't worry, we won't hurt the weak."
Lu Jiao nodded but Lady Tian was still worried and whispered to Lu Jiao, "If you teach the children how to fight, wouldn't my son-in-law be angry?"
Lu Jiao wasn't worried about that. Xie Yunjin was the greatest antagonist in the novel who fought against the protagonists for his sons. There was no way he would be angry at her for teaching his children how to defend themselves.
"Mom, don't worry. It's fine."
Lady Tian wanted to say more but Lu Jiao had already turned around to continue teaching.
As the mother and sons trained, Lady Zhao approached the outer gate. Lu Jiao saw her and told the four little ones to practice themselves.
She went to greet Lady Zhao, "Is something up?"
In a mysterious voice, Lady Zhao whispered to Lu Jiao, "Did you hear? Last night, something else happened at the Shen family home."
Chapter 79: To Requite Resentment with Justice; to Requite Kindness with Kindness
Lu Jiao grinned. Lady Zhao was here to gossip.
Women often enjoyed gossiping and she was no exception. Or else why would she be so excited over these little things?
"What was the matter this time?"
Lad Zhao found this news to be funny, "After Luo Wangcai dragged her out of your home, she caused more chaos at home. She told Widow Li that she would give her 10 taels of silver and not marry Luo Wangcai.
She went home to find the money but couldn't find it. So she came out to curse at Luo Wangcai and accused him of stealing her money.
Do you think it's true? Do you think the silver Luo Wangcai offered was actually Shen Xiu's? Or do you think she's accusing him?
Luo Wangcai instantly denied it and said he borrowed silver from people just so he could marry her. He even brought some people over to prove it.
Widow Li was angry as well and made the decision to marry Shen Xiu off to Luo Wangcai today."
Lu Jiao was shocked, "Is there enough time today to prepare for a celebratory dinner?"
Lady Zhao chuckled, "Dinner? What dinner? It's a widow remarrying, it's no big deal. All it means is that Luo Wangcai gets to take her home today."
Lu Jiao's face continued to be astonished. She remembered how Luo Wangcai invited her to attend their marriage celebration last time. What now? That wasn't happening?
However, Shen Xiu's poor situation today was self-inflicted. Lu Jiao didn't pity her.
After sharing the gossip of the day, Lady Zhao left in satisfaction. Right before she fully walked away, however, she warned Lu Jiao, "You should be careful of her."
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
Lady Zhao stared at her as if defeated, "She's got her eyes on Yunjin."
Lu Jiao mindlessly addressed it, "She's a widow who just remarried. Yunjin wouldn't be interested in her."
Lady Zhao warned Lu Jiao, "She may get evil ideas. Yunjin is someone with a bright future. If she manages to ruin Yunjin's reputation, it will haunt him forever."
Lu Jiao listened to that well and thanked Lady Zhao, "Thank you for your reminder. I will be careful."
Lady Zhao finally left and Lu Jiao came back into the yard. The four little ones were practicing striking bad guys with much eagerness. Given the time of the day, Lu Jiao called out, "Go eat breakfast before practicing more. Come and wash up."
The four little ones happily went to wash up before going to the living room to eat breakfast.
Lu Jiao got a bowl of porridge and some cucumber to feed Xie Yunjin.
Just then, Lin Erdan's mom came over. This time, she dropped off a basket full of eggs and ran away after she put it down.
"Yunjin's wife, you have to accept these eggs. If you don't, we won't have any humility left."
Lu Jiao eyed the eggs and didn't say much before going to the east bedroom to feed Xie Yunjin.
After nourishment from the spiritual water and the good quality medicine, Xie Yunjin looked well. His once pale face had reddened up and light had returned to his dark eyes. As if he had just been bathed in water from the immortals, his entire body was shiny and bright, from hair to toe.
Lu Jiao was happy with what she saw and agreed that he was ready for surgery.
Xie Yunjin raised an eyebrow and asked Lu Jiao gently, "Were you teaching the quadruplets how to strike others this morning?"
Lu Jiao didn't hide anything from him and nodded, "Yeah, do you not want me to?"
Xie Yunjin remembered how his sons were beaten up yesterday and his gaze turned cold. By the time he looked at Lu Jiao again, they had warmed up. He said in a kind voice, "As long as you are teaching them how to protect themselves and not telling them how to attack others, I won't object. You did well."
The way she raised his sons agreed with his own principles. These days, he had begun to want her to stay to take care of the children.
Lu Jiao was very pleased to hear him say that. She disliked those people with out-of-date rotten views such as "requite resentment with justice".
To requite resentment with justice; to requite kindness with kindness.
Since Xie Yunjin didn't blame her, Lu Jiao was in a great mood. The way she fed Xie Yunjin was gentler than usual.
Xie Yunjin naturally noticed this. He glanced at her and said, "I feel my body improving every day. Can you go into town tomorrow and ask if Doctor Qi can operate on me?"
Lu Jiao saw how impatient he was about this.
"Sure, I will go find him tomorrow and ask him to arrange this as soon as possible."
Xie Yunjin's expression relaxed as hope flooded his face. He looked like a thirsty tree that had finally been watered, his demeanor lifted.
He was a completely different person from the man Lu Jiao first met.
As Lu Jiao fed him, she said, "I will go tomorrow morning. Don't be hasty."
Xie Yunjin reminded, "If the Village Leader's ox cart doesn't go tomorrow, rent one by yourself. Don't walk."
This woman was fully dedicated to his quadruplets and he needed to treat her well.
Lu Jiao was flattered to hear him say that. At the same time, she sighed in relief. It appeared that after their separation, he wouldn't seek her out for trouble and she won't have to die a brutal death. Not bad.
Due to today's good news, the two's interaction was very peaceful.
Outside the room, however, four people entered. Before they got in, they started to shout, "Mother, we are here to visit you."
Lu Jiao heard the voice and peeked through the window. She discovered that her visitors were her big brother, his wife, and her second brother and his wife.
Lu Jiao didn't move and continued to feed Xie Yunjin. Xie Yunjin peered at her and found her to be expressionless.
After days of observation, Xie Yunjin thought he now understood Lu Jiao pretty well.
Though she always appeared friendly and pleasant, she had a distinct personality. If she liked you, she would treat you with nothing but kindness. If she disliked you, she wouldn't even want to spare you a look. If you provoked her, she would beat you up.
Xie Yunjin's eyes dropped. It seemed like the Lu brothers had wronged her.
Outside the room, both the brothers and their wives were apologizing to Lady Tian. Lady Tian's voice was emotionless but she didn't appear angry anymore.
They were her children – just how long could she stay mad?
Lu Gui flew up to greet his older brothers and sisters-in-law. He then whispered to them, "Sister and brother-in-law are inside the east bedroom. I will lead you to them."
The sisters-in-law were a little scared of Lu Jiao. Last time, she came in in a rage.
Lu Gui had led his brothers to the east bedroom by now.
"Sister, first and second brother are here to visit mom."
The brothers smiled at Lu Jiao, "Sister, we are here to take mom home."
Lu Jiao looked up at them, "If you want to take her home, you can. Just remember to not trouble mom so much. You only have one mom so why get so angry with her? She is old now and how can fighting be good for her age?"
Lu Ping and Lu An remembered how their father asked them not to fight so they didn't say anything and only nodded.
"In the future, we will do everything mom says. We promise that we won't make her mad."
"Sister, do not worry. We will do everything mom says from now on."
Their father wasn't used to being alone these days and was anxious every day. Every night, he would lay on his bed, unable to sleep.
All these years, he's been with their mom and they've never separated.
This was the first time they separated.
Today, their dad couldn't lie still anymore and in the middle of the night, he asked them to go pick up their mom. He ordered that if they failed, they didn't need to return.
Chapter 80: The Four Little ones are so Obedient
What else could Lu Ping and Lu An do other than come over here to pick up their mother? It wasn't good for their mother to live with their sister. They were asking to be cursed at by the villagers.
Now that Lu Ping and Lu An had promised, Lu Jiao didn't argue further. She walked out with her empty bowl.
Lu Ping and Lu An checked out Xie Yunjin, who lied on the bed and found their brother-in-law to be bright in the face. His gaze was energetic and dazzling like the stars in the sky. No matter how they looked at him, he didn't look like a paralyzed patient.
"Brother-in-law, your condition appears to have improved."
"That is great news."
Lu Ping and Pu An were brothers. One of them was simple-minded while the other was sleek. The brothers were good-hearted and they usually spoke with sincerity. Because of Lu Jiao, Xie Yunjin was also very respectful towards them.
"I am much better now. Have you eaten breakfast?"
Lu Ping and Lu An haven't. They were kicked out by their father in the middle of the night. Where would they go to eat?
They were too embarrassed to answer Xie Yunjin and only scratched their heads.
Xie Yunjin called out, "Lu Jiao?"
Lu Jiao entered, "What is it? You want to drink water?"
Xie Yunjin looked over to Lu Ping and Lu An, "They haven't eaten. Fetch them some food."
Lu Jiao glared at Xie Yunjin. This person was normally aloof yet today, he cared about her brothers? How rare.
Xie Yunjin smiled slightly after he witnessed her reaction. This woman displayed all her thoughts on her face. If he left her, she would easily get scammed. So, it would be better for him to stay by her side to take care of her.
Lu Jiao left the room. When she walked past Lu Ping and Lu An, their hearts strangely squeezed.
Lu Jiao went to Lady Tian, "Mom, let's make some noodles for everyone."
Lady Tian sighed in relief. Did this mean Jiaojiao had forgiven her brothers?
Lady Tian glared at her daughters-in-law, who received the message and smiled at Lady Tian.
As Lady Tian and Lu Jiao walked, the brothers' wives surrounded the quadruplets and praised them.
"You four are so pretty and so cute."
"I've never met you before. I can't believe you four grew up so big already."
Women instinctively love cute things. Therefore, when they saw the four little ones, their maternal instincts exploded.
"What are your names?"
The quadruplets had never met these people before and were a little dazed. Since they asked, the First Born answered accordingly, "My name is Xie Wenyao, and my nickname is First Born."
"My name is Xie Wenjia, my nickname is Second Born."
"My name is Xie Wenshao, my nickname is Third Born."
"My name is Xie Wenyu, my nickname is Fourth Born."
After they introduced themselves, Lu Jiao came back from the outside. She said to the quadruplets, "These are your aunts, pay your respect."
Finally, the little ones learned how to call these adults.
"First aunty, second aunty."
The aunties nodded while they grinned ear to ear. They remembered that they didn't bring any gifts for the kids today.
The adults were embarrassed and they silently blamed their father-in-law. Why didn't he wait until morning to wake them up? They didn't get to prepare anything in the middle of the night.
Lu Jiao said to the quadruplets, "Your aunts forgot to bring you gifts. They will make it up to you next time."
The little ones bowed down to thank them, "Thank you, aunties."
The aunties felt their defense collapse as their hearts fluttered. Oh my, they were such good boys.
The second aunty had one daughter, Taozi. She was only two and didn't know how to speak yet.
The first aunty had a son named Huzi. He couldn't even be compared to the quadruplets. When something didn't go his way, he would roll around on the ground.
With her eyes green, the first aunty swore to herself that the next time her son rolled around on the ground, she would skin him.
As the group chatted outside, Lu Ping, Lu An, and Lu Gui walked out.
These three were pressured to speak to Xie Yunjin and they felt uncomfortable in front of him. After all, they were merely farmers while their brother-in-law was a scholar. They felt like it took much effort to even understand some of the things their brother-in-law was saying so they didn't want to spend any time with him.
The moment Lu Ping and Lu An came out, Lu Jiao introduced, "These are your uncles. You've met your youngest uncle, but you haven't met your first and second uncles, right?"
The quadruplets called in unison, "First uncle, second uncle."
Lu Ping and Lu An also discovered that they forgot to prepare a gift. Oh man, how embarrassing. The first time they met their nephews, they came empty-handed. This was shameful.
The second brother, Lu An, was sleek and explained quickly, "I forgot to get you a gift today. I will make it up to you later."
The First Born shook his head, "Uncle, you don't need to give me anything. I am happy as long as you are here."
Even Lu Ping and Lu An felt like the four little ones were far too obedient.
Lu Jiao saw that the noodles Lady Tian was making were almost ready so she said to the four little ones, "Okay, go play outside. Let your uncles and aunts eat."
The four little ones had already eaten breakfast so they all dashed outside to practice fighting.
Inside the room, the aunties stared at Lu Jiao in jealousy, "Sister, your four children are so obedient. How did you raise them this way?"
The first aunty was quick to complain about her own son, "Huzi is already five, older than the quadruplets. But he rolls around on the ground when something doesn't go his way."
Lu Jiao smiled, "You can simply ignore him if he does that again. If he doesn't get the attention he wants, he will get up himself. Children are smart. Don't spoil them just because they're little. You'll ruin them as a result."
The first aunty thought about it and decided Lu Jiao was right. She will ignore him from now on.
Inside the living room, Lu Gui saw Lu Jiao talking so he dragged out his brothers and hid in the west bedroom to chat. He told his brothers all about Lu Jiao's idea of teaching them tofu-making.
The brothers were touched – especially when he heard that Lu Jiao asked their mother to give them pocket money. To think that they blamed their sister and mother over five taels of silver…
The brothers started to blame themselves.
By the time Lu Jiao went to fetch them for breakfast, the brothers' eyes were red.
Their wives stared at them, confused, "What's the matter? Why are your eyes red?"
The first uncle looked at his wife, "Sister had taught mom tofu making. She's asked mom to pay us money every month."
The wives were shocked, "Making tofu? And paying us? What?"
The wives also regretted their previous actions.
Inside the yard, Lu Jiao had asked Lu Gui to go to the Second Grandma's house to borrow their stone mill.
Once it arrived, she asked Lu Gui to grind the beans she soaked last night.
Lu Jiao used the bamboo she collected this morning to make simple containers to press against the tofu.
Once the beans were ground, she sifted the powder and then steamed it with water to make soybean milk. Once done, she poured it out to cool.
Chapter 81: The Master and his Lady
Lu Jiao kept some inside the pot to let it boil for longer. Then, she scooped out a bowl of soy milk for the four little ones and Xie Yunjin. As for everyone else, she only allowed them to try a sip. The remainder of the soy milk will be made into tofu by adding gypsum. If everyone got a bowl of soy milk, there wouldn't be enough to make tofu.
As for the actual process of making tofu, Lu Jiao only taught that to Lady Tian. She also taught her what gypsum was.
The finished mixture was placed inside the container Lu Jiao made to be pressed.
The Lu family surrounded the containers and refused to leave. They wanted to be the first to witness whether or not this thing will turn into tofu.
If successful, the Lu family was going to be craftsmen in the future. Their family will never be as poor as before.
The brothers were very happy.
Lu Jiao took the soymilk to give to Xie Yunjin to try.
"This is soy milk. It's good for your health. Come, try some."
The quadruplets who just tried their share of soy milk ran inside and started to blabber to Xie Yunjin.
"Daddy, it's really yummy. Drink it."
"It's aromatic and sweet."
"Mommy said for lunch, we can eat tofu, which is made from this."
Xie Yunjin took the bowl and asked Lu Jiao, "Did you drink some?"
Lu Jiao nodded, "I did."
She only took two sips. She wasn't that interested in soy milk as she's had plenty in her previous life.
Xie Yunjin didn't say much and started to drink the soy milk. The first gulp brightened his eyes. This tasted great. Very delicious.
After he drank, a circle of white foam formed around Xie Yunjin's lips. Lu Jiao laughed. This man was looking like a cat who just stole food.
Xie Yunjin found this strange, "What are you laughing at?"
The First Born was eager to answer, "Daddy, you have something on your lips. Here."
Xie Yunjin wiped himself and felt the soy milk. So Lu Jiao was laughing at him.
He glanced at her almost angrily but that only made Lu Jiao laugh harder. She turned her head around and asked, "Didn't your daddy look like a kitty who just stole food?"
Xie Yunjin's face turned dark and he stared at Lu Jiao coldly.
Lu Jiao got up to leave. Behind her, Xie Yunjin hissed, "Get a piece of cloth and wipe my hand."
Lu Jiao grunted and ignored him. The four little ones went to comfort their old father.
"Daddy, you didn't look like a cat who stole food. Mommy was wrong. You looked more like an old man with a white mustache."
"No, you look more like a dog with a stripe of white fur."
On the bed, Xie Yunjin's face dropped. Those metaphors were worse than a stealing cat.
Outside the room, Lu Jiao heard the discussion and couldn't help but laugh.
Inside the yard, the Lu family continued to stare at the containers. Lu Jiao checked the time and felt that it was ready.
She said to Lu Gui, "Take off the rock. The tofu should be formed."
Lu Gui happily took away the rock that pressed onto the tofu, then threw away the plank used to separate the rock from the container. Below, he saw the delicious and fresh-looking tofu.
The Lu family all laughed, "We made tofu. This is so great."
Lu Jiao went into the kitchen to grab a knife, and then divided the tofu into a few pieces. She observed and then nodded in satisfaction, "Hmm, not bad. For your lunch, I'll pan fry some, braise some, and stir fry some with vegetables."
There were so many good dishes that could be made with tofu. Mapo tofu, for example, would be amazing to eat. Since she didn't have all the ingredients needed for that, she had to go with a few simpler recipes.
The Lu family, however, was overjoyed.
Other than the few tofu dishes, Lu Jiao also made some sweet and sour ribs, as well as pork hock with beans.
Since she still only had one pan, it took her a long time to cook everything.
She didn't even have enough bowls and chopsticks and had to borrow some from the Second Grandma. Lu Jiao decided to go into town tomorrow and stock up the kitchen.
In the afternoon, the first and second Lu brothers were ready to take their mom home.
Lady Tian, however, didn't leave. She stared at her sons and daughters-in-law and said, "Tomorrow, Jiaojiao is going into town to talk to Dr. Qi. If things go as expected, surgery will happen in two days. There won't be anyone here to take care of the four little ones so I cannot leave right now. I will return after your brother-in-law has surgery."
The two brothers didn't argue and bid farewells to Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin.
Lu Jiao stopped them and handed them a few pieces of paper. There were drawings of the equipment needed to make tofu, "Ask dad to buy a stone mill and some cheese cloths to use as a filter. Then, buy some wooden boxes that can be used to contain the tofu while it's being shaped. Get some buckets as well. I've drawn all of those things here. Take these and do as I have said. By the time mom is back, you'll be ready to make tofu."
The brothers nodded and smiled, "Okay, we will go prepare right away."
The brothers' wives also waved at Lu Jiao, "Sister, go back, there's no need to walk us out. Remember to visit."
Lu Jiao gestured for the quadruplets to say bye to everyone.
The four little ones waved their little hands, "Uncle, aunty, goodbye. Come back soon for playdates."
The first aunt's heart itched at the sight of those four. She promised herself to beat up her son once she went back home. His son was older than them but behaved so much more poorly.
In the afternoon, Lu Jiao took the time to make the children pajamas. They were easy to make. All she had to do was to make a simple sleeveless pullover. For the bottom, she made some plain pants.
Lady Tian had never seen clothes like this and found them very intriguing. She stayed with Lu Jiao to make the clothes inside the west bedroom.
The Third and Fourth Born refused to leave and watched on the side. The First Born spent time with his dad while the Second Born continued to practice fighting in the yard. The two puppies excitedly circled around his feet.
The entire home appeared peaceful and tranquil.
This continued until Xie Xiaobao ran inside and shouted, "Third aunty, you have guests."
Lu Jiao's head hurt. Who was it now?
She got up to greet the guests and found an oxcart outside the trellis. There were two elders sitting on the cart.
Lu Jiao didn't recognize them and wondered if they were at the wrong address. Despite this, she asked warmly, "You are…?"
The way these two stared at Lu Jiao was rather strange. It took a long time for the elder man to speak.
"I am Master Chen from the Town of Qili. I was Xie Yunjin's teacher. I heard he was hit by a horse carriage so I am here to visit him."
Lu Jiao searched her memory. This Master Chen was the teacher who told Xie Laogen Xie Yunjin had talent and urged him to send Xie Yunjin to school.
Xie Yunjin was very much indebted to this man. That thought deepened the genuine grin on Lu Jiao's face.
"Ah, it's Master Chen and Lady Chen, please come in."
The two shot her another look and entered without another word.
Lu Jiao felt like they looked at her weirdly but she couldn't figure out why they would.
Inside the east bedroom, Xie Yunjin was thrilled to see Master Chen and struggled to get out of bed.
Master Chen stared at him for a few seconds before he walked to him and stopped him, "It's alright. Since it's not convenient, you don't need to get up."
Chapter 82: This Kid…?
Lu Jiao brought two chairs from the living room so Master Chen and Lady Chen could sit.
She went to pour two cups of sugar water. The old bowls she had to use made her sigh deeply. Tomorrow, she must buy some new china, including teacups. She didn't need tea leaves as Xie Yunjin's classmates brought some good quality ones last time.
Lu Jiao took the water to the east bedroom. Inside, Xie Yunjin looked at Master Chen with much excitement, "Master, I didn't expect you to visit."
This statement made it clear just how much Xie Yunjin respected Master Chen.
In front of the bed, Master Chen patted his hand and sighed, "I've heard about what happened. You are so unlucky to have been hurt like this."
Lu Jiao handed the sugar water to the elders. The two took it over without any complaints.
Lady Chen even asked Lu Jiao to sit. Lu Jiao didn't. She noticed that they had much to talk about and didn't want to interfere.
Lu Jiao greeted Master and Lady Chen before leaving.
Inside the room, Xie Yunjin spoke in a cordial tone, "Master, there's no need to worry about me. I am fine. Lu Jiao had hired a doctor to treat me. The doctor had told me that my legs can heal."
Master Chen's voice went up an octave, "For real?"
Xie Yunjin nodded, "Yes, the new doctor from Baohe Tang, Dr. Qi, knows how to perform surgery. I will be okay after my operation. There's no need for you to worry."
Master Chen smiled. Out of all his pupils, Xie Yunjin was the smartest he's taught. If he wasn't, he never would've gone to Xie Laogen and convinced him to go study. After that, he never would've wanted his young daughter to marry him. Who knew…?
The thought of his daughter pinched Master Chen's heart. His eyes reddened.
Xie Yunjin noticed it and knew right away what Master Chen was thinking of. Solemnly, he apologized, "Master, I am sorry. It was all my fault."
Master Chen shook his head, "It's not your fault. If you have to blame someone, blame our poor eyesight. Don't be burdened by this."
Lady Chen also spoke up, "Yeah, what happened to YingEr isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. It's all in the past now. I just hope you don't blame us for not connecting with you all these years because of YingEr."
Xie Yunjin was determined to get up when he heard those words. Master Chen pushed him down to stop him.
With his eyes red, Xie Yunjin spoke in a serious tone, "I am forever grateful for everything you've done for me. I am not someone who will ever forget the kindness you've shown me."
Master Chen waved his hand, "Everything you achieved is because of your own hard work. Don't credit me."
Lady Chen asked caringly, "How's your health? Can you go under operation?"
Xie Yunjin nodded, "I have been recovering well. Without any accidents, I can go under the knife in two days."
"What time? Do let us know."
Xie Yunjin shook his head, "You are older now so don't worry about me. Once my legs heal, I will personally go visit you."
While the three chatted, the four little ones peeked inside from the door.
Xie Yunjin called them inside, "Come here and meet grandpa and grandma Chen."
The four little ones ran inside and bowed towards the two, "Grandpa Chen, grandma Chen."
The quadruplets wore identical clothes and had the same hairdo. Master and Lady Chen couldn't really tell them apart like this.
Looking at these four obedient children, they couldn't help but pat their heads, "How cute."
Lady Chen took out some candy from her pocket and gave it to them.
The four little ones thanked her right away, "Thank you grandma Chen."
Their mommy had taught them to be respectful and kind. Those who were rude were not good children. These days, the four little ones were very polite and didn't even need more teaching from Lu Jiao.
Lady Chen was very happy and nodded profusely. She looked at these four children one by one starting from the First Born. By the time her gaze reached the Fourth Born, she froze. This kid…?
Before she could think too much, she heard voices from outside.
"I heard Master Chen is here?"
It was the Village Leader, Xie Fugui. Other than Xie Yunjin, several other children from this village went to study under Master Chen.
Xie Fugui originally wanted to save some money and send his Datou to Master Chen's place to study. So, when the news went around that Master Chen was here, he rushed over.
Inside the east bedroom, Master Chen stood up. He knew Xie Fugui and they started to chat.
Lu Jiao brought in another chair so the Village Leader could sit. During the same trip, she took away the empty water bowls.
Lady Chen couldn't help but study Lu Jiao a little. This woman sure was orderly. The way she moved was confident and outgoing, not at all like a villager raised in the countryside.
She heard that Lu Jiao had a bad reputation. What was that about?
The four little ones followed Lu Jiao out while the adults chatted inside.
After some time, Master Chen and Lady Chen left.
Xie Fugui walked them out along with Lu Jiao. Once the elders were back on the oxcart, Lu Jiao said respectfully, "Once Yunjin's legs heal, I will tell him to go visit you."
Lady Chen warmly welcomed, "Come with him. Bring your four children as well."
Lu Jiao smiled and said bye to Master and Lady Chen.
Once they left, Lu Jiao asked Xie Fugui, "Village Leader, is your oxcart going into town tomorrow? I need to go in tomorrow. Yunjin improved a lot and I need to go have a talk with Dr. Qi tomorrow about his surgery."
Xie Fugui was over the moon to hear that, "I will ask Tieniu to give you a ride tomorrow."
He even added later, "Should I go with you?"
He soon realized that was an awful idea. It was weird to go with Yunjin's wife alone. He laughed, "I'll ask my wife to go with you."
Lu Jiao shook her head, "There's no need. I know Dr. Qi well and I just need to ask him whether or not he can do the surgery. If he can, then we'll make it happen soon. Yunjin's getting impatient."
Xie Yunjin truly was. He wanted to get it all done right away. That way, he'll know for sure whether or not he'll walk again.
Though the doctor had assured him, he was still worried.
Xie Fugui excitedly responded, "When he goes, we will all go with him. This is a big deal for the village."
Xie Fugui turned to leave, "I'm going to discuss this with the Clan Leader to see who we should send into town with Yunjin. This is one of the biggest events for our Xie Village."
Lu Jiao speechlessly watched him leave. She never even confirmed with him she was okay with it.
Since Xie Fugui was now long gone, Lu Jiao had no choice but to walk back to the yard. The Fourth Born pulled on her hands and asked, "Mommy, who were the grandparents that gave us candy?"
"They are the couple who used to teach your father."
The Fourth Born lost interest right away.
"Mommy, are we going to sleep wearing pajamas tonight?"
Lu Jiao nodded, "Yes."
She planned for this and had used medicine from her space earlier to kill all the mosquitoes in the house. If she didn't, the boys would be bitten to death in their little shorts.
The Fourth Born remembered the shorts and his face flushed red, "Those pants are so short. Mommy, I am shy."
Chapter 83: Chen Ying's Death
Lu Jiao was speechless. They were so little yet they knew to be embarrassed.
"You wear that set of clothes to sleep. I'm not asking you to wear them in broad daylight."
She then remembered Xie Yunjin and thought she should fetch him some water.
Lu Jiao said to the Fourth Born, "Go play with your brothers. I'm going to get your daddy some water."
"Okay."
The Fourth Born went to practice fighting with the Second Born.
Lu Jiao discovered that the Second Born was naturally more athletic than the others. Even after practicing for so long, he still didn't get tired and appeared to be even more interested than before. Could it be that this guy was going to specialize in martial arts?
Lu Jiao got some cooled-down boiled water and headed to the east bedroom.
Inside the bedroom, Xie Yunjin was quiet. Lu Jiao sensed some sadness from him. What was wrong?
"Have some water."
The way Xie Yunjin first looked at Lu Jiao was somewhat sharp. However, he quickly remembered that she was no longer the same person as before.
The rage in his eyes calmed down as he took over the water to drink.
Once he was done, Lu Jiao took the bowl and tried to leave.
Behind her, Xie Yunjin started to speak, "The only reason I was able to study was because of Master Chen. He told my father to not make me farm and send me to school. That was why my father sent me. Back then, I had no clothes and no food, so Master Chen took me back to his home to feed me. He even tailored his son's old clothes a little so I could wear them."
As Xie Yunjin spoke, he got more emotional.
"The Master wanted me to marry his youngest daughter, Chen Ying. But Chen Ying was three years older than me and at the time, I was only 15. I didn't know what it meant to be with a woman and all I could think about was how to study better. Chen Ying also treated me as her little brother so neither of us agreed.
Master and Lady Chen were disappointed but they didn't force me. Afterward, they married Chen Ying off to someone else. Who knew that that family would treat Chen Ying poorly because she had trouble bearing children. Her then-husband separated from her and Chen Ying became too ashamed to come home. Afraid that she would embarrass her parents, she went off on her own and lived in a nunnery.
Later, to repay everything I received from Master and Lady Chen, I decided to take Chen Ying as my wife. Unexpectedly, I was drugged and with you …."
Xie Yunjin choked here because this woman was not the original one.
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow. She recalled this novel and remembered that Xie Yunjin's wife wasn't named Chen Ying.
She asked, "Then what happened to Chen Ying."
Xie Yunjin's eyes fogged up.
"She died. Died in the nunnery."
Sadness arose from inside Lu Jiao. How could a life disappear just like that? As a doctor, she's dealt so much with life and death. However, for such a young one to disappear so suddenly made her sullen.
"Did she die of illness?"
Xie Yunjin's eyes darkened but he didn't object.
Lu Jiao knew then that she died of illness.
No wonder Xie Yunjin's wife from the novel didn't end up being Chen Ying. If Chen Ying was still alive, Xie Yunjin would still marry her. How pitiful of a woman. If she was still around, she would have a bright future being the wife of the future First Assistant.
Lu Jiao quickly recalled something else. From her memories, she remembered that for four years, Master and Lady Chen refused to visit Xie Yunjin. This was why she didn't recognize them when they met just now.
"Master and Lady Chen blamed you for Chen Ying's death?"
Xie Yunjin didn't answer which indicated that she was right.
Because of Chen Ying's death, Master and Lady Chen blamed Xie Yunjin and didn't visit him for over four years. This was why she couldn't remember them.
They only visited today because of Xie Yunjin's injuries.
Lu Jiao looked at Xie Yunjin and comforted him, "They are visiting now because you have forgiven you. Don't let it bother you too much."
Lu Jiao remembered what Lady Chen had said before she left, "Lady Chen asked us to go visit with the quadruplets after your legs heal."
Xie Yunjin's mood lifted after he heard that. His entire aura lightened up as a result.
"Yes, once my legs heal, I will go visit them."
Lu Jiao didn't respond and left with the bowls.
The next day, Lu Jiao helped Xie Yunjin with breakfast and medicine, then readied herself to go into town.
Worried that Dr. Qi would delay the surgery, Xie Yunjin grabbed Lu Jiao's hand anxiously and reminded her over and over again, "Lu Jiao, tell Dr. Qi that I have improved greatly. I am no longer nauseous and dizzy and I am ready for surgery."
Lu Jiao calmed him down, "I got it. Don't worry. I will tell Dr. Qi that you are ready for surgery. If we can find a time tomorrow, we'll do it tomorrow morning."
Might as well get this over with.
Lu Jiao understood Xie Yunjin. For a long time, he thought he could no longer walk and would have to spend the rest of his life in bed. For there to be this sliver of hope meant he had to grasp onto it.
Though hopeful, he was also worried that he still cannot walk after surgery. Therefore, he much preferred to do the surgery immediately and find out for himself whether or not he will be able to walk.
Lu Jiao understood him and decided to operate on him tomorrow morning. Once this was done, she would no longer need to worry and would only need to make sure he took his time resting.
Xie Yunjin sighed in relief. Still, he was overthinking it. With a serious expression, he stared at Lu Jiao, "If Dr. Qi is busy tomorrow, please ask him if he could move it around and do my surgery first."
"Alright, I got it."
Lu Jiao tried to take back her hand.
Only now did Xie Yunjin realize that he's been holding Lu Jiao's hand.
His face slipped into an unnatural expression and he let go of Lu Jiao's hand at lightning speed.
Though Lu Jiao's been taking care of him and even carried him a few times, they've never held hands.
Even the thought of it made his cheeks heat up. Growing up, he's never held a woman's hand before. Even though he shared a night with the original host and conceived their sons, the truth was that he had no recollection of what happened.
The more Xie Yunjin thought about it, the more frustrated he got. In the end, he decided to close his eyes and pretend to sleep.
Lu Jiao didn't overthink it and decided to leave. Outside, the four little ones heard that she was going into town and crowded her.
"Mommy, come back early tonight."
"Mommy, are you going to bring back good food for us?"
Lu Jiao smiled at the four little ones, "Remember to listen to grandma and uncle. I'll come back with yummy snacks."
She planned on taking out some fruits from her space today and telling everyone that she got them from Baohe Tang.
Lu Jiao waved bye to Lady Tian, then placed some of the fabric and snacks she got from Xie Yunjin's classmates into her basket.
Last time, she refused to share these goods with Xie Yunjin's parents and told everyone that she was going to sell everything. Naturally today, she had to do as she said, or else the villagers would curse her and Xie Yunjin to death for being unfilial.
Chapter 84: I'll Wait
Lu Jiao left home in a hurry.
Other than organizing the matter of Xie Yunjin's surgery, she had to buy lots of things for the kitchen.
Most of the things she needed to buy should be easy – woks, however, were rare in this day and age. She wondered if she'll be able to find them in town.
Lu Jiao remembered Baohe Tang's Qi Lei and how he came from the Capital City. Perhaps he had a way to get her some good quality woks. After making up her mind, she headed straight to Xie Fugui's home.
On the way there, the villagers all warmly greeted her, not at all displeased to see her like before.
The Village Leader's Tieniu was waiting. Currently, a few people were in his oxcart, including Lu Jiao's first sister-in-law – Chen Liu, the Second Grandma's youngest daughter-in-law – Changmei, Xie Xiaojuan, and two of Lu Jiao's enemies, aunt Guihua and Shen Xiu.
The moment Shen Xiu saw Lu Jiao, hatred poured out of her. She stared at Lu Jiao as if she was waiting for the perfect moment to bite.
Lu Jiao didn't even acknowledge her. She smiled at Xie Xiaojuan, who helped her up the cart and asked her to sit beside her.
The oxcart started to move once Lu Jiao settled down.
Across from her, Chen Liu noticed that Lu Jiao didn't greet her and got angry. She glared at Lu Jiao and demanded in a sour tone, "Ah, does my third sister-in-law have poor eyesight? Or is it because the third brother's recovering soon so you no longer think anything of me?"
Lu Jiao replied nonchalantly, "I didn't think anything of you in the first place. All those things you've done deserve no respect. Why don't you ask the villagers and see how many people actually do think something of you?"
The other women in the cart turned to Chen Liu.
Even aunt Guihua, who didn't like Lu Jiao, refused to take Chen Liu's side.
Chen Liu's face darkened and fire shot out of her eyes. She instinctively wanted to hit Lu Jiao but was scared off by the memories of Lu Jiao's insane strength.
This woman was okay with overstepping her mother-in-law. If she hit Lu Jiao today, Lu Jiao would 100% hit back.
Chen Liu quickly remembered the decision her mother-in-law made last night and couldn't help but smirk.
Ha, she could act triumphant now. Once the third brother leaves her, she won't be able to smile.
Chen Liu managed to make herself feel better and turned away after she glared at Lu Jiao.
Chen Liu was now silent, Shen Xiu however, decided to open her mouth.
"Lu Jiao, you were the one who told Luo Wangcai to steal my money and give it to my mother so she would agree to marry me off. You plotted this."
Lu Jiao knew right away that Shen Xiu had gotten the truth out of Luo Wangcai.
She was not the slightest scared.
Everyone in the oxcart glanced at Lu Jiao in surprise. Was that true?
Lu Jiao coldly snickered, "Shen Xiu, you gave Luo Wangcai 500 tokens and asked him to seduce me. I had to defend myself. What I did is nothing compared to what you did.
I have a husband. You knew that and still asked a man to seduce me. Your only intention at the time was to ruin my reputation. You're a widow and Luo Wangcai is a single man without children. What is so wrong to suggest to him that you would make a good wife? Am I really as evil as you?"
Everyone in the cart now turned to Shen Xiu. With everyone knowing how Shen Xiu felt toward Xie Yunjin, everyone was certain that Lu Jiao was telling the truth.
To become Xie Yunjin's woman, Shen Xiu was willing to hurt Lu Jiao so deeply.
As a widow, she sure had high ambitions. Why would a scholar want to marry a widow? She was living in such a wild dream.
Everyone now despised Shen Xiu.
Shen Xiu felt the hot gazes and remembered how she was very much liked before in this village. Hatred started to form.
"Lu Jiao, I'm not going to let this go."
Lu Jiao snorted, "I'll wait. I am not scared of you."
The grin on Lu Jiao's face made Shen Xiu dizzy and she wanted to pass out. She hated Lu Jiao so much at this moment that she swore silently that she will end this woman. She definitely will.
On the cart, Xie Xiaojuan grabbed a hold of Lu Jiao's hand, worried.
Lu Jiao patted her hand and said warmly, "I am fine. Don't worry."
She then saw the eggs in Xie Xiaojuan's hand, "Are you going into town to sell eggs?"
"Yes, I have a few chickens at home. Every few days, my mother asks me to go into town to sell them."
Lu Jiao heard this and thought about it. She'll tell Xie Xiaojuan another time to sell the eggs to her.
Xie Yunjin and the four little ones needed nutrition and eggs were great for that. She needed eggs and Xie Xiaojuan needed to sell eggs. It was perfect.
Given that there were too many people, Lu Jiao didn't mention it right away.
Xie Xiaojuan thought of what her father told her and whispered to Lu Jiao, "My father mentioned you are planning on teaching the villagers how to identify herbs?"
Lu Jiao nodded, "That's right."
Xie Xiaojuan's lips opened, then closed. She felt that if she asked what she wanted, Lu Jiao might be troubled. If she didn't ask, however, she would feel like she wasted an opportunity.
Lu Jiao grabbed Xie Xiaojuan's hands, "When the time comes, come over and I will teach you."
Xie Xiaojuan was ecstatic, "Thank you!"
"No worries."
Though they were whispering, the oxcart was small and everyone heard their conversation.
Chen Liu in particular almost puked blood. Lu Jiao refused to teach her sisters-in-law but was voluntarily teaching outsiders. What was wrong with her? Hmmph, when the third brother leaves her, Chen Liu won't speak a word in her favor.
Chen Liu was determined.
While Chen Liu was busy being angry, Aunty Guihua was worried. She also knew about the fact that Lu Jiao was going to teach the villagers. She's also heard that Lu Jiao knew medicine and managed to cure Lin family's son with her prescription. That boy's fever couldn't go down even after going to Chuntang Medical Center yet Lu Jiao managed to heal him.
Lu Jiao also helped get rid of the snake poison in Hunter Xu's system. Aunty Guihua personally saw how unharmed Hunter Xu was.
When did that woman become so capable?
Aunty Guihua suddenly realized something.
Could it be that Lu Jiao was going to not teach herbs to her family? If someone in her family got sick, could it be that Lu Jiao would refuse help?
Aunty Guihua shuddered at the thought. This was bad. She has to establish a good relationship with that woman.
That thought made Aunty Guihua's face stretch into a smile – a very rigid one at that.
"Yunjin's wife, you're going into town to sell goods?"
Lu Jiao stared at the bizarre-looking Guihua. Everyone else in the cart also turned to stare.
All the villagers knew that Aunty Guihua wasn't a fan of Lu Jiao. Just what was happening?
Lu Jiao was suspicious. What did this woman want?
Though one should never turn away someone who comes smiling, this smile of hers was truly terrifying.
Chapter 85: Letting go of Ego
Lu Jiao didn't respond and didn't act awkward at all.
Aunt Guihua got up swiftly and squeezed in beside Lu Jiao.
"Yunjin's wife, these days, I've been thinking and regretting my past actions. I shouldn't have fought against you so much in the past.
Now that I think about it, you haven't done anything wrong. I never should've fought against you. I want to apologize to you now, do you think you can forgive me?"
Aunt Guihua stretched out her hands to grab Lu Jiao's and put on a regretful expression.
Everyone else in the cart widened their eyes. This woman was able to forgo her old face and apologize?
Though everyone knew what her intentions were, it wasn't easy for someone to let go of their own ego like that.
Everyone turned to Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao couldn't just keep slapping her in her face. She was older and was willing to let go of her own pride.
"Since you are apologizing, let's let the past be in the past."
This woman wasn't a kind one, but the original host wasn't much better. It wasn't easy for anyone to let go of their ego like Aunt Guihua was doing.
Aunt Guihua started to wipe away her tears, "You are such a kind child. I was so wrong in the past. I am so sorry and I regret everything so much."
Lu Jiao's face darkened. This woman sure was addicted to acting.
"Since you are so genuine, let's both let it go and stop behaving like we used to."
Aunt Guihua's eyes were red as she stared at Lu Jiao and spewed out, "Jiaojiao, your generosity is uncommon. It is no wonder everyone compliments you. You have a heart of gold! How can you forgive someone like me? I committed such sins. You are a real-life buddha."
Lu Jiao's goosebumps appeared.
Everyone else reacted the same. Oh my god, how cheesy was this?
Luckily, the oxcart arrived at their destination. Lu Jiao got out of the cart and Xie Xiaojuan followed.
Since aunt Guihua was older and couldn't move as well, she was the last to get out.
Lu Jiao was now long gone but Aunt Guihua still yelled after her.
"Jiaojiao, I will talk to you later! You are such a kind soul."
Behind her, Tieniu made a face. This old woman sure was shameless.
Xie Xiaojuan made the same comment, "All these years, I never knew that Aunt Guihua had such good acting skills. This is all because she worries that you won't teach her family how to pick herbs. Or else she would never be able to grow thick skin like that."
Lu Jiao chuckled, "It's a skill to be okay with losing face like that."
Her mother-in-law, for example, would never be able to let go of her pride and will always act as if she was the best.
The two chatted a little and then soon departed. Lu Jiao headed to Baohe Tang. Behind her, Shen Xiu followed. After making sure of Lu Jiao's destination, she evilly chortled and headed another way.
Lu Jiao wasn't aware of this and went inside Baohe Tang with her basket.
Inside, Dr. Qi was with a patient while the manager and worker were getting patients' prescriptions ready.
The moment Lu Jiao appeared, Manager Li delegated his work so he could greet Lu Jiao.
He heard that this woman had amazing medical knowledge. Not only did she easily get rid of a ringneck snake's poison, she even claimed that she could do surgery. It was rare to find a doctor who was willing to operate.
The owner of this place had intentions of partnering up with her.
"Lady Lu, come here."
Lu Jiao nodded and Manage Li asked with a grin, "Lady Lu, are you here today to get medicine or to sell herbs?"
Lu Jiao turned to peek at Qi Lei, "I'm here to see Dr. Qi. We have something to discuss."
Manager Li was delighted. Was she here to talk about her husband's surgery?
The three people here in Baohe Tang knew about that matter. Even the idea of surgery excited Manager Li. Was he really going to witness a legendary operation?
Qi Lei heard Lu Jiao and quickly came over after he dealt with his patient.
"Lady Lu, let's chat in the back."
Lu Jiao nodded and went to the backyard with Qi Lei. on the way there, she thanked him, "Thank you Dr. Qi for the furniture you gave me. I will give you money for those later."
Qi Lei declined. He gifted her those because he thought they were practical. Plus, he didn't spend too much on those.
On top of that, he wanted to form a good relationship with her so he could learn from her.
He wasn't sure however if she was willing to teach him.
"It's okay. They aren't expensive things."
Right away, Lu Jiao asked, "Then, Dr. Qi, I wonder if you have any ways of finding me two woks?"
Woks were made out of carbon steel – a rare material in this day and age. Steel in the shape of a wok was even rarer. These days, lots of families still cooked using earthen jars. It wasn't that people didn't want woks, it was that there was no supply.
Qi Lei agreed to help, "Okay, I will try to get you two from the Capital City."
"Thanks, Dr. Qi. How about I pay you upfront?"
"There's no need. Though I am not rich, I have enough money to give you two woks."
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow. This guy's niceness was a little over the top. Did he have other intentions?
Qi Lei beamed and was about to speak when someone in front of them interrupted.
"Lady Lu, you are here?"
Lu Jiao looked forward into the small pavilion up front. There, Baohe Tang's owner stared at her collectedly and almost boastfully. Lu Jiao nodded toward him.
Zhao Lingfeng nodded back and gestured for them to come and sit down. Lu Jiao didn't decline and sat down by the table.
A round table was set in the middle. On top were several pieces of paper full of writing. Lu Jiao didn't try to peek in case there was private information written on there.
Lu Jiao got straight to the point, "I am here today to talk to you about my husband's surgery. My husband was hit by a horse carriage and his legs are dislocated and broken. Surgery is needed to correct the positioning of his legs and to extract all the crushed bone pieces."
Before Qi Lei could speak, Zhao Lingfeng opened his mouth sharply, "How do you know how to do surgery?"
Where does a weak woman learn a skill like that?
Lu Jiao turned to him with a warm expression on her face, "I learned medicine from a masterful grandma. I studied under her for seven to eight years. This is why I am confident I can perform the surgery myself."
The many signs of skepticism on Zhao Lingfeng's face faded a little. However, he still asked curiously, "If you are so skilled, why not tell your husband? Why lie and say it will be Dr. Qi who does the surgery."
Lu Jiao grinned, "Not many people in this world believe that a woman can operate. My husband isn't doing well. If I told him I would be the one operating, he would have many concerns and worries. That isn't good for his health. This is why I want to borrow Dr. Qi's hands."