141 He was giving the Children to her for her to Raise
Xie Yunjin called out, "Lu Jiao."
Lu Jiao indicated for the four little ones to eat. She got some porridge and a plate of veggies and went to the east bedroom.
"Do you want some sheep milk?"
Xie Yunjin declined right away. He had lamb once in the city. He took one bite before he lost interest. Milk from a sheep was likely more gamey than their meat – he wouldn't be able to stomach it.
Lu Jiao didn't persist seeing how much he appeared to hate the idea.
Xie Yunjin was an adult and she's been giving him spiritual stream water and good nutritious food. He would be fine without sheep milk.
The four little ones, however, were far too skinny and small. Even with spiritual stream water, she wasn't sure if they could grow tall. It was better for them to get natural sources of nutrition.
"Have breakfast."
Now that Xie Yunjin could eat by himself and didn't need to be fed, it saved her a lot of energy.
Lu Jiao handed Xie Yunjin the food and turned to leave.
Behind her, Xie Yunjin called out, "Lu Jiao."
Lu Jiao thought he needed something and walked to him, "You need something?"
Xie Yunjin gestured for Lu Jiao to sit. He seemed to really want to talk to her about something, so she sat down and stared at him.
Xie Yunjin's gaze was calm as he spoke slowly, "You have educated the four children well. They are also good kids with morals. If you are able to continue educating them, they will be very filial towards you once they grow up."
Xie Yunjin didn't mention the separation because the four little ones were sitting outside and eating. If he said those words, they would be alerted and scared.
Therefore, Xie Yunjin decided to hint at it. He was certain that Lu Jiao would get it.
But Lu Jiao didn't understand and stared at Xie Yunjin, confused.
Xie Yunjin's heart skipped a beat and asked, "You don't get it?"
Lu Jiao shook her head honestly, "I don't get it."
Can't he straight up say what he wanted to say? Why must he take the detour route to get it out?
Xie Yunjin's eyes darkened and added, "I have thought it through clearly and decided that the children should not grow up without a mother. The mother figure is irreplaceable to children. So…"
A light appeared to flicker on top of Lu Jiao's head. She seemed to have understood.
Her heart pounded and she rejoiced. Loudly, she shouted, "I get what you mean now!"
He was giving the children to her for her to raise! What an unexpected surprise! The gods were truly kind to her.
Xie Yunjin's heart skipped a beat when he saw how happy Lu Jiao got.
This woman got so happy just because they weren't separating. This must mean she liked him just as much as she liked the four little ones.
Xie Yunjin didn't detest the idea. If she was willing to do her best at taking care of the four little ones, he'll allow her to like him.
Did she really have to react this excitedly? Did she like him that much?
Inside the room, Lu Jiao extended her hands and cupped Xie Yunjin's, "Don't worry, I will teach them to love their father."
She knew that even though Xie Yunjin was letting her raise the children, he would never allow them to take her last name. The children would still belong to him. He's simply asking her to take care of them.
She didn't care. As long as she ensures the little guys walk down the right path and don't become villains, she would feel accomplished even if they do end up returning to their father.
Xie Yunjin stared at how Lu Jiao held his hands. It appeared that he was correct to think that this woman liked him. That was fine. As long as she took care of the four little ones, he won't hurt her.
Xie Yunjin gently said, "Go eat your breakfast."
Lu Jiao nodded with a grin, "Okay, call me if you need something."
Xie Yunjin could tell how happy she was, and he couldn't help but notice the positive change in his mood as well.
These two people were having opposite thoughts, yet they were getting along so well.
Outside the room, the four little ones could tell their mommy was in an exceptionally good mood today.
The First Born raised an eyebrow, "Mommy, you seem happy."
The sight of the four little guys brought even more joy to Lu Jiao. How great was it that she didn't need to separate from the children anymore!
She went to kiss each one of the four kids.
"Yes, I am in a great mood. I will make you a lot of good food for lunch."
The four little ones cheered, "You're so great, mommy!"
These days, even the First and Third Born became more outgoing.
The four little ones were getting more and more confident each day. The fearful and carefulness they had before vanished.
Now, they were always smiling with light in their eyes.
After breakfast, the four little ones went to play with their toys. Lu Jiao grabbed medicine to give to Xie Yunjin.
Xie Yunjin brought up teaching Lu Jiao how to read.
Since she'd been so busy, she'd had no time to learn. Now that most things have settled, she could stick to a learning schedule. She must learn all the characters before her separation.
Because then, she'll be able to open her own pharmacy. There was no way she was going to tell Qi Lei she didn't know how to read. That would be embarrassing to admit for a Master.
Lu Jiao smiled at Xie Yunjin, "I'll spend an hour every day after breakfast to learn how to read from you. The kids can play while I do so."
Xie Yunjin agreed, "Then let's get started."
Lu Jiao got out a copy of the Three Character Classic. Honestly, she had it memorized. But it was too time-consuming to match her memory to the characters one by one. It was easier to have Xie Yunjin teach her.
Lu Jiao sat before the desk and waited for Xie Yunjin to start teaching.
Xie Yunjin looked towards the woman at the desk and found her to have lost weight again. Her originally chubby and large face had shrunk. Her almond-shaped eyes and cherry-red lips were now more visible. Though there was still fat on her face, her skin was smoother than silk and the sight of her didn't trigger any disgust. Instead, it brought a gorgeous glow.
Xie Yunjin looked down and found her clothes to have gotten ill-fitting. Since she lost weight, her clothes now hung off her body bulkily.
He remembered the new sets of clothes she bought him and the four little ones last time and he couldn't help but ask, "Your clothes are too big for you now. Why don't you buy some new ones for yourself?"
Didn't all women enjoy looking beautiful? This woman had obviously lost weight and gotten more beautiful, so why didn't she treat herself to some new clothes?
Lu Jiao originally sat in the chair with her back straight and was eager to learn. In the end, she learned nothing, and he started to talk to her about clothes.
Shocked, she looked at Xie Yunjin and found him to be studying her clothes.
Her first instinct was to snap back. What did her clothes have to do with him? She wore what she liked, why did he care?
But she quickly remembered how Xie Yunjin had just given her the children. She calmed down and decided to treat him nicely. After all, he was being nice. And if she pissed him off, he may take back the four little ones.
142 What a Great Day
Lu Jiao smirked and said, "I'm still a little chubby. I'll buy once I'm skinnier. The clothes will fit me even better then."
Xie Yunjin disagreed when she said she wanted to lose more weight.
He thought Lu Jiao looked just right. Though a little chubby, it was nice.
Though in the Zhou Dynasty, thin was considered beautiful, he thought women looked better with some meat on their bones.
Xie Yunjin whispered, "I think you look decent like this."
Lu Jiao started to grind her teeth. She didn't want him to think she was decent, she wanted herself to think he was decent.
For the four little ones, however, she endured.
"Xie Yunjin, we are going to run out of time if you don't teach me soon. The four little ones need to teach the kids later."
Xie Yunjin coughed and started to teach Lu Jiao the characters. He mostly read out loud while she looked at the book.
The Three Character Classic was elementary level for Xie Yunjin. He didn't even need the book to recite it.
Lu Jiao stared at the book and read it one character by character.
The four little ones heard the commotion and dashed over to find their dad teaching their mom how to read. They couldn't help but grin.
Their parents were getting along so well.
The First Born placed his index finger over his lips and gestured for the others to not disturb their mom and dad.
They then silently left. Inside the room, Xie Yunjin saw the children peeking from the door. Lu Jiao, however, didn't notice.
She was focused on the Three Character Classic. She would repeat after Xie Yunjiin and try to memorize the corresponding traditional character in the book.
An hour passed quickly.
Lu Jiao efficiently got some water for Xie Yunjin and dripped a few drops of the spiritual stream water inside.
Lu Jiao smiled at Xie Yunjin in the kindest manner.
The look on her face made Xie Yunjin's cheeks hot. He silently mumbled how publicly she was revealing her emotions. Even if she did like him, she should keep it more reserved. What kind of women displayed their emotions so obviously?
Xie Yunjin wanted to warn Lu Jiao but if he said anything to her, it might give her a hard time. Given how nice she was to the four little ones, he decided to keep silent.
If she wanted to display her emotions, she could. After all, she was his wife.
Xie Yunjin quietly drank his water with his face beautiful like a flower.
Lu Jiao silently enjoyed it then softly said, "I'm going to make lunch. You rest a bit. Call me if you need anything."
Those words danced inside Xie Yunjin's eardrums. Her tone was gentler and merrier than usual.
The decision to not separate was a good one.
His lips subconsciously curled up.
Lu Jiao ignored him and headed outside. At the same time, the four little ones were already bringing the children inside.
There were more children here now than before – other than boys, a few girls showed up too. Even several older children were here now, such as Xie Xiaobao.
Xie Xiaobao was embarrassed to run into Lu Jiao. After all, he was already 13 and he was learning from the four little ones. How embarrassing.
However, his parents forced him to come, saying that knowing a little was better than knowing nothing. He wouldn't have to end up living like a blind man.
"Third aunt."
Lu Jiao nodded and advised, "Study seriously. You lose nothing by learning how to read."
Xie Xiaobao didn't expect Lu Jiao to encourage him instead of laughing at him. At once, he became fueled with energy and nodded, "Third aunt, I will."
Lu Jiao went to prepare lunch. Today was a great day with many good things happening. First, she made 5,000 taels of silver, then she gained custody of the four little ones. The Gods truly were kind to her.
Lu Jiao prepared lunch in high spirits. Today, she planned on cooking a few of her holy grail dishes. She took out one of the fish she bought before and mashed it until it became a paste. She then added radish pieces to it and made them into fish balls. She planned on frying them later – kids loved that dish.
Lu Jiao then marinated the fish head and she was going to make soup with it. She'll also make some braised pork.
She'll make noodles with bone broth that she'll make from scratch. Then, she harvested some vegetables from her garden to make two veggie dishes.
Lu Jiao was happily busy as her heart filled with joy. These days, there was nothing she enjoyed more than healthy living.
Outside the trellis, someone entered and headed straight to the kitchen.
"Jiaojiao, are you here?"
Lu Jiao stopped what she was doing and went to greet Aunt Guihua.
"What is it? Something wrong?" Lu Jiao thought someone from Aunt Guihua's house was sick, so she asked worriedly.
Aunt Guihua flew to her and whispered in her ears, "Jiaojiao, I have some news that you must share with Yunjin."
Before Lu Jiao could respond, she added in an even quieter voice, "You know your family lives beside a sl*t, right? I've been keeping an eye on her every day in case she tries to seduce your uncle. Last night, I saw a man enter her home suspiciously. I couldn't go to sleep after that and kept an eye out all night, wondering who she seduced. Guess who I saw in the end?"
Aunt Guihua mysteriously stared at Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao had a good idea. If things went according to the plan, Widow Wang seduced her father-in-law, Xie Laogen. Why else would Aunt Guihua be here telling her right now?
Lu Jiao pretended to be oblivious and shook her head.
Aunt Guihua lived for this drama, "Your father-in-law, Xie Laogen!"
Lu Jiao appropriately shrieked, "For real?!"
Aunt Guihua went back to whispering, "You kid, why would I lie to you? I didn't get to tell you last night because Xie Laogen is your father-in-law. If I didn't consider you, I would've revealed it to the whole town. I want to slap that Lady Ruan's old face. She keeps acting like she's the boss and her husband is a slave to her.
Now, her man is out there stealing time with other women. I sure want to know how she can still act so arrogantly after this."
Lu Jiao pretended to deny reality and refused to believe this, "Aunty, you must have seen wrong. It's not like my father-in-law to do this. He's scared of my mother-in-law like a mouse is scared of a cat. Where would he get the guts? Don't you think so?"
The certainty Aunt Guihua had disappeared a little. After all, it was dark last night, and she didn't get to see his face. It may not have been him. After all, plenty of men shared similar silhouettes in this village.
Was she wrong? Aunt Guihua originally wanted a praise from Lu Jiao by sharing her discovery but it didn't go as planned. She was a little crestfallen and hissed, "They might not let me catch them again. If I do, I will skin that Widow Wang alive."
143 Helping out Again
Aunt Guihua then said to Lu Jiao with a smile, "Jiaojiao, then I will go harvest some herbs. Did you know that everyone from the village went into the mountains today for herbs? I took some time coming here just to talk to you. I'll leave now."
Aunt Guihua then left to go into the mountains.
These days, every villager was looking for herbs to harvest. There were too many people and the resources got divided up fast. If they didn't go early and get their share, others would.
Once Aunt Guihua left, Lu Jiao went to the east bedroom.
Inside, Xie Yunjin was reading. He felt rather high energy and his legs didn't hurt anymore. When he got bored, he would read.
He sensed Lu Jiao come in and stopped flipping his book and looked up.
Lu Jiao went to him and mumbled in a low voice into his ear, "Aunt Guihua just came to tell me that she saw your dad visit Widow Wang last night."
Though she pretended to deny that was her father-in-law in front of Aunt Guihua, she was silently pretty certain that the man was Xie Laogen.
It was all because her mother-in-law didn't bring much joy to her home and her father-in-law has likely been stressed for a long time. For an understanding young woman to appear at a time like this and heal his pain, wouldn't he embrace that?
Xie Yunjin's eyes darkened and his lips formed into a sarcastic smile.
The thought of his mother made him want to laugh. That woman thought she had everyone in the palm of her hands yet in the end, her man emotionally distanced himself and her son physically distanced himself. He wondered how she would feel about all this.
Xie Yunjin didn't regret his actions. If he didn't stop them once, his father and Widow Wang would've gotten together a long time ago. He helped his mother stop that homewrecker once, yet his mother exiled him the moment he was injured. She also accused him of being unfilial. If she thought that, then he shall truly become unfilial.
Xie Yunjin closed his eyes and leaned back, "Ignore her."
Lu Jiao nodded, "Okay, got it."
She wasn't going to get involved in this in case she became known as the ultimate bad person. It was Xie Yunjin's business and she had no plans to interfere.
Lu Jiao planned on going to cook but Xie Yunjin stopped her.
"Lu Jiao, that wheelchair you designed before… you can ask Uncle Youcai to make it now."
His legs should be able to handle sitting in a chair soon. As long as he doesn't use them like normal, he should be okay.
Lu Jiao agreed with a grin, "Okay, after lunch, I'll visit Uncle Youcai."
Xie Yunjin studied her and realized she was in an extremely good mood today. The grin basically never left her lips and her almond eyes were warm like the Sun.
Xie Yunjin couldn't help but be infected by her positivity and he felt lighter. If he knew not separating would make her this happy, he would've told her sooner.
Lu Jiao didn't know what Xie Yunjin was thinking. She went to prepare lunch happily.
Lunch was naturally lavish. Other than fish balls, braised pork, she made fish head soup, steamed eggs with meat, mushrooms with vegetables, chives with pork, and lastly, she used half of the bones she bought last time to make broth and added noodles to it.
Because of this, not only did Xie Yunjin pick up on her elated mood, but the four little ones also noticed.
The Fourth Born hugged Lu Jiao, "Mommy, you seem to be so happy today. You made so many dishes."
The four little ones didn't know which dish to focus on today. Their mommy was incredible for being able to make so many yummy dishes! They looked delicious.
Lu Jiao pinched the Fourth Born's cheek, "When is mommy not happy?"
Today, she was simply exceptionally happy.
Xie Yunjin had given her custody of the four little ones. How could she not feel thrilled? Before, the idea of separating from the four little ones made her sorrowful. Now that it didn't need to happen, she was naturally euphoric.
She leaned down to kiss the four little guys once each, which made them giggle.
Lu Jiao then rolled up her sleeves and announced, "Eat! I'm confident there's enough for all of you."
The four little ones giggled more because of how she was acting. Even the First Born chuckled heavily.
Lu Jiao scooped out the noodles with bone broth and grabbed a separate plate for the fish balls and braised pork. She delivered them to Xie Yunjin.
"Try these. These are my signature dishes."
Xie Yunjin has been listening to the laughter outside and his handsome had softened to an unspeakable degree. As he watched Lu Jiao enter, his gaze practically emitted light.
"Okay."
Days like this were not bad at all. A kind mother and filial sons allowed him to focus on his studies, so he could become successful and provide for the family.
Lu Jiao placed the food by his bedside and didn't leave right away. Beaming, she told Xie Yunjin, "Today, the villagers all went into the mountain."
Xie Yunjin remembered how Lu Jiao taught the villagers how to identify herbs and felt a wave of appreciation, "Thank you for teaching them."
Lu Jiao shook her head. That was easy for her to do. Plus, if all the villagers harvested herbs daily, the herbs will disappear soon enough. It was never a long-term solution for everyone's financial situation.
Since Xie Yunjin agreed to let her raise the children, Lu Jiao decided to help out the Xie villagers again.
Of course, the main reason was that the Xie villagers were pretty good people themselves. Plus, the pharmacy that she planned on opening with Zhao Lingfeng required a large quantity of medical ingredients. Villages outside of the Xie Village will likely need to start growing medical ingredients.
Lu Jiao thought about it and said, "Honestly, harvesting herbs from the mountains isn't a long-term solution. I have another idea that will benefit the Xie Villagers."
Xie Yunjin raised an eyebrow, "What idea?"
The idea to get the villagers out of poverty interested Xie Yunjin. In the past, he's always wanted to wait until he passed the exam and earned an official title before he figured out some ways to help the villagers. If there were solutions available, naturally he was willing to try them out. After all, this was his home.
Lu Jiao said, "As you know, the Xie Village is near the mountains, resulting in high humidity and lack of sunlight. This is why agriculture here never grows well. I can teach everyone how to keep leeches. Leech is a medicinal ingredient – an expensive one at that. If the villagers can learn how to keep leeches, the Xie Village will never be poor again.
Also, on the hills near the mountain, we can clear the land and plant honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is also a medicinal ingredient. Though not as expensive as leeches, it has a short growth cycle, which will give the villagers additional income."
144 Bad Person vs Good Person
Xie Yunjin looked down and pondered, "Who would they sell the leeches to? It'd be better to find some buyers who are willing to pay a deposit. Only then, would the villagers stop worrying and keep leeches. Everyone would be worried about having to eat the cost and end up with unwanted leeches."
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow. It was no wonder he'll one day become the First Assistant – he was very thoughtful.
"I heard from the Baohe Tang owner that he wants to build a pharmacy, which will need large supplies of medicinal ingredients. If the villagers are willing to keep leeches, I can talk to him."
The mention of Baohe Tang's owner made Xie Yunjin's eyes darken. Lu Jiao was already heavily involved with Dr. Qi, and now she was talking about the owner as well. Who were these people?
However, given that Lu Jiao was coming up with ideas for the Xie village and the fact that she was over the moon about not having to separate, Xie Yunjin calmed down. He told Lu Jiao, "I will have to talk to the leaders about this."
Remembering that Lu Jiao hasn't eaten, he urged her to go have lunch, "Go eat first."
"Okay." Lu Jiao went to have lunch. Back in the living room, the four little ones were dripping oil from eating too aggressively.
The First Born liked the fish balls the best. He pointed to it and asked, "Mommy, what is this called? It's delicious."
Lu Jiao told him it was a ball made out of fish, most suitable for children. Eating fish makes you taller and smarter.
The Second Born pointed to the braised pork, "Mommy, I like this the best. Will eating this make me grow taller and smarter too?"
Lu Jiao used this opportunity to educate the children, "You should eat everything, no matter what kind of food it is. You shouldn't only eat one dish just because you like it more, that will result in a nutritional imbalance. You're still little so you need all sorts of nutrition. Eat everything I cook, okay?"
The four little ones nodded, "We got it, mom."
Lu Jiao smiled and sat down to eat.
Since the dishes were so delicious, the four little ones ended up bloated. Lu Jiao asked them to go walk the dog and lectured them, "No matter how much you like the food, do not eat until you're this bloated. Overeating can hurt your stomach. The food isn't going anymore – whatever you don't get to eat you can eat for dinner."
The four little ones knew they were too greedy so they stayed silent as Lu Jiao lectured.
The First Born was the most ashamed. His face blushed red and he didn't even dare to look at Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao found him funny and her tone softened, "You ate a lot today because I cooked everything too well. I'm sure you won't do it again."
The First Born's eyes brightened and promised immediately, "Mommy, I won't eat until I'm bloated ever again."
The other three chimed in as well, "Mommy, same with me, same with me."
Lu Jiao laughed, "Go walk the dogs."
The children ran outside to walk the dogs.
Lu Jiao cleaned up the dishes, then took the children and their dogs to the Village Leader's home. There, she planned on chatting with Uncle Youcai about the wheelchair.
Many different households resided in the Xie Village. Normally, at this hour, it would be rather clamorous. Today, however, the village was rather empty and quiet.
Lu Jiao knew it meant all the men went farming and all the women went to harvest herbs in the mountain. Now, only the old, young, and weak remained. Despite this, she ran into many friendly faces.
"Yunjin's wife, where are you going?"
"Is something up?"
"First Born, where are you guys going?"
"I will go with you."
Third Grandma's grandson, Gousheng, Aunt Guihua's grandson, Tiedan, and the son from the Qiu family, Niuniu, followed them to visit Uncle Youcai.
Lu Jiao kept an eye on the four little ones as they walked behind her and chatted with their friends. She didn't rush them but did caution them occasionally, "Walk in the shade to avoid sunburn."
There were many trees planted around the village, which provided plenty of cool spaces for the villagers.
If that wasn't the case, Lu Jiao wouldn't even bring the kids out at noon.
It was the end of June and the weather was hot. If they behave uncarefully, they'd get heatstroke.
Even with the weather this hot, the villagers still had to go to their farm to pull weeds and exterminate bugs. Grains were the villagers' lifeline. Without it, they would starve.
Therefore, the idea of leech-keeping was genuinely a good idea. Leeches were extremely expensive on the market and were needed. Plus, leech-taking didn't require a huge time investment before returns are made – the villagers should be able to sell after one year.
Lu Jiao and the children continued to walk to the Village Leader's home. However, halfway there, someone stopped her.
It was Widow Li's daughter-in-law, Xia Lian. The moment Xia Lian saw Lu Jiao, she knelt to the ground with a thump and kotow'ed three times.
"Thank you for saving my life. And thank you for teaching me herbs."
The past few days, her mother-in-law stopped beating her all because she could now harvest herbs.
Xie Lian knew that the only reason the beating stopped was that Lu Jiao took pity on her.
Given the poor relationship between Lu Jiao and her mother-in-law, there was no way Lu Jiao would've taught her family herbs if it weren't for pity.
Xia Lian wasn't the only one aware of this. Her mother-in-law, Widow Li, also knew that. This was why she stopped beating her like she frequently did before.
Xia Lian was very thankful to Lu Jiao and had been looking for an opportunity to pay her respect. Sadly, all of Xia Lian's money was controlled by her mother-in-law and she had nothing to give Lu Jiao except to kowtow.
Lu Jiao didn't expect this woman to do that and she hurriedly went to help Xia Lian stand up, "Why are you doing that! There's really no need. Get up!"
Xia Lian was pulled up. She felt highly anxious because of this and didn't know what to say.
Lu Jiao felt so much pity towards her that it gave her an idea.
If she decides to teach the villagers leech keeping, she could only teach it to the women. That way, the women would be able to get more power and their lives would get easier.
"Are you going into the mountains to harvest herbs?"
Lu Jiao stared at the herbs inside her basket.
Xia Lian smiled and nodded, "My basket is full so I'm going to get this home first and then go again."
"Okay, then hurry and go. Be careful and don't get a heat stroke."
"I got it."
Xia Lian bowed down to Lu Jiao and went home with the basket.
Behind her, the quadruplets watched her leave and asked, "Mommy, she's the mother of Shen Daniu and Shen Erniu, why did you help her?"
The four little ones couldn't understand why their mother would help someone whose children bullied them. Plus, that woman's mother-in-law once tried to blackmail their mother. So why would their mom help Shen Daniu's mom?
145 A Messy Fight
Lu Jiao glanced back at the four little ones and educated them, "A family has many members. Some are good and some are bad. You cannot conclude everyone in the family is bad just because one person is bad. In the future, if you ever run into bad people, you shouldn't deny their whole family. You need to give everyone a chance and decide for yourself if all the individuals are bad."
The four little ones thought about it and decided their mother was right.
They nodded.
The First Born said in a serious manner, "I understand. Our family has bad people and good people. My grandma is a bad person, and so is my little aunt. My second uncle is a good person. My dad and mom are good people."
The other three nodded in unison, "That's right!"
Behind them, Aunt Guihua's grandson, Tiedan chimed in loudly, "I know that! There are bad and good people in my home as well. My grandma is a bad person and my mom is a good person. My grandma always hurts my mom."
Lu Jiao's eyes turned into slits. She wondered just how angry Aunt Guihua would get knowing that's how her grandson viewed her. Aunt Guihua doted on Tiedan yet he thought of her as a villain.
Just in time, Xie Tiedan added, "Though my grandma treats my mom poorly, she's really nice to me. Ah, it troubles me. I don't know what the right thing to do is."
Lu Jiao looked at him. He was young and had a good heart.
"Tiedan, do you want to help your mom and sister?"
Aunt Guihua was highly sexist and only spoiled her son and grandson.
Xie Tiedan nodded, "I do. Tell me how."
Lu Jiao leaned into Xie Tidan's ear and whispered a few words. Xie Tiedan gawked at Lu Jiao in awe, "Third aunt, I can help my mom and sister by doing that?"
Lu Jiao nodded confidently, "I promise."
"Okay!"
Xie Tiedan happily smiled and the First Born couldn't help but ask her, "What did my mommy tell you?"
Xie Tiedan refused to tell and even requested Lu Jiao, "Third aunt, don't tell others."
"Okay."
The group chatted happily and went to the Village Leader's house.
Only Uncle Youcai and three kids were home at the time and Uncle Youcai was making a table. He was surprised to find Lu Jiao, "Yunjin's wife, is something up?"
Lu Jiao nodded. She first gestured for the children to go play before she handed Uncle Youcai the wheelchair design she drew.
"Uncle Youcai, take a look. Do you think you can build me a wheelchair?"
Uncle Youcai studied the design in awe. After some time, he realized it wasn't actually hard to make. He wasn't sure what this was for. It looked like a chair but had two wooden wheels.
"What is this for?"
Lu Jiao didn't conceal information from him, "It's a wheelchair for Yunjin. You know he just had surgery and I don't want him to lie in bed all the time. I thought of making him a wheelchair like this. That way, he can use the chair to go outside and get some Sun. Sunshine is good for bone regrowth and he gets to heal faster that way."
Hearing that it was for Xie Yunjin, Uncle Youcai said seriously, "I'll make it for Yunjin right away."
Lu Jiao nodded, "Thank you, Uncle Youcai."
Uncle Youcai was a craftsman. An honest one at that. He got shy and scratched his head when Lu Jiao thanked him, "Yunjin's business is our business. There's no need to thank me."
He then paused, which made Lu Jiao curious.
"What is it?"
Uncle Youcai asked, embarrassed, "If someone else wants a similar chair, can I make it for them?"
He added, "Of course, I can share the money I make with you."
Lu Jiao smiled, "There's no need to give me money. If there's a need, then help them out."
Lu Jiao left. When she reached the entrance, she heard noises in front of the yard. There was arguing and cursing.
Lu Jiao's expression changed and left in a hurry. Behind her, Uncle Youcai followed.
The yard was now a mess. There were eight to nine children beating each other up. Lu Jiao couldn't even tell what was going on. Worried that her four little ones would get hurt, she yelled, "Stop!"
Hearing her fury, the little children separated and stood by the side.
Lu Jiao finally saw the groups and what went on.
The four little ones led a group of kids and fought against Maodou and Caidou.
Maodou was okay, but Caidou's face was injured. There were two long cuts on his face and he lost a big chunk of hair. His clothes were also in disarray.
Caidou's never been treated like this. Before his family exiled Xie Yunjin, the villagers all treated his family with the highest respect. They also treated Maodou and Caidou very nicely. Even when they got in trouble, the villagers didn't really provoke them.
Who knew this time, the children would join the four little ones and beat them up?
Maodou and Caidou's faces appeared unpleasant. Caidou straight up cried and pointed at the four little ones, cursing, "You bastards! Don't you think about stepping into my home ever again! We don't have cousins like you!"
The four little ones fought back, "Cousins like you are not something to be treasured! You don't deserve to be our cousins! You treat us badly, steal our food, and always hit us! We would rather have other boys as our cousins than have you!"
Caidou heard that statement and cursed even louder, "You bastards! This is all because of that b!tch mother of yours! You now have animal hearts! My grandmother had spoken, sooner or later, she'll make the third uncle get rid of your mother! Once you're back, just you wait on what pain awaits-"
Before Caidou could finish, Maodou interrupted him, "Shut up."
Maodou was 11 this year and had studied for a few years by now. He knew Caidou's words were hard to hear and stopped him from talking more.
Caidou knew then that he had spoken too aggressively. He quieted down.
The four little ones that stood before them were now red in the face from fury. They wanted to beat Caidou up more. It was fine for him to call them names, but their mommy was great. How dare he call her names?
Lu Jiao held onto three of the boys and then asked the First Born, "What happened? Why did you get into a fight out of nowhere?"
The First Born angrily pointed at Maodou and Caidou.
"We were playing in the yard, then Maodou came with Caidou. He forced us to reconcile with Caidou. We ignored him so he grabbed our hands and made us shake hands with Caidou. We tried to get away but he was too strong. In the end, Caidou got angry and started to hit us. Then, we all ended up fighting."
146 Asking for an Explanation
Maodou argued back immediately, "Third aunt, we are cousins from the same family. We shouldn't be so distant."
Lu Jiao glared at him and mocked, "Now you're cousins from the same family? How come I never saw you protect your little cousins or share food with them? I never see you help them out and instead, you make your three-year-old cousins do all the work. After leaving them with all the work, you go into town to study. How dare you come out here today to say, you're cousins from the same family."
Lu Jiao thoughtfully added, "Now that your third uncle's legs are healed, you want to be a family again. It's truly sad that you spent a few years studying because you haven't seemed to learn anything about shame."
Maodou's face turned bright red. He wanted to say more but Lu Jiao stopped acknowledging the two brothers.
She asked the four little ones, "Are you wounded?"
The four little ones shook their heads, "No, brother Mutou, Niuniu, Gousheng, and Tiedan helped us."
Mutou was Uncle Youcai's youngest son. He was nine this year and was very good at fighting. Since he took the four little ones' side, they didn't get hurt.
Lu Jiao thanked Mutou, "Thank you, Mutou, for helping out your little brothers."
Mutou embarrassingly shook his head, "They're little. It's my job to protect them."
Lu Jiao then thanked Niuniu, Gousheng, and Tiedan. She even took out candy and asked the First Born to thank the others.
"Give each of your friends two pieces of candy to thank them for helping you out."
The First Born happily took the candy and distributed them.
The boys happily rejoiced.
Across from them, Maodou and Caidou burned with anger. The image of other kids eating candy made their eyes go green from greed.
In the end, Maodou lost it and ran home to rat.
Lu Jiao took the four little ones home. Behind her, Gousheng, Niuniu, and Tiedan were so excited they promised the four little ones to help them fight again if similar things happened.
The children all went home happily. In the end, it was just Lu Jiao and the four little ones.
The quadruplets were a little unsettled. They carefully looked up at Lu Jiao, who pretended not to see.
The First Born frightfully asked, "Mommy, we didn't want to fight. Maotou hurt us and that's why…"
The Second Born interrupted, "We should've hit back! I think we went too soft on them. They cursed at mom! The next time I see them, I will hit them again!"
The Third Born grabbed Lu Jiao's hand, "Mommy, don't be mad."
The Fourth Born hugged Lu Jiao's arm, "Mommy, smile. You're so pretty when you smile. There's nobody in the village prettier than you."
Lu Jiao stopped walking and looked down. She then knelt down to talk to them, "I'm not angry but I have to be clear with you."
The four little ones lined up and stared.
Lu Jiao said seriously, "It's okay to fight as long as you are on the moral high ground. If you have no reasons to fight and hurt others, I will punish you. Of course, what happened today wasn't fully your fault. It was Maodou and Caidou who provoked you. Therefore, I won't punish you."
The four little ones felt instant relief and started to compliment Lu Jiao.
"My mommy is the best."
"She's the best!"
"Mommy even gave us candy to share."
"Brother Mutou and them were so happy!"
Since they brought it up, Lu Jiao added, "You have to treat those who help you well. Only then, will you build a bond. Only then, will they continue to help you and be loyal to you."
Lu Jiao said to the Second Born, "Second Born, you want to be a general one day, right? A general has many soldiers under his wing. To gain loyalty from them, you have to make sure they want to follow you and sacrifice their lives for you.
And you three, you have to remember that if you want to be a leader, you need numerous followers. You have to treat them nicely and make them want to believe in you and gain their trust. They have to want to work for you."
The four little ones couldn't fully understand but they felt like they understood a bit.
Lu Jiao didn't expect them to get it right away. She'll just have to slowly educate them.
The five of them returned home.
As soon as they got home, the children from the village slowly arrived for their reading lesson.
Before the lesson could start, however, Chen Liu's furious voice came from outside the trellis, "Lu Jiao, get your @ss out here right now!"
Lu Jiao was in the east bedroom telling Xie Yunjin about the wheelchair.
"Uncle Youcai said he'll make it for you soon."
Xie Yunjin nodded and asked worriedly, "He should be able to make it, right?"
"It's no problem. He looked at the design and understood it quickly. I'm sure he can make it."
The wheelchair was going to be made fully out of wood. It was easy for any craftsman.
It was then that Chen Liu's voice carried inside. Xie Yunjin's expression changed right away. He asked Lu Jiao, "What happened?"
Lu Jiao angrily told him what happened between the four little ones and Maodou and Caidou.
"Don't you think everyone in that family has lost their minds? They keep on provoking us."
Xie Yunjin's face was unspeakably dark and his gaze was cold, "Endure it until I can move around."
It was because he was restricted that those people never stopped bothering them. Once he is healed, he will make sure they lose the energy to interfere with their lives.
Lu Jiao went into the yard, there, Chen Liu and Caidou yelled at Lu Jiao, "Look at what your kids did to my Caidou!
Before, my Caidou hit your kids so you brought your kids to my house, asking for an explanation. Now it is your turn to provide an explanation!"
All the kids who were learning how to read went outside to watch the show.
In front of her house, Lu Jiao snickered and said unwelcomingly, "Explanation? What explanation? Should I explain how your sons harassed my sons and forced them to make up with each other? Or should I explain how your sons called me a b!tch who raised bastards? Your sons spoke those words rather easily. I sure want to know how you managed to raise boys who only knows bad words."
Lu Jiao didn't want this to go on forever and pointed at the gate, "Get the hell out of here. My family does not want to be tied to yours in any way. If you don't leave, I will drag you out."
Lady Ruan, she had to think of her own reputation given that she was her mother-in-law. Towards Chen Liu, she had nothing to fear. Nobody in this village even knew who Chen Liu was. There was no reason to be nice to her.
Chen Liu's face went dark and she looked at her son.
When she saw how beat up her son was, she brought him over right away without finding out all the details.
Who knew her son cursed at the four little ones and at Lu Jiao?
No matter how bad of a person Lu Jiao was, she was the wife of a scholar and she got to keep that title as long as the Third Brother doesn't leave her. In the future, if they still wanted to benefit from the Third Brother position, they had to maintain a good relationship with Lu Jiao.
147 Allow them to Bounce Around a Few More Days
In front of the trellis stood several seniors. They were here to watch the show. When they heard what Lu Jiao had said, they couldn't help but scold Chen Liu.
"How did you raise your children? They are calling their own aunt a b!tch and their own cousins bastards. Those are not words children should say."
"Her sons are not going to have a future if they already behave like this."
"It's a shame for our village to have children like this."
Chen Liu's face became uglier and uglier as she listened to the villagers.
She turned to Lu Jiao, "How can you believe children's words so easily? Look at how badly your kids hurt Caidou. They're blood-related cousins! How could they be so cruel towards their own cousins?"
Even now, Chen Liu was trying to get the children to make up.
Before Lu Jiao could speak, the quadruplets walked out and said with their heads held high, "We don't have cousins like them. They cursed our mother! They're our enemies."
After the First Born spoke. The Second, Third, and Fourth Born all nodded in unison, "Exactly."
The memory of Caidou cursing out his mom made the Fourth Born furious. He angrily shouted, "He called my mommy a b!tch! You're the b!tch! Your whole family is a b!tch!"
Lu Jiao coughed instantly. The Fourth Born turned to Lu Jiao, "Mommy, I won't curse anymore."
Lu Jiao then said to Chen Liu, "You need to leave. If you refuse, I will have to throw you out."
She then walked up to Chen Liu and her son. When Chen Liu remembered how Lu Jiao looked when she beat up people, she shuddered and ran away with Caidou.
Outside, the Second Grandma and the others sincerely lectured Chen Liu, "Daqiang's wife, you need to educate your children. Or else you'll be the ones suffering when they grow up."
"Yeah, boys need to be scolded and punished to know how to be a man. Only if they are educated, will you get to enjoy life later."
Chen Liu pulled Caidou away, ignoring those people. Once she got to a place with nobody else around, she finally cursed at her son, "How are you so stupid? I told you to make the quadruplets happy yet you go around cursing them?"
Caidou's been doted on all his life and he's never suffered such a loss. When he heard Chen Liu's criticism, he angrily howled, "You're not my mother! They hit me yet you curse at me!"
He then turned around and ran away. Currently, he was highly jealous of the quadruplets. Look at how nice their mother was! After they fought, she took out candy for the kids who helped her sons. With his own mother, he got scolded after he got beat up! His mother also got so scared by his third aunt and she ran away fast like a rabbit. How useless.
Back at the Xie yard, Lu Jiao got rid of Chen Liu and Caidou. She asked the quadruplets to go back to teaching.
Since the village kids have never learned any words before, the quadruplets were only able to teach a few sentences each day.
The First Born was responsible for teaching them the pronunciations of each word while the Second Born taught them how to read the different characters.
The Third Born was responsible for checking up on their knowledge and quizzing them to make sure they didn't forget what was taught previously.
As for the Fourth Born, he asked the kids to flip through the book and find characters on later pages that match the words they just learned. That way, he could ensure they fully understood.
Lu Jiao went back to the east bedroom.
There, Xie Yunjin's brows were filled with coldness.
Lu Jiao was now also in a bad mood. That Xie family always brings her down.
She silently exclaimed how lucky she was to separate from Xie Yunjin soon. Or else she would have to see those people occasionally her entire life. They were so annoying she was willing to hit them with sticks.
Lu Jiao went to the chair by the desk and glared at Xie Yunjin, "Your family is full of special people."
Xie Yunjin didn't fully understand but he didn't want to clarify. He turned to Lu Jiao and smiled.
"Only a few more days of injustice."
Lu Jiao couldn't really comment further after that.
Xie Yunjin's gaze softened, "Once I can move around, I'll make sure they won't be able to provoke you anymore."
Lu Jiao remembered the plot Xie Yunjin set up against his mother – it hadn't even come to fruition. Once that news comes out, Lady Ruan will likely cause more trouble.
As for Xie Daqiang and the others, Xie Yunjin will take care of them once he has more mobility.
Those thoughts cheered Lu Jiao up. She grinned back, "Once you can move around, you can get rid of Xie Daqiang and the others if they come here."
Xie Yunjin agreed right away, "Sure."
Lu Jiao felt better since he accepted right away.
With her smile bright, she decided, "I will allow them to bounce around for a few more days."
Keeping her smile, she left the room, "I'll go fetch you some water."
Her happy, warm, and flower-like smile put Xie Yunjin in a much gentler mood.
Lu Jiao got some water from the kitchen and added some spiritual stream water. Since Xie Yunjin gave her custody of the quadruplets, she will take care of him well these last few months.
Her behavior, however, made Xie Yunjin misunderstand that she was in a good mood and was now highly proactive because she was happy they would no longer be separating.
It appeared that she liked him just as much as she liked the four little ones and the idea of staying together made her happy.
Her mood often determined his mood.
Later in the day, Lu Jiao took the four little ones up the mountain. The Second Born brought his slingshot and vowed to hunt down a wild chicken. The Fourth Born took his bamboo sword and promised to protect his mother.
Lu Jiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she took the children up the mountain.
This time, the kids made it to the top. However, they did need breaks in between.
Once at the top, Lu Jiao took out some candy for them to share.
The kids ate and rested. With more energy now, they strolled around excitedly.
This was their first time up the mountain and they were interested in everything. Even the wildflower made them curious
"Mommy, what is this?"
"That is creeping thistle. Though it's wild, it's very valuable and can stop bleeding."
"Mommy, what is this? It looks like a dog's tail."
The First Born pulled some Setaria and inquisitively looked at Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao smiled, "That's Setaria. It's also a medicine."
The First Born stared at Lu Jiao in awe, "Mommy, you're amazing. You know everything."
Before Lu Jiao could answer, the Fourth Born chimed in, "Of course my mommy is amazing."
Lu Jiao and the First Born both laughed. Just then, the Second Born's excited scream was heard, "Mommy, come here! Look! What is this? Can I eat it?"
148 Making Big Money
Lu Jiao was worried that the Second Born would eat something toxic so she hurried over with the First and Fourth Born.
The Second and Third Born were picking some kind of berry off the ground. Lu Jiao recognized them to be wild hawthorn.
Wild hawthorn didn't taste good. They were sour and bitter. However, those hawthorns gave Lu Jiao some inspiration – she could try to make the four little ones some tanghulu. Though she had no rock sugar, she had powdered sugar she could try to use.
Lu Jiao looked up at the hawthorn tree. Wild hawthorn trees were relatively tall. The tree before her was around three meters.
On top of the tree were ripe hawthorns.
"These are wild hawthorns. It boosts appetite. However, eating it raw isn't very tasty. We can gather some and bring them back. I'll make tanghulu for you."
The Second Born asked excitedly, "what is tanghulu?"
"They're sugar-coated hawthorns. I promise you it's good."
The taste of sweet and sour can be very satisfying.
Lu Jiao went up, put her arms around the tree, and shook it. The hawthorns on top fell down.
"Pick those up."
The four little ones picked up hawthorns breathlessly.
They didn't leave until they filled half the basket.
"Okay, it's late. Let's go back and make dinner. We can come back tomorrow. Ah, I will teach you how to climb trees tomorrow."
Tree climbing was also a good strengthening exercise. However, it was a little dangerous and she had to ensure the children knew the rules.
"Mommy, you know how to climb trees?"
The quadruplets were in shock. Though they knew people who climbed trees, they were all men or boys.
The four little ones were always amazed to see others climb trees. They didn't expect their mother to know tree climbing as well.
Lu Jiao smiled and nodded, "I do know how. However, you have to agree to a few conditions before I teach you."
The Second Born quickly answered, "Mommy, tell us."
He was the most interested in sports out of the kids and all these new exercises excited him.
The Third and Fourth Born liked sports as well. The First Born was the least interested. However, he still ends up doing it with the other three every time.
Lu Jiao said to the children, "One, you can only climb trees when adults are around. This is because tree climbing is dangerous even though it's an exercise that trains your agility and quickness. Therefore, there must be adult supervision when you climb trees.
Second, when you climb trees, you cannot do it near a cliff, river, or other dangerous regions. You have to find safe places when you climb trees. Also, all four of you cannot do it at the same time. Only one of you can climb at a time.
Three, you cannot compete with others. I don't want you to forget the dangers because you're competitive."
The four little ones listened and agreed, "Mommy, we got it."
Lu Jiao and the children climbed back down. The Second Born asked repeatedly, "Then, we start learning tomorrow?"
"That's right."
The five of them then happily returned home with their hawthorns.
Back at home, the four little ones went to Xie Yunjin's room to share with him everything that happened today. Lu Jiao went to prepare dinner.
She just started when Lin Chunyan came over to help.
Lu Jiao asked her caringly, "How was harvesting herbs today? Did you run into any danger?"
Lin Chunyan was very satisfied and she was in a great mood, "We harvested a lot. Huzi and my father-in-law went into town to sell them. I wonder how much we'll get for everything."
Lin Chunyan then asked Lu Jiao, "Third aunt, I harvested kudzu root today, a lot of it."
Lu Jiao grinned, "That's great. Kudzu roots are not cheap. You should earn a lot."
Lin Chunyan stood up and thanked Lu Jiao, "Thank you. You're truly my family's savior. Ah, no, you're the whole village's savior."
Lu Jiao brandished her hands, "We are all neighbors. I feel good if you do well."
Lu Jiao then remembered the textiles she bought for the four little ones. She hasn't made them into clothes yet.
Since Lin Chunyan insisted on helping, why not ask her to help with the sewing? That would be helpful for both of them.
Lu Jiao knew how to treat illness and how to cook. With sewing, however, she was truly helpless. She hasn't made anything out of the cloth she bought because she had no confidence in her skills and was worried about wasting the materials.
"Chunyan, can I ask you for something?"
Lin Chunyan was happy to respond, "Third aunt, tell me."
"Though I know medicine, I'm truly useless with sewing. Can you make a few sets of children's clothes for me?"
Lin Chunyan was an expert at sewing. She nodded aggressively, "Of course. Let me help you."
Lu Jiao was terrified that she would work through the night and prefaced, "I'm making it for the children and there's no rush. You can do it slowly when you have time. Remember, don't work at night. If I find out you work endless hours because of me, I'll never ask for your help again."
Lin Chunyan's heart warmed. Her third aunt was a great person.
Lu Jiao went to get the textile she bought for the quadruplets.
"Here are three pieces of cloth. With these two, you can make one set for each of the kids. You can decide on the style. This piece is for sleeve pajamas. Basically, for them to wear to bed. It'd be better to keep it simple."
"Okay."
Lin Chunyan took the cloth and went home. Lu Jiao warned her again to not do work at night and only work when she had the time. The children had clothes and weren't in a rush.
All night, the Xie Village was rather rowdy.
Since everyone harvested herbs in the morning, they were worried they wouldn't be able to cash out so they all went into town at night to sell everything to Baohe Tang.
Baohe Tang actually did buy their herbs. Some of the herbs were also relatively expensive. For example, the Village Leader got some Polygonatum. That plus some other herbs earned the Village Leader three taels of silver.
Village Leader Xie Fugui and his son Xie Tieniu almost fainted. They walked out of Baohe Tang jelly-legged. To earn three taels of silver in one day…
They never imagined earning money in such a manner.
The Village Leader and Xie Tieniu bought a giant bag of pork buns in town and brought them to Xie Yunjin's home.
They weren't the only ones to bring gifts. Many families brought stuff to the Xie family.
Everyone made money today. The big earners made three tales of silver, the less fortuate earners still made 700 to 800 tokens. Everyone was thrilled.
"Thank you, Yunjin and Yunjin's wife. You're our savior!"
"If you ever need anything, tell us and we will do everything we can to help."
Inside the east bedroom, both Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao politely told everyone that there was no need for all this.
Most of the families didn't earn as much as three taels of silver. However, they were still overjoyed and bought gifts to show their appreciation.
149 Something was Wrong with his Head
The villagers wouldn't take no for an answer and left all the gifts to Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao.
Stuff filled the east bedroom. Other than food from town, the villagers brought eggs and vegetables from their homes.
Lu Jiao felt overwhelmed. Luckily, she had her space to put all this in. Or else she'll never finish all this food.
Xie Yunjin also felt a headache and suggested, "The food will likely go bad if we just put them here. Why not give some to your mom?"
Naturally, Lu Jiao didn't object. Sadly, she had no time to go right now. She had promised the four little ones she'd take them the next time she went.
With Xie Yunjin still bedridden, if she took the children with her, he would be home alone.
Lu Jiao thought about it and shook her head, "I don't have to go right now. I will store what I can and pickle some vegetables. That will help the shelf life."
She'll put everything into her space and pretend to have pickled some.
Xie Yunjin didn't persist.
Lu Jiao started to clean up and the four little ones helped her.
"Mommy, we will help you."
The four little ones were very proud to have Lu Jiao as a mother right now. Not only was she amazing, every one appreciated her and loved her whole family as a result.
Though the villagers never treated the children poorly before, they weren't as warm as they were now.
Not only were the children helping them, but the adults also smiled at them. So if you help others, others are thankful to you.
The four little ones felt like they opened the door to a whole new world.
Lu Jiao cleaned up all the stuff off the ground and brought the four little ones to the kitchen to make tanghulu.
She made one tanghulu for each one of them. They wanted more but Lu Jiao stopped them and put away the rest. She told them to eat more tomorrow to avoid getting cavities.
Lu Jiao washed them up and planned to tell them a story. That was when she realized that Xie Erzhu didn't show up tonight.
Why was that? Lu Jiao went to ask Xie Yunjin, "How come the Second Brother didn't come today?"
Every night, Xie Erzhu would come over and help Xie Yunjin. Yet today, he still hasn't shown up. Could something have happened?
Xie Yunjin had a troubled expression. It was most likely that his brother was kept by his mother.
That possibility annoyed him to no end and he coldly snickered.
However, by the time he looked at Lu Jiao, his face was gentle, "I don't think he'll come tonight."
Lu Jiao knew then that Xie Erzhu likely didn't come today because his mother had some kind of plan for Xie Yunjin. It was likely Chen Liu went home and complained about Lu Jiao to Lady Ruan, which caused Lady Ruan to ban Xie Erzhu from coming.
That group of people was truly disgusting.
Lu Jiao asked, "What do you want to do for tonight then?"
She didn't mind helping Xie Yunjin with the portable potty. Sadly, the future First Assistant wasn't willing and acted like she was taking advantage.
"What if I go get someone else? I think Xue Duojin is a good choice."
Xie Yunjin declined. He couldn't accept anyone helping him with this other than his brother. The only reason he was okay with Xie Erzhu doing it was because they grew up together and he was used to it.
"It's okay. I can take care of myself. Help me get a chamber pot."
Xie Yunjin felt awkward. However, he remembered that Lu Jiao was his wife, and he calmed down. Since he had accepted Lu Jiao, they will eventually do wife and husband things. Therefore, from now on, he should get used to Lu Jiao existing in his life.
Xie Yunjin then looked at Lu Jiao calmly.
Lu Jiao was the one who was stunned this time. Before this man acted like she was taking advantage of him yet now, he acted like this was all normal.
Since Xie Erzhu wasn't coming, she had to take matters into her own hands.
Lu Jiao found the chamber pot and passed it to Xie Yunjin.
Other than his legs, Xie Yunjin was fine moving around. He took the chamber pot and planned on peeing in it.
Lu Jiao was self-aware and left the room, making Xie Yunjin sigh. Though he decided to accept Lu Jiao, this felt weird.
Her leaving made him very relieved.
Soon the sound of peeing could be heard. Only once it stopped did Lu Jiao go back in and took the chamber pot away. She dumped it then washed it, along with her hands.
It used to always be Xie Erzhu who helped wipe down Xie Yunjin every night. Since he wasn't here, Xie Yunjin had to do it himself today.
Lu Jiao asked quickly, "Do you need my help?"
She said it out of courtesy thinking that Xie Yunjin would for sure decline. However, Xie Yunjin softly agreed, "Okay."
Lu Jiao thought she heard him wrong and stared at him in awe.
She must've heard him wrong… she must've.
Xie Yunjin saw how round Lu Jiao's eyes got and thought she looked just like a small scared animal. His mood lifted and he wanted to make fun of Lu Jiao.
"What is it?"
Lu Jiao shook her head, "Nothing. I'll go get some water."
She was simply too shocked. Before, this man acted like she was the thief that he needed to avoid. Yet now, he was okay with her wiping him down. Something's not right. What was the problem?
Lu Jiao couldn't figure it out.
Back inside the room, Xie Yunjin chuckled. Only when Lu Jiao returned with hot water did he go back to acting like his nonchalant self.
Lu Jiao went to the bed and asked, "Do you want to unbutton your underclothes, or should I?"
She asked just in case he starts acting like she was harassing him again.
Xie Yunjin didn't ask her to do it. He lifted his hand and started to unbutton his underclothes. The movements were simple yet he managed to make it flirtatious. On top of that, he also kept his gaze directly on Lu Jiao, appearing almost predatory.
Lu Jiao felt more and more like something was wrong.
Could it be that he was having a fever and his head was now dumb?
She placed her hand on Xie Yunjin's forehead to check. He did not have a fever so why was he acting like a different person?
Lu Jiao couldn't find an answer. She took a handkerchief and soaked it in the water. She then wrung it before she wiped Xie Yunjin down.
Though it was summer time, Xie Yunjin wasn't sweaty since he wasn't outside and exercising. Lu Jiao wiped him down simply and quickly.
Xie Yunjin's expression, however, made her speechless.
She was just wiping him down yet he acted like he was enduring pain with much difficulty. It appeared that he was straining himself because of this one act.
Since he was born pretty, his strained face looked like a delicate flower being scrunched. And she was the devil who dared to hurt an innocent flower.
150 Symbol for Good Luck
Lu Jiao shuddered at the thought and she couldn't help but ask, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Xie Yunjin sighed and then carefully spoke, "I'm not used to a woman wiping my body."
Lu Jiao speechlessly raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't he have just spoken up instead of acting like a poor victim?
"If you are not used to it, you can just wipe yourself."
Lu Jiao handed him the handkerchief. After all, his legs were injured, not his hands. She could just jump in and help wipe his legs later.
Xie Yunjin however, didn't take it. He stared at her and said slowly, "I have to get used to it sooner or later. You should do it."
Lu Jiao frowned. What was the meaning of that? How did this quick cleanup end up being so troublesome? Lu Jiao was a little annoyed and started to move quickly to get this over with.
She moved too quickly, however, and the man in bed voiced, "It hurts. Slow down."
Lu Jiao slowed down but the pressure she applied didn't change. The man in bed added, "Too strong."
Lu Jiao felt like this whole situation was getting very uncomfortable. Just what was happening?
In the end, she roughly finished up and left.
Behind her, Xie Yunjin thoughtfully watched her. Was she embarrassed? That could be it. A woman always gets embarrassed when looking at a man's body.
Xie Yunjin wondered just what kind of person Lu Jiao was. She got embarrassed and shy easily, which meant she must be younger than him.
But her medical knowledge changed his mind. For her to have so much knowledge about medicine, could she be really old?
Was she a grandma? Xie Yunjin got scared by his own thoughts.
He soothed himself. No way. If she was a grandma, why would she get so shy?
Lu Jiao didn't know Xie Yunjin had so many thoughts. She dumped the water, washed up herself, then went back to the west bedroom to tell the children a bedtime story. Because she took so long, the four little ones had fallen asleep all over the place.
Lu Jiao didn't bring them to the east bedroom and allowed them to sleep on her bed.
The next day, it was time for Lu Jiao to remove Xie Yunjin's stitches. The Village Leader, Clan Leader, and a few elders all came.
Lu Jiao first got rid of the plank that held his legs in place. Then, she ripped open the bandages and revealed the cut.
His wounds were healing extremely well. There was only a string thick line visible on his legs and nothing else.
The leaders couldn't help but exclaim, "Dr. Qi is an amazing surgeon. You cannot even see the scar."
The Clan Leader added, "I heard that surgery frequently caused the cut-up area to rot and produce yellow puss. I thought it usually takes a very long time and lots of medicine to get well again. It looks like Dr. Qi's technique is very different from others."
Xie Yunjin stared at his legs in satisfaction. At first, he was worried his legs would scar so badly that it would scare off people. It looks like he was worried for nothing.
Xie Yunjin subconsciously looked to Lu Jiao, who glared and ignored him. She then tied the planks back onto his legs.
Inside the room, the Village Leader asked, "Yunjin's wife, do we need to get Dr. Qi here to do an examination and double-check his wounds?"
Lu Jiao shook her head, "There's no need. Dr. Qi had said, as long as his legs don't dislocate again, he'll be fine."
The Village Leader laughed, "That's great news! Yunjin can go back to studying again."
The Clan Leader stroked his beard, "It's so great that Yunjin is unharmed."
Despite Dr. Qi telling them the surgery was a success, the leaders were still worried. Now that they personally saw the healed wounds, they finally felt settled.
Xie Yunjin, in a good mood, looked to the leaders and said, "Leaders, I have something I wish to discuss."
The leaders all sat down and waited.
Xie Yunjin patted the bed, a gesture to ask Lu Jiao to sit.
Lu Jiao knew then that he wanted to discuss the matter of leech keeping.
She didn't comment and sat down.
Xie Yunjin turned back to the leaders and elders, "Though Lu Jiao had taught everyone herb harvesting, it's not a long-term business."
Xie Yunjin paused here. The leaders, however, happily responded, "It may not be long term, but it's still bringing us riches. The lucky ones will be able to earn enough to buy some land and do more farming."
"Exactly, we shouldn't be too greedy. We are already so fortunate to be able to do this all thanks to you and your wife."
Everyone here was highly appreciative and thanked Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao again and again.
Xie Yunjin waved his hand and continued, "I wanted to tell you that Lu Jiao had thought of a more sustainable money-making idea."
Everyone froze and excitedly turned to Lu Jiao.
Xie Fugui eagerly expressed, "Yunjin's wife, you're the lucky symbol of the Xie village."
The Clan Leader nodded, "It is true that you should marry someone virtuous. Yunjin's wife is virtuous. Not only is she ensuring her little family gains prosperity, but she's also making sure our whole village is."
Lu Jiao was embarrassed. Honestly, leech-keeping was beneficial for her. Her pharmacy will need a high quantity of leeches that the Zhou Dynasty cannot supply right now. Plus, her medicine will require artificially bred leeches.
Lu Jiao didn't say all this because she didn't want to reveal her plan to open up a pharmacy with Baohe Tang's owner just yet.
"It's nothing. Don't say that. I'm getting embarrassed."
Lu Jiao was truly embarrassed and her pale face reddened.
Xie Yunjin couldn't help but stare a little.
Xie Fugui asked happily, "Yunjin's wife, what idea did you come up with?"
Lu Jiao explained, "Leech keeping."
Since everyone here was a farmer, they knew what a leech was. But they never thought there'd come a day when someone would ask them to keep leeches.