Description
Ye Jiao, a young ginseng spirit, woke up and found herself sitting on the sedan chair for a Chongxi marriage.
Everyone thinks she will live as a widow for the rest of her life.
Qi Yun is sick and crooked, the birth character is not good, the lifestyle is not good, he can die at any time, and no medicine will work.
After he married Ye Jiao, his body got better and better.
It is said that he will die at 30, but who knows that he went on to live a long life.
Then he discovered that the best thing in the world turned out to be his own wife…
Associated Names
Fu Yun Jiao Niang
Ye Jiao was awakened by a burst of firecrackers.
Upon opening her eyes, a big red veil greeted her sight.
Still groggy from sleep, she subconsciously stretched out a limb to grab it, but before she could touch it, Ye Jiao suddenly froze.
She… has a hand?
This surprised Ye Jiao. She hadn't forgotten that she was worrying about transforming into a human form just not long ago.
Her body was a ginseng, she had cultivated for thousands of years, but she had been unable to transform into a human form.
The little fox who was cultivating with her can already charm men, the tiger spirit can dominate the woods, and even the stupid little black bear can become a human being, but she was the only one left who can't.
Ye Jiao didn't care about these. Even when the little fox was showing off in front of her about how prosperous the world is, how delicious the food is, and how the men are so handsome they can be compared to the gods, which made the little fox so happy.
The little ginseng spirit doesn't think that men are good. She just wanted to not be buried in the soil anymore. It is best if she can eat and drink and enjoy the good things of being a human.
But who could have imagined that she just slept, didn't even cross the tribulation, and suddenly she became a human?
Ye Jiao stared at her hand in a daze, looking at it over and over again. The more she looked, the better she felt.
Look at these hands, how elegant and beautiful they are. They are not much worse than those of the little fox!
But before she could finish her self-appreciation, she saw another hand stretched out and grabbed her.
Ye Jiao realized that she was sitting in a sedan chair. At that moment, the curtain on the window was pulled open, revealing a strange face.
Ye Ersao1 looked at Ye Jiao, whose face was covered by a red veil. She was crying on her face, but was smiling in her heart.
This Ye Jiao is the youngest daughter of the Ye family. Her parents died early. Fortunately, there are two older brothers in the family.
Ye Dalang2 was talented – capable of both literary and military skills. In the whole village, there was no one as heroic as the Ye family's eldest son.
It just so happened that after he left five years ago, he never came back. Only in the first two years did he send money to the family. In the following years, not even a copper coin was sent. Not long ago, someone brought a letter saying that Ye Dalang died on the battlefield after joining the army – not a single bone was collected.
Compared with the eldest son's ability, Ye Erlang3 was a real waste. He couldn't farm and he always lose money when doing business. After his eldest brother left, Ye family's second son seemed to be throwing money out. It didn't take long for the Ye family's not-so-rich house to be left empty.
With no money at home, Ye Ersao who was not a hard-working person, thought of an idea involving Ye Jiao.
Ye Jiao was born beautiful, and Ye Ersao also felt that her sister-in-law was no worse than the ladies in the city.
It's just that Ye Jiao is timid and doesn't usually go out. Ye Dalang was also afraid because of her appearance, so he asked her to stay at home and to help with the housework. She was not allowed to do farming at all. She is obviously a peasant girl, but she was raised by Ye Dalang as a charming lady.
But in Ye Ersao's eyes, she was a burden who ate for nothing.
Now that Ye Dalang will no longer come back, and Ye Erlang can't be relied on. By coincidence, Qi Yun, a wealthy son from another village, who has always been sick and ill, was going to die. And so, the Qi family is looking for a bride for Chongxi marriage4. She lied to the Qi family and said that Ye Jiao was willing. Yes, she took the Qi family's money and prepared to marry off her cumbersome sister-in-law.
Her crying face was only a show for the neighbors to see.
With heavy silver taels in her arms, Ye Ersao had to cover her mouth with her hands to hide the rising corners of her lips.
So what if others say that she sold her sister-in-law to the sick young man?
They were just jealous that they don't have a daughter who is so beautiful that she can catch the admiration of the Qi family!
She held Ye Jiao's hand tightly, looked inside the sedan chair, and whispered, "Jiao Niang5, don't blame your brother and sister-in-law. The Qi family is rich. You should be obedient when you get there, don't cry."
The underlying message is, whether Qi Yun is dead or alive in the future, Ye Jiao has nothing to do with the Ye family anymore.
Even if she becomes a widow in the future, don't come back here to eat for nothing!
Ye Jiao didn't say anything. She really didn't understand what Ye Ersao said…
Ye Ersao took Ye Jiao's silence as an acceptance. She was proud in her heart, thinking: so what if Ye Jiao cried in the house for a day yesterday? She threatened to commit suicide, but she ended up in a sedan chair today. Didn't she still accept her fate?
So she squeezed Ye Jiao's hand and said, "From the time you sat on the sedan chair today, you became a member of the Qi family. You can't come back later, do you understand?"
Ye Jiao still had no words and tried to withdraw her hand subtly.
At this moment, the sleeves of Ye Jiao's wedding dress slipped down her arms. Ye Ersao's eyes were sharp, and she saw the gold bracelet on her wrist at a glance.
Ye Ersao recognized this bracelet as the relic of the old lady of the Ye family.
She thought that after the old lady died, this thing was also buried in the soil. Who knew it was actually here with Ye Jiao!
Ye Ersao naturally wouldn't let Ye Jiao take away a single copper coin from the house. What's more, this golden bracelet looked like it had some weight. She didn't know how Ye Jiao hid it until now!
Seeing that the sedan chair was about to go, Ye Ersao reached out and grabbed Ye Jiao's arm, her voice eagerly said, "Jiao Niang, this is something from your maiden family, you can't just bring it to someone else's house, let me take it off!"
Ye Jiao, whose soul already changed, looked at the yellowish woman with disgust and wanted to withdraw her hand, only to find that the woman was very strong, and she cannot get away after struggling.
This changed Ye Jiao's expression.
She heard from the fox a long time ago that people have always been malicious towards spirits. If they are discovered, they will probably be burned to death.
She didn't understand a word of this woman's gibberish, but the strong desire to survive made Ye Jiao struggle harder. She even reached out and pushed Ye Ersao!
"Ah!" Ye Ersao screamed and stepped back abruptly.
The sobbing that was just a pretense before has become a real sobs, and her tears can't stop.
Unfortunately for her, the neighbors all around are thinking that Ye Ersao was acting again. After all, this woman can even sell her husband's sister for Chongxi. What else can she dare not do?
Ye Ersao was so angry, but the sedan chair was lifted up, the firecrackers were lit, and the sound of gongs and drums started; leaving only Ye Ersao behind, clutching her hands and grinning.
Ye Jiao originally wanted to run away after pushing her. However, at the moment when the sedan chair was lifted up, suddenly, memories of the original Ye Jiao bombarded the little ginseng's head.
It took a while for the little ginseng spirit to finally understand that she has not gained a human form. Instead, she entered someone else's body…
Now, she was forced to marry someone who is dying?
If it was other people, they would cry with despair, blaming the unfair destiny.
But the little ginseng spirit is very happy.
She doesn't know what a marriage is, so she doesn't care whether her future mate will be dead or alive.
All she knows was that she has a proper identity, and she can finally be a human being!
But soon, Ye Jiao found out that being a human is not easy.
Why would someone have to be carried on the back to enter the door?
Why did she have to cross a brazier?
Why… has she heard a rooster cry?
After tossing for a while, Ye Jiao finally stood in the hall and looked at the big rooster beside her with a blank look. She looked at the red silk tied to the big rooster, and at the other end of the red silk on her hand. She suddenly felt that being a human is so hard, there are so many confusing things.
But this chicken is quite fat, not sure if it would taste good.
Little ginseng spirit, who has never eaten meat, admitted that she was drooling.
The two elders of the Qi family looked at Ye Jiao, who was standing upright, and their expressions were not very good.
Buying this "Ye Jiao" from the Ye family, they didn't care about her physical appearance. They bought her because the Ye family from the next village was the only one willing to marry their daughter off to their Qi family.
The health of their second son, Qi Yun, was indeed deteriorating in the past few years, even to the point of dying. No family would like their daughter to be married off only to become a widow soon after.
When they met someone willing to be a Chongxi bride, the second elder of the Qi family didn't even have time to look at Ye Jiao. They just hurriedly found a day and let her come to be married.
Since it is a Chongxi, it must be grand and festive.
Although the Qi family is not wealthier than those rich people in the city, they can be regarded as rich in the village. They even prepared a big feast, and many people were invited.
Who knows, this Ye Jiao has been standing here for a long time, and she is motionless!
The smile on Liu-shi's6 face was slightly slipping. She naturally knew that it was normal for a good girl, who will be married only to become a widow, to feel unhappy. But if you were not willing, say it earlier. They are all here now, who will not give them some face?
However, Liu-shi's eyes moved to the rooster, and her anger turned into sadness.
Her Yun'er, why can't he live a little longer…
Liu-shi covered her mouth and wanted to cry, but she was afraid of disturbing the auspicious time of this good day, so she could only hold back until her face turned red.
An old lady from the village who often gossip around came to Ye Jiao. She grabbed her by the arm, and with a lower voice, she told her, "Bride, kneel down, kneel to worship."
Ye Jiao's eyes were still staring at the big rooster at that moment, so there was no response.
All of a sudden, there was a noise in the crowd.
Liu-shi looked at the incoming person and stood up abruptly, her eyes widened.
Ye Jiao soon felt that her other hand was being caught.
This person's hand was a bit cold, and Ye Jiao subconsciously tightened her fingers.
Then, she heard a low voice in her ear, "Take the chicken away. I'm not dead yet."
—
Footnotes
means the Ye family's second sister-in-law
means the Ye family's first son
means the Ye family's second son
There is a saying said one wedding could counter three disasters. Chongxi wedding is a ritual held to obtain good luck after a bad time.
"Niang" means lady or girl. Jiao Niang is a nickname for our protagonist.
Qi Yun's mother. Her maiden family was Liu, so she is referred to as "Liu-shi."
Ye Jiao finally moved her gaze away from the big rooster. And through the red veil, she looked at the man next to her.
He was at least a head taller than Ye Jiao. Because the veil turned everything into a bright red color, Ye Jiao couldn't see how he looked.
Ye Jiao subconsciously tightened her grip into a fist as she felt that the man's hand was a bit too cold.
Qi Yun felt the woman's subtle movements, and his eyes darkened.
Because he was born with ailments, he has always been in poor health since he was young. Though they expend a lot of effort to raise him well, he has always been sick and now was used to drinking medicine as if he was drinking water.
The doctor said that he would not live past twenty, but because he persists stubbornly, now he is twenty-four.
It was just a few days ago that an ordinary wind and cold almost took his life. Even if he got better afterward, Qi Yun himself knew that his body would not last long.
His mother, Liu-shi, knew this too, so she found him a bride for Chongxi.
Qi Yun initially disagreed. He knew that whoever marries him would only waste her time. But contrary to his expectation, Liu-shi was extremely efficient. She met Ye Ersao, who was eager to sell her sister-in-law. In the blink of an eye, the marriage was settled.
On the day of the wedding, with difficulty, Qi Yun struggled to support his sick body. He watched from a distance as a woman clad in a wedding dress was actually being paired with a chicken!
Qi Yun felt that the Ye Family's wife mistreated her by letting her marry him. If she really were asked to pay her respects with a rooster, probably, there would be no one who would not look down upon her the moment he dies.
However, Qi Yun only kept these thoughts in his heart. And as cold and heartless as it is, he said, "Hold the red silk and kneel down."
Ye Jiao felt the person loosen his hand, and instead, he put the red silk back into her hand.
The motion of him leading Ye Jiao to kneel down was very gentle, which made Ye Jiao's affection for him increase, especially after she had been dragged around for a while.
She grasped the red silk tightly, looked at Qi Yun, and knelt down after him.
Worship heaven
Worship the elders
Ye Jiao turned her face slightly as she followed Qi Yun's movements, albeit a little shakily.
Ye Jiao finally had the chance to take a glimpse of Qi Yun's face now that they were facing each other.
The red veil made it impossible for Ye Jiao to see his face clearly, but she thought he looked very good, just considering the shape of his eyebrows.
Even better than the scholar that the little fox likes most.
While worshiping each other, Qi Yun heard the first words the woman said to him.
"You look so beautiful."
Qi Yun was slightly taken aback by this soft and gentle sound.
Before he could bask in her graceful voice, a sudden bout of coldness engulfed his body as beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
It seems that his death is fast approaching. Just coming here and worshipping with Ye Jiao took a toll on his body and left him exhausted. Even mere kneeling and standing were no longer a simple task with his current condition.
Even though this is the case, Qi Yun didn't let anyone help him. He will only get married once in his entire life. This is his moment. He doesn't want people to see him as a joke.
Ye Jiao just accompanied him—kneeling on her knees side by side with Qi Yun—her back was straight and motionless.
She had just been a human. And in that short period of time, she was pushed into the sedan chair when she didn't even know what marriage was.
She mimicked Qi Yun's movements all throughout the ceremony. Now that Qi Yun didn't move, she also dared not move even an inch.
For a while, a trace of awkwardness permeates the entire room.
An old lady hurried forward as she noticed this. She reached out to Ye Jiao to support her, and with a smile, she said, "The bride is stunned with joy, but it's time to get up."
Ye Jiao blinked and looked at Qi Yun after she stood up. Realizing that he seemed to be trembling, she simply stretched out her hand and directly grabbed Qi Yun.
The man's fingertips were still cold. Ye Jiao intertwined their hands tightly and walked two steps forward to support Qi Yun, just as how the man supported her just now.
Soon after, among all the people who came to watch, a person reacted and moved to aid Qi Yun. Amidst this, Liu-shi noticed that there was something wrong with Qi Yun's complexion. Losing her composure, she didn't care anymore about good luck or bad luck as she immediately shouted, "The doctor! Let the doctor come here!"
Despite feeling the haze as beads of cold sweat increased on his forehead, Qi Yun stubbornly turned his gaze towards the woman's hand that was linked with his.
It is warm and soft, like a fine brocade.
He didn't know if it was only an illusion, but he felt that when Ye Jiao grabbed his hand, the coldness on his body seemed to disperse gradually. Before Ye Jiao could spare a glance at Qi Yun, someone instructed her: "Enter the bridal chamber." A short moment later, few women surrounded her and took her to another room. This marks the end of the lively Chongxi wedding.
After they sat her up by the bed, the women left, and the room became empty, leaving only Ye Jiao alone.
It was loud and lively outside. She could hear the noise, the firecrackers, and the fireworks. People can see that the Qi family made sure that the wedding was grand enough.
Soon, the silence gradually filled the room.
Ye Jiao sat by the bed for a while. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she simply reached out and pulled the veil off.
There were so many people just now and it made Ye Jiao's nerves taut. She was afraid that the people would find out that she was not the original Ye Jiao, which was why her every action was laced with extreme cautiousness. Now that there was no one around, Ye Jiao could finally stop pretending.
The little ginseng spirit stood up. Throwing the red veil aside, she wandered twice–back and forth–around the room until the cakes on the table attracted her eyes.
The tossing just now has exhausted Ye Jiao's strength, and she also felt the first urgent desire after being a human…
She was hungry.
When Qi Yun pushed the door open, he saw Ye Jiao holding a cake and stuffing it into her mouth.
Qi Yun was taken aback for a moment, and then he closed the door with the back of his hand—blocking everyone's sight—then silently looked at his… lady.
He still remembered that Ye Jiao just said he was good-looking, but now as Qi Yun looked at Ye Jiao, he wanted to say this sentence back to her.
She is very beautiful. No one could criticize her looks nor her figure. Especially her eyes that are moist and shiny, which makes people unable to look away.
Qi Yun didn't mind that Ye Jiao took off her own veil.
Even as Ye Jiao's cheeks were bulging as she was eating, Qi Yun didn't say much.
He even poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ye Jiao, "Eat slowly, don't choke."
It was only when Qi Yun said that, Ye Jiao seemed to notice that someone came in. She raised her head to look at Qi Yun, but she did not take the teacup. She drank the tea while Qi Yun was still holding the cup.
Qi Yun was slightly surprised, but he compromised when he saw that Ye Jiao was a little busy with both of her hands.
Then a bit of distress crossed his eyes.
She is a very cute girl, and marrying him, who is half dead, was really a waste of her time.
Although the doctor said that it was just a false alarm and that he was fine, Qi Yun knew that soon, the day would come that he would fall down, but unlike today, he would never get up again.
Qi Yun couldn't stand for a long time. As he felt a slight fatigue, he sat at the table opposite Ye Jiao and waited patiently for Ye Jiao to swallow the snack in her mouth. Then he whispered softly, "Getting married to me; it will hurt you."
At this time, Qi Yun was pondering—if Ye Jiao said she didn't like the marriage, then he would break up with her immediately.
In fact, a thin divorce paper was hidden in his arms. He initially had prepared it beforehand.
Although it may not be good to be a divorced woman, still, it is better than living like a widow at the beginning of the marriage and then really becoming a widow.
But Ye Jiao didn't complain to him. Instead, she smiled and said to Qi Yun, "Thank you just now." If she didn't have that cup of tea, she would probably choke to death.
'This stuff is really delicious, but it was a bit dry.'
Qi Yun thought she was thanking him for taking the rooster away and coming to the hall in person, "There was no need to thank me, that was originally my job."
Ye Jiao blinked her eyes suddenly.
'No wonder everyone likes to get married. After getting married, someone will give you water to drink and feed you, it is great.'
At this moment, Ye Jiao could see Qi Yun's real expression as the veil covering her was long taken off.
This person's facial features are pretty, but his face is a bit different.
His complexion was ashen, his eyes were a little dark, and his lips had an unhealthy pale color. If someone suddenly saw him at night, he might stop a child from crying1.
As soon as Qi Yun felt that Ye Jiao was looking at him, his expression stiffened for a moment. The little bit of softness on his face quickly disappeared and was replaced by the coldness he used to disguise himself.
Yes, he looks like this, who would want to get close to him?
He was a dying person, and it would be good if he didn't drag others down. What kind of joy did he expect?
It would be better to give the divorce paper to her earlier, and it would even be considered a good deed.
But before Qi Yun could open his mouth to say something, he heard Ye Jiao's voice, "Are you going to eat?" As she said this, she pushed the dessert plate in front of him.
Qi Yun was unable to react for a while. He stared at Ye Jiao for a moment, then shook his head, "I'm not hungry. You can eat it."
Ye Jiao waited for these words. She smiled, picked up the snack, and put it in her mouth. Her cheeks were bulged up again.
Qi Yun inexplicably thought, 'She was a little cute and pitiful.'
After pouring Ye Jiao another cup of tea, Qi Yun couldn't help but ask, "Did you not have enough food when you were in your maiden family?"
Ye Jiao thought for a while. She tried to recall the original Ye Jiao's memory, and then shook her head with a grumbling voice, "I used to have enough food, but later I didn't have enough." Before Ye Dalang left, Ye Jiao still had eaten her fill, but after Ye Dalang left, because Ye Ersao didn't like her, she didn't have enough food. Besides, the family situation gradually got worse as time passed by. They had nothing except sweet potatoes and gruel. Her brother and sister-in-law were still full, but she rarely gets full.
Ye Jiao smiled and said, "Having some food is good."
After all, she was a ginseng spirit in her previous life. She was buried under the ground. To call it beautifully, she was cultivating to absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth. But, to put it bluntly, it was to eat soil…
The little ginseng spirit can't help but mumble, "It's good now, I don't need to eat soil anymore."
Qi Yun's eyes widened in surprise, causing his usual feeble heart to jump a few more times.
Had she eaten soil before?
If he really gave her the divorce paper, would she still survive when she returned to her maiden family?
Qi Yun felt that the thin piece of paper in his arms seemed extremely important.
—
Footnotes
Because he is as pale as a ghost, so he would look scary at night.
Sending her back to her maiden home is equivalent to sending her back to eat dirt.
The divorce paper he prepared couldn't be handed at all. Qi Yun sat straight in the chair, watching Ye Jiao eating snacks on the plate little by little.
They didn't move the wedding wine on their side—neither the peanuts and longans that were neatly arranged in the box. 1
Ye Jiao didn't understand these customs at all, and Qi Yun also seemed to forget about it. He only looked at Ye Jiao, and his eyes gradually became warm.
The woman in the wedding dress ate with enthusiasm. When there were only two pieces left on the plate, she patted her hands and leaned on the back of the chair with a delighted smile on her face.
Probably because she spent too much time in the soil in her previous life, Ye Jiao was easily satisfied.
She couldn't help but look at Qi Yun. "I'm full, what should I do next?"
As Qi Yun heard this, he gestured towards the bed with a relatively gentle smile on his pale face. "Go to sleep."
He didn't expect that in the next second, he would see Ye Jiao's eyes shining.
The little ginseng spirit cheered in her heart. It was great to be able to sleep in bed. She had already had enough of being buried in the ground!
'It is good to be married!'
However, Qi Yun didn't understand Ye Jiao's joy. In the end, he could only attribute it to the fact that she had a bad life at the Ye family's house. She probably didn't even have a soft bed.
As expected, how would someone who can sell her for two silver taels treat her nicely?
The room was originally Qi Yun's bedroom, and the bed was his bed. Nonetheless, Qi Yun knew that he was sick, so he had ordered someone to place another soft couch in the outer room.
It's just that his previous thought was that he would sleep on the bed, and she would be on the couch, but now it was the other way around.
Qi Yun blew out the candles. He coughed lightly and took off the bright red suit, then got into the quilt to wrap himself tightly.
Ye Jiao was lying on the bed, tossing and turning. It's already late when she went to sleep because of excitement.
This allowed her to sleep until the sun was bright on the next day.
Her body was already thin, and she often couldn't get enough food to eat. Also, the process of getting married was extra complicated. It was inevitable that she would get tired. This sleep has not only cultivated her spirit, but also gave the little ginseng a chance to have a good rest and to wholly integrate the original body's memory.
She was a little lucky. Fortunately, she had the memory; otherwise, she would not be able to understand many things.
What surprised Ye Jiao was: when she woke up, Qi Yun was still asleep.
She lifted the quilt and got out of bed. Ye Jiao walked to the couch where Qi Yun was asleep and squatted down. She rested her chin on both hands and stared at the man.
Qi Yun, who was still asleep, was pale. He was a little thin and looked like he was born with health issues.
Nevertheless, Ye Jiao now understood that she was married to him.
Yesterday Ye Jiao didn't know what marriage was, but after a night of memory fusion, Ye Jiao now understood that a marriage means a man and a woman being tied together. From now on, they will share any honor or disgrace.
Ye Jiao was very satisfied with marrying Qi Yun.
In her memory, Ye Ersao would always give Ye Jiao leftovers, and just only a little at that. She would always say that a girl could not eat too much. But in fact, she gave all the delicious food to her son.
The little ginseng spirit who had finally become a human was naturally more willing to stay here with Qi Yun. As long as she could eat two bites of last night's snack every day, it would be good. She would not have to go back to the Ye family to fight for food with a child.
However, Qi Yun's body is not good. Ye Jiao felt that she had to think more about how to keep this man, who was willing to feed her, alive.
At this moment, Qi Yun's eyelashes trembled slightly, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing the bright sun outside, Qi Yun was a little surprised.
His body was not well. He usually has a lot of dreams at night, only sleeps lightly, and would wake up with a little noise.
But yesterday, he surprisingly slept well. He sleeps comfortably until the sun became bright outside, which was the first time in many years.
Qi Yun couldn't help but want to see if his bride had gotten up, but when he turned his head, he saw Ye Jiao leaning on his bed.
Seeing him awake, Ye Jiao smiled brightly at him, which dyed Qi Yun's ears red.
The woman only wore underwear and trousers. The thin straps of her undergarment crossed the back of her neck, revealing her white and soft shoulders and arms. Qi Yun could see the woman's long slender neck and delicate collarbone even only after a glance.
For ordinary couples, it's not a big deal to dress like this.
But for Qi Yun, this is too much of an excitement.
He immediately diverted his gaze away to face the wall, and mumbled, "Go get your clothes on."
His tone was a bit rough. Even after he told himself over and over again yesterday not to treat this poor little girl with his usual bad temper. However, now he was faced with a dilemma which made his voice sounded harsh. Qi Yun felt a pang of regret the moment he uttered those words.
But Ye Jiao didn't care about this. She reached out and touched Qi Yun curiously, "Why are you talking to the wall?"
After a while, she heard Qi Yun's voice, which was much softer than before, "I told you, go get your clothes on."
Ye Jiao looked at the wall again and made sure that there was no one there. Then she got up obediently and went to pick up the clothes that were placed next to the cabinet yesterday and put them on. Then, she put up her hair according to the hairstyle of married women in her memory.
After failing twice and finally succeeding in the third time, the little ginseng silently praised her ingenuity in her mind.
However, this rustling sound caused Qi Yun's ears to start to have a fever again.
When he couldn't hear any movement, Qi Yun slowly got out of the quilt. He tried to keep his face as usual, but at a glance, he saw Ye Jiao sitting at the table and was about to continue eating yesterday's leftover snacks.
Qi Yun hurriedly said, "Don't eat that. You won't be able to eat lunch later."
As soon as Ye Jiao heard this, she knew that lunch would be better than this snack. She immediately gave up the bad snack that she had considered as treasure just a minute ago and happily urged Qi Yun to eat lunch.
She rushed Qi Yun, so he put on his clothes quickly, and then took Ye Jiao to rinse her mouth and clean her face. Then they both left the room.
As soon as he left the room, Ye Jiao saw two people running away from them like rabbits.
She turned her head and asked, "Who are those?"
Qi Yun glanced at them and said, "That's Tie Zi and Xiao Su, the children of my family's tenants, who usually help around here."
Ye Jiao couldn't help but laugh. "Why are they running?"
Qi Yun lowered his eyes slightly, and his voice was calm. "In this house, anyone who sees me runs away."
Because Qi Yun was often sick and dying, his temper was a little cold. His face was pale all year round, and his eyes were gloomy. Everyone in this family was afraid of him or disliked him. Qi Yun had long been used to it.
After hearing this, Ye Jiao turned her head and thought for a while. When she passed through the small garden, she quickly walked two steps forward. She was no longer following Qi Yun, but walked on Qi Yun's side.
Just when Qi Yun felt that her action was strange, he felt a soft hand squeezed into his palm.
It is warm, soft, and smooth like fine satin.
Qi Yun paused and looked down at their intertwined hands. His gaze slowly moved to Ye Jiao's face.
He wanted to ask her what she was doing, but he couldn't ask anything when he saw Ye Jiao's smile.
Qi Yun pursed the corner of his pale lips and suddenly realized that he is now married, and it was only natural for him to hold his lady's hand.
Besides, the Ye family maltreated her. They sold her, didn't let her sleep peacefully, and made her eat dirt. She would not be able to go back, so he should treat her better.
'This is my lady, my lady, my lady…'
After working on his own psychological construction, Qi Yun carefully tightened his hand and continued to walk.
While continuing their stroll, Qi Yun didn't realize that something was different this time. He usually had to pant after a few steps. But today, he walked slowly and smoothly to the hall. Although his face was still pale, he didn't even sweat.
Ye Jiao shook their joined hands with satisfaction.
This person is weak. For the time being, she doesn't know what medicine in this world looked like. Fortunately, the essence of the ginseng spirit had a nourishing effect, so let's use herself to supplement his health.
Healing his disease started with holding hands.
—
Footnotes
During the Chinese wedding night, the bride and groom would drink cross-cupped wine as a symbol of sharing joy and sorrow. Peanuts and longans are other traditional customs, which usually spread over the newlyweds' bed before the wedding by a "lucky" woman (someone who has healthy children of her own, usually the mother-in-law) to wish the new couple good luck in their marriage. Peanuts are symbols of health and good fortune. The word for peanut sounds like 生, pinyin: shēng, meaning born or give birth to. Longans are believed to be good luck at weddings, as they are associated with having many sons traditionally.
Ye Jiao was looking forward to lunch, but she didn't expect that there would be many things to pay attention to before the meal.
Greeting the people sitting in a circle in the room, toasting tea to them one by one, and acknowledging them. It was a pain for the little ginseng spirit.
Fortunately, the Qi family's population was not that many, and it didn't take long to finish the greetings.
In addition to Qi Yun's parents, he also had an older brother and a younger brother.
The eldest brother, Qi Zhao, had a wife, Fang-shi. The third brother was young and still studying, and there were not a lot of other relatives.
Qi Yun explained, "My ancestors were originally from the north, and only moved here in recent years. Our clan relatives are not many."
This also meant that the Qi family would not be able to borrow clan power and had to rely on their own efforts, but Ye Jiao didn't care about this at all.
How many times can someone kneel in a day? What's the use of having so many relatives…
Secretly rubbing her knees, Ye Jiao thought: 'It's really not easy to be a human being.' From yesterday to today, she felt that the thing she had done the most was to kneel down and get up.
But as she was greeting, Ye Jiao took the time to glance at her new friend.
Qi Yun didn't look at her, but only stood silently on the side. He looked straight ahead, with no expression on his face.
This was Qi Yun's normal state. He didn't like to talk, he didn't like to smile, and he was always pale. When he stood there with such a stern face, if it weren't because he was still panting, probably people would doubt if he was a living person.
But yesterday, he looked so gentle when he fed her water.
When it was time to eat, only Qi Yun's mother, Liu-shi, and the young couple were left.
Ye Jiao looked at the dishes on the table, and her eyes were shining. The little unhappiness that she accumulated from kneeling was swept away by the aroma of food.
Qi Yun gently grabbed the woman's hand when she was about to reach out. He squeezed and released it immediately, then he whispered, "You can only eat when mother moves her chopsticks."
Although the Qi family is not a high-ranking noble family and their family rules are not too strict, some of the proper etiquettes should be met.
Qi Yun didn't dislike Ye Jiao for her bad manners, but threw all the blame to the Ye family.
There was no point in learning rules if you don't have food or drink. If Jiao Niang went to another family, it's not clear how much she would suffer.
People's hearts were often bad.
Fortunately, Jiao Niang met him, so he could teach her slowly in the future.
When he thought about this, Qi Yun's face darkened. He really didn't know how long he could protect her.
Although Ye Jiao is greedy for food, she is very obedient. The little ginseng worked hard to learn how to be a proper human. So, she followed Qi Yun's sitting posture and whispered to him, "It's very comfortable when you squeeze."
Qi Yun was still a little depressed, but now he was slightly taken aback when he heard what Ye Jiao said, "Squeeze what?"
Ye Jiao shook her hand under the table and said with a soft voice, "I was tired from lifting the teacup just now. When you squeeze it, it feels very comfortable." After speaking, she put her hand into the man's palm again.
This was half true.
Her hands were indeed a bit sore after toasting tea to so many people, but in fact, Ye Jiao just wanted to hold hands with her husband to improve his health.
Qi Yun didn't ask much. He intertwined their fingers together again and gently squeezed her hand. His expression was very serious.
Ye Jiao narrowed her eyes slightly.
'It's really comfortable, ah, it's nice to get married.'
When she saw them whispering, Liu-shi felt quite satisfied.
In fact, Ye Jiao's family and their Qi's family were not in equal standing, but Liu-shi never wanted a perfect daughter-in-law. She only wanted to find a way to continue her son's life.
Ye Ersao said that Ye Jiao was willing, so Liu-shi naturally had no doubts.
However, Qi Yun was unhappy and always said that he could not waste other people's time. Liu-shi had tossed and turned in her sleep for a long time last night. She was afraid that Qi Yun would get upset or angry. However, she heard that the two of them slept in peace last night and woke up late.
Although the morning tea was delayed, she saw Qi Yun's face was much better than usual. Liu-shi also looked into his eyes and immediately knew that he was happy.
Even if the Ye family were not reliable in-laws, as long as her son is well, it is enough for Liu-shi. She didn't plan to enforce any rules for this daughter-in-law.
When Liu-shi moved her chopsticks, Ye Jiao immediately looked at Qi Yun excitedly. When she saw Qi Yun nodded, she picked up her chopsticks and fiddled with herself. Soon she picked up a piece of meat smoothly.
It was thanks to the original body's memory. Otherwise, Ye Jiao would reach out and grab it with her hand.
But the next second, she saw that Qi Yun took some dish into a bowl for her.
"Did I make it hurt?" Qi Yun thought Ye Jiao used her chopsticks jerkily because he had just squeezed her hands too hard.
Ye Jiao immediately shook her head. Her eyes were bright, and she smiled at Qi Yun, "It doesn't hurt."
In Qi Yun's eyes, her smile became an expression of distress. 'Her hands were obviously painful, and she can't hold her chopsticks steadily, but still, she doesn't want to say that it hurts.' He felt a little warm in his heart and took more food for her.
Ye Jiao didn't quite understand what Qi Yun had thought, but Ye Jiao would not refuse food from Qi Yun.
Ye Jiao didn't know the names of these dishes, but she knew that this one was delicious, that one was also delicious, they were all delicious!
'Much better than yesterday's pastry!
'It is good to get married!'
Probably because Ye Jiao ate so excitedly, Qi Yun also ate half a bowl of more rice than usual, which made Liu-shi smile.
After the two left, Liu-shi stood up and knelt in front of the Bodhisattva statue and prayed devoutly for her second son.
Qi Yun went back to his courtyard with Ye Jiao. Probably because he had eaten more than usual just now, Qi Yun felt a little more energetic. So he took Ye Jiao to the yard for two more turns and showed her around the Qi family's manor in the meantime.
"Here is my parent's courtyard, my eldest brother and sister-in-law are over there, the third younger brother is behind there, and further north is where the tenants live." Qi Yun walked slowly, and his voice was gentle. "Except for dinner, usually we, the three brothers, eat on our own."
Ye Jiao blinked, "Why?"
Qi Yun looked at her, lowered his eyes, and said, "Father and eldest brother usually go to the farming villages, and the third brother is studying. They have their own things to do." Qi Yun didn't raise his eyes and continued to say, "I also help look at the ledger at home, but I can't do anything else."
As he said this, Qi Yun coughed a few times quietly, and the gentleness on his face had disappeared without a trace.
In this era, the imperial court did not emphasize the difference between agriculture and business, unlike in the previous dynasty. Although the status of merchants was still inferior to scholars, the imperial court had abolished all kinds of restrictions on business people. Merchants' children could still take imperial examinations, and merchants were even allowed to donate money to officials, which allowed many people with spare money to go to sea for business.
The Qi family had a liquor store and a drug store, and they usually hire people to take care of them. As the owner, the Qi family only needed to check the accounts and collect money.
Qi Yun couldn't go to the farming villages because of his poor health, and he also couldn't stand the burden of imperial examinations. Even though he was literate, he could only stay at home and help with the accounts.
If it was before, Qi Yun would never think about it. A dying person would have nothing to expect. So what if he didn't have a future? It had been like this for many years.
But now, with a little lady who depended on him, Qi Yun felt that he was useless.
At this moment, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao's surprised voice, "Xianggong 1, not only can you read literature and write, but you can also settle accounts?"
Qi Yun raised his eyes to look at her. He couldn't quite understand where Ye Jiao's fascination came from, but he still replied, "Yes."
Ye Jiao blinked and suddenly took Qi Yun's arm, her eyebrows bent into crescent moons when she smiled, "Xianggong is really amazing."
This sentence made Qi Yun a little bit dumbfounded, "What's so amazing?"
Ye Jiao thought for a while. "I don't know how to be like you, so Xianggong is great."
Qi Yun heard the sincerity in her sentence. Even though Qi Yun knew that Ye Jiao only met a few people in her life and had a simple mind, this pure compliment still made his pale face smile a little.
Probably because they were in front of the people earlier, so Qi Yun had been expressionless. Now that he suddenly smiled, Ye Jiao is dumbfounded.
'He is so good-looking, especially when he smiles.'
However, Qi Yun didn't pay attention to Ye Jiao's gaze and continued to walk slowly. He said with a gentle tone, "It's better when people could recognize some characters. I will teach you how to read in a few days."
Ye Jiao nodded immediately, and she tightened her grasp on Qi Yun's fingers. "Okay, I will work hard to learn it very soon."
Qi Yun glanced at her. "Oh, of course."
Ye Jiao tilted her head. Why did she feel that this person didn't believe her?
At this moment, they had moved from the garden to the backyard.
The Qi family was the wealthiest in the surrounding villages and towns. The majority of spaces in the Qi family's manor are covered with gardens, in which various kinds of flowers and trees were planted. Moreover, some areas were segregated in order to raise chickens and ducks exclusively.
Normally Qi Yun would not come to this place, but he was walking while speaking and didn't pay attention to where he was going. He didn't plan to go into the poultry area.
But Ye Jiao saw something with her sharp eyes and pointed to one side. "Ah, it's that one."
Qi Yun followed the direction of Ye Jiao's finger and saw only a group of chickens strolling around. He raised his eyebrows slightly. "What?"
Ye Jiao's voice was crisp when she said, "That's the big rooster from yesterday. The hair on its tail is very long and beautiful."
Qi Yun looked over, and he saw a big rooster with exceptionally beautiful black tail feathers. It was walking around with great pride.
As if it heard them, it turned its head, raised its head with a dismissive look, and then turned around, so its butt was facing them.
Qi Yun: '… Heh.'
He hadn't forgotten that his sweet lady almost worshipped heaven and earth with this chicken yesterday!
Qi Yun immediately changed his route and stepped into the garden.
Xiao Su, who was supposed to feed the chickens in the garden, was lazy. She was kicking a shuttlecock and only noticed them when she heard their footsteps. The little girl in her early teenage year was shocked, especially when she saw Qi Yun. She wanted to turn around and ran away.
However, at this moment, Tie Zi was not around to give her courage. Xiao Su could only stand there in a daze, and her shuttlecock fell to the ground. She only had enough time to pick up a bucket of chicken food, held it in place, and did not dare to move.
Qi Yun glanced at her and said with a faint tone, "Do your business, you don't need to care about us."
"Yes, understood, second young master." Xiao Su shrank herself, hoping to minimize her sense of existence.
Ye Jiao walked to the fence and looked inside, and felt proud.
When she was a little ginseng, she had to work hard to avoid the birds and beasts. But now it's fine, she did not need to hide, but instead, the birds wanted to avoid her.
Ye Jiao became more courageous and playful. She pinched some chicken food from Xiao Su's hand and carefully sprinkled it inside.
When Qi Yun saw this, he took her hand and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. His voice was low but gentle when he said, "Don't grab these casually. Be careful not to make your hand dirty."
Ye Jiao smiled and let him wipe her hands, but her eyes looked at Xiao Su, "How old is this big rooster?"
Although Xiao Su is afraid of Qi Yun, she is not afraid of this beautiful bride who always smiled.
She still didn't dare to raise her head, but her voice was no longer trembling, "Xiao Hei was raised from last year. He is one year old."
Ye Jiao was a little surprised. "Did you give it a name?"
Xiao Su blushed, but she didn't dare to speak. She was only a child and very innocent.
Qi Yun also looked at the big rooster with beautiful tail feathers, and suddenly asked Ye Jiao, "Jiao Niang, do you want to eat chicken?"
As soon as he said this, Xiao Su was frightened. She subconsciously understood that this cold-spoken and scary second young master wanted to eat her Xiao Hei!
Ye Jiao didn't understand that there was something wrong. She touched her stomach and said, "I was full at lunch, so I don't want to eat now."
Qi Yun nodded. He looked at the shuttlecock that Xiao Su dropped on the ground and said lightly, "Is it fun?"
Xiao Su was shaken again. She wanted to say that it was fun, but she was caught in a dilemma whether she should admit to being lazy. She didn't know if she should nod or shake her head.
Qi Yun didn't want to pursue it. It was about the time when he should go back to drink the medicine. He didn't look at Xiao Su anymore. He held Ye Jiao's hand, with a gentle and tender expression, he told Ye Jiao, "Go back."
"Okay." Ye Jiao withdrew her gaze and was about to leave with him.
But as he left the garden, Qi Yun seemed to remember something and turned his head to Xiao Su. He faintly ordered, "Make a shuttlecock and send it to me," and then he turned his head towards Ye Jiao. "You can play a bit as well."
Ye Jiao didn't know how to kick a shuttlecock, but she was willing to try to learn everything and immediately agreed with a smile.
Qi Yun also curled up the corner of his mouth a bit and glanced in a certain direction, "With its hair, you need to put a few feathers from its tail."
Ye Jiao didn't know what Qi Yun was talking about, but Qi Yun quickly dragged her away.
Xiao Su was looking at her own Xiao Hei and wanted to cry without tears.
That night, a beautiful black feather shuttlecock was delivered to Ye Jiao, and Qi Yun also gave up the idea of drinking chicken soup.
It was a good night, and in a blink of an eye, it was the day when Ye Jiao should return home.
—
Author's Note:
Xiao Hei: If I don't have feathers, I would rather die!
Qi Yun: I want to drink chicken soup…
Xiao Hei: Here you are! Take it away! QAQ
—
Footnotes
Xianggong is a way that the wives in ancient times call their husbands respectfully. It could also mean a gentleman, a scholar, or a lord, basically 'lord husband'.
On the third day after getting married, a bride would return to her maiden family; this is a human custom. Ye Jiao thought that she was a clever little ginseng. So since she decided to be a human, she had to learn to be an appropriate human being.
But in the evening before she returned to her maiden house, Qi Yun said he would accompany her to go home.
As Ye Jiao listened to his words, she felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill. She nodded obediently, but still did not go to her bed.
"What's the matter?" The two still sleep on separate beds. Qi Yun had already laid down on the soft couch and covered himself with a quilt. But when he saw Ye Jiao still standing next to him, he wanted to sit back up.
Ye Jiao was sitting sideways on the edge of the couch. She reached out to grab his cuff and shook it gently.
The woman's face is upright and beautiful, and her eyes are especially bright and beautiful. Even without any powder, she is still beautiful.
In the past, the original Ye Jiao was always hungry, and her chin had become small and pointed. But the essence of the ginseng spirit had nourished this body, made her pale face blushing red. So now, even though she is still thin, she looks great.
Probably because she especially liked the sweet-scented osmanthus cake during dinner, at this moment, Qi Yun seemed to smell the faint fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus.
The posture of the two people at this time made Qi Yun's ears turn red.
He was frail and sick since he was a child, which was a problem since he was inside his mother's womb. Even after Liu-shi had sought medical advice for so many years, it had not improved. Now, Liu-shi has become superstitious in God and Buddha, but Qi Yun's body is still the same.
His weakness made Qi Yun hate to meet people since he was a child. He usually only lowered his head and read books. Liu-shi loves him, so she bought him a lot of books.
Among them, Qi Yun had also read a textbook about men and women.
Between husband and wife, there is a specific thing that needs to be completed.
But… he has to take a deep breath every two steps, he can't do anything to the person next to him.
Qi Yun couldn't help but look at Ye Jiao, he moved his mouth and whispered, "Jiao Niang, why didn't you go to sleep?"
Ye Jiao hesitated for a while. She raised her eyes and looked at Qi Yun. Then, she seemed to make a big decision, "My husband, I have something to ask you, so don't go to sleep yet, is it okay?"
Qi Yun's heart sank, thinking that it was indeed the case that she wanted to talk about those things.
He felt awkward, and his face subconsciously reflected his mind.
Under the flickering candlelight, his originally handsome face had become gloomy. His pale face looked a little scary at night.
Ye Jiao is not afraid of his appearance. When she was a ginseng, she saw a lot of strangely shaped things. When the little fox just learned to transform, she had a fox's head and fox's paws but a human body. Ye Jiao was not scared then.
What's more, Ye Jiao thought the appearance of her mate looked very good. It didn't matter if his face became paler. She only liked him more, and did not fear him.
But after getting along for a few days, Ye Jiao could tell when Qi Yun was happy and when he was uncomfortable.
When she saw him like this, Ye Jiao hurriedly grabbed Qi Yun's hand and patted him on his chest with the other hand. She spoke faster than usual, "Don't worry. If you don't like it, I won't eat anymore. It's okay. I can sleep when I'm hungry."
'…what?'
Qi Yun raised his eyes and stared at her. It took a while before he realized that his beautiful lady was hungry.
Thinking of this, Qi Yun was a little bit dumbfounded.
Why didn't he understand it clearly? Ye Jiao usually only wanted to eat or sleep, and didn't care much about other things. Maybe Ye Jiao didn't even know what he was thinking about.
Suddenly, he felt disgusted with the "bad thoughts" he had. Qi Yun immediately shook Ye Jiao's hand and said to her, "Do you want to eat snacks or have a meal? If you want to have a meal, go call the chef to make it."
Ye Jiao also knew that after nightfall, everyone in the family was asleep. She didn't want to bother anyone, so she just said, "I will have snacks."
Qi Yun stretched his finger to point at a small redwood cabinet not far away. "There is a box in it. If you are hungry, take some snacks from the box."
Ye Jiao immediately let go of Qi Yun's hand, ran over to open the cabinet door, and took out the only food box inside. She sat at the table, looked at the snacks inside, and smiled. She picked one up and stuffed it into her mouth.
Today's snack had red bean paste inside, which was better than the snacks on her wedding night.
Ye Jiao squinted happily, but her gaze always drifted to Qi Yun from time to time.
She wanted to eat now, not because she was hungry, but to prepare herself for something she wanted to do tonight.
Qi Yun's poor body was not because of a disease, but a congenital deficiency and physical weakness.
Physical weakness would not kill him. But because of his weak physique, even if it was just a cold wind that would be nothing for ordinary people, it can kill Qi Yun because of his body!
He can live to the present; it was also good luck in bad luck.
Ye Jiao knew that she was a ginseng spirit, and all she could do is nourishment. She is not a magical medicine for all diseases.
Before she could understand medicine in this world, Ye Jiao would use her own method to help Qi Yun.
The effect of holding hands in the past two days had been good, but today Ye Jiao will try something else while Qi Yun is sleeping.
'Treatment is also physical work, so naturally I have to eat enough.'
Qi Yun looked at her sideways.
He never thought that he would be able to watch people eat food so comfortably. It was said that looking at beauties under the moon was the most heart moving, but he felt that this cheeky lady who ate under the candlelight looked the best in his eyes.
After watching for a while, Qi Yun closed his eyes and fell asleep.
While he was half-dreaming and half-awake, he felt that someone was holding his hand.
It was as smooth as silk.
Then, a soft body squeezed between his arms, with a fragrant osmanthus smell.
He could vaguely hear a soft voice: "Xianggong, you have to be healthy and live a long life."
Qi Yun thought: 'This is probably a dream, after all, even mother does not expect me to live long.'
But he was still happy, because the voice was from Ye Jiao.
Even if he knew that the words in the dream were not true, Qi Yun still felt warm.
Qi Yun had a good dream all night.
It seemed that after Ye Jiao came, he rarely had nightmares.
—
When he woke up in the morning, the man didn't call Ye Jiao, who was still sleeping soundly. He put on his coat and lightly went to take the account book sent two days ago.
The Qi family had some spare money, but their previous generations depended on the land for their livelihoods. Even though they were the largest landlords around here, and there were also many villagers working for them, the whole family still didn't know anything about business.
In their generation, the imperial court completely opened up the restrictions on the business people. Whether it was a rich official or a trafficker, or even a monk in the temple, everyone was willing to make a living.
The Qi family also wanted to get a piece of the pie, but the first son, Qi Zhao, was not sensitive to numbers. The third son, Qi Ming, had to study and take the imperial test. So the job of checking the accounts finally fell to Qi Yun.
For Qi Yun, this matter was not troublesome. He even thought it was extremely simple.
He was smart since he was a child and never forgot anything. God probably compensated for his bad body by giving him a clever head. Qi Yun could manage the liquor store and drugstore of his family properly without any effort. The income was not too much, but it was also not too little.
However, he really couldn't care about any aggressive business practice. It would be too difficult for him. Who would expect a person who is waiting to die every day to be in the mood to make the liquor store and drugstore prosperous?
But now it's different. Qi Yun knows that this matter is important, not only to himself, but also for the gluttonous and sleepy little lady who is relying on him. Now he had to care about things that he didn't care about before.
It is like a person who has been walking in the dark suddenly sees the light. Even if it is very weak, it can give him some desire to live.
Qi Yun took out the ledger he had read roughly before and took a closer look.
But when he was flipping through it, he found an old account.
The Qi family's tavern had a bad debt. About half a year ago, someone did business with their tavern, lost the capital, and owed a sum of money to them.
And this person is Ye Erlang.
Qi Yun had heard of it. The Ye family originally had some family background. Still, after Ye Dalang left, Ye Erlang would always go out and make trouble, but he couldn't make anything. The money he owed to other people might be not less than what he owed to the Qi family. Otherwise, he won't be able to exchange his own sister for money.
It is reasonable to say that this account should not be pursued. Probably Ye Erlang owed a lot of money everywhere, so if he didn't remember, it would probably be normal. Besides, the two families are now married. This amount of money did not seem to be a big deal to Qi Yun even if it's lost.
But he did not erase the account, nor had he torn up the IOU.
He lifted his eyes to look at Ye Jiao, and then Qi Yun bowed his head for some unknown reason. He put his pen back, put the IOU back in the notebook, and clamped it back inside. He tightened his coat and was about to stand up.
But he suddenly felt a little dizzy.
He grasped the table for a while, but finally couldn't hold it anymore. His eyes went dark, and he fell back on the chair!
The pen holder on the table fell, and Ye Jiao opened her eyes immediately. She opened the curtain on the bed in surprise.
In order to nourish his body last night, she slept with Qi Yun all night. Only when the rooster cried, she quietly left the couch and went to the bed.
As a result, as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Qi Yun sitting there with a pale face. Ye Jiao didn't care about putting on shoes. She got out of the bed and ran barefoot to him and hugged the man.
Qi Yun closed his eyes and frowned, letting the woman take him into her arms. He felt as if he was in a trance, but he couldn't even open his eyes.
"Xianggong?" Ye Jiao was a little anxious. She tried to touch him, but as soon as her hand touched the man's face, she felt heat on her fingertips.
Qi Yun has a fever.
It was the first time for Ye Jiao to see Qi Yun's face stained with crimson, as if there was blood on his pale cheeks. Even though Qi Yun closed his eyes at the moment, he still looked amazingly handsome.
But the man's good looks this time made Ye Jiao panic.
The first thing she thought about was whether she did something wrong yesterday, which made this person's unhealthy body worsen?
When she thought of this, Ye Jiao felt her throat was blocked, and her eyes swelled.
The woman's body was not strong, but not sure where the energy came from, she pulled Qi Yun from the table to the bed.
As she put the man on the bed and took off his coat and shoes, Ye Jiao wrapped Qi Yun tightly with the quilt.
Because Ye Jiao heard the clattering sound and ran out of bed barefoot, no one had time to clean up the quilt. When Qi Yun was wrapped in it, there was still the woman's soft sweet-scented osmanthus scent inside the quilt and the warm temperature from her body.
Qi Yun's head was still dizzy, but he didn't make a fuss or struggle. He felt extraordinarily smooth.
Since he was a child, his body had been like this. If it were too hot or too cold, Qi Yun would faint from time to time. He was accustomed to it.
However, it felt a little different this time.
His body felt hot, but his internal organs were not stinging. Although his head was groggy, he didn't feel nauseated.
It's like being sunk in warm water. It's not comfortable, but it's not too uncomfortable either.
He could feel that someone supported him, pulled him up, and dragged him onto the bed.
This bed is Qi Yun's own bed, where he had slept for years. Even with his eyes closed, he can recognize it.
…No, that's wrong. He hasn't slept here lately.
Before Qi Yun could understand the situation, he smelled the osmanthus scent and felt the warmth.
His body was always cold, so there was never much heat in his quilt, but now, inside the quilt, he felt comfortable and warm, which made him a little sleepy.
This is the first time in his life when he felt uncomfortable, but can still feel sleepy leisurely. Qi Yun had no energy to open his eyes. He was just lying there half asleep, with a calm expression.
Ye Jiao didn't know how the man felt. The little ginseng spirit couldn't probe people's hearts and could only feel Qi Yun's hot body temperature.
After sitting by the bed, for the first time in her life, Ye Jiao felt that her body would not listen to her orders.
She clearly wanted to touch his face, but her hands were always shaking, especially her trembling fingertips, which couldn't stop.
She opened her mouth and wanted to talk to him, but there was only a groan coming out from her mouth. The little ginseng spirit didn't know what happened.
She looked at her hand blankly, then touched her neck and nose.
Her nose and throat were blocked, and felt a little sour. When she thought that this person's condition might be bad, it got worse.
The little ginseng had just grown up and had only been a person for three days, but in these short three days, Qi Yun treated her the best.
He poured her tea, fed her snacks, and took her hand to tell her not to be afraid of anything. He would handle everything.
The little ginseng, which was buried in the soil for thousands of years, stubbornly felt that being able to eat and drink was the greatest thing of being a human.
Qi Yun gave her just this, so Qi Yun was the best person in the world.
Ye Jiao got a mate who cared about her before she knew what marriage was.
So, little ginseng didn't want him to die.
Before, it was because her body's memory told her that being a widow was not good, so she must save Qi Yun's life. But now, Ye Jiao really didn't want him to die.
Qi Yun was kind to her. He was good, very good. Ye Jiao didn't think she still had a chance to find someone so good.
Looking at Qi Yun's appearance now, Ye Jiao's head was messed up.
Regardless of whether she was wearing shoes or how her heart was beating wildly, Ye Jiao bit her lip, put her hand under the quilt, and touched the man's wrist.
When she was still ginseng, she didn't have hands. Occasionally the spirits around her got sick, but she could only use her leaves to feel the pulse, which would take a long time.
Now that she had a hand and feeling pulse was convenient, Ye Jiao had no time to be happy.
She grabbed his right wrist with her left hand, tried hard not to shake her hands, closed her eyes, and felt Qi Yun's pulse. After a few breaths, Ye Jiao finally sighed with relief.
The breath that she had been holding was loosened, and her tight body relaxed. She leaned on the bed frame, but her hand still did not let go of the man's wrist.
Now, it wasn't for feeling his pulse, but to hold him softly, as if it would make her heart more comfortable.
Seeing that Qi Yun hadn't woken up yet, Ye Jiao said softly, "It's okay, it's okay…"
Her spirit can nourish people, and just by holding Qi Yun's hand, she could sustain him a lot in only two days. Although it was not great, and his complexion was still pale, Ye Jiao could feel that Qi Yun was already moving in the right direction. Especially compared to the person who collapsed at their wedding.
This gave Ye Jiao motivation. She secretly squeezed into the man's arms last night and wanted to see if it would work.
As a result, the nourishment was there, but the effect was too stimulating.
Qi Yun's body was weak, but she gave him a big supplement, which Qi Yun could not process. In addition, he was hit by the cold wind in the morning.
Fortunately, the situation was not serious. As long as the energy is digested, it would not leave any long term illness, but will make Qi Yun's body better.
But no one can bear such a tossing. It seems that she could only proceed step by step in the future and stick with their hand-in-hand action.
Knowing that Qi Yun had no major illness, Ye Jiao's heart was not as flustered as before. As soon as she calmed down, she suddenly felt a little cold on her face.
Ye Jiao wiped her face with the back of her hand in a daze and saw that her hand was wet. She licked it curiously, and it was a little salty.
'What is this?'
"My wife, don't cry."
As she heard the man's voice, Ye Jiao couldn't help but look at him.
This glance made Qi Yun, who had just woken up, hold his breath subconsciously.
Ye Jiao is beautiful. Qi Yun already knew this when he first met her. She never had any grievances on her face, nor worries about the future. On the contrary, she was always full of vigor, and she was especially cute when she laughed.
The most beautiful thing about this woman is those eyes.
Big and bright, with a clear gaze, like a clear spring water.
Now Ye Jiao's eyes were wet with tears, and they were foggy. She wiped the tears on her face, but those eyes were so clear as if they were being washed.
Qi Yun stretched out his hand and touched her face. His voice became softer and softer, "Don't cry, the weather is getting colder. If you cry too much, it will hurt your eyes."
Ye Jiao quietly looked at her wet hands.
'Cry?'
'Are these tears…?'
Little ginseng realized that she had some new insights. The worries just now disappeared completely. She touched her eyes and wanted to lick the back of her hand to continue to taste her tears.
Qi Yun held her dumbfoundedly.
As he felt his head was clearer, Qi Yun propped up himself and leaned on the pillow. He shook Ye Jiao's hand and instructed her, "Go and ask Xiao Su to call a doctor. Don't disturb my mother, lest she would worry."
Ye Jiao knew that Qi Yun was okay, so she didn't ask much. She nodded obediently and said, "Okay."
After she put on her shoes and her coat, Ye Jiao went out and called Xiao Su, who was sweeping the floor outside, and asked her to call the doctor.
Xiao Su immediately threw away the broom and ran away, as fast as a rabbit.
It was still early, and the day had just dawned, and it was still quiet outside.
Before the doctor came, Ye Jiao went to pour hot water, twisted her handkerchief, and wiped her face. After combing her hair into a bun, she wiped Qi Yun's face and brought him some salted water to gargle.
Ye Jiao had never taken the initiative to do these before. In fact, she learned this piece by piece from Qi Yun. The Qi family did not care about money, and was willing to use salt water for gargle, but he was afraid that Ye Jiao would not understand this procedure and taught her personally.
Seeing that now Ye Jiao was taking the initiative to bring saltwater to him, Qi Yun couldn't help but curl his mouth.
Qi Yun's body had not cleared from the heat, and his face was flushed. He looked a lot more vivid than the usual pale and ghostly look.
Holding a cup of water to rinse his mouth, Qi Yun whispered, "Is this a rare benefit after being sick?"
Ye Jiao coughed lightly and was too ashamed to tell him that she was the one who did bad things. Otherwise, he wouldn't be lying here.
But Ye Jiao was still a little worried about Qi Yun's situation. Before the doctor invited by the Qi family came, she put her hand under the quilt again.
Qi Yun was taken aback for a moment. Feeling the woman's slender fingertips rubbing his arm, he subconsciously withdrew his hand, "My wife, what are you looking for?"
Ye Jiao didn't look up when she said, "I'm just touching."
'…Oh, just touch.'
Qi Yun calmly leaned on the pillow, letting Ye Jiao stroked all over his arm.
Her soft hand touched the man's wrist back and forth several times, then squeezed Qi Yun's forearm, but then, she let go.
Qi Yun felt it was a pity. In fact, it's okay if she touched him more.
As soon as this idea came up, Qi Yun pushed it down. He disliked himself again for his bad thoughts.
When the doctor came, he didn't alarm anyone. Even if someone saw him, it didn't seem strange.
It was common for Qi Yun to ask a doctor to come over for medical treatment. Even if he didn't feel uncomfortable, Liu-shi would ask someone to take a look. It had become normal over time.
The doctor looked at a bunch of books after the pulse, and his conclusion was, "The second young master's pulse is stable, but some heat did not dissipate, so it is good to rest."
When these words came out, the two people had different thoughts.
Ye Jiao: 'I'm all to blame. I can't be too anxious in the future.'
Qi Yun: 'My fault. What sort of messed up dreams I had yesterday…'
After sending the doctor away, Ye Jiao heard Qi Yun said, "Today is the day when you return home. We will leave after we finish preparation."
"No!" Ye Jiao, who had never refuted Qi Yun, shook her head firmly at Qi Yun this time.
The weather is getting colder, and Qi Yun had a strong internal heat in his body, so he should take good care of himself. If he goes out with her when his body is like this, he will be blown by the cold wind, and he may collapse again.
Ye Jiao didn't hide it from him, and said to Qi Yun, "You can't move around, didn't you say you want to rest? You can't rest when you go out."
Qi Yun stared at her and frowned slightly, "But I am a little worried if you go back by yourself."
Ye Jiao didn't care about this. "Then I won't go back."
This time, the one who shook his head was Qi Yun, "Today, you have to go back to your maiden home."
It's not that Qi Yun attaches much importance to his in-laws, the Ye family. The Ye family's family background is tens of thousands of miles away from the Qi family.
The Qi family is a well-known wealthy household in the ten miles and eight villages, while the Ye family is too poor. If it were not for this mismatched marriage, they would never meet.
Not to mention that they could push Ye Jiao into a fire pit, making Qi Yun look down on them.
Obviously, Qi Yun knew clearly about the fact that he was the fire pit.
Qi Yun knew that it wouldn't matter if they didn't contact the Ye family in the future, but now they will show them that they would live a good life.
The Ye family received a heavy bridal gift to marry Ye Jiao, and the Qi family only wanted to find a woman to bless their son. This is something the two families tacitly knew, but they couldn't say it openly.
One person was unwilling to be pricked on the spine and being told that he was selling his sister, and another person was reluctant to be told that her son is sick and dying.
Qi Yun was not afraid of these unlucky words. Anyway, after hearing this for so many years, even a person who was not used to these words would get used to it.
But he didn't want people to talk about Ye Jiao. Jiao Niang was the woman he married, and now she was the treasure in his heart, so he couldn't give others a reason for gossiping.
However, Qi Yun didn't want Ye Jiao to know these. He could tell that Ye Jiao didn't understand, and he also didn't want Ye Jiao to understand.
Holding Ye Jiao's hand, Qi Yun coughed softly, and then said, "Don't worry, I will tell my mother later. We will ask a helper woman to accompany you back, and Xiao Su will also follow you. If you're tired on the way, go to our medicine garden and take a rest. If you don't like to stay at your brother's house for too long, just come back after a few minutes."
Ye Jiao didn't care where she should go. Although she didn't know what Qi Yun was thinking, she knew that this person would do everything for her, and it wouldn't matter if she went.
What really made Ye Jiao curious was the medicine garden that Qi Yun mentioned.
Ye Jiao can slowly nourish Qi Yun, but this is a long process. The experience from this morning also told her that she must not rush.
However, Qi Yun was physically weak, and she was not sure if any small illnesses would become a major calamity. Ye Jiao wanted to know if the medicinal materials in this world were different from those in her previous life. She had to prepare early for her husband.
She shook Qi Yun's finger, "Xianggong, where is that medicine garden?"
Qi Yun only thought she was curious, and said warmly, "You should be able to see it on the road. Our family has a medicine shop. Most of the medicinal materials inside are processed in this medicine garden before being sent to the shop."
Ye Jiao's eyes were bright, and she nodded again and again. She was suddenly full of expectations for this trip.
But soon, Ye Jiao was worried again.
Qi Yun had a strong internal heat this morning. He got up early and was blown by the cold wind.
If she was not by his side, Qi Yun would be alone. What if something happened again?
After thinking about it, Ye Jiao had an idea.
She got up and went to the outer room. She took a scissor from the cabinet and cut a strand of hair from her bun.
Although this wasn't as effective as staying next to him, it was taken from her. If it's placed beside Qi Yun, and something really happened to him, she could feel it.
She took a brocade bag and stuffed her hair in it. She tied it, and after Ye Jiao tidied up her bun again, she walked into the inner room.
Qi Yun couldn't see clearly what Ye Jiao was doing. But when he saw the bag Ye Jiao was holding, he recognized that it was an amulet bag.
Liu-shi asked all sorts of God and Buddha for him, so he had many such bags.
But when Ye Jiao stuffed it into his hands, Qi Yun felt warm and fluttering in his heart, as if the bag actually meant something.
Ye Jiao solemnly told him, "Take it with you."
Qi Yun thought that she knew it was a talisman. He felt it was useless, but facing the woman's clear eyes, he nodded and agreed.
At this time, Liu-shi asked Ye Jiao to come over. Qi Yun guessed what Liu-shi might say. He put the bag in his arms and patted her hand, "Go, talk to my mother. Do you want me to accompany you?"
Ye Jiao insisted on letting him rest and went to Liu-shi's yard by herself.
After she left, Qi Yun didn't suppress himself anymore and suddenly coughed.
Although he didn't feel dizzy, his throat had been itchy since morning, especially after talking to Ye Jiao a lot.
But he didn't want Ye Jiao to worry, so he endured it all those times. Now that he suddenly coughed, it would inevitably feel heart-piercing.
Xiao Su, who was cleaning outside, was taken aback. Although she was afraid of the second young master, who was always gloomy, the little girl knew that if something happened to Qi Yun, Liu-shi would punish all of them.
As soon as she heard the cough, Xiao Su ran to the door and asked through the window, "Second…Second young master, do you want to call the doctor again?"
Qi Yun took the teacup that Ye Jiao had placed on the bedside and drank from it. The warm tea made his throat more comfortable.
Hearing Xiao Su's voice, Qi Yun took a few breaths, and then said, "I'm fine, don't disturb others."
This voice was a bit hoarse, and Xiao Su was afraid of him. The husky voice matched with a pale face in her head made the little girl shocked.
At this time, she heard Qi Yun's voice coming from the window again, "By the way, when you accompany Jiao Niang back to her home, please be careful and tell me what happened."
Xiao Su shrank her head and replied in a low voice, "I understand."
"Don't be afraid to offend people. Protect your madam, you understand?"
"Understand… understand."
After Qi Yun stopped talking, Xiao Su immediately released her hand from the window and ran away.
She ran a little faster when she passed the black feather shuttlecock.
'The second young master is indeed the most terrifying!'
At the main house, there are only Qi Yun's mother, Liu-shi, and the Qi family's eldest daughter-in-law, Fang-shi.
Liu-shi asked Ye Jiao to come over. She didn't seem to be anxious at all, but Fang-shi kept looking outside while coaxing her son. It appeared that she was more concerned than Liu-shi.
Seeing her like this, Liu-shi couldn't help but say, "What are you looking at?"
Fang-shi immediately turned to Liu-shi, her round face lit up with a smile, "Mother, I am waiting for my second brother-in-law and my sister-in-law."
Liu-shi glanced at her. She put down the teacup in her hand and said, "Yun'er wants to rest, don't worry about him."
Even if Qi Yun wanted to call the doctor quietly, there is nothing in this family that could be hidden from Liu-shi.
Before the doctor left, Liu-shi specifically called him over and interrogated him.
In the end, she heard the doctor say that Qi Yun's body was getting better. This time, he had a bit of internal heat1 , so he had a bit of fever, but it was nothing major.
In the past, Qi Yun was either hot or cold. Although it was not a good thing to have an internal heat, Liu-shi understood that her son was no longer on the verge of life and death.
This was enough to make Liu-shi happy, but she didn't say anything, afraid that it would break Qi Yun's fortune.
She forcibly settled down and said to Fang-shi, "Today, your second brother will stay at home. I am just thinking of Qi Yun's body. If others care about those vain rules, they
can care for it. But we are not a big family, and we are not strict with the rules. Just get someone to accompany Jiao Niang."
Although she said that, Fang-shi could hear that her mother-in-law was very satisfied with Ye Jiao.
She responded to Liu-shi's meaning with a smile and said, "My younger sister-in-law has a good blessing. Not only was my second younger brother getting better and better, but look, it was cloudy a while ago, but it was sunny now."
Liu-shi smiled upon hearing this.
People were always a little bit superstitious in their hearts. Before Ye Jiao came to their family, Liu-shi didn't care about her very much. She just thought that in the future, it would be just another mouth to feed. But now, when she heard that Qi Yun's body did not have any illness, Liu-shi thought Ye Jiao was very good.
'Today is the day when she is returning home. Look how nice the sun is.'
She knew that Fang-shi had deliberately said nice things to make her happy, but Liu-shi loved listening to it.
As long as Qi Yun's health is good, Liu-shi was happy to treat Ye Jiao well.
Fang-shi looked at her and smiled. Knowing that Liu-shi was in a good mood, she took the opportunity to say, "Mother, Shitou is growing fast. He needs new clothes again."
As she said this, she turned to her son, who was less than two years old in her arms, Shitou.
Liu-shi looked at her but didn't answer. She just reached out and touched the top of Shitou's hair.
When the child was born, he had a weak body, so they didn't give him a big name. As a superstitious blessing, he only got a nickname for the family to call him.
Liu-shi had always favored Shitou, but this time she did not immediately respond.
Fang-shi did not dare to urge her and only sat quietly.
After a while, Liu-shi said, "There is no way we will shorten the food and clothing for Shitou. Just ask someone to make what you want, you don't have to tell me specifically."
Fang-shi immediately laughed when she heard this, and there was no concealment of joy on her chubby face.
Liu-shi didn't say anything about Fang-shi, but sighed helplessly.
Her eldest daughter-in-law was originally the daughter of a scholar. Although there are many officials in the imperial court nowadays, there are also many who only spent money to buy a title.
But the scholars of Fang-shi's family really took the examination properly and received the Xiucai title. The daughter of a scholar is always a popular choice.
[T/N: Xiucai (秀才)was a title awarded to graduates of the respective examination in the system created during the Sui and Tang periods.]
In order to give her first son a wife from a scholar family, Liu-shi spent a lot of money to hire a top matchmaker and finally let them married.
Who knew that Fang-shi was not clever at all, but particularly stingy.
Shitou is Liu-shi's only grandchild, and he had never lacked anything. But Fang-shi had to ask Liu-shi for everything and did not want to purchase anything by herself.
Fortunately, Liu-shi thought she had always been honest and caring, so she let her go, and just considered it as spoiling her grandson.
Fang-shi took advantage, so she smiled again. Cheerfully hugged her son, and teased him with an apple, "Shitou, come, laugh."
Little Shitou also gave her a lot of face. He chuckled while holding the apple, and his big eyes turned squinting and looked especially pleasing.
Liu-shi loved her grandson, and when she saw Shitou smile, the little opinion about her daughter-in-law immediately disappeared.
At this moment, Ye Jiao opened up the curtain and walked in.
Seeing them, Ye Jiao smiled softly, "Mother, sister-in-law."
Fang-shi was scared of Qi Yun. After all, ordinary people would feel uncomfortable to see the sick and gloomy Qi family's second son.
However, Fang-shi was extraordinarily kind to Ye Jiao and even sympathized with her.
The more she feared Qi Yun, the more she sympathized with Ye Jiao.
However, apart from sympathy, Fang-shi's heart was a little bit proud. Her husband, Qi Zhao, is a good person. Compared with Ye Jiao, Fang-shi felt that she was extremely lucky.
This made Fang-shi take the initiative to come over when she saw Ye Jiao. She kindly took her hand and said, "It's autumn, and it's cold outside. Why don't you wear more clothes, sister-in-law?"
When Ye Jiao faced Liu-shi and Fang-shi, she lost the coquettishness she had in front of Qi Yun, and replied very cautiously and politely, "I will remember. I will definitely wear more next time."
Some people came and placed a simple breakfast on the table. When the three of them ate, most of them were only talking to Liu-shi. Ye Jiao only held her bowl of porridge.
There was an egg in the porridge, and there was a meaty smell. Ye Jiao's eyes narrowed in happiness.
When the breakfast was over, some nannies cleaned up the dishes and wiped the tea marks on the table.
Liu-shi looked at Ye Jiao up and down, beckoned to let her come closer, and then said to a nanny on the side, "Nanny Liu, give the things to Jiao Niang."
Nanny Liu immediately took out a big cloth bag and opened it. It contained several sets of clothes and a jade hairpin, which looked pretty good.
The little ginseng can't tell whether things were good or bad, but she felt that the dress was more delicate than what she wore. It felt softer in her arms.
Fang-shi's eyes looked hot and she wanted to speak, but Liu-shi stopped her words. "You have just passed the door, and you haven't prepared many clothes. After a while, it will be cold before you can find someone to make clothes. Let's wear this first."
As soon as this remark came out, Fang-shi understood that Liu-shi was preparing clothes and jewelry for Ye Jiao. It was telling the Ye family that the Qi family valued Ye Jiao. Probably it came with a warning, so that they should not come to provoke Ye Jiao in the future.
Ye Jiao didn't understand these twists and turns, but she remembered Qi Yun's instructions. Her husband asked her to speak politely in front of Liu-shi, so she would not ask questions in front of Liu-shi casually. She only smiled and said, "Thank you, mother."
The way she said 'mother' was sweet, which made Liu-shi feel comfortable.
On the other hand, Fang-shi touched her throat, holding her mouth, thinking that this second sister-in-law is good-looking, and her voice sounded nice. Liu-shi was not happy after she called her so many times.
But she also thought that Ye Jiao married Qi Yun. Who knew how hard it would be in the future, so Fang-shi immediately felt comfortable.
Liu-shi didn't know what her daughter-in-law was thinking about, and she didn't ask. She just reached out and took Shitou into her arms to coax. The child's delicate appearance also brought out the lively atmosphere into the room.
Ye Jiao left the Qi family house in an ox cart. The Qi family can afford a mule and horse, but in the village, ox carts are often more efficient than horse carts.
The ones who accompany Ye Jiao back are the old Nanny Liu, who is usually next to Liu-shi and Xiao Su who was sent by Qi Yun.
Xiao Su held the things in her arms tightly, fearing that the ox cart would bump it around.
She held not only a gift to bring back to the Ye family, but also a food box.
Ye Jiao blinked at the food box, and curiously asked, "Is this also to be taken as a gift?"
Xiao Su had a lively temper, but when she saw Qi Yun, she was scared off into a shivering quail. Now when she left the house, she spoke a lot more crisply, "No, the second young master asked me to bring this, saying that he was afraid that the young madam would be hungry."
Nanny Liu was a little surprised when she heard this. She followed Liu-shi and watched the three young masters grow up. The second young master is usually cold and indifferent to everyone, but now he actually cared about food for his wife?
Ye Jiao's eyes lit up, "Snacks?"
Xiao Su nodded and opened the food box.
Inside were six red bean cakes, the same as the cakes that Ye Jiao ate last night, but it was still warm this time.
Ye Jiao was full after breakfast and was not hungry yet, but after seeing it, she felt her mouth was dry and she wanted to eat something.
But she resisted and did not reach out. Instead, she asked Xiao Su to close the food box, she opened the window curtain and looked out.
The little ginseng didn't care whether she would return to her family's home or not. If Qi Yun hadn't insisted on it, she would probably not take this trip.
However, Ye Jiao was very concerned about the Qi Family Medicine Garden that they might pass on the road.
The little ginseng is now only quasi literate and can't read characters. Human characters are different from those used by spirits, there is only a little similarity. She could count characters that she could recognize with her two hands.
When leaving the house, Ye Jiao turned around to look at the Qi family plaque outside the house, and remember the words as if it was a picture, so that she wouldn't fail to recognize the Qi family's medicine garden. .
Not long after sitting in the ox cart, Ye Jiao saw a courtyard.
It was not far from the road, the fence was high, and something seemed to be cooking inside, there was white smoke blowing.
The sign hanging outside said "The Qi Family's Medicine Garden". Ye Jiao didn't recognize the characters, but Ye Jiao memorized the first two words, and she could smell the scent of medicinal materials, so she knew it was the place.
She was no longer looking for the place, so she dropped the curtain and fixed her eyes on the food container.
Before Ye Jiao could speak, Xiao Su opened the food box and handed it to Ye Jiao.
Ye Jiao picked up a hot red bean cake and took a bite. Her mouth was full of sweetness, and the little ginseng couldn't help but narrow her eyes in happiness.
'It is good to be able to eat.'
'He is still thinking of me.'
'What a good marriage!'
However, there are six red bean cakes in the box, which are a lot. She couldn't help but think a little. She wanted to wait until they returned and she would say that she was hungry and then went to the medicine garden to rest. If this red bean cake couldn't be finished, she wanted to go to the medicine garden on the way back. What excuse should she use?
Then she looked at Nanny Liu and Xiao Su, "Are you hungry?"
Before Nanny Liu spoke, Xiao Su already nodded.
Xiao Su was not hungry, she was greedy.
The Qi family is a wealthy household and has enough food. But Xiao Su only came to help. Even though she usually eats until she is full, the food was not so delicate, and sweet things were rarely available.
Nowadays, the court is in charge of salt, and the price of sugar is so expensive that ordinary people simply cannot eat it.
Ye Jiao saw the desire in Xiao Su's eyes, and pushed the food box toward them, "Eat it separately, don't leave it."
Xiao Su immediately reached out and took one, as if she was afraid that Ye Jiao would go back on her words.
Nanny Liu also picked one up. She felt that Ye Jiao knew how to be kind, so she would remember that Ye Jiao gave her benefits.
After a while, the six red bean cakes were eaten by the three people. Sweet things always make people feel better, so Ye Jiao's face is full of smiles when the ox cart stops.
She was healthy, and the ginseng essence regulated her body well. Her skin is white and her cheeks are blushing. She is especially beautiful when she smiles.
The ox cart parked outside the courtyard of the Ye family. Xiao Su jumped out of the cart and moved a low stool to help Nanny Liu down. Then the two of them helped Ye Jiao out together.
When Ye Jiao opened the curtain, she noticed that a lot of people were watching her.
In fact, since the ox cart entered the village, some people had followed it.
The village where the Ye family lives was not a large village, and only the village chief's have cattle at home. Now they saw cattle pulling carts, so they are naturally curious.
As a result, they saw the ox cart was parked outside the Ye Family courtyard. They naturally remembered the lively bride welcoming team sent by the Qi family a few days ago.
When they thought about it, today should be the day when the Ye family's lady returned.
Ye Jiao didn't go out often before, so not many people knew her. Even if some people had seen her, they only remembered that she was a girl with her head down. Her voice was so small that people couldn't see her clearly.
But now when the little ginseng got off the car, she looked so pleasing to the eye.
She was a small ginseng in her previous life. In this life, she became a human, and Qi Yun took care of her in the little ginseng did not understand the word "inferiority" at all.
Anyway, she had just grown up, it is fair that she didn't know everything.
Her husband only said that she needed to be careful in front of the two elders of the Qi family. As for the others, she didn't have to be afraid of anyone.
When getting out of the cart, Ye Jiao held Xiao Su and Nanny Liu's hands and looked very comfortable.
The clothes Liu-shi made for her were not as gorgeous as the clothes of noble ladies in the city, but they were also exquisite. The materials used were high quality. Ye Jiao was born beautiful so she looked like a rich lady.
This appearance shocked the onlookers, and they couldn't help but stare at each other.
'Is she the Ye family girl who is always timid?'
'She is so good-looking!'
If people knew that the Ye Family's girl had such a good appearance, probably the Ye Family's door would have been crushed by matchmakers requesting marriage!
It just so happened that Ye Erlang came back with some vegetables. When he saw Ye Jiao, he didn't dare to recognize her for a while. He didn't dare to say anything until she got closer.
"Sister?"
—
Author's note:
Qi Yun: The first hour after my wife left, I already missed her. I don't know if she missed me.
Ye Jiao: The red bean cakes are still warm and delicious.
Qi Yun: ?
Footnotes
In traditional Chinese medicine, some things are "hot" or heaty or Yang while others are cooling or Yin.
Ye Jiao turned around to look at the person who called her. According to her memory, she looked at the man's face and called out, "Second brother."
She only called him, but Little Ginseng didn't know Ye Erlang. She also didn't know how to do small talks with someone, so naturally, there was nothing else to say.
Ye Erlang didn't notice this. He looked at Ye Jiao, then moved his gaze at Ye Jiao's delicate clothes and the ox cart aside, which made Ye Erlang a little embarrassed.
Especially after he looked down and noticed that he was still wearing his usual shabby clothes, the man felt more embarrassed.
He knew that Ye Jiao would come back today, but he didn't expect the Qi family to rush with a cart.
The Ye Family didn't even plan a coming home banquet for her.
After a weird silence, Old Lady Liu stepped forward and stood beside Ye Jiao.
Liu-shi told Nanny Liu that she knew that the Ye family was unreliable. Her daughter-in-law looked like someone with a good temper. So, she was afraid that she would suffer when she returned home. That was why Nanny Liu followed her home to protect Ye Jiao.
As long as Qi Yun likes her, Liu-shi will value Ye Jiao more.
At this moment, Nanny Liu gave a light cough and said sternly, "My young lady was tired after coming all the way here and didn't even drink a drop of water."
Ye Jiao blinked and thought. 'Obviously, we had eaten red bean cakes and drank tea just now?'
Ye Erlang's face blushed. He hurriedly stepped forward to open the door and shouted inside, "Wife, Jiao Niang is back! Come out!"
"I'll come when I come. Why are you yelling…" Ye Ersao came out of the room with an impatient look.
But when she saw what was outside, Ye Ersao suddenly stopped her speech. Her gaze turned on the ox cart outside their house, and then she looked at Ye Jiao's clothes with a face of disbelief.
Ye Erlang didn't have time to care about her. He hurriedly ushered Ye Jiao to enter the house.
When Ye Jiao passed by Ye Ersao, she remembered that this person had grabbed her hand before.
She subconsciously put her hands behind her back and silently walked around her, making Xiao Su and Nanny Liu take a second look at Ye Ersao.
Seeing that his wife was still stunned, Ye Erlang hurriedly said, "Go to Zhang Luo to order some food. Don't you still have eggs at home? Make steamed eggs, and buy some wine, hurry up."
But when Ye Jiao heard this, she said, "I'm not going to eat, I will leave soon."
She loves to eat, but it was not the time to be greedy.
Ye Jiao was worried about letting Qi Yun stay at home alone. He just had an attack in the morning. Even if Ye Jiao put her hair in Qi Yun's hands, she couldn't completely be sure of Qi Yun's safety.
Her husband is sick, and the weather is so cold. Naturally, Ye Jiao didn't want to stay in the Ye family's house for long.
Granny Liu immediately took over the conversation and helped Ye Jiao to smoothen it up, "This is because the lady is afraid that her maiden's family will be exhausted. The young lady is really considerate and kind."
Ye Jiao: '…Huh?'
After hearing this, the Ye family's expressions were complicated. Ye Erlang responded numbly and quickly walked into the house to talk to his sister, but Ye Ersao didn't recover.
It was her idea to send Ye Jiao to the Qi family, but Ye Ersao didn't want Ye Jiao to have a good life. Otherwise, she wouldn't marry her sister-in-law to Qi Yun, who everyone said was dying.
Ye Ersao thought Qi Yun wouldn't survive for a few days, and the Qi family will have a funeral after the wedding.
Ye Jiao, the Chongxi lady, won't do well. Most likely, she would be blasted out.
Ye Ersao had always thought about getting rid of her sister-in-law and stopped her from eating rice at her home, but Ye Jiao became noble and rich now, and her life is good.
But who would have thought that Ye Jiao would live a good life!
Nowadays, the rich and the poor are like heaven and earth. Seeing Ye Jiao's foothold in Qi's house, Ye Ersao didn't dare to offend her domineeringly.
To put it awkwardly, if she offended Ye Jiao, it would offend the Qi family. Then Ye Ersao's life will not be better.
Ye Ersao repeatedly told herself that everything would be easy after taking the money, and it didn't matter how Ye Jiao lived.
But she felt extremely uncomfortable, not knowing whether it was envy or jealousy, but it made her heartache.
The room was a little too quiet.
Little ginseng had no feelings with Ye Erlang, so whatever he said went in and out of her ear. She didn't even think about it.
Soon, Ye Erlang didn't have any more topics to say, and after thinking about it for a long time, he didn't know what he could say to Ye Jiao.
After holding back for a long time, Ye Erlang said, "Sister, how are you doing?"
Ye Jiao nodded, "Okay."
'Eating and drinking are great.'
Ye Erlang tried his best to make himself smile and muttered, "Okay is good, okay is good."
At this time, a child who looked around six years old ran into the house. He frowned when he saw Ye Jiao, then he turned his head and shouted, "Mom, I want to eat steamed eggs. It's not for others."
Everyone understood who he was talking about, but Ye Jiao didn't react at all.
This child is called Ye Bao. He is the only son of Ye Erlang and Ye Ersao. He was pampered and also very naughty.
But Ye Jiao didn't even look at Ye Bao and didn't bother to flip through her memories.
She knew that Ye Erlang's family was not good to the original Ye Jiao. Little ginseng had no habit of self-abuse and didn't want to watch it over and over again.
The same as Ye Erlang, Ye Bao's words didn't even enter her ears. She was just waiting to go to the medicine garden. She looked calm, but she was already impatient.
Nanny Liu glared. She was born with a big waist, and with her cold aura, she looked a bit scary.
Ye Ersao hurriedly covered Ye Bao's mouth, but Ye Erlang was a little at a loss. He didn't know whether he should be angry that Ye Bao talked nonsense or apologize to Ye Jiao.
After all, now Ye Jiao is no longer just his little sister. She had married the Qi family, which they can't afford to offend.
Ye Jiao was bored.
Little ginseng was not happy to come here. Now, there is nothing else to look at, so she said to the old lady Liu, "Nanny Liu, put the things down. I'm a little worried about my husband."
Nanny Liu immediately put the things she was carrying on the table. The box was not big, and it contained sweet zongzi wrapped in red paper.
When ordinary people returned home, they would bring chickens and eggs. However, the Qi's family packed Ye Jiao with sweets, which was easier to carry.
Ye Erlang still wanted to say something. "Jiao Niang, Bao'er didn't mean it just now. Don't care about…"
"It's okay. I forgive him." Ye Jiao blocked Ye Erlang's words with a fluttering sentence.
Ye Jiao really didn't care.
She didn't even know the Ye family. They didn't even give Ye Jiao sweet potatoes to eat. For the little ginseng spirit, she would rather see Qi Yun more. Her Xianggong could guarantee her food and drink, and would remember to bring her red bean cakes.
Ye Jiao was an easily satisfied fairy.
Ye Erlang had nothing to say and followed to the door. He watched Ye Jiao lead the people away in an ox cart.
From when she came in and to when she left, she didn't even finish her cup of tea.
Ye Erlang closed the courtyard door after Ye Jiao had driven away in the ox cart and ignored the neighbor's discussion outside.
But when he went back to the house, he saw that Ye Bao had opened the box on the table. The red paper wrapping was also torn apart. Ye Bao was holding the sweet and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Mom, didn't you say that aunt won't come back after we sold her?"
Ye Bao didn't see Ye Erlang had entered the house. With sugar in his mouth, his voice was a little murmur.
He was not afraid of Ye Jiao. When Ye Jiao was at home, Ye Bao always took her food. In addition, Ye Ersao always whispered to him about how bad Ye Jiao was. Ye Bao is a child, so naturally, he learned.
But today is different. Ye Jiao had firmly seated as the second daughter-in-law of the Qi family. They can't afford to offend her like this as a small family, and they absolutely cannot say such things!
It was too late for Ye Ersao to cover his mouth. Ye Erlang stared at them, took two steps forward anxiously, and grabbed Ye Bao by the collar. "Who told you this!"
Ye Bao was frightened, and Ye Ersao was shaken.
In fact, she thought about it more than once. Ye Jiao looked so good. It was better to sell her in the city to be a concubine of those wealthy businessmen than letting her marry a farmer with a dowry.
Some words can't be put in upfront. But in private, Ye Ersao was happy to finally clear out the food-waster and got a lot of money.
'Could it be that Ye Bao learned the little things I secretly said?'
Ye Bao didn't look at his father. With sweets in his hands, he shrank his neck. "I heard it from outside…"
Before he finished speaking, Ye Erlang went to get the broom angrily. He was about to beat him up and lifted the broom.
Ye Bao immediately cried in fright. His hand shook, and the candy wrapper and the sweets were scattered all over the ground.
Ye Erlang didn't feel distressed about it at all.
He is Ye Jiao's biological brother. Even though he is not as capable as Ye Dalang, Ye Erlang had watched Ye Jiao grow up until now.
He knew his wife was domineering, but they have Ye Bao. Ye Erlang treated his son as a treasure and indulged his wife. In the past, Ye Jiao had suffered a lot, he knew a little bit, but he persuaded Ye Jiao to give in every time. Ye Jiao stopped talking after a while, and Ye Erlang didn't think about it.
People are often like this. To make themselves feel at ease, they would lie to themselves.
When the marriage between Ye Jiao and Qi Yun was finalized, Ye Erlang kept telling himself that he was sending Ye Jiao to enjoy the blessing. Qi's family is a well-known rich family within the ten miles and eight villages, and getting married to this family would not be too bad.
When Ye Jiao just came home, her beautiful dress made Ye Erlang feel that he was right.
But now Ye Bao directly tore off that lie.
They just sold Ye Jiao.
No matter how much he comforted himself, he can't deny this fact.
Ye Erlang's eyes were red from anger, which made Ye Ersao scared, but she was originally a domineering, short-minded and stingy. Seeing that Ye Erlang was about to beat her child, she immediately ran over and took Ye Bao, who was crying and scared, into her arms. She cried towards Ye Erlang, "If you want to hit him, you must kill me first! He is my baby, my lifeblood. You can try to touch him!"
It's not the first time Ye Erlang heard this. Whenever he wanted to teach his son a lesson, Ye Ersao would use these words to stop him.
Ye Erlang's mouth is dumb. He can't say anything.
After holding back for a long time, he could only squeeze one sentence out, "This child is not good. He will really grow crooked if we don't teach him. Eldest brother said before that boys couldn't be spoiled, you…"
"Big brother, big brother. You care about your big brother, but your big brother doesn't care about us!" Ye Ersao shouted again, she held Ye Bao and hid him behind her.
Ye Erlang's heart was upset. He was thinking of his elder brother, whose life and death were unclear, and thinking of his little sister, who was almost cut off from him. Ye Erlang threw away the broom in his hand and sat on the chair with his eyes closed. He had a look of exhaustion and depression.
There was still Ye Bao's ear-piercing cry in the background, as if he was about to break the roof.
Ye Ersao secretly grabbed the sweet zongzi scattered on the ground with her hands. Seeing Ye Erlang hadn't moved, she snorted, picked Ye Bao up, and went to the back room.
Ye Jiao, who had already left, didn't know anything about the Ye Family noises. She sat in the ox cart and looked outside the window.
When she saw the Qi Family Medicine Garden from a distance, Ye Jiao blinked, turned to Xiao Su, and said, "I'm a little hungry."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Su immediately touched the small basket she was holding.
But it was empty inside. They had eaten all the red bean cakes in it on the way in.
Nanny Liu opened up the curtain and looked outside. She saw the Qi Family Medicine Garden from a distance, and then smiled at Ye Jiao, "It is not far from the Medicine Garden. Why don't we go there to rest?"
"Okay." Ye Jiao had this idea from the beginning and nodded immediately.
After getting out of the car, Nanny Liu asked, "What do you want to eat? I'll have someone prepare it."
Ye Jiao blinked and said with a smile, "Steamed eggs."
Steamed eggs is not a fancy thing, so Nanny Liu got out of the car and walked quickly to the back of the yard, where there is a small kitchen, and made steamed eggs very quickly.
Ye Jiao went to the lobby with Xiao Su to rest. Xiao Su was so young that she bounced her legs around and looked at Ye Jiao excitedly, "Young lady, can you share a bite of steamed eggs for me?"
"Yes." Ye Jiao was looking at the medicinal herbs on both sides at this moment, and nodded casually.
She didn't come here to eat, so she would happily share it with her.
Xiao Su smiled and squinted her eyes. She thought that the second young master's appearance could scare people to death, but the second young madam had a very good temper. Would they complement each other?
Ye Jiao stood up after sitting in the front hall for a while and went to the garden outside. Xiao Su hurriedly jumped up to follow her.
She came here to find out if the medicine in this world is different from her previous life and find out if there are any medicinal materials useful to Qi Yun.
There are many wooden frames in the garden with large bamboo plaques for drying medicinal materials.
Ye Jiao looked around and recognized them.
She felt relieved to recognize some of the materials from her previous life. But what made her uneasy was that many medicinal materials that would be useful for Qi Yun were not seen here.
At the moment, Qi Yun's body cannot accept much. If she wanted to find something to nourish his foundation, it can't be too much. This is not easy to handle.
Qi Yun's foundation was poor, and there were big problems, and there were also small problems. Ye Jiao looked around a few times, but didn't see something that was just right.
When she felt a little disappointed, Ye Jiao suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.
This scent was very faint, especially in the courtyard filled with strong medicinal materials. This strange scent cannot be smelled unless the person carefully paid attention.
Ye Jiao's eyes lit up. She looked around and finally saw a fragile vine under the wall with small red flowers blooming on it.
It swayed in the wind, moving her heart.
Ye Jiao immediately stepped forward. She squatted down and leaned over to smell it. She felt that the smell was very familiar.
But Ye Jiao remembered that it shouldn't grow in the soil…
At this time, she heard a voice behind her, "Second young lady, lunch is served."
Ye Jiao turned her head and saw a strange middle-aged man. She stood up and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the manager of this garden. The second young lady should call me Dong Da." Dong Da smiled and arched his hand at Ye Jiao. He looked like a kind person.
This medicine garden and the medicine shop are part of the same business. The ledgers were all given to Qi Yun to look after.
Now, Qi Yun was married, and Liu-shi put great importance to his wife. Dong Da knew that the second young lady was valued, so naturally, he would not take her lightly and personally came to receive her.
Ye Jiao also smiled, but she did not go back to the front hall immediately. Instead, she pointed to the flower and asked, "How does this thing grow here?"
Dong Da stepped forward, looked at the plant, and said, "Looking at this, it should be stone bud grass. It's not very common, but it's not very useful. Probably the medicine boy in the garden saw it, then dug it up and planted it here. Take a look. It has bright color."
Ye Jiao immediately asked, "Is it blooming during the cold days, and grows in the crevices of rocks?"
Dong Da nodded, "The second young lady is right. It grows in stones. Otherwise, it won't be called stone bud grass. The second young lady is really knowledgeable."
Ye Jiao didn't react too much to this nonchalant flattery. She just stared at the plant.
Ye Jiao had seen a lot of this kind of grass in her previous life. In winter, everything would be withered and covered with white snow. Only these little red flowers bloom in the remote mountains, like a star-pointed flame lit in the snow.
However, in the spring of the second year, the flower would wither, making it look like an ordinary wild grass.
But if it grew next to a thousand years ginseng and was nourished by the ginseng spirit, it would bloom and bear fruit in the next spring. The fruit will be clear and white, and it is a rare good medicine.
If ordinary people ate it, it would nourish them. If dying people ate it, it would save their lives.
The little fox called it white rainbow fruit. The fox's scholar lover was rescued by the fruit once.
Ye Jiao looked down at the delicate little flower, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
'What a coincidence, aren't I a thousand-year ginseng?'
"I want to take it away."
Ye Jiao's words made Dong Da a little surprised. After all, although this kind of little plant blooms off-season, it dies in one year. It is of no use except for decoration. It cannot be eaten or worn, and the flowers are small and pitiful, far inferior to other flowers.
But Dong Da agreed without any hesitation. If they could make Ye Jiao happy with a stone bud grass, it was extremely cost-effective, in his opinion.
He called the worker on the side to come over and move the stone bud grass. Ye Jiao said, "Since it grows in stones, put some stones in the flowerpot."
Ye Jiao remembered clearly that it grew on a rocky surface. If it was just buried in soil, this little thing would feel bored and would die soon.
Obviously, this plant doesn't like to eat soil either.
Dong Da immediately smiled and said, "As Young Lady said," then turned to the boy and said, "Hurry up and find some stones."
The boy found stones, placed them in the flower pot, and fixed them with mud. After that, they repotted the stone bud grass. Its red flower still small, but it looked more energetic than before.
Ye Jiao was thinking about holding the flowerpot by herself, but Xiao Su quickly picked it up and hugged it in her arms. She said, "Let me carry it. Young madam, don't get your hands dirty."
This was what Xiao Su heard Qi Yun said to Ye Jiao last time. That person was unwilling to let Ye Jiao touch chicken feed, let alone this potted plant.
Thinking of Xiao Hei with a bald tail, Xiao Su's nose wrinkled in anguish.
Ye Jiao didn't insist. She took Xiao Su into the front hall and asked as she walked, "Manager, is stone bud grass easy to find?"
Dong Da immediately replied, "Not so easy. It is small, and it can only live for one year. Ordinary people don't even recognize it, and it's hard to find more."
Ye Jiao felt that it's a pity, but she is not greedy.
It's lucky to find one plant. She can't force them to get more.
When she arrived in the front hall, Nanny Liu had already brought up the steamed eggs and made two other side dishes.
Ye Jiao went to clean her hands and sat down. Seeing Xiao Su looking at her steamed eggs eagerly, she couldn't help but feel happy. She said to Nanny Liu, "Give her a bowl. Nanny Liu, you should eat some too. I'm afraid you will be hungry on the way back."
Xiao Su laughed immediately, and Nanny Liu didn't refuse. After thanking Ye Jiao, she divided the steamed eggs into a couple of portions and ate her portion on the side. Ye Jiao also served Xiao Su a portion.
Ye Jiao was staring at the little flower of stone bud grass and thought about how to raise this little thing. She carelessly dug a spoonful of steamed eggs with a spoon and put it in her mouth.
She didn't know what the steamed eggs were. She only remembered about it when she heard Ye Bao kept talking about it.
After eating the steamed eggs, Ye Jiao only felt that it was extraordinarily smooth and soft. She could chew the minced chicken mixed in it, and sesame oil, leaving her mouth full of fragrance.
Originally, Ye Jiao just said it casually, but she couldn't stop after one bite. In the end, a bowl filled her stomach.
Feeling her stomach, Ye Jiao sighed with happiness.
It's great to be a human being.
After eating, Ye Jiao took the Stone bud grass pot and walked back into the ox cart.
As soon as she got home, she immediately returned to her yard. She walked extremely fast, and Xiao Su had to trot to keep up with her.
When Ye Jiao opened the door, she saw Qi Yun sitting behind the table in his coat. He looked at her with a little surprise, as if he didn't expect Ye Jiao to return so soon.
Ye Jiao's apricot eyes widened, and her soft lips were slightly pursed.
Qi Yun does not understand. Normally, Ye Jiao liked to talk and laugh. It was the first time he saw Ye Jiao's unhappy appearance. He couldn't help thinking if his lady was angry?
Afraid of getting the cold into the room, Ye Jiao beckoned to Xiao Su, who was holding the flowerpot and following her, to come in and then quickly closed the door.
When she turned her head, her brows frowned, "Xianggong, you promised me to rest. What if you got cold?"
'To recuperate, you have to lie down on the bed. How could you sit here?'
Qi Yun realized that Ye Jiao was worried about him. He couldn't help but smile, put the pen in his hand, and said gently, "I slept for a long time, and my body was sore. I just woke up for dinner. I thought it was about the time for you to come back, so I just take a look at the account book."
"It's better to go back and lie down. You can't catch a cold anymore." Ye Jiao stepped forward and wanted to help him, but she saw Qi Yun still wearing his bedclothes and hasn't changed. Outside was quite cold, and Ye Jiao was blown by the wind. Fearing that the cold from her body would affect him, Ye Jiao stopped. "Go and lie down by yourself. I'll watch you from here."
After Qi Yun woke up, he didn't feel dizzy. On the contrary, he felt comfortable, which is rare for him. But after listening to Ye Jiao's words, Qi Yun felt warm inside and did not refuse. He immediately got up and went to bed, covering himself with a quilt.
After he wrapped himself up, Qi Yun looked at Ye Jiao with a calm expression, "Why do you come back so early today?"
When she saw him being obedient, Ye Jiao's eyebrows relaxed, and she said with a smile, "I am worried about you, so I'm back."
Her words are direct and frank. Little ginseng has always said what she has in her heart, but it sounds caring in Qi Yun's ears.
It was warm, and it was showing her heart.
Ye Jiao didn't notice the slight changes on Qi Yun's face. She went on to say, "I went to the medicine garden on the way back and brought this plant back."
Xiao Su stood aside obediently. After hearing what Ye Jiao said, she immediately raised the flowerpot in her arms.
Qi Yun only glanced at it, then said, "Stone bud grass is rare, and it is not easy to find."
Ye Jiao was a little surprised, "Do you know it, Xianggong?" Dong Da clearly said that the plant is not very common.
Qi Yun didn't think this was strange and said slowly, "I usually have nothing to do. I read a lot of various books, and I will remember anything written in the books."
"Xianggong is really amazing!"
"What's so amazing about this." Although he said that, Qi Yun still had a smile on his face.
Ye Jiao insisted. He could remember everything that was in the book, so her husband was much better than others.
But soon, Qi Yun seemed to have thought of something. He raised his head and asked, "Did you not greet Mother after you came back?"
Ye Jiao shook her head honestly, "No."
Qi Yun smiled and said, "It's better to go and greet her. We brothers, no matter where we went, we must go and let my mother know when we come back. You are married to me and will be regarded as half of my mother's daughter. When you go home, it's better to tell my mother."
Ye Jiao always listened to what he said and immediately nodded, "Okay, I will remember."
"You don't have to say anything when you go. Just say that everything is fine when you went back to your family this time."
Ye Jiao attributed this as one thing she needs to learn after being a human and replied very obediently, "Okay."
But before going out, Ye Jiao told Xiao Su, "This pot of stone bud grass should be placed in a sunny place inside the house. Don't move it out."
Seeing Xiao Su nodded, she went out to Liu-shi's yard.
Xiao Su immediately went to place the flower pot, but there was a surprise that could not be concealed on her face.
She worked as a helper in the Qi family's house for nearly two years. From the first time she saw Qi Yun, she had never seen this second young master Qi having such a good temper.
Usually, he doesn't speak, and his face is stern, like a living dead.
Don't say about laughing. Even if he said something, she never heard him say it several times.
But just now, Qi Yun smiled so softly at Ye Jiao, and his voice was warm. Although his face was still pale, he had a lot of vitality.
Xiao Su suddenly felt that she had misunderstood the second young master before. He just had an ugly expression but was gentle in his heart?
But when Xiao Su set the flowerpot and turned to look at Qi Yun, she met his cold face.
His face is white and around his eyes are black. His expression is gloomy, just like his usual scary appearance!
Xiao Su's back was cold, and her body froze. She just wanted to slap herself from her thoughts just now.
'What are you thinking about!
The gentle second young master just now was an illusion!'
Qi Yun sat up halfway from the bed, leaning against the pillow and looking at Xiao Su with his gloomy eyes.
Xiao Su bounced up like a rabbit, standing upright.
Qi Yun never thought of embarrassing her and asked indifferently, "Why did Jiao Niang come back so early?"
He asked his wife the same question, and Ye Jiao said she was worried about Qi Yun. She did think so in her heart, but Qi Yun did not really believe it.
Xiao Su didn't hide anything. As if pouring beans from a bamboo tube, she clearly explained what had happened in the Ye family.
Qi Yun frowned slightly when he heard that the Ye family was not ready for Ye Jiao to return home.
Qi Yun let out a soft cough when he heard Ye Jiao avoid Ye Ersao.
When he heard about Ye Bao's yelling, Qi Yun said, "Okay."
This word, although he was not angry, silenced Xiao Su immediately.
Qi Yun really didn't expect that the Ye family did not understand the rules so much. They couldn't even do a good job of maintaining their faces.
Usually, people would close the door and take care of their own house. If people know your family's mess, they will lose face.
This time Liu-shi asked Ye Jiao to go back to give her a chance to see clearly, and don't have any contact with that family in the future.
However, it seems that the Ye Family is less reliable than expected.
From now on, it would be best if they are at peace. But if they are restless…
Qi Yun thought of this and calmly waved his hand to let Xiao Su withdraw from the room. The little girl immediately went out, closed the door carefully, and then ran away without looking back.
Qi Yun lifted the quilt, put on his shoes, walked to the table, and picked up the account book.
After turning it over, he took out Ye Erlang's IOU.
He opened it and took a look. Qi Yun calmly put the paper that he intended to destroy before into a wooden box. He locked it, opened the cabinet door, and put it in.
He took the account book on the table back to the bed. Qi Yun put on his coat and covered himself with a quilt. He half leaned against the bed head and opened the account book calmly.
At this moment, Ye Jiao came back.
When he saw his wife, Qi Yun's cold face immediately melted, and his expression was gentle.
Seeing that Qi Yun was still in bed, she also laughed. She put the food container in her hand on the table, "You slept a lot in the morning, and you missed the time to take your medicine. It's better if you take it now. Wait. I will bring it to you after I change my clothes."
Qi Yun let out a soft "um," his face especially calm.
When to take these medicines is the same. He has been taking medicines since he was born. He drank bowl after bowl of bitter medicine, but his body didn't feel better.
As the years went by, when others smelled the bitter medicine and swallowed it painfully, Qi Yun could take it twice a day without changing his face.
It seems that he drinks too much bitter medicine, and his tongue becomes insensitive.
If he missed his medicine before, Qi Yun wouldn't care. Now it's different. He wants to live, so he needs to drink the medicine he has to drink.
Ye Jiao took out a dress she usually wore and walked behind the screen not far from the bed.
Qi Yun had the ledger spread in his hand. He glanced at the screen and then retracted his gaze.
The screen in his house is not those fine stone screens that the official family usually uses, but a simple wooden screen with plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum carved on it. Although there are holes in some places, it looks impenetrable.
This screen is usually used to cover the bathtub and is also used for changing clothes.
Qi Yun didn't think about peeking. He liked and felt something for his wife, but he was upright and accustomed to gentlemanly ways. He focused on the ledger at the moment.
He was also pondering. He was waiting for his death before, so he didn't care about business, but now he has to work hard even for the little lady.
Qi Yun holds the ledger of the family's liquor store and drug store in his hand. No matter what happens in the future, he must make enough money for Jiao Niang.
At this time, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao's voice coming from behind the screen, "Xianggong, mother said that you don't have to go to accompany her for dinner in the next few days. Your body is important, so don't walk around."
"Okay." Qi Yun replied. He unexpectedly looked up and saw a woman's clothes hanging on the screen.
The outer shirt is exquisite, the skirt is simple and elegant, and there is a plain undergarment, with a thin strap hanging down, shaking slightly.
Qi Yun inexplicably thought of the morning after their wedding. The woman squatted beside his couch, with a thin band of undergarment behind her neck, revealing her bright white shoulders and slender neck…
When Ye Jiao stepped out from behind the screen after getting dressed, she saw Qi Yun leaning on the pillow to read the account book.
He looked very focused, but Ye Jiao saw his ears glowing red.
In the blink of an eye, she reached out to touch it. She felt the heat in his ears.
Ye Jiao was a little surprised. She thought he was uncomfortable again and hurriedly reached out and feel his wrist.
Because Ye Jiao's way of reading his pulse was different from others, Qi Yun thought she was just worried about him.
She touched for a while but found nothing unusual.
Ye Jiao looked at him with some doubts. She tilted her head, her voice still soft and waxy when she said, "Xianggong, what's wrong with you?"
Qi Yun stared at the ledger and moved his lips mechanically, "It's okay, maybe the room is too hot."
Ye Jiao didn't doubt him. Thinking that she might have supplemented him too much yesterday, she smiled and let go of his wrist. She got up and went to the table to get the medicine bowl.
Qi Yun took a deep breath the moment she turned around. He felt that the doctor was right.
His imagination is too much!
Qi Yun's body was weak and the internal heat in his body hadn't cleared, so he couldn't casually leave the house. Instead, he took advantage of this time to organize the ledger books.
It's common for a doctor to check his pulse every three days, and Ye Jiao also watched over him every day. She didn't dare sleep with him though.
For a time, Qi Yun didn't take the initiative to visit Liu Shi [1]. However, Ye Jiao went to Liu Shi's yard every morning after eating breakfast.
Although the Little Ginseng didn't quite understand the usefulness of meeting and chatting every day, since Fang Shi went daily, she felt that this was part of being a daughter-in-law. Thus, she also went.
What Ye Jiao didn't know was that Fang Shi originally didn't visit every day.
Normally, Fang Shi had to take care of her own business [2]. Eldest Son Qi Zhao was now in charge of the village's affairs, and he usually left early and returned late at night. Fang Shi took care of their son and Qi Zhao was also very busy.
It's just that winter was coming. Fang Shi wanted to visit to see if she could get some benefits from her mother-in-law. In addition, Liu Shi's clothes that were made for her son Stone were already on his body. In order to win Liu Shi's favor, Fang Shi went more diligently now.
But while she didn't want to visit every day, she found that Second Son's wife always walked to Liu Shi's yard.
This gave Fang Shi a sense of crisis.
Although the Qi family's sons were all older, the two elders were still alive and they were a family. Whoever mentioned the separation of the family [3] would be scolded to death. The most important voice in this family, outside the men, was Liu Shi.
Usually Liu Shi didn't care about much, but when it came to food and clothing in the house, everyone listened to what Liu Shi said.
It stood to reason that Fang Shi was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qi family, and she gave birth to Stone. Liu Shi was also close to her, so there was no need to worry about her position in the family. However, Fang Shi read into things and was small-minded. She wasn't very clever, but always liked to think things into a twist.
Seeing that Qi Yun's body was better than before, the newly-wedded Chongxi bride Jiao Niang was becoming favored by her mother-in-law, Liu Shi. The second siblings also had pleasant appearances, speaking even better than herself.
In the past, Fang Shi was able to curry favor in front of Liu Shi. Afterwards though, with Ye Jiao as a comparison, would Liu Shi pick her?
If this idea was known by Eldest Son Qi Zhao, he would say that his wife was foolish.
There weren't many rules in the family, and Liu Shi was forgiving. Ordinary families weren't court officials, and there were no morning and evening rules. Normally, the three sons lived their own separate lives, and they also ate together every night. Those who came in and out (of the house) could always meet, and Liu Shi was never picky about anything.
She's (Fang Shi's) the eldest sister-in-law and had a son. No one would bat an eye if she walked sideways. What kind of nonsense was she thinking about?
If Liu Shi really cared about her pettiness, when it happened in the past, how could Liu Shi bear it up to now?
But Fang Shi nonetheless got herself involved and followed Ye Jiao to talk to Liu Shi every day, which made Liu Shi confused for a while.
Liu Shi didn't refuse. Of course, she was happy to see her grandson every day.
So the two daughter-in-laws actually urged each other to persist for nearly ten days. Liu Shi remarked that they had found two filial daughter-in-laws.
The way she expressed their closeness was to prepare something to eat when the two came over, which made Ye Jiao fall more and more in love. Little Stone also called to visit grandma to eat cookies every day, so Fang Shi couldn't even go later like she wanted.
When Fang Shi came carrying Stone that day, she saw Ye Jiao already in the room.
Because it was winter, Liu Shi's leg – which she bumped when she was young and had problems with since – hurt from the cold. So, the charcoal fire in Liu Shi's house was lit the earliest.
Fang Shi held open the curtain and entered, feeling the heat and warmth.
Ye Jiao was holding a bowl in her hand and was about to eat with a spoon. Seeing Fang Shi come in, she got up and smiled: "Sister-in-law, it's cold outside. Why don't you wear more clothes?"
Fang thought this sentence was weird, and suddenly marveled: Isn't this what she said to her before?
At that time, she was just being polite. Ye Jiao kept it in her heart though, learning and applying.
Fang Shi kindly replied: "Younger sister-in-law is caring, I will remember next time." She held Stone and greeted Liu Shi: "Come on Stone, greet grandma and second aunt."
"Grandma, second aunt." Shishi was young and just started speaking. With a whimpering voice and a tigerish head [4], he was at the age of playfulness.
Ye Jiao seemed to like it and picked up a cookie on the table to give to him.
Stone blinked his big eyes and looked at Ye Jiao. Seeing Fang Shi nod at him, he smiled and showed his small front teeth. His tiny hand grabbed the cookie, and with a soft and balmy mouth exclaimed: "Thank you, second auntie!"
Stone nimbly said this. Recently, whenever he followed Fang Shi to visit Liu Shi's yard, the person who gave him cookies to eat was this beautiful aunt.
The second aunt always had the smell of osmanthus, just like osmanthus candy. Stone liked her very much.
Seeing that he was well-behaved, Liu Shi smiled and said to Fang Shi: "Sit down, try the freshly stewed apricot cheese."
Fang Shi sat down, put Stone aside, picked up the bowl and smelled it.
Apricot cheese is almond tea, a snack passed from the court to the people.
First, the almonds are mashed into a slurry. Then, the residue is filtered out and rice noodles are put in and stirred. Finally, sugar is added while it's slowly cooking. It's much thicker compared to ordinary tea and has a beautiful, milky-white appearance. It also smelled very sweet.
However, it's not easy to cook this apricot cheese. Fang Shi's mother's house('s apricot cheese) wasn't bad, but this bowl of apricot cheese was far better than the ones bought outside. After a bite, Fang Shi was even more surprised.
It's not too sweet, but very fragrant and delicious.
Fang Shi had been married to the Qi family for more than five years, but had never eaten this. Seeing that Liu Shi now ate it often, she couldn't help but ask: "Mother, where did you buy this?"
Liu Shi's expression was faint, and she turned the Buddhist beads in her hand: "Mama Liu made them. Mama Liu's cooking skills have always been good."
Liu Pozi [5] was standing next to Liu Shi at the moment, and after hearing this, she smiled and said nothing.
Fang Shi couldn't help looking at Liu Pozi who had always been with Liu Shi. Suddenly, she felt that it would be good to come to Liu Shi's place every day and walk around, so she wouldn't miss out on this bowl of apricot cheese.
Ye Jiao didn't think so deeply. She happily held the bowl and ate the sweet dish.
When the bowl was finished, she said to Liu Shi: "Mother, can I bring a bowl back to Xiang Gong [6] ?"
This immediately softened Liu Shi's eyebrows, and she warmly said to Ye Jiao: "I only cooked three bowls today, but I'll bring them to Second Son next time."
Ye Jiao had a pitiful look on her face. She felt that it was a shame Xiang Gong missed out on such delicious food.
Fang Shi looked at Ye Jiao in surprise. She didn't expect Ye Jiao to care so much about Qi Yun.
Liu Shi carried Stone in her arms, nuzzled the little guy's head, and said: "Third Son is coming back from the academy these days. When you go back, tell Eldest Son and Second Son so we can eat dinner together. Don't delay."
Fang Shi naturally agreed. Although Qi Yun was busy at the village, only Third Son Qi Ming studied in this family. In Fang Shi's heart, it was the top priority to study as a scholar. Even if the matters of the village were set aside, it was more important to pay attention to Qi Ming first.
Ye Jiao pursed the corners of her lips. Although she remembered that Qi Yun said she should follow Liu Shi, her worries about Qi Yun still prevailed. She faintly replied: "Mother, Xiang Gong's body has not fully recovered yet."
As soon as Liu Shi thought of her second son who was sick and weak, her face showed a little distress. She turned the beads and said: "Let's take care of his body first, so that he can rest well, and you can come."
Ye Jiao responded with a smile and stretched her hand out to grab a cookie.
Liu Shi didn't stop her. She just watched and laughed.
When Liu Shi went to see Qi Yun before, she heard her second son say that her daughter-in-law was good at everything, but just a bit greedy. In addition to three meals a day, she always gave herself extra meals.
While Qi Yun and Liu Shi were talking, he thought about how Ye Jiao always acted in front of Liu Shi. Since this hobby couldn't be concealed, might as well explain it first so Liu Shi doesn't mind.
Jiao Niang liked to eat and drink, and Qi Yun was willing to spoil her, but he was afraid that Liu Shi would dislike her daughter-in-law.
Little did he know, Liu Shi didn't dislike it, and honestly liked it a bit.
Because Fang Shi was born round, she usually ate very little. Even if the whole family ate together, she moved her chopsticks a couple of times and put them down, afraid that an extra bite would go to her face.
Ye Jiao was different. She never worried about eating and drinking. Every time she ate, the food seemed very fresh. Liu Shi felt comfortable watching her.
She (Liu Shi) didn't care whether her daughter-in-laws were fat or thin. Fang Shi's plumpness was good-looking in its own way, and Ye Jiao's thinness was good-looking in its own way – as long as they were healthy. But watching Jiao Niang eat well made her feel especially satisfied and comfortable.
Older people always felt that there were too few dishes in the bowls of juniors. [7]
Fang Shi still didn't eat or drink too much. When she left Liu Shi's yard, she only ate apricot cheese and didn't take a bite of anything else.
Ye Jiao went back with a full stomach. First, she went into the house and looked for Qi Yun. Seeing that the man's face was as usual, she picked up the flowerpot. She was careful not to disturb Qi Yun who was reading the account book. Ye Jiao withdrew and lightly closed the door, whispering: "Xiang Gong looks really good today."
Xiao Su, who was cleaning on the side, couldn't help but poke her head out and peeked through the crack of the door the moment before it closed.
She saw a pale and gloomy face flash by.
Xiao Su: …Where is it! The Young Lady lies!
Ye Jiao strolled in the yard holding the flowerpot, looking for a place with sunlight.
The stone bud grass in the flowerpot was no longer as thin and delicate as before. It had grown a bit taller. It hadn't matured except for the three flowers that were already open, but the buds have changed from half-formed to fully-formed.
Of course, it's still small and inconspicuous.
She didn't know if she could support this little thing. She could only try to raise it by bringing it out to get some sun and letting fate take its course.
After strolling for a while, Ye Jiao put down the flowerpot and asked Xiao Su to teach her how to kick the shuttlecock.
Don't just look at her gluttony for food – the Little Ginseng was not idle. After receiving a body, it's natural to use it properly. She could digest as much as she ate.
Ye Jiao had never played with a shuttlecock before, and the Ye Jiao in her memory hadn't played them as well, so she had to learn from scratch now.
But what made the Little Ginseng helpless was that while her brain was still easy to use, her physical coordination wasn't very good. After learning for a few days, she could only play a few times.
Xiao Su taught Ye Jiao very patiently. In fact, for Xiao Su who was in her early teens, it was better to play with Ye Jiao than to teach her.
Of course, the little girl was happy to be accompanied by someone.
It's just that every time she saw the black feathers on the shuttlecock, she felt pain in her heart.
Her Xiao Hei (the rooster) was so pitiful…
Compared to being taken away by the second young master to be made into chicken soup, it was worth sacrificing a few feathers.
Xiao Su was a little curious: "Second Young Lady, why do you have to learn this?"
Ye Jiao bent over to pick up the shuttlecock, sweat beading on her head, and said with a smile: "This was given to me by Xiang Gong. Isn't it a waste if it just sat there?"
Xiao Su didn't quite understand what it had to do with who gave it to whom, but after hearing Ye Jiao's words, she nodded as if she understood. She prepared to kick the shuttlecock with her.
What they didn't know was that Qi Yun, who got up and was going to the desk to change the account book, clearly heard Ye Jiao's words when he passed the window.
The window was closed, and it looked tight, but the paper window could not completely block outside noises.
Qi Yun lowered his eyes as he listened to Ye Jiao's words. He pursed the corners of his mouth and finally lifted them into a smile.
His, Jiao Niang.
Ye Jiao didn't stay in the yard the whole time. At noon, she went into the house and wiped her face. After taking down her hair, she took an afternoon nap on the soft couch.
Because Qi Yun was in poor health recently, Ye Jiao let him sleep on the bed by himself.
As for why they were separated: Qi Yun was afraid that he would pass his sickness, and Ye Jiao was afraid that she would make his condition worse again. They got to the same conclusion by different routes and safely slept as such.
When Ye Jiao woke up from her nap, it was still bright outside and there was a lot of time before dinner.
Ye Jiao sat up, stretched her waist, and turned to look at Qi Yun. However, she found that Qi Yun was not in bed, and the screen beside her was gone.
"Hua la~"
The sound of water made Ye Jiao's eyes glance over. She saw that the screen moved to the outer room.
There was charcoal fire inside and outside the house, making it warm. Ye Jiao put on only her coat and shoes, and walked directly behind the screen.
Ye Jiao, who was standing, and Qi Yun, who was in the bathtub, suddenly looked at each other.
Qi Yun was stunned and didn't react for a while.
Ye Jiao blinked, her bright eyes clean and clear. She glanced at Qi Yun and said, "Xiang Gong, your body is so white."
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: Xiang Gong, your body is so white… Hey Xiang Gong, why are you red now?
=w=
Sorry for the late update! [Directly lays on the ground] Tomorrow must be on time!
Random red envelopes in this chapter, covers face
Footnotes
[1] Shi: At the end of someone's surname, is used to denote their maiden name.
[2] Literal translation is that she takes care of the business of the stalls in her yard. Back in ye old days, the wife would manage household affairs of the servants (maid, chef, etc) and people in her yard (husband, concubine, children), which kept her busy.
[3] Separation of a family in ye old days meant dividing the family's assets to each household, causing them to go independent.
[4] This description describes a young child who looks strong, healthy, and honest.
[5] Pozi: Old Lady. She is also referred to as "Mama Liu" by Liu Shi.
[6] Xiang Gong: Husband. This is how the FL, Ye Jiao, refers to Qi Yun.
[7] This has a similar energy to when a grandma says, "Eat more, eat more, you're too thin!"
