21 The original plot has been disrupted
"You don't have to worry about me, you can socialize with the other girls and do what you need to do."
"But Mother asked me to accompany you more."
"No, no, I'll just find a corner and sit by myself for a while."
"But…"
"No but!"
After Wei Ruo finished speaking, she ran away without waiting for Wei Qingwan's reply.
Wei Qingwan could not catch up with Wei Ruo, she looked gloomy. She did not know what Wei Ruo meant, and she vaguely felt that Wei Ruo really disliked her, so she would avoid her in all kinds of ways.
Wei Ruo did not care about what Wei Qingwan was thinking. After shaking off Wei Qingwan, Wei Ruo started to find her way.
First of all, the meditation room in the back was a place that she must not go to. At this time, the male lead was living in the meditation room at the back mountain of Fahua Temple.
Today, in order to receive the ladies, Fahua Temple did not receive other pilgrims, with the exception of the male lead who lived in the meditation room at the back of the mountain. He had already lived there a few days ago and had a special identity. The temple did not inform Mrs. Qian and the others in advance to keep his secret.
Normally, the meditation room was located on the back mountain, so there was still some distance from the main temple. It was also unlikely that the ladies who come to the temple would come across him.
But the author wanted the female lead and male lead to meet, and then she, as the cannon fodder* female supporting role, played a powerful role in adding the momentum.
*Canon fodder: someone who is sacrificed to benefit the others, someone who is easily disposable.
The original protagonist had lost face in front of the crowd because of her poor performance back then. She felt hurt by them comparing her and Wei Qingwan, who got praised.
Moreover, the original protagonist felt that what Wei Qingwan now had was originally hers, and her anger doubled. So blinded by jealousy and anger, she deliberately took Wei Qingwan to the back of the mountain, intending to find a secluded place to take revenge on her.
Then she was saved by the male lead who stayed in the meditation room at the back of the mountain. The hero rescued a damsel in distress, a pair of ideal lovers, and a beautiful story unfolded.
How about this plot? It could only be said that as a cannon fodder female supporting role, she was still pretty qualified. And the method of revenge was clumsy and weak.
Now, Wei Ruo had two things to do:
One was to avoid Wei Qingwan and not be with her. She would not subjectively harm Wei Qingwan, but just in case the plot would incite the situation, she might as well not even meet her.
The second was to avoid the male lead. In the book, the original protagonist of this body actually died in the hand of the male lead.
As the female lead of Little White Flower*, Wei Qingwan's image had always been of a soft and kind-hearted woman. But the male lead was not. He never showed mercy to the female supporting partner who tries to harm his sweetheart.
*Little White Flower: women who are weak, pitiful, beautiful, and tearful on the outside, but actually are strong, sinister, vicious, and scheming women who often gain sympathy and love through their weak appearance.
Wei Ruo walked around, and finally chose to sit down under a ginkgo tree behind the Guanyin Hall.
The trunk of the ginkgo tree was so thick, and even several Wei Ruo could not hug it together. In spring, the ginkgo was covered with green leaves that looked like palm-leaf fans, and they were hanging all over the branches, which were very beautiful.
Wei Ruo sat down with her back against the trunk of the ginkgo tree, and closed her eyes to rest.
The sunshine was just right, the shade under the trees was cool, and the breeze was gentle, making it perfect for a nap.
"What are you doing here alone?"
One question after another forced Wei Ruo to open her eyes and face Xie Ying.
This little girl was about the same size as her current body, with a delicate and round face, and a heroic expression between her eyebrows.
"Why is Miss Xie so curious about me?" Wei Ruo was puzzled. This Miss Xie should be a popular person, why didn't she play with others instead of running after her to ask questions.
"No, I'm not interested in you, I'm interested in this place where you are sitting now."
"At where I sit?"
"This ginkgo tree is my favorite place to hide and relax, and you have taken it. If you don't especially like it here, can you give me this place? I want to stay here alone for a while. Of course, if you promise not to bother me, I can also allow you to stay here."
She turned out to be a kindred spirit!
Wei Ruo smiled and said: "I also like to stay here, I won't disturb you, let's sleep on each side. You see, this ginkgo tree trunk is so thick, we can't even see one another if we sleep on each side."
"That's okay." Xie Ying accepted Wei Ruo's offer and sat down on the other side of the ginkgo tree.
Two people were separated by the trunk of the tree, each leaning on the other side, and neither of them disturbed the other.
Not knowing how long it had been, suddenly a commotion came, waking up two people who were leisurely resting under the ginkgo tree.
Wei Ruo and Xie Ying both raised their heads, then poked their heads out and glanced at each other.
Their expression was almost the same, with a hint of haziness from just waking up and a hint of hesitation.
Hesitating whether to go or not.
"What do you think has happened over there?" Xie Ying asked Wei Ruo.
"Do you think we should go over there?" Wei Ruo asked Xie Ying.
"Or, why don't we just lie down? Even if something happens, it won't be our fault, "Xie Ying said.
"We lie down then." Wei Ruo agreed.
The two of them had surprisingly the same idea, both wanting to relax, so they both laid back.
Wei Ruo and Xie Ying were sleeping peacefully against the ginkgo tree, unaware of the chaos ahead of them.
The people involved in the accident were Wei Qingwan and Qian Zhilan, the young lady of County Head Magistrate.
After Wei Qingwan was left by Wei Ruo, she found Qian Zhilan, and the two played well together.
As the Miss of County Head Magistrate, Qian Zhilan did not look up to the other girls in Xingshan County. The county officials were all subordinates of her father. Only Wei Qingwan's family had the same official position as her father.
She looked up to Xie Ying, but Xie Ying did not like her and did not want to play with her.
Wei Qingwan and Qian Zhilan accompanied each other to enjoy the scenery at the temple. At first, they just walked around the temple, but the Fahua Temple in Xingshan County was not that big, and it did not take them long to finish walking.
At this moment, Qian Zhilan noticed a quiet path at the west gate of the temple and pulled Wei Qingwan over.
After they walked for a while, they found a meditation room in front of them. There were many flowers and trees in front of the meditation room, and the scenery was pleasant.
It was exactly the scene depicted in the poem: The pathway leads to a quiet place, the meditation room was full of flowers and trees.
Qian Zhilan then dragged Wei Qingwan to the meditation room.
When they tried to get close, they were scolded by a man dressed as a servant, telling them that they were not allowed to approach this place.
Qian Zhilan revealed her identity and in turn warned the other party that they had reserved the Fahua Temple for the day. People with no permission were not allowed to enter, so they asked the other party to leave at once.
But the other party completely ignored her, so Qian Zhilan took Wei Qingwan back to find her mother, and told her about finding an uninvited person in the meditation room at the back.
Mrs. Qian heard her daughter say that there was a suspicious man sneaking around, so she hurriedly sent people to search around the meditation room, causing a lot of noise.
When the head monk of the temple learned of Mrs. Qian's actions, he hurried over to stop them, and revealed a shocking event to them.
22 – Why didn't you accompany Wanwan
The head monk revealed that there was a noble person living in the meditation room, and the person Qian Zhilan and Wei Qingwan met was their attendant.
Although the man's identity was not directly stated, the head monk mentioned the word 'Chu'.
Chu was the surname of the current dynasty. So when it came to this, what else can people not understand?
Learning that their daughters had offended the relatives of the imperial, Mrs. Qian and Yun Shi became nervous.
Especially Yun Shi, her husband was already facing the risk of being dismissed due to his unfavorable resistance to Japanese aggression. If he offended the nobles again at this critical moment, it may be difficult to keep his black gauze cap*!
*Black gauze cap: a metaphor for official position.
After pondering, Mrs. Qian sternly reprimanded her daughter in front of everyone, accusing her of acting recklessly.
Qian Zhilan was usually favored at home, and even more so in front of others. After being reprimanded by Madam Qian, she was angry and aggrieved. But in this situation, she could only cower and listen obediently.
When Mrs. Qian spoke up, Yun Shi could not remain silent, so she followed suit and scolded Wei Qingwan.
Wei Qingwan felt extremely wronged. She just followed Qian Zhilan for a walk, how could she have provoked the nobleman?
Moreover, the person who wanted to go to the meditation room is Qian Zhilan, and the person who conflicted with the noble attendant is also Qian Zhilan. She clearly did nothing!
Wei Ruo and Xie Ying waited until things had calmed down before returning to the dining hall.
Hearing what happened from other people, Wei Ruo was surprised.
Unexpectedly, without her female supporting role as the evil one, Wei Qingwan still went to the meditation room.
It was just that the person who went with her is different, the things that happened are different, and the results were also different.
In the original book, she was the one who was sent back by the male lead's attendant and scolded by Yun Shi. Wei Qingwan, on the other hand, was sent back with an escort by the male lead without alerting anyone or letting anyone know about their encounter.
Could it be that the master who lived in the meditation room was not moved by the sight of Wei Qingwan's beautiful face?
Or rather, without being bullied by her, and without drama from the delicate and helpless girl, could not arouse this big pig's hoof* protective desire?
*Big pig's hoof: the male leads in various romance dramas or scandals are usually scumbags, so big pig's hoof is used to describe scumbags.
These were only the guesses Wei Ruo made in a few seconds, and there was no way for Wei Ruo to know what the man in the meditation room was thinking.
As for Wei Qingwan being scolded, Wei Ruo was not happy or unhappy. As long as the matter did not have anything to do with her, she would not be held responsible for any wrongdoings. As for how the male and female leads wanted to develop their love story, it has nothing to do with her.
Wei Qingwan was standing behind Yun Shi with her head hanging low. When she heard Wei Ruo's voice, she raised her head to take a look, and after seeing Wei Ruo's refreshed and cheerful appearance, she felt even more suffocated and depressed.
So she lowered her head again.
Because of this accident, everyone had no more desire to pray for blessings, so they hurriedly ended the day's journey and went down the mountain to their homes.
On the way back, Yun Shi looked at the two daughters in front of her with mixed emotions.
She thought it was Ruo'er who might make a fool of herself today, but she never thought it would end up being the other way round.
Wei Qingwan seemed to sense Yun Shi's disappointment with her, and after holding back for a long time, tears were pattering down her face.
Yun Shi saw it and comforted her: "Don't cry, don't cry. When you cry, Mother's heart hurts like being cut by a knife."
"Mother, I really did not do or say anything…" Wei Qingwan pleaded aggrievedly.
"Mother knows, Mother knows… it is just that in that situation, it is not good for Mother to blame Miss Qian."
"I was supposed to be with my sister today, but she didn't want me to be with her. She ran away and I could not catch up. When I was looking for my sister, I met Zhilan. Zhilan said that she wanted to go around to see the scenery, so I went with her…"
Hearing this, Yun Shi looked at Wei Ruo sitting in the corner of the carriage.
"Ruo'er, why didn't you want to be with Wanwan?"
There was a bit of blame in her tone. After all, if Wei Ruo and Wei Qingwan were together, this problem wouldn't happen, and Wei Qingwan wouldn't have to suffer from this unexpected calamity.
Wei Ruo: "I don't know these young ladies well. I cannot read or write, and I cannot play the games they play, so I do not want to embarrass the Wei family by showing my face. But since my sister is familiar with them, I cannot be so selfish to think only of myself and take away her chance to play with them. As for why my sister met Miss Qian and why that happened, I couldn't anticipate it either."
Wei Ruo sighed: "If I had known that, it would have been better if I did not come today. Perhaps if I didn't come, my sister's playmate today wouldn't be Miss Qian, right? Maybe it will be someone else. I wonder which one of them plays best with my sister?"
Yun Shi was stunned… If Wei Ruo did not come, the best person for Wanwan would still be Miss Qian.
With this logic, it seemed inappropriate to blame Ruo'er for the matter of Wanwan and Miss Qian going to the back mountain.
So Yun Shi changed her tone and said, "Mother didn't mean to blame you. Mother is just afraid that you would not want to be with your sister because of something else."
"Well, I know mother cares about us." Wei Ruo agreed.
Wei Qingwan cried all the way, and stopped crying when she was almost home.
After returning to the Wangmei Garden, and hearing that Wei Qingwan had been wronged, Wei Yichen and Wei Yilin both came to visit her.
Seeing Wei Yichen and Wei Yilin, the tears that Wei Qingwan had just put away came down again.
After learning about what happened, Wei Yichen also felt that Wei Qingwan was wronged.
It was Miss Qian who caused the trouble. Wei Qingwan did not speak anything, but she was implicated for no reason.
Wei Yilin angrily said: "Why didn't Wei… that eldest sister come with you? If she had been with you, wouldn't there have been no such thing?"
Wei Qingwan just sobbed and did not speak.
Wei Yichen said: "Yilin, Wanwan is innocent at this time, but Ruo'er is also innocent. If she doesn't go today, won't things still happen? How can we blame her for the incident?"
"But my sister took the initiative to play with her, how can she leave my sister alone?" Wei Yilin asked back.
"Ruo'er may not be used to it yet. Today is the first time she went out with Mother. You cannot demand so much of her." Wei Yichen explained.
Wei Yilin lowered his head and did not speak.
Wei Yichen said to Wei Qingwan again: "Wanwan, don't be sad. Mother knows you are innocent about this matter, and she said that in front of outsiders because of the Qian family. You don't have to take this matter to heart."
Wei Qingwan shook her head: "Eldest brother, I'm not sad because I've been wronged. I'm worried that this may have offended the noble person and implicated my father… My parents treat me so well. If my behavior harms my parents, I won't forgive myself."
Wei Yichen was deeply distressed: "Don't worry, Wanwan. There won't be anything wrong. If something happens, it is not your fault. It can only be said that fate has played a trick on people."
"That's right, eldest brother is right. Sister, don't blame yourself for this kind of thing." Wei Yilin seconded.
Wei Qingwan sobbed intermittently for a while before she could hold it back.
Wei Yichen and Wei Yilin accompanied Wei Qingwan for a while, and when they saw that her expression had calmed down, they left.
23 Wasteland in the south of the city
Regarding the wasteland in the south of the city, the nanny replied to Wei Ruo, telling her that the wasteland was an unclaimed land, and belonged to the government. If the people want to cultivate it, they must obtain the approval from the government.
In the past, the magistrate of Xingshan County would not prevent anyone reclaiming a wasteland, especially with the fact that this land was unwanted by everyone. There was no reason why they would disagree with someone who was not afraid to take a land that was too barren to grow any crops.
However, now was different, where Pirates Invaders were rampant. Although the southern part of the city was less likely to be disturbed by Pirates due to the advantage of terrain, which was a hundred times better than the eastern part, there were still some risks. Therefore, the government did not allow ordinary people to leave the southern gate.
There was no chance for ordinary people to claim that land, the government would disagree.
If it was not possible for ordinary people, If it was for Colonel's Mansion, wouldn't that be a possibility?
Although Wei Ruo did not want to have too much involvement with the Colonel's Mansion in these matters, she occasionally remembered the skinny beggar she had seen on the street that day.
In addition, she had learned about the situation in Xingshan County lately. Natural and man-made disasters may not have had a significant impact on the Colonel's Mansion, but the people living at the bottom were already suffering unbearably.
She knew that if she succeeded in this, she could help some people within her capabilities. Although she might not be able to help all of them, at least if she could help one person, this person could live a new life!
And she really wanted to develop her experiments of the saline-alkali land into perfection.
After thinking it over, Wei Ruo arrived at Cangyun Garden where Yun Shi lived.
Yun Shi had just finished checking last month's account books with the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper went out and Wei Ruo came in.
"What brings Ruo'er here? You need to wait a moment, Mother needs to take care of these account books first." Yun Shi did not specifically avoid Wei Ruo, the cause was unclear whether it was because Wei Ruo was her daughter or because she thought Wei Ruo could not read the account books.
Wei Ruo was not in a hurry and stood by for a while looking at the account book in Yun Shi's hand.
After reading a few pages, Wei Ruo realized that the shop was in a state of loss.
She noticed that the economic situation of the Wei family had been really bad in the past two years. Not only did the crops on the farm fail, but also the income from the shop was also not very good.
After a while, Yun Shi finished reading the final account books and put them all aside, then took Wei Ruo beside her and sat down.
"Has Ruo'er come to see Mother to talk about something?" Yun Shi asked.
It had been a month since Wei Ruo returned to the Wei family, and this was the second time she had come to find her. The first time was because she wanted to visit Zhuangzi in the north of the city.
Therefore, Yun Shi could conclude that Wei Ruo came to her today with a purpose in mind.
"Mother, I heard that the Zhuangzi farm's harvest had not been very good in the past two years, and the food produced is not enough for our own family to eat." Wei Ruo inquired.
Upon hearing this, Yun Shi was clearly stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Wei Ruo to say so.
Sighing slightly, she said: "You should not have worried about this matter. I don't know which servant spoke too much, Mother needs to punish her properly."
"It's not that the servants talk too much, it's what I saw when I went to the north of the city." Wei Ruo said.
"Oh, that's right, you understand these things." said Yun Shi.
Growing up in the countryside, she had the most contact with farming every day, so it was not surprising that she knew more than the average young lady who was raised in a courtyard.
Yun Shi explained: "It's not just us, it's the whole of Xingshan County, and even the whole of Taizhou Prefecture. The harvest has been bad in these past two years, so naturally our Zhuangzi farm in Xingshan County is no exception."
"However, Ruo'er don't have to worry too much, our family's condition is not that bad. With your father's salary and some savings in the family, life indeed has become a bit difficult, but it's not that difficult to survive. It's just that the people are suffering. The Pirates had caused so many troubles these years, and coupled with a bad year of harvest, it made things worse. These days, life is becoming increasingly difficult."
Seeing that the groundwork was almost done, Wei Ruo asked about the saline-alkali land in the south of the city.
"Mother, the wasteland south of the city is still empty. If we can plant crops, it should be able to solve the food problem for many people."
Yun Shi smiled and shook her head, "It's good that you're thinking of your family, but that wasteland outside the city is so desolate that weeds can't even grow a few roots, because the soil there is so bad that nothing grows."
"Mother, when I was at Mojiazha, there was an old granny there who taught me how to grow crops on barren and desolate land, so maybe it would work on the wasteland south of the city."
"The condition of these different barren lands are different. Xingshan County is close to the sea, and as the elderly know, planting crops on the land near the sea is not viable. This is different from the land you had in Mojiazha."
"Maybe that method will work too? Mother, if we can grow crops on barren land, we can feed a lot more people, and it would be a commendable achievement that is very useful to Father's career."
When Wei Mingting's career was mentioned, Yun Shi's expression changed.
But after thinking for a while, she still felt that the feasibility of her idea is not high.
"Ruo'er, your idea is very good, but this matter is really not that simple…"
"It's true it's not easy, but Mother, even if we fail, we have nothing to lose. We will let everyone know that our Wei family is working hard so everyone won't starve, which is another gain for us." Wei Ruo analyzed the pros and cons to Yun Shi.
When Yun Shi thought about it carefully, it did seem to be such a case. For the Wei family, fame was an important thing, and if they could gain the love and support of the people, it would be extremely beneficial for her husband's promotion.
Moreover, due to the lack of significant progress in the resistance against Pirates aggression, the Imperial Court was already quite dissatisfied with many generals in Xingshan County. Recently, news has spread that a group of generals in Xingshan County will be dismissed.
This had also led to her husband not returning home these days and nights, thinking of ways to solve the problem of Pirates Invaders.
Yun Shi was somewhat persuaded.
After pondering about it, Yun Shi said to Wei Ruo: "Mother can't decide on this matter. When your father returns, I will talk to him and let him make the decision."
"Okay." Wei Ruo also knew that Wei Mingting had to make the decision if this matter was to be carried out.
###
At the dinner Wei Mingting still did not appear, he had not shared dinner with everyone for ten days in a row.
Counting the first meeting, Wei Ruo had only met him four times so far, and each time he had not said more than a few words.
She thought there was still no chance to talk to Wei Mingting about the wasteland in the south of the city today. However, before Wei Ruo fell asleep, Cuiping came to deliver a message to Yun Shi, asking Wei Ruo to go to Cangyun Garden, saying that her father wanted to see her.
Wei Ruo dressed neatly again and went to Cangyun Garden, where she saw Wei Mingting whom she had not seen for a long time.
He still looked serious and stern, but more worn out than when she first met him. He also had an additional injury on his arm, which was wrapped in a white cloth. It seemed that he had been injured for several days.
"I just heard from your mother that you have a way to grow crops on the wasteland in the south of the city, is it true?" Wei Mingting asked.
24 Father's trust
"It is true, I dare not lie about it. If Father does not believe me, I can take a small piece of land for experiments first, and if it works, then I can just plant it on a large scale."
After answering, Wei Ruo looked at Wei Mingting, and she was not sure what Wei Mingting's response would be.
Wei Mingting's expression was serious and his tone stern: "Ruo'er, do you know how big a deal it is to be able to grow crops on saline-alkali land?"
"I know. Father, I went to the north of the city a few days ago, and on the way, I saw many farmers and fishermen turning into beggars. They looked haggard and scrawny. All of this was due to the poor grain harvest, limited and barren land in Xingshan County in recent years."
"Father, I know this is a big deal. But if it is successful, it will be a good thing for the family and the people. It will not only bring income for ourselves, but also increase the cultivated land in Xingshan County, increase in food production, to support the lives of many people. I hope Father gives me a chance. If it fails, I am willing to accept punishment."
Wei Ruo's words surprised Wei Mingting, and he looked closely at Wei Ruo again.
Wei Ruo stood in place, neither dodging nor evading. She had expected this situation when she decided to approach Yun to discuss the matter of the wasteland south of the city.
"Good, very good." Wei Mingting, who had always been stern, suddenly said "good" twice in a row.
He was a strict father who rarely gave praise to his children, and even Wei Yichen, who excelled in his studies, was rarely given such clear praise.
This surprised Yun Shi on the side.
Wei Mingting said to Wei Ruo: "It's really commendable that you have such an idea. Father will discuss this matter with the County Head Magistrate. Regardless of whether it is feasible or not, it is always good for you to have this kind of heart."
Wei Ruo raised her head with a surprised expression.
She did not expect Wei Mingting to agree so happily, and she was already planning to persuade Wei Mingting again.
"What's the matter? You don't have confidence?" Wei Mingting asked.
"No, I have confidence."
"Then go and do it well. I heard your mother say that you still miss the farming life in the countryside these days when you return home, and you have also planted a lot of vegetables in the courtyard."
"Yes."
"Although farming is unsophisticated, it is never shameful. Our country has always attached great importance to farming. It is a good thing to be able to cultivate the land and grow it well for the country and the people."
Surprisingly, Wei Mingting gave high praise to Wei Ruo's action.
"Daughter knows."
"Well, it is getting late, so you can go back and rest. I will send someone to inform you when things are looking up."
Wei Mingting looked very tired, so he did not let Wei Ruo talk more. After discussing the things he wanted to talk about, he let Wei Ruo go back.
On the way back, Wei Ruo recalled Wei Mingting's words.
In the original book, Wei Mingting did not appear much. First, he was busy with his official duties; second, he had such a personality; and third, he died early.
Therefore, Wei Ruo didn't know much about him before.
But the conversation just now gave her a different understanding of Wei Mingting.
After Wei Ruo left, Yun Shi attended to Wei Mingting, changed his clothes and re-bandaged his arm.
"Husband, Ruo'er is a girl. If she goes to the fields all day long, I'm afraid it will be bad for her in the future…" Yun Shi shared her worries with Wei Mingting.
"Ruo'er grew up in the countryside, so if you want her to be like Wanwan, it would be too difficult for her."
"I don't ask her to be as knowledgeable and reasonable as Wanwan, but if she acts like a peasant woman all day, that would not be good." Yun Shi was worried.
"Madam, in these few years in Xingshan County, you should have seen the suffering of the people. The people at the lower class have lived so miserably, is it important to behave elegantly?
Only when people have enough to eat can they be in the mood to think about elegance and peasantry. If they don't even have a life, who will decide whether it is good or bad?"
Wei Mingting and Yun Shi had different views. In recent years in Xingshan County, he had seen a lot of life and death, and seen a lot of poverty. He felt that in the face of these people, the tricks played by the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital were all meaningless.
"What husband said is true. For the people, the most important thing is to have enough to eat and wear warm clothes."
Yun Shi did not expect that Wei Ruo's ideas coincided with her husband's thoughts. She had been married to him for many years, but she was not able to understand his thoughts in many things.
"Husband, it's better not to think about these things. It's rare for you to go home and have a good rest. You don't even say to me that you were injured."
Yun Shi did not want Wei Mingting to worry about these trivial matters anymore.
She knew that her husband was not resting well in the military camp, which was why he was so tired and even got injured. Although the wound was not deep, if not properly treated, it would leave a root cause of illness.
Wei Mingting really needed to rest and would return to the military camp early tomorrow morning.
However, he was still thinking about the matter mentioned by Wei Ruo.
Before going to the military camp the next day, he went to the County Head Magistrate's office and talked with the head magistrate about the wasteland in the south of the city.
When the County Head Magistrate learned that the Wei family wanted to try to cultivate wasteland, he agreed.
He wouldn't agree with other people doing this because he is worried about letting people in and out of the south city gate. He was afraid that a few traitors would come out and take out the defense map of Xingshan County or something.
But he was not worried If it's Wei Family, so he agreed very quickly.
After getting the results, Wei Mingting sent someone to deliver the letter home.
Seeing that her husband was so devoted to this matter, Yun Shi had nothing to say.
Yun Shi called Wei Ruo herself and told her the good news: "Ruo'er, your father has already sent a letter about the south city's wasteland. You can start planting a small area there, if it works, it will be a great achievement."
Even if she said that, Yun Shi had no hope for Wei Ruo's success.
"Okay." Wei Ruo was also happy, not expecting Wei Mingting to be so helpful and get things done so quickly.
"Your father also said that you don't need to be too stressed. It's okay if it doesn't work out, there won't be too much loss."
"En." Wei Mingting's attitude made Wei Ruo feel a little moved.
Yun Shi immediately said: "But Ruo'er, you are not young anymore. You should have been studying at this time. I intended to let you go to the County Head Magistrate's residence to study with Wanwan and the others after you learned the rules with Mo mo Li. The County Head Magistrate's wife also agreed on this."
Wei Ruo: "I don't want to go to the County Head Magistrate's residence to study. I'm not the same person as them. It will be very difficult for me to study together. Let me do something I'm good at."
Yun Shi: "Ruo'er, you need to change some of your previous behaviors. As the daughter of the Wei family, you should learn to be a knowledgeable, reasonable, and intelligent young lady.
Of course, due to the hardships you have suffered in the countryside in the past few years, I won't be too strict with you, and I don't ask you to be as knowledgeable as Wanwan."
Wei Ruo: "But I may not be able to keep up with Mr. Fu's teaching in the County Head Magistrate's residence. If you really want me to learn, I don't want to go to the County Head Magistrate's residence."
Not being able to keep up was an excuse Wei Ruo made herself. The main purpose was not to be with Wei Qingwan, Qian Zhilan and the others.
Author's Notes:
The male lead of the original book has come out~
25 Wei Jinyi is sick
"But if you study with people younger than you, Mother is afraid you might feel uncomfortable." Yun Shi explained.
"Then can't I find a teacher myself?" Wei Ruo asked.
"This…" Yun Shi showed a puzzled expression, "Ruo'er, hiring a female teacher is very difficult. First, it's not easy to hire one, and knowledgeable female teachers won't easily agree to go to ordinary families' homes to teach. Second, Shuxiu* is a considerable expense…"
*Shuxiu/ 束脩 shù xiū: a gift given between superiors, subordinates, relatives, and friends in ancient times. In ancient times, when students and teachers first met, they must first present gifts as a gesture of respect, known as "Shuxiu".
The expenses of the Colonel's Mansion were already tight, and now they had to arrange for the eldest son to study with a teacher, so they didn't have money to specially hire a female teacher for Wei Ruo.
"What if I can find a female teacher who doesn't cost any money?" Wei Ruo asked.
"Ruo'er, don't fool around." Yun Shi frowned.
"I am not fooling around, I am being serious. If I can really find a teacher who is willing to teach me without being charged with Shuxiu, will Mother give me permission to not study with the others?"
"Ruo'er, let's not talk about whether there are any female teachers who are willing to teach you without charging Shuxiu. Even finding a female teacher is a very difficult task.
You have just returned and it is normal that you do not understand some things, but you must trust Mother. Mother will make the best arrangements for you as much as possible."
Yun Shi spoke with sincere words and earnestly.
"I know, but I have to finish the task in the south of the city first." Fortunately, there was still such an excuse that could be used.
Initially she only wanted to solve the food problem in Xingshan County, but she didn't expect it could help her avoid going to the County Head Magistrate's residence to study.
Yun Shi: "You are allowed to go and work in the south of the city for a few days, but later you should arrange for someone from the Mansion to do the work. So you can go to the County Head Magistrate's residence to study."
Wei Ruo: "Understood."
###
Yun Shi sent Mo mo Zhang and two long-term workers to help Wei Ruo.
In her heart, Mo mo Zhang was very reluctant. The south of the city was a desolate and potentially dangerous place, so who would run outside the south of the city these days if they had nothing better to do?
Besides, the eldest young lady was in a hurry to go to the farm, these old bones of hers could not stand to do hard labor.
But this was Yun Shi's order, and she had to obey.
She thought that Wei Ruo would immediately take the people to the south of the city, but the first order she gave was to let them buy bran and hay, and collect leftovers food from the kitchen.
"Miss, didn't you promise the Master to grow crops in the wasteland in the south of the city? Why are there bran and leftovers food, are you raising pigs?" asked Mo mo Zhang.
"I want to grow crops. You just need to follow my requirements. Plus I also need a batch of well-sealed wooden barrels to store these things."
Wei Ruo's request confused Mo mo Zhang, who had no idea what she was trying to do.
Seeing Mo mo Zhang's skeptical expression, Wei Ruo did not move for a while.
"Mo mo Zhang, Mother sent you here to assist me, not to question me, and if I fail to do so, I will explain myself to Father and Mother." Wei Ruo had a tough attitude and could not be questioned.
"Old servant knows." Mo mo Zhang suppressed the dissatisfaction in her heart and nodded in agreement.
What could be done about it? Who made the Master and Madam particularly tolerant towards the eldest young lady?
She wouldn't dare to voice her opinion even if she had one!
###
In Wangmei Garden, Wei Qingwan learnt that Wei Ruo had been busy lately and Mother had postponed her going to attend classes with them at the County Head Magistrate's residence.
"Mo mo, my sister goes to the farm all day long. If word spreads, will it be bad for her reputation?" Wei Qingwan asked Mo mo Li next to her.
"Naturally, she won't get a good reputation. But there's no need to worry too much, Miss. The eldest young lady came back from the countryside and has picked up the lifestyle of rural folk. It would be great if she could learn some rules and not make a fool of herself in front of outsiders. So, it's absolutely impossible for her to be as knowledgeable and reasonable as you, Miss."
"That's not true, my sister has her positive traits as well. Last time, her dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips won everyone's praise and affection." Wei Qingwan muttered.
"That's not a praise, those ladies just happened to be hungry and complimented her a little. She can't rely on dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips to build a lifelong reputation."
Mo mo Li showed great disdain for Wei Ruo being praised by everyone last time.
Wei Qingwan lowered her head slightly, and after listening to Nanny Li's evaluation of Wei Ruo, her mood improved a lot.
###
For several days, Wei Ruo was very busy arranging various preparations for developing the wasteland in the south of the city.
Every night, she always fell asleep immediately and once she slept, she would sleep until noon.
That night, Wei Ruo fell asleep early as usual.
As she was fast asleep, a rapid knock on the door woke her from her sleep.
She straightened up and headed towards the outer house. When she heard the door open, she knew that Xiumei had gone out to answer it.
After a while, Xiumei returned to the house.
"Miss, you are awake?"
"What's all the fuss about?"
"It was Xiaobei who lived in Yingzhu Garden who knocked on the door, saying that their young master is sick."
"If someone is sick, he should go to find a doctor. What is he doing knocking on my courtyard door?" Wei Ruo was puzzled.
"Xiaobei said he went to the people in the mansion and asked them to help find a doctor, but no one responded to him. He had no choice but to come to our yard."
Yingzhu Garden had no status in the Colonel's Mansion, so the servants dared to act recklessly and neglect them.
Although Wei Ruo had just returned to Wei's family not long ago, her status in the mansion was obviously higher than Wei Jinyi's. No matter what the servants thought about her, they never dared to give her a cold-shoulder in person.
She guessed Xiaobei came to Wei Ruo because he felt that Wei Ruo could help them by requesting a doctor.
"Meimei, help me bring my clothes here."
Wei Ruo got out of bed, put on her clothes, and hurried towards the door.
Xiaobei was still waiting at the gate of Tingsong Garden. When he saw Wei Ruo coming, he quickly knelt down and begged: "Miss, I beg you, please help my young master! He is burning all over his body, if this continues, his life will be in danger! If you are the one who requests it, they may agree to hire a doctor for my young master."
Xiaobei also had no choice. He needed a Mo mo in charge to find a doctor, but he couldn't even meet the Mo mo.
And the master of this house had not returned to the mansion for several days because he was busy fighting against the Japanese pirates.
After much thought, he could only think of Wei Ruo, the eldest young lady who had delivered something to his young master twice in a row, the only person left in this house who could possibly help his young master!
"Alright, I understand. Please get up first, and take me to see your young master."
"Okay, okay, Miss, come with me."
Xiaobei led Wei Ruo quickly back to Yingzhu Garden.
Entering the main room in the courtyard, Wei Ruo saw Wei Jinyi lying unconscious on the bed.
He, who already had a pale complexion now seems pallor, as white as paper.
Wei Ruo reached out and touched Wei Jinyi's forehead, it was burning hot.
"Your young master has been sick for a few days, right?" Wei Ruo asked.
26 Human life is at stake
"Yes… He's been sick for three days, but in the previous two days his symptoms weren't that serious. The young master said it was okay and went to rest, but suddenly his condition worsened at night and he was unconscious." Xiaobei looked anxious and worried.
If he had known this, he should have found a housekeeper to get a doctor for the young master earlier!
"Let's go, I'll go with you to find the housekeeper Mo mo." Wei Ruo got up and headed outside.
She didn't know Wei Jinyi too well, and she didn't want to expose her medical skills too much in the Wei family.
It was better to let the family solve the problem that can be solved by them.
The person in charge of the backyard of the Wei Mansion now was Mo mo Li, who usually lived in the side room of Wangmei Garden.
When Xiaobei knocked on the door, the people of Wangmei Garden did not open it, but when Wei Ruo came knocking, the people of Wangmei Garden hesitated for a moment before finally opening it.
"Miss, what are you doing here so late?" Cuihe asked Wei Ruo cautiously.
"Where is your mother?" Wei Ruo directly asked for Cuihe Mo mo Li's dwelling place.
"In… in the west wing…" Cuihe replied in a whisper.
As a servant, being able to live in the wing room showed that Mo mo Li's status in the Wei family was indeed extraordinary.
Wei Ruo stopped talking to Cuihe and headed straight to the wing room. After knocking for a while, the door finally opened.
Mo mo Li, who had been woken up, was annoyed: "Miss, what's the fuss that you can't even wait for tomorrow morning? Where is your decency of manners, for shouting in the middle of the night?"
"Why should I care about decency when a human life is at stake! The second young master is already unconscious, can you afford to take responsibility if he dies?" Wei Ruo questioned.
"He was fine during the day, how come he is unconscious at night? I think the second young master is usually quite healthy, so how can he faint for no clear reason? Don't mess around there, it's not a serious illness. You can go see a doctor tomorrow morning. Where can I find a doctor for you in the middle of the night?"
"Of course we'll go to the medical clinic!" Wei Ruo pulled Mo mo Li out of the room.
Mo mo Li's anger immediately surged up: "You are presumptuous! You have no manners at all! I came from the Bo Zhongyi's* Mansion, and even Madam should respect me! How dare you pull me like this!"
*The ancestors of the Wei family had military generals and were granted the title of Bo Zhongyi, which means loyal and righteous Earl.
"Even if you have a seniority, you are only a Mo mo! Even if the second young master is not favored, he is still the master! I asked you to get a doctor for the master of the house, and you still refuse to do so. How dare you say you are a senior Mo mo from Bo Zhongyi's Mansion? I have to ask you, where have all your manners gone?" Wei Ruo scolded.
Usually, Wei Ruo could let others act superiorly in front of her, but when faced with a life-threatening situation, Wei Ruo's temper erupted uncontrollably.
"What an outrage! I'm not going to grant your request today! Let's see what you can do!" Mo mo Li puffed her chest out, arrogantly.
The loud noise caused a commotion in Wei Qingwan's residence.
When Wei Qingwan came out, she saw Wei Ruo pulling Mo mo Li, and shouted anxiously: "Sister, what are you doing? Mo mo is old, don't pull her like this. It's dangerous to pull her like this!"
Seeing no one paying attention to her, she ran up to help, wanting to separate Mo mo Li and Wei Ruo.
At this moment, Mo mo Li was in a rage and didn't notice that Wei Qingwan was rushing towards her. Feeling someone pulling on her, she pushed hard.
Wei Qingwan was immediately pushed to the ground.
Seeing Wei Qingwan lying on the ground, Mo mo Li came back to her senses and rushed to help Wei Qingwan.
"Miss, Miss.. Are you ok?"
"Mo mo… my feet… my feet hurt…" Wei Qingwan looked at her ankle with a painful expression, her face was pale.
Mo mo Li panicked and quickly ordered her daughter: "Cuihe, go to the Madam quickly! Tell the Madam that the Miss' leg is injured! Go and tell the gatekeeper Xiaoqi to immediately go to Baohetang to ask for a doctor!"
Then Mo mo Li turned her head and glared fiercely at Wei Ruo: "Miss, look at what you've done!"
With a cold face, Wei Ruo flung her sleeves, turned around and left.
She knew that this matter would not be resolved for a while, but her second brother in Yingzhu Garden was still sick and couldn't afford to wait.
If she waited until tomorrow morning to seek a doctor, she was afraid that it would be too late for her second brother.
Wei Ruo returned to Yingzhu Garden and asked Xiumei to go back and bring her medical emergency kit.
Xiumei hesitated for a moment and took Wei Ruo's hand: "Miss, are you trying to save the second young master?"
"Yes."
"But Miss, if the second young master recovers, you will not be able to explain about what happened at Wangmei Garden today! Mo mo Li will then insist that the second young master is not sick and that you are causing trouble. How can you explain it to Madam?"
Xiumei also knew that what happened just now would affect her badly, and the young lady was going to be in trouble.
"I can't take a human life as a joke. It's true if they find him dead or injured, I can verify my innocence. But if my innocence has to be proved with a bloody life, then my innocence will be in vain! "
Seeing Wei Ruo's firm attitude, Xiumei knew what she had to do.
"I understand, I'll do as Miss says!" Xiumei turned her head and ran towards Tingsong Garden to get Wei Ruo's medical bag.
She knew that this was the nature of her young lady. She said that the most important thing she cared about was money, and the least she could do was to buy and sell at a loss. However, when faced with a life-threatening matter, she would throw away the so-called money and benefits.
Wei Ruo then instructed Xiaobei to prepare cold water and towels.
Xiaobei nodded repeatedly and quickly brought back the cold water.
"Go and lift up your young master's blanket and take off his clothes." Wei Ruo instructed.
"Take… take off his clothes?" Xiaobei was stunned.
"He's already this hot, aren't you afraid of warming him up if you put him under the blanket longer? Listen to me, don't hesitate, or your young master's life will be in danger!"
"But… but men and women were taught…"
"You still care about this when a human life is at stake? Besides, he is my brother!"
Half-father and half-mother were also brother and sister!
27 Saving Wei Jinyi
"Yes, yes, yes." Xiaobei hurriedly went to do it.
Lifting up the blanket covering Wei Jinyi's body, he untied his outer garment, exposing his chest.
Unlike Wei Ruo's imagination, Wei Jinyi was not as delicate as he looks, with a firm but not overly muscular body that was just at the right size, firm but not overly masculine.
At this time, Xiumei also came back with Wei Ruo's "medical emergency kit".
"Pour one out from the bottle with the red label on it, mix it with a bowl of water. Stir up and feed it to him." Wei Ruo continued to instruct.
Having followed Wei Ruo for so many years, Xiumei was already very skilled at helping Wei Ruo. She quickly dissolved the pill and handed it to Xiaobei.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and feed your young master!" Xiumei urged, seeing that Xiaobei was not moving.
"This… Where did you get this medicine, Miss?" Xiaobei asked.
"Don't mind where it came from, all you need to know is that it will save your young master's life! Could my young lady harm your young master? Your young master's condition is already like this, do you still need any effort to harm him?"
"Okay… okay…"
Xiaobei couldn't think too much and brought the medicine bowl to Wei Jinyi.
Carefully, he used a spoon to feed the medicine into Wei Jinyi's mouth.
Wei Ruo put the towel in cold water, wrung it dry, and wiped Wei Jinyi's upper body.
Then she opened the acupuncture bag, took out the long and thin silver needles.
Seeing the silver needle, Xiaobei's face turned pale, his hand trembled, and the medicine spilled out from the spoon.
Xiumei felt his distress at the side: "Be careful, my lady has put a lot of effort into the medicine!"
"Don't be distracted, just do your job well. You have no other choice but to trust me now." Wei Ruo said with a serious expression.
"Yes…yes…" Xiaobei responded repeatedly, then forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
Wei Ruo's hands were quick and precise, and within a short time, she dropped more than a bunch of needles on Wei Jinyi's body.
At this time, there was a loud commotion outside the door, and someone came.
"Miss…" Xiumei looked at Wei Ruo worriedly.
"Go and guard at the gate, I'll be ready in a moment." Wei Ruo said.
"Yes."
After receiving Wei Ruo's order, Xiumei came to the gate.
The people who came were Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping, the eldest maid of Yun Shi's.
"Is the eldest young lady in the house?" Mo mo Zhang asked Xiumei with a serious expression.
"Yes." Xiumei replied.
"Please ask the eldest young lady to come out. Madam is waiting for her in the Wangmei Garden." said Mo mo Zhang.
"Please wait a moment, Mo mo. Miss has something to do and will come out as soon as it's done." Xiumei didn't move and blocked the door gate with her body.
"What are we waiting for? Escaping won't solve the problem. If she had known it would turn out like this, she should've behaved well in the first place."
Mo mo Zhang naturally believed that Wei Ruo was doing this to avoid punishment.
"My lady is not trying to escape."
"Not trying to escape? Then what is she doing now?"
"My lady just needs some time, please wait a moment, Mo mo." Xiumei said the same thing.
Seeing this, Mo mo Zhang sighed: "It's a good thing for you to protect your master, but now the Madam wants to see the eldest young lady. If you stop me like this, the Madam will blame you. I'm afraid even the eldest young lady won't be able to protect you. You and I are both servants, just do our duty well, and don't offend Madam."
Mo mo Zhang saw that Xiumei was only a thirteen or fourteen year old girl, so she said a few more words.
"I will accept If Madam wants to punish me, but for now, please wait for a moment, Mo mo and sister Cuiping. My lady will come out soon."
Xiumei was a stubborn person who only acknowledged what Wei Ruo said.
"You haven't learned your lesson yet! If you are stubborn in doing things, you will suffer a lot! Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore."
Seeing that she could not be persuaded, Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping stepped forward together, intending to break the door by force.
Xiumei pressed her back against the door tightly. She didn't resist Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping's attack, but she didn't move half an inch either, and just blocked the door firmly.
Inside, Wei Ruo heard the noise of arguments outside, but she remained fully focused on giving Wei Jinyi the needles.
After finishing, Wei Ruo quickly put away the acupuncture bag to avoid being seen by people coming in.
"He will be unconscious for a while. If everything goes smoothly, he will wake up early tomorrow morning."
"Re…really?" Xiaobei looked at Wei Ruo in disbelief.
"Don't doubt it, I don't play around with human lives. There are still two pills inside that bottle, you need to follow the method I just did. Dissolve one pill in a bowl of water, give your young master another bowl when he wakes up, and another bowl tomorrow night." Wei Ruo continued to explain.
"Okay, okay, this servant understood!" Xiaobei quickly agreed.
Turning to Xiaobei, who had a dull expression, she said: "You must not tell anyone what I did to your young master today, can you do that?"
Xiaobei paused for a moment and then nodded in confusion.
Wei Ruo didn't know if he had listened or not. Even if he hadn't, she couldn't do anything now. Saving people was her own choice, and she had to bear the consequences.
Wei Ruo glanced at the direction of the door and probably guessed why Yun Shi had sent someone to find her.
"You take good care of your young master here, I have other troublesome matters to deal with."
After explaining to Xiaobei, Wei Ruo walked to the gate and opened the door gate.
Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping outside the gate were in a terrible state.
The two of them were tired and exhausted after trying to barge in for a long time, but they still couldn't drag Xiumei away from the door.
Wei Ruo first looked carefully at Xiumei to make sure she had not been injured in the dispute, and then said to Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping:
"Don't put my maid in a difficult situation. I will go with you now."
"Miss…" Xiumei looked at Wei Ruo worriedly.
"I'm fine, you can go back to Tingsong Garden first." Wei Ruo explained.
Xiumei looked worried, but still chose to trust Wei Ruo.
Mo mo Zhang adjusted her clothes, feeling both annoyed and helpless: "If you had come out earlier, it would have been fine. Why did you trouble everyone? Don't be like this when you see Madam later."
"Let's go, isn't it urgent?"
After finishing speaking, she walked out one step ahead of Mo mo Zhang.
Seeing this, Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping hurriedly followed, as if they were afraid that Wei Ruo would run away.
Wei Ruo did not have any intention of running, where could she run in this Wei House?
Wei Ruo was taken by Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping to Wangmei Garden, which was now brightly lit.
Yun Shi, who had already fallen asleep, was dressed neatly and sat in the main room with a serious expression.
Mo mo Li knelt in front of her.
Wei Ruo walked over to Mo mo Li and faced Yun Shi with a calm expression.
Yun Shi looked at Wei Ruo and angrily asked: "Ruo'er, what's the matter with you? Why did you run to the Wanwan's courtyard in the middle of the night to cause trouble? You even pushed down Wanwan and hurt her! Do you know that Wanwan's feet are bleeding a lot?"
28 Face-to-face confrontation
Yun Shi was now trying very hard to restrain her anger.
"I didn't make any trouble, I went to ask Mo mo Li to find a doctor for second brother. And I didn't hurt anyone." Wei Ruo replied with a calm voice, neither showing disrespect nor humbleness.
Mo mo Li quickly explained: "Madam, it's not that I don't want to invite a doctor for the second young master, it's just that, I don't think the second young master's illness is serious, so I will invite the doctor tomorrow."
"I have already told the second young master's servant, and I explained clearly to the eldest young lady when she came to ask. But I don't know why the eldest young lady still made a fuss about it, and even pushed down the second young lady, causing her to be injured."
"You said that the second brother's illness is not serious? And I pushed Wei Qingwan?" Wei Ruo's gaze glanced coldly at Mo mo Li.
"Everyone has seen the second young master during the day, and he was fine at that time. All the servants can testify to that!" Mo mo Li knelt on the ground to defend herself.
"Oh, it's really funny. Who told you that people who are good during the day don't necessarily get worse at night? Haven't you heard that sickness comes like a landslide*? If you can easily tell if a person is seriously ill or not, why don't you become a doctor?"
*sickness comes like a landslide: when a person gets sick, it's as fast and breathless as a landslide, while trying to recover is as slow and cautious as pulling threads from a cocoon.
"The eldest young lady believes that this old servant intentionally neglected the condition of the second young master, but why should this old servant neglect the condition of the second young master?" Mo mo Li asked Wei Ruo.
"You think that because the second young master is not in favor, you can do this to him!" If it had been Wei Yichen and Wei Yilin, she would not dare to do so!
"What are you talking about, Miss? How is the second young master not favored? Madam is kind and generous, and treats the children of her family equally. Whether they are legitimate or illegitimate, young or old, she loves them all! How dare we as servants neglect her?" Mo mo Li said in a hurry.
Mo mo Li's words made Yun Shi's already unsightly expression become even worse.
Indeed, she didn't want to see Wei Jinyi, but he still got this necessity fulfilled, he didn't lack food or clothing! Wei Ruo's "not favored" words hit her in the face!
Seeing that Yun Shi's face became more gloomy, Mo mo Li knew that her words had worked.
Then Mo mo Li continued with a sad face: "Old servant did decide to call the doctor tomorrow based on the fact that the young master was not seriously ill! If the eldest young lady is unhappy with this old slave's judgment and methods, you can come at me.
Why did you harm the second young lady? She didn't do anything and was inexplicably pushed to the ground by you, bleeding a lot…"
Mo mo Li began to wipe her tears, "My poor second young lady, I wouldn't regret dying if the eldest young lady killed me today. But the second young lady, who is at the same age as flower*, has suffered so much… what will happen if she falls ill…"
*at the same age as a flower: girls aged 16 to 19 are just budding and slowly blooming, at the age of having captivating beauty and tenderness.
Mo mo Li began to change the subject, and her words implied that Wei Ruo was intentionally harming Wei Qingwan.
Hearing this, Yun Shi was furious and slammed hard on the tea table with her right hand. "Ruo'er, you're going too far! You made a scene in Wangmei Garden without understanding the context of the matter, and even pushed Wanwan to the ground, causing Wanwan to be injured! What did Wanwan do that was not to your liking? Are you going to treat her like this?"
Seeing Yun Shi's angry expression, Wei Ruo had to silently praise Mo mo Li's cleverness in her heart.
Wei Ruo replied to Yun Shi: "First, I sought out Mo mo Li because of my second brother's illness; and second, I did not push Wei Qingwan. These are two facts. Believe me if you wish, if you don't believe me, there is nothing I can do."
Wei Ruo's voice was loud and powerful. Her eyes were neither dodging or hiding.
"You said you didn't push Wanwan?" Yun Shi asked again.
"Yes, it's not me." Wei Ruo said firmly.
"Good, now I will take you to confront Wanwan and see if it was Mo mo Li who lied or you who lied!" Yun Shi stood up angrily.
She walked in front, while Wei Ruo was stared at by Mo mo Zhang who walked behind.
Entering the bedroom, Wei Ruo saw Wei Qingwan lying on the bed with a pale complexion.
Her feet were wrapped in white cloth, and the injury could not be seen directly.
"Mother…" Seeing Yun Shi, Wei Qingwan burst into tears again.
Yun Shi's heart ached, she quickly stepped forward and hugged Wei Qingwan, "Wanwan, you have suffered."
After Yun Shi soothed her for a while, Wei Qingwan stopped crying.
Then Yun Shi asked Wei Qingwan: "Wanwan, tell mother, how did you fall tonight?"
At these words, Wei Qingwan was stunned and lifted her head to look at Wei Ruo, with a weak gaze.
Wei Ruo was also looking at Wei Qingwan at the moment, capturing every expression and movement of her.
She and Wei Qingwan did not have any personal problems. And even in the original book, there was no such thing as Wei Qingwan subjectively harming her.
As the kind and beautiful female lead in the original book, Wei Ruo wanted to know what kind of response she would give at this moment.
Wei Qingwan was feeling a little guilty under Wei Ruo's gaze, hesitating whether to follow what Mo mo Li told her to say.
Her eyes turned to Wei Ruo's right side, and Mo mo Li was looking at her.
Wei Qingwan didn't answer for a long time, and Yun Shi said to her: "Wanwan, you don't have to worry about it. Just tell me who pushed you, and Mother will deal with it fairly."
"It's… It's sister…" Wei Qingwan stammered out the word "sister".
In an instant, everyone's gaze in the room fell back on Wei Ruo.
Harsh, accusing, and full of anger.
Wei Ruo suddenly wanted to laugh.
Who would have thought that the kind and delicate female lead of the original book would lie and slander her?
Yun Shi turned her head and questioned Wei Ruo: "What else do you have to say now?"
Wei Ruo: "Yes, I want to say that Wei Qingwan wronged me and said that I pushed her when I didn't."
Yun Shi laughed in anger: "You are getting more and more outrageous, I really misjudged you! I thought although you might have grown up in the countryside, you weren't getting influenced by any bad habits. But in the end, It's because I haven't seen you clearly! "
"I am not influenced by any bad habits, and there are no bad habits in the countryside that I can learn from. Farming is not a bad habit, and the villagers in the countryside do not have any bad habits.
Those who have bad habits are the ones who lie with their eyes open and speak nonsense to slander others!"
While Wei Ruo was talking, she glared fiercely at Wei Qingwan who was lying on the bed.
Not knowing whether she was frightened by Wei Ruo's gaze, or because of a guilty conscience, Wei Qingwan lowered her head and silently wiped away her tears.
Yun Shi was furious: "You still won't admit your mistake? Why are you looking at Wanwan? What else do you want to do to her?"
29 Locked in a woodshed
"I didn't make any mistakes! Why should I confess to the mistakes I didn't make?" Wei Ruo insisted.
Yun Shi was furious: "Cuiping, Mo mo Zhang, take her to the woodshed! Don't give her any food! She may come out when she admits her mistakes!"
"Madam!" Mo mo Zhang and Cuiping were startled.
It was the first time that the madam was so angry that she wanted to lock someone in the woodshed.
"Do it now!" Yun Shi ordered.
"Yes…"
Cuiping and Mo mo Zhang came to Wei Ruo.
"Miss…"
"I can go by myself."
Wei Ruo didn't lie, she turned around and left.
When they arrived at the woodshed, Mo mo Zhang whispered to Wei Ruo: "Miss, just admit your mistakes to Madam. You should give in and promise that you won't do it again in the future, Madam will forgive you."
"I didn't do anything wrong, why should I admit it?"
Mo mo Zhang sighed helplessly, and could only close the woodshed door and lock it.
Once the woodshed door was closed, Wei Ruo's surroundings became pitch black.
The air was filled with the mixed smell of dried firewood and dust.
Wei Ruo found a pile of straw and sat down.
The only light coming through the woodshed was a small window at the top, which was divided into several equal compartments by several wooden sticks, which also split the moonlight.
It was already after the Grain Rain*, but she didn't realize it, because the weather was still cold at this time for the past few years. Tonight was cold. Wei Ruo couldn't help but curl up a bit to reduce the heat emitted from her body.
*Grain Rain: during 20th April – 4th May. "Grain Rain" comes from the ancient saying that "rain produces a hundred grains". In the Grain Rain season, in southern China, it often starts to rain significantly, and especially in southern China. Once the cold air meets the warm and humid air, it often forms a longer period of rainy weather.
She still remembered when she was sent by the He family to the Mojiazha courtyard, it was also very cold at night.
At that time, her nanny and Xiumei were next to her, and the three of them slept together.
Although the temperature was even colder that day, her heart was warm.
She didn't want to go back to the Wei family, but she still came back.
She didn't want to argue with Wei Qingwan, but somehow she got into it.
She tried her best to avoid fighting with her family, but still got involved.
Wei Ruo leaned against the mud wall of the woodshed, and couldn't help but reminisce about her past life.
In her previous life, she had an alcoholic and abusive father, and a submissive mother.
Although she was admitted to the top university with her talent and hard work, and learned all the skills from her master, she couldn't escape from her rotten family.
The alcoholic father approached her and asked her to pay for the price of raising her after she graduate.
When she disagreed, her father began beating her.
Her mother rushed to protect her and held her in her arms, but was beaten to death by her father who had lost his sanity.
Then she picked up a scissor on the table and stabbed her father to death.
In this life, she worked hard to make money, and she tried hard to settle down in this world relying on her own strength rather than others' pity.
But she still didn't change anything, and she would be punished if she didn't let the people in this family get what they wanted.
In the previous life she was unable to gain control of her destiny through her studies, and in this life she was equally powerless.
This sense of powerlessness enveloped her, making her breathless.
###
After the doctor who rushed to the Colonel's Mansion diagnosed Wei Qingwan, he went to write a prescription for medicine.
Leaving Mo mo Li and Cuihe to take care of Wei Qingwan.
With a worried look on her face, Wei Qingwan cautiously asked Mo mo Li: "Mo mo, will I be found out if I tell a lie?"
"No, Miss, don't worry. This matter is only known to heaven and earth; you and I, no one else knows. As long as you don't show your timidity, no one will know." Mo mo Li comforted her.
"But Mo mo, I'm feeling uneasy… I know it's not good to lie, but I really can't bear to see you being punished. Mo mo, you are the one I love the most…"
"Old servant knows, old servant knows all that. Second young lady has always been kind-hearted, and this time she chose to lie for the sake of my old bones. I will always remember this kindness in my heart!" Mo mo Li said gratefully.
"But seeing my sister being punished by Mother, I feel very guilty… I didn't want this to happen, I really didn't want things to get this severe. I thought that with how much Mother loved my sister, it wouldn't be so bad to the point she put her in the woodshed…" Wei Qingwan sobbed.
"The eldest young lady was locked in the woodshed because of her own fault. Miss, you saw it just now. She shouted in front of Madam. She doesn't respect the elders at all."
"Mother has always been kind. My younger brother made mistakes many times, and Mother only punished him by copying books. There has never been such a severe punishment as being locked in the woodshed… I thought my sister would be at most punished by copying books…"
"It can be seen that Madam is serious this time, and it also indicates that Madam values you very much. If it were someone else, Madam would definitely not be so angry. However, you are the treasure in Madam's heart, and she can't tolerate any mistakes, even if it is Wei Qingruo." Mo mo Li explained to Wei Qingwan.
This was a very flattering statement to Wei Qingwan. Did her mother really value her that much? Did she really have such a higher status in her heart than Wei Qingruo?
"Mo mo, when dawn comes, take me to Mother to plead for my sister. Just say that I'm not seriously injured and ask her not to punish my sister anymore." Wei Qingwan said.
"Okay, okay, we'll go when it's dawn. Miss, don't think about this for now. You can rest for a while, "said Mama Li.
Mo mo Li also advised: "Miss, you should not mention this matter again today. You should keep this to yourself and never mention it again in the future."
"En." Wei Qingwan bit her lips and nodded in agreement.
###
Wei Jinyi opened his eyes. His head still hurt, but his body was much lighter than before.
"Young master, you are finally awake!" Xiaobei was so relieved.
"En…" Wei Jinyi responded, his throat still hurt a little when he spoke.
"The eldest young lady didn't lie to me, she can really cure you!"
"The eldest young lady? She was here?"
Xiaobei quickly told Wei Jinyi what happened.
"You mean I can wake up now, because she saved me?"
Wei Jinyi was also shocked by Xiaobei's words.
Wei Ruo actually caused a commotion in the Wangmei Garden for him, and even confronted the Madam…
"Yes!"
"Then where is she now?"
"She was taken away by the people the Madam sent. They were quite fierce, they should be sent here to blame her!"
Wei Jinyi supported his body with his palms and tried to get up.
"Young master, what are you doing? You haven't recovered yet, and the eldest young lady said you need to rest more!"
"Help me up." Wei Jinyi's face was pale, but his words couldn't be ignored.
Xiaobei could not help but do as he was told and helped Wei Jinyi out of bed.
"Change my clothes and let's go to Cangyun Garden."
"Young master…" Xiaobei had no choice but to change Wei Jinyi's clothes.
After taking two steps, Wei Jinyi suddenly stopped.
"Young master, what's wrong?" Xiaobei was shocked.
Wei Jinyi thought of something, and changed his words: "Help me return back to bed."
Xiaobei didn't know what made his young master change his mind. He only knew that it was a good thing that the young master was willing to go back to rest, so he quickly helped Wei Jinyi back.
Wei Jinyi also laid down again and said to Xiaobei: "Go find the guard Jinghu immediately. Tell him that I am seriously ill and unconscious, and my life is in danger."
30 Wei Mingting was furious
"Ah?" Xiaobei was confused and didn't understand what his young master meant.
"No matter who comes later, don't say that I have woken up. Just pretend that I'm still unconscious." Wei Jinyi also added.
Although Xiaobei may not understand the purpose of Wei Jinyi's arrangement, as a servant who had been with Wei Jinyi for more than ten years, he greatly trusted the judgment of his young master.
So he immediately went to do it, found the guard Jinghu, and repeated what the young master had taught him.
Then Jinghu moved quickly, riding a fast horse and went out.
###
As the Dragon Boat Festival approached, the dawn was particularly early, before the moon had not yet completely disappeared. And the sky had already turned bright in the east.
-The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and who eventually became a national hero. The holiday is celebrated by holding dragon boat races and eating sticky rice dumplings called zongzi.
-sticky rice dumplings called zongzi. It was usually made on this day.
The galloping horse carried a man in armor on its back.
The horse stopped at the entrance to the Wei Mansion. And as soon as it stopped, Wei Mingting leapt down.
Without waiting for the servant boy at the door to come forward, he quickly walked into the house.
At this time, the Wei family had just calmed down.
Wei Mingting strode into the Cangyun Garden, which surprised everyone inside.
"Husband?" Yun Shi was surprised that her husband had returned home so early.
Wei Mingting's face turned livid: "How is Jinyi's situation now?"
"Jinyi?" Yun Shi froze.
"I ask you how Jinyi is doing now! "Wei Mingting said loudly and sternly.
Yun Shi didn't know how to answer and was at a loss for a moment.
At this moment, the doctor who saw Wei Qingwan last night came over.
After checking Wei Qingwan last night, it was confirmed that there was nothing wrong, so he simply made a warm compress. The remaining medicine was not brought by the doctor until this morning.
Wei Mingting asked the doctor directly: "How is my son's condition now?"
The doctor was also stunned, "Lord Wei… Is your son also sick?"
Wei Mingting's expression became even colder when he heard this.
Then he turned around and walked towards Yingzhu Garden.
Yun Shi was shocked. Having been married for many years, she rarely saw her husband's face look so unsightly.
He hurriedly took the doctor after him.
Entering the Yingzhu Garden, the courtyard was desolate and deserted, not even a single person at the door of the bedroom.
Wei Mingting pushed open the bedroom door, but saw that only Xiaobei was guarding the room, and Wei Jinyi was lying on the bed.
Wei Mingting rushed to the bed and saw Wei Jinyi's lifeless face on the bed and was furious: "What's going on?"
Xiaobei knelt down with a loud thud: "The young master accidentally had a cold a few days ago and was a bit unwell. The little one* said to him to ask for a doctor to check,
but the young master said it was only a minor illness and couldn't bear to disturb his family, thinking that he would recover after drinking some ginger tea. Who would have thought that his condition worsened just last night and have been unconscious until now…"
*the little one: refers to himself.
"Then why didn't you go to a doctor?!"
"This little one went to find the housekeeper Mo mo, and wanted the housekeeper Mo mo to invite a doctor, but the servants of Wangmei Garden did not allow this little one to enter. This little one had no choice but to ask the eldest young lady.
The eldest young lady broke into the Wangmei Garden with this little one and found Mo mo Li, but Mo mo Li said that the young master was not seriously ill and wouldn't call a doctor…"
Xiaobei knelt on the ground and trembled, recounting what had happened last night.
Except for the fact that Wei Jinyi was still unconscious and had not yet woken up, everything else he said is true.
Wei Mingting turned his head sharply to look at the door. Yun Shi's face turned white when she saw Wei Jinyi was unconscious on the bed.
"Jinyi had already been this sick, why didn't you call a doctor?" Wei Mingting questioned Yun Shi.
"Yesterday Wanwan's foot was injured, I was so anxious about Wanwan… I didn't pay attention to him for a while… I thought Jinyi was fine…" Yun Shi hurriedly explained.
Wei Mingting questioned the doctor: "How is my daughter's injury?"
The doctor didn't know what happened, so he just answered truthfully: "The second young lady's wound is not severe, it's just that the skin has been torn, but the bones and muscles are not injured. It won't cause any serious illness. Please rest assured, my lord."
After hearing the doctor's words, Wei Mingting became even more angry: "Wanwan is only scratched, and Jinyi is about to die! You called the doctor back, but you only care about looking at Wanwan's feet! Are you trying to get Jinyi killed?! "
"I…" Yun Shi also panicked, she really didn't know that Wei Jinyi was so sick.
After hearing Mo mo Li's words, she thought that Wei Jinyi's serious illness was just an excuse for Wei Ruo to break into Wangmei Garden!
At this moment, seeing Wei Jinyi, who was on the verge of death, and Wei Mingting, who was burning with anger, Yun Shi couldn't refute.
Wei Mingting ordered the doctor: "Go and check on my son!"
"Yes…yes!"
The doctor was frightened by Wei Mingting's aura and came trembling to the bed, feeling Wei Jinyi's pulse.
Then he broke out in a cold sweat and said: "This…this…"
"This what? Tell me quickly!"
"The second young master seems to have no… pulse. This… This is an extremely terrible condition …"
Hearing this, even Wei Mingting, who had always been calm, panicked: "Is there any solution?"
"I… I'll write a prescription now, and you can immediately send someone to take the medicine. Once it's cooked, give it to the second young master. As for whether it can save his life, it depends on the second young master's own fate…
I haven't received such a serious patient before. If I could have seen it earlier, perhaps it wouldn't have been so serious…" The doctor explained tremblingly.
"Jinghu, you go with the doctor, and after he writes the prescription, you go and get the medicine quickly! Keep an eye on the whole process from picking up the medicine to boiling it, there must not be a moment's delay!"
Wei Mingting immediately instructed the guards outside to handle this matter.
"This subordinate accepts the orders!" Jinghu received the order and acted quickly.
In the past, he had entrusted all these matters to Yun Shi to handle, but today he directly instructed the guards, indicating that he was very disappointed with Yun Shi in this matter.
Wei Mingting asked Xiaobei to get up and said: "Stay here and take good care of your young master. If this kind of thing happens again in the future, contact me as soon as possible."
"Yes, this little one understands." Xiaobei agreed.
Wei Mingting stood in front of the bed again and looked at Wei Jinyi with a heavy expression for a moment. His expression was so solemn and unsightly that everyone in the room trembled with fear, and no one dared to leave.
After a while, Wei Mingting turned around and left, and Yun Shi followed cautiously.
They returned to Cangyun Garden. Upon looking at Wei Mingting who was exuding anger all over his body, Yun Shi knelt down.
Filled with anger, Wei Mingting looked at Yun Shi who was kneeling in front of him, and asked:
"I know you have a grudge against Jinyi. If you have any complaints against me about that matter, you should come to me! You shouldn't treat him like this! I asked you to take care of him, and this is how you take care of him? If I had come one step later, he would have been dead!"
"I really didn't know that Jinyi was so sick. If I had known, I would never have put his life in danger!" Yun Shi's eyes turned red.
"Why wouldn't you know? You knew Wanwan's feet were bruised, you knew to invite the doctor in the middle of the night, and you didn't know that Jinyi was so sick that he was unconscious? Jinyi's servant tried to ask for a doctor but couldn't, even Ruo'er had helped but still couldn't ask for a doctor. Can you tell me what's going on here?"