Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 117

At this point, his eyes lit up and he hastily pulled a fifty-tael banknote from his sleeve. “Doctor Jiang, I was confused. Meng Yujiao has already bought back her deed. Yours can’t count anymore. Here, I’ll return the fifty taels to you.”

Meng Yujiao curled her lips in disdain. Even now, Yu Ruhai was still trying to be clever, but unfortunately, his tricks were always transparent.

Jiang Qinghe looked at Yu Ruhai with outright contempt. Since the deed was already in Meng Yujiao’s hands, and she had paid her own redemption fee, he didn’t argue. He simply accepted the silver note while mocking, “Doctor Yu, you truly are… hard to describe. From your behavior, it’s clear that Miss Meng must have suffered quite a bit in the Yu household.”

Then, turning to Meng Yujiao, his tone shifted like flipping a page, warm and smiling, “Miss Meng, with your superb medical skills, there’s no reason to stay in the Yu family living like this. If you’d agree to come practice at Huichun Hall, I can promise generous treatment, how about a monthly salary of thirty taels?”

Yu Ruhai had already lost all face. He decided to throw dignity aside and pleaded, “Meng girl, it was my fault. Grandfather was wrong. But no matter how wrong I was, you are still Fifth Boy’s wife, you’re part of our Yu family. You can’t just walk away!”

As he spoke, he kept signaling to Old Madam Yu, urging her to quickly bring in the rest of the second branch. No matter what, they had to keep Meng Yujiao in the family.

Ever since He Dongsheng arrived, Old Madam Yu hadn’t dared say a word. Seeing the way He Dongsheng and Jiang Qinghe treated Meng Yujiao, she realized that if they let her leave, the Yu family would suffer a tremendous loss. She hurried off to the second branch.

Meng Yujiao held the deed in her hand silently, her brow slightly furrowed. She was hesitating, feeling conflicted.

Life often offers choices with no right or wrong answers. But once a decision is made, the path and the life that follow can change entirely.

After everything that had happened, staying in the Yu household would mean a smoother life. But if she chose to go practice medicine at Huichun Hall, her days would be modest but fulfilling. Not bad either.

“Miss Meng is leaving the family? Go and talk to her!” Old Madam Yu entered the east room anxiously.

Song Chun and Yu Mengshan immediately got up in a panic. Yu Fuling popped out from a side room and followed Old Madam Yu toward the main hall.

Noticing that Yu Qizhe hadn’t moved, Old Madam Yu pushed open his door and urged, “Fifth Boy, Miss Meng has her deed and wants to leave the family. Aren’t you going to stop her?”

Yu Qizhe had just finished a bowl of medicinal soup. He calmly set it down and looked up, his voice cool, “If she wants to leave, I won’t stop her. And besides, what is there about the Yu family worth staying for?”

Old Madam Yu was momentarily stunned. Though Yu Qizhe was always reserved, he had treated Meng Yujiao quite well. She had thought for sure he wouldn’t want her to go, but unexpectedly, he was so indifferent.

“Do you still have something to say, Grandmother?” Yu Qizhe’s narrow eyes looked at Old Madam Yu without emotion. Old Madam Yu froze and didn’t dare push further. Maybe it was because of the past incident, but sometimes she found herself inexplicably uneasy around him.

Back in the main hall, Song Chun and the others arrived. Yu Fuling, ever blunt, immediately blurted out, “Grandmother said you’re leaving? Where are you going? You’re already my brother’s wife, how can you just walk out like that?”

From initially disliking her to now fully accepting and trusting her, Yu Fuling truly saw Meng Yujiao as part of the second branch as her sister-in-law. Only with Yujiao around could she feel at ease about her own upcoming marriage.

Song Chun, noticing how anxious Yu Fuling sounded, tugged on her sleeve and spoke gently to Yujiao, “Meng girl, your grandmother said you want to leave. Are you going home?”

Meng Yujiao glanced at the worry on both their faces and sighed inwardly. Emotions between people were strange things, bonds could form invisibly over time.

Yu Mengshan leaned against the door, absently rubbing the prosthetic on his leg. After a long pause, he finally said hoarsely, “Meng girl, if you want to leave… then go. You and Qizhe never officially married. There’s no title, no formal bond. If you want to marry again but people doubt your chastity, I’ll testify for you with your Aunt Song.”

Yu Ruhai glared at him angrily. “What nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean no formal bond? Even if they didn’t have a wedding, everyone in the village knows Meng girl is Fifth Boy’s wife. How could she marry someone else? And as for chastity, how can that be cleared up in a few words?”

His eyes were fixed on the deed in Yujiao’s hand. He forced a smile and said, “Meng girl, if you want to practice at Huichun Hall, we won’t stop you. But you’re still part of the Yu family, you can’t just walk away.”

Meng Yujiao gave him a sideways glance. Holding the deed, she swept her gaze past Old Madam Yu and let out a light, mocking laugh. “A Yu family member? You people see me as one of you?”

Yu Ruhai’s expression faltered. He hurriedly glanced at Old Madam Yu for help. She could only lower her tone and coax gently, “Meng girl, I admit I didn’t treat you well, but you know how kind the second branch has been to you. Let’s forget the past. I’ll change.”

Meng Yujiao let out a faint smile and rubbed the deed between her fingers as she said slowly, “If you want me to stay, it’s not impossible but not in the same way as before.”

Jiang Qinghe heard this and couldn’t help feeling disappointed. He wanted to persuade her to come with him, but it didn’t seem right. Could she really live well on her own, without anyone to care for her?

Yu Ruhai’s eyes lit up. He quickly softened his tone, “What way then? If there’s anything you’re unhappy with, just say it.”

Meng Yujiao placed the deed on the table and pushed it toward Yu Ruhai. Seeing this, he was overjoyed and grabbed it, ready to stuff it back into his sleeve.

But Yujiao’s gaze locked on him, sharp and steady. He froze.

Her tone was unhurried but cold, “If we’re truly family, then what’s the point of holding onto this deed? Or… are you planning to use it to control me in the future?”

Yu Ruhai’s face flushed with embarrassment. Stiffly, he placed the deed back on the table. Under her steady gaze, he stammered, “No, no… I didn’t mean it like that. Meng girl, what do you think we should do with it?”

“Tear it up,” Meng Yujiao said softly, her voice flat but resolute.

Yu Ruhai was stunned. He looked at the deed and hesitated, unwilling. “This… this might not be appropriate…”

Meng Yujiao raised an eyebrow, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing as a trace of coldness entered her gaze. “Unwilling to part with it? Still planning to use it to control me?”