Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 118

Yu Ruhai hurriedly denied it. “I would never think of such a thing!”

Seeing how firm and uncompromising Yu Jiao was, he knew there was no way around it, this contract had to be torn today. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the deed from the table. But even as he held it in his hands, he couldn’t bring himself to tear it. With this deed, Meng Yujiao was still under his control. Without it, she would be completely free and he would lose all leverage over her.

From the corner of the room, Yu Jinyan stepped forward and whispered into Yu Ruhai’s ear, “Grandfather, if you’re worried about losing all control, why not have Second Uncle and Aunt officially adopt Meng Yujiao as their daughter? Since she and Fifth Brother never formally married, she has no official status. If she becomes a daughter of the Yu family, any future fame she earns through her medical skills will still reflect on us.”

That suggestion settled Yu Ruhai’s nerves. A cunning glint appeared in his cloudy old eyes. With a loud rip, he tore the deed in half and forced a pleasing smile at Yu Jiao. “Whatever you say, Grandfather listens to you. It’s done.”

Yu Jiao took the torn contract from his hands, shredded it into even smaller pieces, and unceremoniously tossed them into a teacup. Only after seeing the ink dissolve into the water did she finally look away.

Yu Ruhai’s sagging cheeks twitched, and he turned his face aside, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he wore a kindly expression. Yu Jiao, seeing this change, felt a rush of satisfaction. Forcing him to destroy something he cherished, that was what made it worthwhile.

“The deed is gone now. Meng girl, is there anything else you’re unhappy with?” Yu Ruhai asked in a lowered, flattering tone.

Yu Jiao shook her head. “I’m a free person now. There’s no need for me to say everything aloud, you all know very well what you’ve done. If the Yu family ever makes me feel uncomfortable again, I’ll leave without a second thought.”

Thanks to Yu Jinyan’s earlier suggestion, Yu Ruhai had already formed a new plan in his mind. He smiled benevolently. “Don’t worry. From now on, Grandfather will never let you be wronged again.”

Yu Jiao didn’t confirm or deny it, she simply gave a faint smile, then turned to Jiang Qinghe with an apologetic expression. “Doctor Jiang, I’m truly sorry…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Qinghe sighed knowingly and interrupted, “It’s fine. If you ever change your mind, Meng girl, my clinic’s doors are always open to you.” He paused, then added, “Since that’s the case, I won’t impose any further.”

Yu Jiao stood to escort him out. He Dongsheng also rose to his feet. “I’ll take my leave as well. If you have time later, Miss Meng, I’d appreciate it if you could stop by and check the old master’s pulse for peace of mind.”

“Of course. Once I have a free day, I’ll come by,” Yu Jiao said with a smile.

Outside, He family servants had already replaced all the jars and vats they had smashed on their last visit, and had even helped tidy up the entire courtyard, leaving it spotless.

Yu Ruhai followed them out, trying to save face in front of the crowd of curious villagers. He put on a friendly smile and personally escorted He Dongsheng to his carriage, acting as though the two were on very familiar terms.

But He Dongsheng, who detested him inwardly, pulled back the carriage curtain after sitting down and called out to Yu Jiao, who stood by the gate. “Miss Meng, if I send someone in the future for a consultation, I hope you’ll personally attend to them. Don’t let any quack ruin someone’s life again.”

Yu Ruhai’s smile stiffened, his face twitching with anger and humiliation. ‘Damn that He Dongsheng’ he cursed inwardly. ‘Does he really have to humiliate me like this in front of the whole village?’

Yu Jiao caught the shift in his expression and smiled faintly.

Still seated in his carriage, Jiang Qinghe followed He Dongsheng’s lead, calling out loudly, “Miss Meng is a brilliant physician. Our clinic at Huichun Hall will always welcome her to join us as a resident doctor!”

Moments later, the guests had finally departed, but the area outside the Yu residence was still abuzz with curious villagers, all chattering about He Dongsheng and Jiang Qinghe.

Back inside, Yu Jiao returned to the courtyard while Old Madam Yu dealt with the villagers, carefully spinning the story to make Yu Ruhai look good. Meanwhile, Yu Ruhai rushed off to visit Chen Rou’s father, the village head, eager to add Yu Jiao’s name to the family register.

Despite Old Madam Yu’s efforts to downplay the situation, insisting that the He family’s previous aggression had just been a misunderstanding, the villagers weren’t fools. The Chen family had been delivering meals to the He household, and had picked up plenty of gossip about why He Dongsheng had come storming into the Yu home in the first place.

Thanks to their gossiping, the truth was already spreading through the village, Yu Ruhai’s prescription had nearly killed the old master of the He family.

And from the way He Dongsheng and Jiang Qinghe treated Meng Yujiao with such respect, the villagers had started putting the pieces together.

Old Madam Yu, overwhelmed by the endless questions, finally gave a few vague answers, shut the gate, and retreated into the house.

Zhou Huai and his wife, who had personally witnessed Yu Jiao’s skill, were especially clear-headed. They’d been ordered by Yu Ruhai not to speak of what they had seen, so they had kept it to themselves. But now that the He patriarch himself had exposed Yu Jiao’s medical expertise, they had no reason to stay silent.

Zhou Huai’s wife, Madam Zhou, excitedly confided in a few of her close neighbors. “My man almost lost his life, you know! It was that girl Meng Yujiao, Yu family’s Fifth Son’s lucky bride, who saved him. Her medical skills are incredible!”

Her words instantly caught the attention of nearby villagers, who leaned in with curiosity. “You’re saying Yu family’s Fifth Son’s lucky bride is actually a doctor? She really saved your husband? I thought you said it was old man Yu who did it?”

“It wasn’t Old Yu, it was Miss Meng,” Madam Zhou replied. “Back then, we were told not to spread it around, so we kept quiet.”

Seeing everyone hanging on her words, Madam Zhou spoke with a bit of pride, lowering her voice dramatically. “My husband had a sudden seizure in the middle of the night, passed out cold. He couldn’t breathe, nearly died. We rushed him to the Yu house, but Old Yu said he couldn’t save him and told us to go find a doctor in town. But how could we? My husband was seizing and foaming at the mouth, we didn’t have time to get anyone!”

She paused for effect. One of the women, practically bouncing with suspense, urged her on. “Don’t stop now! What happened next?”

Madam Zhou cleared her throat and continued, “Just then, Miss Meng stepped forward and said she could save him. She diagnosed the problem with one glance. I figured we had nothing to lose, so I begged her to try.”

She even managed a bit of bragging. “Good thing I had the guts to believe her! If it were you lot, you’d never have let a young girl like that take the risk!”

The women around her nodded in agreement. They all knew how young Meng Yujiao was, not even of marrying age yet, and being a bride bought just for the sake of a sickbed marriage, who would’ve believed she could be a doctor?

“So how did she save your man?” someone asked, desperate to hear the rest.

Madam Zhou proudly declared, “She took out some needles, pricked his fingertips, and drew a little blood. That one breath he couldn’t catch, he finally let it out. He woke up, just like that! It was like a miracle!”