Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 133

When Yu Qizhe awoke, pale morning light filtered through the window lattice, and the soft chirping of birds echoed from the branches in the courtyard. He sat up and saw Yu Jiao asleep with her head resting beside the bed, her eyes closed in peaceful slumber. A gentle smile touched his lips.

He carefully got out of bed and, without waking her, lifted her up and laid her properly on the bed, pulling the thin blanket over her. Then he turned and quietly walked out of the room. He glanced at the stub of a candle still flickering on the table. With a light wave of his hand, he extinguished the flame.

In the outer courtyard, Song Chun was already up feeding the livestock. Yu Qizhe inhaled the fresh morning air and stretched, his body felt lighter than it had in a long time. Just as Madam Song finished feeding the pigs, she spotted him. “You went to bed early last night and didn’t eat. Are you hungry now?”

Yu Qizhe was indeed feeling a bit hungry. He smiled, washed his face and hands at the water vat, then followed her into the kitchen. “Mother, I’ll help you tend the fire.”

Seeing how well he looked today, Song Chun rinsed off a melon she’d picked from the field and handed it to him kindly. “Eat this first to tide you over. I can handle the cooking, I’ll call you when the meal’s ready.”

Yu Qizhe accepted the melon with a nod. As he was about to take a bite, his eyes fell on a simmering clay pot atop the medicine stove. Curious, Song Chun lifted the lid, fragrant rice porridge mixed with the faint aroma of herbs wafted out.

“Oh? Why’s there medicinal porridge still cooking?”

Hearing this, Yu Qizhe was momentarily stunned, then smiled faintly, it had to be something Yu Jiao had prepared for him.

It was well into the late morning before Yu Jiao finally woke. As she sat up, she realized with a start that she was still on Yu Qizhe’s bed. 

Yu Qizhe was sitting at the table reading. He looked up when he noticed she was awake and smiled. Her hair was a tousled mess, her bright almond-shaped eyes still hazy from sleep.

“You’re up? I left food for you in the kitchen. I’ll go get it,” he said.

Still groggy, Yu Jiao glanced at him, then began to lift the covers, only to pause abruptly. She felt a sticky dampness between her legs and a dull ache in her abdomen.

She froze.

Her face turned crimson in an instant, she had gotten her period.

“You… you… go out first!” she stammered. “Call Sister Fuling for me!”

Yu Qizhe noticed her rare look of panic and the hint of embarrassment in her eyes. He furrowed his brows slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Yu Jiao couldn’t even lift her head from shame. Having her period was one thing, but of all places, she had bled onto his bed. It was mortifying.

“Don’t ask, just go call Fuling!” she whispered urgently, clutching the blanket tightly around herself.

Left with no choice, Yu Qizhe stepped outside and called Yu Fuling in the adjoining room.

Once Fuling entered, Yu Jiao finally let out a breath of relief. She quickly asked her to close the door and whispered in embarrassment, “Fuling… I got my period…”

Fuling was caught off guard by how flustered she looked and the fact that she was in Qizhe’s bed didn’t help. She chuckled, “I still have two new cloth pads I made earlier. I’ll go grab one for you.”

“Could you also bring me a clean set of clothes?” Yu Jiao asked quickly.

“Of course.” Fuling smiled teasingly as she left.

Opening the door, she nearly bumped into Yu Qizhe, who was waiting just outside with a face full of curiosity. Yu Fuling hesitated, unsure how to explain, and said only, “Go wait in the courtyard.”

Puzzled by all the secrecy, Yu Qizhe had no choice but to leave.

Fuling returned with the menstrual cloth and clean clothes, then taught Yu Jiao how to properly use it. She closed the door behind her and stood guard outside as Yu Jiao changed.

After hastily changing into fresh clothes, Yu Jiao noticed a brownish bloodstain on the mattress. Distressed, she stripped the bed and bundled up the bedding in her arms, intending to wash it.

When Fuling saw her hugging the bundle of clothes and blankets, she laughed.

Yu Jiao’s face turned even redder as she muttered, “I stained his bedding… Fuling, do we have any spare blankets?”

“We do. There’s a clean set in the cabinet, I’ll switch them out for him,” Fuling said, still grinning as she went to grab them.

Meanwhile, Yu Jiao fetched scissors from the sewing basket and began tearing the soiled sheet apart, stuffing it into a basket with the intention of washing it at the river.

Back in the courtyard, Yu Qizhe stood absentmindedly. Madam Zhang from the main house happened to see him and asked, “The sun’s blazing, what are you doing standing out here, Wulang?”

Yu Qizhe brushed off her question and turned to head back inside, only to catch sight of Yu Jiao hurrying out with a straw basket. His gaze landed on the rolled-up bedding inside. “Why are you tearing up the bedding all of a sudden?” he asked.

Yu Jiao’s face, which had only just cooled down, flushed again. She avoided his gaze. “It got dirty. I’m going to wash it.”

He misunderstood her intentions and assumed she was embarrassed about using his bedding. “It’s fine. I don’t mind if you slept on it,” he said, amused.

Her face burned even hotter. Without another word, she skirted past him and muttered, “I’m going to do laundry,” then practically ran out of the courtyard.

Yu Qizhe narrowed his peach blossom eyes, watching her flee, and let out a helpless chuckle, a trace of indulgent affection in his gaze.

Back in the room, he noticed Yu Fuling had already laid out a clean set of bedding. “But I only used the last one for a few days. Why switch it out already?” he asked.

Thinking of Yu Jiao’s flustered face, Yu Fuling couldn’t help but smile. “The weather’s good lately, best to wash things more often.”

As she returned to her own room and didn’t see Yu Jiao, she asked, “Where’s Yu Jiao?”

“She went to the river to wash clothes,” Yu Qizhe replied.

Yu Fuling frowned. She herself had already experienced menstruation and knew cold water should be avoided during that time. Yu Jiao must’ve rushed off to clean the bedding before Yu Qizhe found out. Amused, she went off to the river to find her.

Back in the study, Yu Qizhe sat at his desk, but his mind wandered. He stared at the empty bed for a long time before finally focusing. He spread out some paper and casually picked a section from the Yan Scriptures to draft an essay.

Half an hour later, a rustling noise came from the roof. Dust fell from above. Yu Qizhe looked up just in time to see a grinning, soot-covered face peeking through the roof tiles. Caught red-handed, the man broke into a dazzling grin, showing off his white teeth.

Yu Qizhe was momentarily surprised, but quickly regained his calm. “When did you get here?” he asked the figure on the roof.

A few more tiles were lifted aside, and the man jumped down lightly, landing before Yu Qizhe with practiced ease. He glanced around the room and grinned.

“I saw a little lady sleeping in your bed just now,” he said with a wink. “Junior brother, it’s been so long, aren’t you the least bit excited to see your senior?”