Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 146

A shop assistant led in an elderly man dressed in a short brown tunic and said to Yu Jiao, “Miss, the carriage is here. This is the driver, you can negotiate the fare with him.”

Although the driver was quite old, he had an honest demeanor and wasn’t the type to ask for exorbitant prices. His carriage was a bit worn, but it was spacious. Upon hearing the destination was Qingyu Village, he quoted twenty-five wen.

Yu Fuling haggled the price down, considering the driver would need to make a round trip. They finally settled on twenty wen.

The shop assistant helped load the fabric onto the carriage. Altogether, the fabric cost four taels and seven qian, which was a bit cheaper than Yu Jiao had expected.

Once everything was loaded, the three of them squeezed into the carriage, just enough space to sit. Yu Jiao never cared much for the usual gender taboos, and Yu Fuling deliberately arranged for Yu Jiao to sit next to Yu Qizhe.

“Everyone ready? Let’s head out,” the driver called as he climbed onto the driver’s seat. With a flick of his whip, the carriage jolted into motion. Due to the sudden movement, Yu Jiao was thrown slightly backward, nearly leaning against Yu Qizhe’s chest.

He steadied her by gently holding her elbow and said in his deep voice from above her, “Careful.”

His voice was so close it felt like it brushed past her ear. Yu Jiao could even feel his breath, which made her body stiffen and her cheeks flush. She quickly sat upright, leaving the warmth of his chest.

To ease the awkwardness, she lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

After her soft body pulled away, Yu Qizhe felt a trace of disappointment. He withdrew his hand from her arm, restraining his emotions.

On the street, a nearby stall had just lifted the steamer lid, and clouds of hot steam poured out. The aroma made Yu Jiao’s mouth water. She called to the driver, “Excuse me, could we stop for a moment? I’d like to buy some buns.”

The driver tugged the reins and brought the carriage to a halt.

Yu Qizhe, sitting nearest to the opening, lifted the curtain and jumped down first. He extended his hand toward Yu Jiao. She hesitated only briefly before placing her hand in his, using it for support as she got off the carriage.

Standing in front of the steaming baskets, Yu Jiao smiled and asked, “What kinds of fillings do you have?”

The bun vendor eagerly replied, “Vegetarian ones: chive and egg, or tofu and shepherd’s purse. For meat, we’ve got pork and cabbage. How many would you like, Miss?”

“I’ll take five of each kind,” Yu Jiao answered cheerfully.

Hearing she was buying so many, the vendor beamed and quickly packed them in paper bags, even throwing in two extra vegetarian buns as a bonus.

After paying, Yu Jiao and Yu Qizhe were about to head back to the carriage with their arms full of buns when a man in a blue shirt suddenly approached.

“Doctor!” he exclaimed. “Fancy meeting you again!”

Yu Jiao turned toward the middle-aged man in confusion. She didn’t recognize him. “You are…?”

“I run the noodle shop where you had lunch today,” the man quickly explained. He took out fifteen wen from his pouch and offered it to her. “Things were hectic earlier, and I only realized after you left that my staff charged you for your meal. You saved a man in our shop, if not for your help, he could have choked to death. We didn’t suffer any loss thanks to you.”

The noodle shop was his own business. At the time Yu Jiao left, he hadn’t fully processed what happened. Later, when he learned she had paid for the meal, he felt guilty. If not for her intervention, the choking customer might have died, the consequences would’ve been disastrous. The incident weighed on him all afternoon, and he hadn’t expected to run into her on the street after closing shop.

Yu Jiao didn’t take the money. She found the shopkeeper to be an honest man and smiled, saying, “It’s only natural to pay for a meal. I just happened to be there and lent a hand, no need to dwell on it.”

But the shopkeeper insisted on returning the meal money. Yu Qizhe stepped in to smooth things over, “The carriage is still waiting, we should be going.”

“It’s getting late,” Yu Jiao added with a smile. “You should head home too.” She and Yu Qizhe then walked back toward the carriage.

The man gave up, but called after her, “Doctor, where do you live?” Realizing he might’ve overstepped, he quickly added, “In case my family ever needs medical attention, I’d like to know where to find you.”

As she climbed into the carriage, Yu Jiao turned back and replied, “Qingyu Village. Surname Yu.”

The shopkeeper made a mental note of it. If anyone in his family or among his relatives fell ill, he’d send them to Qingyu Village to see Miss Yu. After all, it wasn’t easy for a woman to practice medicine in these times, female doctors were rare and admirable.

The little detour left Yu Jiao in high spirits. Encountering someone so sincere and kind made the world seem just a bit brighter.

Seeing the armful of buns Yu Jiao and Yu Qizhe brought back, Yu Fuling couldn’t help but feel a pang over the money and said, “You! Spending like that… no matter how much money you have, you’ve got to budget.”

Yu Jiao just laughed and stuffed a meat bun into her hand. “I bought extra so we can share it with Auntie Madam Song and Uncle Mengshan.”

That silenced Yu Fuling. The more time she spent with Yu Jiao, the more she admired her generous and kind-hearted nature. Yu Jiao then leaned forward and handed a meat bun to the driver. “Uncle, have one to tide you over.”

The old driver was surprised to be included and politely declined at first, but Yu Jiao pressed the bun into his hand.

Smelling the savory meat filling, he couldn’t bring himself to eat it. Instead, he wrapped it in a handkerchief and tucked it away in his clothes, planning to take it home for his grandson.

The carriage began rolling forward again. Inside, the three of them munched on the buns. Luckily, vendors weren’t all cheats, these buns had thin wrappers, generous fillings, and were large in size. The vendor’s craftsmanship was excellent. After just one meat bun, Yu Jiao was already quite full, so she split a shepherd’s purse bun with Yu Fuling.

By the time they got home, the sky had gone dark. The driver helped unload the fabric. Seeing the pile, Madam Zhao craned her neck to peek at it.

Madam Song was stunned at the sight of seven or eight bolts stacked inside. “Where’d this all come from?”

Yu Fuling replied, “Yu Jiao bought them. We’re each getting new clothes. The little one gets two sets.”

“This child, really… How much did all this fabric cost?” Madam Song was happy, but like Fuling, worried about the money.

Fuling soothed her, “Don’t scold her, this is her being filial. Anyone else wouldn’t have spent this kind of money on us.”

Yu Mengshan hadn’t expected to be included and was overjoyed. When Yu Jiao walked in, he smiled and said, “Meng girl, you’re so thoughtful.”

In the main hall, Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu watched the fabric being taken into the second branch’s house and felt a pang of bitterness, none of it was for them.

Madam Zhao was clearly envious but didn’t dare make a scene anymore. She grumbled to the old couple, “The second branch is really on the rise now. Father gave them such a good daughter, look how generous she is. You’d think they were moving an entire fabric store into the house. I heard everyone in their family gets a share!”