Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 177

Yu Jiao, still half in disbelief, slowly removed her other hand and stared into the hazy bronze mirror. Yu Qizhe was a full head taller than her, so in the reflection, she could only faintly see the outline of his jaw.

Yu Qizhe gently ran the comb’s fine teeth through the soft hair on top of her head. His long, well-defined fingers parted the strands near her crown. Though his movements were unfamiliar, they were nimble and skillful.

He didn’t tug at her scalp, which greatly put her at ease.

Yu Qizhe had never done a woman’s hair before, but he was a quick learner, sharp and intuitive. Once he put his mind to something, he could grasp its essence with little effort. This natural insight was something people could only envy but never imitate.

After smoothing out her messy locks, Yu Qizhe used the comb to part her hair evenly down the middle. He carefully took half from each side and gently twisted them into buns at the top of her head.

Seeing the neat, well-formed buns, Yu Jiao asked curiously, “Have you done this before? For some little girl?”

“Never,” Yu Qizhe replied, sparing a bit of attention for her as he deftly looped the remaining two locks of hair to hang beside her ears, completing an elegant side-hanging bun.

Yu Jiao’s hair was soft and fine. The side-hanging bun highlighted her delicate, youthful features, bright and charming with just a hint of lingering childish cuteness.

Though there were no fancy hairpins or jeweled accessories, only two pink-and-white hair ties, Yu Jiao was beyond pleased. After all, what woman doesn’t love to feel beautiful?

She admired herself in the bronze mirror for quite a while before finally turning her head, tilting her chin up. Somewhat skeptical, she asked again, “You really haven’t done this before?”

Yu Qizhe chuckled softly and shook his head. He gently plucked a few stray hairs caught in the comb and tucked them into his palm. His voice was smooth and calm, laced with a low laugh. “Do you like it?”

Yu Jiao nodded. It wasn’t that she loved it, she just thought it looked nice, especially since she couldn’t manage it herself.

She looked at Yu Qizhe’s slender, graceful fingers, feeling a twinge of envy. It was bad enough that he wrote beautifully; now he could even do girls’ hairstyles.

Sensing her gaze lingering on his hands, Yu Qizhe lowered his peach blossom eyes slightly, a faint smile at his lips. He raised his hand and, as if casually, brushed the arc of hair hanging by her ear, his fingertip grazing her smooth earlobe.

Yu Jiao’s ears were especially sensitive. The moment he touched her, she stiffened like a startled cat, her cheeks flushing red. She glared at him with wide almond eyes. “Yu Qizhe, what are you doing?”

“I’ll do your hair from now on,” he said with a quiet laugh, his gaze tender as he looked at her pink-cheeked face, quickly shifting the topic.

Yu Jiao huffed and shot him a glance. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. I don’t even have the patience to do it myself. How can a man like you do it every day?”

“I’m not sweet-talking,” Yu Qizhe replied seriously, his peach blossom eyes warm and sincere.

Under his gaze, Yu Jiao felt her heart skip a beat. She turned her head away. “Then don’t complain if I ask you to do it every single day.”

Yu Qizhe reached out and gently patted her head, his tone indulgent. “I won’t.”

Yu Jiao dodged his hand, feeling odd inside. The way Yu Qizhe spoke to her these days, it was like he was coaxing a child.

She wondered, “Could he really just see me as a younger sister to spoil?”

She rubbed her ear, still warm from his touch, and glanced at Yu Qizhe’s youthful, handsome face. Despite his composed demeanor, he was still a young man, full of life. She couldn’t fully accept him as an older brother, it just felt… weird.

Outside, the sound of wagon wheels rolled through the courtyard. Yu Jiao looked out the window.

Mu Nianjiu jumped down from the carriage, beaming with excitement as he pushed open the Yu family’s gate. “Jinshu, Jinyan! Are you ready? My second uncle and I are here to pick you up!”

Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan, already packed and ready, quickly came out of the house with their bundles slung over their backs.

Yu Jiao turned to Yu Qizhe. “I’m going to wake Sister Fuling.”

She went to the side room where Yu Fuling was still asleep and gently roused her. “It’s time to go.”

Yu Fuling sat up immediately, rubbed her eyes, got out of bed, and put on her shoes and socks. She straightened her wrinkled clothes, slung a small bag over her shoulder, and reached for the medicine case.

Yu Jiao beat her to it, lifting the box. “I’ll carry this.”

The three of them, carrying their luggage, said their goodbyes to Madam Song and Yu Mengshan. Madam Song’s eyes were slightly red as she gave her parting words with reluctance. “Take care of yourselves out there. Don’t skimp on food, spend what you need.”

Yesterday, she had divided up the money Yu Mengshan earned from selling umbrellas recently and gave shares to Yu Jiao, Yu Qizhe, and Yu Fuling. Yu Jiao, who had her own money, didn’t accept it.

Yu Ruhai also contributed from the communal funds, dividing twenty taels from Yu Jiao’s house visit to the Lin family among the four boys. This time, he was fairer than usual, perhaps because he had higher hopes for Yu Qizhe. He even had a long talk with him the night before.

Yu Hanshan didn’t go out to sell today. He stayed to see off Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan. The whole family came out to the courtyard to send them off, each parent holding onto their child with heartfelt instructions.

Several nearby neighbors stood outside, watching the scene unfold.

Second Master Mu lifted the carriage curtain and smiled. “I’ll take good care of the children.”

“With them going to Qingzhou under your care, Second Master Mu, we can rest easy,” Yu Ruhai said. Seeing that the Mu family had arranged for three carriages, he felt it made things much more convenient.

Had it not been for Yu Jiao’s medical trip to Qingzhou, they would’ve had to hire their own transport and that would’ve been a hassle.

Parting words were endless, but Yu Ruhai didn’t want to delay too long or keep the Mu family waiting. He called out, “Time to go.”

Yu Jiao, Yu Fuling, and Yu Qizhe got into the last carriage. Yu Qiaoshan and his son, along with Yu Jinshu, took the middle one.

After stowing their bags, Yu Fuling lifted the curtain and waved goodbye to Madam Song and Yu Mengshan as the carriage slowly began to move. The group set off from Qingyu Village.

The commotion caused by the three-carriage procession was hard to miss, many villagers saw them leave.

Madam Wang, who lived closest, came over smiling. “Where are the boys going with such a grand send-off?”

Madam Zhao, beaming with pride, replied with a hint of boastfulness in her voice, “Aunt Wang, they’re off to Qingzhou for the exams. Young Master Mu is their classmate and is taking them along.”

Madam Wang looked envious and turned to Old Madam Yu. “Sister Zhou, are all four of your boys going? Even Wulang, is he better now?”

Old Madam Yu always treated all the children from the different family branches with equal affection in front of others. She smiled kindly. “He’s been taking medicine all these years. Thankfully, he’s much improved lately.”

“Sister Zhou, you really are blessed. All four boys are studious. Wulang is bound to return as a titled scholar!” Madam Wang’s face was full of admiration as she spoke with flattery.

“Thank you for your kind words,” Old Madam Yu responded with a gentle smile.

Word of the Yu family sending all four boys to Qingzhou for the imperial exam quickly spread through the village, reaching even the Chen family.

Chen Zhiqing had earned his xiucai title the same year as Yu Qizhe, something that once brought him great pride. But now, his achievement has been entirely overshadowed by Yu Qizhe’s Xiao Sanyuan (Won first place in the county, prefectural, and provincial qualifying exams – “Small Triple First”).

Back then, Yu Qizhe had fallen ill and missed the provincial exam, while Chen Zhiqing had failed to pass it.