Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 28

The girl knocking at the door was Chen Rou, daughter of the village head of Qingyu Village, and known as the most beautiful woman among the nearby villages. 

As she stepped into the courtyard, the soft pink tassels of her phoenix-tailed skirt swayed with her every graceful step, as if flowers bloomed beneath her feet.

“Are you feeling better?” Chen Rou walked beside Yu Qizhe, her gentle smile and soft voice full of concern.

Yu Qizhe answered briefly, “Well enough.”

Chen Rou nodded, as if his health had weighed on her heart for some time. She replied softly, “That’s good.”

Yu Qizhe accompanied her into the main hall and said to Yu Ruhai, who was seated reading a medical text, “Grandfather, someone’s here for a consultation.”

Yu Ruhai looked up, surprised to see the young Miss of the Chen family. Years ago, he had personally visited their home to propose a match between Yu Qizhe and Chen Rou, only to be politely turned down. 

Since then, the two families have had little contact. He hadn’t expected that Chen Rou, who once seemed so connected to the Yu family, would now come to their door herself.

Snapping back from his thoughts, Yu Ruhai put down his book and greeted her politely. “So it’s the youngest daughter of the Chen family, please, have a seat. What seems to be the trouble?”

“Grandpa Yu, you still look so healthy! You seem to grow more spirited with age,” Chen Rou said with a sweet smile. She had always had a way with words, especially around elders, and in just a few sentences, she had Yu Ruhai grinning with delight.

“You’re just as lovable as you were when you were little,” he chuckled.

Chen Rou covered her mouth and laughed softly. “Grandpa Yu, my grandmother’s cough has flared up again. I came to get some medicine for her.”

While they spoke, Yu Qizhe quietly left the hall. Chen Rou turned slightly to glance at his retreating figure, a hint of wistfulness flashing in her almond shaped eyes.

Meanwhile, the fire in the kitchen stove had already died down. Yu Fuling entered the main hall carrying dishes and was pleasantly surprised to see Chen Rou. “Rou’er! What brings you here?”

Fuling and Chen Rou had been childhood friends. She had once gone to great lengths trying to match Chen Rou with Yu Qizhe. If Qizhe’s health hadn’t deteriorated after passing the provincial exams, that marriage would have likely gone through.

Chen Rou’s delicate features softened into a gentle smile. “I’m just here to pick up some medicine for Grandma’s cough.”

Fuling placed the dishes on the table and walked over to her friend, asking with concern, “Her cough still hasn’t gotten better?”

“It’s the same as always. Maybe it’s her age, but she just keeps coughing. She’s had all sorts of medicine, but nothing’s helped,” Chen Rou said with a slight furrow of her brow, a worried look appearing on her lovely face.

Yu Ruhai’s mind began to turn. Not long ago, a fortune teller had advised finding a young woman to marry into the family to ward off the ill fate surrounding “Wulang” (Yu Qizhe), who had a weak and short-lived destiny. 

After Qizhe passed the provincial exams, Chen Rou had grown very close to him, and the Chen family had hinted several times at wanting to establish a marriage alliance.

But after Qizhe’s health declined, the Chen family’s attitude had cooled significantly. Three years ago, Chen Rou’s brother, Chen Gensheng, passed the scholar’s exam. 

Yu Ruhai had once again approached the family for a marriage discussion, hoping to use a wedding to improve Qizhe’s fortune, but the Chen family had outright refused. Their words made it clear, they no longer thought much of the Yu family.

But if I could completely cure the Chen matriarch’s cough, he thought, wouldn’t that earn the Chen family’s respect again?

With that thought in mind, he turned to Fuling and said, “Go call the Meng girl over.”

Fuling had wanted to chat more with Chen Rou, but hearing her grandfather’s request, she reluctantly walked out. She found Yu Jiao washing her hands and snapped at her, “Meng Yujiao, Grandfather wants to see you.”

Yu Jiao calmly finished drying her hands with a cloth before responding. Fuling, an idea suddenly forming in her head, added sharply, “Do you even know who the woman inside is?”

Yu Jiao shook her head. She assumed the old man wanted her to assist with a diagnosis and thought little more of it.

“She’s the daughter of Chen Lizheng, everyone in a ten-mile radius says she’s the prettiest. Her older brother, Chen Gensheng, passed the scholar’s exam three years ago.” 

“She’s the girl my little brother likes! If he hadn’t fallen ill, she would’ve married him long ago. There’s no way it would’ve ever been your turn!”

Fuling said it deliberately, trying to make Yu Jiao feel ashamed and out of place.