Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 32

Yu Qizhe suddenly found himself ridiculous. All that studying of the classics, yet here he was, almost believing in talk of ghosts and spirits.

Yu Jiao waited a while, and seeing that he still said nothing, she asked, “Do you want to get better?”

Yu Qizhe nodded. Of course he did. How could he not? If his body were healthy, his life would hold so many more possibilities. But if he remained like this for the rest of his days, then continuing to live would be nothing more than wasting time.

Yu Jiao looked into his handsome, peach blossom shaped eyes, then said thoughtfully, “You did save me before, after all. Fine then, I’m someone who believes deeply in cause and effect. Before I leave the Yu family, I’ll make sure your body recovers.”

“Can you really cure me?” Yu Qizhe blurted out. Though he had seen her treat others these past few days, he still wasn’t entirely convinced that Yu Jiao could heal him.

Yu Jiao finished the last bite of her mo. “Not yet. It’ll take some time, I still need to find certain herbs.”

Yu Qizhe gave a quiet ‘hmm’ in response.

Yu Jiao looked at his calm expression. “You don’t believe me?”

Yu Qizhe said nothing. It wasn’t exactly that he didn’t believe her, it was just that relying on others never felt dependable. He only trusted himself.

“I don’t make promises lightly. If I say I’ll do something, I’ll do it.” Besides, it wasn’t really an empty boast. While Yu Qizhe had been born with a weak constitution, that wasn’t the true reason for his current condition. 

She had thought that a small mountain village like this would be full of petty family squabbles, but she hadn’t expected there to be such viciousness among blood relatives. It was one of the main reasons she had decided to leave the Yu family.

“Alright,” Yu Qizhe replied quietly.

Yu Jiao stood up from the rock and brushed the dust from her clothes. “Your body doesn’t take well to the cold. Head back inside.”

For the next several days, Yu Ruhai treated Yu Jiao with an icy stare and barely concealed hostility. This only emboldened Old Madam Yu and Madam Zhao of the third household, who began finding new ways to give Yu Jiao trouble.

Madam Song had originally worried that Yu Jiao, with her strong-willed temper, would end up clashing with Madam Zhao again. But to her surprise, Yu Jiao behaved quite obediently this time. No matter how much Old Madam Yu or Madam Zhao provoked her, she always avoided them, and things remained just barely peaceful.

That day, Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan were returning home from the academy in town for a break. Madam Zhao got up early to clean the courtyard, making everything spotless, while Yu Hanshan even made a special trip to the town to buy meat.

Old Madam Yu made it clear from the start, Yu Jiao was not to leave the eastern room of the second branch and was absolutely forbidden from appearing in front of Yu Jinyan.

Yu Jiao was more than happy with that arrangement. She stayed in Yu Qizhe’s room practicing calligraphy in peace. 

Over the past few days, Yu Qiaoshan had completed the prosthetic limb based on her drawings. Yu Jiao gave him the forty copper coins Yu Qizhe had once slipped her to help her escape, along with a few sketches of metal connectors needed to attach the limb. She asked him to find a blacksmith in town and see if they could be made.

Around noon, the courtyard came alive with activity as Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan returned in a carriage with classmates from the academy.

Madam Zhao’s non stop laughter and chattering could be heard all the way across half the village.

Thanks to Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan’s return, Yu Jiao also managed to sneak a bit of meat broth during lunch. Though all she got were two bare bones without a shred of meat, she still sucked them clean with relish, using mo to soak up the broth and finally satisfying a long-standing craving.

After the meal, Yu Jiao continued practicing calligraphy in Yu Qizhe’s room while he read quietly nearby. The calm inside the eastern room was starkly out of place compared to the noisy liveliness of the courtyard.

But that calm didn’t last long.

Madam Zhao personally came and summoned Yu Jiao to the main hall.

“You little wretch, you’d better behave yourself in there!” Madam Zhao spat, glaring daggers at her. “If you dare try to seduce our Jinyan again and stir up trouble, don’t think I won’t send you straight to the brothel!”