Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 55

Yu Qiaoshan was momentarily dumbfounded. So he hadn’t misheard, this Meng girl had actually realigned her own bone with her bare hands!

Yu Jiao swiftly dug up the cluster of Prunella (summer wither grass) from the ground and placed it into the basket. Yu Qiaoshan stepped forward to take the basket and slung it onto his back. “Let’s go,” he said.

Yu Jiao followed behind him, umbrella in hand, as they made their way back to the cave.

Though she had set the bone in her ankle, the tendons and ligaments were likely strained, it still hurt to walk.

By the time they returned to the cave, both of them were drenched through. Zhou Xiang, who had searched the eastern and southern forests without success, had already come back and was now sitting by the fire, drying his clothes. Seeing the two return, everyone inside finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Fuling had originally wanted to scold her a little, but upon seeing Yu Jiao’s thoroughly disheveled state, she quickly pulled her over to the fire and handed her a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe her face.

Yu Jiao was about to remove her shoes and socks to check if her ankle had swollen, but as soon as she pulled off her shoe, Yu Fuling gave her arm a sharp pinch. She leaned in and whispered angrily, “Meng Yujiao, how can you take off your shoes and socks in front of men?”

Yu Jiao had no choice but to slip her shoe back on. She had forgotten, ancient women weren’t allowed to expose their feet in front of men. Damn this oppressive feudal society, always making life harder for women.

Still wearing her shoes and socks, Yu Jiao stretched her legs toward the fire to dry them. Meanwhile, Yu Qiaoshan and Zhou Xiang, being men, had no such concerns. They comfortably took off their shoes and socks to dry by the fire.

Yu Jiao pulled out some warming herbs from her bundle and handed them to Yu Fuling. “We’ve all gotten soaked. Boil these into a decoction and give everyone a bowl, it’ll help prevent fever.”

Yu Fuling didn’t say much. She stood up, took a small iron pot from the side, fetched rainwater from the cave entrance, and placed the pot over the fire to brew the herbal tea.

Yu Jiao looked at Zhou Xiang and Yu Qiaoshan and said apologetically, “Thank you both for going out to look for me. You’re soaked because of me. I’m really sorry.”

Zhou Xiang waved his hand quickly and replied with a grin, “No need to be so polite, Meng girl. Your uncle and I are sworn brothers, this is nothing.”

Yu Qiaoshan chuckled along in agreement.

Even Zhou Changshun and Yu Zhixing, who had initially been upset about Yu Jiao venturing out in the rain despite warnings, felt their frustration melt away after hearing her words. No one blamed her anymore for insisting on going to look for herbs and making them worry.

Yu Jiao sat by the fire and drank the herbal decoction to ward off the cold. Her body slowly began to warm up, but her right ankle continued to throb dully. It had already begun to swell, and the damp shoes and socks only made it feel worse.

After observing Zhou Xiang for a moment, she suddenly asked, “Uncle Zhou, do you suffer from chronic headaches?”

Zhou Xiang looked at her in surprise. “How did you know?”

Yu Jiao gave a small smile. “Not only do I know you have headaches, I also know they’re migraines, on the left side.”

Zhou Xiang was amazed. “Little girl, your medical skills are incredible! You got it exactly right!”

Yu Qiaoshan also knew about Zhou Xiang’s headache problem. Even his own father had diagnosed it once and prescribed medicine, but it hadn’t helped. Yet here Meng Yujiao had spotted it with just a glance.

Yu Jiao chuckled softly, her tone calm and measured. “It’s not a guess. It’s a diagnosis through observation. You have a flushed face, fatigued brows, and dry throat. You subconsciously tilt your head left and, in less than fifteen minutes, you press your left brow ridge and the back of your head dozens of times. That’s how I diagnosed it.”

Everyone else in the cave was inwardly amazed.

Yu Fuling, sitting beside her, couldn’t help but look at Yu Jiao with a gaze full of admiration.