Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 58

Madam Song looked up at her and said, “Why would I cry? My Zhe is still alive and well. I’m not sad.” Despite her words, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. She wiped them away and muttered, “It’s the smoke… too much smoke.”

Madam Zhang’s eyes turned red as she suddenly grabbed the fire stick from her hand. “Chun, don’t be like this…”

It was only then that Madam Song seemed to come back to her senses. She broke down in a loud sob, her voice choked, “My son… my Zhe… he’s so unlucky…”

Madam Zhang couldn’t hold back her own tears either.

Madam Song cried until her vision blurred and her body was drained of strength. She leaned against Madam Zhang’s shoulder, her voice hoarse, tears still rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably.

Madam Zhao’s stomach had been growling for some time as she waited for breakfast. Though she had heard Madam Song crying all morning, she couldn’t help walking up to the kitchen door to complain. “Second sister-in-law, you’ve been crying all morning, aren’t you done yet? The whole family’s waiting to eat! If you’re done crying, hurry up and cook!”

“Zhao Xueru, is that how a person talks?” Madam Zhang snapped, unable to contain her anger. “Were you reincarnated as a starving ghost? If you’re so hungry, cook it yourself! Who was born to serve you?”

Having already been scolded by Madam Song earlier, and now humiliated by Madam Zhang, Madam Zhao’s temper flared. She shouted back using Madam Zhang’s full name, “Zhang Qiulan, what are you yelling for? Saying I’m a starving ghost, does that mean your whole family doesn’t need to eat? If you’ve got the guts, go drink the northwest wind. Don’t eat a single grain of rice from this house ever again!”

Madam Zhang had long been fed up with the couple from the third branch. Spoiled by the old lady’s favoritism, they lazed about all day and bossed others around. Now, finally given an outlet, years of pent-up resentment burst out.

Just as Madam Zhang was about to unleash a full-blown tirade, Madam Song pulled her back and rasped, “I’ll go make the food.”

Madam Zhang quickly said, “Chun, go rest. I’ll cook.”

Madam Song shook her head and numbly went to wash and chop vegetables. Madam Zhao scoffed coldly outside the kitchen and walked away.

When Yu Qizhe opened his eyes again, it was already mid-afternoon. His lips were dry and cracked from the fever. Moving slowly, he got out of bed.

His steps were shaky as he made his way to the table, trying to pour himself some water, only to find the teapot empty.

Just then, Yu Jiao walked in carrying a bowl of rice porridge. Seeing him by the table, she smiled. “I figured you’d be waking up about now. Auntie Song’s been keeping this porridge warm for you on the stove. Come on, drink some.”

Yu Qizhe looked up at her and sat down at the table. Yu Jiao set the bowl down in front of him and leaned in to feel his forehead. Yu Qizhe quickly drew back, eyeing her warily. “What are you doing?”

His voice was raspy and weak. Yu Jiao pressed her palm firmly against his forehead. “What are you scared of? I’m checking your temperature.”

The cool, soft touch on his burning forehead actually brought an unexpected sense of relief.

But the comfort didn’t last long, Yu Jiao soon withdrew her hand and said, “You still have a slight fever. Eat some porridge first. I’ll go prepare your medicine.”

Yu Qizhe stared at the bowl of plain porridge. Though his stomach was empty, he had no appetite. Forcing himself, he managed to finish about half before putting down the spoon.

Madam Song entered from the outer room. Her eyes were still a bit swollen from crying earlier. Smiling, she said, “How come you only had half? You haven’t eaten anything all day. Eat a bit more to settle your stomach. You still need to take your medicine later.”

“Has the rain stopped outside?” Yu Qizhe asked, picking up the spoon again.

Madam Song shook her head. “Not yet, but it’s lighter than yesterday.”

“Did Uncle and the others come back?”

“They did,” she replied. “No telling how many more days this rain will last. Your uncle and uncle Zhou caught a wild boar on the mountain yesterday. They were afraid the meat would spoil if they stayed up there, so they came back while the rain let up a bit.”

Yu Qizhe nodded slightly. Seeing her swollen eyelids, a wave of helplessness passed through him, but in the end, he said nothing.

Noticing his gaze, Madam Song forced a smile and picked up the empty teapot. “I’ve been so busy I didn’t even notice there’s no tea left in your room. I’ll go refill it now.”

In the kitchen, Yu Fuling trailed after Yu Jiao like a well-trained maid. She scrubbed the medicine pot, prepared the herbal stove, eager to help with anything Yu Jiao needed, hoping to please her.

All this was for one purpose, for Yu Jiao to properly treat Yu Qizhe.

After Yu Fuling and the others returned from the mountain, they found out Yu Qizhe was ill. Madam Song’s swollen eyes were a giveaway, and naturally, Yu Fuling dug for answers. 

Unable to hide it, Madam Song told her everything, including the harsh words from Old Master Yu. After mother and daughter wept together, Yu Fuling immediately thought of Yu Jiao as their last hope.

While Madam Song and her son were in tears, Yu Jiao had already taken Qizhe’s pulse. Though Yu Ruhai’s skills were mediocre, his diagnosis wasn’t wrong. If untreated, Yu Qizhe might not make it to spring.

But if Yu Jiao decided someone should live, not even the King of Hell could take them without her say.

Yu Ruhai’s fever-reducing prescription was weak. Yu Jiao added a new formula and handed it to Yu Fuling to brew. Then she began preparing her own herbal remedies, gathered from the mountain, to nurse Yu Qizhe back to health.

The drizzle dragged on for another two days. On the third day, the skies finally cleared. After taking Yu Jiao’s medicine for three days straight, Yu Qizhe’s cold miraculously began to improve.

Normally, any illness he had would last at least ten days or half a month. This time, his fast recovery made Yu Fuling stick to Yu Jiao even more like a shadow. 

Meanwhile, Madam Song and her husband, upon realizing that Yu Jiao might truly be able to nurse their son back to health, cast aside their despair and began to look to the future with hope.

Yu Jiao warned everyone in the second branch not to tell anyone, especially other members of the Yu family, that she could heal Yu Qizhe. Otherwise, the remedy would “lose its effectiveness.”

Yu Qiaoshan and his wife didn’t question her. They trusted her medical skills. At this point, she was their only hope, a lifeline to cling to when drowning. Even if there was no real hope, they had to believe in it.

Now that Yu Qizhe’s cold had improved, Yu Jiao wasted no time. She immediately began brewing a new batch of herbal medicine to nourish his body. Yu Ruhai didn’t mind her using the medicinal herbs stored in the west room. 

Although Yu Jiao had told him she couldn’t guarantee a cure, he still didn’t want to give up on the grandson who once showed such great promise.

On the other hand, Old Madam Yu and Madam Zhao didn’t hold back their snide remarks in front of the second branch, mocking the waste of herbs on Yu Qizhe. “Those herbs could cure others and earn money,” they sneered. “Feeding them to him is just a waste.”

No one from the second branch paid them any mind. Yu Jiao continued to take herbs from the west room as needed, Yu Ruhai hadn’t said a word to stop her.

Knowing that Yu Jiao was going to brew medicine again, Yu Fuling immediately dropped the wedding dress she was supposed to embroider and ran to help. 

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw the herbs Yu Jiao was placing into the medicine pot. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She stepped forward to look closer, peering into the pot with astonishment.