Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 72

“Come sit inside,” Yu Ruhai said, wanting to put on a show in front of the villagers. “I’ll check Qi’er’s pulse again.” He beckoned Village Head Zhang and his family into the main hall.

Yu Jiao had no intention of going in to watch Yu Ruhai pretend for appearances’ sake. However, Madam Qin wouldn’t let go of her hand, holding on tightly, so she had no choice but to follow along.

Since Meng Yujiao had barely stepped outside since arriving at the Yu household, the villagers in the room hadn’t seen much of her. When she entered, they all turned to size her up.

Yu Jiao stood calmly and confidently, showing none of the bashfulness or awkwardness that might be expected from a girl in her position.

“This must be the young lady from the Zhang family!” Old Madam Yu greeted her warmly, pouring a cup of tea for Madam Qin.

Madam Qin returned the smile and, remembering the basket in her hands, placed it on the table. “No need to be so polite, Sister Yu. These are peaches and apricots grown on our estate, we brought them over for you all to enjoy.”

These fruits had been brought especially for Yu Jiao.

Old Madam Yu peeked into the basket and saw it was filled with large, fuzzy peaches and bright yellow apricots. Her smile grew even warmer. “You’re too kind, Sister Zhang. This is too generous.”

“It’s only right,” Madam Qin replied sincerely. She was truly grateful from the bottom of her heart that Yu Jiao had cured her son Qi’er. The fruits from their estate were usually reserved for the master and young misses of the Zhang household, but since Madam Qin and her husband were caretakers of the estate, they were rewarded with some seasonal fruit each year.

The other village women sitting in the room looked toward the basket, their eyes filled with envy at the sight of the fresh, plump fruit.

Meanwhile, Yu Ruhai had Qi’er sit in front of him and placed a pulse pillow under his wrist to examine him.

Sensing it was time to leave, Wang Shi stood up first and said, “I haven’t cooked yet, so I’ll head back now.”

The other women quickly followed, saying with smiles, “Yes, we should go too. It’s almost time for the wheat harvest, and there’s still so much to prepare at home.”

Once the women had left, Madam Song entered the main hall and called out, “Father, Mother, lunch is ready.”

With no outsiders left, Yu Ruhai dropped the pretense and withdrew his hand from Qi’er’s wrist. He smiled at the Zhang couple and said, “You haven’t eaten yet, right? If you don’t mind, why not stay and join us?”

Village Head Zhang quickly declined, “No need, we already ate before coming. Actually, there’s another matter we hoped to discuss today…”

He looked toward his wife, Madam Qin.

Madam Qin blushed slightly when Yu Ruhai looked at her. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Old Madam Yu noticed something was up. She figured the Zhang family must have a medical matter to discuss, otherwise, they wouldn’t come asking for help from the Yu family. So she spoke up, “Sister Zhang, don’t be shy. If it’s about a medical issue, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Madam Qin then looked toward Yu Jiao and asked, “Miss Meng… do you treat women’s illnesses?”

Her face flushed a little more after she spoke, and she added apologetically, “I originally wanted to ask in private, but since Doctor Yu is also a physician, I figured there’s no need to beat around the bush.”

As soon as she mentioned a woman’s illness, Yu Ruhai stayed silent. Though he was a doctor, propriety dictated that certain boundaries still be respected between men and women.

Under Madam Qin’s hopeful gaze, Yu Jiao nodded. “Yes, I do.”

Both husband and wife let out a sigh of relief.

Madam Qin then explained, “A young miss in our estate is suffering from an illness. Since all the doctors outside are men, it’s been difficult to call someone to examine her. When I was back at the estate delivering fruit today, I heard about it.” 

“Then I thought, Miss Meng is a female doctor, and it would be much more convenient for her to tend to this matter. So I came to humbly ask if you would make a house visit to treat our young miss.”