Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 74

The twenty taels of consultation fee previously given by the Mu family had planted new thoughts in Old Madam Yu’s heart. She had made up her mind not to oppose Yu Jiao anymore. Rather than making things difficult for her, it was better to follow her husband’s advice, coax the girl into earning more money for the family.

Seeing Old Madam Yu’s sudden change in attitude, Yu Jiao casually picked up two more peaches and handed them to Yu Fuling and Wang Mengyan. Then she grabbed a handful of peaches and apricots and passed them to Madam Song to bring back to the second branch and give some to the first branch.

Otherwise, none of these fruits would’ve made it to the mouths of the second or even the first branch. Old Madam Yu, with her obvious favoritism, would’ve kept them all for the third branch.

Yu Jiao’s bold actions made Old Madam Yu’s smile stiffen, but with the Zhang couple present, she didn’t dare say anything.

Meanwhile, Yu Ruhai took the chance to pull Yu Zhixing aside and quietly instructed him to keep a close eye on Meng Yujiao. If she ran off, he warned, Yu Zhixing might as well not come home.

Yu Zhixing nodded with understanding. He knew his grandfather now valued Meng Yujiao highly. Still, he didn’t think she would try to run away. He remembered the day on Qingyan Mountain, how she’d braved the pouring rain to gather herbs for Wu-di. Surely, that meant she cared at least a little about him.

After giving his instructions, Yu Ruhai handed over his own medicine chest to Yu Jiao. Since she was going to the Zhang residence as a physician, she needed to look the part. In truth, she probably wouldn’t need anything inside, but he still had Yu Zhixing carry it along.

The group headed out. When the Zhang couple had arrived, they came by donkey cart, which was now tied up outside the Yu family’s courtyard. 

Madam Qin helped Yu Jiao onto the cart, then climbed up herself with Yu Fuling. Yu Zhixing sat in front beside Village Head Zhang, who held the reins.

The bumpy ride made Yu Jiao’s backside ache, so she forced herself to focus on the roadside scenery to distract from the discomfort. After half an hour, the donkey cart finally entered Qingshui Town.

The town was bustling with people. The roads were paved with stone slabs, crisscrossing through the town center. Shops lined both sides of the street, and street vendors sold goods from baskets and crates along the roadside, calling out to passersby.

The donkey cart passed through an intersection when Yu Fuling, seated beside Yu Jiao, suddenly said, “That’s Huichun Hall.”

Yu Jiao had already caught the scent of medicinal herbs. Following Yu Fuling’s gaze, she spotted it, the Huichun Hall storefront stood out among the others, the largest along the main road. 

A golden signboard hung above the door, even grander than the tavern they’d passed earlier. At that moment, a line of patients waited outside to be seen.

No wonder even villagers back home knew of Huichun Hall’s reputation.

The donkey cart rolled slowly past the hall. Village Head Zhang turned the cart and headed into an alley on the eastern side of town.

Inside Huichun Hall, Jiang Qinghe was in the middle of taking a patient’s pulse when he happened to glance outside. For a split second, he thought he was seeing things, was that Yu Jiao riding the donkey cart? 

He quickly withdrew his hand from the patient’s wrist and rushed toward the front of the shop. But the cart was already turning into the alley. He only managed to glimpse Yu Jiao’s back before she disappeared from view.

He couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. Though he had been turned away at the Yu household last time, he felt the Meng girl had seemed like someone reasonable, maybe he still had a shot at getting the prescription for treating ulcers from her.

Figuring she must be in town for something and wouldn’t leave too quickly, Jiang Qinghe told a young apprentice to go after the donkey cart that had turned into the alley, while he himself hurried into the inner room.

“Young Master,” Jiang Qinghe called, addressing a handsome man lounging on a couch in the room, draped lazily over a beautiful maid. “Just now, I saw that girl from the Yu family pass right in front of our shop!”

The man, referred to as Young Master, didn’t even lift his head. He replied lazily, “What girl from the Yu family?”

The maid in his arms didn’t stop what she was doing. Her slender, fair fingers plucked a grape from the fruit plate on the low table, peeled off the skin, and popped the glistening green flesh into the young man’s mouth.