Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 169

When Ye Jiao and Zheng Shi arrived at the front hall, Dong Shi was already sitting with Shi Tianrui talking.

This was Shi Tianrui's first time returning since leaving the Capital. Not having seen each other for so long, Dong Shi burst into tears upon seeing him, her voice choked with emotion, showing none of her usual composure and capability.

Shi Tianrui looked at her with both heartache and guilt. When Dong Shi married, he was still just a scholar who hadn't obtained any useful credentials. At that time, he felt Wen Minsong treated Dong Shi well, and Dong Shi had also given her heart to Wen Minsong, so Shi Tianrui had agreed.

Later, when Shi Tianrui passed the imperial examination, Wen Minsong treated Dong Shi even better. Who could have guessed he was a wolf in sheep's clothing?

Until Shi Tianrui left the Capital, he had no idea Wen Minsong was capable of such behavior.

But Dong Shi had kept her mouth shut, feeling that Shi Tianrui's life after being demoted from the Capital was already difficult, so she never complained. Shi Tianrui was thousands of miles away from the Capital and knew nothing about it.

Now Shi Tianrui felt waves of fear. He was the type who habitually took blame upon himself. Seeing his sister crying non-stop, Shi Tianrui clenched his teeth so hard he felt he might draw blood, finally saying: "Xiu'er, don't worry. Your brother will never let that beast go. Your current situation... is also your brother's fault. Brother has failed you and failed our parents."

But Dong Shi shook her head. She understood Shi Tianrui's difficulties, and besides, the Wen family was at fault. She had no reason to seek revenge from her own blood brother.

But though Dong Shi had these words in her mouth, she couldn't speak them. She was crying too hard to say a complete sentence.

Seeing this, Ye Jiao placed Ruyi in Little Su's arms, then quickly walked over and sat beside Dong Shi.

She had never seen this person cry like this. Even when she had carried death energy before, Dong Shi had always been calm and never this emotional. This made Ye Jiao look at Shi Tianrui with some confusion.

Shi Tianrui already felt guilty, and being looked at by Ye Jiao made him feel even worse. He stood up directly, wanting to say something, but his voice caught as he turned to look at Zheng Shi.

Zheng Shi understood Shi Tianrui's pain, and she herself genuinely wanted to live with her. Moreover, Dong Shi had relationships with both Ye Jiao and Princess Huaning, so naturally the closer they were, the better. She said: "Your sister is my sister. We should look out for each other."

Shi Tianrui's eyes showed gratitude as he nodded to Zheng Shi, then looked at Dong Shi.

But just as Shi Tianrui was about to speak, Dong Shi shook her head again, patted Ye Jiao's hand to indicate she was fine, then stood up, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and said hoarsely: "Elder Brother and Sister-in-law are good to me, I know that. But now that your sister has established herself as a female household head and has the orchard to depend on, I can get by. I dare not trouble Brother and Sister-in-law anymore."

Seeing Shi Tianrui about to say more, Dong Shi looked at Ye Jiao and took her arm.

Only then did Shi Tianrui remember he was still at the Qi household. Family matters shouldn't be aired in front of others, so he restrained his thoughts first and said to Qi Yun: "I lost my composure for a moment. Please don't mind, Second Young Master."

Qi Yun, who hadn't spoken until now, was holding Ning Bao and said: "No matter. It's a happy occasion for siblings to reunite. A momentary loss of composure is only human nature." He bounced Ning Bao in his arms and looked at Shi Tianrui: "Magistrate Stone has helped my family greatly. Why don't you stay for a simple meal?"

Shi Tianrui had also composed himself and smiled: "Then I'll trouble Second Young Master."

During the meal, no one mentioned what had just happened. Instead, they smiled and shared amusing stories, and with the three babies coming over to be fed, there was naturally continuous laughter.

After the meal, when the Stone family left, Dong Shi went with them, obviously having much more to discuss with Shi Tianrui in detail.

After they left, Ye Jiao said to Qi Yun: "Will Ying Xiu really live with them?"

Qi Yun had someone take Xu Bao to be coaxed to sleep first. He and Ye Jiao each held one of the twins, and after helping the two little ones drink water, Qi Yun said: "No, the siblings definitely won't live under the same roof."

Ye Jiao blinked: "Why?"

Qi Yun took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of both children's mouths, but his eyes looked at Ye Jiao: "Now that Dong Shi has established a female household, she can handle her own affairs. There's no need to seek assistance from Magistrate Stone. Moreover, this is how people get along. After everyone marries, they become two separate families. Even if they're genuinely close, they can't always live together. The closer they live, the more friction there is. It's better to keep some distance."

Little Ginseng didn't quite understand these matters, but she could tell that Dong Shi would probably still live alone.

Qi Yun continued: "Jiao Niang needn't worry too much. Dong Shi is clever and must have thought it through long ago. Now that Magistrate Stone is here, someone has her back. With Zheng Shi and Princess Huaning around, even if she walked sideways through the Capital, no one would interfere."

Seeing Qi Yun say this, Ye Jiao felt relieved and smiled, leaning over to kiss Qi Yun's face: "No wonder you sent Xu Bao away. These words aren't suitable for him to hear."

Though Xu Bao had a pure heart, he had an overly good memory and could remember everything he heard. These matters of human relationships should be kept away from small children, lest he learn them early and disturb his nature.

Qi Yun smiled and was about to speak when he saw Ning Bao staring at him with clean eyes.

Only then did Second Young Master Qi realize that while his eldest son had been sent away, there was still a second son here...

In terms of intelligence, Ning Bao was no less than Xu Bao, perhaps even surpassing him.

Qi Yun reached out to pinch Ning Bao's chubby cheeks and asked: "Why is Ning Bao looking at Father?"

Ning Bao blinked but didn't answer. Instead, he turned to hug Ruyi in Ye Jiao's arms, refusing to let go no matter what.

Ruyi and Ning Bao had never been separated, having been together since the womb, so naturally they were close. Feeling her brother hug her, Ruyi obediently raised her head to let Ning Bao hold her, giggling and patting Ning Bao's back, looking very happy.

The children were still small and hadn't been speaking long. Qi Yun didn't know what Ning Bao was thinking, so he simply stopped asking and carried both of them to the side room to help them sleep.

Ye Jiao didn't follow but went to look at the medicinal flowers Zheng Shi had brought.

These flowers had all been carefully selected by Dong Shi. She couldn't determine the medicinal properties of most of them, which was why she had asked Zheng Shi to bring them to Ye Jiao.

When Ye Jiao was still Little Ginseng, she had seen many flowers and plants. What people here didn't recognize, she knew eight or nine times out of ten. Even if the names were different, if the plants were the same, then their medicinal properties were the same.

Among this batch of medicinal flowers, most were for nourishment, but there was one plant that looked particularly unusual.

It had brilliant colors, slender leaves, and flowers that were actually gradient-colored, changing from red to yellow, extraordinarily beautiful.

But Ye Jiao recognized this medicinal flower as evening orchid.

Colored like evening sunset, the flowers were gorgeous but poisonous, while the leaves could neutralize the flowers' toxicity.

This flower wasn't lethally poisonous and could even be used medicinally, being beneficial to the body.

But that required using other medicinal materials to dilute the toxicity. Otherwise, if eaten directly, it would cause abdominal pain in mild cases and fake death with stopped breathing in severe cases. If delayed too long, life would be in danger.

Ye Jiao wanted to throw this flower away, but thinking about her husband's health, she might need it someday, so she changed her mind and said to Little Su: "Keep this plant separate, fence it off, and don't let anyone get close." Then Ye Jiao paused: "Don't let Little Black get near it to eat either. This flower is poisonous, even people can't handle it well."

Little Su immediately said: "Second Young Mistress, rest assured, I'll be careful."

Ye Jiao nodded and stopped looking, instead having people move the other medicinal flowers from their pots and transplant them into the flower beds.

For those beneficial to health, Ye Jiao thought that when they grew larger, she'd pick a few flowers to make sachets for the three children to wear for protection. For now, she picked one flower and gave it to Little Su to take to the kitchen.

Then Ye Jiao called Master Feng over and asked him to roughly sketch these flowers. After all the drawings were done, Ye Jiao took the stack of papers back to her room.

As soon as she entered, she saw Qi Yun looking at account books.

By now, Qi Yun's enterprises inside and outside the Capital were considerable. Though they seemed scattered, Second Young Master Qi had quietly secured several important locations.

Wine in the Capital, restaurants outside the Capital, water and land transportation, merchant caravans at the borders. Any one of these could feed an ordinary family for a lifetime.

But Qi Yun continued slowly developing everything he had, especially the merchant caravans. These weren't just his enterprises but also carried Chu Chengyun's expectations, always carrying missions, so naturally Qi Yun wouldn't slack off.

What he held now were the caravan's account books. In a few days, the caravan would return. This time they wouldn't go to the Qi family's hometown but would unload at an estate outside the Capital, which was more convenient with the water routes. But before they returned, Qi Yun needed to calculate what to bring on the next trip. Everything required early preparation.

However, seeing Ye Jiao return, Qi Yun closed the account book and set it aside, standing up to walk toward Ye Jiao with a smile: "All sorted out?"

Ye Jiao nodded with a smile, then looked around and asked: "Where are the children?"

Qi Yun went to wash up with Ye Jiao, then they sat on the soft couch. As he pulled over the low table, he said: "They played for a while earlier, then I saw it was getting late, so I had someone take them to bed."

Little Ginseng was somewhat puzzled: "Earlier Xu Bao said he wanted to sleep with me. How come he changed his mind?"

Xu Bao hadn't changed his mind. He still wanted to sleep with Ye Jiao, but Qi Yun had revealed to him that Ning Bao had recently been playing with a small wooden sword. Xu Bao immediately insisted on sleeping with his little brother and sister, afraid they might be influenced to learn martial arts and wouldn't be able to happily study with him in the future.

Probably right now, the twins were still being forced to listen to their big brother's endless chatter.

But Qi Yun didn't explain clearly, just said: "He can do what he wants. We shouldn't restrain him."

Ye Jiao didn't plan to ask further. She was using scissors to trim the candle wick, then used a silver pick to adjust it, making the candlelight brighter. Then she spread out the stack of papers in her hands, ground ink, picked up the brush, and began writing seriously.

Qi Yun looked over and brought another candlestick to place alongside, asking: "What is Jiao Niang writing?"

Ye Jiao didn't look up, writing while replying: "Spring Orchid gave me medicinal flowers. I had Master Feng help me draw them, and I'm noting the names and effects beside them. I'll have someone take them to Spring Orchid later, so she won't use them incorrectly if she doesn't recognize them."

Usually, this kind of medicinal knowledge was extremely precious. Experienced pharmacy doctors wouldn't teach it unless to their own disciples.

But Ye Jiao could openly tell others about it, which was rare.

Qi Yun thought about it. Dong Shi was the proprietress of their own pharmacy. Knowing these medicinal materials clearly would help save lives and cure illnesses. This was meritorious and charitable work, so he said nothing and sat nearby watching Ye Jiao write.

But as he watched, Qi Yun saw a bunch of round characters on the paper.

Ye Jiao learned other things quickly and had good comprehension, but these characters had remained consistently round year after year, forming their own style and being particularly easy to recognize.

Seeing her write slowly, Qi Yun said: "Jiao Niang, shall I help?"

Ye Jiao shook her head, still concentrating on writing with her head down, saying softly: "No need. Spring Orchid knows what my handwriting looks like. If I write it, she'll recognize it and won't laugh at me."

Second Young Master Qi sat sideways, his elbow on the low table, supporting his chin with one hand, and smiled upon hearing this: "Jiao Niang's handwriting is interesting and naturally loveable. No one would laugh at you."

Ye Jiao finished one sheet and set it aside, then looked at Qi Yun: "Third Brother once said my handwriting was ugly."

Qi Yun smiled and helped her organize the papers, saying lightly: "That's his poor judgment. I think he wouldn't say that now." If he still said it, Qi Yun's collection of Third Young Master Qi's dozens of boxes of large characters still displayed in the east wing could have a few more boxes added.

But Ye Jiao wasn't fooled by Qi Yun's words. She examined her own handwriting and felt it was indeed quite distinctive.

Her husband said it was interesting because he found everything about her good, but she shouldn't show it to outsiders.

Holding up the characters to examine them, Ye Jiao looked more and more worried: "Xu Bao showed me his handwriting before, and it was also round. Won't he end up writing like me in the future?"

But Qi Yun didn't think this was difficult, saying gently: "Don't worry. Xu Bao is very diligent. Wanting to practice calligraphy is the simplest thing. When he's older and his arms are stronger, thirty large characters a day for a month or so will set things right."

Ye Jiao's eyes widened slightly: "Thirty sheets a day? Won't that be too much?"

Second Young Master Qi looked at Ye Jiao and replied: "Don't worry. Xu Bao will only be happy, not think it's too much."

Qi Ming's studies were taught by Qi Yun from childhood. With nothing else to do, studying became his interest.

Little Shi Tou's studies also began with Qi Yun's first step. Because of Qi Zhao and Fang Shi's expectations, Little Shi Tou would patiently walk this path, though he couldn't be said to truly enjoy it.

But his own little chubby son was different. He genuinely loved it from his heart.

Thirty large characters would be punishment for others, but for Xu Bao, this was a reward. He wouldn't be sad but would happily go write them, making a fuss if even one was missing.

Ye Jiao also thought of this point and smiled with curved eyes, picking up the brush to continue writing.

Qi Yun went to bring over the plate of pastries from the outer table. Inside were the chestnut cakes Princess Huaning had sent, sweet and soft with the fragrant sweetness of chestnuts, delicate and smooth. Ye Jiao had been eating two pieces every day recently.

Seeing Ye Jiao concentrate on writing, Qi Yun broke off a piece of chestnut cake and fed it to Ye Jiao's mouth.

Little Ginseng's eyes remained fixed on the paper, her expression unchanged, but her mouth naturally opened.

She took the chestnut cake in one bite, melted it in her mouth and swallowed. Her puffed cheeks made Qi Yun laugh.

Then he broke off another piece to feed her, and Ye Jiao again opened her mouth to eat.

Soon, three pieces of chestnut cake had gone into Ye Jiao's stomach.

At this point, Ye Jiao had also finished writing the last sheet. She put down the brush and only then noticed Qi Yun was staring at her and smiling.

Little Ginseng looked at him with some confusion, then realized her mouth tasted of chestnuts.

She was stunned at first, then felt somewhat regretful.

Qi Yun was puzzled: "Does Jiao Niang think it doesn't taste good?"

Ye Jiao shook her head, muttering quietly: "It tastes good, but I ate it without savoring the flavor and swallowed it. Such a waste."

Qi Yun had a temperament that didn't particularly enjoy food and drink, so he couldn't understand where his wife's heartache came from.

But he found Ye Jiao's current appearance extremely interesting. He stood up, walked to Ye Jiao's front, bent down slightly, and rubbed his hands on his wife's face.

Ye Jiao wasn't one to take losses. She stood up and pinched his earlobes, and they tumbled onto the bed laughing and playing.

But they couldn't sleep yet. Ye Jiao had just eaten chestnut cake, so even though she had washed earlier, she needed to get up and rinse her mouth again, or it would damage her teeth.

After tidying up and lying down again, Ye Jiao was already starting to yawn.

Qi Yun held her, gently patting the woman's back, saying: "Xu Bao likes studying, but I see Ning Bao doesn't like it much. What should we do if he really wants to practice martial arts in the future?"

It wasn't that martial arts was bad, but studying for official position was what most parents expected of their children nowadays. Few practiced martial arts.

But Ye Jiao didn't have so many concerns. With her eyes slightly closed, she said slowly: "As long as he's happy. Life is his own. What he wants to do, he can decide when he grows up. I won't choose for them."

Qi Yun's hand paused slightly, then continued stroking Ye Jiao's back, his voice carrying a smile: "My wife is wise."

But this time Second Young Master Qi got no response, because Ye Jiao had already closed her eyes and fallen into deep sleep, her expression peaceful.

Qi Yun also closed his eyes. They slept until the next day, waking when the sky was still not fully bright, with faint morning light in the distance.

But there was a smell in the room that couldn't be ignored.

Qi Yun felt around beside him, finding emptiness, so he sat up, lifting the bed curtain while saying: "Jiao Niang, did you stew some soup again?"

But this time, what was presented to Qi Yun wasn't a soup bowl, but dark medicinal brew.

A full bowl, carrying familiar medicinal fragrance, still steaming hot.

Qi Yun looked up to meet Ye Jiao's squinting, smiling eyes, hearing her say: "Husband, time to take medicine."

Second Young Master Qi reached out to take it, first tilted his neck back to drink it all in one gulp, then asked: "I drank it yesterday. Why do I need to drink it again today?"

Since his health had improved considerably, this medicine was taken every other day. He had drunk it at noon yesterday, so today shouldn't have been a medication day.

If it were anyone else, he definitely wouldn't have taken it, but since Ye Jiao offered it, even if it were poison, he would drink it.

Ye Jiao placed the medicine bowl aside and sat beside Qi Yun: "This is from a medicinal plant Spring Orchid sent yesterday. It strengthens the foundation and cultivates vitality, good for the body. But the flowering period is short, and if not used soon, it would wither. So I had it processed early, and it was only brewed this morning."

But while Ye Jiao was speaking, Qi Yun felt somewhat hot.

This heat felt familiar. Looking down, Qi Yun immediately pulled the blanket to cover his waist and looked at Ye Jiao.

But Little Ginseng was unfazed, smiling: "It's fine. Strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality, tonifying kidneys and benefiting qi. This reaction is normal."

Qi Yun said nothing, just stared at Ye Jiao.

Ye Jiao wanted to ask what he was looking at, but then Qi Yun reached out and pulled her over, and the bed curtains fell.

Inside the curtains, scattered sounds emerged: "Jiao Niang stirred up this heat, so you should help me dispel it too."

The response was a clear voice: "Mm, alright."

The medicinal effect was very obvious. Qi Yun's hands and feet, which usually became cold during seasonal changes, were much better this time.

After the middle wall was torn down, the mansion that had originally belonged to the Wen family and now belonged to the Qi family also began lively reconstruction.

Planting trees, diverting water, building houses. Just the cool house alone cost countless silver taels to complete.

Fortunately, Second Young Master Qi wasn't short of money. Whatever Ye Jiao wanted, he agreed to.

When Little Ginseng had nothing to do, she would walk around and tour the construction. By the time everything was finished, summer had already arrived.

The Capital had fewer trees, making summer much hotter than back home. Fortunately, the cool house was built large with running water for cooling, so the family often resided in this house.

Now Ye Jiao was no longer carrying twins like last year. She was refreshed and comfortable, could use ice basins freely, and could eat ice cream without restraint. Her days were more comfortable than any previous summer.

Near the end of July, Qi Ming was promoted to Deputy Assistant of the Secretariat at the sixth rank, while the Assistant of the Secretariat was the former top scholar Xiao Yuanbai. The two finally ended up working in the same government office.

After the promotion edict came down, Qi Ming sent Liu Si to the Qi household to invite his second brother and sister-in-law for dinner, with the location set at Qi Ming's own small courtyard.

Usually it was Qi Ming who came over to eat, but this time was Third Young Master Qi's promotion, so hosting guests at home was reasonable.

Qi Yun and Ye Jiao didn't bring the children, just brought Tie Zi and Little Su and took the carriage over.

In the carriage, Qi Yun asked: "Who did Third Young Master invite?"

Liu Si sat upright and immediately replied: "Replying to Second Young Master, Third Young Master only invited one friend."

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow: "A colleague?"

Liu Si hesitated and nodded: "I suppose so."

This made Qi Yun feel gratified. He had Qi Ming move out to live independently precisely because he wanted his third brother to be independent and not always rely on himself. Now that he was an official with proper duties, he should have his own circle.

Now seeing that Qi Ming could already befriend colleagues was naturally good news.

Qi Yun couldn't guess whether Qi Ming had invited the previously friendly Second-Place Scholar Guo or the future colleague Top Scholar Xiao, so he simply stopped overthinking. As long as it was good news, that was enough.

But as soon as they entered Qi Ming's small courtyard gate, Qi Yun and Ye Jiao immediately stopped in their tracks, seeing at a glance Chu Chengyun under the grape arbor in the courtyard, lifting his hem and standing on a stool reaching up to pick grapes.

Ye Ping Rong stood nearby with a calm expression, but looking closely, one could see his whole body was tense, ready at any moment to lie down as a human cushion if Chu Chengyun fell.

Hearing movement at the gate, Chu Chengyun turned to see the Qi couple, his face immediately lighting up with a smile: "Second Young Master is here. Come sit, these grapes are sweet."