Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 48

Ye Jiao suddenly stood up. Dong Shi could clearly hear a "gulp" sound, knowing that Ye Jiao had swallowed an entire dumpling whole.

These dumplings were soft and sticky, delicious indeed, but also very sticky. If one got stuck in the throat, it would be troublesome.

Dong Shi hurried to pour water, afraid Ye Jiao would choke.

But Ye Jiao didn't look at her. She directly put down her bowl, lifted her skirt, and ran toward the window.

But before Ye Jiao could get closer to observe carefully, she watched helplessly as the last petal swayed and fell to the ground.

The petals of Stone Sprout Grass were red. Although the flowers were small, they were bright in color.

They had looked bright red just moments ago, but as soon as they hit the ground, they lost their fresh color and looked wilted.

This made Ye Jiao freeze completely.

Stone Sprout Grass was the first medicinal plant she had cultivated, and also the most important.

The White Rainbow Fruit it could produce was a life-saving medicine, and also what Ye Jiao had always hoped to get her hands on.

Perhaps initially Ye Jiao wanted to save Qi Yun's life only because Little Ginseng had no support and could only firmly grasp her convenient husband. But now, after living together for so long, Ye Jiao was genuinely fond of him and even more unwilling to waste an opportunity that could save Qi Yun's life.

No matter what she did normally, even during the busiest days of New Year, Ye Jiao would take Stone Sprout Grass out to sun every day, showing how much she treasured it.

This flower was supposed to grow alongside top-grade ginseng to be effective. Little Ginseng was now an ordinary person, but fortunately she retained her spiritual essence and could nurture Stone Sprout Grass.

But she had cared for it so carefully, how could she watch it wither now?

Ye Jiao's heart pounded, her ears rang. After squatting down, her fingertips trembled slightly as she touched it.

Dong Shi on the side felt heartbroken watching this. Although she didn't know why Ye Jiao valued the delicate Stone Sprout Grass so much, she had never seen Ye Jiao so anxious and sad before.

Usually, the more bright and gentle a woman was, the more heartbreaking it was to see her sad.

Dong Shi wanted to go over and console her, but didn't know what to say.

But just then, she suddenly saw the squatting Ye Jiao lean close to the Stone Sprout Grass, then simply cup the flower pot with both hands, as if searching for something.

Soon, Ye Jiao found three white dots hidden under the tender branches and leaves.

Small, round, still bearing some tender green of new growth, but clearly already formed!

These were White Rainbow Fruits. Ye Jiao was absolutely certain.

She had lived alongside this grass for a thousand years before, so naturally she wouldn't mistake it.

It was just that these White Rainbow Fruits had just grown and were still tiny, but since they had formed, it was enough to put Ye Jiao at ease. She could wait for them to grow larger later.

She immediately put the flower pot back on the ground, her face showing a smile as she turned to Dong: "Spring Orchid, I'm fine. Although the flowers have withered, the fruits have formed, which is a good thing."

Dong Shi didn't care whether Stone Sprout Grass could bear fruit or not. After all, she didn't know what use this little thing's fruit had. As long as Ye Jiao was fine, that was good.

Seeing Ye Jiao smile, Dong Shi also curved her lips and walked over to help her up: "You scared me just now. You looked like a child, squatting there as if you were about to cry or laugh. I didn't dare say a word and almost cried with you."

Ye Jiao grasped Dong's hand and smiled with curved eyebrows: "I was just frightened earlier. Did I scare you too? Then let's have another bowl of dumplings."

Dong Shi laughed out loud. She had discovered that with Ye Jiao, there was nothing that couldn't be solved by eating something.

While the two were talking and laughing, they didn't notice that Little Su had already brought in the pot containing Auspicious Flowers and placed it properly in the inner room, setting it neatly on the wall table beside the bed.

When she came out and heard Ye Jiao wanted more dumplings, fearing that the dumplings had cooled down after sitting so long and might upset Ye Jiao's stomach, Little Su put the remaining dumplings in the food box and hurried to the small kitchen to reheat them.

In all this coming and going, she forgot about having just moved the Auspicious Flowers into the room.

Ye Jiao sat back down at the round table with Dong. While pouring tea, Dong Shi said: "Jiao Niang, the medicine shop will reopen in two days. Will you come to see?"

Little Ginseng had heard Qi Yun mention this before. Now hearing Dong Shi bring it up, she was somewhat curious: "Is it different from when the wine shop opened?"

Actually, there wasn't much difference...

The process for shop openings was pretty much the same: setting off firecrackers, scattering copper coins, dragon and lion dances. Ye Jiao should have seen it all last time.

But Dong Shi sincerely wanted to invite Ye Jiao this time. After all, for a medicine shop opening, if no one from the master's family came, it would inevitably invite gossip. So Dong Shi said: "The general process is about the same, but I'll invite some merchant wives to chat and have fun together, just as entertainment."

Ye Jiao blinked and looked straight at her: "You want me to come?"

Dong Shi hesitated for a moment, then nodded honestly: "Yes, Jiao Niang, I want you to come help me save face."

Although Ye Jiao didn't know how her going would help save face, Dong Shi spoke straightforwardly, and Ye Jiao was happy that she wasn't deceiving her. She said: "I'll mention it to my husband. If there's nothing else, it would be good to go see the excitement."

Dong Shi smiled and sincerely stood up to thank Ye Jiao.

Ye Jiao pulled her back down and asked: "Have you mentioned this to my husband?"

Now that Qi Yun's health had greatly improved, and going to see the flower lanterns before hadn't caused any problems, and now that the weather was turning warm with dead branches sprouting new growth, although it was still chilly in spring, there was already some warmth. It would be fine for Qi Yun to go out for a walk.

But although Dong Shi dared to speak to Ye Jiao, she didn't dare talk to Qi Yun.

Perhaps Ye Jiao wasn't afraid of Qi Yun, but Second Young Master Qi's reputation was formidable, and Dong Shi was afraid of him. She said quietly: "Whether Second Young Master goes or not isn't for me to manage. I'll have my husband ask about it."

Dong Shi thought to herself that anyway, when the sky fell, Fang Li would be there to hold it up. Otherwise, what was the point of marrying him? Wasn't it precisely for times like this when he could step up and handle things?

Seeing her speak so carefully, Ye Jiao knew this person was afraid of Qi Yun. She smiled and said nothing more, pulling her back to study the flowers and plants on the table.

When Qi Yun returned, Dong Shi had already taken the pot Ye Jiao had given her and left.

Seeing Qi Yun enter, Ye Jiao got up to help him remove his fur coat. Noticing his hands were empty, she couldn't help asking: "Where's the hand warmer?"

Qi Yun's expression was gentle: "The weather looked nice, and it was warmer outside, so I didn't take it."

Ye Jiao grasped the man's hand and felt his fingertips were slightly cold. She couldn't help shaking her head: "You should still take it. Warming your hands is good."

Qi Yun felt the woman's soft, warm palms and nodded in agreement: "I'll listen to my wife. I'll definitely remember next time."

Ye Jiao smiled and pulled him to sit at the table, taking out a porcelain cup that had been kept warm in the food box: "The water-flour dumplings are delicious. I saved you a bowl."

Qi Yun took it, and before eating, he first said: "These water-flour dumplings are made with water-ground flour for the wrapper, filled with pine nuts, lard, walnuts and sugar, then cooked and topped with osmanthus honey to make them fragrant and sweet."

Ye Jiao had already eaten some and naturally knew what filling was inside.

But she just liked listening to Qi Yun tell her these things. Every time she listened with great interest. Even though she only knew how to eat and not cook, she found it pleasant to listen: "Husband, how do you know everything?"

Qi Yun smiled without answering, just using the spoon to take a dumpling and bring it to Ye Jiao's lips.

Ye Jiao opened her mouth to eat it, smiling with curved eyebrows from the sweetness.

The two of them shared the bowl of dumplings, one bite for you and one for me. In the end, it was hard to say who ate more. One loved to eat, the other loved to feed, and both found pleasure in it.

Perhaps because Stone Sprout Grass had begun to bear fruit, Ye Jiao was in a good mood all day. In the evening, when the two were preparing for bed, Ye Jiao sat before the mirror taking down her hair and said: "Husband, Spring Orchid told me today that the medicine shop is opening and invited me to take a look. Would you like to go together?"

Qi Yun was half-leaning against the headboard, holding a book in his hands, though it was unclear whether he was reading it.

After all, his eyes kept looking at his wife's back, so he really had no mind for reading.

Hearing Ye Jiao's words, Qi Yun replied: "If you want to go, just take Little Su with you. I'll see how I feel. After all, every year when winter changes to spring, my health fluctuates somewhat. If..."

As soon as Ye Jiao heard this, she knew he was going to say those life-and-death words again.

She had listened before without taking it seriously, but now Little Ginseng couldn't bear to hear such things the most.

She put down her comb, got up, and walked to the bedside, covering Qi Yun's mouth with her hand.

Meeting the man's somewhat surprised gaze, Ye Jiao said seriously: "You're not allowed to say that word. Mother said that during New Year there's good fortune, and you can't speak of bad things carelessly. Besides, with me here, you must live well."

Qi Yun had long been accustomed to others discussing his life and death, and even he himself was constantly prepared for the possibility that he might die at any moment.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be so urgently grasping at shop matters, hoping that if something happened to him, Jiao Niang would still have support.

But now hearing Ye Jiao's words, Qi Yun only felt warm in his heart.

He sighed inwardly. He had clearly been living with Jiao Niang for several months and should be most familiar with her, yet Ye Jiao could always say things that made his nose sting.

How fortunate he was.

He reached out to cover Ye Jiao's wrist and gently kissed her palm, his voice calm: "Alright, with Jiao Niang here, I can't bear to leave."

Only then did Ye Jiao show a smile on her face. She also learned from him, pulling up Qi Yun's hand and pecking twice at his palm.

If Qi Yun did this to Ye Jiao, he wouldn't think anything of it, but when it was reversed, Qi Yun's ear tips turned red.

Now he was no longer completely ignorant about intimate matters, and moreover, he was extremely fond of the person in front of him. The slightest provocation would stir his passion.

Qi Yun straightened up slightly and reached out to embrace Ye Jiao, his tone gentle: "Jiao Niang, it's time to rest."

Ye Jiao naturally put her hands behind the man's head and looked down at him.

Seeing his slightly red ear tips, she couldn't help being startled: "Husband, are you hot?" Then Ye Jiao shook her head: "That shouldn't be right. The charcoal fire in the room has been extinguished. How could you still be hot?"

Qi Yun's heart stirred, and he said softly: "I'm not hot, I'm cold."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao immediately spread her arms and pulled the man into her embrace, as if this would keep him from being cold.

But before Qi Yun's lips could curve upward, Ye Jiao suddenly released him.

Little Ginseng tilted her head slightly to look at him: "You must tell me when you're cold."

Qi Yun nodded: "Alright." Didn't I just tell you?

The next moment, he saw Ye Jiao go to open the rosewood cabinet door nearby.

It wasn't until Ye Jiao had struggled to pile three quilts on top of Qi Yun that the man could react.

Little Ginseng patted the Qi Yun who was buried tightly under the quilts and asked him with a bright smile: "Are you still cold?"

Qi Yun, afraid she might add another quilt, quickly said: "Not cold anymore."

Only then was Ye Jiao satisfied. She closed the cabinet, kicked off her shoes, climbed over the mountain of quilts on Qi Yun to the inner side, pulled a silk quilt over herself, and lay obediently on her side next to Qi Yun, saying softly: "Husband, let's sleep."

After saying this, Ye Jiao closed her eyes and fell into deep sleep.

This left Qi Yun sweating from the heat but unable to move. He could only count the time, and only after he felt Ye Jiao was deeply asleep did he carefully push aside the quilts.

But while pushing aside the quilts, in his nervousness Qi Yun suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Were there flowers in this room? The scent was quite pleasant.

But soon Qi Yun had no mind to care about flowers and plants. He looked at Ye Jiao somewhat helplessly. His earlier romantic thoughts had long been swept away completely. He could only think that as the ancients said, "A person without trustworthiness doesn't know what they can accomplish." Lying truly was unacceptable, and the ancients truly did not deceive him.

But just as he was fiddling with the quilts, Ye Jiao slowly opened her eyes.

Little Ginseng's eyes were very bright, large and clear. When she stared at Qi Yun now, it inexplicably made him feel guilty about lying.

Ye Jiao murmured and asked him: "Husband, are you not cold again?"

For a moment, Qi Yun held those two quilts, not knowing whether to cover himself or not.

Ye Jiao also sat up, yawned, and tugged at him: "Then why aren't you sleeping?"

Second Young Master Qi struggled inwardly for a moment, then finally chose to tell the truth: "I was thinking about something earlier."

Ye Jiao blinked: "What thing?"

"...Whether those illustrations you showed me last time were right or wrong."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao knew he was talking about that spring palace book.

Whether they were right or wrong, how would she know? But although Little Ginseng was innocent, by now she could hear the subtext in this person's words.

She yawned lazily again, looked up at Qi Yun, reached out, and pulled him down.

Before Qi Yun could react, he felt a soft, warm body squeeze into his arms.

Then, by his ear came a soft, sweet voice with warm breath: "Let's try it, then we'll know."

When the clouds and rain gradually ceased and Ye Jiao fell into deep sleep, Qi Yun contentedly held his Jiao Niang, thinking to himself:

Indeed, telling the truth to his wife was the best approach.