Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 76

The news that the Qi family had another joyous occasion didn't take long to spread throughout the surrounding villages.

For common people, their usual entertainment was truly limited.

Going to theaters was something only those with spare money could do, and tea houses and book stalls required going into the city. Ordinary people just whiled away time at home, or gathered in small groups while washing clothes or winnowing rice to chat idly.

As a wealthy household, the Qi family's every move could attract attention and give others plenty to talk about.

Especially recently, the Qi family's good fortune came one after another. Setting aside Second Young Master Qi's miraculous recovery and handsome appearance, Third Young Master Qi had won top honors twice, and now Ye Jiao had given birth to a son. Anyone hearing this would sigh in amazement.

Especially in Ye Family Village, since Ye Jiao had once lived in the same village as them, they spoke with even more enthusiasm.

When several women gathered to crack sunflower seeds and chat, they inevitably brought up the Ye family.

"Who would have thought that Ye Jiao, who never stepped foot outside her door, would have such great fortune."

"Exactly. We'd never heard of anyone arranging a marriage for her before, yet she was kept around until now. Who knows what they were thinking."

"Isn't that easy to guess? When she returned home that time, we all saw clearly how beautiful and well-figured she was. The Ye family clearly wanted to use her to exchange for silver, either selling her as a concubine or having her bring good luck to a husband like now. That she could live such a good life is her own fortune."

"But she's still from the Ye family after all. Never coming back to visit doesn't seem right..."

"Come on, I heard from my husband that the Ye family had a big fight before. Their eldest brother came back and beat up Second Brother Ye, then split the family. Besides, Ye Jiao is already married, what's the point of frequent visits?"

These women didn't notice that Second Brother Ye's wife was at a nearby stall eating wontons with Ye Bao, hearing every single word.

She took a deep breath, keeping her head down so others wouldn't recognize her, and patted Ye Bao: "Hurry up and eat, or you'll be late for the teacher's morning class again."

Ye Bao was naturally restless and couldn't focus on studying, his head turning left and right.

But now he was unusually well-behaved, obediently finishing the wontons in his bowl, then looking up at Second Brother Ye's wife: "Mother, what's a concubine?"

Second Brother Ye's wife's face changed, and she pinched him: "Don't listen to those people's nonsense. Are you done eating? If you're done, let's go quickly."

Ye Bao had learned to be smart now, grimacing in pain but not crying out, obediently letting Second Brother Ye's wife pull him away.

But Ye Bao was still a child after all. He didn't quite understand what happened, but compared to the confused little boy who only thought about egg custard before, he had at least absorbed some of the school teacher's words and vaguely felt that how he'd treated Ye Jiao before was wrong.

Ye Jiao was his aunt, an elder, and the teacher said elders should be respected.

But back then Ye Bao knew nothing. Seeing Second Brother Ye's wife bullying her, he joined in. No one told him it was wrong, so he got worse.

Now Ye Bao felt something was off. What he'd done was different from what the teacher taught. Since the teacher said his teachings were right, then what he'd done before must have been wrong.

But his mother was also an elder, and so was his father. His parents hadn't said it was wrong, so which was right and which was wrong?

The half-grown child Ye Bao fell into deep contemplation about the relative importance of loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness.

For a while, Ye Bao couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. After being dropped off by Second Brother Ye's wife, he quickly ran into the schoolhouse with his cloth book bag, or else he'd be late and the teacher would hit his palm.

But Second Brother Ye's wife was troubled on her way back.

She didn't feel any guilt toward Ye Jiao. After all, in her view, Ye Jiao was just a burden. Being able to get rid of her without wasting the family's grain and even getting silver in exchange was an excellent deal.

As for whether Ye Jiao's life was good or bad, at worst, if it was bad, Second Brother Ye's wife felt satisfied, and if it was good, it just made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn't too troublesome.

What Second Brother Ye's wife was calculating was that the rice jar at home was running low again.

And her husband, Second Brother Ye, had been taking silver out recently, not knowing what for.

When Elder Brother Ye divided the family, he'd given them quite a bit of silver. If they were careful with it, even after paying debts, the remainder could last several years.

But these days, Second Brother Ye had been taking out three taels today, five taels tomorrow, gradually using it all up.

Second Brother Ye's wife had thought he'd lent it to someone and had even fought with him about it. Later she asked several of Second Brother Ye's friends, and they all said they hadn't borrowed any. Second Brother Ye's wife then thought he'd used it for business, but business required a shop, or at least a carrying pole, and hiring people. How could Elder Brother Ye, who couldn't even read, do business?

While calculating, Second Brother Ye's wife suddenly stopped.

Because she disliked Ye Jiao, she avoided Qi family properties, taking a different route to avoid a newly opened Qi family restaurant.

This detour let Second Brother Ye's wife see a gambling house she'd never noticed before.

The gambling house looked like an old establishment, with somewhat worn curtains hanging at the entrance.

But peering through the gaps in the curtains, Second Brother Ye's wife saw someone familiar.

Wasn't that person shaking dice Second Brother Ye?

Second Brother Ye's wife's face suddenly changed, the basket in her hand dropping straight to the ground, her whole person stunned.

When she came to her senses, she burst into the gambling house with a twisted expression, and soon a commotion broke out.

Not far away, a horse carriage slowly approached. Tie Zi, originally sitting beside the driver, saw the road ahead blocked by curious onlookers. He stood up to look ahead, then said to the carriage behind: "Second Young Master, we can't get through up ahead. Shall we take another route?"

Qi Yun in the carriage frowned slightly, then said slowly: "Tie Zi, get down and go to Feng Sheng Zhai ahead to buy some red date cake. I won't go over."

"Yes, Second Young Master."

"Remember, don't join the crowd, look and say little, go quickly and return quickly."

"I understand."

Tie Zi naturally understood that Qi Yun was worried about Second Young Mistress at home. He'd gone out early today to check on the shops just so he could return before Ye Jiao woke up.

He naturally wouldn't delay, vaulting down from the carriage frame with one hand.

Soon Tie Zi returned with a paper package of red date cake. The commotion over there wasn't finished, but the Qi family carriage took another route around.

When they returned home, Qi Yun didn't immediately go back to the courtyard but went to the garden first.

In the garden were two tall ginkgo trees, now full of golden yellow, looking particularly warm with autumn warmth.

Having someone set up a ladder to break off a branch, Qi Yun held it in his hand before returning to the courtyard.

Though it was only autumn, Ye Jiao's room already had charcoal braziers for warmth. Entering, the whole room felt warm and cozy.

Ordinary people would naturally feel hot, but Ye Jiao needed to recover and stay warm now. Being hot was better than getting sick from cold.

Qi Yun removed his outer robe, wearing only a blue silk shirt, and tiptoed inside.

The screen had been removed, with a charcoal brazier in the center of the room and the bed frame covered with cloth. Qi Yun could see at a glance Ye Jiao leaning against the bed playing with the child.

The box at the head of the bed contained various toys Elder Brother Ye had sent. Ye Jiao was holding a small cloth tiger, waving it back and forth.

Little Ginseng had just woken up, and little Xu Bao could now open his eyes, large and bright, looking left and right with clear black and white pupils. Whether he could actually see Ye Jiao clearly was unknown, but she didn't expect any response from the little one anyway.

Reaching out to touch here and pinch there was entertainment enough.

When Qi Yun returned, Ye Jiao was poking the little one's cheek. Hearing movement, she immediately withdrew her hand and looked up. Seeing it was Qi Yun, she smiled: "Husband."

Qi Yun also smiled at her, first placing the ginkgo branch diagonally in a flower vase: "The ginkgo has turned yellow. I thought you couldn't go out to see it recently, so I broke off a branch to put in the room so you can look at it."

Ye Jiao had been bored staying inside lately, so seeing fresh, vibrant colors made her happy.

When her gaze moved to Qi Yun's face, Ye Jiao reached out to him. Qi Yun leaned his face over.

But before he approached, Ye Jiao seemed to think of something and pushed him back with her hand.

This puzzled Qi Yun: "Jiao Niang, what's wrong?"

Ye Jiao pursed her lips and mumbled: "I've only wiped myself down these days, haven't bathed. I'm afraid I smell."

Without her mentioning it, Qi Yun hadn't noticed, but now that she brought it up, Qi Yun leaned over to smell, then said: "Just milk scent and orchid scent."

The orchid scent was from the hair oil Ye Jiao liked to use, and the milk scent, looking at little Xu Bao moving around nearby, was self-evident.

This wasn't Qi Yun comforting her, it was truly the case.

Ye Jiao's constitution was good, able to nourish others and herself, recovering quickly. Now the milk scent was stronger.

Before Ye Jiao could react, the man tilted his head and pecked her cheek.

Then he sniffed carefully, truly smelling like milk.

Ye Jiao turned her head to look at Qi Yun, then leaned over and kissed Qi Yun's lips firmly.

This kiss was solid and made a loud "pop" sound, making Little Su blush and causing little Xu Bao, who couldn't see clearly yet, to giggle.

Qi Yun coughed lightly, his ear tips reddening, but didn't pull back. Instead, he let Ye Jiao raise her hands to cup his face and examine him closely: "Husband, did you go out this morning?"

Now that Qi Yun's health was good, just looking at his face, besides being slightly paler than ordinary people, there was no other difference.

But Ye Jiao, living with him day and night, could tell even though she'd been in confinement recently and they'd been sleeping separately, Qi Yun still spent all his grooming time with Ye Jiao every day. She could naturally see the fatigue in Qi Yun's brow, thinking he must have risen earlier than usual.

Qi Yun didn't hide it from her, saying softly: "Word came back from the merchant caravan, with many matters requiring my attention. The shops also had some decisions to make. Rather than have Manager Song make the trip, I went out early. I happened to catch Feng Sheng Zhai's first batch of pastries and brought some back for you."

Standing outside, Tie Zi heard this and couldn't help thinking that those matters could actually be handled anytime. His Young Master clearly went out early specifically to get pastries for Second Young Mistress while wanting to return early. Even among these tasks, Tie Zi felt the red date cake was more important than everything else.

But this couldn't be said directly, or Second Young Mistress would worry. It was hard on his second Young Master to think up reasons like this.

When Qi Yun handed the red date cake to Ye Jiao, Little Ginseng's eyes immediately lit up.

Qi Yun also knew that lately, probably for proper confinement care, Liu Shi had people make nothing but soups and broths. Even someone as fond of eating as Ye Jiao would get tired of constant fish soup and pig's foot soup. So he went to buy red date cake for her, smiling as he gave it to her: "I asked Doctor Li, you can eat this during confinement, and it's good for your health too."

Ye Jiao always trusted him and didn't ask more questions, directly taking a piece and putting it in her mouth.

The red date cake was sweet and fragrant with a rich date aroma. Not too sweet, but with a strong milky flavor, soft and pleasant, giving some comfort to Ye Jiao's palate that had grown accustomed to bland food.

Qi Yun sat beside her watching her eat, occasionally helping wipe crumbs from her lips, his face never losing its smile.

After Ye Jiao finished several pieces of red date cake, she noticed Qi Yun had been staring at her.

Little Ginseng was quite frank, taking a handkerchief to wipe her hands while looking at Qi Yun: "Husband, how much longer do I have to stay like this?"

Qi Yun knew she was bored, taking her hand and saying gently: "A few more days and you'll finish your confinement month, but Doctor Li says you should rest another month or two for your health. Once you're recovered, it'll be late autumn, and I can find time to take you to our mountain retreat."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao smiled, but soon looked at little Xu Bao still moving around beside her: "What about him? Bring him along?"

Actually, when Qi Yun said this, he hadn't included Xu Bao.

Now hearing Ye Jiao's reminder, Qi Yun remembered he had a fresh new son to care for. Thinking about it, he said: "No problem. Mother mentioned before that she'd like to get out and relax too. Since Third Son will be studying hard at the academy and Elder Brother and Sister-in-law are at the estate and can't return for a while, we can bring Mother along to the mountain retreat. It would be good to bring Xu Bao too."

Ye Jiao nodded, then Little Ginseng's eyes moved to the jade ruyi beside the flower vase. Blinking, she said softly: "Husband, Third Young Master is working with you on the merchant caravan, so you two keep in touch, right?"

Qi Yun nodded.

"Then find a time to ask him if my elder brother has returned. He's been away so long, I'm getting worried."

Qi Yun had been so focused on Ye Jiao recently that he'd forgotten about other matters. Now reminded by Ye Jiao, he nodded and made a mental note.

Ye Jiao was about to say more when she suddenly felt something was off.

Turning her head, she saw that little Xu Bao, who had been lying there peacefully, was no longer moving randomly but was pursing his lips. The next moment, he opened his mouth and began wailing loudly!

This crying startled Qi Yun.

Usually Xu Bao didn't like to cry. He either slept or ate, or just lay there with his eyes open smiling cheerfully, looking very auspicious.

Now suddenly crying made Qi Yun somewhat flustered.

But Little Ginseng was very calm, picking him up while undoing the buttons on her clothing: "It's fine, he's probably hungry."

Seeing this, Qi Yun lowered his eyes, not looking at Ye Jiao feeding the child.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen it before - on the contrary, there was nothing between them that he hadn't seen. Not only seen, but touched countless times.

This was Qi Yun considering himself. Ye Jiao still needed to recover for a while, and he had to abstain, so it was better not to look, otherwise he'd suffer from suppressing his desires.

But with his eyes lowered, he could still catch a glimpse of the woman's fair skin as she removed her garment. Second Young Master Qi thought that those nourishing soups were probably truly nutritious. He didn't know if they were good for the child, but they'd certainly made his wife's skin even more lustrous.

Probably to distract himself, Qi Yun turned to look at the ginkgo branch and said: "There are many maple trees near the mountain retreat. In autumn they turn very red and should be quite beautiful. I'll take you to see them then."

"Tsk." But while he was speaking, little Xu Bao's suckling sounds never stopped, sounding like he was eating quite happily.

Hearing this made Qi Yun's ears redden even more, and he couldn't continue speaking, only silently looking at the ginkgo and sighing, counting the days in his heart.

But he didn't know that Ye Jiao was also holding Xu Bao while staring at Qi Yun's red ears.

What both husband and wife were thinking was remarkably similar:

These next few months were going to be really hard to endure.