My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 14

“……”

Simple-minded and straightforward Guo’er never expected her young master to ask such a question, leaving her momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

“Oh, young master,” Guo’er said, having spent so many years with Lu Jiahe that she could more or less guess what was on his mind. “It’s just that Miss Cheng noticed you were injured and might have trouble dressing, so she wanted to make a few pieces of clothing for you herself. I thought she meant well, so I went out with Lu An.”

Lu Jiahe narrowed his eyes and looked at Guo’er, who was trying to smooth things over beside him. After a long pause, he finally said, “Oh, next time you go out, let me know. If I’m asleep, leave me a note, understand?”

“Alright, young master, I understand,” Guo’er replied, relieved that her young master was no longer angry. She quickly picked up a damp towel and began cleaning his wounds.

After Cheng Yi returned to the Lu residence with her purchases, she shut herself in her room to ponder how to make clothes for Lu Jiahe. Although she had already asked for his measurements, this was her first time making clothes, and she had to sew them by hand. She couldn’t help feeling a little insecure.

“Whatever, I’ll just do the best I can. As long as they’re wearable, it’s fine.”

Cheng Yi gave up overthinking it. She figured as long as the clothes covered Lu Jiahe’s essential areas, that would be enough. She didn’t know how to do anything beyond that, so there was no point in stressing herself out.

After working all morning, Cheng Yi pushed aside the fabric and needlework in her hands and stood up from her chair in a huff.

“What kind of mess is this! When have I ever been so humble as to sew clothes for someone with my own hands?” She was annoyed just looking at the red needle pricks on her fingers.

Cheng Yi was as irritable as a bristling cat. She blamed all her frustration on Lu Jiahe but could do nothing about it. In the end, she pushed the door open and went out to make lunch for that annoying man.

“Don’t you think it would be nice if Miss Cheng and He’er were together?” The Old Ancestor sat in her courtyard, having lunch while confiding her recent worries to the old matron beside her.

“Of course, madam. Look at all the things you’ve done over the years for the young master’s sake. Today, I even heard that Miss Cheng took Guo’er and Lu An out to buy fabric to make clothes for him. And these past few days, the young master’s meals have all been prepared by Miss Cheng herself.”

The old matron stood by, smiling cheerfully as she tried to comfort her mistress.

“But look at He’er’s attitude, sigh!” At this, Old Lady Lu couldn’t help but sigh. In her later years, her biggest worry was Lu Jiahe. She was deeply afraid of what would happen to her He’er after she was gone, and who would take care of him.

“Madam, there’s no need to worry. Think about it. The young master and Miss Cheng have only known each other for a few days, and they’re getting along quite well. We have to give young people some time to adjust to each other.”

“I hope so. Otherwise, after I’m gone, what will happen to He’er…”

The old matron could tell her mistress was getting sentimental again and quickly interjected, “Now, now, madam, let’s not talk like that. If the young master knew you were always saying such things, he’d be so upset.”

Old Lady Lu chuckled at this. “I just can’t help worrying about him.”

The old matron leaned over to pour her a cup of tea. “Don’t you worry, Old Ancestor. The young master is blessed with good fortune! Let the two of them spend time together for now. Who knows? They might just take a liking to each other and end up together!”

“Hmm.” Old Lady Lu set down her chopsticks and took a sip of tea. “Indeed, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I, as an old woman, can only do so much. The rest depends on their own fate.”

Cheng Yi, feeling irritable and restless, shut herself in the kitchen. She took the cabbage in her hand as if it were Lu Jiahe, grabbed a kitchen knife, and began chopping it noisily and haphazardly.

Due to her injury, Lu Jiahe hadn’t needed to go to the academy to copy books these past few days.

She lounged half-reclined on a deck chair in her room, humming a cheerful tune while leisurely reading a book she had borrowed from the bookstore a few days earlier.

“Bang!”

The sudden noise startled Lu Jiahe so much that the book in her hand fell to the floor.

Cheng Yi kicked the door open, placed the cooked cabbage and tofu on the table with obvious disdain, and snapped, “Eat!” She shot Lu Jiahe an annoyed glare before signaling Guo’er to bring the wooden rice bucket to the table.

Sitting in her deck chair, Lu Jiahe secretly glanced at Cheng Yi. Seeing her clearly irritated expression, she didn’t dare say a word. She picked up the book from the floor, set it aside, and cautiously moved to the dining table to wait for the meal.

Cheng Yi scrutinized her for a moment, then pushed the rice bucket toward Lu Jiahe. “What? Expecting me to serve you rice?”

“I…” Lu Jiahe stared at the rice bucket in front of her, suspecting that Cheng Yi was using it to insult her.

Guo’er, standing nearby, was stunned by Cheng Yi’s series of actions. Only when she felt her young master’s intense gaze did she speak up to break the tense atmosphere in the room.

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. These tasks are our responsibility.” For the first time, Guo’er flashed an ingratiating smile in front of Cheng Yi.

Unable to sit idle, Cheng Yi had spent two consecutive nights mending two short sleeves for Lu Jiahe. On the morning of the third day, she brought the repaired clothes and breakfast to Lu Jiahe’s courtyard.

“Miss Cheng, you’re here so early?” Guo’er, who was sprinkling water in the courtyard, immediately set down the basin and hurried over to take the food container from Cheng Yi’s hands.

“Hmm.” Cheng Yi glanced at Lu Jiahe’s tightly shut door. “It’s still early. Has she not gotten up yet?”

Guo’er shook her head. “Young Master hasn’t been able to go to the academy these days. She’s been staying in her room day and night, reading.”

“What kind of books?” Cheng Yi asked curiously, wondering if books from ancient times were truly that captivating.

“Something like poetry collections, I think. These leisure books are kept in Young Master’s room. Even I haven’t seen what’s inside. I only remember the cover said ‘Poetry Collection.'”

Cheng Yi recalled how she used to hide novels inside textbook covers during her school days and guessed that Lu Jiahe must be doing the same.

“Alright, I’ll go in now. You two can bring some side dishes from the kitchen later so we can eat together.” With that, Cheng Yi picked up her things and pushed open Lu Jiahe’s door.

After setting the items on the round table, she walked to the bed and leaned in to observe Lu Jiahe, who was sound asleep. Noticing the heavy dark circles under her eyes, Cheng Yi remarked, “No wonder she’s still in bed even though the sun is high in the sky. She must have been burning the midnight oil.”

“Hey, wake up, wake up. Time to get up.” Cheng Yi reached out and shook the shoulder of the person on the bed.

As Lu Jiahe slept, she gradually became aware of someone shaking her shoulder. In her groggy state, she thought it was Guo’er coming to wake her up, so she lifted her uninjured arm and waved it dismissively.

“Let me sleep a little longer.”

Whether modern or ancient, people truly love to linger in bed!

“The Old Ancestor came to your room this morning and took away the books you read every day.”

“What?!” Upon hearing this, Lu Jiahe immediately opened her eyes and, enduring the pain in her arm, sat up on the bed.

Cheng Yi, observing her reaction, was now certain that the books couldn’t have been poetry collections, they must have been something improper.

With her hair disheveled, Lu Jiahe craned her neck, looking left and right. When she finally snapped out of it and saw Cheng Yi standing by her bedside, she instantly understood what was going on.

“Were you tricking me?” Lu Jiahe pouted slightly, glaring intently at the person before her.

Cheng Yi had no intention of admitting to teasing her. “Try these two pieces of clothing,” she said, tossing the two short-sleeved shirts she had been carrying over her arm into Lu Jiahe’s lap.

Lu Jiahe, who had been fuming just moments before, was immediately captivated by the strange-looking garments. “What are these? How do you wear them? Don’t tell me you want me to embarrass myself in front of others?”

“I’m going to marry you someday, you know. Your glory is my glory, and your shame is my shame,” Cheng Yi retorted, rolling her eyes. “These are for you to wear at home. It’s hot now, and with your injured arm, it’s inconvenient. These are sleepwear from my hometown, but you can wear them outside too. They’re very cool, give them a try.”

Lu Jiahe frowned at the clothes in her hands. She had no idea how to put them on, and she wasn’t sure if such thin fabric would even cover certain parts of her body.

Seeing Lu Jiahe hesitate, Cheng Yi assumed she was shy because of her presence. “Wear them like this, this is the front. Take off all your clothes and wear this directly against your skin. You don’t need to layer anything over it afterward.”

Lu Jiahe listened carefully to Cheng Yi’s instructions. “Then could you call Guo’er in for me? I can’t put this on by myself.”

Cheng Yi was taken aback. She had assumed that aside from Old Lady Lu, no one in the Lu household knew about Lu Jiahe’s true identity. She hadn’t expected Guo’er to be in on the secret and to have kept it so well hidden.

“Alright, she went to the kitchen to get some vegetables. I’ll have her come in as soon as she returns,” Cheng Yi said before turning and stepping out into the courtyard. Outside, she stretched her tired arms while waiting for Guo’er to come back.

“Young Master, what kind of clothes are these? They look so strange.”

When Guo’er returned, she unfolded the garments Cheng Yi had sewn from two layers of cotton cloth, examining them repeatedly. She had never seen such peculiar clothing before.

“I’m not sure either. She said they’re what people wear in her hometown,” Lu Jiahe replied, taking the clothes from Guo’er and putting them on. “How do I look? Is this how you’re supposed to wear them?”

Guo’er was momentarily speechless, stunned by the sight of Lu Jiahe, who looked entirely different from before. She had never seen her young master exude such a spirited and heroic aura.

“I’ll go ask Miss Cheng to come in and see.”

Outside, Cheng Yi was reminiscing about the aerobics she had learned online during her modern life, bouncing around as she exercised. She only stopped when she heard Guo’er calling her name.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Yi wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Miss Cheng, the clothes have been changed. Would you like to go in and take a look?”

Hearing this, Cheng Yi nodded. She was indeed quite eager to see how the clothes she had personally sewn would look on Lu Jiahe.