The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 18

Upon returning to Chen Village, Chen Ziyi was already waiting at the entrance with Chen Yu.

Chen Yu sneered when she saw Xiao Yu, her gaze passing over her to land on Song Luoning behind her. “You’re my cousin-in-law?”

Song Luo smiled gently and nodded.

“My name is Chen Yu, I’m…” Chen Yu scanned Xiao Yu with dissatisfaction. She was reluctant to admit her relationship, and after a long hesitation, she pointed at Xiao Yu with a hint of reluctance. “Her cousin.”

When speaking to Song Luoning, Chen Yu felt a bit nervous. Her aunt had told her about Song Luoning’s background as a daughter of a government official. A young lady of high status was not someone an ordinary person could interact with.

If it weren’t for her aunt saying that Xiao Yu was slowly changing for the better after getting married and had even gone to the fields to till the soil yesterday, and her own worry that Xiao Yu was deceiving her aunt again, she wouldn’t have come.

Now, seeing the gentle and kind young lady, she didn’t know how to react.

She had been feeling a bit angry, but now, a sense of nervousness, especially when she saw Song Luoning smiling at her, made her unable to feel angry at all.

She and Chen Ziyi had arrived early, but to her surprise, Xiao Yu wasn’t home. They looked for her in the fields but couldn’t find her. It was already dusk, and she had no idea what Xiao Yu had been up to.

And why was this new cousin-in-law also fooling around with her?

She had thought, how could Xiao Yu possibly change for the better? And could someone like them really marry a lady of an official family?

She wondered if Xiao Yu could handle a young lady’s temper?

Despite her low opinion of Xiao Yu, she still felt a vague sense of concern for her, even though she didn’t want to admit it.

But as soon as she met Song Luoning, everything was completely different from what she had imagined, which left her feeling a little flustered.

“Oh, so you’re my cousin.” Song Luoning glanced at Xiao Yu, then smiled slightly and walked over to take Chen Yu’s hand affectionately. “Let’s go inside and chat.” As she spoke, she was already leading Chen Yu toward the courtyard.

Chen Yu was a bit overwhelmed. She had thought a young lady from an official family would be very arrogant and look down on country folk like them. She never expected the other party to not only not disdain her, but to also hold her hand affectionately and want to chat with her.

The initial awkwardness disappeared.

This scene was a bit of an eyesore to Xiao Yu. The young lady was playing favorites. After all, she was the one who was diligently working at her beck and call, and she had never seen her be this affectionate with her.

Instead…

Her heart felt sour.

It wasn’t until the two of them went into the house that she reluctantly drove the carriage into the courtyard, unhitched the horse from the cart, tied it to the wall, and threw it a handful of hay.

Then, she turned to Chen Ziyi and said, “I had something to do this afternoon, so I didn’t get to cut bamboo yet. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to wait for me for a bit.”

If she was quick, a round trip into the mountains should be no problem.

Chen Ziyi looked at the time and sighed. “I’ll go with you. We’ll be faster.”

Xiao Yu went to the kitchen to get a machete, and with a bamboo basket on each of their backs, they walked toward the back of the mountain.

In spring, the ground was covered with new grass, which was slippery to walk on and slowed them down. “Wait a moment,” Chen Ziyi suddenly squatted down, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Hidden in the grass were several tender, yellow mushroom caps.

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up. They were mushrooms.

She had seen them in the market before. She had even specifically asked an old lady selling mushrooms how to distinguish poisonous ones. These were clearly the same kind the old lady sold.

Mushrooms were a great ingredient, high in nutritional value. They would be perfect for stewing a nourishing soup for the young lady.

Chen Ziyi carefully pushed aside the grass. Such a good thing. Xiao Yu was a bit reluctant to let Chen Ziyi pick them, but he had found them first, so she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was watch as Chen Ziyi picked the mushrooms.

There were about ten of them in total. It should be enough to make a soup with an egg and a little bit of minced meat.

Xiao Yu was deep in thought, quietly following behind Chen Ziyi, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. She didn’t see another mushroom until they reached the bamboo forest.

Her heart began to scheme for the mushrooms in Chen Ziyi’s hand.

If she asked him for them, what were the chances he would give them to her?

If that didn’t work, she could buy them.

“These bamboos are good. Their thickness and flexibility are perfect for weaving baskets,” Chen Ziyi said, stopping in front of a few bamboos with a diameter of about five centimeters.

Some new branches had grown from the joints of the bamboo. The green leaves were strong, and the bamboo stalks were straight. They looked like bamboos that were four to five years old.

Chen Ziyi took out the machete from his waist and began to cut. Seeing this, Xiao Yu also chose a bamboo of similar size and began to cut it.

In no time, the two of them had cut more than ten stalks. They tied them together with vines and carried them back.

On the way back, Xiao Yu’s mind was still on those few mushrooms. She looked at Chen Ziyi, wanting to say something but hesitating.

“My father has already found a few people to help with your courtyard wall. They’re all skilled workers and won’t charge you. Just make sure to provide them with lunch. Let me know in advance when you’re ready to start,” Chen Ziyi said as they walked. Before he came, his father had specifically told him not to forget to mention this to Xiao Yu.

After hearing what Chen Ziyi said, Xiao Yu was stunned.

She originally had six hundred taels, and building a courtyard wall wouldn’t cost much. However, the young lady’s medicine alone cost three hundred taels for one dose. She was only left with three hundred taels. If she spent more…

She wouldn’t have enough money for the next dose of medicine.

But she couldn’t not build the courtyard wall either. It seemed she had to think about this more carefully when she got back.

“Okay, please thank the village head for me. I’ll let you know in advance when we’re ready to start,” Xiao Yu said.

“Now that you’re married, you should live a good life. Don’t hang out with those people anymore,” Chen Ziyi said, his voice a bit awkward. It wasn’t his place to say this, but they had grown up together, and he really didn’t want to see her hanging out with those worthless people anymore.

It would be good if she could change for the better.

Xiao Yu understood what Chen Ziyi meant. The original owner’s past actions had indeed hurt her friends. The fact that Chen Ziyi was saying this to her today showed that he still valued the original owner as a friend.

So…

Xiao Yu suddenly felt more confident. “Ziyi, could you give me those few mushrooms you picked today?”

Talking about money between friends would hurt their relationship.

“…”

Chen Ziyi was stunned. The topic had shifted too abruptly. After a moment, he nodded. “If you like them, you can have them.”

“Thank you. Do you know where else I can find this kind of mushroom?” Xiao Yu asked.

Chen Ziyi frowned. He and Xiao Yu used to pick them together in the mountains. Had she even forgotten that?

But then again, it made sense. They hadn’t played together for a few years, so it was normal for her to have forgotten.

Chen Ziyi said, “If you want to pick them, I can take you when I have time.”

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up. “Really?” That’s great. Now she could regularly make soup for the young lady.

Chen Ziyi couldn’t understand why she was so happy all of a sudden. He nodded blankly.

It was just picking some mushrooms.

As they were talking, the two of them had already carried the bamboos back to Xiao Yu’s small courtyard.

The noise startled the two people in the house, and Chen Yu and Song Luoning came out.

Chen Yu had helped Chen Ziyi weave bamboo baskets before. Seeing them return, she skillfully took the machete from Xiao Yu and, along with Chen Ziyi, cut off the branches around the bamboos and then split the bamboos into evenly proportioned strips.

Xiao Yu felt bad standing around. She took the mushrooms Chen Ziyi had given her into the kitchen, boiled a pot of hot water, and brought it out.

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