The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 24

Meanwhile, after bringing the dishes out, Xiao Yu immediately scurried back to the small courtyard. Having not seen her all morning, her thoughts had long flown to her young miss. She wondered if the young miss had eaten well that morning.

Without her there to keep an eye on her, she probably didn’t have much of an appetite.

That’s just how delicate and needy the young miss was.

Just thinking about it filled Xiao Yu’s heart with sweetness. Ah! After a busy morning, she finally had some free time. She quickened her steps to check on Song Luoning inside. It was good; the young miss was reading a book.

Her porcelain-white skin had a slight, healthy blush in the sunlight. Leaning against the bed curtain, her slender, willow-like waist looked even more delicate.

Xiao Yu only glanced at her, truly just a quick look. She hurriedly tidied up the dishes and slipped back into the kitchen, clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding like a drum, the sound almost deafening.

Just one look from the young miss was enough to be enchanting.

Who could possibly resist?

Song Luoning gently put down the book in her hand, her brow furrowed. What kind of look did that scoundrel just give her?

In the past, his eyes had practically been glued to her, but what was wrong with him today? He looked at her as if she were some kind of monster.

It was infuriating.

Xiao Yu took a moment to calm down, then took out the mushrooms she had gathered yesterday. She could stir-fry a plate of them later. She had also washed the rice last night, so eating rice for lunch would be nice.

Xiao Yu first put the rice on to steam. She would stir-fry the vegetables when the rice was almost done, since stir-frying them too early would make them cold. Once the rice was steaming, the stove still had a fire, and she didn’t need to keep an eye on it. Xiao Yu decided to go and dry the remaining mushrooms to save them for later.

The courtyard was small, so there wasn’t much space to use. She checked to see that the bamboo strips she had previously split were already dry. She tidied up the space, making it perfect for drying the mushrooms.

By the time she finished, the rice was ready. Lifting the lid, the rich aroma of the rice filled the entire courtyard. The stir-fried mushrooms also gave off an enticing fragrance.

It wasn’t long before a few villagers who were working came over and started talking to her from over the low wall.

“Xiao Yu, what are you making? It smells so good!” one villager said.

Xiao Yu frowned. She didn’t like being watched like this, but since they were all there to help, she couldn’t say anything. She forced herself to respond, “It’s nothing, just a home-cooked meal.” As she spoke, she transferred the stir-fried vegetables into a ceramic plate.

“It smells so good. How much oil did you use?” a villager shook his head, his expression full of regret.

“My wife would never be so generous,” he said.

“What do you know? Your wife’s cooking isn’t this good,” another villager teased him.

“And you’re talking? Would your wife be so generous?” the first villager retorted, a little disgruntled.

“…”

In the end, it seemed they were all there to call her wasteful.

Xiao Yu gave a dry laugh and, amidst their audible gulping, picked up the food. “Everyone, please take a break. I’m going to eat.” A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and walked into the house, closing the door on their gossip.

“My lady, come and eat. I made your favorite mushrooms.” Xiao Yu placed the food on the table, then expertly walked to the washstand, wet a cloth, and wrung it out. As Song Luoning sat down, she was about to help her wipe her hands.

Song Luoning’s body stiffened as her hands were held in a pair of cool palms. She instinctively tried to pull back, but Xiao Yu held on.

“Don’t move. Let me help you wipe your hands before we eat.”

“…”

A blush spread across Song Luoning’s face, reaching her ear tips.

She turned her face away and took a deep breath.

This scoundrel was trying to take advantage of her again.

“Eat quickly.” Xiao Yu turned and draped the cloth over the wooden basin, then sat down next to Song Luoning.

Song Luoning: “…”

“My lady, try some and see how it tastes.” Xiao Yu leaned closer.

“…”

Song Luoning’s body froze, her palms clenched. She could even feel the warm breath on her cheek, burning her skin.

He was getting bolder and bolder.

Coming to her senses, Song Luoning instinctively reached into her sleeve pocket, only to find it empty.

Damn it, the hairpin was hidden under the pillow.

Who would have thought this scoundrel would dare to take advantage of her in broad daylight?

If he dared to get any closer, she would bite him to death.

Xiao Yu was oblivious to Song Luoning’s complex thoughts. Seeing that she still hadn’t picked up her chopsticks, she picked up a mushroom and held it to the young miss’s lips.

“Good girl, open your mouth,” Xiao Yu said softly.

“…” Who are you trying to coax?

Song Luoning’s breath hitched. After a moment of hesitation, afraid he might do something even more outrageous, she closed her eyes and parted her lips to take it, her mood a mix of complicated feelings.

Watching her chew slowly, Xiao Yu’s face was full of satisfaction.

“Isn’t it delicious?”

Song Luoning concentrated on the food, trying to ignore the discomfort Xiao Yu was causing her.

The meal was a mix of a thousand different flavors.

Xiao Yu enjoyed the pleasure of feeding her and getting to be so close to her young miss.

This kind of time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was time to start working again. Xiao Yu reluctantly took one last look at her young miss and left the courtyard. A lot of sand had been dug in the morning, and the foundation had been dug in a straight line.

Seeing her approach, Chen Ziyi wiped his sweat, put the towel on his shoulder, and said, “We need stones for the foundation. I’ll take a few people to get some this afternoon. The rest will continue digging the foundation.”

Xiao Yu hadn’t yet recovered from the feeling of being separated from her young miss. She looked dispirited. Glancing at the few people still working, she saw they wouldn’t finish their section anytime soon. She also needed a large stone herself, so she might as well go with them and see if she could find a suitable one.

Xiao Yu said, “I’ll go with you.” She then remembered something. “By the way, are there any other free people in the village? If they want to work and earn money, you can call them over.”

“I’ll ask around. I think there are,” Chen Ziyi replied.

Xiao Yu nodded.

Getting the stones required ox carts. The few people Chen Ziyi found all had ox carts. Xiao Yu didn’t want to take advantage of them, so she offered an extra ten coins for the labor of the carts.

“A-yu, what you’re paying is already enough. You don’t need to pay extra. This price is more than what people can earn in a day outside,” Chen Ziyi said.

“That’s right, you don’t need to add the ox cart fee. Twenty coins is enough, just like for us,” another villager chimed in.

“That’s right.”

“That’s right.”

Everyone was struggling. Earning twenty coins a day was already an excellent job for them. How could they ask for more? The other people all agreed.

Xiao Yu smiled. She felt the sincerity of the group and her heart warmed. This was the first time she had felt such goodwill from strangers since she had transmigrated here.

However, she also had her own principles. She didn’t belong in this place and didn’t know when she might leave, so it was better not to owe anyone a favor.

The place to get stones was by the river at the foot of the mountain. Following the small river next to Xiao Yu’s house upstream, they arrived in half an hour.

The stones here were left behind when a landslide occurred during a heavy rain. The mud had long since been washed away by the river, leaving only these stones. Looking around, there were stones of all sizes, some of which had even been made smooth and round by the water.

The few of them parked their ox carts by the river, rolled up their trouser legs, and waded into the water to start moving stones. Xiao Yu helped for a while. There were no really big ones; most were small enough to be carried with two hands. They were the perfect size for building a wall, but not for making a mortar and pestle.

What Xiao Yu wanted was a large stone, preferably granite or something similar—a hard material so the mortar and pestle would be strong.

She looked around but didn’t find the stone she had envisioned.

“Have you all loaded enough?” a villager called out.

“Almost,” the others replied. They went back and forth a few more times, and the ox carts were filled to the brim, ready to go back.

Xiao Yu stopped Chen Ziyi and asked, “Are there any large, hard-textured stones around here?”

Chen Ziyi didn’t understand why she suddenly asked this. After thinking for a moment, he pointed to the mountain behind them. “If you follow the river further in, you’ll reach the foot of the mountain. The stones there are big because the river water doesn’t wash over them. What do you need that for?”

When Xiao Yu heard that the stones there were large, her heart stirred. Although she didn’t have high hopes, since she was already here, she might as well check. And she knew the way back.

She immediately said to Chen Ziyi, “You all go back first. I’m going to take a look.”

“I’ll go with you,” Chen Ziyi said, stopping her. He handed his ox cart to another villager. “You’re not familiar with this area. Anyway, they’ll have to come back in a bit, so we can wait here.”

That’s what he said. Xiao Yu pondered for a moment and then didn’t refuse. This was good. If she couldn’t find a suitable stone, she could ask him for more information. She didn’t believe that in such a big place, she couldn’t find even one large stone.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you,” Xiao Yu said.

Chen Ziyi gave a good-natured smile, scratching the back of his head with one hand. “Don’t mention it. We’ll be one family soon.”

Xiao Yu: “…”

Sigh. Xiao Yu frowned slightly. She was a little uncomfortable with that statement. Although the two families were arranging a marriage, Chen Yu wasn’t married to Chen Ziyi yet. It was a bit too early to say that.

What if?

There was always a “what if.”

“Let’s not mix things up. We should still be polite. Even blood brothers should settle their accounts clearly.” Xiao Yu didn’t say more. After all, he had indeed helped her a lot, and saying something too harsh would hurt their relationship.

However, this incident made her even more determined to repay his favor, not just for herself but also because it involved the original owner’s cousin.

The two quickly reached the foot of the mountain. It was indeed as Chen Ziyi had said; the stones here were very large. The mountain had been weathered by rainwater for a long time, exposing a whole area of rock.

She hadn’t expected the entire mountain to be made of granite.

Xiao Yu was excited. After the previous letdown, she hadn’t had much hope for this place, but she had been pleasantly surprised.

It was a delightful and unexpected find.

Xiao Yu chose a piece of granite with a smooth surface, pointed to it, and asked, “Can this stone be transported back?”

Chen Ziyi was stunned when he saw where she was pointing. The stone was at least seven or eight hundred catties. They could transport it, but what did she need such a large stone for?

“Can’t it be transported? I think the ox cart can handle it. I just don’t know how many people it would take to lift it.” Xiao Yu pondered to herself.

“We can transport it, but… what do you need such a big stone for?” Chen Ziyi couldn’t help but ask.

Who would just bring such a big stone home? It would take up so much space, and he couldn’t think of any use for it.

“I have a use for it.” With that, Xiao Yu showed Chen Ziyi a wide, toothy grin.

Her voice was bright and full of a youthful sense of triumph.

Chen Ziyi didn’t quite agree but didn’t ask any more questions. He looked at the stone from every angle but couldn’t figure out what it could possibly be used for.

“Let’s go see if they’ve come back yet.” Xiao Yu couldn’t wait to move this stone back.

Chen Ziyi took one last look at the stone and walked behind Xiao Yu, his eyes on her light footsteps. He couldn’t help but frown. He really couldn’t understand. It was just a stone, why was she so happy about it?

Someone who didn’t know any better would think she had found a treasure.

Xiao Yu and Chen Ziyi returned to the river where they had loaded the stones earlier. It wasn’t long before the other villagers returned with their ox carts.

Xiao Yu first had them help her load the large stone she wanted onto a cart, then filled the rest of the carts, and they started heading back.

Once they got back, Xiao Yu didn’t have them pull the stones into the empty lot. Instead, they unloaded them outside the courtyard gate.

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