Yu Shu waited at the back door for an hour before she saw Yu Xiaoxiu come out. She put away the copper coins and waited for him to walk over before she went up to greet him. It took you so long to come out. Did you see Aunt Liu?
Yu Xiaoxiu turned his head to look at the guards who were watching them at the back door. His expression changed slightly. He pulled Yu Shu quickly to the end of the street and handed two pairs of insoles to her. "I saw them. Here, Aunt Liu made them and asked me to give them to you."
Yu Shu's attention was on the handmade insoles in her hands. She didn't notice Yu Xiaoxiu's strange expression and was dragged away from the Ji residence by him.
When the two of them returned home, Auntie Hu was brewing medicine. Yu Shu handed the big and small bags to Yu Xiaoxiu to put back into the house. She went to the kitchen to thank Auntie Hu and got a pastry for her to take home to try. After sending Auntie Hu out, they returned to the bedroom. Zhao Hui and He Fangzhi were praising Yu Xiaoxiu's new clothes. Yu Xiaoxiu stood by the bed in embarrassment and reached out to let Zhao Hui pull his sleeve to look at it.
Zhao Hui sat against the headboard. She had been recovering from her illness for a month and her complexion had improved. Although she still had to rest in bed, it didn't matter if she got up occasionally to sit for a while.
Zhao Hui looked up and saw Yu Shu come in. She smiled at her and said, "The clothes fit him well, and the material is good."
"It's rare to buy clothes for him." Yu Shu walked over to greet He Fangzhi. "Doctor He, how is my Aunt Huei today?"
He Fangzhi had already taken Zhao Hui's pulse. She packed up the medicine box and said, "I haven't seen her have a headache for the past three to four days. It looks like she's fine tonight. She should be able to get out of bed tomorrow and go out to the yard to bask in the sun. But not too much, just a cup of tea after a meal." Yu Shu and Zhao Hui were delighted at the same time. Zhao Hui had been lying in bed for a month. For the first half of the month, she ate, drank, and defecated in bed. Later, she could barely get out of bed to relieve herself. Now that He Fangzhi allowed her to get out of bed and walk, it clearly meant that Zhao Hui's condition was much better.
He Fangzhi saw that Zhao Hui was in high spirits and was very relieved. He Fangzhi felt very relieved. He Fangzhi packed her things and warmly said to Zhao Hui, "I'm going back to the clinic., I'll come back tomorrow."
"Thank you," Zhao Hui said. "Xiaoxiu, see Mr. He out."
He Fangzhi said, "Let Xiao Yu see me off. I happen to have something to ask of her."
Yu Shu agreed and followed He Fangzhi out. When they were outside, He Fangzhi pulled out two lists for her to see. "Everything's fine for the next two days. In the future, you won't need to use such expensive medicine. This is the new prescription, and this is the list of herbs to pick. Take it to the Chamber of Commerce and ask."
Yu Shu listened to He Fangzhi's last sentence and understood what he meant. The medicinal herbs on the market were 20% more expensive during this season, but the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce could buy cheaper medicinal herbs. He Fangzhi was afraid that Yu Shu would be too embarrassed to ask him, so he took the initiative to bring it up.
"Doctor He, do you have these medicinal herbs in the clinic?"
"We do." However, it wasn't as cheap as getting the medicine directly from the pharmacist. He Fangzhi had a boss, so he could only give them a fair price at most.
"That's good. Just get the medicine from the clinic. Just tell me how much money you need." Yu Shu had her own way of dealing with people. If people respected her, she would respect them tenfold. If people treated her well, she would return the favor. He Fangzhi had already done his best to help Zhao Hui's condition. Even if she was good at calculating, she wouldn't be stingy with money. He Fangzhi nodded and looked at the delicate Yu Shu in front of him. He sighed in his heart. It was a pity that such a sensible, generous, and affectionate child was born to a girl.
***
That night, Zhao Hui slept soundly and didn't have a headache. On the contrary, Yu Xiaoxiu was lying on the bed outside, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Yu Shu woke up in the middle of the night to drink some water. She went out to tuck Yu Xiaoxiu in the blanket. However, in the middle of winter, she vaguely saw his eyes open. She sat down by his bed and lowered her head to whisper, "You woke up from a dream?"
Yu Xiaoxiu shook his head. He stretched his arm out from under the blanket and grabbed Yu Shu's hand. He whispered, "Sis."
Yu Shu's heart softened when she heard his voice, "Yes, what's wrong?"
"Today, I had a good time today. I bought new clothes and shoes, watched a puppet show, and even went to a big restaurant to eat." He didn't even dare to think about these good things in the past. He could only secretly envy others. He envied those children who had parents who loved them and cared for them. He envied them for wearing good clothes and living in a big house. But now, he wasn't envious anymore.
He really felt that his current life was good. He didn't need to live in a big house, and he didn't need to wear good clothes … He only wanted his sister. Yu Shu thought that he was too excited during the day and couldn't sleep at night. She patted his stomach gently and said, "I know. Hurry up and sleep. Aunt Huei will be able to walk tomorrow. When she recovers, I'll bring you out to play."
"… Okay."
Yu Shu sat by the bed and patted Yu Xiaoxiu's back. She waited for his breathing to stabilize before returning to the house quietly.
***
"Sis, I'm going to the private school."
"Be careful on the way back. Come back early for dinner."
Yu Shu poked her head out of the kitchen and shouted at Yu Xiaoxiu's back view. She put away the dishes and took off her apron. She went to Cao Zixin's house opposite and knocked on the door. When there was no response, she turned around and went back home.
Zhao Hui was especially energetic this morning. After the sun rose, Yu Shu draped a coat over her and helped her to walk around the small courtyard. After walking for a while, even without Yu Shu's persuasion, Zhao Hui willingly let her help her to lie on the bed. She said to her, "Go out and do your work. I'll lie here by myself. I'll call you if there's anything."
"Okay."
Yu Shu took a thick book and a stack of toilet paper from the bedside. She went to the opposite dining table and continued to calculate the part that she didn't finish yesterday.
She flipped open the book. Almost every few pages, there would be a piece of paper filled with calculations. There were some sentences that were marked with a charcoal pen. This book was the one that she had her eyes on at the Kong Family's Barter Shop. It was filled with detailed records of the Eight Character Calamity. That day, when she got the cheap medicinal ingredients from Tai Heng Commerce, she steeled her heart and bought this book. Speaking of which, it was depressing. The "Time of Calamity" law that she was seeking was much more difficult to deduce than she had imagined. She had been racking her brains for the past few days, and she even had a cheating master like Qing Zheng who would answer every question she asked. Yet, she still couldn't pass the trial smoothly. She was stuck on the most crucial numerical direction, making no progress at all.
Comparatively speaking, her Horoscope of the Horoscope of Rain was much more adorable. After all, it was something that she already had in her hands. It brought her a lot of practical convenience. She habitually calculated the weather for the next five days in the morning, noon, and evening and wrote it in a booklet. Whenever she thought of it, she would look at it. She wouldn't miss washing clothes on a sunny day or drying a quilt on a rainy day.
Just as Yu Shu was eating, sleeping, and immersing herself in her academic work, a small dark cloud shrouded the sky above the Ji Mansion in the east of the city.
As for the reason, it was funny that it was because of the siblings that people turned a blind eye to in the past. A few days ago, Ji Hyotani met Yu Xiaoxiu and asked him to find Yu Shu. As soon as Yu Xiaoxiu left, he simply ran away. He didn't return home and didn't even go to the private school.
It wasn't surprising that Yu Xiaoxiu ran away, but once he left, no one in the Ji family knew where Yu Shu was now.
In the main courtyard, Old Lady Ji sat on a wooden armchair with a long face. Her hands were folded on top of her walking stick. Her eldest and second sons were sitting by her side, and only her third son was standing alone. The door to the living room was half-closed, and there were two quiet maidservants standing guard outside.
"Did you grow up backwards? The older you get, the more incompetent you are? Previously, when you brought Xingxuan to that foul gambling den, your second brother and second sister-in-law couldn't say anything about it, so I turned a blind eye. Now that I'm asking you to find someone, you can't even handle it properly. What else can you do? "
Old Lady Ji's walking stick knocked on the ground. Ji Xiaochun and Ji Xiaohan looked at each other and comforted, "Mother, please calm down. Don't be angry and harm your health. Third brother, he …"
"All of you, shut up. Let him speak for himself." Old Lady Ji glared at them and turned to Ji Hyotani, "We can't find that wicked girl. This is a private matter, and we can't put up a notice to look for her. Now, how do you expect me to deal with the Xue family? They will come from the capital in a few days. Do you want me to send your daughter to jump into the fire pit? Speak! "
"Mother, please calm down." Ji Hyotani bowed down, "It's my fault. I didn't expect that I raised a pair of ungrateful wolves. They just beat them up and they ran away. Mother, please don't be impatient. I have sent a large number of people to investigate. Our family's master has calculated that they are still in the east of the city. They can't go anywhere. I promise you that I will find them in three days. If I can't find them, I will personally explain to the Xue family."
"Explain?" Old Lady Ji sneered, "What do you need to explain? Who do you think the Xue family is? This is not the branch of the Liu family's daughter married, but the main family! That Minister Xue is a veteran of three dynasties. Imperial Concubine Xue is favored. It is said that even the prime minister has to respect him. Any housekeeper in his house, your brother-in-law, a dignified county magistrate, has to be polite to him. Why would he listen to an explanation from a businessman like you? If they find out that we are delaying and offending the Xue family, can a businessman like you bear the responsibility? "
Ji Hyotani clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves. He knew that because he couldn't inherit his father's business and he didn't have any outstanding children, his mother had always disliked him. It wasn't the first time she used his identity as a businessman to ridicule him. However, half of the daily expenses of the Ji family depended on his third branch.
He was angry in his heart. He couldn't disrespect his mother, so he was even more angry at the two children who caused trouble for her.
"Mother, why don't … why don't we ask Daoist Master Qing Zheng for help and give us a direction? With that Daoist Master's abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find someone in the east of the city," Ji Xiaochun said. Old Lady Ji looked at him and thought for a moment. She sighed and said, "This is the only way. Later, you and I will go to Jing Shang Tang together. If we really can't find that thief girl, we will have to replace her. Second Brother, who else in the family has the worst fate?"
Ji Xiaochun looked at Ji Hyotani and said softly, "It's Ji Rong."
Ji Xiaochun's back stiffened. That was his eldest daughter. Although she was born by a concubine, she was still his eldest daughter!
Old Lady Ji frowned and looked at Ji Hyotani's expression. She softened her tone and said sincerely, "Third Brother, you have to understand that this is all for the sake of our Ji family. Xingxuan's marriage has the appearance of purple gold. If she can marry a prince, of course, it will be the best. If not, she won't miss the opportunity of Xue family."
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