Chapter 168: Pity
Fenghua Pavilion. Jiang Yihuan was watching Yang Quan make cosmetics when she heard Xiao Yanci talking with the shop assistant outside. She instructed Yang Quan to take it slow, turned around, and went out the door.
Yang Quan watched her back, touched the black birthmark on his face, his eyes full of inferiority.
He had heard that Doctor Jiang at the opposite Peach Blossom Workshop also had a birthmark, but recently hers had been fading more and more. Did that mean the birthmark on his face could disappear too?
If the birthmark on his face disappeared, would Miss Jiang look at him a few more times?
Jiang Yihuan pulled open the door and went out, trotting to meet Xiao Yanci.
“Xiao Gege, how do you have time to come back today?”
Xiao Yanci showed a troubled expression: “I want to ask you to help with something.”
“Xiao Gege, what are you saying? Do we need to be so formal between us?” Jiang Yihuan’s eyes reddened. “You don’t care about me anymore now, do you?”
“Nonsense.” Xiao Yanci tenderly touched her hair. “How could I not care?”
Xiao Yanci hated most to see her cry. As soon as she cried, he felt that everyone else was at fault, that heaven was unfair, and that she had done nothing wrong. Even if what she had done before had displeased him, he forgot it in this moment.
She was still just a teenage young girl, unlike him with the appearance of twenty but actually a nearly forty-year-old man. Her temperament naturally couldn’t compare to his, yet he had been so harsh on her.
“Then why are you being so distant with me? You must blame me for not taking care of you when you were sick. I don’t have Eldest Sister-in-law Wen’s thoughtfulness, nor am I as good at caring for people as she is. I’m just stupid, I don’t know how to do anything. If I knew how to cook, how to decoct medicine, how to wipe your body, I would…”
“Alright, alright.” Xiao Yanci hugged Jiang Yihuan. “I wouldn’t bear to have you do these things. Don’t say silly things.”
“Then can we be as good as before?” Jiang Yihuan looked at him with her rabbit-like eyes red. “Will you still tell me everything like before and completely trust me?”
“Of course. In this world, you’re the only one I care about now.”
“Then tell me, what do you want me to do? No matter the conditions, no matter how difficult, I can definitely do it. I usually can’t help you, so it’s rare for you to come to me for help.”
Jiang Yihuan broke into a smile through her tears.
Xiao Yanci suddenly didn’t know how to speak up.
“Tell me!” Jiang Yihuan urged.
“Can you lend me twenty taels of silver?” Xiao Yanci hesitated repeatedly but still spoke up.
If there were any other way, he wouldn’t have asked. But now, besides Jiang Yihuan, he couldn’t find a way to earn money for the time being.
“I don’t have that much silver on hand. You know my mother doesn’t let me touch silver.” Jiang Yihuan showed a determined expression. “But wait for me, I’ll figure something out for you.”
“You’re not thinking of stealing your mother’s money, are you?”
“How could it be stealing? I have my own wages, but my mother is afraid I’ll spend them recklessly and won’t give them to me. I just need to take out my share. Alright, don’t worry about it!”
Xiao Yanci was still very worried. Though Zhong Lanhua was usually decent to Jiang Yihuan with food and clothing, when it came to silver, she was like a miser and wouldn’t let Jiang Yihuan touch it at all.
If his paintings and poems hadn’t been unsellable recently, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament.
It was strange—suddenly a Young Master Sheyu appeared, riding roughshod over him. Whether paintings or poems, in just a few days they became famous throughout the city, causing his own paintings and poems to sell poorly.
“Eldest Sister-in-law Wen is injured and needs someone to care for her. I still have to return to the academy. So the silver matter will trouble you. But rest assured, I’ll pay it back later.”
Jiang Yihuan tugged at his clothes: “You’re borrowing silver for her?”
“She’s injured and needs treatment. Without consultation fees, the doctor won’t make a house call, let alone prescribe medicine. I’ve been busy with studies lately and have no time to take on work, so I’m a bit short on cash.”
“Xiao Gege is so good to her. Before, seeing her beaten so badly, I felt quite sorry for her. If getting beaten means Xiao Gege will personally care for you, I’d rather it be me who’s injured.”
“Saying silly things again.” Xiao Yanci touched her hair. “Alright, I first…”
Jiang Yihuan threw herself at Xiao Yanci and kissed his cheek.
Xiao Yanci was stunned.
Jiang Yihuan shyly ran back to the room.
Xiao Yanci stood in place for a long time until a cool wind blew over. Dressed thinly, he caught a chill, shivered, and then came back to his senses.
Actually, compared to Su Yaoguang, Jiang Yihuan was his rightful wife. The sweet and loving memories of their previous life were still vivid to this day. From a shy young girl to a woman full of charm, he had witnessed every stage of her changes with his own eyes.
Xiao Yanci was in a great mood, his steps light and floating.
He strode out the door and, just reaching the doorway, saw Su Yaoguang chasing Zhou Wangshu back from outside. The two were play-fighting and laughing, looking exceptionally intimate.
The two spotted him, and the smiles on their faces vanished.
Zhou Wangshu put his arm around Su Yaoguang’s shoulders and said to her: “I told you not to go out in the middle of the night. Going out late at night makes it easy to run into ghosts.”
“Older sister specializes in exorcising ghosts. What’s there to fear?” Su Yaoguang ruffled Zhou Wangshu’s hair.
“Your hair is messy.”
“Little brat, you’re pretty particular about your image.”
“Who are you calling a little brat?” Zhou Wangshu felt he had lost face and chased after Su Yaoguang into Peach Blossom Workshop.
Xiao Yanci sneered: “Is this a husband or a son?”
“Splash!” A bucket of water was thrown out.
Xiao Yanci was drenched to the bone.
He glared angrily at Zhou Wangshu who had thrown the water: “You did that on purpose!”
Zhou Wangshu put one hand on his hip, lifted his chin, unyielding even if not in the right: “What else? My eyes are sharp—I don’t splash others, only you, of course on purpose. Mr. Xiao, we both know what’s up with that needle. We haven’t pursued it to the end doesn’t mean it’s settled. Remember this: I’m keeping score on this debt.”
“You… How could Su Yaoguang fall for a man like you? Her taste is getting worse.”
Su Yaoguang poked out from behind Zhou Wangshu, snatched the wooden basin from his hand, and hurled it straight toward Xiao Yanci.
Xiao Yanci wanted to dodge.
The wooden basin landed at his feet.
He said smugly: “You think I’m stupid enough to stand here and wait for you…”
Bang! Su Yaoguang took off her shoe and flung it, hitting Xiao Yanci squarely on the head.
Xiao Yanci felt his head buzz, lost consciousness entirely, and his heavy body toppled over.
“Still claiming you’re not stupid—with a brain like that, how smart can it be?” Su Yaoguang said. “Say, should we play something stimulating?”
“How stimulating?” Zhou Wangshu said as he picked up Su Yaoguang’s shoe and placed it by her feet.
