11 To continue to pretend or not? (1/2)
11 To continue to pretend or not?
Translator: Kats | Editor: Perriemix
Ye Jiayao slept until the sun was high in the sky, and when she woke up, Xia Chunyu had already left. A bunch of women's clothes was next to the pillow and they seemed all new. Are these the clothes Peng Wu brought here?
Ye Jiayao rummaged around the pile of clothes before settling on a silver and red halter-neck top, a piece of moon-white flowery Beizi (traditional Chinese gown), and a scarlet shirt. She took off the loose gown she was wearing and put the new clothes on. She got off the bed and was surprised to see eight colorful embroidered shoes neatly lined up for her.
What kind of woman doesn't like beautiful clothes and pretty shoes? Ye Jiayao's mood was suddenly lifted and she felt extremely giddy as she looked them over.
Ye Jiayao decided to forgive him for his viciousness and brutality. After all, he did the sorcerer's dance for her and she used him as footstool last night. He had also prepared so many beautiful new clothes for her today.
It certainly looked like anyone could change!
There was food spread out on the round table and the first thing she saw was a bowl of red, wild strawberries. Ye Jiayao smiled unconsciously. That man liked to talk tough but he had a kind heart.
After eating two wild strawberries, Ye Jiayao opened the nearby basket and found white porridge and buns inside. Surprisingly, the meat inside the buns has been taken out.
Wow! Who knew that he had such a caring and thoughtful side? She was so moved that she almost teared up. She ate the porridge and thought over on whether to keep pretending that she was sick or not. She wasn't sure if it was Mr. Liu's medicine or her good mood that cured her fever, but she would definitely deny that calling the ghost worked. She had received higher education in the 21st century, and she couldn't just blindly believe in that weird theory.
It was obvious that third-in-charge's patience was running thin and by continuing to challenge him, Ye Jiayao knew that it would eventually start to annoy and frustrate him. She knew that if she pushed him too hard, it wouldn't work out well.
Ye Jiayao finished her food and left the house. She spotted the open kitchen doors, the scent of medicine wafting over from it, and she went in to take a look. There, she found Song Qi squatted in front of the stove, boiling medicine for her.
”Song Qi,” she called
”Sister-in-law, you're up. That's great! You are finally okay now,” Song Qi said happily. Maybe now that she has recovered, third-in-charge would quit being mad all the time. Also, that meant there would be great food for them soon.
”Where is the third-in-charge?” Ye Jiayao asked.
”The third-in-charge left early this morning but he didn't say where he was going. Peng Wu took the brothers to practice and left me here to boil medicine for you,” he said and continued on afterthought, ”Oh, are those wild strawberries enough for you? I can go pick some more if you like. There are still plenty on the hill but they will be gone in a few days, so we should probably stock up.”
”Did you pick those wild strawberries?”
”Yes! I thought you liked them so I went to pick some earlier.”
”That wasn't what the third-in-charge requested?”
”It was such a piece of cake, there was no need for the request from the third-in-charge.” Song Qi laughed.
Ye Jiayao's mood dampened. She felt a bit disappointed as she thought third-in-charge had done everything for her.
”Thank you, Song Qi.” Ye Jiayao smiled reluctantly.
”No worries, you are my sister-in-law! You can ask for anything that you want!” Song Qi said cheerfully.
Ye Jiayao thoughts drifted and she asked, ”Did Peng Wu buy the realgar powder that you talked about before?”
”Yes, wait here and I will fetch it for you.” Song Qi handed the fan to her and ran to get the realgar powder.
”Here, he bought a huge bag of them. Should I pour it out now?” Song Qi asked as he came back. He hastily opened the paper package and the realgar powder burst out, fanning to his face and making his eyes tear up.
Ye Jiayao frowned. ”If you pour it just like this, it will be gone soon. Do we still have wine here?”
Song Qi nodded, his eyes still streaming.
”Bring a jug of wine here and stir the realgar powder in it evenly. We'll spray it around the courtyard, doors, and windows,” said Ye Jiayao.
Song Qi hesitated and said, ”There is only one jug left and that one is third-in-charge's favorite high-grade Shaoxing wine.”
”We can buy more wine after this,” Ye Jiayao said, thinking that it was definitely more important to keep insects and snakes away.
Song Qi wanted to protest and say that this wine was not that easy to buy. Last time they robbed a caravan, they only got 5 jugs in total and the third-in-charge was not willing to drink it. However, big sister asked, and Song Qi didn't want to disobey her. He would just have to blame her when third-in-charge asked. Song Qi went ahead to spray the mixture of realgar powder and wine to the surrounding of the house.
Meanwhile, Ye Jiayao opened the medicine jug and poured the medicine out. She could not stand the smell of that horrible concoction.
Xia Chunyu came down from the hill and gave the basket he had on his shoulder to Uncle Jiang. ”Uncle Jiang, can you give this to Song Qi? Tell him to plant it in the backyard.”
Uncle Jiang smiled. ”Yes, sure.”
”Oh, and ask Aunt Jiang to do me a favor.”
”Understood, I will get her now.”
Xia Chunyu looked in the direction of his yard and wondered how the woman was feeling. Her fever was gone when he left but still, he didn't know if she felt any better.