An hour after breakfast, Zhulan was cutting eggplant strips with Li Shi in the yard when the door opened.

Zhulan looked at Wang Ru, whose head was covered in blood and was being carried into the courtyard by the guards. Yao Zheyu felt deeply apologetic and said, “My carriage hit this young lady. The next door is all women, so I couldn’t go over there. I could only bring her here. I’m sorry for the trouble, Madam Xiucai.”

Zhulan twitched her lips. She really didn’t want to get involved, but with Yao Zheyu’s identity, she couldn’t refuse. She smiled dryly and motioned to the guards to carry Wang Ru into the main hall and put her on a chair. She didn’t allow Wang Ru to enter the bedroom anyway. Her room couldn’t work, and neither did her daughter’s. “Put the two chairs together and put her on the chair first.”

Fortunately, the chairs at home didn’t have armrests, and they could fit Wang Ru after putting two chairs together.

Then she said to Li Shi: “Go next door and call Wang Rong over. Remember to bring a blanket to cover Miss Wang to prevent her from catching a cold in the main hall where the wind is strong.”

Yao Zheyu, “…”

He had already investigated the situation next door. Wang Ru had long lost her reputation. If it weren’t for his status, the wife of Zhou Xiucai would not have allowed her in at all. Look at her, she only allowed Wang Ru to sit on a chair, not even letting her into the room.

Zhulan wouldn’t retreat without limits; even small individuals have their boundaries, and she also had a sense of propriety. Wang Ru had long lost her reputation, and Yao Zheyu must have changed his approach towards her. She didn’t need to worry about offending Yao Zheyu over such trivial matters.

Zhulan looked at Wang Ru’s forehead and took a breath of cold air. Wang Ru was really cruel to touch porcelain. The cut on her head was quite deep. If it weren’t for the guards carrying hemostatic medicine with them and stopping the bleeding on her forehead, whether Wang Ru would survive or not would be uncertain.

Yao Zheyu sat on one side, tapping his palm with the fan in his hand. He had thoroughly investigated Wang Ru and knew about her resentment towards Shi Qing. He deliberately lingered in the village, waiting for someone to bump into him. Then he gradually proceeded to show kindness and rescue Wang Ru, extracting useful information little by little.

He had calculated everything, but he overlooked Wang Ru’s temperament. It was truly foolish of her. There were plenty of opportunities for a chance encounter, yet she insisted on using a carriage collision. The horses in the Marquis’s residence were all retired warhorses, not easily approached by strangers. They were alert and not tame. If it weren’t for the skillful guards, the horse could have kicked the fool straight to the afterlife. All his efforts would have been in vain.

He regretted taking a gradual approach. It would have been better to abduct her once he found out enough information. As for extracting clear confessions, there were plenty of brutal interrogation methods, and he didn’t believe she could withstand them. Now, it was too late to abduct her. His stepmother must have known his whereabouts, and alarming Shi Qing would have been a missed opportunity.

Zhu Lan was unaware of the male lead’s thoughts, but she herself was feeling unsettled. She couldn’t help but curse inwardly. What a mess! Why did they all have to gather at the Zhou family’s house? It seemed like everyone was here!

When Zhao Shi heard the commotion, she had already carried Yu Shuang back to the house, and Xue Han also withdrew. Only Zhulan, Boss Zhou, and Second Zhou were in the main hall.

Xiao Si widened his eyes. Why wasn’t the lady of the house mentioning calling a doctor? Looking at the girl’s pale and somewhat bluish face, he was truly afraid. Seeing the lady of the house with such a bad complexion, it was indeed unkind of the young master to do this. If someone died in the Xiucai’s house, it would be very unlucky. The lady of the house must have been so angry that she forgot to call the doctor.

Xiao Si didn’t want the young master to risk his life and leave a clue, “Sir, the girl is not in good condition, it’s safe to ask a doctor to see her.”

Yao Zheyu glanced at Wang Ru. This fool still had some use. “Quickly ride to the county and fetch the best doctor. Explain the situation to the doctor and have them bring all the medicines to avoid any delays.”

Xiao Si also had some medical skills. He just checked her pulse and would explain the situation to the doctor, so the medicine should be brought accurately.

Xiao Si has followed the young master since he was a child. The calmer the young master’s tone, the worse his mood. “Yes.”

Zhulan wasn’t afraid of Wang Ru dying. They say calamity lasts a thousand years, and Wang Ru wouldn’t be such an easy cannon fodder. If she did become one, Zhulan wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, she would be happy about it!

Li Shi came back with Wang Rong and Wang Xin, followed by Zhang Sanni.

Wang Xin came in tremblingly, wiping tears, and threw herself on Wang Ru’s body, “What’s wrong with my sister? Why is she bleeding so much?”

Li Shi became angry as soon as she heard this and yelled back, “I just told you the reason more than once. Who are you crying for now? Who are you asking about?”

The crying was so fake, it was disgusting to watch!

Zhulan, “.”

If it weren’t for the inappropriate occasion, she would almost burst into laughter. Li Shi’s retort was excellent, and it lifted her mood somewhat. She was so straightforward and forthright, which was especially effective against such White lotus.

Wang Xin’s voice was stuck, she was demolished, she couldn’t cry anymore. Her face turned blue and white, and she didn’t know what to do for a moment.

Li Shi despised Wang Xin the most, she was pretentious and disgusting. Li Shi still remembered that the young master of the Hou family was there. When she saw her mother, she winked and stood behind her and whispered: “Mother.”

Zhulan patted Li Shi’s chubby hand, noticing that she had gained weight again this week. “It’s OK,” she said with a nod.

Wang Xin stole a glance at the young master sitting beside her, her heart pounding fiercely. Shi Gongzi was incomparable to Hóufǔ Gongzi. The Hóufǔ Gongzi had a cold and dignified demeanor, exuding an air of nobility. She delicately held a handkerchief and carefully wiped her sister’s forehead, tilting her head and saying, “Madam Xiucai, why not let my sister lie down inside instead of staying out in the main hall? Our sister’s health is not good, and if she falls ill, what will you do?”

Zhulan’s eyes gleamed with sarcasm. She had really come up with something clever, calculating against her like this. Li Shi was furious. Her mother-in-law had often lectured her with examples from next door, and even though she was slow, she had figured out Wang Xin’s scheming. She was so angry that she wanted to step forward.

As Li Shi was about to step forward, Zhu Lan felt a warm feeling in her heart. It wasn’t in vain that she cared for Li Shi. She gestured to Li Shi to stop her from speaking.

Li Shi stood obediently, the anger in her eyes dissipating. Instead, she seemed somewhat amused. It was her mother-in-law who was the most difficult to deal with in the family. Wang Xin had picked the wrong person to mess with.

Zhulan drank tea slowly and waited until Wang Xin had resentment in her eyes, then she said slowly: “Why is she not allowed to enter the bedrooms, don’t you know clearly?”

Wang Xin stiffened, biting her lip. She tried to divert the conversation, saying, “My sister is injured, and a life is at stake. Don’t you think it’s too harsh of you, Madam Xiucai?”

Zhulan thought to herself, “With more women, there are more troubles.” Wang Xin’s mind seemed to have opened up, activating her skills in house fights. With a sly smile, Zhulan said, “If I were really heartless, I wouldn’t have let you in just now, let alone allow Li to instruct you to bring the blanket. But what happened? You sisters didn’t listen at all. You didn’t even bring the blanket. It’s truly deep sisterly love!”

Wang Xin was stunned and turned around sharply, “Second sister, didn’t you bring a quilt?”

Wang Rong was so disgusted that she leaned over and apologized: “Sister said nonsense, Madam Xiucai, please don’t take it to heart, your heart is well-known in the village. Just look at the two sǎozi and anyone will know that there is no better mother-in-law in the village than Madam Xiucai.”

Zhulan had originally intended to continue tearing into Wang Xin and bring up the matter of reputation, but when she looked at Wang Rong, a rare intelligent girl, she saw many people gathered at the front door, and she couldn’t bear to involve Wang Rong. She didn’t want her to be criticized by the village women. Wang Rong had worked hard to earn back a bit of reputation for herself. “Medicine has been applied to Wang Ru to stop the bleeding and someone has already gone to fetch the doctor. Go back and get a blanket to cover her so she doesn’t catch a cold.”

Wang Rong was extremely grateful that Grandma Zhou did not hold on and said gratefully: ” Thank you, Madam Xiucai, I’ll go back and get the quilt right away.”

Yao Zheyu acted as a backdrop. At this moment, it wasn’t suitable for him to speak, but he watched the drama unfold. It truly broadened his horizons. Even in a small village like this, there were talents in house fights. However, he also admired Zhou Xiucai’s wife. She never wasted words, getting straight to the point, yet she still had a kind heart.

(End of chapter)

---