"I want to take it with me."
Ye Jiao's words surprised Dong Da a little. After all, although this small plant bloomed out of season, it would die within a year. Besides being used as decoration, it had no other practical use. It was not edible or wearable, and the flowers were so small and pitiful, far less gorgeous than other flowers.
However, Dong Da agreed without any hesitation. Being able to make Ye Jiao happy with a Saxifraga stolonifera plant seemed like a great deal to him.
He called a young servant over to move the Saxifraga stolonifera out. Ye Jiao said, "Since it grows on rocks, let's put a rock in the flowerpot."
Ye Jiao remembered clearly that it grew on rocks. If it was only buried in soil, this little thing would feel stifled and die soon.
Obviously, it did not like to eat soil either.
Dong Da immediately smiled and said, "You are right, Young Madam." Then he turned to the young servant and said, "Hurry up and find a rock."
The young servant found a rock and placed it in the flowerpot, fixing it with field mud on the side. After the Saxifraga stolonifera was moved in, it was still flaunting its red little flowers, but it looked much more lively than before.
Ye Jiao was about to carry the flowerpot herself, but Xiao Su quickly took it over and held it in her arms, saying, "Let me do it, Young Madam, lest your hands get dirty."
Xiao Su had heard Qi Yun say this to Ye Jiao last time. That man did not even want Ye Jiao to touch chicken feed, let alone this.
Thinking of her own little black dog with a bald tail, Xiao Su wrinkled her nose.
Ye Jiao did not insist. She took Xiao Su into the front hall and asked as they walked, "Steward Dong, is Saxifraga stolonifera easy to find?"
Dong Da immediately replied, "Not many. It is small and delicate to begin with, and it can only live for one year. Ordinary people don't really recognize it, so I'm afraid it's not easy to find more."
Ye Jiao felt a little regretful, but she was not greedy.
Being able to encounter one plant was already lucky, so she could not ask for more.
When they arrived at the front hall, Granny Liu had already brought up the egg custard, along with two other small dishes.
Ye Jiao went to wash her hands and took a seat. Seeing Xiao Su staring at her eagerly, she could not help but laugh and said to Granny Liu, "Give her a bowl too. Granny Liu, you should also eat some. I'm afraid you are all hungry after the journey."
Xiao Su immediately smiled. Granny Liu did not refuse either. After thanking Ye Jiao, she took a portion of the dishes to the side to eat. Ye Jiao also scooped out a portion of the egg custard for Xiao Su.
Ye Jiao's eyes were fixed on the small flowers of the Saxifraga stolonifera, her mind filled with thoughts on how to raise this little thing. She absentmindedly scooped a spoonful of egg custard into her mouth.
She did not know what egg custard was. She only remembered it because Ye Bao had been muttering about it just now.
When the egg custard entered her mouth, Ye Jiao felt it was exceptionally smooth and soft, and she could chew the chicken rong mixed in it. Paired with sesame oil, it left a lingering fragrance in her mouth.
Originally, Ye Jiao had just said it casually, but after tasting it, she could not stop. In the end, she finished a full bowl.
Rubbing her belly, Ye Jiao exhaled.
It was really good to be human.
After finishing the meal, Ye Jiao took the flowerpot with the Saxifraga stolonifera and sat in the ox cart to head back.
As soon as she arrived home, she immediately returned to her own courtyard, her steps extremely fast. Xiao Su had to jog to keep up.
When Ye Jiao pushed open the door, she saw at a glance that Qi Yun was sitting behind the table, wearing an outer garment. He looked at her with some surprise, seemingly not expecting Ye Jiao to return so quickly.
Ye Jiao's bright eyes widened a little, and her soft lips pursed slightly.
Qi Yun felt a little puzzled. Usually, Ye Jiao loved to talk and laugh. This was the first time he had seen Ye Jiao like this. He could not help but wonder in his heart if his wife was angry.
Fearing that the cold air would enter, Ye Jiao called Xiao Su, who was holding the flowerpot, to come in with her, and then quickly closed the door.
When she turned around, her brows were furrowed. "Husband, you promised to recuperate well. What if you catch a cold again?"
To recuperate well, one should lie in bed properly. How could he come down?
Only then did Qi Yun understand that Ye Jiao was worried about him. He could not help but smile, put down the pen in his hand, and said gently, "I slept for half a day, and my body was numb. I just got up to eat and thought it was still early, so I came to take a look at the accounts."
"It's still better to go back and lie down. You mustn't catch a cold again." Ye Jiao wanted to support him, but seeing that Qi Yun was wearing sleepwear while she had not changed her clothes, she was afraid that the cold air on her body would affect him. Ye Jiao stopped in her tracks. "You go lie down by yourself. I'll watch over you here."
Qi Yun did not feel dizzy after waking up. Instead, he felt a rare comfort. However, hearing the concern in Ye Jiao's words made Qi Yun feel warm in his heart. He did not refuse and immediately stood up to go to the bed, covering himself tightly with the quilt.
Only after wrapping himself up did Qi Yun look at Ye Jiao, his eyes gentle. "Why did you come back so early today?"
Seeing that he was obedient, Ye Jiao's brows relaxed, and she said with a smile on her face, "I was worried about you, so I came back."
These words were direct and honest. Little Ginseng had always been someone who said whatever was on her mind. However, when Qi Yun heard it, he felt a warmth in his heart.
It was warm and cozy, warming up to the bottom of his heart.
Ye Jiao did not notice the subtle emotions on Qi Yun's face. She continued, "On the way back, I went to the herb garden and brought back a plant of this."
Xiao Su had been standing obediently to the side. Hearing Ye Jiao's words, she immediately raised the flowerpot in her arms.
With just a glance, Qi Yun said, "Saxifraga stolonifera is indeed rare. It's not easy to encounter it."
Ye Jiao was a little surprised. "Husband, you also know about it?" Didn't Dong Da say it was not very common?
Qi Yun did not think it was anything strange. He said softly, "I have nothing to do most of the time, so I read a lot of miscellaneous books. I remember seeing it written in a book."
"Husband is really amazing!"
"What's so amazing about this?" Although he said that, there was still a smile on Qi Yun's face.
However, Ye Jiao was very insistent. Being able to remember what one read in books, her husband was indeed much more amazing than others.
However, very quickly, Qi Yun seemed to think of something and asked, "Did you not go to see Mother after you came back?"
Ye Jiao honestly shook her head. "No, I didn't."
Qi Yun smiled and said, "You should still go see her. No matter where us brothers go, we always go to let Mother see us when we come back. Now that you've married me, you're considered Mother's half-daughter. It's good to inform Mother when you return home."
Ye Jiao had always listened to his words. She immediately nodded. "I remember."
"When you go, you don't need to say much. Just say that everything went well during this return visit."
Ye Jiao regarded this as one of the things she needed to learn after becoming human and replied obediently, "Okay."
However, before going out, Ye Jiao instructed Xiao Su, "This pot of Saxifraga stolonifera should be placed in a sunny spot in the room. Don't move it out."
Seeing Xiao Su nod, she then went out to visit Madam Liu's courtyard.
Xiao Su immediately went to place the flowerpot, but she could not hide the surprise on her face.
She had been working at the Qi family for nearly two years. From the first time she saw Qi Yun, she had never seen this Second Young Master Qi have any good temper.
He was always silent, with a stern face, like a living dead person.
Let alone smiling, she had not even heard him speak a few times.
But just now, Qi Yun smiled so gently at Ye Jiao, and his voice was also warm. Although his face was still pale, there was a lot more vitality.
Xiao Su suddenly felt that she might have misunderstood Second Young Master before. Could it be that he just had a bad complexion, but his heart was actually gentle?
However, when Xiao Su finished placing the flowerpot and turned to look at Qi Yun, she was met with a cold face.
A white face with black eyes, his expression was gloomy, no different from his usual scary appearance!
Xiao Su felt a chill down her spine, and her body stiffened. She just wanted to slap herself from a moment ago.
What was she thinking!
The gentle Second Young Master from just now was indeed an illusion!
Qi Yun sat up halfway on the bed, leaning against the pillow, his eyes looking towards Xiao Su.
Xiao Su jumped up like a rabbit, standing straight as a rod.
However, Qi Yun had no intention of making things difficult for her. He asked indifferently, "Why exactly did Jiao'er come back so early?"
It was the same question. Ye Jiao could say that she was worried about Qi Yun, and that was indeed what she thought in her heart. However, Qi Yun did not really believe it.
Xiao Su did not hide anything. Like a bamboo tube pouring out beans, she clearly explained everything that had just happened, one by one.
When he heard that the Ye family had not prepared a return banquet, Qi Yun frowned slightly.
When he heard that Ye Jiao had avoided Second Madam Ye, Qi Yun let out a light cough.
And when he heard Ye Bao's shouting, Qi Yun said, "Enough."
Although there was no emotional fluctuation in his voice, it immediately silenced Xiao Su.
Qi Yun really did not expect the Ye family to be so lacking in understanding of hierarchy, unable to even handle a superficial matter properly.
Closing the door, they could not manage their own family affairs well. Opening the door, they did not know how to save face.
This time, when Madam Liu let Ye Jiao go back, it was also to give her a chance to see clearly. In the future, she should not have any contact with that family.
Now it seemed that the Ye family was even more unreliable than imagined.
It would be best if they behaved themselves in the future. If they did not behave themselves...
Thinking of this, Qi Yun remained expressionless. He waved his hand to let Xiao Su leave. The little girl immediately went out the door, carefully closing it, and then ran away without looking back.
Qi Yun, on the other hand, lifted the quilt, put on his shoes, and walked to the table. He picked up the account book.
Opening it, he took out Second Young Master Ye's IOU from inside.
Unfolding it and taking a look, Qi Yun calmly placed this note, which should have been destroyed, into a wooden box, locked it, and put it into the cabinet after opening the door.
Taking the account book from the table, Qi Yun returned to the bed. Wearing an outer garment and covered with a quilt, he leaned halfway against the head of the bed and calmly opened the account book.
Just then, Ye Jiao returned.
Seeing his wife, the ice and snow on Qi Yun's face immediately melted, and his eyes were gentle.
Seeing that Qi Yun was still lying properly in bed, she also smiled. She put the food box she was holding on the table. "You slept a lot in the morning and missed the time to take your medicine. It's the same if you make it up now. I'll bring it to you after I change my clothes."
Qi Yun let out a soft "Mm," his face exceptionally calm.
These medicines were all the same no matter how he took them. He had been taking medicine since he was born, drinking bowl after bowl of bitter medicinal soup, but his health had not improved much.
As time passed, Qi Yun had become able to drink the medicine that others found too bitter to bear twice a day without changing his expression.
It seemed that after drinking too much bitter medicine, his tongue had become less sensitive.
If he had missed a dose before, Qi Yun would not have cared. Now it was different. He wanted to live, so he had to take the medicine he should take, not delaying it for a bit.
Ye Jiao, on the other hand, took the clothes she usually wore and walked towards the screen not far from the bed.
Qi Yun had the account book in his hand. He glanced at the screen and withdrew his gaze.
The screen in his room was not the exquisite stone screen of official residences, but a simple wooden screen carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums. Although there were some openwork carvings in some places, it was not see-through at a glance.
This screen was usually used to separate the bathtub and was also used for changing clothes.
Qi Yun had no intention of looking at anything. He had affection and tenderness for his wife, but at this moment, the focus of the usually upright Qi Yun was still on the account book in his hand.
He had also figured it out. In the past, he was waiting to die, so naturally, he did not pay much attention to the business. But now, even if it was for his little wife, he had to work hard.
What Qi Yun was holding in his hand were the family's wine shop and medicine shop. No matter what happened in the future, he had to earn enough family assets for Jiao'er for now.
At this moment, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao's voice coming from behind the screen, "Husband, Mother said that you don't need to go over to eat dinner with her these few days. Your health is important, so don't move around."
"Okay." Qi Yun responded, and unexpectedly looked up, only to see the woman's clothes hanging on the screen.
The outer garment was exquisite, the skirt was elegant, and there was a plain-colored undershirt with thin straps hanging down, swaying slightly.
Qi Yun inexplicably thought of the morning after their wedding. The woman was squatting beside his soft couch, with the thin straps of her undershirt behind her neck, revealing her jade-like white shoulders and long, beautiful neck...
When Ye Jiao, who had finished changing, walked out from behind the screen, she saw Qi Yun leaning against the pillow, looking at the account book.
He seemed exceptionally focused, but Ye Jiao saw that his ears were bright red.
Blinking, the woman reached out to touch them and felt the heat from his ears.
Ye Jiao was a little surprised, thinking he was unwell again. She hurriedly grabbed his wrist.
Because Ye Jiao's way of taking his pulse was different from others, Qi Yun thought she was just worried about him.
After feeling for a while, she found nothing unusual.
Ye Jiao looked at him with some confusion, tilted her head, and her voice was still soft and sweet, "Husband, what's wrong with you?"
Qi Yun stared at the account book, his lips moving, "It's nothing. Maybe the room is too hot."
Ye Jiao did not suspect anything else. Thinking that it might be because she had overcompensated him yesterday and he was releasing it now, she smiled and let go of his hand, getting up to take the medicine bowl from the table.
Qi Yun, on the other hand, took a deep breath the moment she turned around, feeling that the doctor was right.
His virtual fire was too strong!
The author has something to say: Ye Jiao, a woman who feels her husband is more amazing than yesterday every day.
Qi Yun, a man who feels he is more lecherous than yesterday every day.