A Good Country Wife
Chapter 156 Showing more affection_1

Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Showing more affection_1

Dalang and his brothers were so excited that Zhao Erhu had woken up that they too woke up early. When getting up, Zhao Erhu had just returned from the fields, so the youngsters eagerly followed behind him, helping with the chores.

Zhao Erhu was deeply gratified; during these days of his ordeal, his children had become much more sensible, each one of them admirable in their own way.

Asking the children about what had happened at home during this time, Dalang and the others each chimed in one after another. Zhao Erhu listened with profound emotion, especially when he learned that the family’s fields had not been taken over by others and that the vegetables growing there had all been planted by his young wife. He was surprised and satisfied, but even more so, he felt a pained tenderness. How much hardship had his wife endured these days? No wonder her previously smooth and soft hands had become rough—it must have been from doing too much work. But now that he had awakened, he would take over these chores, not allowing his wife to struggle any longer.

Zhao Erhu finished making breakfast before waking Lin Yue from her sleep. Groggily crawling out of bed, Lin Yue hadn’t enjoyed this treatment in a long time. Indeed, being pampered by a man was pleasant. The young woman became increasingly coquettish, as soft and lazy as a little cat, bonelessly leaning against Zhao Erhu’s body, allowing him to help her dress. Zhao Erhu felt his heart itch with fondness, wishing he could hold her tight and cherish her dearly.

Once fully awake, Lin Yue realized what had happened and felt rather bashful to see she was dressed from inner to outer layers by him. She found Zhao Erhu was becoming increasingly improper, always keen to take her "advantage". And yet, he had a legitimate reason for it; after all, she was his wife, and intimacy between spouses was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? Lin Yue had no doubt that this way, someday she might be completely devoured by Zhao Erhu.

After breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, Lin Yue chatted with Zhao Erhu about the recent events, and not long after, Jiang Ziqi arrived. Lin Yue, spirited by the joyous news, warmly welcomed Jiang Ziqi into their home and shared the news of Zhao Erhu’s awakening.

"Divine Doctor Jiang, I am very grateful for the treatment you provided during these days. If not for your help, I wouldn’t have woken up so soon. I, Zhao Erhu, thank you here," Zhao Erhu politely thanked Jiang Ziqi, his heart truly filled with gratitude, while Jiang Ziqi couldn’t be bothered to pay much attention and waved his hand dismissively.

"Jiang Big Brother, my husband woke up last night. Could you please check if he’s truly recovered, if there are any other issues, or if he needs to take more medicine to consolidate his recovery?" With Jiang Ziqi not having examined Zhao Erhu yet, Lin Yue couldn’t fully relax, worrying that something else might go wrong with Zhao Erhu. She urged Jiang Ziqi to check his pulse.

Zhao Erhu, seeing his wife’s concern, reassured her, "Niuniu, don’t worry. I can feel that my body is fine; there won’t be any problems."

Jiang Ziqi, watching Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu being so affectionate, felt an inexplicable discomfort. Was it really necessary to be so overjoyed just because that brutish man had woken up?

"So he’s awake, big deal. Why all the fuss?" Jiang Ziqi glared at Lin Yue and spoke irritably before finally turning to Zhao Erhu and giving him a critical look. "Stretch out your hand. Let me have a look at you."

Zhao Erhu didn’t mind Jiang Ziqi’s attitude toward him. He knew that highly skilled people often had their quirks, and it wasn’t surprising. Besides, a figure like the Divine Doctor was likely to have high standards and not care to deal with him, which was quite normal. Obediently, he extended his hand as instructed by Jiang Ziqi.

Jiang Ziqi placed his hand on Zhao Erhu’s pulse, pondered for a moment, and said, "There’s no problem, strong as a draft ox, you’re completely healed, no need for any more medicine. But as for you, by the looks of it, you seem to be getting worse."

When Zhao Erhu heard what Jiang Ziqi said, he also worried about Lin Yue’s health. These days, it was his little wife alone who propped up their home, and when he had gone to the mountains, her body had not yet fully recovered. Observing that her frame had become increasingly slender, Zhao Erhu also thought of Lin Yue’s injury. Although he had already massaged out the bruise on his little wife’s back, which should no longer be a problem, since the doctor had come, it was better to have the doctor take a look to be reassured.

"Doctor Jiang, yesterday my wife was beaten and injured on her back. Could you please check if there’s any internal injury?"

The moment Lin Yue heard Zhao Erhu say this, she immediately shook her head and refused, "Let’s not, you don’t know, Jiang Brother is a Divine Doctor. The rule of seeing the doctor is to first present a hundred taels of silver, and our family doesn’t have that much silver anymore. It wouldn’t be right to make Jiang Brother break his rule, and besides, this little injury of mine is nothing now, there’s no need to trouble Jiang Brother."

Although she had become more familiar with Jiang Ziqi these days and was very grateful for his help, Lin Yue had her principles. She disliked taking advantage of others and didn’t wish to disrupt Jiang Ziqi’s rules, making things difficult for him.

Zhao Erhu chuckled to himself; he only knew that this Doctor Jiang had cured his illness, but he was unaware that Doctor Jiang’s consultation fee was so expensive. A hundred taels of silver was really beyond their means. He also wondered where his little wife had found the silver. But now was not the time to ask – if it came to it, he could take his wife into the city and have Doctor Zheng take a look. While Doctor Zheng’s medical skills might not match Doctor Jiang’s, he thought that for a minor injury like this, there should be no problem.

Standing aside, Jiang Ziqi nearly choked on his rage upon hearing the conversation between Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu. That ungrateful girl, hasn’t she realized how he has treated her these days? Would he charge her for the treatment? Those rules were set for others, and he thought that their relationship had long progressed past that of strangers. Otherwise, why would someone of his status lower himself to personally visit to diagnose her husband? It was utterly infuriating.

"Sit down and stretch out your hand!" Jiang Ziqi, with a dark face, directly commanded. Seeing Lin Yue not moving, his face grew even darker, "Don’t worry, I won’t charge you any silver. I, Jiang Ziqi, certainly don’t have my eyes set on money like some people do."

Jiang Ziqi didn’t feel he needed to maintain any sort of demeanor with Lin Yue, his words heavily laced with sarcasm. It wasn’t until Lin Yue obediently stretched out her hand that his expression softened a bit. He then concentrated on taking her pulse, his brows furrowing more and more as he did so.

"Doctor Jiang, is there something wrong with my wife’s health?" Seeing Jiang Ziqi so concerned, Zhao Erhu could not hide the anxious worry on his face.

Seeing the anxious look on Zhao Erhu’s face, Jiang Ziqi’s expression softened somewhat. Although there weren’t any serious problems with Lin Yue’s health, the repeated illnesses and injuries had left her with multiple hidden problems. Jiang Ziqi’s intense reaction was not because it was difficult to treat, as such conditions were minor ailments for him, but out of genuine concern. He had already suspected that Lin Yue was not in good health and had wanted to examine her earlier, but since she was unwilling, he couldn’t force her. Now realizing that the girl had been concerned about money, he inwardly cursed again at this ungrateful wretch.