A Good Country Wife
Chapter 320 - 314 Too Messy_1

Chapter 320: Chapter 314 Too Messy_1

"Pah, you lowlife!" Liu Aniu spat in the direction Li Chang’an had left in disgust. Although Liu Aniu was generally an upright and steady person, he was not without temper. Threatened by a lowlife like Li Chang’an, if Dongjia hadn’t asked him to be more patient recently, he would have certainly beaten that dog Li Chang’an to the ground.

After Liu Aniu had left, Zhao Erhu started nagging about Lin Yue. Thankfully Jiang Ziqi was here so he could see this disobedient patient. "Wife, how can you be so disobedient? Didn’t the Divine Doctor tell you to preserve your energy and rest more during these days? That you should not engage in things that are too mentally taxing? Why did you insist on keeping Li Chang’an here? Wouldn’t it be easier to just send him away? Have you forgotten what happened with Chunxi? It was because you were too careless that you fell for her trick. Now you keep someone as unreliable as Li Chang’an in the house. How can I be at ease?"

"Oh my, dealing with someone as greedy and brainless as Li Chang’an doesn’t take much effort at all. A little twist in my thoughts and I can easily trick him round and round. Don’t worry about it."

"Wife, I know you’re smart and capable, but we should still be cautious with certain things. Although Li Chang’an harbors ill intentions, if we send him away, he won’t be able to scheme against our family. Keeping him at home means we have to be vigilant all the time. Just one lapse and he might take advantage of us. Besides, he even sneaked into our courtyard today; he’s very bold. If it weren’t for Liu Aniu keeping watch at home, who knows if our things might have been stolen."

Lin Yue understood the logic. She had been duped by Chunxi purely because she was worried about Sanlang’s safety. Lin Yue had reflected on it and, seeing Zhao Erhu was still going on and on as if he wanted to take this opportunity to give her a good lecture, she simply covered her head, "Ah, Zhao Erhu, stop nagging, will you? My head hurts with all your nagging. Please, just stop."

"What’s wrong, wife? Does your head hurt again? Divine Doctor, please check on my wife. Why does her head hurt again? I told you not to strain yourself, but you just won’t listen." Zhao Erhu instantly became anxious when he heard Lin Yue complain of a headache and hurriedly pulled Lin Yue to sit down so Jiang Ziqi could take her pulse. Lin Yue was really just teasing Zhao Erhu to begin with, but seeing how worried he was made her feel a bit guilty and ashamed.

Jiang Ziqi could tell that Lin Yue was pretending just so Zhao Erhu would stop the incessant nagging, and she did so carelessly, full of obvious holes in her act that even his servant boy, Axin, could see through, yet Zhao Erhu was still fooled. Indeed, love makes one blind.

Jiang Ziqi shook his head. Although he knew Lin Yue was pretending, he was still somewhat worried. He followed through with taking her pulse before turning to Zhao Erhu and said unhurriedly, "There’s nothing wrong. If you nag less, I’m sure her headache will definitely go away."

"Really? That’s great. I was just worried about my wife..." Zhao Erhu hadn’t even finished speaking when he noticed the teasing expression on Jiang Ziqi’s face, in addition to his little wife’s evasive behavior, looking around with her head bowed. Only then did he realize that he had been played by his little wife. This Niuniu was really too much to handle.

"You!" Zhao Erhu poked Lin Yue’s forehead with his finger but didn’t dare to use too much force after all. Seeing Zhao Erhu like this, Jiang Ziqi could sort of understand his feelings. If he had been in Zhao Erhu’s shoes, he would probably have been even more nagging. To worry for the person you care about is a happy affair.

Alas, Jiang Ziqi sighed, "How did I manage to be so late?" The saying, "I hate not having met her before she was married," described him precisely. However, Jiang Ziqi only lamented this briefly; if Lin Yue hadn’t married Zhao Erhu, perhaps they would have never met.

Jiang Ziqi’s purpose for visiting today was to collect the Embroidered Picture. Lin Yue exchanged courtesies with him for a while, then asked Zhao Erhu to go to the room and bring the wood box protecting the Embroidered Picture while she herself washed her hands with clean water before opening the box to retrieve the Embroidered Picture.

Jiang Ziqi watched Lin Yue handle the matter with such seriousness, especially since she had described the Embroidery as a divine skill never seen before in the Great Zhou Dynasty. His anticipation grew; he wanted to see what kind of embroidery techniques could warrant such caution from her.

Having grown up alongside Jiang Ziqi, Axin hardly regarded royal and noble officials of any high importance. Based on the power and influence of the Jiang Family, and the fame and standing of the young master as a Divine Doctor, no one dared to belittle Axin. Moreover, the young master’s unique relationship with the Emperor meant that almost no one in the Capital City would not give face to Axin, since many times his words and actions represented the young master’s will.

Of course, although Axin was somewhat self-satisfied, he was not the kind to flaunt power or bully others on borrowed strength. The Jiang Family had raised him to know how to handle various relationships and to conduct himself properly in society. Otherwise, he would not be qualified to stay beside the young master. And, the most important quality was loyalty; should the young master command Axin to walk through fire or dive into boiling water, even if it meant losing his life, he would not hesitate.

Upon seeing Lin Yue’s serious demeanor, Axin slightly curled his lip. Although he outwardly showed great respect to Lin Yue because of Jiang Ziqi, inwardly he didn’t take her seriously at all. He felt that a country girl couldn’t possibly produce embroidery worthy of attention. It was only because their young master held this rustic woman in high regard and intentionally praised her that the household’s treasured fabrics were all given to Lin Yue, an absolute waste, in Axin’s opinion. Luckily for the Jiang Family, with their profound heritage, such materials were of little concern. Otherwise, any piece of those fabrics, casually presented, would be worth a fortune and even more valuable ones might not be available even to the Empress in the palace.

He remembered among them was a fabric called Snow Palace Gauze, a tribute from a Foreign Tribe. At the time, the Emperor received only two pieces of it; one was sent to the Empress Dowager Palace and the other was awarded to their young master. Even the Queen did not have this honor, which shows how rare it was. Their young master had also sent it to that village girl.

The more Axin thought about it, the more he couldn’t understand. He wondered what was wrong with their young master’s vision. There were countless noble ladies and elegantly graceful women in the Capital City waiting for his selection, yet he was bewitched by a village girl to such an extent. Axin really couldn’t see what was so special about this village girl. At best, she was a bit more beautiful; even if she was a beauty that turned the whole nation pale, their young master hadn’t been moved by such before. He had always been indifferent, not sparing even a glance. Even to Princess Yunyang, the beloved sister of the current Emperor, the young master simply ignored her when he felt like it, leaving her out to dry.

Princess Yunyang had been devoted to their young master since childhood, hoping to marry him. But, unrequited love was just that, and the Emperor was not willing to force their young master—naturally, he couldn’t. If Princess Yunyang knew their young master actually fancied a village girl, she must’ve been heartbroken. As Axin’s thoughts wandered, his gaze floated around and eventually landed on the Embroidered Picture that Lin Yue was opening, unable to look away.