95 - Little Peasant Wife

Qin Yishu tapped her fingers lightly on the table as she spoke, "Send someone to investigate the Liu Family's carriage we encountered at the city gate. The National Teacher, as usual, hasn't changed his wicked ways. Even in this remote little town, he never ceases his sneaky actions." The hidden guard acknowledged and, seeing that she had no other instructions, disappeared from the room. Qin Yishu looked in the direction of the Liu Family, sighed lightly, and murmured, "Liu Family, Liu Wenyao, National Teacher, Emperor... Hah!" She used her internal power to close the window, blocking the outside view. As the sky outside gradually darkened, in the vast fields of the village, Jing Aoxue struggled to straighten her back and wiped the sweat from her face with effort. She turned to glance at the long stretch of field behind her, sighed inwardly, and said, "So many herbs yet to be picked! This work is simply not meant for humans, it's exhausting." Not far from her, Wu Zhian heard this and laughed, "You're quite lucky! Wait until the autumn harvest comes, the whole family will be out working for days in the field, and after that, you forget even your own name." Jing Aoxue forced a smile and said, "Alright, it's getting late today. Let's stop here. We can continue with the rest of the work at dawn tomorrow." Wu Zhian glanced at the sky and nodded in agreement. The two of them, supporting their backs, walked out of the field. Jing Aoxue smiled and said, "Thank you for your help today. If it were just me, I wouldn't know when I'd finish." Wu Zhian waved his hand and said, "It's a small effort. We're neighbors and quite familiar with each other. No need to say such distant words, it's rather hurtful to hear." Jing Aoxue bit her lip lightly and said, "Alright, then I'll bring you some bottles of pills and ointment another day. While they don't cure serious diseases, they're good for strengthening the body." Hearing this, Wu Zhian's eyes brightened immediately. He had long coveted her pills. A while back, Jing Aoxue, to thank him for taking care of Liu Er, had given him a few bottles of pills she had crafted. Initially, he thought they were just candies or something similar, so he didn't pay much attention and gave them to the two little ones at home. Unexpectedly, his rambunctious nephew was one thing, but his frail niece, who would cough just from walking a few steps, suddenly became much healthier after taking the pills. It was only then that he realized their benefits and quickly made Meng Qiu take the remaining pills. Even his little rascal complained about his favoritism. Luckily, as the pills were not tasty, his young nephew, who genuinely cared for his sister, only grumbled a little before quickly forgetting the whole matter. After Meng Qiu took the pills for a while, she never coughed again, and her complexion became much rosier. He took her to the clumsy village doctor out of curiosity, and the doctor immediately inquired if he'd earned some silver to buy such a nutritious tonic for her, as her sudden health improvement was quite surprising. Upon hearing this, he was so moved that he nearly jumped up. His niece's condition, which she'd been born with, had always been a sore spot for their family. His sister-in-law had passed away from this, and now he felt guilty for not having taken good care of them while his brother was away at war. His plan had been to nurture Meng Qiu for as long as possible, ensuring she lived a carefree life, however long that might be. But now her health was genuinely improving. From that moment, his family viewed Jing Aoxue as their benefactor, and lending a hand when needed was a given—these were trivial matters compared to Meng Qiu's wellbeing. Despite his father not being literate, he was strict with both Wu Zhian and his brother. So, even though Wu Zhian sometimes wanted to ask Jing Aoxue for more pills, he felt too embarrassed to do so. Hearing Jing Aoxue bring it up now, he grinned widely and said, "In that case, I'll be waiting for your pills!" Unable to resist, he added cheekily, "If it's convenient, perhaps a few more bottles this time?" Given the pills' effectiveness, he hoped to give some to his parents and, if possible, a few to his wife. Since giving birth to their little boy, she'd been diagnosed with difficulty bearing more children. Although neither his parents nor he blamed her, she had been sensitive, often hiding to cry secretly when seeing pregnant women in the village, thinking he hadn't noticed. Wu Zhian sighed at this thought, feeling an even stronger urge to return home. Jing Aoxue noticed the anticipation on his face and grinned, "Of course. It's just a few bottles of pills. If you need more, just come to my place." Surprised, Wu Zhian exclaimed, "Really?!" Jing Aoxue crossed her arms and smiled, "Absolutely. I make them myself, it just takes a bit of time, and it's not tiring at all. Had you mentioned needing them earlier, I would have given you more bottles." It was true—Jing Aoxue genuinely found making pills much easier than working in the fields. Considering Wu Zhian had helped her so much, she would never be ungrateful. Wu Zhian, thrilled, patted her shoulder enthusiastically. When she winced, he quickly withdrew his hand and paced around excitedly before grinning foolishly, "Thank you so much. I'll give my mom a bottle, my dad one, and my wife one too. Oh, and my brother, who's suffered greatly on the battlefield, deserves one to replenish himself." Jing Aoxue, both amused and exasperated by his words, replied, "These pills… Well, if you want to use them as tonics, that's fine too." After exchanging a few more words, she bid farewell to the exuberant Wu Zhian and headed home. Dragging her weary body to her doorstep, she was about to announce her return when she noticed the main room was completely dark, oddly silent, as if no one was home. Surprised, she glanced at the sky, thinking, 'It's not even evening yet. Have Shen Lümian and Liu Er gone to bed so early?' Entering the house, her instinctive unease made her ignore washing her hands and face. Instead, she headed directly to Liu Er's room. Inside, the bed was neatly made, with the sheets and quilts perfectly arranged. Her heart skipped a beat as she hurried to the study, only to find it empty save for the usual ink, brushes, and paper. She searched every corner of the house, not finding any trace of Shen Lümian or Liu Er, and panic surged through her. Quickly stepping into the courtyard, she closed her eyes and anxiously used her wood-based powers to sense the surrounding flickering green lights. Across the area, covering the entire village and part of the nearby hills, she could faintly sense the light representing Shen Lümian but found no trace of the brilliant light unmistakably belonging to Liu Er. Realizing this meant Liu Er was in trouble, she was seized with fear. How could something happen when she spent most of the day in the fields, just a short distance from home, without noticing anything amiss? Swallowing hard, she thought, 'Could it be the National Teacher has caught up?' She turned around, determined to find Shen Lümian no matter what before addressing anything else! Chapter 58: Revenge Jing Aoxue hadn’t gotten far when she ran into the panicked Wu Zhian and his wife. Without time for questions, she hurriedly said, "I have an urgent matter; we can talk about your situation later!" Wu Zhian quickly interjected, "Wait, my son is missing, and so is Meng Qiu. I..." He was drenched in sweat, trembling all over, and his lips had an ominous bluish-purple hue. Sensing something was seriously wrong, Jing Aoxue pressed his shoulder, channeling her wood-based powers into him to help him calm down, and sternly commanded, "Calm down!" Summoning all his willpower, Wu Zhian managed to compose himself, panting as he explained, "When I got home... my wife ran up to me crying, saying both our son and niece were gone. I searched frantically, but... I just can't find them." Wu Zhian’s wife was sobbing uncontrollably, with tears and mucus streaming down her face as she lamented, "My parents went to a relative’s for a feast today, leaving me home alone. Chun Ge Er, as usual, took his sister out to play. I didn’t think much of it and sat in the yard weaving baskets. Only when night fell and they hadn't returned did I realize something was wrong. I started searching, but... but I couldn't find them anywhere!" She fell to her knees in tears, and Wu Zhian hurried to help her up, tears streaming down his own face. Any parent faced with such a situation would react the same. Jing Aoxue felt no better than they did. Clenching her teeth, she asked, "Do you know anything else?" Wu Zhian shook his head, struggling to speak, "I was with you... working in the fields. I just went home for lunch, then joined you at the village chief's for a while before returning to work." Jing Aoxue didn’t need him to explain—she already knew. Striving to remain calm, she said, "I meant your wife." Wu Zhian’s wife, a gentle woman who exuded the aura of a diligent village wife, shook her head as she stammered, "I searched everywhere I could think of. My sisters in the village helped, but we couldn’t find them. Woe is me... if something happens to Chun Ge Er, I won’t be able to go on." Wu Zhian's frustration and anger were palpable as he suggested, "Maybe they just wandered off to play." No sooner had he said this than he wished he could slap himself. He knew his son well—mischievous but caring. Chun Ge Er would certainly bring his sister home in time for dinner, especially after Wu Zhian had repeatedly tugged on his ear, reminding him of her frail health and the importance of returning before nightfall when temperatures dropped. Chun Ge Er, despite his often forgetful nature, had committed this to heart. And Meng Qiu was an obedient child; had Chun Ge Er lost track of time, she'd remind him. The fact that it was dark and they were still missing meant something was definitely wrong! Holding his chest, Wu Zhian began panicking again. Jing Aoxue noticed that despite his robust exterior, years of hard labor had left him as the sole pillar of his family. With many ill at home and little money saved, they often couldn’t even afford enough to eat. His body, weakened over time, had become a mere shell. If nothing urgent was happening, he could manage. But in stressful situations, his unstable mental state meant he could collapse like an eroded building at the slightest pressure. Seeing Wu Zhian on the verge of fainting, she hurried to stuff two pills into his mouth, grateful for her habit of always being prepared with a backup plan.