Chapter 152 -

Chapter 152: Chapter

After the big drama in the courtyard finally settled down, Yimei rolled Zhengyu in his wheelchair down the quiet dirt path toward Grandmaster Zhang’s medical compound at the edge of the village.

Liu Feng and Qinqin walked right behind them. The morning air was freezing cold, and soft white snowflakes drifted down from the grey sky, dusting the frozen ground.

When they arrived at the wooden gate, Ah Cheng was outside with a heavy bamboo broom, sweeping fresh snow off the porch. Hearing footsteps, the broad-shouldered young man set his broom aside and walked over with a warm, welcoming smile.

"Sister Yimei! Good morning!" Ah Cheng said cheerfully, his deep voice carrying through the crisp winter air.

Yimei smiled back at him. "Good morning, Ah Cheng. How are your father and mother doing today?"

"Father is inside grinding herbs, grumpy as usual," Ah Cheng laughed, waving his hand toward the open door. "And Mother is in the back kitchen keeping the fire burning."

Inside the house, Grandmaster Zhang sat on a low wooden bench, grinding dry medicinal herbs in an iron mortar. The severe old physician didn’t even bother to look up as they arrived, his expression cold and unreadable as he worked the iron pestle with sharp, rhythmic strokes.

Yimei brought the wheelchair to a stop by the porch steps, carefully tucking the thick woolen blanket securely over Zhengyu’s legs against the biting wind.

"I will be leaving Zhengyu here with you today," Yimei said, looking over at Ah Cheng.

"No problem at all, Sister Yimei," Ah Cheng replied easily, dusting the snow off his sleeves. "I don’t have anything heavy to do today anyway. I’ll stay right here in the house and keep Zhengyu company."

Zhengyu looked up at Yimei, his dark eyes fixed on her calm face. "Where are you heading off to now in this weather?" he asked, his voice low.

"I am going to inspect the old inn Madame Liu gave me," Yimei replied smoothly, brushing a few stray snowflakes off her shoulder. "I want to see the damage myself today so that tomorrow morning, when the second branch reports for work, we can officially start clearing out the mess and getting the building ready for business."

Zhengyu looked at her for a long moment, a slight frown touching his brow as a gust of cold wind blew past them. "Be careful out there in the snow," he said, his tone carrying a rare, subtle edge of concern. "The south-east district isn’t the safest place for a woman carrying property deeds."

Yimei paused, a faint, razor-sharp smile slowly curving her lips. She leaned down slightly, her dark eyes sparkling with quiet amusement as she looked right into his face.

"Are you worrying about me again, husband?" Yimei teased softly, her voice smooth and light. "Don’t forget, just yesterday you secretly sent Liu Feng to follow my every step like a shadow. Are you going to send him to spy on me in the snow today?"

Zhengyu’s throat tightened slightly as her warm breath brushed past his cold cheek. He cleared his throat, turning his face toward the snowy porch steps to hide the subtle blush creeping up his neck.

"I sent Liu Feng yesterday to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed and leave me without a cook," Zhengyu muttered dryly, though the faint smirk on his lips betrayed his cool act. "And today, Liu Feng will accompany you as well to make sure no one tries anything with you."

Grandmaster Zhang let out a loud, irritated scoff from inside the doorway, slamming his iron pestle down against the mortar. "If you two are done whispering nonsense in the freezing cold, get inside before the chill ruins your legs, Zhengyu!"

Yimei let out a soft chuckle, pulling her cloak hood up over her hair. "Then stay here with Ah Cheng and Grandmaster Zhang, and stay warm. I will be back before lunch."

Turning on her heel, Yimei walked down the snowy dirt path with Qinqin and Lui Feng following right behind her, leaving Zhengyu watching her retreating back until she vanished into the swirling white morning mist.

Once Yimei’s figure disappeared down the road, Ah Cheng walked over, grabbed the wooden handles of the wheelchair, and rolled Zhengyu smoothly past the threshold into the warm, heated room.

"She really is something else, isn’t she?" Ah Cheng remarked with a chuckle, setting the wheel brakes by the small tea table. "Most women wouldn’t dare step foot into the south-east district in a snowstorm, let alone run an inn."

Zhengyu leaned back against his chair, his eyes trailing toward the open window where the snow continued to fall. A faint, dark smile rested on his lips. "She isn’t most women, Ah Cheng."

.....

"Ah Cheng, I need your help," Zhengyu said clearly.

Ah Cheng stopped pouring the tea and looked at him in surprise. He glanced toward the side room to make sure his father was busy before leaning in close. "Help with what?"

"I need to start practicing walking again," Zhengyu said, gripping the wooden arms of his wheelchair tight. "I need to move more."

Ah Cheng’s eyes went wide. "Practicing walking?! Zhengyu, are you serious? Your legs haven’t moved for years! If you push too hard, you might make things worse!"

Zhengyu looked right into his eyes.

"Listen to me, Ah Cheng," Zhengyu said. "My legs are weak, but I can feel a small prickle in my knees when it gets cold. I know my own body. My wife is out there in the freezing snow right now, fighting with everyone and trying to start a business. I cannot just sit in this chair like a useless man while she does all the hard work. I need to stand up. You have to help me."

Ah Cheng stared at him for a moment. He sighed and set the teapot down on the table.

"You are very stubborn, Zhengyu," Ah Cheng said with a small smile. "If my father catches us doing this without his permission, he will make me sweep the yard in my bare feet for a whole week. But fine... let’s try."

Ah Cheng stepped close and put his strong hands under Zhengyu’s arms to support him. "Take it easy. Don’t put all your weight down at once. On three."

Zhengyu nodded. "One... two... three."

Zhengyu pushed himself up from the chair using his arms. Ah Cheng pulled him up carefully, keeping his own feet firmly on the floor.

The moment Zhengyu put weight on his feet, his legs folded completely. His knees gave out, and he crashed hard onto the cold wooden floor with a loud thud.

"Zhengyu!" Ah Cheng gasped, quickly leaning down to grab him. "Are you alright?"

Zhengyu hit the floor hard, cold sweat breaking out on his face from the sharp pain in his back. But he didn’t stop. He gritted his teeth and grabbed Ah Cheng’s arms again.

"Again," Zhengyu said. "Pull me up again."

Ah Cheng helped him up, but as soon as Zhengyu tried to stand, his legs shook violently and failed him. He fell hard to the floor a second time.

Dust lifted off the floorboards as Zhengyu hit the ground again. His breath came fast and heavy, his arms shaking from the pure effort. Yet, he gritted his teeth and dragged himself back toward the chair.

"Again, Ah Cheng. Lift me up," Zhengyu demanded, refusing to give up.

Ah Cheng braced himself and pulled Zhengyu up a third time. Zhengyu managed to hold himself up for just one tiny second before his knees buckled again, sending him tumbling straight to the floor.

Unknown to both of them, Grandmaster Zhang was standing quietly near the open curtain of the inner room.

The old physician didn’t come out to stop them, nor did he yell at Ah Cheng. He stood in the shadows with his arms folded inside his sleeves, silently watching Zhengyu fall over and over again. His cold face remained still, but his eyes closely tracked every attempt, watching the raw determination in the young man’s eyes each time his boots hit the floor.

Grandmaster Zhang stepped out from the shadows, his heavy cloth boots making no sound against the wooden floorboards.

Ah Cheng jumped in surprise, quickly trying to help Zhengyu off the floor. "Father! I—"

"Quiet, Ah Cheng," Grandmaster Zhang said, his voice cold and flat. He didn’t look at his son. Instead, his sharp eyes stayed fixed on Zhengyu, who was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily and sweating from the effort.

Grandmaster Zhang walked over slowly and stood right behind Zhengyu, looking down at him.

"You and Yimei have something in common, you two," Grandmaster Zhang said calmly, crossing his arms inside his wide sleeves. "You both have an annoying amount of stubbornness."

Zhengyu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked up at the old physician, his breathing still rough.

Grandmaster Zhang let out a short scoff, but he didn’t look angry. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a small wooden jar of dark ointment, and tossed it onto the table beside the tea.

"Your knees give out because your muscles are completely dead from sitting," Grandmaster Zhang said directly. "Falling on the floor like a sack of grain won’t bring them back to life. It will only bruise your hips."

He turned his head toward Ah Cheng. "Ah Cheng, rub that ointment into his legs until his skin turns red. Then bring out the thick wooden parallel bars from the back storage room. If he wants to fall, let him fall while holding onto something solid instead of dragging you down with him."

Ah Cheng blinked in shock, then a huge smile broke across his face. "Yes, Father!"

Zhengyu looked at the old doctor, a quiet, sharp smile finally appearing on his face. "Thank you, Grandmaster Zhang."

"Don’t thank me yet," Grandmaster Zhang grunted, turning his back to walk back into his herb room. "If you ruin your legs completely, your wife will probably come here and demand I pay her back for a broken husband."