Chapter 803 - 413: Belated Messenger

Chapter 803: Chapter 413: Belated Messenger

Thinking of this, their attitude grew even more humble and their expressions more respectful. They kept calling Zhang Dashuan and He "Old Mr. Zhang" and "Mrs. Zhang," while eagerly referring to Huai Zi as "Eldest Young Master" and Juhua as "Eldest Young Madam." It made Juhua feel as if they were her own family’s servants. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly that the servants of these wealthy and powerful families were indeed full of schemes.

However, since she didn’t plan to offend them, she didn’t fuss over this. She prepared two reward envelopes and had Pu Pao hand them over.

How could the two dare to accept? Not only did they refuse, but they also kowtowed forcefully to Zhang Dashuan a few more times, claiming they deserved to die for delaying the letter. They repeated their apologies over and over until Huai Zi promised not to leak the matter. Only then did they feel relieved enough to take their leave.

Before leaving, the two earnestly told Huai Zi that if the Eldest Young Master ever went to the government city and needed someone to run errands, he should just look for them. They even left an address for him.

After the two men left, Huai Zi sighed. "Their arrogance turning into sudden deference, adapting to whoever is in front of them—that kind of skill really isn’t simple. It’s hateful that we had to suffer such anger for nothing."

Juhua said, "Aren’t all servants from wealthy families like this? If they couldn’t read the room and adapt to the circumstances, how could they have a smooth life? That’s just their means of survival. Let’s not talk about them anymore. You should deliver Liu Sixun’s letter to the Liu Family. As for Little Shitou’s letter, it’s best if it gets delivered to the market today. First, Third Uncle and Third Aunt will feel relieved after reading it, and second, you can check on Zhao Feng’s condition."

Zhang Dashuan hurriedly said, "Yes, it should be delivered quickly. Huai Zi, don’t go to the fields this afternoon. Go to the market and deliver the letter. If Zhao San has anything to ask, you’ll be able to explain it clearly. No one else would do."

Zhang Huai nodded, put the two letters away carefully, and prepared to head out. He chimed in with an instruction, "Make sure to ask if their Feng is alright. That child was crying so terribly earlier, it really scared me. It’d be disastrous if he’s badly hurt from the fall."

Juhua quickly comforted her. "I think he’ll be fine. He was full of energy. Wasn’t he even urging his father to beat Liu’er’s mother to death? Besides, Doctor Qin’s medical skills are incredible; even if he sustained some injuries, Doctor Qin can heal him. It’s Liu’er’s mother I’m thinking about—Mother, it seems like you and Third Aunt beat her quite heavily."

He curled her lips. "She won’t die. I didn’t even aim for her head or face. But Third Aunt did pound her chest a few times, and she threw up blood later. That might have been a bit heavy-handed. Let’s not worry about it and see what the village chief has to say. He can’t possibly make us pay too much money in compensation—who told that wretched woman to run her foul mouth?" She was, however, fully prepared to pay some silver as compensation.

Zhang Dashuan and Huai Zi also agreed to leave the matter to Li Gengtian’s discretion. The family discussed for a bit longer, finalizing their story for the public. Juhua packed some dried and pickled vegetables for Huai Zi to bring to Yun Ying, and only then did he head out with Heipi.

Having been on her feet without a break since early morning, and having slept poorly the night before, Juhua felt her head spinning. She let He know, gave Pu Pao a few instructions to watch over Banli and Cong, and went back to her room for a nap.

When she woke up, her body still felt a bit weak. She lay still, staring at the bed canopy. The courtyard was filled with laughter. Listening closely, she could hear Hulu and Li Jingwen talking, and of course, the giggles and squeals of her own twins. There were also soft whispers from people she couldn’t immediately identify; it sounded like more than one person.

These sounds, so full of lively domestic warmth, instantly energized her. She rolled out of bed, tidied herself up, and then stepped into the courtyard.

She saw her mother-in-law He, her maternal grandmother Mrs. Wang, and her mother Yang Family, along with Aunt Liu and Grandma Liu, sitting in a circle under the plum tree. A huge pile of wild bamboo shoots lay before them, and they were chatting and laughing softly while peeling them. The three toddlers sat in their strollers, babbling "AH-YA" continuously as they watched Hulu and Li Jingwen running and jumping all over the courtyard. They were so delighted that they were waving their hands and kicking their legs—since they couldn’t walk yet, "dancing on their feet" was out of the question.

"Juhua, you’re awake? Are you feeling better?" Yang Family called out warmly when she saw her standing by the corridor looking around.

Juhua walked down the steps, asking in confusion, "Better from what? I wasn’t sick, just tired enough to take a nap. Mother, did you all go up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots?"

Yang Family smiled. "Your mother-in-law and Aunt Liu went to pick them. She said you weren’t feeling well, so I came to check on you. Come over here, take a seat. Let Mother have a look at you!"

Juhua hurried over to sit on a small stool beside her, casually grabbing a slender green bamboo shoot to peel, when He spoke up, "I noticed you looked a bit pale earlier, figuring you weren’t feeling well, so I didn’t go to the fields to plant beans. Waiting until tomorrow morning to plant them is the same anyway. After finishing the afternoon chores, I had nothing else to do. Aunt Liu was heading up the mountain to pick wild bamboo shoots, and since your mother and grandmother were here to help watch the little ones, I tagged along. We picked quite a few, so both families can share some and cook them into sauce."

Juhua glanced at the sky, extremely astonished. "You all did so many things? Did I sleep for that long? It must be almost time to cook dinner."

Mrs. Wang smiled. "You slept the whole afternoon away. Poor thing, you were exhausted last night, staying up so late, and then you were busy dealing with matters for half of today."

She was referring to how everyone had stayed up late last night waiting for Huai Zi and the others to return from Xiatang Market. However, Juhua, having a guilty conscience about what really happened, couldn’t help but blush. She hurriedly changed the subject and asked, "Aunt Liu, how come I don’t see Pu Pao?"

He smiled and said, "She’s in the kitchen brewing sweet wine. I figured you’d be waking up soon, so I had her brew some. You can have a bowl to line your stomach and warm you up. Do you want to crack a couple of eggs into it?"

As soon as she mentioned it, Juhua felt a craving. Since she was breastfeeding the two babies, she ate much more than usual, and sweet wine with eggs was one of her favorites anyway. Thus, she replied, "Then let’s add two eggs. Mother, Grandmother, and Grandma Liu should have some as well."

***

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