057 Washing peaches

Li Yang protected Xiao Taozi and followed Xu Shan all the way out, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

Just as Li Yang was about to pass the small pavilion where Tulip was, she heard her cold voice say, "Stop."

Xu Shan immediately stood in front of Li Yang and Xiao Taozi, and bowed to Yu Jin: "What are your orders, Madam Yu?"

Yu Jin tossed aside the grapes in her hand, casually wiped the stains from her fingertips with a handkerchief, and laughed, "Why be so nervous? I won't do anything to them, I'll just ask a few questions."

She got up and walked over to the group. Seeing that Xu Shan was still standing very close to them, Yu Jin said impatiently, "Move away. We're talking about women's private matters. What are you doing eavesdropping, you unmarried, lonely man?"

Xu Shan blushed at her words and led his group back several steps. However, he still insisted on keeping them within his sight.

This time, Yu Jin didn't pursue the matter further. She turned to Li Yang and said, "I heard that your husband's head was healed by a miracle doctor?"

Li Yang nodded: "Yes, it's inconvenient for him to leave the mansion, so my husband and I go to him for acupuncture every day."

Hearing her mention the 'old man,' Yu Jin raised an eyebrow, her tone softening slightly, and continued, "As far as I know, Ghost Hand is completely impervious to persuasion. No one can sway him unless he's determined to seek treatment. How did you manage to convince him?"

Li Yang said, "Madam Yu also said that if he couldn't treat her, he would like to. Perhaps the divine doctor was in a good mood that day. He asked us for a gift, and after accepting it, he agreed to treat her."

What gift?

"A wooden carving, depicting the image of Yama, the King of Hell."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin finally relaxed and chuckled, "He's always so imaginative, doing things entirely according to his own whims."

Her tone was both affectionate and helpless. Even though Yuan Chongjing had warned Li Yang beforehand, Li Yang was still somewhat surprised. Eager to leave, she followed Yu Jin's words and praised, "Only capable people have the right to do things entirely according to their own whims. The divine doctor's medical skills are truly excellent. All the doctors in the capital said my husband's symptoms were hopeless, but I never expected that the divine doctor could cure him with just a few acupuncture needles."

Tulip proudly said, "That's right."

After asking her question, she didn't say anything more to Li Yang and left satisfied.

After she left, Xu Shan came over and said, "Madam Yuan, if Madam Yu said anything that upset you, please don't take it to heart. She is His Highness's savior, and His Highness usually turns a blind eye to her behavior."

Li Yang said, "It's nothing, they just asked some questions. My husband is still at the manor, and I'm worried about him. Let's go quickly."

"Yes, madam, please come this way."

***

As soon as Little Peach entered the manor, she couldn't wait to share her new jewelry with Little Pear. Li Yang picked out some pieces suitable for Little Pear and had Xia He take them with her.

She asked Beihai to carry the box of things to Yuan Chongjing's room and asked him what to do with it.

On her way back, she had seen that there were many rare jewels inside, so it seemed that His Highness Prince Yu had brought out quite a few of his treasures this time.

Yuan Chongjing said, "Have Beihai register them and put them in the warehouse."

"Should we really accept it?" Li Yang asked with some concern. "Could this be His Highness using the guise of giving Xiao Taozi a gift to secretly bribe you with money?"

Yuan Chongjing was amused and laughed out loud: "You're overthinking it. I can't possibly bribe someone with this much silver."

“Indeed, my husband is so intelligent and wise, how could he be compared to these common people?” Li Yang said smugly.

Yuan Chongjing smiled helplessly and told Bei Hai and the others to carry the boxes out: "Where's Xiao Taozi?"

"I went to my sister-in-law's to play with Xiaoli'er," Li Yang said casually. She glanced at Yuan Chongjing unintentionally, but her gaze returned to his face after she looked away. She must have seen correctly; Yuan Chongjing's face was even paler than when she left, and his lips were starting to crack.

Yuan Chongjing felt uneasy under her undisguised gaze: "What's wrong?"

Li Yang immediately touched his forehead to check his temperature, and it was indeed a little hot. She said anxiously, "Why do you have a fever? I'll go find a doctor."

Seeing that she was about to get up while speaking, Yuan Chongjing immediately grabbed her wrist: "It's okay, this is normal."

"How can someone with a fever be considered normal?!"

Yuan Chongjing pulled her to sit down: "The doctor told me before he left that the medicine I drank had taken effect, and that I should rest well, drink more water, and get some sleep and I would be back to normal."

Li Yang asked doubtfully, "Really?"

Yuan Chongjing said helplessly, "Really, would I lie to you?"

"Then you should go to sleep quickly," Li Yang pulled the blanket up to cover his body. "I'll tell Bei Hai that he won't come looking for you these next two days unless there's something else going on. Just eat and sleep well and get your injury healed as soon as possible."

Yuan Chongjing refused, saying, "No."

Seeing Li Yang's expression, he explained in a low voice, "Now that His Highness has returned to the capital, the situation in the court is constantly changing, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. I have to keep a close eye on things."

Li Yang turned away angrily, refusing to look at him: "I've advised you before not to shoulder the burden of the Yuan family all by yourself. I know you have lofty ambitions, but all of this depends on having a healthy body. If you work so hard and then collapse, or if something happens to your body, what will happen to me, Xiao Taozi, and our parents? How will you then realize your ambitions?"

Yuan Chongjing's voice immediately softened, and he pleaded, "Yes, yes, you're right. I promise it won't happen again."

He tugged at Li Yang's arm, trying to get her to face him.

Li Yang moved slightly, but turned in another direction, refusing to look at him.

Yuan Chongjing chuckled, then clutched his chest and coughed loudly twice, saying pitifully, "Ouch, my chest hurts so much. I guess my old injury has flared up again."

Startled, Li Yang immediately turned back and looked at him worriedly: "Let me see if the old injury hasn't healed properly."

Only after she finished speaking did she notice the smile that flashed in his eyes. Li Yang was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed: "You lied to me!"

Yuan Chongjing immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her from hitting him, and readily apologized, "I was wrong."

Li Yang gave him a playful glare, about to say something more to persuade him, when she heard Xiao Taozi crying in the yard. She immediately pulled her hand away from Yuan Chongjing's and stood up to walk outside: "Xiao Taozi is crying."

Before she even reached the door, Little Peach stepped over the threshold, crying. Upon seeing Li Yang and Yuan Chongjing, her soft sobs instantly turned into wailing, her voice filled with grievance: "Waaah~ Mother~"

Li Yang immediately picked her up and wiped away her tears: "Little Peach, be good, don't cry. Tell your mother what happened?"

Little Peach just buried her face in her chest and cried, unable to say anything.

Helpless, Li Yang could only look at Xia He, who was following behind.

Xia He was still holding the gift she had brought for Xiao Li'er. She said, "I heard the old women who do rough work in the garden gossiping in the mansion. Miss Taozi was so angry that she cried."

What did they say?

Xia He said, "It's about Madam Biyun, Luo Song, and Miss's background."

"Go tell Mother to handle it." After Li Yang finished speaking, she carried Xiao Taozi to the inner room: "Xiao Taozi, be good, Daddy is here. Didn't you say you haven't seen Daddy for a long time and miss him? Look."

Yuan Chongjing also heard them talking and called out to her, "Little Peach, Daddy is here. Come quickly and let Daddy see you."

Little Peach seemed not to hear them, she just hugged Li Yang's neck tightly, buried her face in her neck, and kept crying loudly.

Li Yang sat on the edge of the bed, adjusted his position so that Xiao Taozi could sit in his lap, and wiped away her tears and snot from her nose.

Seeing that her eyes were swollen from crying, Li Yang comforted her tenderly, "Good girl, don't cry. Mother and Father are here. Look, Father is injured again and has lost a lot of blood. It hurts so much. Little Peach, quickly blow some warm air on Father."

Little Peach slowly stopped crying and went to Yuan Chongjing with swollen eyes: "Daddy, snoring."

Yuan Chongjing reached out and took her, letting her sit on his uninjured leg. He then reached out to wipe the tears from her face, saying, "Thank you, Little Peach. Daddy is a man, Daddy isn't in pain."

Little Peach nestled in his arms, clutching his collar tightly, her little chest heaving as she sobbed.

After she calmed down and drank the warm water that Li Yang fed her, she asked in a hoarse voice, "Father, is Song'er really my younger brother?"

“Of course not,” Yuan Chongjing coaxed her in a low voice, “Father only has one daughter, Xiao Taozi, and no other children.”

Upon hearing this, Little Peach looked up at him and asked, "Is Little Peach Daddy's daughter? Everyone says that Little Peach doesn't have parents and was picked up from the field."

Seeing that she was about to cry again, Li Yang immediately said, "How could that be? Little Peach, think carefully, haven't you been with your father and mother since you were born?"

Little Peach thought about it carefully and nodded, "Yes." She had been with her father and mother for a very, very long time. It seemed like she had been taken care of by her mother and father ever since she was born.

“That’s right, Little Peach is of course Father and Mother’s biological daughter.”

Little Peach was relieved and nestled against Yuan Chongjing's chest, drifting off to sleep. Yuan Chongjing gently patted her and coaxed her, "Daddy's here, and Mommy's here too, don't be afraid."

Little Peach was squinting, just getting sleepy, when she heard Yuan Yue's loud voice from outside the courtyard: "Little Peach, your auntie is here to see you, hurry up and come out to greet her!"

Little Peach was so frightened that her whole body trembled, and she called out in a daze, "Auntie! Little Peach is here!"

Yuan Yue, carrying a flower basket, peeked through the window and said, "Oh, my second brother and sister-in-law are here."

Seeing that she was about to climb in through the window after putting down the basket, Yuan Chongjing said helplessly, "Go through the door."

Yuan Yue clicked her tongue and jogged in from the doorway: "Why are you as talkative as your mother?"

As she spoke, she opened the flower basket as if presenting a treasure and held it out to Xiao Taozi's eyes: "Xiao Taozi, look, what good things your auntie brought you!"

Seeing that Yuan Yue had no doubts about Xiao Taozi's red eyes and face, Yuan Chongjing and Li Yang knew that Yuan Yue had come specifically to comfort her, probably because she already knew the whole story from Madam Yuan.

The flower basket contained three pink peaches, each about the size of a woman's fist, covered with fuzz and dew.

Little Peach was immediately drawn to the peach: "It's a big peach."

“Yes, it’s a big peach.” Yuan Yue said, “Auntie specially brought it back from a very, very far place for Little Peach. Do you like it?”

Little Peach nodded, pointed at the peaches with her index finger and began to divide them: "Big Peach, three in total, one for Daddy, one for Mommy, and one for Little Peach too."

Yuan Yue was a little disappointed: "Oh? Little Peach, you won't even let your aunt have a bite?"

Little Peach really likes her father and mother, but so does her aunt. Little Peach thought for a while with some difficulty, then her eyes lit up, and she happily counted on her fingers, saying, "Then one for Father, one for Mother, and Little Peach and Aunt can share one."

"You little rascal," Yuan Yue chuckled, reaching out to flick Xiao Taozi's nose. "Alright then, since Xiao Taozi is so filial, Auntie will reluctantly share one with you. Come on, let's go wash the peach together."

Little Peach reached out and took Yuan Yue's hand, getting off Yuan Chongjing's lap. She then solemnly corrected Yuan Yue, "Auntie, you should wash the big peaches, not the little peaches."

"Haha, okay, let's go wash the big peaches!"