When the apprentice came in again, he was covered in the smell of Chinese medicine, and just smelling it made one's tongue taste bitter.

Ye Jiu couldn't help but pinch her nose; it really smelled awful. She had to take good care of herself; she didn't like drinking this bitter Chinese medicine either.

Yun Jia's face became even more bitter, his entire face scrunched up, expressing his resistance to the bowl of medicine.

Seeing that Yun Jia had woken up, the apprentice said, "It's good that you're awake. Quickly drink the medicine while it's still hot, and you won't feel uncomfortable anymore."

She handed the bowl of Chinese medicine to Yun Jia, who hesitated, reluctant to accept it. "Do I really have to drink it?"

"Of course, how can you get better without taking medicine?"

Yun Jia pouted, "People have been saying that ever since I first got sick, and I still haven't gotten better after drinking it."

Ye Jiu silently pulled a piece of candied fruit from her pocket; it was given to her by Aunt Zhao when she left this morning.

"I'll give you candied fruit after you finish your medicine." The candied fruit was wrapped in oil paper. Ye Jiu unwrapped the oil paper in front of Yun Jia, and the sweet candied fruit tempted Yun Jia's mouth.

He took the bowl, and the apprentice was very satisfied. "Drink up, your sister is quite sensible."

Yun Jia sipped his drink slowly and deliberately, making Ye Jiu feel sorry for him. She thought he should just gulp it down; a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.

Ye Jiu sat next to him. There was no place to pour out flowerpots or anything like that in this small place. Yun Jia gritted his teeth and poured the rest of the water in one gulp. "It's so bitter."

The apprentice took away the bowl, and Ye Jiu stuffed the candied fruit into his mouth, accidentally bumping his teeth with her hand.

Ye Jiu shook her hand; it still hurt a little from the bump.

Yun Jia covered his mouth in confusion. The sweetness of the candied fruit diluted the bitterness of the Chinese medicine. He held it in his mouth, reluctant to bite it, wanting the sweetness to linger in his mouth a little longer.

Yun Jia was surprised to learn that he could suppress the bitterness in his mouth after taking medicine. He said shyly, "Next time I take medicine, can you give me this again?"

Ye Jiu scratched her face. At this time, candied fruit was a rare treat and not cheap. Even though Aunt Zhao doted on her, she only gave her one piece.

After receiving no reply for a while, Yun Jia's lips drooped, and she said dejectedly, "It's not allowed? Never mind then..."

If he had ears, they would definitely have collapsed by now. Ye Jiu felt so sorry for him that she hurriedly said, "Okay, okay, I'll buy you some more next time."

Yun Jia looked up sharply, "Really?"

"Of course, I'll talk to my teacher's wife and ask her to buy you some."

Yun Jia nodded, "Yes, Master's wife is rich."

Yun Jia started feeling sleepy not long after taking his medicine, and before Ye Jiu could even chat with him for a few minutes, he fell asleep again.

Bored, Ye Jiu couldn't resist playing with his eyelashes, which were long and thick. Her hand accidentally brushed against his face, and she found that his face was also very soft to touch. She couldn't resist pinching his face.

When Yao Yishui came in, she saw Ye Jiu leaning over the bed and groping Yun Jia. She gave Ye Jiu a flick on the forehead and said, "What are you doing, groping Yun Jia like that?"

Ye Jiu was embarrassed and withdrew her hand, giving an awkward laugh. "Hehe, I suddenly realized his face felt so nice to touch, I couldn't resist touching it."

Yao Yishui didn't delve into the matter further, but instead asked her, "Did he finish his medicine?"

"I drank it, I watched it finish."

"That's good." Yao Yishui picked him up. "Let's go. The house is bought, the bedding is bought, and they've even had it cleaned. We can just move in."

Ye Jiu was surprised: "So fast?!"

"This is fast? I was actually complaining that they were too slow, and I was worried that you'd be getting impatient and I'd pay them more to speed things up."

Oh right, I forgot that my teacher's wife is a rich person.

Ye Jiu asked curiously, "Master's wife, do you have a lot of money?"

"Forget it, I'm not worried about money anyway."

Ye Jiu lowered his voice and asked, "Is this the bounty that your teacher's wife received after committing murder?"

Yao Yishui smiled mysteriously, "Yes."

Ye Jiu covered her mouth. Oh no, she probably shouldn't have asked; she knew too much.

Seeing Ye Jiu's frightened look, Yao Yishui tapped her on the head and said, "Don't worry, I won't eat you."

Once again, the carriage swayed and rocked as it slowly made its way to the house.

So, this winter, Ye Jiu gained two family members.

——

Ye Jiu had no worries about food and drink while following Yao Yishui. She slept until she naturally woke up every day and then went to play with Yun Jia. Just when she thought she could live a life of leisure like this, Yao Yishui suddenly unleashed his power.

Just as dawn was breaking, Ye Jiu was dragged out of bed by Yao Yishui.

"Ouch, Master's wife, it hurts, it hurts, be gentle, be gentle." Ye Jiu covered her ears and grimaced in pain.

"So you still remember I'm your teacher's wife? After enjoying a few good days, isn't it time to learn something from me?"

Ye Jiu instantly remembered her Gu worms. She sat up straight. "Is my master's wife going to teach me about Gu worms?! I'm ready! Let's get started!"

Yao Yishui chuckled and tapped her head. "Why are you thinking about this? We'll talk about it later. I'll teach you some kung fu first."

"What?! Kung Fu!!" Ye Jiu became even more alert. Whoosh whoosh whoosh, leaping across rooftops and scaling walls, huh!

“Yes.” Yao Yishui nodded, then rubbed her head hard. “You’re so interested in these things, you’re not cut out for studying. The neighbor’s kid starts studying at this time every day, but you sleep until noon every day.”

Ye Jiu chuckled sheepishly, “Studying… well, it’s not that you can’t study, but…” She looked up at Yao Yishui, “It’s definitely best not to study… hehe.”

The imperial examinations at that time were much more difficult than the college entrance examinations she had experienced. Many people prepared for their entire lives but still couldn't pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations, and they had to take the exams more than once. She truly felt that she couldn't compare to them.

If the protagonist of a novel were to transmigrate to a matriarchal society, she would definitely achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations, or even become the third-highest-ranking scholar in the imperial examinations, riding a horse and "seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day"—she would be incredibly glamorous. However, she doesn't have such lofty ambitions.

The books at that time were obscure and difficult to understand, and the scope of the exams was so broad that she had no idea where to begin.

Forget it, it's good enough that she can survive in this world where human life is treated like dirt.

Yao Yishui certainly didn't intend to force her to study, but it was quite rare for a girl from an ordinary family not to aspire to high school. In the surrounding villages, every family was doing their best to support their daughter's education, hoping that she would pass the exam and bring prosperity to the whole family.

"I won't force you to study. Hurry up and get dressed so I can take you out for practice."

Ye Jiu quickened her pace, quickly put on her clothes and wrapped herself in a padded jacket, then followed Yao Yishui into the courtyard.

The pale golden sunlight peeked out from the east, just before sunrise.

The snow on the ground had not completely melted, and a small piece of ice had formed in the shady spot where the sun did not reach.

You can clearly see white vapor in your breath; the weather is getting colder.

Ye Jiu, his teeth chattering and trembling, asked, "Really, really, do we have to start training now?"

Ye Jiu was freezing to death, while Yao Yishui, dressed less than Ye Jiu, wasn't shivering at all, clearly not feeling the cold.

"Of course, don't you Central Plains people have a saying that goes, 'Practice hard in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer'? Of course, the colder it is, the harder you should start practicing."

Ye Jiu sniffed. What should she do if she was already having second thoughts?