Chapter 48: I'd better divorce the Seventh Master now
When Shen Yunshu learned that her third sister and Pei Huaian had been rescued, she immediately rushed to the clinic where they were.
By then, the knife in Pei Huaian's chest had been removed and the wound had been treated, but he was still unconscious because he was too weak.
There is a special kitchen for boiling medicine in the backyard of the clinic. After the boiled medicine is delivered, how to feed it to the patients is a big problem.
Pei Huaian was completely unconscious at the moment, and it was impossible to feed him the medicine with a spoon. Pei Huaijin tried several times but failed. The two were getting worried when they saw Shen Yunshu coming over. Shen Youran hurriedly handed the bowl to her and said, "Sister, you feed him..."
Shen Yunshu was holding a bowl, but she was concerned about her sister first. Seeing that she was fine, she couldn't help but cry with joy: "You Ran, I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad you're okay..."
Like Pei Huaijin, she had been extremely worried for the past three days and had hardly slept a wink, relying entirely on sips of ginseng soup to keep herself going.
"I'm fine, sister, but Pei Huaian..."
Shen Yunshu looked at the unconscious person on the bed and saw Pei Huaian's face was pale, his clothes were stained with blood, and his eyes were closed.
"Those robbers didn't keep their word at all. They only let one of us go. Pei Huaian stabbed himself with a knife to force them to let me go as well." Shen Youran glanced at Pei Huaijin. "If only you had arrived a little earlier."
Pei Huaijin hugged her shoulders guiltily.
Now is not the time to talk about these things. Shen Yunshu held the still warm medicine bowl, sat by the bed, scooped up the medicine and was about to feed it.
"Sister, I can't feed it this way." That's how I fed it just now, and it spilled more than it took in.
"How do you feed it then?"
Shen Youran whispered: "Feed with your mouth..."
The last time she was sick and thirsty in the middle of the night, Pei Huaijin gave her half a cup of water and fed her the remaining half with his mouth.
It's just that she woke up in fright at that time and didn't want to drink it. Now Pei Huaian is unconscious, so this method should be able to feed him.
When Shen Yunshu heard this idea, she blushed and said, "Don't tease me. How can this be done?"
"Why not? Aren't you husband and wife?" Isn't it normal for a couple to kiss? She didn't know how many times Pei Huaijin had kissed her.
"We..." Shen Yunshu looked at her sister and then at Pei Huaijin.
Pei Huaijin knew that she and Pei Huaian were pretending to be a couple.
"Brother, come here!" Shen Yunshu blushed and handed the medicine bowl to Pei Huaijin again.
Pei Huaijin didn't take the bowl: "Sorry, sister-in-law, I can't do that..." He couldn't bear to have the eldest brother feed the medicine to his younger brother mouth to mouth. If Shen Yunshu hadn't come at this moment, he would have tried to find a bamboo tube to try to force his seventh brother to drink it.
Seeing the two of them pushing and shoving each other, Shen Youran said anxiously, "Sister, the doctor said that this medicine must be given as soon as possible. He has been unconscious for a while..."
"Well." Saving people was the most important thing. Moreover, she and Pei Huaian had done more intimate things before. Now she was just passing the medicine orally.
Shen Yunshu didn't waste any more time. She sat beside the bed with the medicine and passed it to the unconscious person on the bed, mouthful by mouthful...
Shen Youran also bent down and looked over curiously.
A large hand was placed in front of her. Pei Huaijin covered her eyes and pulled her into his arms: "Don't look at anything inappropriate."
Fortunately, this method really worked. Soon, the bowl of medicine was all fed.
Shen Yunshu put down the empty medicine bowl and when she looked up, her face was completely red.
But she didn't care about being shy at this moment. She took her sister's hand and looked her over carefully from head to toe: in just three days, she looked haggard, her chin was sharp, her voice was hoarse, her clothes were dirty, her hair was messy...
She was clearly the sister whom she loved and doted on from the bottom of her heart, but she was hurt again and again because of her.
Shen Yunshu stroked her sister's smaller face and blamed herself: "It's all my fault. I always make you get implicated..."
"Sister, I don't blame you..." On the way back, Pei Huaijin told her that this matter was indeed related to Lu Yi. The person Lu Yi wanted to tie up was her sister, and she happened to pass through the alley before her sister, so she was kidnapped as her sister.
No wonder after she was taken into the woods that day, someone came in to see her, only looked at her face and left.
It turns out that person is Lu Yi.
If my sister fell into his hands, the consequences would be even more unimaginable.
With Lu Yi's dark mind, he would probably hide his sister, and then she would never see her sister again in this life.
Fortunately, fortunately, it was her they kidnapped...
"Sister, I almost didn't get to see you anymore..." Shen Youran threw herself into her sister's arms and told her about the grievances and scares she had suffered in the tiger's den in the past few days.
Then he mentioned the strange boy.
"They sent me to the young master as a wife. Luckily, he knew a girl with the same name as me, so he let me go..."
Shen Yunshu and Pei Huaijin looked at each other: This was also something they wanted to ask, but they had never dared to ask.
When a young and beautiful girl is abducted by thieves, the two things that make people worry the most are her life and her innocence.
But now hearing her say this, it seems that her innocence has not been damaged.
Shen Yunshu said happily, "You Ran, did the young master... not bully you?"
Shen Youran also knew that this was a very hard to believe thing. After all, everyone in the bandit's nest, including Pei Huaian and Qing Wu who were imprisoned in the woodshed, thought that she was being bullied.
She raised her eyes and looked at Pei Huaijin first, then at her sister, and said in a hoarse voice: "I said no, do you believe it?"
"I believe it." Shen Yunshu knew her sister wouldn't lie. If she said no, then she didn't. "I just knew my sister was a lucky person with a long life. She could always turn danger into safety..."
Pei Huaijin, who was standing beside her, raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I believe it too."
His voice was solemn, his tone was steady, and his tone was full of firm trust.
The confidence and trust that her close friends had in her greatly alleviated Shen Youran's fears over the past few days, and her body, which had been in a tense state, also relaxed.
She hadn't slept well in the past few days, and was afraid day and night. Although the boy had not done anything inappropriate to her, she was locked in his room and was always worried. At night, she could only curl up in the corner of the bed and take a nap. She would be scared awake by the slightest noise.
At this time, she finally returned to the side of her close ones. After relaxing her body and mind, she could finally sleep peacefully.
Shen Yunshu felt the person in her arms gradually getting heavier, and she remembered something and called her again: "You Ran..."
"Um?"
"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you..."
Shen Youran's eyelids grew heavier, and he tried to muster up a bit of energy: "What's the matter?"
Shen Yunshu patted her sister in her arms and said slowly, "The robbers originally wanted to kidnap me. The letter they sent to the Pei family demanding a ransom also contained my name. So my brother and I decided to go along with it and tell everyone that I was kidnapped. When you go back, don't let anything slip..."
"How can that be possible?" Shen Youran raised her head and disagreed, "If that happens, wouldn't your reputation be ruined?"
Shen Yunshu pressed her head back: "It's all because of me that you've suffered so much. I brought disaster upon you, but I couldn't do anything for you. The only thing I can do is this. Just obey me..."
"But I don't want you to be hurt by rumors in the future..."
"I'm fine, Youran, be obedient..."
Shen Youran wanted to argue with her sister, but she was too sleepy, and her sister's embrace was so warm. She mumbled something, and while she was talking, she fell asleep without knowing when.
"Let me do it." Pei Huaijin took the sleeping person away from Shen Yunshu's arms, "I'll take her back first. Seventh brother has taken the medicine and should be getting better soon. Please stay here with him for a while. After I return to the mansion, I'll send someone to pick you up..."
"Yes, brother, this is what I should do." Pei Huaian suffered this unexpected disaster because of her. Shen Yunshu felt guilty not only towards her sister, but also towards him.
"Xiao Ci will take care of Lu Yi. When you return home, you should have a good rest first. We can discuss other matters after you have rested well..."
During these days, they had been staying awake day and night, and their bodies were exhausted to the extreme.
Reputation, fake couples getting divorced, these things are far less important than a good night's sleep.
"Yes, big brother."
Pei Huaijin carried the person out of the clinic, leaving a few guards to guard it.
He changed her clothes in the carriage and went back through the back door of Pei Mansion. After some trouble, he finally managed to avoid the servants in the mansion and carried her back to Yunzhiyuan.
At this time, he was exhausted both physically and mentally. He had not slept for three days and had a severe headache. He forced himself to muster up his last bit of energy and sent someone to pass on a message to the elders of each courtyard, saying that his seventh brother and the seventh young master's wife had been rescued safely, with only his seventh brother suffering minor injuries and the seventh young master's wife being fine. The ransom had not been touched, so the elders could rest assured.
"My dear, the eldest lady..." Danruo wanted to say something to him, but Pei Huaijin waved his hand and said, "Let's talk after I wake up."
Then he closed the door, undressed, took off his shoes, and took off Shen Youran's outer clothes. He didn't care that his body had not been bathed for three days. He hugged the dirty person and fell asleep after a few breaths.
After the elders of each courtyard heard the news, they all felt relieved.
Not long after, the Pei family's carriage went to the clinic to pick up Pei Huaian and Shen Yunshu. Old Madam Pei and her daughters-in-law from the first and second houses were waiting in Ciyouyuan early. Seeing her grandson and granddaughter-in-law return safely, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Although she felt sorry for her youngest grandson's injuries, those flesh wounds would eventually heal. Old Madam Pei felt even more sorry for her granddaughter-in-law. She wanted to ask her what she had been through during the days she was abducted, but she didn't dare ask. After all, she had been in a den of danger for so long, and her chastity was probably no longer safe. Asking her now would undoubtedly be like rubbing salt into her wounds...
Mrs. Pei could only hold her granddaughter-in-law's hand distressedly, muttering: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back, take a good bath, have a good sleep, don't think about anything, nothing is important, it's good that you're back..."
Shen Yunshu could see that the old lady felt sorry for her from the bottom of her heart, but her eldest aunt and second aunt beside her had complicated expressions, as if they each had something on their mind. They agreed with the old lady's words, but there were other emotions hidden in their eyes.
Neither of the two aunts was a bad person. It was true that they felt sorry for her situation, but it was also true that they had other plans in mind.
It was easy to guess what Second Aunt was thinking. She simply felt that she had lost her innocence in the bandit den and was afraid that she would not be able to become the Seventh Young Master's wife in the future. Therefore, she was coveting the power of the head of the family in her hands...
But Shen Yunshu couldn't guess what her aunt was thinking.
Old Madam Pei and the two aunts did not stay in Ciyouyuan for too long. After comforting her, they went back.
Shen Yunshu was extremely tired at this time and had no energy to think about other things. After a quick shower, she returned to the dormitory feeling dizzy.
Pei Huaian had not woken up yet, but when he left the clinic, the doctor examined him and said that his pulse had stabilized and he just needed to take the medicine on time and rest for a while.
Besides the knife wound on his chest, he also had some other bruises on his body, and a large swelling on his forehead...
Shen Yunshu gently stroked the wound on his face, lay down beside him, and slowly fell asleep.
After experiencing a period of war and chaos, the Pei Mansion finally returned to peace.
The ransom of 130,000 taels came back intact. It was pooled from three families. Old Madam Pei took out the two shares from the Shen family and the Lu family, and sent the silver notes back together when she sent a message to the two families.
When the Shen and Lu families heard the news, they immediately rushed to Pei's house. Old Madam Pei personally entertained them, saying that the young couple were sleeping soundly and did not want them to be disturbed.
Lu Zhan did not stay in the Pei family for long. He was busy going back to look for his son because his eldest son Lu Yi went out with the guards to look for someone two days ago and has not returned yet.
However, there were times when Lu Yi did not return home overnight before, so Lu Zhan did not report to the police for the time being.
When Mrs. Pei heard about this, she lamented that things had been a bit uneasy these past few days.
After Lu Zhan left, Shen Tingyu talked about Shen Yunshu with Mrs. Pei.
For some things, they, as elders, always think one step ahead of their children.
Chen Tingyu knew that his eldest daughter was lucky to be able to keep her life after this incident, but as for her innocence and reputation, she was afraid that she could not keep them.
"Old Madam, please tell everyone in the mansion to keep their mouths shut and not let any rumors that are detrimental to Shu'er leak out..."
"Don't worry, dear in-laws. I have already sent out instructions one by one. If anyone in the mansion talks nonsense about Yun Shu, they will be severely punished."
"With what the old lady said, I feel relieved. However, this matter can only shut up outsiders. If the young couple develops a rift over this matter in the future and can no longer live together, please don't blame Yun Shu and allow her to divorce and go home..."
This is exactly what Mrs. Pei is worried about right now.
Xiao Qi and the eldest daughter of the Shen family had been forced into a relationship by their elders. The sight of Xiao Qi lashing out and refusing to marry the Shen family's eldest daughter was still fresh in her memory. Now that this had happened, there was no guarantee that Xiao Qi wouldn't harbor resentment. If he took this to heart and refused to marry Yun Shu, she, as his grandmother, didn't know how to dissuade him.
Thinking of this, the old lady sighed: "If it really comes to that, these two children will have no fate..."
*
Pei Huaijin did not sleep well. He was obviously very sleepy and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed. However, he woke up not long after sleeping. He caught a glimpse of the beautiful sunset outside the window and realized that it was dusk.
He slept for less than two hours.
He rarely dreamed before, but today, during this short nap, he had a bad dream. He dreamed that Shen Youran had been kidnapped, and he searched everywhere for her but couldn't find her. Panic engulfed him like a vine growing wildly. It was his first time experiencing a nightmare...
Fortunately, even in the dream, he still had a trace of consciousness. He kept telling himself that it was a dream, and then he struggled to wake up.
He used his arms to hold the person tightly, and his empty heart was filled with the feeling of regaining what he had lost.
His head still hurt, and his forehead was throbbing, but he was no longer sleepy. Pei Huaijin remembered that Dan Ruo had mentioned his mother to him, and it seemed that she had something very important to tell him, so he loosened his grip on the person in his arms, kissed her again and again, and then got up from the bed.
He walked out of the bedroom rubbing his forehead. The two little girls, Danruo and Qinghe, had been waiting outside. When they saw him come out, they told him about the eldest lady.
"My dear, the eldest lady came to our courtyard this morning and wanted to see the young lady. The servants declined, saying that the young lady was ill and couldn't see anyone, but the eldest lady insisted on entering the bedroom, so the servants didn't stop her..."
Danruo and Qinghe have been wondering in their hearts these past two days: it was the Seventh Young Master's wife who was abducted, so why did their own young master's wife disappear as well?
That day, the young man came back in a hurry and gave some instructions, but he didn't explain the reason. Today, the eldest lady came to visit the patient and found that the bedroom was empty. Her face turned unhappy and she turned around to punish them.
Danruo had no choice but to confess that it was her husband who asked them to do this, and the lady let them go.
Pei Huaijin's face was filled with fatigue, and he took two slow breaths. "Got it. I'm going to Haitang Garden. You stay with the young lady and don't leave her side."
He has been busy traveling these days. Even when he returned home, he went to his grandmother's Chunxuan Hall and never returned to Yunzhiyuan. He didn't know when his mother became suspicious, but today she broke in to find out what was going on.
His mother must have guessed most of what had happened, and he couldn't let her tell anyone about it.
Sure enough, when he arrived at Haitang Garden, his mother saw him coming and immediately dismissed the servants. She asked him coldly, "Tell me the truth, was the person the robbers kidnapped An'er's wife or your wife?"
Pei Huaijin's face was silent: "Is this matter very important to mother?"
"Of course it's important..." Zhu's suspicion didn't start today. As early as the second day after the incident, when both the Shen and Lu families came to the mansion to discuss how to raise the ransom, Zhu discovered that Shen Youran, Shen Yunshu's biological sister, had never shown up.
Someone was sent to Yunzhiyuan to ask, and was told that Shen Youran was seriously ill and could not see anyone.
Although Zhu didn't like her daughter-in-law, as an elder, she should comfort her since such a big thing had happened, so she went to Yunzhiyuan in person.
No one was seen, and the maid declined, saying that the young lady was very ill and did not want to see anyone.
After Zhu came back, the more she thought about it, the more strange it seemed to her, so she went there again this morning and went straight into the bedroom. As expected, she did not see Shen Youran.
Seeing that they could no longer hide it, the two maids had to admit that it was the master's order.
Zhu couldn't help but wonder what her son was trying to hide by trying to cover it up.
Good news arrived that afternoon: Xiaoqi and his wife had been rescued. Zhu followed the old lady to Ciyouyuan to visit the two children. She secretly took a close look at Shen Yunshu. She saw that although she was exhausted, her face showed no fear or sorrow. There was not a single sign of injury on her body. She didn't look like she had been kidnapped at all...
Zhu began to have bad suspicions in her mind.
Her son's current attitude further confirmed that her guess was true.
"What exactly is going on? The robber's letter clearly said that they kidnapped An Ge'er's wife, but how come it was your wife who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
"Mother, don't ask too much. Whoever's name is written on the letter is the one who was kidnapped..." Although it was Shen Youran who was kidnapped, Shen Yunshu insisted on taking responsibility for the matter. The other elders did not suspect anything, and she couldn't let anything go wrong with her mother.
"I am your mother, and you won't tell me the truth?"
"I know what my mother is thinking. You insist on pursuing this matter simply to doubt her innocence and force me to divorce her." Pei Huaijin looked at his mother calmly. He knew her thoughts very well and also expressed his attitude.
"Impossible," he said. "She is my wife. No matter what happens, I will never abandon her."
Zhu was so angry that her face turned pale.
Pei Huaijin stood up and said, "You Ran is your daughter-in-law. What good will it do you if you ruin her reputation? Mother, please think about this carefully..."
Before returning to Yunzhiyuan, Pei Huaijin went to Ciyouyuan again to see how his seventh brother was doing.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yunshu, like him, woke up after sleeping for an hour or two and was reading a book in the left side room.
Seeing her eldest brother coming, Shen Yunshu naturally showed concern for her third sister first, and then told him about Pei Huaian's situation.
Their brothers and sisters were all fine, so Pei Huaijin told her what had just happened in Haitang Garden.
"Mother noticed something and suspected that the person who was kidnapped was You'er, not you. However, I have already explained the pros and cons to her. No matter how suspicious she is, she will not mention it to anyone else..."
No wonder…
When the eldest lady and the old lady came to see her today, Shen Yunshu felt that the eldest lady looked strange, but she said nothing.
It turned out that the eldest lady had already become suspicious.
Wouldn’t the third sister’s life be even more difficult in the future?
"Why don't I divorce the Seventh Young Master right now and dispel the First Madam's doubts..."
Anyway, the divorce agreement had been written long ago, and Lu Yi had been taken to the Dali Temple. Although the third sister did not yet have the ability to fully stand on her own, if the divorce would be better for her at this time, Shen Yunshu was willing to let Pei Huaian take out the divorce agreement now.
"No need. Mother's opinion has no influence on me." Speaking of divorce, Pei Huaijin recalled his seventh brother's confession in the carriage and casually asked her, "Have you ever considered not divorcing your seventh brother and becoming a real couple with him?"
Shen Yunshu was stunned for a moment: "Brother, the Seventh Young Master doesn't like me."
"How do you know he doesn't like you?" Pei Huaijin was about to relay to her what her seventh brother had said in the carriage, when she suddenly saw her seventh brother coming out of the partition door behind her, his face pale. So she changed her words, "When he wakes up, you can ask him."
"No," Shen Yunshu smiled and shook her head, "I treat the Seventh Young Master like a younger brother..."
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