In less than a day, Xie Jin began spending his nights with Meihong, and he continued doing so for several days in a row.
Jinniang could only worry helplessly. She still needed to complete her period of confinement after the miscarriage. Otherwise, she risked damaging her health.
But that didn’t mean she was completely out of options.
Word had it that she had given Xie Jin another idea—opening a restaurant. Business was booming, and the restaurant was called Hongman Restaurant.
Xiao Yu visited it once.
Various vegetables were cooked in a yellow copper pot at the table. The way of eating was novel, and the food was surprisingly delicious.
Taking advantage of her free time, Xiao Yu divided the silver she had managed to gather into three portions.
She used one portion to stockpile charcoal and another to purchase grain and clothing.
Medicinal herbs, however, were more difficult to obtain.
The Poison Physician Valley in Fufeng only had one branch in the capital, and the quantity of herbs they kept in stock was limited.
That was when Xiao Yu thought of her close childhood friend, Lin Wan.
Lin Wan was the daughter of Marquis Weiyuan, Lin Zhennan. Years ago, she had married into the Li family, a renowned family of physicians and pharmacists.
The Li family had three sons: the eldest, Li Qing; the second, Li An; and the third, Li Shan. All three were highly skilled physicians with excellent medical ethics.
Three of the largest medicine halls in the capital—Baoqing Hall, Bao’an Hall, and Baoshan Hall—were operated by the three Li brothers.
Although Lin Wan had technically married beneath her social status, and many people had initially disapproved of the match, time had proven that she had made the right choice.
Her husband, Li Qing, was the eldest son of the Li family, and Baoqing Hall belonged to him.
Moreover, the Li family had a strict family rule: a man was only permitted to take a concubine if he remained without a son by the age of forty.
All three Li brothers had loving marriages, and none of their households were plagued by the messy affairs commonly found in the inner courtyards of noble families.
Lin Wan had always been bold and straightforward.
Even as a child, she had been a fiery little girl. She had also learned some martial arts from Marquis Weiyuan.
Once, when Xiao Yu had been bullied outside and gotten into a fight, Lin Wan couldn’t stand watching from the sidelines and jumped in to help her teach those girls a lesson.
Her fierce little fists had left a deep impression on Xiao Yu.
From that day onward, the two became close friends.
Xiao Yu’s elder brother, Xiao Wang, had once found their friendship difficult to understand.
One was quiet and composed, while the other was lively and fiery. How had two people with such opposite personalities become so close?
It wasn’t until he saw how wild and carefree his normally reserved younger sister became whenever she was with Lin Wan that he realized he had been far too shallow in his judgment.
Xiao Yu asked Anxiang to send a visiting card to the Lin residence before bringing gifts to visit Lin Wan.
The moment Lin Wan saw her, she gave Xiao Yu a firm slap on the back.
“So you finally remembered to visit me! Ever since you got married, I’ve heard one story after another about you. I wanted to come see you, but then I heard you’d gone to Yuling Mountain. After that, I heard Xie Jin slapped you so badly that your face was disfigured!
“Here! It took me a great deal of effort to get Li Ji to prepare this ointment. It can remove scars. I was just about to send it to you, and here you are!”
Lin Wan pulled out a small container of ointment she had been carrying and handed it to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu accepted it and immediately tucked it into her clothes as though it were a treasure. Then she affectionately linked arms with Lin Wan.
“My dear sister, I knew you cared about me! But aren’t these rumors getting a little ridiculous? I was only slapped once. How did that turn into me being disfigured by the time the story reached you?
“Look at me! My face has already healed. It’s nowhere near as serious as you said. But I’m definitely keeping this medicine safe. Brother-in-law went through the trouble of making it, so it must be something good!”
Lin Wan tapped Xiao Yu on the forehead, looking utterly helpless against her.
“Where are Yue’er and Xing’er? I brought them lots of little gifts!”
Li Yue and Li Xing were Lin Wan’s boy-girl twins. They were four years old this year.
“Their nanny took them out to play. Forget about them for now. Let us sisters have a proper talk. Hurry and tell me—what exactly is going on with Xie Jin? Didn’t he treat you quite well before? How could he do something like this?”
Xiao Yu sighed and told Lin Wan about Xie Jin’s prejudice and suspicions toward her.
The moment Lin Wan heard the story, she exploded in anger.
“Has Xie Jin gone blind?! And what good is that heart of his if he doesn’t know how to use it? How could he think of you that way?
“He claims he saw it with his own eyes? If he really saw you, why didn’t he go over and make sure it was actually you?
“If you ask me, Jinniang must be behind this! She probably found someone who looked like you and used her to ruin your reputation so she could take advantage of the situation and get close to Xie Jin!”
Lin Wan’s words actually made a great deal of sense.
More importantly, she never once considered the possibility that Xiao Yu might have done something wrong.
The absolute trust and protectiveness in her words deeply moved Xiao Yu.
She felt both relieved and delighted, and couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
“You’re already a mother, yet your temper is still as fiery as ever. Though I have to admit, even your insults are pleasant to hear!”
“Look at you! The two of you grew up together. How did you never realize that he was a two-faced man who only looked good on the outside?
“If you’d known earlier what kind of person he truly was, you could have saved yourself the trouble of marrying him and wasting your life!”
Lin Wan grew angrier the more she spoke.
“If he ever lays a hand on you again, send someone to call me. I’ll teach him a proper lesson myself!”
Xiao Yu felt warmth spread through her heart.
She hugged Lin Wan, her voice becoming slightly hoarse with emotion.
“Ever since we were children, there have been more times when you protected me than even my own brother! But don’t worry. I have Yuyan by my side now, and she’s very skilled in martial arts. If Xie Jin tries to hit me again, I’ll have Yuyan teach him a lesson!”
“Really? You’d actually be willing to do that?”
Lin Wan was still worried that Xiao Yu hadn’t completely given up on Xie Jin.
After all, they had known each other for so many years. Cutting off such deep feelings overnight was no easy matter.
What she didn’t know was that Xiao Yu had already died once at Xie Jin’s hands.
The Xiao Yu of today no longer held even the slightest affection for him.
“Really. Ever since I married into his residence, I’ve seen everything clearly. I’ve completely given up on him!
“I don’t ask for anything else now. As long as he doesn’t provoke me, I’ll peacefully live my life as his Princess Consort. But if he dares provoke me… even a cornered rabbit will bite!
“When that happens, I’ll show him exactly what I’m capable of!”
Xiao Yu deliberately raised a small fist in front of Lin Wan.
Seeing her adorable yet determined expression, Lin Wan finally felt reassured.
“All right, tell me the truth. You suddenly remembered to come visit me today. You need something, don’t you?”
Xiao Yu nodded and leaned closer, whispering several sentences into Lin Wan’s ear.
Lin Wan looked Xiao Yu up and down, her expression somewhat suspicious.
“Looks like some of those rumors really are true. I heard that you gained the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s protection, but it seems there’s more to it than that. Is the Ninth Imperial Uncle trustworthy?”
“He is. We’re currently in a cooperative relationship. We each have something the other needs, so you don’t have to worry. When the time comes, I definitely won’t let you suffer any losses.”
“Since you put it that way, I’ll speak to Li Qing. I can’t promise anything else, but when it comes to medicinal herbs, you can rest assured. The Li family hasn’t spent all these years building its reputation as a medical family for nothing.”
Xiao Yu clapped her hands together and smiled.
“I knew coming to you was the right choice!”
“Mother!”
“Mother!”
Just then, two adorable little figures charged into the room like cannonballs and wrapped themselves around Lin Wan, one on each side.
“It really is Aunt Yu!”
Li Yue and Li Xing blinked their large, dark, grape-like eyes at Xiao Yu.
The sight of them immediately melted her heart, and she opened her arms wide.
“Your Aunt Yu has been sitting right here!”
“Aunt Yu!”
“Aunt Yu!”
The two children immediately threw themselves into Xiao Yu’s arms, chattering nonstop like a pair of little birds.
“Guess what wonderful things I brought for you!”
“Toys!”
“Food!”
Li Yue had inherited Lin Wan’s personality, while Li Xing had taken after Li Qing.
Lin Wan often said she wished it had been the other way around.
In her opinion, girls ought to be quieter and more reserved. She herself had been criticized constantly since childhood for being too bold and unruly, and she had long since grown tired of hearing it.
Li Qing, however, liked his daughter exactly as she was.
He believed that a girl with a stronger personality was less likely to be bullied.
Xiao Yu wholeheartedly agreed with him.
She thought Li Qing’s words made perfect sense and showed just how much he loved his wife and cherished his children.
Xiao Yu asked Anxiang and Yingxiu to take the twins to see the gifts she had brought.
The two children happily followed them away.
“You really spoil them. Every