He wanted to say he was afraid, but due to his personality he couldn’t bring himself to say it. So what came out instead was:
“As long as you’re willing, I can let you go.”
Yu Qiaoqiao glanced at this man who still hadn’t learned how to express his feelings. Clearly, he looked unhappy after hearing her words, yet he stubbornly insisted on saving face and suffering in silence. Honestly, the only thing tough about him was his mouth.
There was no helping it—her own man was like this. If she kept going along with his words, the two of them would soon be heading toward separation.
“Dream on if you think you can get rid of me,” she said. “Even if I ever leave, I’m taking you with me. You’re my man—do you think you can just abandon me after leading me on?”
She pretended to be angry. “Or what, are you planning to reunite with your little Wang Cuicui after I leave?”
“Qiao’er!” Qin Jizhi quickly interrupted her before she said anything more embarrassing. “I really haven’t spoken much with Wang Cuicui. It’s not what you think.”
“And who told you to misunderstand me first?” Yu Qiaoqiao said.
By now, she judged the timing was right. She began removing the silver needles from his legs one by one. After finishing, she took the prepared herbal medicine and applied it to him.
“If you keep overthinking things,” she warned, “I’ll punish you. As for what kind of punishment… it’ll definitely be those things you think are inappropriate.”
She carried the water used to wash his face outside, nearly spilling it on someone who rushed past the yard.
Recognizing the person, she frowned slightly. “Brother Gao, why are you in such a hurry?”
Gao Chengbin was the husband of Liu Yufang, the woman Yu Qiaoqiao had once met while collecting herbs on the mountain. Back then, Yu Qiaoqiao had already noticed something wrong with her condition. But without proper justification for treatment, she couldn’t convince them. This time, however, she had just bought medicine in the county that matched Liu Yufang’s symptoms.
“Qiaoqiao,” Gao Chengbin said anxiously, “your sister-in-law suddenly fainted. I was rushing to the township clinic to get a doctor.”
“She fainted?” Yu Qiaoqiao’s expression tightened.
“How come there’s no doctor?” she asked, looking behind him. Gao Chengbin wiped sweat from his forehead. “The doctor went out of town for a consultation. The place is far—he probably won’t be back today.”
He looked helpless, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Liu Yufang was the backbone of the family. Now that she had collapsed, he felt completely lost.
“Brother Gao,” Yu Qiaoqiao said quickly, “to be honest, when I was young I lived with my grandparents. My grandfather taught me some basic medical skills. I can go take a look.”
She had already prepared a reasonable explanation for her medical knowledge.
After her mother died, the Yu family once considered her a burden and even thought about abandoning her. In the end, only Yu Dahai’s last bit of conscience stopped them, and she was sent to her maternal grandparents.
Her elderly grandparents, despite their hardship, couldn’t abandon their granddaughter and raised her themselves. Later, after they passed away, Yu Qiaoqiao was taken back by the Yu family again—this time because they planned to sell her off for money.
So there really had been a period when she wasn’t in Qingshi Village.
With no other choice, Gao Chengbin agreed. “Qiaoqiao… please, help her.”
Yu Qiaoqiao nodded, grabbed her herbs and needles, and ran back inside. “Jizhi, something happened to Sister Gao. Brother Gao couldn’t find a doctor. I’m going to take a look—you stay home.”
Qin Jizhi watched her rushing figure, his eyes deep and warm.
Yu Qiaoqiao quickly followed Gao Chengbin toward his house.
Liu Yufang’s condition was serious. What had started as dizziness a few days ago had now progressed to unconsciousness—already dangerously close to being irreversible. Every second mattered.
News spread quickly through the village, and a crowd had already gathered at the Gao household by the time they arrived.
People shook their heads and whispered.
“It doesn’t look good. She’s barely breathing.”
“So young… such a tragic life. Probably from overwork.”
“What will this family do now? And the child is so young. Gao Chengbin won’t even be able to remarry.”
They spoke as if discussing something distant, without considering the family’s feelings at all. When they saw Yu Qiaoqiao arrive with Gao Chengbin, they looked even more puzzled.
“Gao Chengbin, what are you doing bringing Yu Qiaoqiao here?”
Ignoring them, he led her straight inside.
“Are you out of your mind? What can she do? I’ve never heard of anyone from the Yu family knowing medicine.”
“She’s only known for… attracting men. Since when can she treat people?”
Some even laughed.
Yu Qiaoqiao’s expression turned cold. She glanced at them sharply, and one man immediately shut his mouth.
In the crowd, she also spotted Yu Shanshan and Zhao Lijie. They seemed to be waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
But she had no time to care.
She stepped to Liu Yufang’s bedside, checked her breathing, and confirmed there was still a chance.
Without hesitation, she took out her silver needles and inserted them precisely into key acupuncture points.
“Brother Gao, don’t worry. Sister-in-law will be fine,” she said calmly.
Gao Chengbin was still uneasy. “Qiaoqiao… do you really know what’s wrong with her?”
Before Yu Qiaoqiao could answer, someone in the crowd sneered again.
“Ask her? What would she know? I think she just wants attention—using your wife as practice.”
“Exactly. A shameless woman like her probably learned this kind of trick from men, not medicine.”
Laughter broke out intermittently, inappropriate and mocking, filling the room.