Chapter 206

Marrying off the Zheng Clan would indeed put an end to Du Ren Mei's thoughts.

However, Du Ruo did not want that.

"Well, forget it. My mother currently has no plan to remarry; she just wants to guard me and live a good life. Besides, if we end up with another unreliable person, wouldn't that be jumping from one fire pit into another?"

Hearing this, Master Jiang hesitated slightly, then nodded and said, "You also make sense."

His gaze turned to the small square table under the osmanthus tree, where Zheng Clan was grinding ink while accompanying Jiang Wan in practicing calligraphy.

The setting sun's afterglow slanted down, draping her in a soft, beautiful halo that made her face look ever gentler and kinder.

Master Jiang's originally restless heart suddenly calmed down.

"There's no need to give up eating because of one choke; actually, there are plenty of good men in this world, we just lack the eyes to spot them." Master Jiang withdrew his gaze, turned to face Du Ruo, and said, "Take our Jiang Family's men, for example—Jiang Li and Jiang Tong treat their wives quite well, don't they?"

Du Ruo burst out laughing, "Yes, yes, yes, and what about Jiang Zongbao? Why didn't Third Uncle mention him?"

Master Jiang: "……" He forgot that good-for-nothing who drags things down.

He didn't say anything else, glanced again at the big and small ones under the osmanthus tree, then turned and went back next door.

Night fell, and cooking smoke curled lazily above the kitchen of the Second Branch of the Jiang Family.

At the dinner table, Zheng Qinghe kept brainwashing Zheng Clan, disparaging Du Ren Mei as utterly worthless, saying he had sores on his head and pus oozing from his feet, completely corrupt; he also said he was like chewed sugarcane and cooked meat, leaving nothing but dregs.

In short, we absolutely cannot go back!

"Got it." Seeing he still wanted to nag, Zheng Clan laughed and cried, quickly shoved a big bone into his bowl to shut him up, saying, "Don't worry, I, your aunt, am not stupid; knowing full well that the Du Fu is a man-eating place, I'd still go in there?"

Zheng Qinghe bit into the meat on that bone and muttered, "Who knows? My father said back then they saw that Du Ren Mei was just a pretty facade, beautiful outside but rotten inside; they originally didn't want to agree to this marriage, but it was you, little aunt, who insisted on marrying him because you thought he was handsome."

"Cough, cough," Zheng Clan hurriedly interrupted him and added another spoonful of vegetables to his bowl, saying, "Eat, eat."

Du Ruo secretly laughed to herself, never expecting her own mother to be such a looks-obsessed person.

After all, who doesn't like good-looking people? She herself is no different; if Jiang Li had been even a little uglier, she wouldn't have fallen for him so easily.

After dinner, the family washed up and each returned to their own rooms.

Soon enough, there was no movement outside.

After a while, Du Ruo gently opened the door, poked her head out to look around, confirmed no one was there, then sneaked into the courtyard.

In the faint moonlight, she saw the dog lying in the corner.

The dog was bored, teasing a spider, blowing on its web; the web trembled, sometimes a strand breaking here, a half falling there; the poor spider, suffering from OCD, crawled back and forth busily repairing it.

"Tie Dan." Du Ruo called out in a lowered voice.

The dog sprang up, its two carbon-alloy dog eyes emitting a piercing light in the darkness.

So late at night, the young mistress's sneaky demeanor surely meant she was plotting some mischief again.

Was she digging up graves to steal corpses? Or peeking at bears and monkeys fighting? Just thinking about it gets one excited.

The dog spun in place twice, then lifted its head and whined twice at Du Ruo.

"Hurry up and tell me."

Du Ruo patted the dog's head to signal it to calm down, then crouched and took out a small oil-paper packet, saying, "Tie Dan, tonight sneak into the Lao Zhai and find a way to make Cao Shi drink this packet of medicine."

The dog tilted its head, "Medicine?"

"You don't need to know what medicine it is; just make her drink it." Cao Shi wasn't spreading rumors everywhere, claiming Zheng Clan was promiscuous with several men? Then let's make that rumor come true.

Besides, the protagonist needs a change, and also let Cao Shi know what karmic retribution is—evil deeds will not go unpunished!

The dog excitedly snatched up the packet of medicine, skillfully jumped over the wall, and quickly vanished into the night.

The main branch of the family was still having dinner at this time.

Madam Yan sat at the head, her old face grim, "Jiang Lian'er, you're an unmarried young lady; don't follow your mother's example of rushing to every bustle, bringing shame and delaying work."

Jiang Lian'er glanced at Cao Shi beside her, but didn't dare to speak.

Cao Shi's face was swollen high; knowing her mother-in-law was unhappy about today's affair, she nervously explained, "Mother, I… I was also doing it for Jiang Lian'er's good. Lord Du may be older, but he doesn't look old at all, and he's wealthy and powerful. If Jiang Lian'er marries him, even as a concubine, as long as she bears Lord Du a son, she'll be honored through her son—just like in the operas."

"You fool!" Madam Yan regretted marrying this daughter-in-law for the hundredth time, "Do you really think being honored through one's son is that easy? Don't you think—whoever becomes the matriarch of a wealthy household isn't easy to provoke? What 'honored through one's son'—more likely it's 'discard the mother, keep the son'!"

"Discard the mother, keep the son?" Cao Shi was startled, "This… this can't be…"

Hao Jinzhi sitting across scoffed, "How could it not be? You don't even see what Jiang Lian'er looks like—skinny as a rail, clearly lacking fortune; Lord Du would never want her."

"You!" Jiang Lian'er burst into tears, stopped eating, covered her face, and ran into her room.

Cao Shi felt pity for her own daughter, pointed at Hao Jinzhi and cursed, "Pah, even if Jiang Lian'er has no meat, she's still better than you—you're all meat, yet you're still a husband-killer!"

The words "husband-killer" are Hao Jinzhi's sore spot; whoever brings it up makes her turn hostile.

Hao Jinzhi sprang to her feet, grabbed the quail-like Jiang Zongbao beside her, and gritted her teeth, "Apologize! Otherwise, I, the grand matriarch, will kill him tonight!"

Cao Shi: "……"

Jiang Zongbao struggled a few times but couldn't break free, his face like a crying monkey, "Mom, Dad, please stop arguing; I just want to eat a meal in peace—is that too much to ask?"

Since marrying Hao Jinzhi into the family, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have been having small quarrels every three days and big ones every so often, leaving the household with no peace.

Moreover, he didn't dare to divorce this jinx, so he could only swallow his anger.

Whenever this happened, Jiang Zongbao especially missed the days when Qin Shi was around—Qin Shi was so good, diligent and filial, never talking back to her mother……

"Enough!" Madam Yan slammed her chopsticks on the table, her temples throbbing with anger, "Is it because you think the house isn't chaotic enough? The paralyzed are paralyzed, the sick are sick, the stupid are stupid, the noisy are noisy—does this place even resemble a home anymore?"

Cao Shi fell silent like a cicada in winter.

Hao Jinzhi flung the man in her hand onto the seat and buried herself in eating rice.

Jiang Zongbao truly couldn't eat anymore, "Grandmother, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

For her only grandson, Madam Yan still treasured him, so she softened her expression, "Go on, rest well; once I've saved enough silver, I'll take you to Fengyang Prefecture."

Fengyang Prefecture has many famous doctors; no matter what, the main branch must not cut off its lineage!

The meal was finished in this oppressive atmosphere; afterward, Cao Shi and Hao Jinzhi bickered a few more times over who should wash the dishes, and in the end Cao Shi lost, grumbling as she went to the kitchen.

After washing the dishes, she then attended to her husband Jiang Dabo, wiping his body and changing his clothes, only then was her work done.

Cao Shi also couldn't be bothered to wash up; she just lay down and slept.

Soon a gurgling sound came out, like thunder.

Under the bed, the dog slowly crawled out, stood up, and glanced at the bed.

Cao Shi slept spread-eagle, and Jiang Dabo lying beside her was stiff as a living corpse, only his eyes wide open, looking a bit frightening.

The dog thought for a moment, then ignored him.

Instead, it nimbly picked up an empty bowl from the stool beside the bed, turned around, used its paw to pull open the door bolt, silently ran outside, and placed the bowl and that packet of medicine on the ground.

It was about to go to the kitchen to fetch some water, but after two steps it suddenly changed its mind.

Then it tore open the oil-paper wrap, poured all the medicinal powder into the empty bowl, and lifted a hind leg, aiming at the bowl's mouth.

Glug-glug, a bowl of hot Returning Dragon Soup mixed with ingredients was just made.

The dog's mouth twitched; to avoid spilling the soup, it simply walked upright like a human, carefully holding the bowl with its two front paws back to Cao Shi's room.

It put it back on that stool.

Turning its head, it happened to lock eyes with Jiang Dabo.

Jiang Dabo's eyes suddenly widened, he made a gurgling sound in his throat, his body trembled violently, but unfortunately he couldn't even turn over.

Cao Shi was awakened by his movement, and she asked groggily, "What's wrong with him? Didn't he just relieve himself before bed?"

Jiang Dabo's gurgling grew fiercer.

"Thirsty?" Cao Shi had no choice but to sit up, yawning as she reached for the bowl beside the bed, intending to get up and pour him some, but unexpectedly found the bowl full.

Maybe Lian'er prepared it, Cao Shi didn't think much of it, she used one hand to lift her husband's head, and with the other hand held the bowl to feed Jiang Dabo.

Jiang Dabo pressed his lips tightly, his face full of ferocity.

"Why won't you drink? Is it too cold?" Cao Shi took a sip herself, smacking her lips.

It's not cold, it's warm just right.

But the taste is strange, a bit strong, a bit heady, like it's not water.

Could it be wine?