Chapter 373: Proper Couple

Su Qingyao rushed back to the mansion, heading straight to the Spring Radiance Hall where his mother Old Lady Zhao lived.

However, before he had gone halfway, his steps slowed again.

Thinking it over, he still felt it was somewhat improper.

Although Wen Shiyuan said Dong Er's memory would soon return, exactly when it would recover and whether it could then provide useful clues remained unknown.

If he gave his mother hope too early, only to fail to find his younger sister, wouldn't that just cause her needless heartache?

Forget it; better to wait until things are truly settled before telling his mother.

Having thought it through, Su Qingyao turned and went to the study.

He had intended to sort out the backlog of official duties, but his emotions were in turmoil, his mind filled with the excitement of soon finding his sister, so he couldn't focus on anything at all.

So he simply shoved the documents aside, eagerly ran back to the main courtyard, and pulled Madame Ao, who was chatting with the servants, into the room.

With a bang he shut the door and bolted it.

The servants all covered their mouths and snickered.

"Oh dear, Master, what are you up to?" Madame Ao flushed, gave her husband a reproachful look, and said half‑reluctantly, "In broad daylight, it would be embarrassing if anyone saw."

Su Qingyao pressed her to sit on the bed's edge, saying, "We're a proper couple; what's there to be embarrassed about talking in the same room?"

Madame Ao froze.

"Talk?"

"Madam, let me tell you, I went to Uncle Wen's place today—guess who I saw……"

Su Qingyao excitedly recounted his encounter with Lou Dong Er, then, after finishing, he cupped Madame Ao's face and planted a fierce kiss, laughing loudly: "Heaven rewards the diligent; after searching for so many years, we're finally going to find Qing'er!"

Madame Ao stared blankly, "Really, truly?"

Su Qingyao nodded firmly at her triple chin, "Truer than real gold."

"Then I'll go tell Mother; if she finds out, her illness will surely improve by half!" Madame Ao reacted, sprang up, and was about to leave.

Su Qingyao quickly reached out to grab her, "Don't rush; this matter still needs careful planning."

He voiced his worries: "Madam, think about it—what if Dong Er refuses to tell us where our younger sister is? What if she doesn't know herself? What if our younger sister… is no longer among the living? How could Mother bear it then? So let's keep it quiet for now, and only tell her once the truth is clear."

Madame Ao thought, that made sense.

Since her sister‑in‑law Su Qing Ci went missing, Mother‑in‑law's eyes have been almost cried blind; whenever she hears of any clue, no matter how far away, she rushes there herself to verify.

Unfortunately, each time it turned out to be either a swindler or a false alarm.

Because of this, Mother‑in‑law has endured countless disappointments and tears; only in recent years has her spirits improved a little, but she cannot take any more shocks.

"Alas, I don't even know how Qing'er is doing now—whether she's well, and if she's still alive, why she hasn't come home all these years……"

Hearing this, Su Qingyao's heart suddenly sank and the smile vanished from his face.

"Yes, our younger sister has been brilliant since childhood; there's no reason she couldn't find her way home."

There are only two possibilities.

Either she's been imprisoned and can't escape,

or she's already…

"No, no, no, that can't be—Qing'er is pure‑hearted and kind; Heaven will surely protect her and won't let her die!"

Su Qingyao shook that ominous thought from his mind and changed the subject: "By the way, Madam, Uncle Wen recommended someone who might be able to cure Mother's eyes—please arrange a visit for me later."

"Oh?" Madame Ao asked curiously, "Which divine doctor?"

In the whole Fengyang Prefecture, the best physician is Wen Shiyuan; even he is helpless against Mother‑in‑law's eye ailment—who else could have the skill to cure it?

Thinking of the just‑concluded Xinglin Conference, her eyes lit up: "Could it be the Divine Doctor Mu Xiao from Medicine God Valley?"

"No, that's not it." Su Qingyao shook his head, smiling, "Madam, you've surely heard her name—she's the top scorer of this year's Xinglin Conference, Doctor Du Ruo."

"Ah, so it's her."

Madame Ao suddenly understood.

Besides, Doctor Du's reputation is all the rage in Fengyang Prefecture; it's said she stole the show at the Xinglin Conference, not only curing double pupils but even reviving those at death's door, drawing crowds who come bearing silver to beg for her consultation.

Yesterday Madame Ao went to Deputy Prefect Xia's house for a meal, and overheard the ladies at her table chatting about this—whether sick or healthy, they all wanted to invite this newly risen divine doctor for a look‑over.

"I've heard Doctor Du is very young—is her medical skill really that good?" Madame Ao was quite doubtful.

Su Qingyao wasn't certain either, but since Wen Shiyuan had praised her to the skies, she couldn't be far off: "Probably so—I trust Uncle Wen. Besides, her husband Jiang Li and her brother‑in‑law Jiang Zhan are young men I think highly of; as the saying goes, 'outsiders don't enter the family,' so even if we set aside the Du Clan's medical skill, their character is surely sound. No matter how it turns out, it can't be worse than now—let's give it a try."

Madame Ao nodded, "Master's right; I'll send someone to fetch her right away."

Thinking about how in demand Du Ruo is these days, she clapped her hands suddenly, "Never mind—I'll go invite her myself!"

Saying that, she rose, went to open the door, and hurried off to prepare gifts.

Du Ruo woke up from hunger.

Opening her eyes, she saw it was already broad daylight outside; the guest room's soundproofing wasn't great, so footsteps and voices from outside drifted in now and then.

She sat up on the bed and stretched a big yawn.

Youth is great—after being exhausted like a dog yesterday, a night's sleep left her energetic and ready for another vibrant day… cough cough cough!

Du Ruo nearly choked.

What the heck—under the covers she was completely naked, not a stitch of clothing on her.

Yesterday's absurdity suddenly popped into her mind.

Her face flushed with embarrassment; she let out a wail, flopped back onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over her head.

Sigh, they had planned to wait until she turned eighteen to consummate the marriage, but she hadn't held back—and worse, she'd initiated it—how embarrassing…

But it doesn't matter; after all, it's only off by a few months.

On the other hand, there's one thing she ought to pay attention to.

Du Ruo's face peeked out from under the blanket as she mentally counted the days—when had her period come last month? She could barely recall.

"Xiao Tong, are these days my safe period?"

"Is it important?" the system replied unhappily, "Host, you've taken physiology class, you should know, the safe period is not 100% safe."

That's true.

Du Ruo sighed, had no choice, could only exchange for an emergency contraceptive pill.

Her body had only just recovered not long ago; at this stage it wasn't the best time to have a child, and besides she had too many things to keep her busy, both physically and mentally, she hadn't prepared herself to become a mother.

Having exchanged for the medicine, Du Ruo directly tossed it into her mouth.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Jiang Li came in carrying a tray of food, happening to see this scene. Z. br>

"What did you eat?" he asked casually.

Du Ruo hurriedly shrank back into the blankets, eyes wide, telling a lie: "Nothing, just a blood tonic."

(Head splitting, let's just make do with this chapter.)