Grounded

While Yu Zhizhi was getting ready to spit out her excuses, Xiaoguo suddenly revealed a ‘kind’ smile and took the initiative to say, “Why don’t you join us? It’s just the three of us tonight.”

As she spoke, she hugged Zhuang Zhuang and Wen Xiaoyi tightly. One adult and two kids—exactly three of them.

Yu Zhizhi was surprised at Xiaoguo’s invitation, but then she realized. The three of them?

It was different from the three people she was thinking about. Instead they were the three people in front of her!

“… Is your husband not around?”

Swallowing the words “Brother Jiang” that almost came out of her mouth, Yu Zhizhi endured the pain and changed to “your husband.”

“…” Xiaoguo smiled gently at Yu Zhizhi and said softly, “He won’t be around for the whole of today.”

“…”

Yu Zhizhi’s face turned ashen.

—-

During dinner, Xiaoguo couldn’t stop laughing. Each time she recalled Yu Zhizhi’s expression earlier, she was unable to stop. It was really hilarious.

Xiaoyi and Zhuang Zhuang ate carefully. There was another burst of laughter. The two of them looked at each other in horror.

Xiaoyi: “What’s wrong with her?”

Zhuang Zhuang shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Xiaoyi: “Oh… I know. It must be because the food today was delicious!”

Zhuang Zhuang rolled his eyes. “Can’t you see that she hasn’t eaten a single bite of food and is only eating rice?”

Xiaoyi looked at Xiaoguo in realization and nodded in understanding. “Then she must be crazy.”

Zhuang Zhuang: …

Xiaoguo did not notice the little episode between the two of them. Instead, she was immersed in Yu Zhizhi’s expression earlier on.

She was sort of expecting that the other party would react badly, but she didn’t expect it to be so bad. If looks could kill, she would have been riddled with holes.

At night, Jiang Danhe did not return. Seeing that it was getting late, Xiaoguo got up and closed the door.

Along the way, she went to another room and checked on Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi. The two of them were sleeping well and did not kick away their blankets. After taking a quick look, she went back to sleep in peace.

As soon as she walked away from the bed, Xiaoyi suddenly muttered something. Xiaoguo stopped in her tracks and turned her head to listen carefully for a long time. When she didn’t hear anything else, she stopped thinking about it and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, Xiaoyi muttered to himself again.

“I’ll wipe it for you… I have a handkerchief…”

—-

On the other end.

Yu Zhizhi returned to her accommodation angrily. Without taking her dinner, she slammed the door shut, startling the others around her. Everyone mocked her with their eyes through the door.

“Why is a little village woman throwing a tantrum here? She really doesn’t know her place!”

As soon as Yu Zhizhi entered the room, she pulled the flowers from her hair and threw them to the ground. She stomped on them a few more times in frustration.

“I’m so pissed! I’m so pissed!”

Yu Zhizhi pounced on the bed and buried her head under the blanket. She kept hitting the bed with her fists for a long time before stopping.

“Damn Qin Xiaoguo, why didn’t she say so earlier! She had wasted so much of my time!”

“Bang, bang, bang!”

At this moment, there was a loud knock on the door. Yu Zhizhi was feeling vexed. When she heard such a rude knock, she subconsciously shouted, “Who is it?”

“It’s me! Madam is feeling unwell and wants to see you.”

When the person outside the door heard the tone in her voice, she naturally didn’t reply in a nice tone to her.

Yu Zhizhi tried her best to suppress her indignation and anger. She inhaled and exhaled with all her might. After suppressing her anger, she regained her original voice. “I’m coming…”

“Hurry up!”

“…” Yu Zhizhi’s face darkened. In the end, her rationality got the better of her. She reluctantly said, “Got it.”

When the person outside the door heard her answer, she snorted in satisfaction and left.

When Yu Zhizhi heard the footsteps getting further and further away, she punched the bed frame angrily. Reluctantly, she got out of bed and picked up the medicine box. Imagining that all of these people were the floor and the door, she kicked and slammed her way out of the room.

She really didn’t understand why these rich ladies were suffering from their rich-men ailments. They had all kinds of niggling health problems and always liked to mobilize everyone when they were unwell. They were always so keen to let everyone know that they were sick. It was really annoying.

Besides, she had not taken her dinner and yet she had to go take a look at the lady. Since she loved to fall sick so much, she should just die and save everyone the trouble!

Yu Zhizhi thought viciously. But when she saw Mrs. Yang, she still tried to keep herself on her good side. She was afraid that the lady would send her away if she was displeased with her.

“You’re really dilly-dallying. I didn’t bring you here to enjoy yourself. I have not seen you for the whole day. I don’t know what you’re doing every day. Shouldn’t you be waiting on me? Why are you running around? I think you shouldn’t go out anymore, lest you offend someone important!”

The Prime Minister’s wife was not a kind person. She was in her forties and had sharp eyes. She could tell at a glance that this woman was up to no good. This village woman was obviously not an honest person and was full of tricks. If she had to choose again, she would never have brought such a person over. It was really too late to think about this now!

It was a pity that her body was useless. She didn’t have any major problems, but she was constantly troubled by various ailments that were small and never-ending. It was hard for her to leave the doctor’s side.

“…Got it. I’ll be at your beck and call in the future.”

Yu Zhizhi understood that she had to lower her head when she was under someone else’s roof. However, she would keep this old woman in her mind. When she earned a reputation for herself one day, she would definitely not let this woman off so easily!

Thoughts were just thoughts. Yu Zhizhi cursed the Prime Minister’s wife as she gave her a careful massage.

The interaction mode between the two was as such. The Prime Minister’s wife scolded Yu Zhizhi openly, while Yu Zhizhi scolded the lady in her heart. It was considered a ‘harmonious’ communication mode.

In the next few days, Yu Zhizhi was indirectly grounded and did not have time to look for Xiaoguo. She waited on the Prime Minister’s wife with all her heart. Although she could not come out on her own, it did not mean that she could not go out with the lady.

“Are you serious?”

The Prime Minister’s wife looked doubtful. She didn’t believe that she would feel better if she spent more time outdoors.

“Really. It’s a beautiful day. Going out more often and taking in fresh air is good for your health, Madam.”

Yu Zhizhi’s expression was sincere, looking like she was doing this for the lady’s own good.

The Prime Minister’s wife put aside her disbelief temporarily. It was fine for her to go out for a walk. She had been here for so many days and had yet to venture out. It was indeed not good to stay indoors all the time.

“Alright then. I’ll go out for a walk later.”

“Madam, don’t wait till later. The air is fresh in the morning. It’s best to go out now.”

Yu Zhizhi suppressed her anxiety and tried her best to speak calmly.

When the prime minister’s wife heard this, she agreed. It was too hot in the afternoon. Mornings were much cooler. “Let’s go now.”

Yu Zhizhi’s face lit up. “Let me help you.”

Actually, she didn’t really feel like helping her, but this was a good position. Walking at the front, she would be able to spot Brother Jiang immediately…

Of course, Yu Zhizhi wouldn’t be so kind as to accompany Mrs. Yang for a walk. Earlier on, when she went to the toilet, she overheard someone talk about Qin Xiaoguo. Out of curiosity, she listened for a long time and realized that everyone was envious of Xiaguo having married the right person. She also heard the most important thing—Brother Jiang was currently in the pavilion in the garden.

Upon hearing this, how could she calm down? She had been longing for the opportunity to meet him. How could she miss it?

However, if Mrs. Yang did not allow her to go out alone, she could only think of a reason to coax the lady out so that she could follow her.

Overtly and covertly, she led Mrs. Yang into the garden. However, as the lady did not walk often, she could not walk fast. Yu Zhizhi was wishing to leave her behind so that she could run to find Brother Jiang. If the lady continued walking at this speed, Brother Jiang would probably leave before they reached the garden.

Despite her thoughts, Yu Zhizhi did not dare to leave Mrs. Yang behind. She could only help her walk slowly towards the garden.