Chapter 11

Yun Pianpian returned home and immediately threw the packet of medicine into the trash, her heart filled with doubt.
“If this Doctor Zhou can’t even cure his own nephew, could he be a quack?”
If Chen Fashan had heard Yun Pianpian’s words, he would have been so enraged he’d spit blood and see black.
Chen Fashan would never have imagined that the elaborate scheme he had so carefully prepared would be effortlessly thwarted by Yun Pianpian before it even began.
Xiao Changyuan, watching Yun Pianpian muttering to herself by the door from a distance, frowned slightly.
“Wife, what are you mumbling about?”
Yun Pianpian walked over and told Xiao Changyuan about the sickly young man she had seen at Doctor Zhou’s house earlier that day, sharing her own speculation: “I’ve heard that many wandering physicians use medicine to swindle people. They give patients harmless herbs that won’t kill anyone but won’t cure them either. If the patient recovers, it’s just luck; if not, it’s fate.”
At this point, Yun Pianpian wrinkled her nose. “I think this Doctor Zhou can’t even cure his own nephew, so his medical skills can’t be that great. We’d better not take this medicine for now. What if he is just a fraud.”
If Doctor Zhou had heard this, he would have been infuriated on the spot.
He, a sixth, rank imperial physician from the palace, was seen by Yun Pianpian as nothing more than a wandering swindler.
Xiao Changyuan glanced at Yun Pianpian with some surprise, never expecting her to be cautious of others.
“It seems you’re not entirely foolish.”
Yun Pianpian shot him a dissatisfied look. “Who are you calling foolish?”
Xiao Changyuan changed the subject. “What are you planning to do with the medicine?”
Yun Pianpian replied, “I’ve already thrown it away.”
Xiao Changyuan nodded faintly upon hearing this.
Yun Pianpian suddenly frowned. “You’ve been drinking that medicine for several days. I wonder if it’s harmed your health?”
Xiao Changyuan had long since poured out all the medicine.
From the very first day he arrived in Jiangjia Village, he had sensed something off about Doctor Zhou. Every time Yun Pianpian brought him the brewed medicine, he would find an excuse to send her away and then pour it into the grass behind the house.
He hadn’t told Yun Pianpian about his suspicions regarding Doctor Zhou.
There was no need.
His wife was not only slow, witted but also timid. Knowing these things would do her no good, it would only cause her unnecessary worry. It was better to keep her in the dark and let her remain a carefree fool.
After all, he would protect her.
He was her husband, and it was his duty to keep her safe.
Men, to some extent, all have a bit of heroism in them, Xiao Changyuan was no exception.
He had never doubted Yun Pianpian.
He believed his wife was too foolish and too timid, even with ten times the courage, she wouldn’t dare deceive him.
His wife was just a bit scatterbrained, prone to exaggeration, and had a tendency to make a fuss over nothing, but she was still quite endearing.
At this thought, Xiao Changyuan’s gaze softened imperceptibly, a faint, unconscious smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Yun Pianpian had no idea what he was thinking and only frowned anxiously. “The injuries on your body can’t be left untreated. There’s no proper clinic in the market, and if we want medical help, we’ll have to go to the county town. But without household registration or travel permits, how are we supposed to get there?”
Xiao Changyuan remained silent, wanting to see what brilliant idea his wife could conjure up from her penniless mind.
Yun Pianpian seemed to have thought of something, her eyes suddenly lighting up.
“Ah, I've got it!”
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping over him.
Yun Pianpian looked at Xiao Changyuan with a blazing gaze, saying cheerfully, “We can go to Brother Mu and A Yu for help. A Yu is so clever, eloquent, and knows many people, he’s sure to help us find a solution.”
As expected.
Xiao Changyuan’s handsome face turned cold. It was indeed her “Brother Mu.”
Ignoring Xiao Changyuan’s icy expression, Yun Pianpian immediately went to Xie Yu’s house and explained the situation regarding their household registration and travel permits, using the same excuse she had given Xiao Changyuan, that they had encountered bandits and lost their documents.
Xiao Changyuan stood behind Yun Pianpian, his gaze coldly fixed on the annoying brothers, exuding an aura of frost.
Xie Yu pretended not to notice Xiao Changyuan’s icy stare, smiling only at Yun Pianpian.
“What does Sister Pianpian mean?”
Yun Pianpian looked at Xie Yu. “Since my husband and I ran away secretly, we don’t want to restore our original household registration. We’re worried my parents might track us down through the records. A Yu, you know many people, could you help us get new household registrations?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Yu smiled and said, “Sister Pianpian, don’t worry. It’s a small matter, leave it to me.”
Yun Pianpian waited only two days before Xie Yu delivered the freshly issued household registration and travel permits to her.
“This is the official household registration issued by the authorities. I’ve already taken care of everything up and down, it’s as genuine as it gets.”
Seeing her name and Xiao Changyuan’s alias written on the registration, Yun Pianpian was overjoyed.
She finally had an ancient ID card and was no longer an undocumented resident!
Yun Pianpian looked down, repeatedly examining the household registration in her hands, then beamed at Xie Yu.
“A Yu, how did you manage this?”
Xie Yu winked at her. “As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. It wasn’t really that difficult.”
Hearing this, Yun Pianpian immediately opened her purse. “How much did it cost? I’ll pay you back.”
Xie Yu said with a smile, “The two registrations cost ten taels of silver in total. If anyone else asked me, I’d say twelve taels, but Sister Pianpian is so beautiful and kind, hearted, just like my own sister, so I’ll only charge you ten taels.”
If any other young man had said this to Yun Pianpian, she would have thought him slick and insincere.
But it was Xie Yu who said it.
Xie Yu knew exactly what to say to please anyone.
He had a knack for making flattering words sound so natural and smooth, as if they were genuine, making it impossible to dislike him.
Yun Pianpian felt deeply comforted by his words.
What woman doesn’t enjoy being praised?
In the end, Yun Pianpian still gave Xie Yu twelve taels of silver, after all, he was adorable and sweet, tongued.
Xiao Changyuan’s gaze toward Xie Yu was so cold it could freeze blood.
After obtaining their household registrations, Yun Pianpian and Xiao Changyuan made a trip to the county town.
This time, they were prepared. Yun Pianpian had used soot from the bottom of a pot to darken Xiao Changyuan’s handsome face, turning him into a “Judge Bao.”
The county town was fifty li from Jiangjia Village, which would have taken two or three hours on foot, equivalent to five or six hours. Fortunately, Xie Yu, upon learning they were heading to town, gave them a ride, allowing them to arrive an hour earlier.
The county town was far livelier than the market in their small town, with a much greater variety of goods.
Yun Pianpian didn’t start by browsing the market. Instead, she went straight to the medical clinic to have Xiao Changyuan examined first.
The physician said that Xiao Changyuan had a strong constitution, so his injuries weren’t serious. The doctor prescribed several doses of medicine, and Yun Pianpian took the prescription to the pharmacy, paid for it, and collected the medicine. After leaving the pharmacy, she happily dove into the bustling market.
Her delighted expression was like a fish swimming into a river, utterly ecstatic.
Xiao Changyuan frowned deeply, carrying the medicine packages as he closely followed behind Yun Pianpian.
Yun Pianpian wanted to buy everything she saw. The clothes sold in the county town were much prettier than those at the local market, though also more expensive. Thinking of herself as a wealthy woman with astronomical savings, she spent lavishly without restraint, unconsciously buying a great many things.
Clothes, jewelry, tonics, bedding, toiletries, mirror stands, cosmetic boxes, shoes, socks…
Gradually, a mountain of items piled up on Xiao Changyuan, his hands and arms laden with everything Yun Pianpian had purchased.
He furrowed his brow slightly, a displeased look on his handsome face.
“Wife, let’s go back.”
Yun Pianpian immediately refused, “No way! It’s rare that we come to the county town, I have to finish shopping!”
At the peak of her shopping spree, she was unwilling to stop.
Xiao Changyuan had no choice but to reluctantly continue accompanying her, until his hands and neck were completely covered with packages, with no space left for anything else Yun Pianpian might want to buy…
Only then did Yun Pianpian reluctantly give up with a sigh, ending her shopping trip in the county town with great reluctance.
“Ah, if only my husband were like Nezha, with three heads and six arms, so he could carry more for me…” Yun Pianpian sighed dramatically. “Then I could shop a little longer, stay a bit more, and buy even more…”
Xiao Changyuan said coldly, “Should I be grateful that your lament wasn’t, 'Why isn’t Nezha my husband?'“
Hearing the sarcasm in his words and sensing his anger, Yun Pianpian immediately turned around and sweetly coaxed him, “Of course, you’re my husband. Even without three heads and six arms, you’re still my most beloved husband.”
Xiao Changyuan turned his face away without speaking, but his fair ears quietly turned red.
His ears were really so sensitive.
Feeling her cunning plan had succeeded, Yun Pianpian stared fixedly at his ears.
The great tyrant's ears were incredibly sensitive.
She really wanted to tug on them.
A vendor selling candied hawthorns was by the roadside. Yun Pianpian bought two skewers as a reward for Xiao Changyuan, who had accompanied her on the exhausting shopping trip.
“Candied hawthorns in the city actually cost five wen! That's almost twice as expensive as in the town. The vendor is such a rip, off!”
While complaining, Yun Pianpian held the candied hawthorn skewer to Xiao Changyuan's lips, forcing him to take a bite.
Xiao Changyuan's hands were full of packages, leaving him no choice but to let her feed him.
He frowned and took a bite of the candied hawthorn.
The overwhelming sweetness made him feel as though life wasn't worth living.
He truly couldn't understand how his wife considered such a cloyingly sweet treat a reward for him.
It felt more like torture.
After eating two pieces, he didn't want any more. Yun Pianpian happily finished the rest of his skewer.
After finishing the candied hawthorns, she also bought some fuling cakes, cloud slice cakes, and hibiscus cakes as snacks to take home. They waited for Xie Yu at the prearranged spot, and before long, he arrived. Together, they loaded all her purchases onto the oxcart.
Xie Yu drove the oxcart, taking them back to Jiangjia Village.
Yun Pianpian gave Xie Yu a generous portion of the cloud slice cakes.
After Xie Yu left, Yun Pianpian put away the things she had bought in their proper places, then went with Xiao Changyuan into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Xiao Changyuan lit the fire while Yun Pianpian cooked noodles, and soon a pot of green vegetable and shredded pork noodles was ready.
Paired with some pickles, Yun Pianpian ate with great satisfaction.
After dinner, Yun Pianpian took out her small money box and began counting how much money she had left.
The more she counted, the colder her heart grew, and the paler her face became.
She only had a little over three hundred taels left.
Yun Pianpian looked utterly devastated. How had she spent so much money without even realizing it?
She started listing the items she had bought that day and checking their prices.
The more she checked, the more shocked she became, and the paler her face turned.
All that money had been spent by her own hands!
In just one day, she had spent over a hundred taels of silver!
“Heavens, how could I be so wasteful!”
Overwhelmed by sorrow, Yun Pianpian let out a sob, rolling around on the bed clutching her silver notes, wailing and lamenting as if in unbearable agony.
“Oh no, I'm going to run out of money! I'm going to have to eat dirt!”
Xiao Changyuan watched expressionlessly as Yun Pianpian threw her tantrum on the bed.
He was already used to his wife's occasional bouts of irrational behavior.
Suddenly, Yun Pianpian looked up, her almond, shaped eyes misty and pitiful as she stared at him.
Xiao Changyuan thought she was going to reflect deeply on her mistakes, repent wholeheartedly, turn over a new leaf, and resolve to be thrifty and diligent, striving to become a virtuous wife and mother.
But instead, she cried out, “Husband, you need to work harder to earn money! You're almost unable to support your wife anymore.”
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly. “So that's the conclusion you've reached after rolling around on the bed for nearly an hour?”
He really shouldn't have expected anything from his wife. The concept of self, reflection simply didn't exist in her mind.
Yun Pianpian was taken aback, the mist in her almond eyes not yet dispersed, her face filled with confusion.
“What conclusion should I have reached then?”
“Have you ever considered being more frugal in the future?”
Xiao Changyuan disliked accompanying Yun Pianpian on shopping trips, he hated crowded places.
To be more precise, he disliked everyone except Yun Pianpian.
Hearing these words, Yun Pianpian couldn’t hold back her tears. “Do you think I don’t want to? But I can’t control my own hands.”
With tear, filled eyes, she looked at Xiao Changyuan. “If I can’t control myself, then I’ll just have to control you, my husband.”
Xiao Changyuan was left speechless by her words.
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to praise his wife for her self-awareness or scold her for being out of her mind.
Never mind.
She was his wife.
The wife he had married before the Mountain Goddess Temple, pledging their vows to heaven and earth.
Though he couldn’t fathom how he had lost his senses back then and married such a foolish, timid, spendthrift, and lazy woman.
He would take responsibility for her to the very end.
Xiao Changyuan raised his dark, cold eyes, looking at Yun Pianpian with a mix of disdain and resignation.
“Wife, don’t worry. I won’t let you starve.”