Chapter 71: Punished
Zhong Chushan climbed up the wall first, cautiously looking around. Seeing no one, he then made a meowing sound.
Zhou Wangshu climbed over and jumped down.
Zhong Chushan caught him and led him along a familiar path. Just after taking two steps, the originally dark backyard became brilliantly lit, with several students standing in front holding lanterns.
Xiao Yanci held a booklet and noted their names, saying, "The academy has rules. Except on rest days, you’re not allowed to go out. If there’s something at home, you can ask for the teacher’s leave in advance, but neither of you did that and went out to play on your own, so you’re both punished to clean the privy for a month."
"What?" Zhong Chushan said angrily, "I sneaked out before too, and the punishment was only to stand for an hour. Why are you making us clean the privy for a month?"
"Precisely because the previous punishments weren’t severe enough, you break the rules again and again. Now that the teacher has given me the booklet to restrain your behavior, we must follow my rules. If you disagree, you can go to the teacher and see if he agrees with my decision or thinks I’m being too strict. By the way, I just checked the privy; it’s very dirty. Since you both can’t sleep, go and clean it now. When it’s clean, you can sleep."
Zhong Chushan was unwilling and wanted to find the teacher, but Zhou Wangshu stopped him.
"Do you really want to clean the privy for a month?"
Zhou Wangshu said calmly, "Are there many who sneak out usually?"
"Plenty, and as long as they don’t get caught, nobody cares. Why did we run into someone today wielding authority over us?" Zhong Chushan snorted coldly.
"Endure it for a few days," Zhou Wangshu said. "In a few days, I’ll let him ruin things for himself."
"You have a plan?" Zhong Chushan was curious.
Zhou Wangshu said mysteriously, "We’ll talk in a few days."
"But we still have to clean the privy, brother!" Zhong Chushan said with a bitter face. "I’m clearly doomed to clash with this Xiao Ci."
"Achoo!" Su Yaoguang sneezed several times in a row.
Jiang Jing took her pulse and said, "Your pulse is stable, no sign of a cold. Perhaps someone is thinking of you?"
Su Yaoguang wiped her nose with a handkerchief and murmured to herself, "These past few days, I’ve been busy rushing orders and haven’t been to the city. I wonder how Wang Shu is doing."
"Do you really treat him as a younger brother?" Jiang Jing asked. "In fact, you two already have the title of husband and wife. You’ve spent so much money to let him study. When he grows older, you could truly become a couple."
"I’m not interested in romantic love," Su Yaoguang said. "All I want in this life is to make money."
"In this life?" Jiang Jing questioned.
"Yes, this life..." Su Yaoguang tapped her nose, "You love matchmaking so much, you should stop being a medical woman and become a matchmaker!"
Jiang Jing felt embarrassed, "If you don’t like it, you don’t like it; why make fun of me? By the way, we’ve already rushed half the order. Should we go to the boss to check it?"
"Let’s finish the whole batch first, then take it to show him," Su Yaoguang said. "Let’s not find him now."
After rushing orders for a few days, not only were Zhang Pandi and Zhang Yingdi’s family not tired, they even looked more spirited.
Zhang Pandi and her daughter chatted on the bed like Su Yaoguang and Jiang Jing. Jia Chunni smelled the fragrance on the quilt and leaned on Zhang Pandi’s shoulder.
"Mom, I don’t want to return to Jia Family. Can we stay here forever?"
In these few days, they had been eating white rice and meat every meal, and after dinner, they could make themselves smell nice. In just a few days, her cheeks had become much fairer. Not only her, but her mother and aunt also looked the same. They were energetic every day, glowing with health.
"Your auntie only needs us to help for twenty days; these twenty days of good life are already stolen, so don’t ask for more."
"I know we shouldn’t be greedy, but I can’t help wanting this good life to continue. Mom, now our life is truly a life worth living."
"Chunni, your auntie and cousin have helped us so much, you must remember their kindness. If your cousin encounters difficulties in the future, help as much as you can, okay?"
"Don’t worry, mom, I’ve kept it all in mind."
On the other side, Zhang Yingdi brought medicine inside and said to Wang Huanzhi, who was reading a book, "Stop reading; it’s late, time to rest. Here, drink the medicine."
"This medicine is very effective," Wang Huanzhi said. "Have you noticed, I haven’t coughed much these days. That young girl is so young, yet her medical skills are extraordinary."
"I heard from Yaoguang that the young girl comes from a family of physicians. She was exposed to various medical theories from a young age. I may not understand what makes these aristocratic families so skilled, but her knowledge should be broader than ordinary people. Moreover, such a family must have left many rare medical books; she was exposed to those from a young age, so she couldn’t turn out poorly. Thanks to my older sister and Yaoguang, your health has returned to vitality. Previously, you couldn’t even read books; you slept all day, and I didn’t dare leave your side even for a moment."
"You’ve worked hard all these years, my wife." Wang Huanzhi drank all the medicine and ate the prunes Zhang Yingdi offered. "Are these also from Yaoguang?"
"Yaoguang is thoughtful, saying the medicine is bitter, so she lets you eat something sweet afterward," Zhang Yingdi said. "Husband, as long as you’re well, I don’t feel tired."
"You’ve been married to me for so many years. My health hasn’t been good, and we only have the name of a couple without the reality. You could have married into a better family. It’s my fault for delaying you."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Yingdi’s face changed dramatically, and she stood up suddenly, her eyes full of shock and grievance. "Have you started to despise me because your health has improved? I heard you had a childhood sweetheart and were supposed to marry her, but then you got sick and didn’t want to wrong her, so you called off the marriage and married me instead."
"Wife, that’s not what I meant..." Wang Huanzhi, seeing her anger, quickly apologized. "I’m sorry, I felt sorry for you and misspoke. Please don’t cry."
"Go to sleep; I want to make something for Yaoguang and then will sleep," Zhang Yingdi turned her back to him, picking up fabric from the basket to embroider.
Wang Huanzhi looked at Zhang Yingdi’s back, feeling deeply ashamed.
Zhang Yingdi married him at sixteen; it’s been ten years now. Over the years, she had aged a bit, but she was still a beautiful woman. If she wanted, many men outside would be eager to marry her. She had countless opportunities to leave him in those ten years, but she never did, not even when he was on the brink of death, staying by his side without wavering.
How could he have said such reckless words just now?
"Ah, my leg’s cramping."
Zhang Yingdi immediately put down the needlework and walked over, "Don’t move, let me massage it for you."