Chapter 106.2

Before Yu Miao Qi could even take a seat supporting Lin Shi into the house, Sun Shi asked eagerly, “Why did you only bring so little things back? Even though you have been repudiated, your dowry should logically be your own disposal, the Yu family has no right to usurp it!”

Lin Shi is not stupid at all as she lamented, “Sister-in-law doesn’t know, I have embezzled more than sixty thousand taels of public fund to fill the deficit of the dowry shops and Old Madam found out about it. All my dowry are withheld by Old Madam in the Marquis manor as reparation. I have nothing now other than a few pieces of clothes and several hairpins.”

With blazing eyes and furrowed brows, Sun Shi poked Lin Shi’s forehead with her fingers and condemned, “You still have the face to cry! How could you do such a scandalous thing as misappropriating the public silver! You embezzled so much, did you not leave a single cent, did you? Where did you spend it all? How much money can a few shops use …”

Her noisy shrill voice caused Yu Miao Qi’s headache that she slammed the tea cup fiercely and reprimanded, “Have you said enough? A few shops could not use much money, you ask yourself how much you and uncle embezzle from the books. I did not mention it, does not mean I don’t know. I merely have no one available, so I only tolerated you for the time being! Now that I have sent Mother here, I don’t want you to pay the silver back. I just hope you take good care of her. I’m still the Di young miss of the Marquis manor, with my support, there is no shortage of food for you.”

Yu Miao Qi’s words didn’t mean the amount of affection she has for Lin Shi. She just has nowhere to rely and wants to leave a way out for herself. She had been too extreme to the Shen family and only now did she figured out that ‘one must leave a leeway when one acts for a retreat should time comes[1]’. If she was to stay one more day at that time and beg Shen Yuan Qi to send her back to the Capital to acknowledge her family, she would never be reduced to the current utterly isolated situation.

Lin Shi was moved to tears but Sun Shi did not buy it and sneered, “What do you think you are? Can you even hold a finger to Xiang’er? Xiang’er has more sentiments than you. I’ll go beg her for the dowry back.”

Lin Shi pulled her back promptly and spoke urgently, “Don’t go, she won’t help you. She’s not my daughter.”

“What did you say?” Sun Shi picked her ears, thinking she had heard wrongly.

Lest she would drop in to make trouble and forcibly take away the dowry left for her daughter, Lin Shi had to tell the whole story. Sun Shi was dumbfounded for a long time before regaining her senses and dying to tear Lin Shi apart as she cursed, “You stupid b*tch! Practically stupid! What does it matter if she’s not your flesh and blood, as long as Old Madam and the Marquis like her. You raised her and made her wholeheartedly turn to you, isn’t that hundred times more useful than this jinx? If Xiang’er could say a few good words for you today, you would not have been driven out in dire poverty! You this stupid b*tch, the one you should love dearly, you don’t but treasure the one you shouldn’t. You could actually steel yourself to ignore the superb capable son of yours for fifteen years, you really deserve to end up in this situation …”

Lin Shi dared not retort as she is now living under another’s roof. While Yu Miao Qi could not listen to it anymore and also had no strength to tear Sun Shi up, she straightened her back and walked out of the courtyard slowly. She wandered around the street like a wandering soul. The hustle and bustle of the street accentuated the loneliness of the moment that the rims of her eyes somewhat watered and felt slightly hot. She had to look up at the sky to keep her tears from trickling out.

“Be careful, Lady.” A clear voice suddenly sounded as she was pulled into a broad and warm embrace as a carriage sped past her heels, trailing along a gush of strong wind.

Yu Miao Qi looked up with lingering fears and met a pair of gentle-like water eyes. The remarkably handsome youth curled his lips up and smiled at her, like a beam of sprinkling golden sunshine …

**********

In the Yu manor, Yu Xiang took leave from Old Madam and returned to Jingfu courtyard. At this moment, she was lying listlessly on the dressing table. Old Madam was determined not to let her acknowledge Shen Yuan Qi because she really loves her as her own granddaughter. If the matter between her and her elder brother is exposed in the future, Old Madam will probably be deeply hurt while her strong resistance can be foreseen.

It’s really worrisome ah! Yu Xiang heaved a faint sigh at her own reflection in the mirror.

“Young Miss, don’t think about it anymore. Hurry up and plant the seeds sent by Divine Doctor Pu. If it does not germinate next month, the dewdrops nourishing facial cream that you promised the Crown Princess will certainly be gone.” Tao Hong reminded her in due time.

Yu Xiang immediately took off her head full of pearl hairpins, wrapped a headscarf and changed into simple clothes before ordering Liu Lu to push her to the stone table outside the courtyard. Divine Doctor Pu will naturally not impel the disabled her to dig pits and work the land when he asks her to be the medicinal farmer. He merely sent her the seeds of precious medicinal herbs and told her to plant them in pots before transplanting them to his medicinal garden once they have grown.

Many small palm-sized pots were neatly arranged on the stone table which were filled with Yu Xiang’s specially blended soil base. All she had to do was poke a hole with her fingers, stuffed the seeds into the hole, filled it with soil and watered it.

After quickly planting a dozen seeds, Yu Xiang’s tightly knitted brows had completely unfolded while her mouth hummed the tune of a folk song.

“Young Miss, you’re not worried anymore?” Tao Hong asked with all smiles.

“What’s there to worry about? There’s a tall one to hold up should the sky collapse. If I can’t even withstand this little pressure, he better don’t pluck this delicate flower of me before it’s too late.” Yu Xiang wrinkled her nose and hummed.

“Indeed.” Tao Hong nodded in agreement.

Liu Lu’s state of psyche, however, was not as good when she spoke anxiously, “Old Madam is dead set on not allowing Young Miss to acknowledge and return to her ancestry today. She probably accepted Young Miss as her own granddaughter. If she is to know that Young Miss and the Marquis … she certainly cannot accept it, and perhaps even resent Young Miss too!”

After Yu Xiang planted the seeds, she ladled some water with a small gourd-ladle and replied casually, “It does not matter. I’ll be so filial to her in the future. She is after all my Old Ancestor, how can she resent me for the rest of my life? She is the most soft-hearted and when I give her eight to ten great-grandchildren to look after, see if she still has the energy to be angry with me.”

Hearing this, Tao Hong could not help holding back her laughter and even Liu Lu, who’s usually heavy-hearted, could hardly suppress a smile.