Chapter 222: Chapter 222

Of course, Miss Chai is still pretending to be ill.

She "weakly" leaned on the bed, feebly calling her brother, "Brother, you’re here? Is the business at the shop in the county town going well?"

Li Yuzhu sat nearby grinding medicine powder, glanced at her, and couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth.

Eldest Young Master Chai looked at her and said, "Grandma is strongly against you staying here, I came to take you back."

Miss Chai immediately became agitated, "I won’t go back to the Chai Family, you know how the Chai Family treats me, do you want my condition to worsen?"

As she spoke, she became anxious and her eyes turned red, "I’m quite happy living here, I don’t want to go back."

Eldest Young Master Chai scrutinized her face; although her complexion was still pale, her cheeks had become more rounded compared to the last time he saw her, and her eyes were much brighter.

It’s apparent she’s happy staying outside.

Eldest Young Master Chai glanced at Li Yuzhu, hesitated to speak.

Li Yuzhu happened to see him look her way and said, "You two talk, I’m going to check if E Ying’s tonic is ready."

She walked out carrying the medicine mortar.

Once he heard her footsteps recede, Eldest Young Master Chai said, "Third sister, I know you don’t like Grandma, but this time, Grandma’s actions are right."

"How is it right?" Miss Chai raised her eyebrows lightly.

"Although you’re staying at the Li Family to recuperate, interacting with the daughters, the Li Family also has men. Aren’t you afraid of idle gossip outside?"

Miss Chai’s face slightly reddened, "I stand upright, unafraid of shadows!"

"But rumors are like icy blades, each one can kill. Third sister! Have you forgotten about the Luo Family canceling the engagement? Clearly, the second branch wanted to snatch the marriage, but they kept talking about your illness! Putting you in the center of gossip." Eldest Young Master Chai sighed, "I don’t want people gossiping about you."

Miss Chai sneered, "But I’d rather lose face than risk my life. If I go back to the Chai Family, they’ll bully me to death!"

No one in that household liked her.

Before the Luo Family broke off the engagement, Old Mrs. Chai was still somewhat friendly to her, but after the engagement was canceled, Old Mrs. Chai grew to disdain her, wishing for her to disappear.

Because it pleased the Luo Family to have her second sister, not her.

How contemptible she must be to go back to the Chai Family to endure ridicule and scorn?

Eldest Young Master Chai said, "Third sister, I know you dislike the family and your situation. I didn’t say you must go back to the Chai Family; just return to the old house left by our parents, stay in the original place."

That’s more reasonable.

But Miss Chai still didn’t want to return immediately.

She sighed, "Brother, I’m still feeling unwell these days. I’ll wait until I’m better, and then go back in a few days."

"You always say this. I think if you keep staying here, it will just be the same, better you go back." Eldest Young Master Chai disagreed.

"I can go back, but you can’t force me to get married." Miss Chai stubbornly said, "I don’t want to marry a young lord from the county town."

Eldest Young Master Chai sighed and tried to console her, "Alright, alright, we’ll talk about your marriage later, okay?"

Miss Chai felt relieved.

However, she still had another worry left unresolved, so she said, "The weather has been too hot these days, I don’t want to bother with packing my belongings, I’ll definitely go back when it gets cooler."

Eldest Young Master Chai shook his head, "How come you changed plans again? It’s almost the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather is only going to get hotter each day."

Miss Chai looked out the window, "The sky is sure to change after this extreme heat, once it gets cloudy, I will go back. It’s only a few days. Besides, I haven’t lived in the old house for some days, it needs to be tidied up."

Finally agreeing, Eldest Young Master Chai was afraid of pressing the issue and causing her to throw a tantrum.

He made a concession, saying, "Alright then, as soon as the sky turns cloudy, I’ll come and get you."

The weather fluctuates between five or six days of sun and five or six days of clouds; it won’t always be sunny, nor always cloudy.

Miss Chai nodded, "Hmm, that’s agreed."

With the agreement reached, Eldest Young Master Chai then left.

Miss Chai immediately took out her needlework and started making sachets.

Giving sachets to relatives during Dragon Boat Festival is a local custom.

Since half a month ago, Miss Chai had been making them.

Because she makes many, she also demands they be made finely, which makes the process slow.

Nanny Jiang approached, seeing her making sachets; amongst a pile of semi-finished sachets, were one with a tiger head, and one with a lamb head.

These are not intended for adults.

She laughed and said, "Eldest Young Master certainly wouldn’t wear such sachets; these are for Guoguo and Jingjing, right?"

Miss Chai nodded, "Yes, for the two children."

Nanny Jiang counted some semi-finished ones and a few finished ones, then laughed, "Young lady, you’ve made ten already, isn’t that enough? Our Eldest Young Master doesn’t need so many."

Miss Chai laughed and said, "It’s not enough; making more helps ward off evil."

She wanted to give them to the Li Family.

There are many in the Li Family, with two each, would there be enough?

Give them all to Eldest Young Master Chai? Nanny Jiang thought that Miss Chai wouldn’t give them all away.

As for who would receive them, she smiled and didn’t reveal it.

After seeing Eldest Young Master Chai off, Li Yuzhu immediately returned to Miss Chai’s room.

"E Ying, your elder brother said he’ll come to take you in a few days." As soon as Li Yuzhu entered the room, she said.

Miss Chai nodded, sneering, "The Old Mrs. Chai doesn’t agree to me staying here. If I wasn’t worried about her making things difficult for my brother, I wouldn’t care about her."

Li Yuzhu was worried about Miss Chai’s marriage, "Will your brother force you to get married soon?"

Miss Chai shook her head with a smile, "No, we’ve already talked about it."

"That’s good." Li Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief for her.

Marriage can’t be rushed.

Must be chosen carefully.

Two more quiet days passed, and Miss Chai’s sachets were all finished.

After dinner that day, she brought out a pile of sachets.

"I have to go back tomorrow. I’ve troubled everyone during these days, I’m really sorry. In my free time, I made some sachets to give to everyone, I hope you won’t mind." Miss Chai nodded to Nanny Jiang, smiling, "The day after tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, consider this an early gift."

Princess Consort Luling said in surprise, "You’re going back now? You haven’t stayed for long."

Miss Chai laughed, "My brother said he wouldn’t force me to get married. Since he’s said so, how could I continue staying here? He worries people in the village will say he doesn’t care about his sister."

"Not forcing you to get married? That’s good, that’s good." Princess Consort Luling said with a smile.

The sachets made by Miss Chai were according to everyone’s preferences and ages.

The two children had cute animal designs, Guoguo had a lamb’s head and Jingjing a little tiger. The young masters’ were dark-colored with the character for blessing, while the sachets for Princess Consort Luling and Prince Luling were identical in pattern and color, a deep brown hexagonal swastika without border.

Li Yuzhu and her two sisters had light green sachets, with flowers embroidered on them.

The Great Princess’s sachet had golden peonies, the Second Princess’s had silver magnolias, and Li Yuzhu’s had scarlet camellias.

Li Yuzhu was secretly surprised, this girl was very thoughtful, knowing the preferences of their three sisters.

The Great Princess cradled her sachet and marveled privately at the exquisite embroidery.

The Second Princess sniffed it and laughed, "It smells really nice." She couldn’t quite tell if it was good or bad, just felt the herbal scent was refreshing.

"The herbal powder inside was brought by my brother from the county, I hope you won’t mind." Miss Chai said again with a smile.

Li Yuzhu held and smelled the sachet, "Inside there is white atractylodes, atractylodes, calamus, ligusticum, agarwood, clove, black cardamom, musk, storax, bezoar, cyperus rotundus, magnolia flower, gan song, galangal, Chinese mugwort, and cinnamon twig."

Miss Chai was surprised, "Wow, Yuzhu, you’re amazing, you identified them all correctly."

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "I’ve been smelling herbs since I was little, of course, I can recognize them."

Jingjing wore his sachet around his neck, proudly showing it to his dad, "Dad, does it look nice?"

"It looks nice." The Princely Heir smiled, patting his head.

His sachet was thicker than others, did it have more herbal powder inside?

Everyone chatted for a while, then went back to their rooms to rest.

Knowing that Miss Chai was leaving, Princess Consort Luling took her to her main room to talk.

Miss Chai held Guoguo and went along.

Jingjing followed the Princely Heir strolling around the estate.

He held the two sachets belonging to the Princely Heir, turning them over and examining them.

"Dad, there’s something inside here."

The Princely Heir casually said, "The sachets contain herbal powder to ward off poisonous insects and evil spirits."

"Dad, there’s a hard object inside, but Jingjing’s sachet doesn’t have it." Li Jing pinched the raised part and compared it with his own.

He found that his sachet was different from his father’s.

"The sachet is packed with herbs, what’s there to fuss about?" The Princely Heir was indifferent.

Li Jing, being a curious child, insisted on seeing what the hard object was. Newest update provided by n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net

He untied the string on the sachet and reached inside for the hard object, "Dad, there’s Aunt Chai’s earring inside."