Chapter 27: In the Hands of Fate

Wen Da Fu’s mind was entirely focused on her son’s words: “The beautiful sister holding Yu Er feels so comfortable, warm, and Yu Er doesn’t hurt anymore.” She had seen her son’s illness before and was somewhat familiar with the symptoms.

Wen Da Fu looked at Wen Jing and Wen Zhi with hope in her eyes. Seeing both her husband and third brother nod in agreement, she couldn’t help but shed tears of joy.

Wen Yu, seeing his mother crying even more, thought she was reluctant to let him go. He quickly said, “Mother, don’t cry. I won’t invite the sister to our house anymore. I’ll stay with you.”

Wen Da Fu’s crying intensified as she wiped away her tears and said, “Yu Er can invite the sister to our house anytime. But sometimes, she’ll have her own things to do and may not have time to visit.”

“But what if I miss the beautiful sister?” The little one was truly reluctant to let Mu Rong Shu go now.

“She lives at the General’s residence, Yu Er. If you miss her, you can go to the General’s residence to find her!” Mu Rong Shu, seeing how upset the little one was, tried to comfort him.

“Can Mother allow it?” Wen Yu, fearing his mother would be sad, hesitated, even though he really wanted to visit the General’s residence. He still asked for his mother’s permission.

“Of course, Yu Er can go anytime.” Wen Da Fu raised both hands in agreement. The more Yu Er interacted with the sister, the sooner her son’s curse might be lifted.

Hearing that he could visit the beautiful sister whenever he wanted, the little one became overjoyed, pulling on Mu Rong Shu’s hand and shaking it happily.

“Lady Wen, considering your condition, it’s best to rest here for the night. Would that be alright?” As a physician, Mu Rong Shu still offered her advice.

“The guest rooms here are available for overnight stays. I’ll speak with the monks here shortly, they often host pilgrims overnight.” Wen Zhi immediately decided they would stay when he heard his wife wouldn’t be able to leave the mountain.

“That’s great. Lady Wen has been overthinking recently, and her health is severely weakened. She needs proper rest and recuperation.” After checking Lady Wen’s pulse, Mu Rong Shu shared her findings with Wen Zhi.

“Miss Mu Rong, would you be kind enough to write a prescription for my wife? I’ll make sure she begins treatment right away.” Wen Zhi bowed deeply to Mu Rong Shu, his tone earnest.

“Lord Wen, you’re too polite. But the heart needs emotional healing, and medicine can only assist in the process,” Mu Rong Shu replied. While she didn’t know exactly what caused Lady Wen’s overthinking, she couldn’t help but offer this reminder.

“Thank you, Miss Mu Rong, for your honest advice.” Wen Zhi was well aware that his wife’s emotional distress was due to their son’s illness. Once Yu Er’s curse was broken, his wife’s heart would also heal.

After ensuring Lady Wen’s comfort, they prepared to leave, but the little one began crying uncontrollably, refusing to let go of Mu Rong Shu.

Wen Jing, Wen Zhi, and Wen Da Fu all tried to comfort him, but none were successful. Seeing the little one sobbing so hard, Mu Rong Shu finally decided to stay the night and accompany Lady Wen down the mountain the following day.

“Sister Ru Yan, Sister Yan Ran, I’ll stay here tonight. Will you two return, or stay with me?” Mu Rong Shu asked, unsure of what they wanted to do.

“I’ll stay with Shu Er. It’s good to look after each other,” Liu Ru Yan replied, not comfortable leaving Mu Rong Shu alone.

“I’ll stay too. I’ll go tell Grandmother and Mother.” Since her best friends were staying, Song Yan Ran naturally decided to stay as well.

“Big Brother, you should head back first. Please inform Aunt Ming at the Liu household so she doesn’t worry about Sister Ru Yan,” Mu Rong Shu said, wanting to avoid delaying her brother’s schedule for the next day.

Mu Rong Shu hesitated, but Wen Jing, seeing his uncertainty, gave a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry, Brother Mu Rong. I’ll ensure the safety of the ladies.”

Since they had to attend court the next day, Mu Rong Shu and Wen Zhi left, while Wen Jing stayed behind.

Wen Ye had also wanted to stay but was taken back by his eldest brother. “If the third brother isn’t going to court, then you shouldn’t try to slack off either. You need to keep up with your responsibilities,” Wen Jing firmly reminded his second brother.

Reluctantly, Wen Ye followed Wen Zhi back, though he was less upset knowing his wife was accompanying him. Otherwise, he’d have been truly frustrated.

Before leaving, Wen Jing made sure to remind his eldest brother to supervise the second brother’s running routine. Wen Ye wanted to ask if his third brother was a devil, as he’d already been running all day and still wasn’t allowed a break.

During the ride back, Wen Zhi couldn’t resist asking, “Second Brother, what kind of benefits did Third Brother promise you to get you to obey him so readily?”

Wen Ye, feeling proud again, teased, “Big Brother, take a guess.” Wen Zhi tried several guesses, but none were correct, so he had to ask Wen Ye to reveal the answer.

“Third Brother said that if I persist, he’ll give me that rare pre-dynasty book you’ve been wanting. Ha ha ha! Big Brother, are you jealous?” Wen Ye smirked as he spoke, and Wen Zhi felt an urge to kick him out of the carriage.

Wen Zhi couldn’t help but silently complain, “Third Brother is so biased! Why does he reward Second Brother but not me, his elder brother? At least give me a fair chance to compete! I could run an extra hour every day compared to Second Brother.”

Since Third Brother had tasked him with supervising Second Brother, Wen Zhi decided he’d fulfill that responsibility. He resolved to wake up an hour earlier tomorrow to get Second Brother out of bed for some morning training.

At this moment, Wen Ye had no idea that his moment of boasting about the rare book would soon come to an end, as his happiness from today would be short-lived.

The happiest person that evening was Wen Yu. Not only was his mother there with him, but also three beautiful new sisters he had just met.

Looking at Wen Yu playing with the three girls, Lady Wen’s face was filled with joy, and she felt lighter than ever before.

“Madam, why not go rest for a while? The young master is enjoying himself with Miss Mu Rong and the others. Besides, Third Master is here to watch over them, so nothing will happen.”

The nanny was worried that Lady Wen might tire herself out and tried to convince her to go rest. However, Lady Wen refused. “Nanny, I’ll stay a little longer. Watching Yu Er happy makes me happy too.”

Seeing that her mistress wouldn’t be persuaded, the nanny went inside and returned with a cloak. “Since you like sitting here, please wear this to keep warm. Be careful not to catch a chill.”

For dinner, they had the temple’s vegetarian meals, which both Wen Yu and Mu Rong Shu enjoyed greatly. Seeing how much they were eating, the others’ appetites improved as well, and even Wen Jing ended up eating half a bowl more than usual.

Lady Wen knew her third brother’s eating habits well. When she saw Wen Jing eating more than usual, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Miss Mu Rong’s influence on our third brother is extraordinary. If Mother-in-law knew about this, she would definitely be pleased.”

In her heart, Lady Wen felt deeply grateful to Mu Rong Shu. Not only had she saved the Wen family, but she had also become the hope for her son’s future. From now on, she would treat her with the utmost kindness.

If Mu Rong Shu had won the favor of the Wen family by offering the hope of lifting the curse, it was her later acts of saving each family member that made them all willing to do anything for her. Some things, it seemed, were meant to be, as if destined by fate.