Chapter 24 Is Your Third Uncle Familiar? Lick Him!

“Xiaoyue, get out.”

Jin Chao’s voice was suppressed, his skin flushed, looking as if he were about to be boiled alive.

Yan Xiaoyue couldn’t leave. She touched the medicinal liquid; it wasn’t hot, but even gentler than before.

“Jin Chao, if you’re uncomfortable, just yell.”

Yan Xiaoyue was administering acupuncture; this was the last needle. If she gave up, all those herbs would be wasted.

Thinking of the snow lotus petal she’d used, her heart ached.

“Yan Xiaoyue, get out.”

Jin Chao emphasized again.

Yan Xiaoyue wouldn’t indulge him. “Jin Chao, this is the last needle. If I leave, your medicinal bath will be wasted. Bear with it; it won’t be like this tomorrow.”

After all, Qianshan snow lotus wasn’t available every day. One petal was enough for Jin Chao’s treatment.

“Go ahead.”

Jin Chao gripped the tub tightly. She eyed his hands, suspecting he might crush the tub with his force.

She found the acupoint, and a flash of white light shot out, too fast for her to catch.

“What the heck?”

She blinked, but saw nothing.

“Don’t move too much. I’ll remove the needles in an hour. Even if it’s painful, endure it. Think of something to distract yourself.”

Yan Xiaoyue knew it was difficult, but once the medicinal bath started, it couldn’t be stopped. Preparing another bath would be even harder on Jin Chao’s body.

“Mmm…”

A muffled groan came from the kitchen, suppressing the pain.

“Third Uncle, are you being boiled?”

Jin Jianshui’s voice came from the kitchen, setting off alarm bells in Yan Xiaoyue’s mind. She had no medical skills. If people knew she treated Jin Chao, they would think she was a doctor, and everyone would seek her out.

“Jianshui, who let you in to disturb your Third Uncle? The old doctor in town painstakingly found this prescription. If you disturb your Third Uncle, Grandma will break your legs!”

Yan Xiaoyue rushed in, grabbed his collar, and dragged him out of the kitchen.

“You bad woman, you’re boiling Third Uncle! Look how much pain he’s in!”

Jin Jianshui broke free. By the time she tried to grab him again, he was gone.

Seeing Jin Jianshui run towards the back house, she knew he’d gone to get Old Master Jin and Old Lady Jin.

She went back into the kitchen, checked Jin Chao’s expression—unchanged, still red. She touched the water in the tub; it was only slightly hot, bearable.

She added more firewood, and the kitchen door was kicked open.

Facing the newcomers, Yan Xiaoyue remained calm. She glanced at her watch; Jin Chao’s treatment was almost over; she was about to remove the needles.

“My son is like this! You’re going to boil him alive!”

Old Lady Jin lunged at her, but Yan Xiaoyue snatched her cane.

Losing her cane, Old Lady Jin stumbled and fell.

Jin Chao’s second brother stood there, looking puzzled and with a complex expression that Yan Xiaoyue couldn’t decipher.

“Mom, let Third Sister-in-law explain.”

Jin Wei, the second brother, stopped his mother, waiting for Yan Xiaoyue to speak.

“Explain what? Didn’t I tell Jianshui that this is a prescription from the old doctor? You think I’m boiling him! Look, is your Third Uncle cooked? Want a bite?”

Yan Xiaoyue stepped forward, pulling Jianshui towards the tub. “Want to take a bite?”

It was amusing that they believed a child.

“Is it effective?”

Old Lady Jin’s eyes flickered; Yan Xiaoyue couldn’t tell if she hoped for improvement or not.

“If it were effective, the old doctor would’ve used it long ago. It only helps alleviate Jin Chao’s leg pain on rainy days.”

Yan Xiaoyue sighed. If it were that simple, everyone would go to the old doctor, revealing her secret.

She couldn’t heal, really.

As soon as Yan Xiaoyue finished, she heard a sigh of relief. Jin Chao opened his eyes, looking at the others, frowning.

“Mother, Second Brother, do you find this entertaining?”

They were all gathered here while he was having a medicinal bath. It was inappropriate.

“You’re alright. I’ll take Mother back.” Jin Wei pulled Old Lady Jin away.

Yan Xiaoyue stared at Old Lady Jin’s retreating figure for a long time. She hadn’t misheard; that was a sigh of relief.

Wouldn’t she be happy that her son was getting better?

She snapped back to reality, meeting Jin Chao’s gaze, and smirked. “I’m half your benefactor now. Don’t keep trying to kill me, okay?”

Yan Xiaoyue glared at him. The current Jin Chao was harmless. Making some reasonable requests wasn’t too much, was it?

“Okay.” Jin Chao sat straight in the tub, his legs feeling numb.

“This medicinal bath helps restore old injuries, it’s not something to be used casually. I added a Qianshan snow lotus petal—my only one—for you.”

Yan Xiaoyue wasn’t one to silently contribute. She had to mention it; otherwise, people would think they could take advantage of her.

She didn’t have the time to waste on irrelevant people.

“Thank you.”

Jin Chao’s sensual lips parted, his words warm, but his tone devoid of warmth, sending shivers down her spine.

“You’re welcome.”

Yan Xiaoyue replied coldly, glanced at her watch, the time was up, and she removed the needles.

“In half an hour, you can get up. I’ll heat water for you to bathe.”

She scooped water from a nearby water jar and added it to the pot to boil.

The room filled with smoke, making it hard to see.

“Jin Chao, it’s going to rain.”

She looked out the window at the wind. The heavy smoke meant the firewood was damp, a sign of rain.

“A storm is coming.”

Jin Chao looked over. Yan Xiaoyue belatedly checked her watch, realizing half an hour had passed.

She stood up and went outside.

He wouldn’t even say anything; she just knew what he wanted.

Damn it, she just knew!

In the kitchen, Jin Chao used his hands to support himself in the tub, trying to stand. His legs were numb, making it impossible to stand up directly.

He wasn’t in a hurry, massaging his legs until he felt some sensation, the discomfort passing, and feeling returning to his legs.

Trying again, he felt some pain in his legs. He endured it and stood up, looking at the needle mark on his leg. He wondered if it was an illusion, but it seemed lighter.

Once his feet touched the ground, he poured water from the pot over himself, looking at the sky. His legs didn’t ache, and he felt relieved.

Yan Xiaoyue waited at the door for a while, but Jin Chao didn’t come out, so she guessed what had happened and didn’t wait, returning to her room.

Having been busy in the kitchen, she only now noticed that many things had been added to the room.

Even several bolts of cloth.

“Jin Chao struck it rich?”

Yan Xiaoyue muttered to herself, examining the cloth. She could make her own clothes; the styles she liked weren’t sold.

She loved adapted ancient costumes, but only older people wore them now.

“Didn’t strike it rich. A thank you gift.”

Jin Chao raised an eyebrow, lying down on the bed.

“A thank you gift? Wasn’t it just new clothes?”

Yan Xiaoyue didn’t like unfinished sentences.

“I saw you weren’t in a good mood last time.” Jin Chao turned his back, and soon even breathing became regular.