Chapter 36: Returning to Her Maiden Home

Yao Yao’s delicate and pretty face flushed with anger, turning from rosy pink to a bright peach-red.

The Old Madam had never taken Yao Yao seriously, but now that she was powerless against her son, daughter-in-law, and eldest grandson, she turned her rage toward the little girl.

“It’s all your fault, you little jinx!”

She remembered that the last time she came to the Marquis’ Manor, her daughter-in-law wasn’t so sharp-tongued, and her son was still obedient.

Had she known that Xie Yixing would grow up to be like this, she would have insisted on taking him back to the ancestral home to raise herself!

Yao Yao pouted and softly muttered, “I’m not a jinx!”

Wei Shi heard Yao Yao’s soft murmur, and the anger in her heart surged even more.

This was all the Xie family’s fault. If they hadn’t come in stirring up trouble, trying to find fault in every word, would things have escalated this far?

And now, they were blaming an innocent child? The Xie family’s shamelessness was thicker than the city walls!

Wei Shi glared at her husband, dragging the Marquis of Chengming into her resentment as well.

Before the Marquis could speak, Wei Shi bent down and scooped Yao Yao into her arms, affectionately rubbing her cheek against the little girl’s chubby hand. “Yao Yao’s a good girl. In Wei Auntie’s heart, you’re the best child—not a jinx.”

Comforted by her words, Yao Yao’s sadness instantly vanished. In her sweet voice, she asked, “If Yao Yao isn’t a jinx, can Wei Auntie give Yao Yao some osmanthus cake?”

Wei Shi’s mood brightened at once and she smiled tenderly.

Children are indeed simple—a single piece of cake could cheer them up.

Wei Shi nodded. “Of course. You can have as much as you want.”

“No.”

Just as she was watching the silver needle on Yao Wu’s forehead, Xie Yixing turned his head at the sound of her words, his eyes flashing with warning.

He still remembered Imperial Physician Jiang’s previous advice: Yao Yao was suffering from food stagnation and should eat fewer sweets.

Although he hadn’t completely cut off her desserts, he strictly controlled both the type and quantity.

Wei Shi, having just spoken, caught her son’s icy gaze and instinctively backed down, swallowing hard. She tried to save face, “That’s only if Yao Yao’s health gets better.”

Yao Yao was still immersed in her joy and hadn’t yet caught on.

Though Xie Yixing didn’t make a scene in the moment, he mentally noted every slander and insult the Xie family had thrown at Yao Yao.

He would deal with them slowly, tonight.

The entire Marquis household was on edge, while the Xie family mistakenly assumed that Xie Yixing’s silence was due to guilt.

What they didn’t know was that whenever the little heir was quiet, it often meant disaster was just around the corner—for someone else.

Xie Yixing kept a close eye on the needle on Yao Wu’s forehead. Once enough time had passed, he gestured for the court physician to remove it.

As the needle was drawn from his skin, Yao Wu’s complexion gradually returned to normal, and his voice regained strength. “Am I… am I still alive?”

The physician took his pulse, his eyes lighting up. “The poison is completely gone!”

After he spoke, he looked at Xie Yixing with fervent admiration.

Amazing—this little heir was truly extraordinary!

It was like the great physician Hua Tuo had been reborn!

In all his years of practice, the physician had never seen a child with such talent!

If not for Xie Yixing’s noble status and severe germophobia, he would have begged to take him on as a disciple.

If the boy achieved great things in medicine in the future, wouldn’t he, as the teacher, benefit as well?

But it was just a thought—he wouldn’t dare say it aloud.

The little heir might be capable of snatching someone back from the brink of death—but he could just as easily send someone to meet the King of Hell. That was not a burden he could handle.

Hearing that Yao Wu was fine, the Old Madam’s face didn’t brighten. In fact, it darkened further.

She had ruthlessly poisoned her own beloved grandson just to use the incident to threaten Wei Shi and snatch away control of the household.

The Marquis’ accounts surely had room for extra spending. With that authority, she could easily allocate funds for more dresses and personal luxuries.

How could she allow her daughter-in-law to hold onto the family finances? Naturally, they should be in her hands.

And now the poison had been cured? By her own eldest grandson, no less?

Wasn’t that just shooting herself in the foot?

Wei Shi noticed the abnormal look on the Old Madam’s face and suddenly saw the light. Shocked and furious, she asked—without being too direct, “Mother-in-law, you’ve always loved Yao Wu. Now that he’s recovered, why do you look… unhappy?”

“I’m happy! Of course I’m happy!”

The Old Madam forced a couple of awkward laughs, worried someone might catch on.

But her acting was so poor that even the Marquis could see something was off.

Having been tormented by today’s events, the Marquis was in no mood to investigate how Yao Wu got poisoned. He was terrified that if he did dig deeper, he’d uncover the truth—and the new year would be ruined.

Only three days remained until New Year’s. He didn’t want to be thrown out of the bedchamber on New Year’s Eve again, or see Wei Shi storm off with the child to her parents’ house.

If he’d known things would go this far, he would’ve rented a separate courtyard for the whole extended family, sparing everyone the drama.

Even if people called him unfilial, he would’ve accepted it.

But now that they were all inside the Marquis’ manor, he had no choice but to suffer through it.

The Old Madam wanted to keep up appearances, but Wei Shi had no intention of playing along.

Holding Yao Yao in her arms, she looked at Nanny Zhao and called out loudly, “Prepare the carriage. I’m going back to my maiden home!”

Then she looked down at Yao Yao’s soft little face, and the more she looked, the more she liked her. “Yao Yao, do you want to go home with Wei Auntie for the New Year?”

Yao Yao nodded at first, but then suddenly shook her head.

Wei Shi was puzzled. “So do you want to go or not?”

Yao Yao blinked. “Yao Yao wants to spend the New Year with Wei Auntie, but Yao Yao also wants to be with Big Brother Persimmon.”

Wei Shi immediately understood and felt relieved. “Don’t worry, Yao Yao. Wei Auntie won’t forget your Brother Persimmon!”

Of course, she was taking Xing’er with her!

He was the apple of her eye!

She wasn’t afraid of him being taken advantage of, but she couldn’t stand hearing a single word of slander against him!

Xie Yixing cast a sideways glance at Yao Wu, confirming that he had fully recovered. In his mind, he repeated the acupuncture points he had used earlier, planning to record them in his notebook later.

Only Nurse Wu knew what the little heir had been studying lately—she was the one who fetched the books for him from the library.

Although she was literate, she couldn’t understand a word of The 720 Acupoints of Mastery, yet the little heir read it avidly before bed, even taking notes.

At first, she thought he was just bored. But when she accidentally saw his notes, she realized he was studying acupoints to help treat Yao Yao’s food stagnation.

He said he’d control her diet, but in practice, he couldn’t bear to restrict her too much.

Unable to change Yao Yao’s eating habits, he changed himself instead.

She never imagined that after just ten days of study, he could already use acupuncture to detoxify someone?

Some people spend a lifetime mastering just one acupuncture technique. The little heir learned an entire set in ten days. If word got out, how would the physicians of the capital feel about themselves?