Chapter 161: “Why Get Stuck on a Man?”

When Leng Qing Yu arrived at Yun Bian Village, it was already close to noon.

Seeing her fatigued expression, Ye Xin Ran was stunned.

“Madam Lu, how far did you come from?”

Leng Qing Yu didn’t immediately answer. She entered the courtyard with Ye Xin Ran and said, “It wasn’t far, but someone was following me, and I only came after I shook them off.”

“Who was following you?”

Ye Xin Ran instantly became alert.

Leng Qing Yu reassured her, “Don’t worry, it was a guard from the Marquis’s side. He said the Marquis sent him to protect me.”

Saying this, she pulled out a jewelry box and slid it towards Ye Xin Ran.

“Open it and see. These are the jewelry I bought for you. Do you like the designs?”

Ye Xin Ran opened the box and saw the fine, intricately crafted jewelry, which dazzled her.

“Are all these for me?”

“Of course, they’re for you. The craftsmen here aren’t the best, but when we get back to the capital, I’ll have the masters from Tian Yi Pavilion make two sets of head pieces for you. Consider it an addition to your dowry, a gift from me.”

Leng Qing Yu said.

Seeing her thoughtfulness, Ye Xin Ran didn’t know how to respond at first.

Is this what it feels like to be cherished?

To be loved without doing anything?

She awkwardly said, “These pieces are beautiful, but honestly, I don’t have much use for them!”

Leng Qing Yu gently pressed her hand to keep her from pushing the box away, pleading softly, “They’re not expensive. Please accept them. If you do, it will ease my heart.”

Without waiting for Ye Xin Ran to agree, she placed the box aside.

Then, she took out the porcelain bottle containing the “sugar pills.”

“Actually, I came here today to ask you to take a look at this.”

Ye Xin Ran looked at the porcelain bottle. “What’s inside?”

Leng Qing Yu’s expression darkened slightly. “It’s another type of medicine, but you don’t take it daily.”

“Have you been taking it for years?”

“Yes,” Leng Qing Yu nodded.

For some reason, when Ye Xin Ran saw this porcelain bottle, her instincts told her this was exactly what she had been looking for.

She reached out to take it, but Leng Qing Yu hesitated and didn’t release the bottle immediately.

She felt a sudden wave of anxiety.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran’s questioning gaze, Leng Qing Yu quickly let go of the bottle.

She found it somewhat amusing that she felt such panic.

This was medicine prepared for her by the Marquis’s trusted personnel. How could there be any issues with it?

“Madam Lu, I’ll have my husband brew some tea. Please wait here while I go check the medicine inside the bottle.”

“Alright.”

Leng Qing Yu sat in the courtyard.

Not long after, Xiao Huai’an brought out some tea. The two sat silently.

Xiao Huai’an quietly poured her tea and refilled her cup.

After drinking two cups in a row, Leng Qing Yu stopped him as he reached to pour again, “No more! I’ve had enough.”

“Alright,” Xiao Huai’an replied, setting down the teapot.

He then shifted his attention to a piece of bamboo he was carving.

Leng Qing Yu glanced over and saw him working on a small figurine.

“What are you making?”

This was the first time she had initiated a conversation with Xiao Huai’an.

Without pausing his work, he responded, “Just a little toy for the children.”

“Oh,” Leng Qing Yu nodded and then quietly observed him.

Her son-in-law’s appearance was undeniably good-looking.

But his demeanor was overly cold.

Just sitting there, he seemed to emanate an aura of deadly seriousness.

Leng Qing Yu suddenly felt uneasy.

Would he treat Xin Ran well?

He looked so intimidating, would he ever raise his hand against Xin Ran?

Xiao Huai’an seemed to notice Leng Qing Yu’s gaze and looked up.

“Does Madam Lu have something to say?”

“No, no!” Leng Qing Yu quickly waved her hands.

Inwardly, she thought: “Even his tone is so sharp! Wouldn’t that frighten Xin Ran?”

They say a mother-in-law grows fonder of her son-in-law the more she looks at him.

But Leng Qing Yu felt her own son-in-law was a bit frightening.

She started worrying about Ye Xin Ran’s future life.

The two sat awkwardly for a while until Ye Xin Ran finally emerged from the room.

Seeing her daughter’s gloomy expression, Leng Qing Yu’s heart immediately tightened.

She braced herself on the stone table, standing up straight with some difficulty, forcing a smile onto her face.

“Xin Ran, do you have the results?”

Ye Xin Ran nodded.

Then she said, “I’ve tested all the medicine that Chang Qing brought me, and none of it contained “Wang You” bugs. The only thing that did is the substance inside the porcelain bottle you brought me, Madam.”

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, when Leng Qing Yu heard those words, she still couldn’t steady herself, swaying slightly.

“Careful, Madam!”

Xiao Huai’an was quick to react, reaching out to steady her.

Ye Xin Ran observed her condition and couldn’t help but ask, “Madam, since you brought the medicine for me to test, you must have had some suspicions. Why is your reaction so severe?”

Leng Qing Yu stood frozen for a moment before letting out a bitter smile. “To be honest, this medicine was personally requested by the Marquis from the Shun Medical Hall seven years ago.”

“Shun Medical Hall?”

Ye Xin Ran was startled, not expecting the name to resurface.

Previously, she couldn’t understand the audacity of the branch manager of Shun Medical Hall she had encountered. “Where does someone like that get such boldness?”

Now, it was all starting to make sense.

It turned out that the rot came from the top, when the head of Shun Medical Hall wasn’t trustworthy, it was no wonder that their subordinates turned out to be scoundrels.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran’s expression, Leng Qing Yu quickly asked, “You know about Shun Medical Hall?”

“I know a little,” Ye Xin Ran replied, “and I’ve had brief dealings with them.”

Leng Qing Yu nodded. “Shun Medical Hall is so renowned, it’s not surprising that you’ve heard of it. But I never expected that they’d produce such harmful medicine.”

“Madam Lu,” Ye Xin Ran interrupted her, “have you ever had a grudge with Shun Medical Hall?”

“No,” Leng Qing Yu answered.

“Do you have any business dealings with them?”

“None at all.”

Leng Qing Yu looked puzzled. “Why do you ask?”

“If there’s no connection and no past grievances, then Shun Medical Hall wouldn’t have any reason to harm you,” Ye Xin Ran said pointedly.

“You’re suggesting…”

Leng Qing Yu’s expression suddenly froze.

Ye Xin Ran continued, “I think Madam Lu already knows the answer in her heart, but you just don’t want to face it.

The evidence is already in front of you. Instead of continuing to avoid it, why not confront it directly? What do you think, Madam?”

Leng Qing Yu’s lips trembled lightly. Ye Xin Ran had hit the very thoughts she was trying to suppress.

Deep down, Leng Qing Yu didn’t want to suspect the Marquis, nor did she want to believe he would ever wish to harm her.

If it turned out to be true, it would mean that all her efforts and so-called happiness over the years were nothing but a cruel joke.

It was a truth too painful to accept.

“Madam Lu, I’ve heard that you’re very skilled in business,” Ye Xin Ran said gently. “Before you were married, you were already managing most of the Leng family’s enterprises.”

These were things that Leng Qin Xin had told her.

Seeing that Leng Qing Yu remained silent, Ye Xin Ran added, “With such abilities, you’re already far ahead of most women confined to the inner quarters.

You have the power to carve out your own sky, so why torment yourself over whether a man loves you or not?”