Chapter 28: My Husband Is the Exception

Looking at the silver in his hand—a full five taels! To the people of this village, that was no small sum. Li Erhuang frowned and bit down on the metal to test it.

He froze instantly.

"It... it's actually real!"

"Of course it's real!" Xu An held his head high, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Xu An, did you sell your ancestral home?" Li Erhuang asked, looking up.

Xu An: "???"

"What do you mean?"

Li Erhuang replied honestly, "If you didn't sell your ancestral home, where would you get so much silver?" Beyond that, he couldn't imagine where Xu An could have possibly acquired such a fortune. He muttered to himself, "That doesn't make sense. Those few dilapidated shacks you own aren't even worth five taels!"

Xu An: "..."

"I earned this myself." Xu An felt a bit helpless. He continued, "Brother Erhuang, I’ll be direct. I came here today to ask for your help. If you work with me, this five taels of silver is yours. Furthermore, not only will you have no worries about food or clothing in the future, but saving up enough money to find a renowned doctor to cure your father’s chronic illness won't be a problem either."

"Re... really?" Li Erhuang glanced at his father sitting behind him, clearly tempted. All these years, his family had been nearly drained dry by his father’s illness. The old man’s condition never improved, and seeing him in agonizing pain whenever it flared up broke Erhuang’s heart. Although Xu An had a notorious reputation, the five taels of silver were sitting right in front of him. It was a glimmer of hope! What if he was telling the truth?

"It is naturally true," Xu An said.

"It’s not illegal, is it?" Li Erhuang remained worried. The original owner’s reputation was so poor and unreliable that he feared the "business" Xu An spoke of might be some unlawful scheme. He certainly couldn't get involved in that; it wouldn't just ruin him, but the entire Li family.

"What are you saying? I wouldn't drag you into that. I wouldn't dare do such things myself!" Xu An laughed.

Seeing the sincerity in Xu An’s words, Li Erhuang, despite his lingering doubts, gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, Xu An. As long as it isn't illegal, I agree to work with you. No matter how hard or tiring it is, I’m willing. Tell me, what do we need to do?" He was desperate, left with no other choice. He couldn't just watch his father continue to suffer.

***

Xu An smiled. "No rush. Get some good rest tonight, and tomorrow, drive the donkey cart with me to the city. As for what we’ll be doing, you’ll find out tomorrow."

"Done. I'll wait for you at the village entrance tomorrow morning." Li Erhuang agreed readily.

Afterward, Xu An did not linger and turned to leave. Looking at the five taels of silver in his hand, Li Erhuang felt a bit uneasy and turned to look at his father. "Dad, do you think Xu An is reliable?"

Li Dede fell silent for a moment before saying, "The lad’s eyes were quite sincere. You should go with him tomorrow and see. If it truly seems appropriate, then work with him. If it doesn't, pull yourself out immediately; don't force it, and return the silver to him. However, the boy has studied for many years. Even though his reputation has been poor these past few years, one would think his knowledge and perspective must be broader than ours. Perhaps he really could achieve something."

"Alright, Dad, I understand." Li Erhuang nodded.

***

In the bedroom, after finishing her meal, Mu Qingqing wiped her mouth and looked at Su Yan'er. "I noticed you were having trouble moving earlier. Did you injure your leg?"

"Yes, but my husband has already applied medicine for me." When the little girl spoke of Xu An, her eyes lit up.

"Come sit next to me; let me take a look." Mu Qingqing patted the spot beside her.

"No... no need," the little girl shook her head.

Mu Qingqing insisted, "You likely sprained it and have internal bruising. I can help clear the stagnation so you can heal faster. Consider it a return for this meal."

"Really? Then... then thank you, sister!" Hearing she could recover faster, the little girl didn't hesitate. Her husband worked so hard every day; she needed to get better quickly to help him.

"It's a bit swollen, but the wound isn't deep. It seems it was treated in time and there's no sign of infection. It isn't too serious. Bear with me, it will be a little painful," Mu Qingqing said softly as she examined Su Yan'er’s swollen foot.

"Mhm, please treat it, sister. I’m not afraid of pain," the little girl said earnestly.

"Hehe, it won't be that painful. Not as painful as your wedding night, so don't be nervous." Mu Qingqing chuckled.

She then channeled her inner energy, pressing gently onto the little girl's swollen foot. At first, Su Yan'er felt a slight sting along with a wave of warmth and tingling, but soon, the pain began to subside. Her foot felt much more relaxed, as if the meridians had been opened by some mysterious force.

"Try it out, how does it feel?" After a moment, Mu Qingqing withdrew her energy.

Su Yan'er stepped onto the ground and took a few tentative steps, a look of surprise appearing on her face. "It’s really much better! I can't even feel the pain anymore! Sister, your technique is truly magical!"

"I only used my internal strength to clear your meridians and disperse the bruised blood. However, the fact remains that your foot has sustained damage, and it still requires time to heal," Mu Qingqing said, wiping sweat from her forehead. She was already severely injured herself, and forcing her internal energy had taken a significant toll. "Try not to walk too much or lift heavy objects for the next few days. With my help, your recovery time will be greatly shortened."

"I understand, thank you, sister." The little girl was overjoyed. If she could get better faster, she could do many things to help her husband, and he wouldn't be so tired. "Sister, are you alright?" The little girl suddenly noticed Mu Qingqing’s face looked rather pale and asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Go out now and don't let anyone disturb me; I need to meditate and heal," Mu Qingqing said solemnly. "Remember, anyone!"

"Alright, then rest well, sister. If you need anything, just call for me—my name is Su Yan'er. But as for 'anyone,' I can't agree to that, because my husband is an exception!" the little girl said.

"You really have no conscience," Mu Qingqing shook her head, though she wasn't truly angry.

***

After Xu An returned, he thought about how he hadn't cleaned the kitchen before leaving and prepared to tidy it up. To his surprise, everything inside was already in perfect order. Xu An couldn't help but shake his head. He didn't need to guess who had done it—what a restless little girl.

Afterward, Xu An went to bathe. He had to admit, although the original owner was a frail scholar, his "second brother" was well-endowed—mighty and impressive, not at all inferior to his own in his previous life. Xu An felt quite proud of this and took extra care while washing up.

Once finished, he went straight to the room to rest. It was dark, the lamps already extinguished. Xu An carefully felt his way to the bed, terrified of waking the sleeping Su Yan'er. But as soon as he lay down and pulled up the quilt, a small head poked out from under the covers, and the unique, sweet scent of the girl brushed against his chest.