The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 628 - 591: Since You Are Uninterested, You Should Not Have Started This
Yun Huai did not answer but instead asked her, "Why do you want that bracelet?"
Xu Jia did not hide anything: "To save someone."
"What kind of patient?"
"Perhaps, the illness is somewhat similar to Madam Yun’s." Xu Jia pondered, after all, she had never met Madam Yun.
Seeing Yun Huai fall silent, Xu Jia felt a bit uneasy.
After a while, she heard him say, "Are you unaware that you possess a piece of Phoenix Blood Jade?"
The piece of jade given by her grandmother, Xu Jia only knew it as Blood Jade, she never consulted anyone knowledgeable to see if it was Phoenix Blood Jade.
"Isn’t it said that it works best when worn on the wrist? My piece of Blood Jade has already been made into a Jade Pendant."
Otherwise, she would not have repeatedly and deliberately approached him.
"There’s a way," Yun Huai said, "You can transform the Jade Pendant into a string of beads to wear on your wrist."
Stunned, she heard him speak again, "But doing so carries certain risks, and there’s only a fifty percent chance of success. Are you willing?"
Of course, Xu Jia was willing, compared to the chance of obtaining the jade bracelet from him, at least transforming the pendant into a bead string had a chance of success.
But if it failed...
Xu Jia dared not think in that direction, silently praying that her grandmother’s spirit in heaven would bless the pendant to be successfully transformed into a bead string.
Before Ye Rong and the others returned, Xu Jia handed the Jade Pendant to Yun Huai.
Seeing him willing to help her, Xu Jia thought of the foolish things she had done before, feeling a bit sorry, and was about to say something to ease the awkwardness when Yun Huai’s voice suddenly sounded, "Since you’re not sincere, you shouldn’t have started this casually."
He did not turn to look at her. After speaking, he walked straight forward, leaving Xu Jia staring at his back, wondering what she was thinking.
"Aunt Jia, I want to eat roast meat."
Jinbao sat by the fire, idly playing with snow.
Xu Jia snapped back from her thoughts, smiling at him, "Alright, alright, I’ll roast it for you right away."
Today, with the addition of Yun Family disciples, the amount of prey hunted was more than double compared to the spring hunt.
Yun Huai leaving midway allowed Ye Rong to take the lead.
He certainly lived up to his words, hunting two sable.
To ensure the integrity of the fur, he did not deal a lethal blow at the time, only aiming at the sable’s legs. When brought back, the two little creatures were still breathing, watching everyone warily, looking pitiful.
Ye Rong locked them in a cage and handed them to Xu Jia, "Senior sister, these are for you."
Xu Jia did not accept them, smiling, "Why not take them back to Ah Yao? She loves these little animals."
"Ah Yao already has two rabbits," Ye Rong replied, "She can’t keep so many, and besides, I promised earlier to hunt them for you."
After speaking, he stepped forward two steps, "If you can’t bear to kill them, leave them for those two little nephews of yours to play with; children should like them."
Xu Jia originally did not plan to accept, but in front of so many people, she could not directly reject and embarrass her junior brother, so she expressed her thanks and extended her hand.
At the moment she took the cage, Xu Jia caught a glimpse of Yun Huai turning his back, talking to one of the disciples.
Next came the barbecue session. Jinbao was following his brother out today precisely because he heard there would be roast meat after hunting.
The little guy had already eaten half a roast partridge earlier, and when he saw Xu Jia swiftly flipping the rabbit meat on the grill, the sizzling sound of oil made the little guy start drooling again. Afraid others might snatch his meat, Jinbao went directly to squat beside Xu Jia, "Aunt Jia, this meat looks delicious."
"I think it looks tasty too." Perhaps because the matter weighing on her mind had been settled, Xu Jia felt particularly good, smiling with bent eyebrows, roasting while applying oil and seasoning, then asking Jinbao whether he wanted the front leg or the hind leg.
At this time, Yun Shisan approached them, clasping his hands in a gesture of farewell, "Sorry everyone, we have some urgent matters and must return to the city quickly, so we won’t stay to eat roast meat. Please allow us to leave first."
"What is so urgent?" Ye Rong asked in confusion.
Yun Shisan hesitated for a moment, "Apologies, it’s Yun Family internal matters, I’m not at liberty to disclose."
Ye Rong chewed a bite of rabbit meat, and with a mouthful, said unclearly, "Since Master Yun has matters, I won’t hold you up; the road is slippery, be careful."
"Thank you for your concern, Third Young Master." Yun Shisan politely bowed again, and then the group of gracefully dressed Yun Family disciples followed Yun Huai and left.
Watching the backs of that group, a young gentleman asked, "Before we went hunting, we made a wager. Now that Master Yun has left, how do we settle it?"
Ye Rong said, "The things he hunted, you guys can take and share. If any are worth more than mine, I’ll compensate as much as needed."
After finishing the roast meat and cleaning up the site, the group then mounted their horses to return to the city.
Jinbao’s little belly was so full it was round, even riding on horseback he was still hiccupping.
Song Yuanbao gently patted him twice and let him drink two sips of water before stopping.
After catching his breath, Jinbao looked at Xu Jia riding ahead and said, "Brother, why did Aunt Jia give Uncle Yun a Jade Pendant?"
Song Yuanbao was taken aback, "What Jade Pendant?"
"The red one," Jinbao waved his chubby little hand, "I saw Aunt give it to Uncle Yun."
"Maybe you saw it wrong," Song Yuanbao said.
Yun Huai had been staying with the Song family for so long, and Song Yuanbao knew his character well enough to believe he wouldn’t engage in such personal exchanges.
"I didn’t see it wrong," Jinbao insisted, "Aunt truly gave Uncle Yun the Jade Pendant."
No sooner had the little guy spoken than Ye Rong caught up, "What were you two whispering about just now? What Jade Pendant? Who gave it to whom?"
Song Yuanbao feared the little guy would say something inappropriate, and was about to cover his mouth when Jinbao huffed, "I’m not telling you."
Ye Rong laughed and scolded, "Hey, you little rascal, after eating so much of my roasted meat, you turn on me and don’t recognize people. Do you believe I’ll tell your dad and have him give you a good scolding?"
Jinbao wasn’t afraid of him, "The meat I ate was roasted by Aunt Jia, not you."
"Your Aunt Jia is my senior sister, and I’m her junior, we’re family, isn’t it mine too?"
"She’s your senior sister, not your wife, how are you family?" Jinbao’s little face was full of defiance.
Song Yuanbao was both annoyed and amused by his words, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you even know what a wife is?"
"I know," Jinbao replied, "Mother is Father’s wife. Only when you’re like Father and Mother, can you be considered a family."
Ye Rong snorted softly, "Shows how little you’ve seen the world."
Song Yuanbao glanced at him, "Comparing knowledge with a child not yet five, very proud of yourself, Third Young Master Ye!"
Ye Rong couldn’t be bothered to argue, raising his whip to quickly go forward and talk to Xu Jia.
"Senior Sister, I’m going to deliver a New Year’s gift to Master in a while, are you going?"
Xu Jia hesitated for a moment, then said, "I probably can’t go for now, there are some things at home that need handling."
"Then let me know when you’re free, we can go together," Ye Rong suggested.
Xu Jia glanced at him, "You, at your age, still have so much free time?"
"Of course not," Ye Rong said, "I’m determined to fight on the battlefield. You haven’t seen; a few months ago, my dad detained me in the military camp for heavy training. Otherwise, how could I just watch you marry into the Tang Family? If only I had known you weren’t well-off after marriage, I should have asked for your hand, ensuring you’d suffer no grievances."
Hearing this, Xu Jia asked, "What is it about your senior sister that keeps you pining for all these years, even though she’s married, you won’t let go?"
Ye Rong raised a cocky smile, "Who are you to know how good my senior sister is, why should an outsider know?"
Xu Jia shook her head with a laugh, "Ah Rong, seriously, can’t we just continue as fellow disciples in the future?"
Before Xu Jia could finish, Ye Rong quickly said, "We can!"
Xu Jia turned her head in surprise to look at him.
Ye Rong’s face was calm, "I know these topics make you uncomfortable. I won’t bring them up anymore. You’ll still be my senior sister, and I’ll still be your junior. Does that work?"
"Thank you."
After this was set aside, Ye Rong mentioned Yun Huai, "It’s a pity they couldn’t stay today; there are still several jars of wine unopened."
Xu Jia, recalling the disciples of the Yun Family left in a hurry, speculated, "They might really have had an urgent matter they couldn’t delay."
She thought she could meet with Yun Liulang again in the city because of that Jade Pendant, at least to thank him in person.
Later she found out that Yun Huai and his party had set off south on the day they returned from hunting.
This news was told to her by Yun Shisan.
Yun Shisan and Yun Shiliu were left at the Minister’s Mansion to nurse Xue Yan back to health. Yun Huai entrusted the matter of the string of beads to Yun Shisan, who personally delivered it to the Western Marquis Mansion after completion.
Cutting the Jade Pendant into small pieces and polishing them into beads is a task that requires great skill, but thankfully Yun Huai’s people didn’t disappoint, fulfilling Xu Jia’s wish.
Receiving the string of beads, Xu Jia suddenly recalled something Yun Huai had said that day.
——Since you have no intention, you shouldn’t have started this casually.
Pressing her lips together, Xu Jia asked Yun Shisan, "Was there anything unusual with your master when you returned from the hunting ground that day?"
"No, why?" Yun Shisan was puzzled.
"It’s nothing, just glad to hear it," Xu Jia sighed in relief.
