Chapter 31 Jin Hui’s Worries

Chapter 31: Jin Hui's Concerns

Inside the room, Li Jintong and Jian Ru were packing the items they needed to take.

Besides a change of clothes, there were also the herbs he regularly took and books he might need.

Li Jintong retrieved his medicine chest, which had been stored in the cabinet for a long time. Jian Ru wiped it down briefly with a cloth and helped him sling it over his shoulder.

As they were about to leave, Li Jintong said, "Tomorrow is the fifteenth. The eldest son from Second Uncle’s household couldn’t even wait one more day. Li Yingsong must be gravely ill. I might have to stay there for three to five days."

Jian Ru straightened his collar and said, "Go without worries. I’ll manage things here at home. You must take care of yourself—don’t get cold or overworked. If you fall ill, Mother will worry."

Li Jintong looked steadily at him. Jian Ru added, "I’ll worry too."

Li Jintong lowered his head and kissed Jian Ru’s lips, saying, "I’ll be careful to protect myself."

They gazed at each other for a moment. Just as Li Jintong turned to leave, Jian Ru grabbed his arm. "Wait."

Li Jintong turned back. "What is it?"

Jian Ru gritted his teeth and put on a fierce expression. "Stay away from that Sun Yushuang! I’ll check when you get back!"

Li Jintong looked surprised at first, then laughed, his dimples reappearing. He bent down to set aside the medicine chest, hugged Jian Ru, and kissed him again—this time in a manner reminiscent of one of those illustrated books.

They were short on time. Li Jintong reluctantly lifted his head slightly, his lips still brushing against Jian Ru’s, and whispered, "Keep applying the ointment. I’ll ask Big Sister to help you with the ointment and acupuncture later."

"Mm."

Li Jintong kissed him once more before picking up the medicine chest, and the two of them went out together.

When they reached the main house, Li Jintong made an excuse that Jian Ru couldn’t go. Li Yingbai didn’t insist but mentioned that his parents-in-law missed Jian Ru and hoped he would visit when he had time. After exchanging a few polite words, Jin Rong’s belongings were also loaded onto the carriage, and they set off.

There was no chance to say anything more. Jian Ru watched as Jintong waved to him, got into the carriage, and the driver called out "Hyah!" The carriage swayed as it left the courtyard.

Though they were all in the same town and the distance wasn’t far, and it was only for three to five days, Jian Ru had been with Jintong day and night since they married. The sudden separation left him with a hollow feeling.

Madam Li felt much the same. Seeing them off, she couldn’t stop sighing. She was undoubtedly worried about letting her youngest child go, but with her second brother’s family in trouble and asking for help, she had no choice but to let him go.

Li Jinhui understood her mother’s concerns and hugged her arm. "If you’re really that worried, why don’t I ride after the carriage right now? You can pack and go along. When Second Uncle and Aunt see, they’ll find that hiring a doctor comes with a martial arts-trained elderly lady bodyguard!"

Madam Li laughed and swatted her playfully. "Stop talking nonsense."

Jian Ru also reassured her, "He brought plenty of warm clothes and his usual herbs. If you’re still worried, I’ll have Xiao Ning check on them in a couple of days. If Big Sister and he need anything, we can send it over together."

This made Madam Li feel a bit better. She waved to her daughter and son-in-law. "Alright, Jin Hui, go apply ointment for Xiao Ru." She sighed and shook her head. "That third child of Second Brother’s family, I wonder what wrong he'd done. So troublesome, ah."

Madam Li went back to her room to rest, while Jin Hui and Jian Ru headed back to the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard was larger than the main house and the front yard. The east and west sides used to be connected but were separated when Jin Hui got married. Now, she and her husband lived separated from her younger brother by a courtyard wall.

Entering her younger brother’s courtyard, Jin Hui remarked, "Tsk tsk, being married really makes a difference. The courtyard looks tidier than before."

Before Jian Ru could respond, Jin Hui suddenly looked up at the courtyard wall and shouted, "Li Qiaozhi, Li Xianyu, I see you two!"

Jian Ru looked up and saw two round heads duck back quickly behind the wall. Giggling came from behind the wall.

Then, a man’s head and half his upper body appeared over the wall. He smiled apologetically at Jian Ru before turning to Jin Hui and saying gently, "Xian Yu saw you coming to the rear courtyard and thought you were coming back. He said he and Qiao Zhi would hide behind the gate to scare you."

From below the wall, Xian Yu’s voice complained, "Dad, why'd you tell Mom!"

Qiao Zhi also yelled, "Dad, you promised!"

Zhao Pin looked down, likely patting the children's heads to soothe them, then turned back and smiled. "Well, you two go ahead. Later, Xian Yu says he wants to show you the paper boat he folded."

Jin Hui put on an impatient expression and waved her hand. "Got it."

"Always showing off!" Qiao Zhi sneered.

Xian Yu jumped behind the wall, his round head popping up and down. Zhao Pin bent down and picked him up. Xian Yu called out ingratiatingly, "I’ll show it to Aunt too."

Jian Ru laughed and agreed, "Okay."

Satisfied, Xian Yu was set down by his father. Qiao Zhi’s "showing off" now turned into "brown-nosing." Xian Yu retorted unhappily, "You’re the one showing off! You’re the one brown-nosing!"

Qiao Zhi yelled back, "You’re showing off! You’re brown-nosing!"

That was it. The two children started screaming and arguing again, with a patient, gentle male voice trying to mediate in between.

Jin Hui linked arms with Jian Ru and hurried into the house, unable to take any more.

She complained, "Look at these two! They could raise the roof off the house with all their noise!"

Jian Ru tried to find something positive to say. "It's good for kids to be a bit mischievous. Too well-behaved, and they might get bullied."

Jin Hui stared at him. "Tell the truth."

Jian Ru said, "They are a bit annoying."

"Ha ha ha," Jin Hui laughed heartily.

Jian Ru asked her, "You’re not going to hold a grudge against me for this, are you?"

Jin Hui said very lightheartedly, "What kind of person do you think I am?"

Jian Ru felt relieved.

They went inside. Jian Ru had Xiao Ning bring in the ointment. He originally intended for Xiao Ning to help him apply it, not wanting to trouble Jin Hui with this. After it was applied, he only needed her help with the acupuncture.

But when Xiao Ning brought in the ointment, she took it from him and sent him out of the room.

Jian Ru sat on the edge of the bed, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Maybe it’s better to let Xiao Ning do it."

Jin Hui looked around, moved the small stool from the foot of the bed over, sat down, and stirred the medicinal paste as she said, "No way. My little brother asked me to do this, so I have to do it properly."

Jian Ru had no choice but to bend over, roll up his trouser leg, and sit waiting.

Jin Hui carefully applied the ointment to his knee, but it still burned, making Jian Ru gasp. Soon, the skin on his leg turned from white to pink from the heat.

Noticing this, Jin Hui went "Tsk," and before Jian Ru could react, she put down the applicator and reached out to feel his leg.

With the bed right behind him, Jian Ru had nowhere to retreat. After feeling his leg, she exclaimed, "Your skin's so soft, no wonder my little brother doesn't want others seeing."

"What?" Jian Ru asked, blushing without understanding.

Jin Hui wore a teasing smile. "Though Xiao Ning is still young, he is male after all. There’s no way my little brother would let him apply medicine for you."

It took Jian Ru a moment to grasp her meaning, and his face turned even redder. "How could that be? Jintong isn't so possessive."

But then he remembered—a few times when he had asked Xiao Ning for help, Jintong, despite being ill and uncomfortable, had made himself get out of bed to apply the medicine himself.

"Hey," Li Jinhui chuckled, continuing to apply the ointment, "I know my little brother's temperament well. Among us siblings, he's the most territorial."

Seeing Jian Ru's skeptical expression, Li Jinhui grew more animated. "Let me tell you a story so you understand. When he was about five, Father carved him a small wooden horse. He loved it so much he carried it everywhere, even cuddling it in bed when he was sick."

"Later, Third Brother from Second Uncle’s family saw it and wanted to play with it too, but my brother refused outright. Mother, who always indulged him, naturally sided with him and tried to distract Third Brother with other toys. But Third Brother was stubborn too—he threw himself on the ground, wailing, insisting on having the horse."

"Father, who always thought Mother spoiled him too much, ordered my brother to lend the horse to Third Brother for a while. When he refused, Father got angry. Third Brother tried to snatch it when my brother wasn’t looking, but he only managed to touch it before my brother guarded it protectively."

"What happened then?" Jian Ru asked.

Li Jinhui pulled a face. "After that, my brother ran inside, locked the wooden horse in a chest, and threw the key into the river outside."

"What?" Jian Ru exclaimed in surprise. "Then he couldn’t play with it either?"

"Exactly! But that way, Father couldn’t do anything, and Third Brother definitely couldn’t get it either," Li Jinhui said. "But that wasn’t the end of it. Since my brother was frail, Father couldn’t really punish him and just scolded him a bit. However, that afternoon, Third Brother got stung by a stinging caterpillar. He howled in pain, crying so hard his face was covered in snot and tears."

Jian Ru widened his eyes as Li Jinhui continued, "The house had screens and curtains—how did a caterpillar even get inside and sting Third Brother while he was napping? And it just happened to sting the very hand that had touched the wooden horse?"

Jian Ru hesitated. "Maybe it was just a coincidence?"

Li Jinhui shook her head. "Once or twice might be a coincidence, but he had many such incidents when he was young. It wasn’t until he grew older, learned to hide it, and mellowed out that he stopped." She clicked her tongue twice. "But deep down, he’s still that person."

"If an outsider saw such fine skin, my little brother would be so upset he wouldn’t sleep all night." Li Jinhui laughed heartily at Jian Ru’s flushed face.

Jian Ru looked at her and finally understood—Big Sister was doing this on purpose.

So much for not holding a grudge—Li Jinhui was getting her revenge right then and there.

But Big Sister’s words didn’t matter; Jian Ru wouldn’t fuss over such a trivial matter with the Second Young Master. So what if he was possessive? With a face that handsome, everything he did was right.

Once the ointment was applied, Li Jinhui helped him pull down his pants leg, smiled, and told him to lie down on the bed, tucking him in.

Then she wandered around the room, looking left and right. "Xiao Ru, your room is missing something."

Jian Ru craned his neck to look. "What’s missing?"

Li Jinhui returned to sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you two not prepare anything for the baby? At least a crib and a stroller could be made in advance."

Jian Ru blushed again. "There’s no need to rush! It’s still... still early!"

"It’s not early," Li Jinhui said. "Your brother-in-law and I got pregnant just a month after we married, and Qiao Zhi was born within a year." Recalling those days, she couldn’t help but laugh. "He was young and clueless back then. When he found out I was pregnant, he was so scared he almost lost his mind, constantly worried I’d bump into something. He fussed over me every day, preparing things for the baby. It wore him out so much his face thinned to a sliver. On the day I gave birth, before anything even happened, Mother said he was so nervous and weak outside the delivery room, he looked like he’d float away with the wind, his face pale. The moment the baby was born, before he could even take a look, he passed out."

Jian Ru covered his mouth and laughed, and Li Jinhui joined in. After a while, Jian Ru said, "Brother-in-law is a good man."

Li Jinhui lowered her head and sighed softly. "Just a pushover. You know about his family—they treat him poorly, yet he still foolishly tries to please them, always making excuses for them. He says his father has to keep the peace, that his stepmother is just resentful, that his very existence is a mistake... Tsk, he’s like a doormat, letting everyone knead him as they please."

Jian Ru said, "Good thing you’re not like a doormat."

"True," Li Jinhui said. "If I were like him, we’d both be trampled by his family. But," she frowned, "my temper isn’t great. Sometimes I lose control and snap at him, and afterward, I regret it. Sometimes I feel like I’m one of the people bullying him too."

Li Jinhui had kept these thoughts bottled up for a long time. She couldn’t talk to Mother about it, Jin Rong was too dense to understand, her two brothers—one careless, the other detached from reality—were no help, and her sister-in-law tended to overthink. Among her siblings, she could only confide in Jin He, but Jin He had her own troubles, and Li Jinhui didn’t want to add to her burdens.

Though Jian Ru hadn’t been part of the family for long, and they occasionally had minor disagreements, Li Jinhui genuinely liked this young man. He was straightforward, honest, didn’t gossip or take advantage, and not only got along with Mother but also with her.

Jian Ru thought for a moment and said, "No matter how bad the Zhao family is, you still put up with them for Brother-in-law’s sake and keep up appearances. He knows you’re suppressing your feelings and won’t blame you." He paused before adding, "Besides, it’s not like you only lose your temper with him—you’re like that with everyone. He probably doesn’t feel unfairly treated."

The supposedly grudge-free Li Jinhui smiled at him, grinning widely, and said lightly while holding the silver needles she would use later, "Oh."

Jian Ru’s expression changed instantly. He quickly put his hands together in apology and wisely said, "Big Sister, I was wrong!"