Huangfu Yue and his group were wiping out the wild pheasants over there. Xu Yuqing, on the other hand, was frustrated because she couldn't find any black lingzhi. Not only did she not see any more black lingzhi, but she also found nothing else.
Seeing that the people nearby had all reaped some harvest to varying degrees, Xu Yuqing couldn't help but feel anxious. She angrily kicked the tree in front of her, then winced in pain and wailed.
"Ouch..."
Jiang Shangyun, who was beside her, immediately showed a worried expression and asked with concern, "Second Young Madam, did you hurt your foot?"
Xu Yuqing nodded. Jiang Shangyun's worry deepened on his face. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Xu Yuqing nodded again. Jiang Shangyun's furrowed brows tightened. "Do you need medicine applied?"
Xu Yuqing was about to nod again. She felt her foot was badly injured and needed medicine. But seeing a few servants from the royal manor looking at her nearby, she hesitated and shook her head.
There were no carriages here, so she couldn't get into a carriage to take off her shoes and apply medicine. And with her status, she couldn't take off her shoes and apply medicine in front of so many servants. She could only endure it.
How pitiful she was! It was all the fault of that damned tree. She really wanted to chop it up for firewood and throw it into the fire.
Xu Yuqing glared resentfully at the tree that caused her foot to hurt. Jiang Shangyun noticed her gaze. Because her gaze was easy to understand, he immediately guessed what she was thinking and couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart.
This woman didn't blame herself for kicking the tree, but instead blamed the tree.
Jiang Shangyun thought that Xu Yuqing was the key to changing the fate of him and even his entire family. No matter how stupid, how willful, how unbearably annoying she was, he had to endure it.
Jiang Shangyun forced a gentle smile. "Second Young Madam, since your foot is injured, it's not suitable for you to walk around anymore. Why don't you go and sit over there? There's a clean and smooth large stone over there that can serve as a chair."
He pointed to a large stone about ten feet away to the west.
Xu Yuqing looked at the large stone and showed an eager expression, but quickly shook her head. "I haven't found anything yet..."
"Second Young Madam, Miss Yue said that the Wuling Ginseng you dug out earlier counts towards the competition. With that Wuling Ginseng, you can definitely enter the top ten and get a reward. It's okay if you don't look for anything else now...
Your foot hurts a lot, and walking will definitely hurt more. You can't continue searching even if you want to. Please go and sit down," Jiang Shangyun advised.
Xu Yuqing thought about it. It was true, so she reluctantly gave up searching and nodded.
"Please hold onto my saber, and I'll take you over to sit down." Jiang Shangyun took off the large saber hanging from his waist and handed it to her. The saber had a scabbard, and she could put her hand on the scabbard without fear of being cut by the blade.
Because there were several people watching nearby, Jiang Shangyun dared not reach out to support her directly.
Xu Yuqing also knew this, so she said nothing. She placed her hand on the scabbard, held onto Jiang Shangyun's saber, and with his "support," went to the stone ten feet away and sat down on it.
"Second Young Madam, are you thirsty? Would you like some water? I brought a water skin," Jiang Shangyun asked solicitously.
Xu Yuqing followed Jiang Shangyun's gaze to the water skin at his waist. Her throat moved, and she suddenly felt a little thirsty.
She was about to nod, but she saw the people nearby and changed her mind, choosing to shake her head.
If the people nearby saw her drinking with a man, and from a servant's water skin no less, thinking about her mouth touching the opening of the skin that his mouth had touched, they would surely misunderstand and spread gossip, which would ruin her reputation.
Jiang Shangyun was quite astute. Seeing Xu Yuqing's eyes and expression, he knew she was actually thirsty and wanted his water, but she was considering the difference between men and women, and their status, so she shook her head.
He put on an even more solicitous expression and asked again, "Second Young Madam, would you like to eat some wild fruit? I'll go find some wild fruit for you to eat. Wild fruit is delicious and can quench your thirst."
Hearing the last sentence, Xu Yuqing understood that he had seen she was thirsty but it was inconvenient to drink his water, so he wanted to find wild fruit for her to quench her thirst. A warmth surged in her heart, and she felt that he was truly good to her again.
Xu Yuqing nodded. Jiang Shangyun smiled, "Second Young Madam, please wait for me here. I will find wild fruit and return as soon as possible."
"Mm."
Xu Yuqing watched Jiang Shangyun's retreating back, then shifted her gaze to the people nearby. They were no longer looking at her and were focused on their search again.
Xu Yuqing's delicate eyebrows slightly lifted, and a deep displeasure flashed in her eyes.
What a bunch of subservient dogs! Not a single one cared about her or thought to serve her and see if she needed anything. They had clearly seen her kick her foot and cry out in pain earlier. All they cared about was the competition. Damn them!
Where had Nanny Song, Fen'er, and Fang'er run off to?
They too only cared about the competition and money. As soon as they saw profit, they forgot to serve their mistress by her side. Damn it...
It seemed that only Jiang Shangyun truly cared about her as his mistress and didn't abandon her for profit.
Jiang Shangyun was the one who was loyal to her, the one she could trust and rely on!
Thinking of Jiang Shangyun, Xu Yuqing's mind conjured up his face, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.
Jiang Shangyun returned after about half the time it takes an incense stick to burn. He was carrying a handkerchief, which clearly held many things. Xu Yuqing took one look and thought that the handkerchief must contain wild fruit; he had found some.
Xu Yuqing's face lit up with joy. She was terribly thirsty.
Jiang Shangyun quickly came to Xu Yuqing and bowed to her, "I've kept Second Young Madam waiting. Please forgive me."
Xu Yuqing waved her hand gently, "It's alright, I haven't waited long. Seeing that you're carrying a lot in that handkerchief, is it all wild fruit?"
"Yes." Jiang Shangyun nodded and opened the handkerchief. Inside were eight or nine green fruits that looked very much like apples.
"Are these apples?" Xu Yuqing asked curiously.
"No. Although these wild fruits look very much like apples, they are not apples. However, their taste is quite similar to apples, and their texture is even crisper than apples," Jiang Shangyun replied, shaking his head.
"I saw this fruit once when I was climbing mountains in my hometown and ate it. It was quite delicious. Second Young Madam, you should try one." He picked up a fruit and offered it to Xu Yuqing.
Xu Yuqing took the "apple," wiped it with her handkerchief, and then eagerly took a bite. She then showed a satisfied expression and nodded.
"Like you said, it tastes quite like apples, and the texture is a bit crisper than apples. It's quite delicious... You eat too. You must be thirsty as well," she said, looking at Jiang Shangyun.
Jiang Shangyun nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement. He picked up a wild fruit, took a bite, and began to eat it with Xu Yuqing. The scene exuded a hint of ambiguity.
Consort Dowager Zheng, after picking a whole tree of mulberries, walked over from the south carrying a large half-basket of mulberries. She saw Xu Yuqing and Jiang Shangyun sitting very close together, eating wild fruit and looking somewhat intimate.
Consort Dowager Zheng's gaze flickered, and she sighed softly in her heart.
Knowing she couldn't keep them, she had been psychologically prepared, but she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly...
Consort Dowager Zheng shook her head inwardly, her gaze fixed on Jiang Shangyun as she scrutinized him for a long time before withdrawing her gaze. She turned and left. After a few steps, she encountered Yun Niang, who was carrying a small half-basket of wood ear mushrooms. It was clear Yun Niang had just returned from finding them.
Yun Niang immediately bowed upon seeing Consort Dowager Zheng. After bowing, she asked, "Old Madam, where are you going? Do you want to look for anything else?"
Consort Dowager Zheng shook her head gently. "I want to go find Yue'er. Accompany me to find Yue'er."
She missed her granddaughter and her great-grandchildren.
Only those surnamed Huangfu, the descendants of the Dai Prince's Manor, could be kept, and would never leave.
"Yes." Yun Niang immediately agreed and reached out to support Consort Dowager Zheng, but was waved away by Consort Dowager Zheng.
"I'm not tired, I can walk by myself. I don't need you to support me." She had the simple walking stick her granddaughter had made for her earlier, and she had also rested before. Therefore, although she had been walking around this mountain for some time, she didn't feel tired.
"Then Old Madam, please be careful," Yun Niang said.
"Mm."