Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Stepping In to Save Someone 

Mu Yunyao looked at him quietly. Seeing his eyes brimming with tears and how anxious he was, she finally spoke.

“As it happens, there really is one matter in which I would like your help—though I do not know whether you can persevere.”

Nan’er’s eyes lit up at once, and his whole face immediately brightened with excitement.

“Please give your orders, Miss. I may be small, but I’m very strong!”

As he said this, he even tugged up his sleeve to show off a thin little arm. Perhaps feeling that this did not look persuasive in the least, he quickly pulled the sleeve back down again and gave a shy smile, the little dimple at his cheek flashing in and out of view.

Mu Yunyao could not help but laugh.

“All right, then. Come with me.”

Nan’er nodded quickly and followed Mu Yunyao into Jinxiu Garden.

The moment he entered the garden and passed the Xiangfei bamboo grove screening the gate, he could not help gasping aloud. When he saw Mu Yunyao glance back at him, he hurriedly clutched at the hem of his clothes.

“Forgive me, Miss. I spoke out of turn. This place is simply too beautiful. It is just as Sister Cai Qing said—like an immortal realm. Those older brothers and sisters seem like immortals as well.”

As he spoke, he could not help sneaking another glance at the tea attendants.

Though he was still such a small orphan, his bearing in advancing and retreating was unexpectedly courteous. Mu Yunyao found herself even more curious about Cai Qing.

“Were all your manners and rules taught by Cai Qing?”

“Yes. Sister Cai Qing says one must understand propriety and keep propriety. Only then is life meaningful. If a person lives only to satisfy hunger, then he is no different from a cat or a dog.”

“Your sister sounds quite remarkable.”

Nan’er was little and thin, and after a while, he began to struggle to keep up with Mu Yunyao’s pace. Yet he made no sound. Even when his face had gone pale, he still pushed himself to follow.

When they reached the winding bridge, Mu Yunyao stopped.

“There are many water birds by the lake. In order not to disturb the guests, someone must clean up after them regularly. If children your age were to do it, it would take at least three or four of you. The tea wares must also be specially washed and polished, which would require at least five or six people. The flowers, plants, and paths all need tending as well. Tell me, what kind of work do you think you could do?”

Nan’er’s eyes widened.

“Miss, I can trim flowers and plants, and I can sweep the paths. Could you let Sister Cai Qing help wash the tea wares?”

“You know that washing tea wares is easier work. Why would you not choose it for yourself, and instead give it to Cai Qing, when she is older than you and has more strength?”

“Little Mao was beaten and injured. Every day Sister has to go wash clothes for people, and people often bully her. She also has to look after Granny and Lier. She works very hard. I want her to have something easier.”

Jin Lan felt a pang in her heart at once. This child was far too sensible.

Mu Yunyao, however, did not agree immediately. Instead, she led him to a courtyard that had not yet been opened and pointed to a path.

“Go clean this path first. I will decide whether your work is good enough after I see it.”

“All right. I’ll go at once.”

Jin Lan fetched a broom, and then she and Mu Yunyao sat down in a nearby pavilion.

“Miss, you seem especially fond of this Nan’er.”

“His thoughts are clear and simple. Being around him makes one feel lighter.”

Nan’er worked with great seriousness. He carefully pulled out even the small weeds growing between the cracks in the paving stones, then swept the path clean. He even tidied the flowerbeds on both sides. Since there were many flowers and plants he did not recognize, he did not dare touch them carelessly. He only carefully picked away those leaves that had yellowed or been damaged.

Seeing how earnestly he worked, Mu Yunyao simply had Jin Lan bring over embroidery cloth and thread and sat in the pavilion embroidering a beauty figure.

Only after nearly an hour did Nan’er come over. Seeing that Mu Yunyao was busy, he did not dare make a sound to disturb her. He merely stood quietly to one side, even softening his breathing.

The sight of him unexpectedly made Mu Yunyao think back to when she had first entered the Su residence in her previous life. At that time, she too had been this cautious, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Her heart stirred, and her expression softened.

“You’ve finished cleaning?”

“Yes, Miss. I cleaned it very carefully.”

Even from a distance, Mu Yunyao could already see that the path had been made exceptionally clean. Even the flowerbeds on either side looked noticeably neater.

“Jin Lan, take him to wash his hands, then bring him back to eat something.”

Though Nan’er was anxious to know whether his cleaning had been acceptable, the moment he heard the words eat something, his stomach let out a loud growl. At once, his face turned bright red, and he let Jin Lan lead him off in confusion.

By the time Nan’er returned with clean hands, the table had already been laid with many delicate pastries, all in shapes he had never seen before, fragrant and tempting.

Mu Yunyao nudged the plate toward him.

“Sit down and eat. You just helped me clean a path, and now I am treating you to pastries. That is only fair and proper, so you need not worry about accepting something you did not earn.”

Nan’er could not help swallowing. His fingers rubbed uncertainly against his clothes. The pastries before him smelled so wonderful, and even the plate beneath them shone so brightly. He was afraid that if he touched it, he might somehow break it. Such a beautiful plate—even if he sold himself, he could never repay it.

Seeing that he still would not move, Mu Yunyao picked up two pastries and held them out to him.

“Eat.”

Nan’er swallowed more quickly, but still lifted his head to ask timidly,

“Miss, may I take these two pastries back for Little Mao and Sister Cai Qing? Little Mao is covered in injuries, and his whole body is burning hot. He hasn’t been able to eat for several days. And Sister has been unhappy all day long. Maybe if they taste pastries this delicious, they’ll get better.”

“You eat your share. When you leave, I’ll have Jin Lan pack some for you to take back.”

“Really? Thank you, Miss!”

At last, Nan’er could hold back no longer. Clutching the pastries, he stuffed them into his mouth. Though he tried his best to restrain himself, he was still only a child. Hunger had driven him too far, and he no longer cared about his manners. He simply wolfed them down.

Jin Lan’s heart twisted at the sight. She poured him a cup of warm water and placed it by his hand.

“Eat slowly. No one is going to take them from you.”

Nan’er’s mouth was full of pastries, but his eyes had already turned red. Rubbing at them with his sleeve, he forced the food down and said,

“Thank you, Miss. I know you only found an excuse to give me pastries because you pitied me. I only cleaned one path, and it took me a very long time. It simply wasn’t worth pastries this good... Miss, you are a good person. Good people will surely be rewarded.”

Even Jin Lan felt her heart ache.

Mu Yunyao merely smiled and pushed the other plate toward him.

“Fill your stomach first, and talk afterward.”

People often said that children from poor families learned to shoulder burdens early. But in truth, that happened only because life forced it upon them. When hunger and struggle arrive too soon, every step of living is bitter and hard. It becomes impossible not to grow up early.

Only after finishing two full plates of pastries did Nan’er finally stop, still looking reluctant—not because he no longer wanted to eat, but because his stomach truly could not hold more.

“Thank you, Miss.”

Looking at the empty plates, Nan’er began to grow flustered again. Would this young lady think him too greedy? Would she become annoyed and decide not to let him work in the garden after all?

“Miss, I usually don’t eat that much. Truly. Just two pastries would have been enough. If I eat two pastries, then I won’t feel hungry for the whole day!”

It was all his own fault for being greedy. Why had he not listened to Sister Cai Qing and stopped himself from wanting too much?

Mu Yunyao looked at him and said quietly,

“Even if you say that, two pastries could never last a whole day when you are still growing. Starting tomorrow, come to the garden and help sweep the paths. I will have clothes prepared for you. You will be given two meals a day, and in addition, five copper coins each day.”

Nan’er froze completely. Then, with a thump, he dropped to his knees before her.

“Thank you, Miss! Thank you for your great kindness!”

Clothes to wear, food to eat, wages to earn—such a life was something he had never even dared dream of.

Seeing that Jin Lan had already wrapped up some pastries, Mu Yunyao nodded faintly.

“That is enough for today. Go back now. Come again first thing tomorrow morning when Jinxiu Garden opens.”

“Yes.”

Jin Lan stepped forward, placed the wrapped pastries into his arms, and then guided him toward the exit.

“Come. I’ll see you out.”

“Thank you, Elder Sister.”

Nan’er looked up obediently to thank her, which made Jin Lan rub his head without thinking. Nan’er flushed so red he looked as if he might burn.

Mu Yunyao had Jin Qiao inform Steward Qin that she would be recruiting a few people to help tend the garden. After hearing Nan’er’s story, Steward Qin repeatedly praised Mu Yunyao for her kindness and readily agreed to have someone keep an eye on things in secret.

But the next day, Nan’er did not come.

“Miss, this servant went to the gate twice and still didn’t see him.”

Jin Lan reported back, secretly wondering whether Cai Qing had perhaps been too wary and deliberately stopped Nan’er from coming to work in the garden.

Mu Yunyao paused in the middle of organizing the account books.

“Have Liu Liang go and see whether something delayed him, or whether he simply does not wish to come.”

Seeing that Mu Yunyao had not grown angry over it, Jin Lan felt relieved and quickly turned to go find Liu Liang.

“Yes, Miss.”

Nan’er was such a likable child that she had truly feared Miss might be annoyed and refuse to let him come to the garden again.

Before she had even stepped out of the room, she saw Jin Qiao running toward them in a hurry.

“What is it?”

Mu Yunyao also raised her head.

Jin Qiao, still panting for breath, reported,

“Miss, that Nan’er has come—but he is kneeling outside the gate and crying!”

Mu Yunyao’s brows drew together.

“Go and see.”

Su Qing had already had Nan’er brought inside and had even wiped his tears for him with her own hands.

“Yao’er, you’re here. This child was kneeling outside the gate and crying without stop. I truly could not bear it, so I had Siqin bring him in. But no matter what I asked, he would not say anything. He would only say that he wanted to see you.”

The moment he saw Mu Yunyao, Nan’er dropped to his knees by her feet.

“Miss, please—please save Little Mao, please save Sister Cai Qing!”

“What happened?”

Mu Yunyao’s eyes fell at once on the handprint across his face, and her brows moved slightly.

“A few days ago, when Little Mao was begging on the street, he accidentally got in the way of a young master. That man ordered his servant to beat him. Sister Cai Qing stepped forward to argue, and then that young master began harassing her. He said he wanted to take her as a concubine. Sister Cai Qing refused, so every day after that he sent people to the Charity Hall to make trouble for us. Today, that young master came in person. He said Sister Cai Qing had stolen his silver and that he was going to take her to the magistrate. But really he is only using that as an excuse to force Sister Cai Qing to agree to become his concubine!”

Jin Lan and Jin Qiao fell silent behind them, not daring to speak.

Su Qing also looked troubled, glancing hesitantly toward Mu Yunyao. A man bold enough to use such methods to force a girl must surely possess a certain position and power. Though Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Lou now stood on solid ground, whether to make a great stir for the sake of a girl they had met only once was still something that required careful weighing.

Seeing that Mu Yunyao had not yet spoken, Nan’er began trembling even more violently.

“Miss, please! I’ll kowtow to you. So long as you save Sister Cai Qing, from now on I’ll be your ox, your horse—I’ll repay you for the rest of my life! Please, Miss! Please!”

He put all his strength into it. After only two kowtows, his forehead was already bruised blue.

Su Qing could not bear it and bent to hold him back.

“Child, do not be so anxious. Let us think carefully—”

“Madam, I’m afraid that if we delay any longer, Sister will be taken away by that man. I... I...”

As he spoke, his face turned paler and paler, and he suddenly collapsed unconscious.

Mu Yunyao stepped forward at once. The moment she touched his pulse, her expression darkened. Without hesitation, she pulled open the front of his clothes. There, across his chest, was the mark of a dark bruise in the shape of a footprint, and the chest bone itself had slightly deformed.

“Liu Liang, go at once and bring the others to Jinxiu Garden.”

Liu Liang nodded and turned to leave immediately.

Su Qing was torn between worry and hesitation.

“Yao’er, is it really proper to do this?”

Jin Lan had already lifted Nan’er onto a nearby daybed.

Mu Yunyao wrote out a prescription and handed it to Jin Qiao, then stepped forward and took Su Qing’s hand to comfort her when she saw how tightly her mother’s brows were knit.

“Mother, do not worry. Nothing will happen.”

She needed to be careful, yes—but that did not mean she was timid or afraid of trouble. Especially now, with her footing in Jingling City secure, she truly did not fear stirring up trouble there.

“But what if they are people we simply cannot afford to provoke? Mother was muddle-headed just now. I saw the child was pitiful and forgot our own situation.”

“Mother truly need not worry. We stand on the side of reason. We will not suffer so easily.”

There was no way for her to explain more to Su Qing now. Her mother would have to understand such things slowly over time.

By the time Jin Qiao returned with the medicine, Liu Liang had already brought the others back.

The young girl called Cai Qing was covered in injuries, and in her arms she held a child even smaller than Nan’er. His face was flushed red, his lips bluish, and the rise and fall of his chest was so faint as to be almost invisible.

The moment she saw Mu Yunyao, Cai Qing dropped to her knees.

“Many thanks, Miss, for saving us! Please, Miss, have mercy and save Little Mao!”

Mu Yunyao said nothing. She stepped forward, took the child’s pulse, and the moment her fingers touched it, her brows drew together even more tightly.

“Jin Lan, go to my room and bring the medicine chest from beneath the bed. Jin Qiao, cut some ginseng slices and prepare ginseng broth. We need to keep this child alive.”

Cai Qing bit her lip hard and bowed heavily to Mu Yunyao, forcing back her tears. Then she knelt quietly to the side, not daring to make a sound to disturb them.

Seeing the way she looked, Su Qing could not help but soften.

“Get up, child. Yao’er will certainly do everything she can to save your younger brother.”

“Thank you, Madam.”

When Jin Lan brought the medicine chest, Mu Yunyao took out a set of silver needles, loosened the child’s clothing, and inserted the first needle directly into his chest.

After sixteen needles in all, and after forcing two bowls of ginseng broth down him, the dark bluish hue on the child’s face finally began to fade.

Mu Yunyao withdrew the needles and carefully took his pulse again, then turned to Cai Qing.

“For the next two days, he must be watched over with particular care. I will have medicine prepared and sent over. He must take it every two hours. If his fever rises, his whole body must be wiped down with cloths.”

“Miss, your great kindness can never be repaid. Cai Qing bows to you here.”

“Better that you first look after him properly. Nan’er was kicked in the chest; two of his ribs are broken. If he had not begged me, I would never have stepped in to save you.”

When she looked at Nan’er, she could not help thinking of herself in her previous life. It naturally stirred a bit of pity in her heart. And when she first met Cai Qing, she had not disliked her either. That was why she had chosen to intervene—but only to this extent. The people had been saved. As for whether she would continue to involve herself in their affairs, that would require more thought.

Some blood had gotten onto Mu Yunyao’s hands, and the sensation made her deeply uncomfortable. After giving Cai Qing her instructions, she returned to her room and washed her hands with great care.

Liu Liang came and spoke from the doorway.

“Master, I saw the man in Huai’an City whom you once beat with an oil-paper umbrella.”

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