Xiao Jinyu’s composure was formidable, but even he was genuinely furious by now.
Yes, his current physical condition left him utterly helpless, unable to fight back. If fate insisted he die tonight in this place, at this woman’s hands, he had nothing to say. But what was this nonsense about her trying to kill him with a rice ladle?!
"Take action?" Chu Chu was taken aback, then quickly snapped back to reality. "Oh, alright!"
Xiao Jinyu’s face darkened another shade. The way she responded made it sound as though he had begged her to kill him!
He took out a handkerchief and buried his head in it, wiping his forehead, not noticing what Chu Chu had suddenly turned to do. All he heard was a clattering commotion of pots, pans, bowls, and dishes. Before he could lift his head, Chu Chu grabbed his wrist.
Chu Chu was just a petite young girl, with only so much strength, but for Xiao Jinyu in his current state, it was more than enough to render him completely at her mercy.
The moment she seized his wrist, Xiao Jinyu realized she had used her left hand to grip his right wrist, while her right hand seemed to be holding something.
Could she have actually gone to find a weapon on the spot…?
He resigned himself to whatever she intended—to kill, beat, or tie him up. After all, losing to someone who could act so convincingly that even Jing Yi couldn’t detect any flaws wasn’t too shameful.
Xiao Jinyu had already prepared himself to face death with calm dignity, but as soon as he looked up, Chu Chu glared at him and scolded him as if he were a misbehaving child, "What are you fussing about? If you keep rubbing it, it’ll swell up!"
In the moment of his stunned silence, Chu Chu raised her right hand and pressed a peeled, smooth, pale egg—dug out from who-knows-which bowl—against his forehead, rolling it back and forth over the reddened spot.
He looked like someone full of knowledge, so how could he not understand such a simple thing? No wonder he was already relying on a wheelchair at such a young age!
The thought that someone his age was confined to a chair must be terribly difficult briefly crossed her mind. Though she only pondered it inwardly, Chu Chu still felt as if she had done something wrong. Her face warmed, and her tone softened, no longer shouting, "Rolling the egg disperses the bruising. It won’t be red, swollen, or hurt anymore."
Xiao Jinyu said nothing. In over twenty years of living, he had never imagined a moment in his life where an unknown woman would be rolling a peeled egg on his forehead. He truly had no idea how he was supposed to react.
Seeing his cold, silent expression, Chu Chu assumed the egg alone wasn’t enough to relieve his pain. She bent at the waist, lowered her head, and brought her small mouth close, gently blowing on the faint redness.
Chu Chu noticed the redness had been barely visible at first, but the more she blew, the redder it became, growing increasingly vivid. How strange!
It wasn’t that Xiao Jinyu didn’t want to stop her; it was that, aside from his heart pounding wildly, he didn’t dare make the slightest movement. He even held his breath, afraid any tiny action might lead to a consequence that would make him want to strangle himself.
Just as he felt he would pass out if he held his breath any longer, a loud "clang—thud!" from the doorway, like a heavy object hitting the ground, instantly yanked his consciousness back from the brink of the underworld to this mortal kitchen.In her surprise, Chu Chu turned sideways. With the obstruction gone, Xiao Jin Yu finally saw clearly that the heavy object that had entered in a full prostration posture was none other than Wu Jiang.
Wu Jiang, oblivious to Chu Chu's presence in that direction, scrambled up in a fluster and knelt properly, kowtowing as he exclaimed, "This humble officer deserves death! This humble officer deserves death!"
He had returned from his duties in the dead of night hoping to find a bite to eat in the kitchen. But before even stepping inside, he caught sight of Chu Chu standing before Xiao Jin Yu—her gripping his wrist, one with head bowed and the other looking up—from the doorway angle, it appeared they were simply... In his shock, he completely forgot about the threshold beneath his feet, thus tumbling straight in with a loud, rigid thud.
Jing Yi hadn't mentioned anything like this...!
☆、9 Jujube Ginger Soup (Nine)
"Big Brother?"
Chu Chu glanced at Wu Jiang, who was kneeling with his head buried, then turned to look at Xiao Jin Yu, whose face was flushed so red it seemed about to drip blood.
How strange. Steward Zhao had said her big brother was an immensely important general, so why would he be kneeling to someone in a wheelchair?
Could his rank be higher than Big Brother's?
Wu Jiang didn't dare move an inch. Forget being called "Big Brother"—even if someone called him "Grandpa" right now, he wouldn't lift his head.
He wasn't married yet; who knew what those two had been up to before he interrupted them!
Xiao Jin Yu took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself until his face felt less burning and his forehead less swollen, before coolly uttering, "Rise..."
Wu Jiang stiffly rose from the ground, still not daring to look up.
"When did you arrive?"
Xiao Jin Yu intended to skip directly over what Wu Jiang might have witnessed, hence asking when he had returned to the estate. But Wu Jiang, already consumed by guilt, interpreted the question solely in light of the recent incident. In a panic, he blurted out, "This... this humble officer came to find food! I saw nothing!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face darkened faintly—perhaps it would have been better not to ask...
Chu Chu, however, immediately seized on a key point in Wu Jiang's words. "Big Brother, you came just in time! The rice is almost steamed!" With that, she dashed over to the stove, leaving Wu Jiang utterly stunned. Were these two... eating?
Eating... eating?!
The moment Wu Jiang processed this, he nearly instinctively reached for the sword at his waist.
On the journey back with Chu Chu, Wu Jiang had already tested her—she truly had no martial skills, but that didn't mean she was ignorant of how to administer poison!
Seeing Wu Jiang's expression shift instantly, Xiao Jin Yu knew exactly what was running through his mind. He gave a light cough to draw Wu Jiang's attention, then subtly shook his head almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Jin Yu's physical condition meant he had always steered clear of martial arts, but underhanded tricks like poisoning could never escape his notice. His life had been harder than most from the start, and he had chosen a path even more challenging than others'. Yet he had not only survived but thrived—something unlikely achieved through mere luck alone.
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