Chapter 109: She Scolds You

After Jiang Chengyan left with Bai Yan, Magistrate Chen could not shake his habit of muttering to himself. Staring at the young couple, he remarked to the accountant beside him, "These youngsters, they have no sense of proportion. That spicy rabbit is incredibly expensive; a single meal costs as much as half a cartload of mushrooms. And that young man—he’s so young, yet he wears two faces!"

The accountant merely smiled, offering no reply.

...

Jiang Chengyan had always enjoyed teasing Bai Yan. He told her he was taking her for spicy rabbit, but in the end, he took her for small wontons instead.

However, as they stepped out of the wonton shop, they saw that the "Joyful Fertility Pharmacy" across the street had been sealed off. A crowd had gathered at the entrance, buzzing with chatter.

Bai Yan’s ears twitched, and she caught the topic of their conversation.

"Borrowing seeds? Husband, what does 'borrowing seeds' mean?" Bai Yan asked innocently.

Jiang Chengyan reached out to cover her mouth, his dark eyes casting downward.

The gossiping voices of the crowd continued to drift toward them.

"This Joyful Fertility Pharmacy was the most popular one in our county. They said it was more effective than the Goddess of Mercy herself! Who would have thought the doctor in charge would do such things to the women seeking treatment? Does this mean the children born to those who visited are actually his?"

"Good heavens, it’s truly terrifying. There are people in our village who went there because they couldn't conceive!"

Amidst the cacophony, Jiang Chengyan lowered his head and asked Bai Yan, "Shall we go home?"

Bai Yan nodded, and with a nimble leap, she jumped onto Jiang Chengyan's back.

...

By the time Jiang Chengyan and Bai Yan returned, the village was in an uproar.

Village Chief Jiang was rushing toward the west end of the village when he spotted the couple approaching and waved them over.

Jiang Chengyan set down his cart and walked over with Bai Yan still on his back.

"Chengyan, hurry and come with me! Your grandparents are about to have your mother drowned in a pig cage!" The village chief wiped the sweat from his forehead and sprinted toward the west end of the village.

Bai Yan had heard Jiang Chengyan explain what it meant to be "drowned in a pig cage" just a couple of days ago. Upon hearing that the grandparents intended to do this to his mother, she hopped off his back and bolted away.

Seeing her dash off like a gust of wind, Jiang Chengyan’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

...

At the Jiang household, Grandfather and Grandmother Jiang sat on chairs in the courtyard. Qian stood to the side, watching the spectacle, while Zhao stood in the yard, her expression stubborn.

Grandmother Jiang brandished her cane, her voice shrill. "You harlot, are you still not going to confess? How many people in the village have seen you running to that pharmacy? Do you dare say you haven't been up to some illicit affair with that doctor?"

"Which of your eyes saw me doing anything illicit? I only went there to get medicine," Zhao retorted, her tone cold and unyielding.

Qian spat out a sunflower seed shell. "Sister-in-law, your word alone lacks weight. This whole scandal only just broke, and you’ve been running there particularly often lately. Tsk."

Having lived a comfortable life with Jiang You for many years, Qian carried herself with an air of superiority that set her apart from those who spent their lives toiling in the fields. Her words were like throwing fuel onto a fire.

Grandmother Jiang had always been swayed by Qian, and hearing this, she grew frantic. She raised her cane, ready to strike Zhao.

Just then, a figure in light pink rushed in frantically and pulled Zhao to the side.

"Get away, you little harlot! You two are cut from the same cloth—fox spirits, enchanting the men in this family until they're hopelessly stupid!" Grandmother Jiang grew even more incensed at the sight of Bai Yan.

Hearing the term "little harlot," Bai Yan didn't understand the meaning, so she instinctively turned to look at Jiang Chengyan.

Jiang Chengyan spoke in a flat tone: "She is insulting you."