Chapter 144: A Fairy Emerged from the Jiang Family

Seeing Jiang Chengying beckon to her, Bai Yan could hardly believe it. She didn't dare to step forward, feeling very much like a rabbit walking right into a tiger's den.

"Be a good girl, come here." Although Jiang Chengying spoke softly, he stretched out his arm and pulled both her and the quilt directly in front of him.

He took out a pouch of silver needles from the drawer and pressed Bai Yan down flat.

Bai Yan looked at the pouch of silver needles with trembling eyes, and her speech began to stutter. Given the special circumstances, her voice was exceptionally soft and sweet, to the point that even a man of Jiang Chengying's willpower almost lost his grip. "H-Husband, please don't use the needles!"

Jiang Chengying acknowledged her plea verbally, but his hands still dragged the little rabbit over.

He knew the rabbit wouldn't have just one episode, but she couldn't keep soaking in the ice pool or taking medicine every single time. Over the past few days, he had found a book and learned a bit of acupuncture, while Bai Yan knew nothing of it.

Seeing how thin and long the needles were, Bai Yan was on the verge of crying. Her eye rims turned red, and her body trembled like a sifting sieve.

"Don't be afraid." Jiang Chengying pulled her into his arms, half-embracing her, and applied the needles to her arm with his other hand.

Bai Yan kept her eyes closed the entire time. Ironically, her fear of acupuncture managed to suppress a portion of the feverish heat in her body.

"Will I always suffer this much?" Bai Yan asked with her eyes closed, her voice trembling.

The man's voice was low and carried an immense sense of security. "No. When you grow up, you won't anymore."

"Why won't I when I grow up? Aren't I already big enough? I'm a hundred and fifty years old, you know! I'm so, so much older than my husband." The rabbit started chattering again.

"Shut up." Jiang Chengying's ears were about to go deaf from the rabbit's endless murmuring.

Bai Yan pouting slightly, she obediently snuggled into Jiang Chengying's embrace.

Acupuncture wasn't something that could be finished in a short while. Eventually, Bai Yan actually fell fast asleep. Seeing a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, Jiang Chengying gently wiped it away before withdrawing the needles.

Though it took some effort, the flushed red on her face had faded away.

Watching her soundly asleep, Jiang Chengying pulled the thin quilt up over her and then went to tidy himself up.

Such a state was a torment for her, but was it not equally a torment for him?

………………

Soon, the day of the grand street temple fair arrived.

Early in the morning, Mother Zhao woke Bai Yan up and handed her a festive skirt and some jewelry she had prepared herself.

"Stop sleeping, get up quickly. I'm taking you to the temple fair," Mother Zhao said at a rapid pace.

Bai Yan was still drowsy and hadn't quite woken up yet, reacting slowly. What on earth was a temple fair?

"Hurry up, come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious." Mother Zhao urged.

Upon hearing the words "delicious," Bai Yan sat straight up in one fluid motion and began to freshen up and dress.

Coming out of the west room, Mother Zhao saw Jiang Chengying boiling goat's milk for Bai Yan in the kitchen. Giving it some thought, she couldn't help letting loose a string of nagging words to her son: "Do you usually neglect her? Why is she so excited just at the mention of good food? What are you going to do if someone tricks her away?"

Mother Zhao had truly wrung her hands and exhausted her heart over this daughter-in-law.

Jiang Chengying: "..." There was a sentence he wasn't sure whether he should speak or not.

Because they were heading to the temple fair, once the whole family had finished getting ready, Father Jiang drove the ox cart, carrying them all toward the county town.

However, just halfway there, they saw Magistrate Chen frowning and leading a group of constables walking in their direction.

"Hey, young man! Jiang You is from your village, right?" Magistrate Chen's expression had never been good, and upon seeing Jiang Chengying, he immediately spoke up.

Jiang Chengying nodded.

Mother Zhao asked curiously from the side, "My lord? Has Jiang You gotten into some kind of trouble?"

"Trouble? What trouble? I heard that an immortal maiden has appeared in Jiang You's household, which not only caused abnormal celestial phenomena, but even cured Jiang You's illness." Judging by the tone of Magistrate Chen's voice, he clearly did not believe it.

Yet everyone knew that the current emperor was obsessed with the Dao of longevity and placed the utmost faith in such matters.

"Cured Jiang You's illness? But Jiang You had venereal disease," Mother Zhao said with a face full of disbelief.

Magistrate Chen nodded. "I know, but his venereal disease... has indeed been cured."