Chapter 30: The Treasure Bowl and the Useless Girl
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
“Bing Yue! Bing Yue!”
Du Zi Heng had finally caught up to You Bing Yue.
You Bing Yue shook his hand off forcefully. “Aren’t you all worried about that maid, your mother, and your rightful wife? Why bother chasing after me?”
Du Zi Heng, concerned for her well-being, softened his voice to comfort her. “It’s not about caring for them; it’s about the rules of the Chancellor estate. Not just the Chancellor estate—every household has its own rules. Even in an ordinary family, no one would tolerate someone beating their servants. Isn’t that right?”
“Even if someone lays a hand on an animal in the house, it’s seen as an insult to the owner.”
“Bing Yue, I don’t want you to be a concubine, and you don’t want that either. To my mother and the rest, you’re still an outsider. You struck someone in the house, and naturally, my mother is upset.”
“Think about it: if someone beat your little brother, Xiao Hu, behind your back, wouldn’t you be angry?”
Xiao Hu was You Bing Yue’s younger brother from her rural family.
You Bing Yue’s anger faded. “Fine, I admit I was a bit rash. I’ll pay for the maid’s medical expenses, but if she tries to seduce my man again, I will hit her!”
What Du Zi Heng loved most was her bold and carefree nature. Hearing her fierce declaration, his heart filled with warmth, and he smiled gently. “Don’t worry, there won’t be a next time.”
He wanted to say that his mother and Yu Zhi Yi wouldn’t allow anything like that to happen again, but he was afraid of upsetting You Bing Yue, so he held his tongue. “Come back with me.”
You Bing Yue shook his hand off again. “No way! Your mother has driven me out twice already. Last time, I let it slide because of you, but this time, I won’t compromise. I don’t want her to think I’m really after the riches of the Chancellor estate.”
Du Zi Heng tried persuading her a few more times, but she wouldn’t budge.
Helpless, he had no choice but to take her back to the house he had bought for her.
You Bing Yue pushed him onto the bed as soon as they arrived. “We didn’t finish what we started this afternoon.”
As passion flared, a glint of determination flickered in You Bing Yue’s eyes.
That gold-digging woman playing tricks would never have dreamed that Du Zi Heng would spend the whole night away because of her.
And this was just the beginning.
There would be many more lonely nights for that woman in the future.
Once she turned her bookstore into a thriving treasure trove, that old lady would have no choice but to see her worth.
Between someone who could turn money into more money and a clueless gold-digger, there was no contest. No one in their right mind would choose wrong.
She would make Yao beg her to come back!
She would make that gold-digging woman kneel and beg her not to kick her out of the Chancellor estate!
—
“Achoo!”
Yu Zhi Yi sneezed as she stepped out of her bath. Zi Yuan hurried to make the brazier warmer. “The night’s chilly—are you catching a cold?”
“I think someone’s talking about me,” Yu Zhi Yi said, moving closer to the brazier, letting the warmth dry her hair.
Zi Yuan rolled her eyes. “It’s definitely that You girl badmouthing you to Master Du.”
Yu Zhi Yi said nothing, silently agreeing with her maid.
After about fifteen minutes, her hair was mostly dry. Yu Zhi Yi sent Zi Yuan to rest while she sat cross-legged, ready to meditate.
The recent good deeds she’d done had boosted her cultivation significantly. If she kept training this way, she was confident she might truly become immortal one day.
—
The next morning, Yu Zhi Yi finished her morning practice and headed to the dining hall.
Madam Yao had arrived before her, looking tired, likely from a restless night. After all, Du Zi Heng hadn’t come home.
Yu Zhi Yi was quite happy about that. With Du Zi Heng absent, she didn’t have to worry about Madam Yao pressuring her to consummate the marriage.
Of course, she couldn’t let her happiness show.
Just as she was about to comfort Madam Yao, Aunt Gu came in to report. “Madam, Young Madam, the eldest madam of the Yao family is here.”
The eldest madam of the Yao family was Huang, the wife of Yao’s eldest son, whom Yu Zhi Yi had met at the chrysanthemum banquet.
Madam Yao perked up. “Invite her in.”
Yu Zhi Yi patted her slightly hungry stomach, resisting the urge to pick up her chopsticks.
Before long, Madam Huang arrived at the dining hall.
Aunt Gu quickly set an extra set of utensils, and Madam Yao greeted her warmly. “Sister Huang, what brings you here? Have you eaten yet? Come, join us.”
Madam Huang looked even more worn than Madam Yao, her face full of worry. But she did not refuse the invitation and sat down, though she barely touched her food.
Yu Zhi Yi glanced at her, then continued eating her meal.
She was hungry.
And with her next meal not until the afternoon, she needed to eat her fill now.
Madam Huang took only a few bites before giving up, but seeing how Yu Zhi Yi ate so heartily, she suppressed her anxiety and waited.
It wasn’t until Yu Zhi Yi put down her chopsticks and rinsed her mouth that Madam Huang spoke. “Aunt, I’m here because I need your help.”
“What is it?”
Madam Yao had a pretty good idea already—it was obviously something to do with the Huang family, not her husband’s side. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been Madam Huang coming herself.
She was half right.
Madam Huang continued, “Aunt, I’m here to ask Sister-in-law for help finding someone.”
She turned to Yu Zhi Yi. “Sister-in-law, I know it’s abrupt, but I have nowhere else to turn.”
Madam Yao hesitated, then looked to Yu Zhi Yi for her opinion. “Yi’er, what do you think?”
Yu Zhi Yi replied, “As someone from the metaphysical world, I can’t involve myself in others’ karma without taking it upon myself.”
Madam Huang looked confused. “How…how would that work?”
Madam Yao recalled the silver notes, gold hairpin, and jade ring she’d given to Yu Zhi Yi before. She removed the golden hairpin from her bun and handed it over. “Yi’er, if it’s not too much trouble, please help her.”
Madam Huang was taken aback. She hadn’t expected that “taking on karma” meant paying money.
That golden hairpin was worth at least a thousand taels.
Yu Zhi Yi explained, “It’s not about greed—as someone from the metaphysical world, I must strictly adhere to the rules of karma. Otherwise, it could hurt both others and myself. Sister-in-law, you want me to find someone. That’s a cause. Whether I find them or not, it results in an effect.”
“By asking me for help, you’re transferring the cause to me, and we need a medium to justify it to the heavens.”
Madam Huang, still a bit confused, suddenly grasped the main point. “How did you know I wanted to ask for your help finding someone?”
Yu Zhi Yi only smiled.
Madam Huang suddenly realized she had asked a foolish question.
This Miss Zhi Yi’s abilities had long been a favorite topic of her grandmother-in-law—something she would mention now and then with admiration.
For the younger members of the family, it was something they had heard so often that they were almost numb to it.
Although they never argued with the grandmother and always treated Yu Zhi Yi with respect, they were still doubtful of her so-called skills.
Even though many of them had personally witnessed her turning the wealthiest man’s only son into a disowned heir with just a few words—some thought she must have learned the details beforehand through other channels and only used her “fortune-telling” as a front.
Madam Huang had come to the Chancellor estate as a desperate attempt.
The authorities had already gotten involved, and everyone the Huang family could mobilize had been sent out to search, but there was still no sign of her nephew.
She hadn’t come expecting much, but… what if?
Now, hearing Yu Zhi Yi clearly state her purpose, she felt as if she had taken a calming pill. “Sister-in-law, please, help me find my nephew!”