Fields of Gold

Zhu Junyang looked down at his arms, which were tied too tight to bend. With the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Xiaocao secretly snickering like a little mouse. He faintly asked, "How long will it take for this prince's arms to be able to move freely?"

Yu Xiaocao hastily suppressed her laughter and said in a serious manner, "It takes a hundred days to recover from serious injuries. No matter how effective my medicine is, it would still take at least one or two months for you to recover, right?"

"Then… I will have to trouble you for the time being!" Zhu Junyang had noticed something from Xiaocao's expression, but he didn't expose her and replied in a very natural manner.

Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt as if she had dug a pit for herself. Like an angry kitten, she looked at Zhu Junyang defensively and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhu Junyang faintly glanced at her and said, "The literal meaning! You're the one who made the herbal paste, and you're also the only one who knows how to make it. You must know the most about the medicine. Thus, for the sake of this prince's arms, I will have to trouble you in the future!"

Thinking about how the young royal prince ordered her around like a maid at home, Yu Xiaocao immediately felt dark clouds gathering above her head. She tried her last attempt at struggling out of it, "Actually, there's no special technique for applying my herbal paste. It just needs to be applied evenly on the arms. I can send it over after I finish making it every day. You can just let a maidservant or manservant to apply it for you."

Princess Consort Jing understood her youngest son's meaning. The injury of one's muscles and tendons was a serious matter. If he wasn't careful, both his arms might become crippled. Thus, they naturally had to be more careful. Princess Consort Jing held Yu Xiaocao's small hand and said earnestly, "Xiaocao, you're a good child. Please understand a mother's feelings regarding her injured son. My Yang'er is only seventeen years old, which is the period of youth. He hasn't even found a wife yet, so he can't have injuries that aren't fully restored ah! This child has a hard life. When he was young…"

"Lady Mother!" Zhu Junyang quickly interrupted Princess Consort Jing's words. 'Why are you talking about these? Go straight to the point and keep her here ah!'

As she spoke, Princess Consort Jing's eyes, which were similar to her youngest son's, filled with tears again. She gently patted the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, looked at Xiaocao sincerely, and said, "For the sake of the injuries on Yang'er arms, I hope Xiaocao can stay at the residence for some time. I can only rest assured if you personally handle the herbal paste!"

At this time, Yu Xiaocao wasn't in front of the lofty princess consort, but a loving mother who cared about her son. How could she refuse her? Biting her lips, Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, "This commoner will go back to inform my godparents, and I also have to send a message back to Dongshan Village…"

Princess Consort Jing apparently breathed a sigh of relief. She sent the steward of the outer court to send the message to Dongshan Village, and then had a horse carriage send Yu Xiaocao back to the Fang Estate in town.

When Lady Fang, who was packing up and getting ready to return to the capital, heard about her goddaughter returning in Princess Consort Jing's carriage, she inwardly wondered, 'I have become closer with Princess Consort Jing since coming to Dongshan Village and the princess consort also really likes Xiaocao, but it's very rare for someone to have the honor of being sent back in Princess Consort Jing's carriage in the capital, let alone in Tanggu Town. Did Xiaocao win Princess Consort Jing's favor by doing something 'extraordinary' again?'

After Yu Xiaocao came in, she recounted what had happened. Lady Fang suddenly realized, 'It turns out that they were actually interested in Xiaocao's family's secret recipe for the bone healing and acupuncture point relieving medicine ah!' Not to mention that Royal Prince Yang had gotten injured in order to save Xiaocao's father, but with Royal Prince Yang and Princess Consort Jing's identities, she wouldn't be able to refuse them.

Hearing that it would take at least a month for Royal Prince Yang's arms to recover, Lady Fang said with slight disappointment, "Cao'er, you can't go back to the capital with Godfather and Godmother this time. I was going to introduce you to our relatives and friends in the capital during Lin'er's hundred day ceremony. Who knew that this would have happened…"

Yu Xiaocao looked at Little Linlin, who was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed. His fair and tender face was as delicate as an egg with its shell peeled. He should be dreaming of drinking milk. His small mouth gently moved a few times and curled up into a satisfied smile.

In regard to this younger brother, she had nearly witnessed all his growth and changes everyday, from a red, wrinkled and monkey-like little thing to a beautiful, angel-like baby. Although they weren't related by blood, her feelings for him were no less than that of real siblings.

"The introduction isn't really important. I just feel that it's a pity that I can't attend Linlin's hundred day ceremony!" Yu Xiaocao gently caressed the little fellow's soft, little head. As if his sleep had been disturbed, he scrunched up his face unhappily and appeared like he was saying, 'If you continue to disturb my sleep, I'll let you see me crying!'

Yu Xiaocao took back her hand, looked at the little guy's cute appearance with a smile, and said to him, "Although I can't attend Little Linlin's hundred day ceremony, Older Sister has already prepared the present!"

Lady Fang knew that although the Yu Family had made some money, it was money that they worked hard from dawn to dusk to earn after all. She smiled and said, "Why mention presents when we're all one family? You're still a child yourself!"

Yu Xiaocao took out a small wooden box with elegant and simple carvings from her chest pocket. After opening it gently, a bright and lustrous pearl that was the size of a quail egg appeared in front of Lady Fang. Even Lady Fang had seldom seen such a big and beautiful pearl. Perhaps only the east pearl on the empress's crown could rival it?

"Cao'er, you… where did you get such a big pearl? It's too valuable, so quickly put it away! This pearl is definitely a rare treasure that can not be easily bought with money. Keep it yourself and save it for your dowry!" Lady Fang pushed back the wooden box with a firm attitude.

Yu Xiaocao smiled nonchalantly and said, "I inadvertently found this pearl when I was diving. I'm a very good swimmer now. If I want to get some pearls, I can easily get them whenever I want. This is for my Younger Brother Lin. When he's a little older, he can shoot it as a pellet."

Playing with a valuable pearl like it's a toy? Wouldn't that be apparently flaunting one's wealth? Lady Fang still insisted on declining the gift, but Yu Xiaocao forced it into her hands.

Yu Xiaocao pouted and spoke before her godmother could say anything, "Godmother, if you don't accept it, then you're not treating me as part of the family!"

"Wife, since our daughter said that, you should just accept it! If you feel sorry about it, then you should prepare more for our daughter's dowry. At that time, prepare 5 kilometers of dowry, so that that stinky brat, whose current whereabouts are unknown, won't mistreat our daughter!" Fang Zizhen, who had entered the room without them noticing, had overheard the conversation between the mother and daughter.

Seeing that Lady Fang had carefully put away the pearl, Yu Xiaocao looked at her godfather and unabashedly said, "That's right! With a general as my father, I want to see who would dare mistreat me!! My godfather's fists aren't just for display!!"

Zhu Junyang, who had been ordered by Princess Consort Jing to stay in bed, sneezed two times in succession. He wrinkled his brows and whispered, "It goes without saying that it's that lass Yu Xiaocao who's talking behind my back!"

Princess Consort Jing, who was next to him, worriedly had someone add another quilt for him for fear that he would get sick. Although it wasn't very hot in early summer, it was uncomfortable to be covered by so many quilts. Zhu Junyang quickly used the excuse of 'sweating would affect the healing of the wounds' to reject his lady mother's good intentions.

In the following days, Yu Xiaocao lived in Princess Consort Jing's temporary residence. Like she was entertaining an esteemed guest, Princess Consort Jing prepared an elegant and exquisite courtyard for her. This courtyard wasn't far from Zhu Junyang's courtyard, and was within two minutes away on foot. She also specially sent maidservants and senior servants to serve her. All of the arrangements were not even slightly inferior to that of the noble young ladies in the capital.

However, in addition to decocting the medication and changing his medicine, she also had to serve the young royal prince three meals a day. What exactly was going on? Didn't she come to be a doctor? How did she ended up becoming the young royal prince's personal maidservant?

Standing next to the table with chopsticks in her hands, Yu Xiaocao looked at the young royal prince, who was waiting for her to feed him with his mouth wide open as if he was a hungry swallow, and had an urge to flip the table.

"Shrimp crystal steamed bun." Seeing that he didn't receive the food he requested after waiting for a long time, the young prince emphasized once again. His eyes swept across the ashen-faced Yu Xiaocao, and he was in a strangely good mood.

Yu Xiaocao glanced at the maidservants who usually served the young royal prince's daily life and said with displeasure, "Young Royal Prince, I don't think I'm one of your maidservants? It doesn't seem to be one of my responsibilities to serve you when you eat, right?"

Zhu Junyang icy gaze swept over the maidservants in the room. The maidservants trembled and went out of the room one after another. He took back his gaze with satisfaction, shook his arms, which were wrapped up like a mummy, in front of Yu Xiaocao, and said, "Now, this prince and you are the only ones in the room. This prince's arms got injured because I was saving your father. So, it's not too much to ask you to serve this prince while I eat, is it?"

'Don't all gentlemen show kindness without expecting repayment? Young Royal Prince, is it really alright for you to mention that you got injured in order to save my father eight times a day? This is apparently the ungrateful act of taking advantage of a good deed and seeking repayment ah!!'

Yu Xiaocao angrily picked up a crystal steamed bun and tried to choke him to death by stuffing the whole thing into the young royal prince's mouth.

Zhu Junyang worked hard to chew the food in his mouth and finally swallowed it after chewing for a long time, "Are you trying to kill me! Congee! This prince nearly died from choking!!"

Yu Xiaocao slammed the chopsticks on the table, picked up the bowl of congee, scooped out a spoon of congee, and shoved it into the young prince's mouth. The congee on the spoon dripped onto the clothes that Zhu Junyang had just changed into in the morning.

"You're too unprofessional when serving people. You need to practice more!" Zhu Junyang scolded in an irritating manner.

After she finally finished serving this great lord breakfast with much difficulty, he opened his hands and said to his trusted little maidservant, "Just look at how you to fed the congee. It sprinkled everywhere. Had it been someone else, this prince would have flogged her already! Come, help this prince change my clothes!"

Yu Xiaocao couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted towards the outside, "Who's on duty outside? Come in and help the young royal prince change his clothes!!"

When the people outside heard this, there was a series of disorderly footsteps, and then it became dead silent. Yu Xiaocao opened the door and rushed outside to take a look. Not even a trace of the people, who should be serving outside, could be seen.

With no other choice, Yu Xiaocao took out a set of clothing that she thought was the ugliest from the wardrobe and helped the young royal prince change into it. Zhu Junyang also didn't like this attire and had never worn it. When he appeared in front of the princess consort in this dark reddish purple outfit, she couldn't help but look surprised.