The Doctor's Three-Time Marriage

Chapter 497: 497. The Discovery of the Little Tree

Yan Shiba appeared at the entrance of Yuanming Pavilion during sunset, her faint smile reflecting the glow of the waning sky. Her naturally round face with delicate features looked especially gentle.

Upon seeing her, Ji Xiaoshu immediately dropped the building blocks in his hands and ran over, “Auntie Yan! How’s Mo Yan? Is he dead?”

Yan Shiba playfully rubbed Ji Xiaoshu’s head and said with a bright smile, “Of course he’s still alive. I know how to control my strength, but I did make him experience living worse than dying. Oh, wait, not just once, several times—countless times, actually. I also found a separate place to clean him up before bringing him back, so that our house wouldn’t get too dirty.”

Zhengzheng nodded, “In that case, we don’t have to worry about him dying from an infected wound too soon. Xiaoshu and I will check on his injuries again tomorrow.”

“Where are your Master and Mistress? Upstairs?” Yan Shiba asked.

Ji Xiaoshu shook his head, “Nope, they are inside Little Sister’s space, discussing land measurement and planning for future house construction.”

Gu Xiaonuan cheerfully waved at Yan Shiba, “Auntie Yan, my parents are here!”

“Alright. They really have a lot of free time now,” Yan Shiba said. “I’ll go wash up.”

As Yan Shiba entered the kitchen to fetch water, she saw Weng Ran feeding Cheng Yun with her chopsticks.

“Oh, my goodness!” Yan Shiba exclaimed with an exaggerated expression, “Little Yun, be honest. Did the original little monk’s spirit possess you? How could you do such a thing openly?”

Cheng Yun’s cheeks flushed a deep red instantly. He had changed, but being caught by others doing intimate actions with Weng Ran was another matter entirely.

Weng Ran, on the other hand, remained calm and even teased Yan Shiba, “Don’t tease Cheng Yun. He’s shy. We’re only together because you strongly advocated for it – shouldn’t you be delighted to see this?”

Yan Shiba burst into laughter, “Feel free to kiss each other in front of me! Don’t be shy; I love to watch!”

Cheng Yun stood up, bowed his head, and walked out of the room, “You two can chat.”

Weng Ran couldn’t help but smile, “Auntie Yan, you mustn’t tease him too much! Why are you in such a good mood today?”

While Yan Shiba fetched water and washed her face in the kitchen, she recounted to Weng Ran how she had taken her revenge on Mo Yan that day.

“Great,” Weng Ran nodded. “That’s how it should be—A tooth for a tooth. It’s only fair.”

“Have you decided on your wedding date?” Yan Shiba walked over and hugged Weng Ran’s waist tightly from behind, leaning against her. Weng Ran had long grown accustomed to Yan Shiba’s clinginess. Yan Shiba often brought her pillow to sleep with Weng Ran. As for teasing Cheng Yun just now, it was just Yan Shiba’s usual playful nature.

“We have,” Weng Ran replied. “Grandfather invited people to have our birthdates matched, and they said the most auspicious date would be at the end of this year, on the sixth day of the last lunar month.”

“That’s a bit too late, isn’t it?” Yan Shiba leaned on Weng Ran’s shoulder, taking a deep breath. “What kind of meat is this? It smells so delicious! Let me have a bite.”

Weng Ran changed to a new pair of chopsticks and fed a piece of meat to Yan Shiba.

“It’s hot… but so delicious!” Yan Shiba praised. “It’s almost as good as Gu Ling’s cooking! Cheng Yun will have a great time enjoying it in the future. What a pity, I’m afraid I won’t be able to find the right person. By the time we might have to split up, Su Xiaoliang and the rest will eventually leave me. I’ll just stick with you!”

“Well, that’s perfect,” Weng Ran replied with a soft chuckle. “I happen to love having a busy, bustling household.” Talking about the wedding date again, “Grandfather also felt it was a bit too late, but he wanted us to get married on the best possible day. In the end, we settled for the sixth day of the last lunar month. I think it’s fine, actually. It’s only a few months away.”

By the time Yan Shiba had brought the dishes Weng Ran had prepared to Yuanming Pavilion and called the children to wash their hands and have dinner, Gu Ling and Su Liang had already come out of Gu Xiaonuan’s space.

Now that there were more people in the household, Nangong Qian, Weng Ran, and Qiuyue cooked more often, with Gu Ling and Su Liang occasionally helping out in the kitchen. However, they wouldn’t prepare all the dishes. Most of the meals were prepared and delivered by Wan Family Restaurant, and those in the kitchen would only make a small portion.

During dinner, Yan Shiba shared the details of her torment of Mo Yan with everyone. However, her description was too graphic and graphic, and it was not easy to eat. Old Mu stopped her at first, saying to tell the story later.

Yan Shiba snickered, “Anyway, as long as you all know that I tormented him badly. By the way, Su Xiaoliang, is there any new news from Jiaye City today?”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes. The usual. They probably won’t send any more live people.”

“When do you expect that guy Sheng Yue to arrive in the capital city?” Yan Shiba asked.

After thinking for a moment, Su Liang replied, “Based on the number of remaining enemies we know we need to eliminate, there should be only two left. Those two might have run farther away, so it’s hard to say how long it will take. If all goes well, he could be here in eight to ten days.”

“I need to have a good chat with him when he arrives.” Yan Shiba didn’t have much else to do. She had told a riddle to Mo Yan that day and had to ask Sheng Yue about it later. With no enemies left, her days became less exciting, and she had to look for ways to have fun.

One day, Feng Ming was weeding the garden when Ji Xiaoshu called him.

“Uncle Feng!” Ji Xiaoshu ran over holding a piece of dried meat. The taste of this delicious dried meat was Gu Ling’s unique secret recipe, which he had discovered himself.

Feng Ming smiled and dropped the weeds, “What do you need, Little Tree?”

Ji Xiaoshu held up the dried meat, “This is for you, Uncle Feng.”

Feng Ming leaned down, took a bite of the dried meat, and remarked, “Not bad, quite tasty.”

“Right before you came back, Uncle Feng, our dried meat made by Master just ran out. This is the freshly made new batch!” Ji Xiaoshu beamed, “Uncle Feng, have you thought about the question I asked you last time?”

Feng Ming hesitated, surprised by the sudden change of topic. “Which question?”

“The one about what kind of girl Uncle Feng likes!” Ji Xiaoshu mentioned as he spotted a tender yellow flower in the pile of weeds. He picked it, placed it by his ear, and asked, “Does it look good?”

Unable to suppress a smile, Feng Ming replied, “It looks great!”

Wearing a serious expression, Ji Xiaoshu continued, “If Uncle Feng had a wife, he could give her pretty flowers like this!”

Laughing heartily, Feng Ming agreed, “Little Tree is right. But I still haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Does it really take that long?” Ji Xiaoshu didn’t understand, “Even Uncle Cheng Yun has found someone, don’t you envy him, Uncle Feng?”

Feng Ming nodded, “I do. But everyone’s situation is different when it comes to these things.”

Ji Xiaoshu agreed, “That’s true. Uncle Feng, you’re handsome. If there’s someone you like, just be bold and confess your feelings. Be proactive in pursuing them, and a great outcome will follow!”

At these words, Feng Ming’s expression faltered for a moment, which the observant Ji Xiaoshu noticed. Ji Xiaoshu was about to leave but turned back and asked, “Does Uncle Feng already have someone in mind?”

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Ming replied, “Little Tree, go and play. If I need your help, I will definitely tell you.”

Ji Xiaoshu saw Feng Ming didn’t want to talk, so he didn’t ask further and ran away with a wave of his hand.

Feng Ming shook his head and chuckled, then continued to bend down to weed.

Ji Xiaoshu ran into Yuanming Pavilion as if he was flying, rushing up the stairs, “Master’s wife! Master’s wife!”

Su Liang was looking at Gu Ling’s design drawings. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Ji Xiaoshu rushing in, “Master’s wife, I’ve made a big discovery!”

Su Liang laughed softly, “What is it?”

“Uncle Feng has something on his mind!” Ji Xiaoshu told Su Liang about his conversation with Feng Ming, “Does Master’s wife know if Uncle Feng has someone he likes?”

Gu Ling knocked on Ji Xiaoshu’s forehead, “At such a young age, you’re like a matchmaker.”

Ji Xiaoshu pushed Gu Ling’s hand away, “Master, stop interrupting! I’m just concerned about Uncle Feng! Everyone else is in pairs, while he and Uncle Zhu are alone. It’s not good! Uncle Zhu has already said what kind of person he likes, but hasn’t met them yet, but Uncle Feng seems to have someone in mind!”

Su Liang smiled, “If he really does have someone in mind and doesn’t want to talk about it, he must have his reasons.”

“I know, I’m just a little worried…” Ji Xiaoshu trailed off.

“Worried about what?” Gu Ling started to pinch Ji Xiaoshu’s ear.

Ji Xiaoshu was a bit speechless, “Master, if you’re too bored, you can make more jerky. It’s never enough to last more than a few days!”

Gu Ling did not respond.

Ji Xiaoshu pushed Gu Ling’s hand away while speaking to Su Liang, “Could it be that Uncle Feng has fallen in love with Master’s wife?”

Gu Ling twisted Ji Xiaoshu’s ear, “As punishment, you have to write two more pages of characters today.”

Ji Xiaoshu retorted, “Why?”

Gu Ling replied calmly, “Because you stepped in with your left foot first just now.”

Ji Xiaoshu looked up at the sky speechlessly, “Master’s wife, can you do something about Master?”

Su Liang said calmly, “What should I do? You two are willing to do this, it’s interesting. Besides, even if Feng Ming has someone in mind, it’s definitely not me. I’m sure of that.”

“Who could it be, then?” Ji Xiaoshu climbed onto Gu Ling’s lap, rested his arm on the table, and held his chin in thought, “Uncle Feng doesn’t have much contact with many people, and I didn’t notice him treating any aunties particularly differently.”

Su Liang found it a bit strange, “Xiaoshu, why are you so concerned about this matter?” It must not be as simple as what he had just said.

Ji Xiaoshu said seriously, “Because Uncle Feng and Uncle Zhu don’t have parents anymore, everyone else in the house is in pairs and very sweet. Someone has to help them with their marriage! Uncle Feng is the type of person who doesn’t like to bother others, so even if he has something on his mind, he won’t say it. It’s really worrying!”

Su Liang raised her eyebrows. It sounded like Ji Xiaoshu was mischievous, but Su Liang knew he was serious. He lost his mother when he was young, and Ji Yuebai didn’t have much time to spend with him for a period of time, so he was very sensitive. But from another point of view, he was very thoughtful and couldn’t help but pay attention to and take care of the emotions of everyone around him. He seemed naughty and playful, but deep down, he had the warmest heart.

“Then, I’ll give you and Zhengzheng a task. See if there’s anything on Feng Ming’s mind, but don’t let him find out.” Su Liang said. She didn’t like meddling in her friend’s emotional matters, feeling that everyone was an adult and should let nature take its course. There hadn’t been any other tricky emotional problems that needed to be solved before, apart from Yan Shiba bothering Cheng Yun. But since Ji Xiaoshu had noticed, she couldn’t ignore it.

“Understood! I promise to complete the mission!” As soon as Ji Xiaoshu finished speaking, he slid off Gu Ling’s leg and ran out the door, “First senior brother!”

Zhengzheng was writing characters in the next room and looked up when he heard the sound, “Xiaoshu, what’s wrong?”

“Master’s wife has given us a task.” Ji Xiaoshu leaned close to Zhengzheng’s ear to speak.

After listening, Zhengzheng pondered, “This matter…”

“Do you know what’s on Uncle Feng’s mind, first senior brother?” Ji Xiaoshu looked surprised.

Zhengzheng shook his head, “I don’t, but now that you mention it, I recall something. However, it might just be my overthinking.”

Ji Xiaoshu urged Zhengzheng, “First senior brother, hurry up and tell me what it is! Don’t keep me in suspense!”

“That day, when Auntie Peng brought Axin and Ale to our house, we were boating on the lake, and Auntie Peng was sitting on the grass by the lake. I happened to see Uncle Feng looking at Auntie Peng! He might have just been passing by and stopped to watch for a while before leaving! He didn’t even know I was watching him!” Zhengzheng said.

Ji Xiaoshu’s eyes lit up, “I see!”

Zhengzheng shook his head, “It might just be a coincidence. Uncle Feng might have suddenly remembered something, and was just spacing out. We can’t make wild guesses about this kind of thing.”

“Uncle Feng is always steady and composed, he’s not the type of person to suddenly stop and space out while walking.” Ji Xiaoshu disagreed, “It must not be a coincidence. If Uncle Feng has fallen for Auntie Peng, it’s perfect!”

“What’s perfect?” Zhengzheng asked.

“First senior brother, think about it, when we asked Auntie Peng what kind of man she likes, what did she say? She said she won’t get married again! Uncle Feng was right there at the time! If he happens to like Auntie Peng, hearing her say that, with his personality, he definitely wouldn’t dare reveal any feelings and would be worried about causing trouble for Auntie Peng! That’s why Uncle Feng would be hesitant in front of me, but wouldn’t say why.” Ji Xiaoshu said.

Zhengzheng listened to Ji Xiaoshu’s well-argued analysis and recalled the incident, thinking Ji Xiaoshu made a lot of sense.

“So what should we do?” Zhengzheng scratched his head, “We shouldn’t interfere with this kind of thing, right?”

Ji Xiaoshu rested his chin on his hand sitting next to Zhengzheng, “It’s indeed difficult. If Auntie Peng is really determined not to get married or doesn’t like Uncle Feng, trying to match them would be inappropriate. Besides, we’re children, and when we talk about these things, adults think we’re just playing.”

Zhengzheng nodded, “That’s right.”

“But I sincerely think Auntie Peng can find someone who loves and cherishes her again. She’s suffered so much and needs care. Look at my father, after my mother passed away, he found someone else to accompany him. I used to be unhappy about it, but now I think it’s quite good, as long as my father is happy!” Ji Xiaoshu said.

Zhengzheng was moved by his words, “Then, the key to this matter might be Axin and Ale. Auntie Peng may be afraid that Axin and Ale won’t like the idea of her getting married, but if they support it, she might not have so many concerns.”

“First senior brother, you’re right!” Ji Xiaoshu nodded repeatedly, “Even if Auntie Peng and Uncle Feng don’t end up together, we can at least persuade Auntie Peng to let go of her concerns and bravely pursue happiness! We’ll go talk to Axin and Ale, and teach them how to talk to Auntie Peng, but don’t mention Uncle Feng. Just say that the other aunties all have someone by their side, and if Auntie Peng can meet someone she likes, they’d be very happy if the couple can be together! As long as Auntie Peng relents, we can get Uncle Feng to take the initiative!”

Su Liang walked to the door and smiled before returning. She heard the children’s conversation and thought it was not bad. Feng Ming and Peng Wu had known each other since Xingluo Island, and if they could become a couple, it would be a good fate.

“Great God, you can’t punish Xiaoshu to write characters anymore.” Su Liang said, “He performed very well today, very sensible.”

Gu Ling nodded, “Then, let’s reward him by allowing him to write two more pages!”