Chapter Forty-Two: Testing the Medicine

“Yes! The Red-Blue Herb was discovered by Xiaoxiao on Little Farewell Hill. It can produce two different colors of juice at once, which is quite magical, and it’s a naturally harmless plant, so the two of us decided to give it a try,” Meng Yun explained all about the Red-Blue Herb in detail.

“How exactly did you two try it? Don’t tell me you made someone chew and eat it?” Madam Meng, as usual, poked holes in their plan.

Bai Yulan was speechless. Would her cousin really do that?

“Of course we didn’t let a person test it. That’s too dangerous. I had our family’s Little White try it. To my surprise, the next day it was even more energetic than before, so I thought this thing might be a treasure!” Meng Yun recalled her daughter’s rabbit. She remembered that when she first brought the Red-Blue Herb home, the rabbit named Gua begged for a taste. Curious to see if it was poisonous, she tossed a bunch of it over. The next day, seeing the rabbit darting energetically all over the place, she was certain it was safe.

“Wait a moment, who’s Little White?” Madam Meng asked suspiciously. Is that some fool?

“Little White! It’s Fubao’s pet rabbit!” Meng Yun replied, utterly certain.

Madam Meng was speechless. She knew it!

Bai Yulan was also rendered speechless. So it really was like that!

“Yun, you can’t just use this thing so casually. Let me test it before you draw any conclusions!” Madam Meng was exasperated with her sweet but naive daughter. How could a rabbit’s snack decide the safety of something?

Bai Yulan nodded in agreement. This definitely needed to be tested! You can’t be careless with things you put on your face.

Upon hearing her mother’s insistence on testing it, Meng Yun quickly reassured her, “Mother, there’s no need. When we first finished a box of this rouge, Xiaoxiao tried it on her face and it actually looked quite pretty!”

“Pfft—cough, cough!” Madam Meng sprayed out a mouthful of tea. “Auntie, are you alright?” Bai Yulan hurried to soothe her breath, still shocked at what Meng Yun had just said.

“What did you say? Xiaoxiao already tried it?” Madam Meng was utterly aghast.

Seeing her mother’s expression and the worry on Bai Yulan’s face, Meng Yun began to stammer, scared by their reactions. “Y-yes… is something wrong?”

Madam Meng swallowed her saliva and asked, “How many days has it been since you last saw Xiaoxiao?”

“Hmm? Why do you ask, Mother? Um… she went back to the Gu family three days ago!” Meng Yun replied, recalling how Father Gu had dragged Xiaoxiao back, though she didn’t know what had happened since.

“Go and visit her tomorrow. And take that suit of armor from my wardrobe before you go,” Madam Meng said calmly, raising the new cup of tea the maid had just brought.

Bai Yulan was speechless. It seemed Miss Gu had put up quite a fight!

Meng Yun was equally speechless. Why all this ceremony? No, something’s off—this is very suspicious!

Of course, it wasn’t until Meng Yun arrived at the Gu residence the next day and was chased and beaten by Gu Xiaoxiao that she finally understood her mother’s warning. Wuwuwu!

At the same time, in the Meng family’s study, Han Hua was surrounded by the two men of the Meng family!

Han Hua felt a bit nervous. What should he do!

“Ahem, ahem.” Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Meng Lang cleared his throat, signaling his younger brother Meng Xuan not to stare at their cousin’s husband as if he were a criminal.

At Meng Lang’s hint, Meng Xuan shrugged and then slouched lazily into his chair, acting as if nothing was amiss.

Meng Lang was embarrassed. What a disgrace.

Han Hua was speechless. This brother-in-law’s mood sure changes quickly!

“Brother-in-law, there’s no need to be so formal. Have some tea,” Meng Lang began graciously.

“Um, thank you,” Han Hua replied, though he’d already had several cups since they started staring at him!

Han Hua did his best to keep his composure.

“So, brother-in-law, where do you hold your esteemed position?” Meng Lang asked. Judging by his bearing, he must be a man of officialdom! After all, he himself had studied the classics for over ten years—why hadn’t he gotten ahead?

“It’s nothing grand. I’m just an ordinary instructor at the Royal Academy,” Han Hua replied modestly.

Meng Lang was speechless. Why could there be so much difference between people?

Meng Xuan was equally shocked. An instructor at the Royal Academy! Tsk tsk, you’re done for!

Han Hua immediately sensed something off in Meng Lang’s gaze.

And indeed, over the following days, Han Hua realized his elder brother-in-law was acting quite strange. During his stay at the Meng family, Meng Lang stopped him with every excuse to ask all sorts of questions!

Han Hua was at his wit’s end. Wasn’t this supposed to be a holiday? Why were there so many questions!

The next day, Bai Zhanshuang was ready to get down to business. This time, his visit was to investigate the dam breach that had occurred three years earlier.