The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 611 - 577: Sprained Ankle (Part 3)

The matter of two people living together is something outsiders really can’t interfere with. Wen Wan just simply felt that the time from marriage to divorce for them was too short, which was somewhat surprising.

But from another perspective, the shorter the time, the more it indicates that there were significant issues between Xu Jia and Tang Yuan, which is why they had to end the marriage with a divorce.

However, Wen Wan only thought about these things in her mind; she didn’t ask about them. After a few casual conversations, she turned her attention to Song Fang and asked her why she didn’t bring her children. The two little ones hadn’t seen their grandmother for a long time.

Song Fang said, "I wanted to bring them, but the weather is so cold, I’m afraid they might catch a cold. It’s already hard to take care of a sick child. If both got sick at once, it would be unbearable for me."

Wen Wan said, all right, if you don’t bring the kids, you should at least go see the mother yourself.

So Song Fang sat with Wen Wan for a while before taking Xu Jia to Rong’an Hall next door to see Granny Song.

Granny Song had heard from others about Xu Jia’s divorce from Second Young Master Tang. Upon seeing Xu Jia, she comforted her a few words, saying she is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Mansion and could choose any husband she wants; there’s no need to rush as there are plenty lining up behind.

Xu Jia had always known that Granny Song was no ordinary elderly lady, and today she was finally convinced. She didn’t dare to respond, just echoed with a smile, inquired about Granny’s health, and then found an excuse to leave when the mother and daughter started chatting about family matters.

The snow had not stopped. She held an umbrella and walked along the treelined path, stopping in front of the Ten Thousand Books Study. Just as she was about to enter, she ran into Ah Gui coming out.

Ah Gui was very surprised to see Xu Jia there, immediately lowered his head, made a bow, and greeted, "Madam."

Xu Jia recalled the scene when she first met him during the full moon banquet, and suddenly asked, "Do you have something to discuss with me?"

Ah Gui: "...Yes, I wonder if Madam has some time today?"

Xu Jia glanced around. Besides the faint sound of reading from inside the study, there was no one else outside. She said, "Just speak your mind."

In just a few words, a few snowflakes had already fallen on Ah Gui’s head and face. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Xu Jia saw the situation and moved half of her umbrella over to him.

Ah Gui felt a bit uncomfortable, "Why don’t we go into the study? There’s a side hall next to Young Master Jinbao’s schoolroom, it won’t disturb his studies."

"Alright." Xu Jia also felt it inappropriate to hold an umbrella for him, and followed Ah Gui into the study. As they passed by the lecture hall, she curiously glanced inside through the window lattice, but her gaze was drawn to a flash of white.

The man wore a long robe with wide sleeves and a crossed collar in cold white, with a faint small cloud pattern embroidered at the cuffs. His posture was upright, his back straight, his black hair draped over his shoulders like someone had accidentally spilled a bowl of ink onto the snow. The extreme contrast of colors added some ethereal aura to his profile, genuinely pleasing to look at.

Xu Jia stood still, contemplating how likely it would be to obtain that jade bracelet from him if she directly asked for it.

The person inside seemed to sense something, turned his head to look, and his deep black gaze met her overly obvious stare.

Xu Jia snapped back to her senses, feeling guilty even though she hadn’t yet started today’s little schemes, swiftly averted her eyes, and pretended to be calm as she continued following Ah Gui into the side hall.

After she put away the oil-paper umbrella and went in, Xu Jia whispered to him, "What’s Yun Liulang doing in Young Master Jinbao’s schoolroom?"

Besides Yun Liulang and Jinbao, there seemed to be others, but Xu Jia’s attention was all captivated by that striking white silhouette earlier, so she unconsciously ignored the rest.

Ah Gui said, "The two medical and poison masters accompanying Yun Liulang saw our young master’s condition and said they could treat it, but it requires observation over some time. It so happened that they were free today, so they came to listen to the lecture."

"I see." Xu Jia found a place to sit.

Ah Gui asked her, "Madam, would you like some tea? I can boil some water."

"No need." Business was at hand, and Xu Jia went straight to the point, "You came to see me about the Blood Jade Pendant, right?"

"Exactly." Ah Gui explained, "Actually, the Blood Jade Pendant that Mrs. Song had you look at during the full moon banquet was handed in by me. My intention was to return the item to its rightful owner, but I didn’t expect you to misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what?"

"About ten years ago, I took a jade pendant from a little girl about my age, intending to pawn it for money to treat my mother’s illness." Ah Gui didn’t look at her, lowered his eyelids, and continued speaking, "Later I was caught by Mr. Song, who forced me to return the pendant to its owner, but when I went back, that little girl had already been taken away by her family."

With that, Xu Jia gradually recalled the scene when she lost the Blood Jade Pendant on the street years ago, "And then?"

"Then I didn’t return it, but pawned it for money, and when I returned home, I discovered my mother had already passed away."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Jia’s reaction. Seeing her calm expression, he continued, "After that, I found a way to gather enough money to redeem the pendant, intending to return it to the original owner, but could never find that little girl again."

Xu Jia finally sorted out the ins and outs of the matter, "So, you’re a thief?"

"I..."

Seeing him unable to argue, Xu Jia found it amusing, "A thief like you is truly a failed one."

Ah Gui said nothing more.

Xu Jia only showed aggression towards her enemies. This young man in a servant’s attire, despite having stolen from her before, didn’t have even a bit of a thief’s air about him, "Was that your first time stealing?"

Being exposed by the protagonist, Ah Gui felt quite embarrassed. However, fortunately, he was thick-skinned, so he didn’t get stage fright. After nodding, he calmly admitted, "Yes."

"No wonder." Xu Jia tapped his fingers irregularly on the tea table beside him. "In the end, it’s just a Jade Pendant. If it’s lost, it’s lost. It’s already been ten years, so there’s not much point in holding a grudge. However, the pendant might be of great use to me now, so if it’s still with you, can you return it to me?"

"It originally belonged to Madam, so of course it should be returned to you."

With guilt in his heart, Ah Gui’s usual arrogance and unique character disappeared when facing Xu Jia.

After speaking, he reached into his bosom and took out the jade pendant.

After the full moon banquet, Wen Wan couldn’t find the owner and handed the pendant to Song Wei, who then returned it to Ah Gui. Just like before, Ah Gui carefully wrapped the pendant in a silk cloth and kept it close to his person.

Once the silk cloth was fully unfolded, Ah Gui stepped forward and presented it to Xu Jia with both hands.

Xu Jia’s gaze fell on the Blood Jade.

On the day of the full moon banquet, she noticed that it was almost identical to the one she had lost. However, given the circumstances back then, she couldn’t take it away rashly. After several turns, it finally returned to her hands.

She took the pendant and remembered her grandmother’s last words, saying it was a treasure, and instructed her to keep it well.

At that time, Xu Jia was still young and didn’t understand the special aspect of this jade.

Later, as she grew older, she learned that Blood Jade was rarer than ordinary jade, and a genuine Blood Jade was invaluable.

Later still, just recently, she learned from Yun Shisan that the Phoenix Blood Jade, when paired with their family’s heirloom bracelet, had powerful calming effects, easing minor physical ailments over time and suppressing depression.

However, Xu Jia had inquired around and found out that for the jade to achieve such magical effects, it was best crafted into a bracelet worn on the wrist.

In other words, even if she had the genuine Phoenix Blood Jade, it might not work if her mother wore it as a pendant.

"Thank you." Xu Jia accepted the pendant and looked out towards the door, where the snowflakes had lessened a bit.

Having followed Xu Dengke for so many years, Ah Gui was perceptive enough to see that Xu Jia was somewhat absent-minded, so he immediately offered his farewell.

Hearing his voice, Xu Jia snapped back to her senses, nodded, and gave a faint smile.

Ah Gui didn’t linger further. Several important figures had arrived at the academy today, and he needed to return to attend to them on behalf of his master.

After Ah Gui had gone far away, Xu Jia slowly stood up and walked outside. A water stain was seeping into the ground at the tip of the oiled-paper umbrella leaning against the wall.

Around the corner, next to her was the academy, from which occasional coughs could be heard.

Xu Jia recognized that the voice wasn’t Yun Huai’s.

Probably one of Yun Shisan or Yun Shiliu.

She reached for the oiled-paper umbrella, hesitating on whether to pretend to pass by the academy.

Just then, the door of the academy was pushed open, and from the corner of her eye, Xu Jia glimpsed a flash of white shadow. Acting decisively, she opened the umbrella and walked downwards, then slipped and fell on the stone steps covered with ice and snow.

Exiting alongside were Yun Shisan and Yun Shiliu.

Yun Shisan was quite familiar with Xu Jia and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her fall, "Madam, are you alright?"

As he spoke, he ran over and reached out to help her.

Xu Jia didn’t let him help, forcing a smile, "I can manage by myself."

She propped herself up on the stone steps and stood up, the real pain in her ankle drawing a sharp intake of breath, and thin sweat appeared on her forehead.

Yun Shisan said, "Did Madam sprain her ankle?"

Xu Jia drooped her eyelids and nodded.

For her, someone skilled in martial arts, getting injured within a short period wasn’t difficult.

Yun Shisan dared not assist her rashly and said, "How about this, please wait here. I’ll go call a maid for you."

"Thank you."

Xu Jia smiled, glancing sideways at the distance.

Yun Huai hadn’t left. After saying something to Yun Shiliu, Yun Shiliu quickly went out through the courtyard gate with an umbrella.

Yun Huai still stood where he was, his gaze deep and calm, making it hard to fathom his current thoughts.