Chapter 9：Limitless Patience

Xia Chunyu rushed to the east wing, kicking his two henchmen awake before ordering Peng Wu to go and get the lame physician of the mountains, Mr. Liu.

Peng Wu ran straight to Mr. Liu’s room, shaking him awake and hauling the guy out of his blanket. Peng Wu pulled him all the way to the courtyard before the physician could even finish dressing up properly.

Xia Chunyu glared at Peng Wu as he saw the physician's sorry state. "Mr. Liu, please take a look at her. She seemed feverish."

Mr. Liu touched Ye Jiayao’s forehead, measuring her pulse before asking, "Did she catch a cold?"

Xia Chunyu shook his head.

"Injured?"

Xia Chunyu hesitated for a while before shaking his head firmly. That place might have been a little injured, but it would not have been so serious as to cause a fever! Didn’t every woman go through that? He didn’t see any of them fall sick just because of that.

Mr. Liu frowned. He wasn’t a professional and although he could handle superficial injuries, apply some medicinal oil and manage to bandage, diagnosing illnesses was beyond his capabilities.

"Maybe it is from a fright? A snake crawled in last night, but I am certain that she was not bitten," Xia Chunyu said, meaning for the two idiots to hear in case they started making things up.

"So third-in-charge kicked the door to save sister-in-law," Song Qi said in realization, exchanging a conspiratory smile with Peng Wu.

Xia Chunyu ignored the teasing looks between the two hopeless idiots in the corner. He just could not be bothered with them at the moment. "Can she be cured?" he asked Mr. Liu.

Mr. Liu smoothed his goatee and replied, "I will write her a nerve-calming and fever-reducing prescription. If that still doesn't work, then we’ll have to call the soul."

Xia Chunyu was at a loss. Call the soul? How?

Peng Wu followed Mr. Liu to get the medicine while Song Qi went to the kitchen to get some food for their sick sister-in-law.

Song Qi’s face was sour when he confessed, "Third-in-charge, I don’t know how to make food!"

Xia Chunyu replied harshly, "Who told you to make it? Even I wouldn't dare to eat the things that you make! Go and get Old Head Yu to make it."

"I can't go. Yesterday, I snatched a lot of stuff from Old Head Yu and he will definitely chase me out with a knife if he sees me again," Song Qi replied weakly.

Xia Chunyu kicked him hard. "Scram! Boil some hot water for your sister-in-law, you do know how to boil water, don't you?"

Song Qi rubbed his knee, embarrassed. "Yes, yes, this I know."

Xia Chunyu went around the house, closing the windows before leaving to look for food. What is the use of having henchmen if you can't even get them to go to the kitchen?

With everyone gone, Ye Jiayao was finally free to open her eyes. She mulled over what the physician had said and wondered if he really was a professional. He actually said to call the soul! She could only hope that the guy was not a hoax because these three men were all completely useless in taking care of a sick person. They were just allowing her fever to burn, for goodness's sake! They didn't even make her a cold compress or something to bring her temperature down. 

Ye Jiayao struggled to get up, wanting to get Song Qi to fetch some water, but then thought better of it and just lied back down. If that filthy man, who lacked compassion and basic morals, saw her get up, he would think that she was just fine and probably begin ordering her around again. She would just let her fever burn for a little longer and put the blame on him to torture him for a while.

Xia Chunyu walked back to the courtyard with a tray of breakfast in hand, attracting many peculiar looks from the bandits.

"Well, what do you know, marriage does make a difference," someone mumbled.

"I know! Since when did third-in-charge come to get food personally?"

"He must love sister-in-law so dearly."

"Of course! Sister-in-law is so pretty, if I have such an attractive wife, even I would feed her…"

This is not what it looks like! That darn woman is sick! Xia Chunyu was growling inside in frustration.

Xia Chunyu returned back to their house gloomily, ignoring all the envious and sympathetic looks everyone was giving him.

Ye Jiayao groaned weakly upon hearing the sound of the door opening.

"Are you feeling better?" Xia Chunyu asked, setting the food on the table before he walked over to her.

"Water… I want to drink water," Ye Jiayao croaked, looking like a dying patient as she let out a moan.

Xia Chunyu poured water for her at once, propping her up to help her drink.

"I feel awful, am I about to die?"

"What nonsense are you saying? It is just a little fright," Xia Chunyu rebutted.

"Are you sure? It hurts so badly down there," Ye Jiayao whispered.

Xia Chunyu stared at her for quite a while, speechless. Suddenly, he let her go and walked over to the cupboard, taking a small ceramic bottle. "How about I help you apply some medicine?"

Ye Jiayao hesitated, looking at the bottle in his hand suspiciously. "What medicine?"

Xia Chunyu robotically enumerated its function as if he was reading from a script, "Top-grade medicinal oil, effective in healing wounds and clotting blood."

Ye Jiayao almost choked on her own tongue in distress. Are you serious? Medicinal oil for that!

"Let's not do anything rash and just let Mr. Liu consult on this," Ye Jiayao looked at him in apprehension, afraid that he would really apply the medicine on her.

Xia Chunyu looked at the medicine in his hand. Asking Mr. Liu on this kind of matters? That would be a little too awkward! However, he did not dare to apply the medicine so hastily lest it just makes things worse. It was him who would be suffering if that happened.

"I’m hungry," Ye Jiayao complained, touching her stomach gingerly.

Xia Chunyu replied, pointing to the spread on the table, "There are porridge and buns if you want some."

Ye Jiayao feigned struggling to get up, looking as if she was pained at the slightest movement. Xia Chunyu saw how difficult it was for her so he brought the food over, helping her up and letting her lean on him while he feeds her.

It was apparent from Xia Chunyu’s clumsiness that this was the first time he had to take care of someone. He should've just practiced more control last night and he could've avoided all this hassle. He found it weird though, most women wish for him to be rough, yet this woman fell ill with just barely a touch.

Ye Jiayao laughed inside as she saw how awkward and uncomfortable he was. Now, I dare you to be unreasonable again!

"It’s too hot."

Xia Chunyu blew on the porridge till it cooled and fed her again.

"The bun has too much fatty meat, I can’t take it."

He picked off the fats in the bun patiently before feeding it to her again.

After a few mouthfuls, Ye Jia Yao pushed his hand away, shaking her head. "This is not nice. I can't eat it anymore."

Xia Chunyu replied calmly, "Even if you don’t want to, you still have to eat it."

"It's already your fault that I'm sick, and now you're making me eat something I don't like." She was sulking and pouting, laying it on thick.

"Then what do you want to eat?" Xia Chunyu asked helplessly.

"I want to eat wild strawberries."

Xia Chunyu went out to call Song Qi. "Go pluck some wild strawberries and bring them to the room."

"I am still boiling water!" Song Qi protested, pointing to the kitchen.

Xia Chunyu growled, impatient, "GO NOW."

There was no way Xia Chunyu was going to go strawberry-picking. If the brothers in the stockade saw him bending his back and raising his butt to pluck wild strawberries, his reputation would take a massive hit.

Song Qi, afraid of getting kicked again, scuttered away, calling out a reminder, "3rd-in-charge, watch the fire! It took me a long time to build it so don't let it go out."

Xia Chunyu was extremely annoyed at how things were going. The arrival of this woman has turned his life upside down.

At the same time, Ye Jiayao was rejoicing in his misfortune as she finished the remaining half of the porridge. She lied leisurely in bed, waiting for those red, wild strawberries.

All training today had been canceled because third-in-charge has to take care of his sick wife. The brothers in the stockade were elated, praising the timely illness of their sister-in-law in as they gossip about the changes in the 3rd-in-charge's behavior.

"Third-in-charge must've been too ferocious and didn't know how to control himself, causing sister-in-law to fall ill from his torment."

"Ay, I didn't know that 3rd-in-charge is such an impatient pervert."

Hearing these discussions, Song Qi lamented the death of third-in-charge’s clean reputation. He was already dreading what third-in-charge would do once he found out about what people were saying.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Xia Chunyu was squatting in front of the stove, studiously keeping an eye on the fire. Who knew that raising a fire would be such a difficult task? He was the grand heir of the of the Jingan Hou family, a high-ranking bandit, and yet he still had to do this kind of manual labor and wait on a woman. He certainly was feeling exceptionally unlucky.

*PING PANG* 

The sound of broken glass came from inside the house and Xia Chunyu rushed back. He found Ye Jiayao lying back on the bed with the bowl that contained the porridge, shattered on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Xia Chunyu asked, furious.

Ye Jiayao looked at his face covered in ashes and almost doubled over in laughter. "I called you many times but you didn’t hear me, so I smashed the bowl."

Xia Chunyu kicked the smashed ceramic pieces in frustration. "What is it that you want?"

"I’m thirsty."

Xia Chunyu brought the whole teapot to her impatiently.

"Just a small cup will do," Ye Jiayao said softly.

Xia Chunyu’s anger rose. "Hey, don’t ask for too much! My patience has a limit."

Well, she was definitely looking forward to testing that limit.

Ye Jiayao pretended to wilt under his anger. She 'tried' to lift the teapot up but after failing for the second time, she just pushed it away and stammered, "Just forget it. I'm not drinking it anymore." She turned over, moving her shoulders up and down to look like she was silently crying.

Xia Chunyu could not bear to see her like this. He felt like the biggest bastard in the world for getting angry at her when all she wanted was a sip of water.

He poured her a cup of water and nudged her. "Here, drink."

"No need, I’m fine." Ye Jiayao sniffed and continued, "If I die, just burn me up! I have no one in this my world anymore since my family will not acknowledge me. Don't bother setting up a grave, just scatter my ashes somewhere. I was already lonely alive, I don't want to be lonely when I die too."

The corner of Xia Chunyu’s mouth twitched, both in humor and annoyance. "You're talking nonsense. It's just a small illness."

Ye Jiayao’s shoulders trembled even more.

Xia Chunyu, lost and guilty, went to help her up. "Here, just drink and you'll feel better afterward."

"I know I have caused you a lot of trouble, but I didn't want this to happen either," she said weakly.

"Alright, alright, I didn’t say that it is your fault. Just hurry up and nurse your body back to health." Xia Chunyu has a whole stomach full of angst yet he refuses to take it out on her in case he upsets her even more.

What a nuisance!