Jiang Youli shrugged.
"Fine, Jiang Youli, mark my words! If anything happens to Mom, I won’t let you off the hook!" Jiang Zhao spat out the threat.
Jiang Youli remained unruffled. "I’ll be waiting. Just don’t let it be empty talk."
After driving away Qin Yulian, Jiang Zhao, and Jiang Yonghe, Zhang Susu still felt a knot of anger in her chest from Jiang Zhao’s earlier words, making her unbearably upset.
It took her a while to calm down before she turned to Jiang Youli.
"Youli, your second aunt… she won’t really be in trouble, will she?"
Jiang Youli smiled. Her beautiful new mother was still too kind-hearted, worrying about Qin Yulian’s safety even now.
"Don’t worry, Mom. She’ll be fine. I just couldn’t stand her trying to bully you, so I gave her a little lesson."
Zhang Susu immediately understood that Qin Yulian’s sudden illness had been Jiang Youli’s doing.
Once she knew Qin Yulian wasn’t in real danger, her temper flared up again.
"I’m not afraid of Qin Yulian bullying me! What hurts is how they spoke to you! How can their hearts be so cruel? The moment they saw that buttering you up didn’t work, they turned on you again!"
Jiang Youli said, "Mom, their harsh words don’t bother me. Don’t be angry either, or you might grow a couple more wrinkles—those are so hard to get rid of."
Zhang Susu couldn’t help but laugh. "At my age, nearing fifty, a few extra wrinkles are normal."
Though Zhang Susu was Qin Yulian’s elder sister-in-law, she was actually two years younger, having just turned forty-six.
Jiang Youli insisted, "But not because of Jiang Zhao and his nonsense. Otherwise, I’ll have to add it to their tab."
With just a few words, Jiang Youli had dissolved Zhang Susu’s anger. "What kind of treasure of a daughter did I get? Every word you say makes me so happy."
After having Nanny Wang dispose of the bird’s nest porridge Qin Yulian had made, Zhang Susu took Jiang Youli’s hand and asked curiously, "Youli, tell me—was that medicinal herb you gave Old Master Qi last night something you grew yourself?"
Jiang Youli didn’t hide it. "Yes."
"You’re amazing! To cultivate such rare herbs!"
Having confirmed it, Zhang Susu continued, "I’ve noticed you’ve been busy with the herbs you brought from the village these past few days. When your dad and I went to pick you up, we also heard you mention a medicinal garden to your uncles and aunts. Your father and I discussed it last night—we’re thinking of clearing a plot in the backyard for your medicinal garden, so you can continue your work without leaving home. What do you think?"
Her beautiful new mother and handsome new father were so thoughtful!
Jiang Youli nodded immediately. "That sounds perfect!"
Seeing she hadn’t overstepped, Zhang Susu was delighted to have contributed. "From now on, if you need anything, just tell your father and me. Don’t hesitate."
"Got it!"
"Alright, go do your thing. As for me, I need to book a skincare appointment—don’t want today’s anger to actually give me extra wrinkles." Zhang Susu joked, touching her face.
Jiang Youli grinned. "Alright, but Mom, you’ll always be beautiful to me, wrinkles or not!"
Zhang Susu beamed. "Such a sweet talker!"
"But do you like it, Mom~?"
"Of course I do!"
From the doorway, Nanny Wang watched the heartwarming scene between mother and daughter, her eyes moist.
Ever since Madam had Jiang Youli as her daughter, her smiles had multiplied.
---
After helping Qin Yulian back to the western villa, Jiang Zhao immediately called the family doctor to examine her.
After checking, the doctor shook his head helplessly. "Madam’s condition isn’t an illness—it seems more like a temporary manic episode caused by neural disruption."
How strange. First, Young Master Jiang Xing, now Madam Qin—why were they all suffering from symptoms he couldn’t treat?
Had the family offended someone formidable?
Jiang Zhao frowned. "Just tell me how to treat her!"
The doctor hesitated. "I don’t have the right medication. For now, we can only give her sedatives and monitor her."
"Then do it now." Jiang Zhao ordered.
The doctor took out the sedatives and administered them to Qin Yulian.
Within minutes, she calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.
After the doctor left, Jiang Yonghe spotted a silver needle on the sofa.
"Second Brother, look—what’s this?"
Jiang Zhao narrowed his eyes. "A needle?"
Jiang Yonghe gasped, covering her mouth. "Could it be… Youli’s doing?"
She shook her head as if in disbelief. "How could she do this to Mom…?"
Jiang Zhao wasn’t surprised. "There’s nothing she wouldn’t dare! I told you—even if she has some skills, there’s no need for us to grovel and mend ties with her!"
He turned to Jiang Yonghe, his voice softening. "And doing so would only hurt you."
Touched, Jiang Yonghe bit her lip, tears glistening. "Second Brother… I didn’t think you’d still care about my feelings. Thank you… I thought you were disappointed in me after last night…"
Jiang Zhao patted her head. "You’re the sister I’ve loved for twenty years. How could I abandon you just because you had one moment where you couldn’t match that country girl? Don’t worry—I’ll never give up on you."
Jiang Yonghe smiled through her tears. "Second Brother, your words are enough. As long as I can stay and help the family, I don’t care how much I suffer."
Jiang Zhao wiped her tears. "You won’t suffer for long. After today, Mom must have given up on reconciling with Jiang Youli. If she really came back to destroy our family, our parents won’t let her succeed."
Just then—
Jiang Zhao’s phone rang. It was Jiang Xing.
He answered, and the voice on the other end was grave.
"Jiang Zhao, have you checked Weibo?"
"No. Early this morning, Mom dragged me to apologize to that country girl. Not only did she not forgive us, but we came back humiliated!" Jiang Zhao vented.
Jiang Xing cut in. "Put that aside. The scandal about you asking Sister Kitty to tamper with the evening gown has gone viral. I’ve had PR spend a fortune taking down posts, but the damage to your reputation is severe. Even Starlight Entertainment is affected. Contact Sister Kitty immediately—have her take full responsibility and pacify your fans."
