Chapter 38 - Critical Condition

I have such incredible strength?

Shen Ziqiao stared at the doctors coming in and out of the room, then stared at her fist gloomily. Then, suddenly, she punched a tree.

It hurts! She shook her swollen and wounded hand, staring at the back of it with teary eyes. There wasn’t even a mark indicating broken branches, nor did any leaves even fall from the tree.

He was clearly strong and tall, and he even had powerful martial arts skills. How was it possible that he was in critical condition after a soft punch?

Uncle Qun stood with a heavy expression as he saw a doctor with white beard coming out of the room. He watched as the doctor walked toward him and sighed heavily, as if saying that Qi Zheng was incurable…

It’s not that serious, right? Shen Ziqiao walked over in small steps, just in time to hear the doctor telling Uncle Qun to prepare for Qi Zheng’s funeral.

“Useless doctor. Our Young Master will live for a century and nothing will happen to him!” Uncle Qun said angrily to the doctor, chasing him away. When he noticed the culprit, Shen Ziqiao, standing by the side, he harshly glared at her.

Shen Ziqiao knitted her eyebrows tightly.

Hong Yu walked out of the room and said, “Third Miss.”

“How’s that fool?” Shen Ziqiao pulled Hong Yu’s hands and hurriedly asked. He must not die in her hands.

“The doctor said it is an internal injury, so they cannot save him.” Hong Yu was even more worried than Shen Ziqiao. Her eyes were red and swollen, a clear sign that she had cried before.

Internal injury? Could it be that he had a concussion from her punch? Shen Ziqiao was really worried.

“Prepare the horse carriage!” Someone called from the inside. It was the young man by Qi Zheng’s side. He was normal and unremarkable, so Shen Ziqiao was unable to remember his appearance after a few glances.

“What’s the reason for the horse carriage?” Shen Ziqiao asked. Actually, she didn’t hate Qi Zheng that much. She at least didn’t want him to die that early.

Uncle Qun walked out with a heavy look. He originally didn’t like Shen Ziqiao. Now, he looked at Shen Ziqiao with even more disgust. “The useless doctors couldn’t cure the Young Master, so we’re going back to the capital to find an imperial physician.”

“That’s not suitable. He’s unconscious, so it’s best not to move him. If it’s really a concussion…” Shen Ziqiao said in a soft voice. Before she could finish talking, Uncle Qun coldly interrupted.

“Does Third Miss Shen know a Divine Doctor that can treat our Young Master?” Uncle Qun asked coldly.

She didn’t...

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Shen Ziqiao replied, feeling wronged. Who let Qi Zheng trigger her with his words?

In the end, no matter how Shen Ziqiao tried to convince the others that they couldn’t move a patient whose head was injured, Uncle Qun didn’t listen to her words. He persisted in sending Qi Zheng back to the capital and Shen Ziqiao couldn’t stop him. She could only watch as Qi Zheng was put in the horse carriage back to the capital.

“Hong Yu, what do I do if I really end up killing him?” Will she have to repay him with her life if he died? Was this the real way to be a cannon-fodder? She really dug a pit for herself.

“Third Miss, don’t worry. The physicians in the capital are much more capable than the ones here. Maybe they can quickly cure Young Master Qi.” Hong Yu comforted the lifeless Shen Ziqiao.

Shen Ziqiao looked at the sky in resentment. “Is everyone besides the heroine bound to a life of bad luck?”

Hong Yu didn’t understand what Shen Ziqiao was saying. Actually, she didn’t understand most of what her Miss said these days. But, as a servant girl, she had no right to inquire about this. She held onto Shen Ziqiao and replied, “Third Miss, this servant girl will go back to eat with you. The afternoon has already passed.”

“Sigh, let’s just let it be.” Shen Ziqiao endured her sadness and walked back to the room, feeling dejected.

In the next days, Shen Ziqiao was unable to sleep or eat well. She looked depressed and there were bags under her eyes, making Hong Yu and Lady Lin nervous. They were scared that Shen Ziqiao would collapse, so they constantly convinced her that Young Master Qi was blessed and that nothing would happen to him.

Shen Ziiqao reluctantly felt better, but she was still dejected. She had Hong Ying secretly head back to the capital to make some inquiries. In the end, she found out that Qi Zheng was still unconscious, making her even more worried.

“Third Miss, the pears in the fruit garden are ripe. Why don’t we go pick some?” Seeing Shen Ziqiao’s dispirited look, Zhao Di carefully suggested going to the fruit garden.

Hong Yu said by the side, “Third Miss, didn’t you say you wanted to check out our fruit garden?”

Shen Ziqiao looked up to see the girls’ concerned expressions, knowing that they were very worried for her. Therefore, she nodded and replied, “Ok, I should go take a stroll.”

If Qi Zheng was that unlucky and died from her punch, then… Then there was nothing she could do either.

How come when the heroine punched the male lead or the male side lead they would admire or look at her in a new light? And yet, when she punched Qi Zheng, he actually ended up unconscious! This didn’t make sense!

She couldn’t even describe herself as being unlucky anymore! Was this how being a cannon fodder female side lead worked?

There were quite a few types of fruits in the Shen Fruit Garden. Some of which Shen Ziqiao couldn’t even name. Seeing the fruit farmers’ splendid smiles as they bustled about in the fruit garden, she was in a slightly better mood.

“Third Miss, look at how good the pears are.” Hong Yu pointed at the fruit garden ahead of them. The trees were full of yellowish-orange pears that pushed the branches down with their weight.

The pear trees were lined up in rows, full of fruits. If the flowers were blooming and it was spring, it would’ve been a beautiful scenery.

“This pear is very sweet. Third Miss, try it.” Yin Hua picked a pear and wiped it clean with her handkerchief before passing it to Shen Ziqiao, who grabbed it and took a bite. It was juicy and sweet, pretty good.

“The pears can be used to brew wine as well, Third Miss. If you like it, this servant girl can brew some wine for you. You’ll be able to drink it in the winter.” Zhao Di said.

“Really? Then brew some for me. I like to drink fruit wine.” Shen Ziqiao’s eyes brightened. Before sleeping, she usually liked to drink a glass of red wine, but there wasn’t any here. It wasn’t bad to drink some pear wine instead.

Seeing that Shen Ziqiao finally smiled, the girls all sighed in relief. “Then let’s go pick some pears to brew wine.”

The servants and master started to happily pick pears and Shen Ziqiao temporarily forgot about the unconscious Qi Zheng. While picking pears, she started to eat some. Not long after, she was full from eating.

“The Old Madam places a lot of significance on the fruit garden’s harvest, right?” Shen Ziqiao asked Hong Yu.

Hong Yu knew what shen Ziqiao meant. She smiled and explained, “The housekeeper in the village reports to her. If the housekeeper doesn’t say anything, the Old Madam won’t know about Lady Lin and them.”

“Oh. The housekeeper here belongs to the Young Master?” Shen Ziqiao said. Besides Shen Zikai’s people, who else would protect Lady Lin and Lady Meng?

“The Eldest Master says that once the Lady is grown up, these people will all belong to you.” Hong Yu said.

“You’re quite smart.” Shen Ziqiao looked at her. If it wasn't because of Hong Yu she wouldn’t have allowed these two sisters to serve upon her. Hong Yu would still think of ways to get her attention.

There was not a single servant girl who sincerely cared about her. It might be because the owner of the body was a bad influence on them. There was also Cui Ping, Old Madam’s trusted aide, who was playing tricks on them. That was the reason why she was easily schemed by Sheng Peiyin.

“Eldest Master wants this servant girl to serve Lady.” Hong Yu said in a low voice. “Eldest Master saved this servant girl before, so my life belongs to the Third Miss.”

“Don’t say it like this…” Shen Ziqiao was stunned. Letting her be responsible for someone else’s life… This responsibility was too heavy. She couldn’t carry the burden.

“Third Miss, Third Miss, save me!” Suddenly, a sharp and nervous scream rang not far from them.