FID – Chapter 775

Chapter 775: Call Him Husband

Surrounded by several burly men, the young boy’s face turned pale. He held the unconscious man even tighter, as if seeking some comfort to lessen his fear.

“What, you stole our stuff and still won’t admit it? Believe it or not, I’ll really beat you up!” one of the men shouted, raising his fist in a threatening manner.

“Ah, ah—” The boy hurriedly shook his head. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but only unclear, garbled sounds came out.

Liu Yusheng frowned and looked more closely at the boy.

He was mute.

His clothes were old and not exactly clean, but they weren’t filthy either.

At this moment, facing the angry men, he was clearly anxious to explain something but had no way to speak.

“Damn it, all you can do is go ‘ah-ah’? I can’t understand a word! If you won’t admit it, I’ll beat you until you do!” the man roared, drawing his fist back to strike.

“Wait,” Liu Yusheng interjected, stopping him. “What did he steal from you?”

“He stole four steamed buns from us!” the man shouted furiously, then turned to her and said, “Madam, this has nothing to do with you. Please step aside, or I might accidentally hit you!”

Liu Yusheng rubbed her temples, then looked again at the boy, who was still shaking his head anxiously. While tightly clutching the unconscious man, he subtly shifted his chest inward.

—As if trying to hide something.

Liu Yusheng took out ten copper coins from her money pouch and handed them to the man who was about to hit the boy. She said, “This man and boy are probably starving and only took the buns out of desperation. I’ll pay for the buns on their behalf. Let’s call it even, how about that, big brother?”

Since someone paid for the buns, the man took the money and left, still grumbling.

After all, beating them wouldn’t get the buns or the money back, and even if the buns were returned, who would still buy them?

Besides, the woman stepping in was clearly of wealth and status—not someone ordinary folks like them could afford to offend.

She gave them an easy out, and they wisely took it. Everyone left satisfied.

The brief disturbance passed, and with no more excitement to see, the crowd quickly dispersed.

No one paid further attention to the boy or the unconscious man.

Liu Yusheng stepped forward and checked the man’s pulse. Then she pressed and massaged a specific point at the back of his neck, and the man slowly regained consciousness.

“Don’t steal buns anymore,” she said. “This capital is a wealthy place. If the two of you find some work, you can earn at least a few dozen coins a day, enough to keep you from going hungry.” With that, she turned and left with her maid.

Behind her, the boy stared at her back, his lips gradually pressing into a firm line.

When they arrived back at the gate of the royal manor, the maid glanced back again. “Princess, those two are still following us.”

Liu Yusheng sighed helplessly.

Not long after leaving the pharmacy, the two of them caught up, keeping their distance but still following her all the way.

What were they up to?

Did they want to follow her back to the manor?

Turning around, she looked at the two of them, who had stopped a short distance away. “There’s no use in following me. What happened earlier was just a small favor. No need to thank me. I don’t run a charity and I don’t give handouts. If you want to survive in the capital, you’ll have to rely on yourselves.”

“No, madam, you’ve misunderstood. We don’t want charity from you,” the middle-aged man quickly explained.

“Then why are you following me?” Liu Yusheng raised an eyebrow.

The middle-aged man couldn’t answer. He glanced at the boy next to him, his expression hesitant.

The boy pursed his lips, took a step forward, and gestured with his hands, “Ah, ah—”

Liu Yusheng, “…?” She didn’t understand sign language.

“He… he says, he’s asking you to help with an illness,” the middle-aged man said, forcing himself to speak.

“You’re asking me to treat him? You don’t need treatment.” Liu Yusheng looked at the middle-aged man. “You have a weakness from not having enough food for a long time, a condition caused by hunger. Once you can eat enough, your health will improve naturally. As for him, I can’t treat his dumbness.”

The expressions of both the middle-aged man and the boy slightly changed.

Then the middle-aged man stepped forward and knelt down. “Madam, I must confess, we are not from the capital. We came here because we heard of your great reputation as a divine doctor. Please, madam, help treat our young master! His muteness is not congenital, but was caused by eating the wrong food!”

“Heard of my reputation? Do you know me?” Liu Yusheng scrutinized them.

“No, before I fainted, Madam used a special technique to wake me up. We only had a suspicion, but we didn’t dare confirm it. When we followed you to the entrance of the King’s Manor, we were sure of your identity. You are indeed the kind-hearted doctor who married the King of Nanling! Please, show mercy!”

No wonder they had been following her all this way.

Liu Yusheng gave the middle-aged man another glance. He was good with words, cleverly omitting other titles and focusing on her reputation as a kind-hearted doctor.

If she didn’t help, how could she live up to the title of ‘kind-hearted’?

Quite sly.

“This is the King’s Manor. Your identities are unclear, so I can’t bring you in. Do you have a place to stay? Leave your address, and I’ll come find you later. I’ll see what I can do.”

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man and the boy both showed great joy. The middle-aged man kowtowed in gratitude. “Thank you, Madam, for your kindness! My young master and I are staying at the abandoned house at the end of Dahuai Lane. If you come by in the next few days, we’ll be there!”

After sending them off, Liu Yusheng returned to the manor, where Feng Qingbai was already waiting in the hall.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, sticking out her tongue at him. She walked over and was immediately pulled onto his lap—her personal seat.

“If you hadn’t bumped into anyone, you would have come back at just the right time.”

“You’ve even planted spies near me? You know about every little thing immediately.”

“Hmm,” he said, feigning mystery. “I know if you lose a single hair.”

“And then?” 

“Then I’ll make sure the person who caused you to lose that hair pays for it.”

Liu Yusheng chuckled, her hands pinching his cheeks. “Your Highness, the one who’s made me lose the most hair is you. Should I slowly torture you to death?”

“Madam, you can torture me in a different way. It would be more satisfying.”

“Such as?”

“For example…” He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice suggestively, “You could drain me dry?”

Liu Yusheng pinched his lips into a catfish shape and narrowed her eyes. “Your Highness, with how shameless you are, how do you even manage court affairs?”

“I handle court matters while thinking about you—multitasking with ease and precision.”

Oh, this scoundrel!

She let out a soft laugh and kissed the corner of his lips. “Time to eat. The table’s already set in the side hall. You go ahead—I’ll join you shortly.”

Knowing he was probably about to sneak off and do something behind her back, Liu Yusheng didn’t press further and headed to the side hall.

As soon as she left, Wei Zi appeared beside Feng Qingbai.

“Go investigate the identities of those two people.”

“Yes.”

Only then did Feng Qingbai rise and walk slowly toward the side hall.

The capital was not like Xinghua Village. Anyone who appeared around them had to be treated with caution.

He couldn’t allow even the slightest mistake when it came to Shengsheng.

For those two to just happen to bump into her, and happen to faint, prompting her to reveal her medical skills. It was all just a little too coincidental.

Was it really just a coincidence? 

He never believed in coincidence after coincidence.

“Feng Qingbai, what are you dawdling for? Come eat!”

“Call me husband.”

“No way, I’m calling you Feng Qingbai!”

“Just once, please?”

“Nope! Hahaha!”

With eyes full of tender affection, he walked toward his little girl.