Yuan Fanfan had no medicine whatsoever; she had just been running her mouth. Even if she did have some, there was no reason she would carry it around.
Jian Ruonan said, "Then let's beat him!"
Sister Hua leaned against the bed, clutching the cane Jian Ruonan had thrust into her hands, looking rather bewildered.
Jian Ruonan said, "Go give him a couple of lashes. He was trying to beat you to death just now, and you still can't bear to hit him?"
Sister Hua's tears had never stopped. As she gripped the cane, she began trembling uncontrollably.
Before her father passed away, she and Ai Jiabao had shared some sweet times. Ever since Ai Jiabao passed the imperial examinations with distinction, she had worried she was not good enough for him, her heart filled with dread, unease, and inferiority.
To support his studies, she had not dared quit her job even as her belly grew larger and larger. Fortunately, she was thin, and loose clothing concealed it well enough that the head of the household where she worked never noticed.
Only when she was due to give birth the following month had she been forced to seek out Ai Jiabao.
She had never imagined Ai Jiabao would actually try to kill her.
Jian Ruonan helped Sister Hua off the bed, and Sister Hua walked numbly over to Ai Jiabao.
Ai Jiabao said, "Sister Hua, you dare lay a finger on me?"
"I'm a newly appointed palace graduate! You can't beat me!"
"Touch me, and I'll make you pay!"
"Assaulting an imperial official carries serious consequences! Do you understand?!"
Sister Hua hesitated. "If I hit him, what will happen to the child in my belly?"
Jian Ruonan said, "Then let me ask you: if you don't hit him, will he take