Reborn in the Three Kingdoms: Da Qiao Doesn't Want to Be a Widow Anymore

Chapter 336 Three Visits to Tianlong 3
When Zhuge Liang returned home in the evening, he saw Huang Yueying smilingly greeting him at the door from afar. "Husband!"

Zhuge Liang quickly walked a few steps forward, took Huang Yueying's hand, and looked at her happy expression. "What happy thing happened at home today?"

Huang Yueying looked up at him and said, "The servants brought back the wheat. I did a rough calculation and this year's harvest is even better than last year's. The porridge shop can open again this winter."

Although Jingzhou is prosperous, many counties have suffered from disasters this year. Nanyang County is in a better position and has not been greatly affected, but the situation of refugees in various places this winter will definitely be more serious than in previous years.

The magistrate of Deng County has already sent people to take stock of the old rice stocks in various rice shops throughout the county, in preparation for winter disaster relief.

The Zhuge family was also questioned as usual.

Because the Zhuge family used to open a porridge shop in winter every year to help some widowed and starving families.

Looking at Huang Yueying's increasingly dry and yellow hair, Zhuge Liang's worry deepened. "Madam is very shrewd and must have come up with many strategies."

"That's right!" Huang Yueying told Zhuge Liang in detail what she had been thinking about all day, from how to resettle the refugees to how to unite the noble families to open the Ci'an Hall, and so on, from food, clothing, and shelter to arranging jobs for making a living. "What do you think, my husband?"

“If this world allowed women to hold official positions, your talents would be wasted even as a governor,” Zhuge Liang said, his eyes crinkling as he looked at his wife.

Huang Yueying blushed slightly. "My husband is saying such things again. If others hear this, they will laugh at us for being arrogant and conceited."

Zhuge Liang held Huang Yueying's hand and gently stroked her cheek, saying, "Who in Nanyang doesn't know of your talent, my lady?"

He was captivated by Huang Yueying's talent and fell in love with her at first sight. People say, "Don't follow Zhuge Liang's example when choosing a wife, or you'll end up marrying Huang Yueying, the ugly girl."

Zhuge Liang married when he was nearly twenty, and many prominent families in Jingzhou wanted to arrange a marriage between him and his wife, but he politely declined them all.

Everyone thought he was arrogant and looked down on many noble ladies.

Finally, as he grew older, he had no choice but to settle for Huang Yueying for the rest of his life.

Only he himself knew that everyone else only saw his pride and arrogance, and only Huang Yueying understood his loneliness and resentment.

He turned his head to look at his lover, who was fast asleep in his arms, and gently kissed the center of her hair.

Her hair became increasingly dry, yellow, and sparse. Doctors said it was a condition she had inherited from her mother's womb, and that she would die when her hair fell out.

Over the years, he took her to visit all the famous doctors in Jingzhou and tried all kinds of medicine, but her condition never improved much.

Huang Yueying's appetite had decreased significantly, and she was becoming increasingly thin, even though she always had a smile on her face when she was with him.

His wife, still half asleep, snuggled anxiously into Zhuge Liang's arms. Although it was still the transition from summer to autumn, her hands and feet were ice-cold, and even with a thick quilt, she still felt not warm enough.

Zhuge Liang sighed slightly.

The next day, Mr. Shui Jing invited several doctors to carefully consider the prescription given by Zhuge Liang. Finally, he came to a conclusion: "This prescription is indeed brilliant and an excellent one, but whether it can cure Madam Huang's illness is still unknown."

They didn't dare to make any definitive statements, after all, Huang Yueying had taken several times more medicine than she had eaten food over the years.

During the years of treatment, the recurring illness was like a hand constantly gripping Zhuge Liang's heart. Every time his condition improved, Zhuge Liang was both happy and alarmed, fearing that the improvement was just a facade and that the next time would bring bad news.

My heart pounded back and forth between hope and despair, leaving me somewhat numb and weary.

Huang Yueying no longer wanted treatment. Rather than tormenting herself and those around her repeatedly, she was actually willing to accept her final fate.

But looking at this prescription, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but feel hopeful again.

"Shall we try one more time?" He knew that even though Hua Tuo was known as a divine physician, he was not a god after all.

But as long as there's a glimmer of hope, he's still willing to give it a try.

Even if he was ultimately disappointed, he still hoped to keep his wife by his side for a little longer, much longer.

Looking into her husband's expectant eyes, Huang Yueying asked, "But... if Madam Qiao really lends a helping hand, will you go against your conscience?"

Others may not understand Zhuge Liang's ambitions, but Huang Yueying knew them best.

She didn't want Zhuge Liang to change his aspirations for her sake, as that was his most precious possession.

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "I have not changed my ambition. What I want is a wise ruler who can change the world, make the country prosperous and the people live in peace and happiness."

As for who that person is, we still don't know, do we? Zhuge Liang smiled and comforted him, "Right now, the most important thing is your health."

During their time recuperating in Deng County, they watched as Huang Yueying grew thinner and thinner. Even the doctor said that if things continued like this, she would be beyond medical help in three months.

Upon returning home, Zhuge Liang summoned the gatekeeper and instructed his servants to inquire about the whereabouts of Wu Fan and Qiao Wei.

Wu Fan and Qiao Wei used fake travel permits. It took the gatekeeper two days to find Qiao Wei's place, but the people at the inn said that they hadn't lived there for a long time.

As for where they went, they did not know.

Before the gatekeeper could find them a new place to stay, the next day Zhuge Liang saw Wu Fan studying rice varieties in the fields. He squatted down in the rice paddy and examined the root system of each rice plant.

"Mr. Wu?" Zhuge Liang was both surprised and delighted. He had thought that Qiao Wei and Wu Fan had already left Deng County, and he was prepared to take Huang Yueying to Jingkou in person.

Wu Fan straightened up with a smile, bowed, and said, "Mr. Zhuge."

"I was surprised to find Mr. Wu here. I had thought he had already returned to Jingkou!"

Wu Fan pointed to Zhuge Liang's Eight Trigrams Formation and said, "I haven't figured out this formation yet, how can I leave so easily! To be honest, Mr. Zhuge, I've been here these past few days learning from you, but there are still many details I haven't figured out yet. I was hoping to shamelessly ask you for some pointers!"

Zhuge Liang looked at the Eight Trigrams Formation drawn by Wu Fan on the paper. In fact, Wu Fan was a master of divination, and the Eight Trigrams Formation he drew was already close to 90%.

"If you don't mind, sir, since it's still very hot today, shall we go to the thatched hut in front and talk in detail?"

Zhuge Liang also wanted to ask about the art of double-cropping rice.

The two chatted happily until dinner time, when Huang Yueying brought the food over. "Husband, Mr. Wu, let's eat first and then continue!"

Wu Fan quickly thanked her, saying, "Madam Huang, you've worked hard."

"This millet is newly harvested from the field. Wenze, please try it. Is it still palatable?"

The millet was sweet and delicious, truly unlike anything he had ever tasted before, Wu Fan praised repeatedly.

"If Madam Qiao were here, we could also ask her to try it, as a way of thanking her for the prescription she gave us that day," Zhuge Liang said, following up on the topic with Qiao Wei.

Wu Fan didn't mince words, "Madam Qiao went to Wancheng to pick up someone these past few days. Judging by the time, she should be arriving soon."

"Who is so important that Mrs. Qiao needs to personally pick them up?"

"It is indeed Physician Hua Tuo!"