The physician, after taking the pulse, declared it to be a cold invasion. Due to the patient's weak constitution, the illness had taken a severe turn. Three days of medicine, he assured, would bring about recovery. He also advised the patient to take good care of himself henceforth, to avoid irregular meals, to wear more clothes in the cold, and to prevent the chill from entering his body again.
The consultation fee and medicine cost exactly two taels of silver.
Qi Zhenzhen paid the silver and saw the physician out.
Aunt Lu went to the kitchen to boil the medicine.
Da Jiang watched over Xiao He, silently wiping his body. The physician had said this method was very effective in reducing fever.
A bout of influenza could be life-threatening if severe, or at least debilitating if mild. Taking medicine for a few days was prudent, but the expense was not insignificant. Relying on just him and Xiao He, they couldn't save up these two taels of silver in a whole year.
"Miss Qi, I will find a way to repay this silver to you," Da Jiang said, clenching his fists, his gaunt face filled with determination, after Qi Zhenzhen entered the room.
Qi Zhenzhen glanced at him and gestured for him to sit down.
"Tell me, how will you repay it? Begging? You wouldn't be able to beg for this much in a year. Working for others? You two are so thin and weak, with little strength, what kind of work can you find? The jobs you might barely find would likely not even guarantee you enough to eat, would they?"
The determination on Da Jiang's face gradually faded into dejection. Yes, these two taels of silver were indeed difficult to repay.
Qi Zhenzhen knew her words were sharp and blunt, but she was not a bleeding heart, prone to excessive kindness.
"You need to recover your health first, and then you can think about doing other things. Without a good body as a foundation, anything else you wish to do will remain just a wish," Qi Zhenzhen softened her tone. "I'll be returning to Xinghua Village in a couple of days. If you are willing, you can come with me. I will provide food and lodging."
Willing? Of course, they were willing.
Da Jiang's expression grew somewhat excited. "You, are you telling the truth? Xiao He and I can both stay by your side?"
Qi Zhenzhen nodded. "Naturally, it's true. But let's be clear from the start: no slacking off. If I discover any shirking, I will dismiss you without hesitation. Furthermore, you must guarantee your loyalty. Anything I instruct you to do, unless I permit you to tell others, you must not speak of to anyone."
Da Jiang did not hesitate and nodded heavily.
"Will Xiao He be willing?"
"We've been together since we can remember. Xiao He's greatest wish is to no longer be a beggar, to have enough to eat and warm clothes." Da Jiang said.
"Take good care of him first. We'll leave after he's recovered," Qi Zhenzhen instructed.
After finishing up there, Qi Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief. Aunt Lu called her for dinner, and only then did she realize it was almost dark.
"Where are Xiao Niu and his friend? Why aren't they here for dinner?"
Not seeing Zhang Xiao Niu and Gu Sinian, Qi Zhenzhen casually asked.
"The two of them have already left. They said they were in a hurry to get back to their duties. You were with Da Jiang and Xiao He then, so they didn't get to say goodbye," Aunt Lu said. "Zhenzhen, that young man is truly good. I saw them off, and he told me to stay inside because it was cold and not to go out and catch a chill. He also said he'd visit again with Xiao Niu if there was an opportunity."
Qi Zhenzhen felt a strange sense of melancholy, her mind filled with the scene of them going out to find Da Jiang and Xiao He.
"I am unmarried, and you are unwed."
What a touching confession. She couldn't deny that her heart had fluttered a little.
If she could choose freely, Gu Sinian seemed like a good match.
But she was betrothed. Even if she weren't, her marriage might not be her own choice. Unless the Changping Marquis Manor cast them out. Moreover, what right did a simple farmer's daughter have to aim so high? The Changping Marquis Manor was less prominent than a Duke's manor, and this water was already very deep. Although she wasn't foolish, she didn't want a life of constant scheming.
Beauty was pleasing, but it wasn't to the point where she would throw caution to the wind.
Besides, Gu Sinian might have been joking. Otherwise, how could he go from being so affectionate one moment to saying it was just a joke the next?
"What are you thinking about? You're spacing out," Lin Ruixue asked, puzzled.
"Ah, I was thinking if Xiao Niu and the others will have to travel overnight. The weather is bad today, and the roads might be difficult," Qi Zhenzhen came back to her senses, saying with some worry.
Lin Ruixue nodded. "The weather is indeed bad. Aunt Lu advised them to stay the night, but Xiao Niu's friend insisted on leaving, saying that their being out was already a great indulgence, and if they didn't return soon, they might be made difficult."
Made difficult?
Lin Ruixue and the others didn't know the identity of Xiao Niu's friend, which was why they believed this statement.
The so-called "indulgence" was none other than Gu Sinian himself, wasn't it?
Qi Zhenzhen's thoughts became chaotic again. Earlier, she had consoled herself, thinking Gu Sinian was joking and didn't take the matter seriously. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case. Otherwise, why the rush to leave? Was he afraid of awkwardness if he stayed and interacted with her? So, his pretense of indifference was a cover?
With her mind unsettled, Qi Zhenzhen returned to her room. Only after lying down did her thoughts begin to calm down. Regardless of what he thought, their situations were impossible. If he left, he left. In the future, she would try to avoid any entanglement.
Yue Lai Inn.
Gu Sinian sat at the table, a bowl of steaming plain water before him.
"So, although Li Shan harbored ill intentions, the actual mastermind behind it was Fumanlou? And their sole objective was the recipe for noodles?" Gu Sinian asked slowly.
Zhang Xiao Niu nodded. "That's Zhenzhen's assessment."
Gu Sinian's long fingers tapped rhythmically on the tabletop, his expression unreadable. Zhang Xiao Niu couldn't fathom his thoughts. He was puzzled why they weren't returning to the capital today and why they chose to stay at an inn instead of the noodle shop. It was cold and deserted, and certainly not as warm as the shop. Most importantly, the inn's food was too unpalatable, incomparable to what Zhenzhen made.
"Tomorrow morning, go to the North-South General Store. Take this and find their shopkeeper to meet me," Gu Sinian said, pulling a small token from his embrace and tossing it to Zhang Xiao Niu.
It felt heavy in his hand. It was made of pure gold, inlaid with colorful gems. In the center was an ingot, and within the ingot, a stylized character for "money."
This token was too eye-catching. The gold alone was at least two taels. One tael of gold was equivalent to ten taels of silver, making this twenty taels of silver, not to mention the various colored gems. He heard that gems were very valuable; a single one could be worth thousands of gold.
Zhang Xiao Niu carefully tucked it away. This item had to be guarded well; he couldn't afford to lose it.
The next morning, Zhang Xiao Niu, with the token in hand, went to the North-South General Store.
At first, when he asked to see the shopkeeper, no one paid him any mind. After he shouted loudly for a while, someone finally came out. However, they didn't take him to the shopkeeper but instead tried to drive him away.
"You brat, can't you open your eyes and see? Is this a place for you to run wild? Get lost! If you dawdle any longer, I'll throw you out," a burly shop assistant berated him.