“Then tell me, if you don’t want to go back, where do you want to go?”
“I…” Shen Jinyan hesitated for a long time before whispering, “I haven’t thought about it. I just don’t want to go back, that’s all.”
Being watched by so many people all day was no different from being in prison.
“Well, at worst, you can just have A-Song drive the carriage around the streets for a while.”
If he went back now, his mother would surely grab him by the ear and scold him again.
The aroma of dishes drifted through the curtain, carrying a faint scent of wine.
Shen Jinyan swallowed. He had rushed out in such a hurry that morning that he hadn’t even eaten breakfast. Suddenly, a loud “gurgle” came from his stomach, sounding especially clear in the quiet carriage. Gu Ning instinctively glanced up at him.
“What? A person’s stomach growls when they’re hungry.”
His gaze darted nervously around the carriage, and the tips of his ears flushed slightly red.
“Pfft,” Gu Ning couldn’t help but cover her lips with a light laugh. Seeing that Shen Jinyan was about to become embarrassed and angry, she slowly added, “Well, it just so happens that I know a good place to eat.”
The blue-roofed carriage swayed and rattled its way out of the city.
The fields stretched out in lush green, sparkling under the sunlight, while a farmer carrying a shoulder pole strolled leisurely along the ridge.
“Didn’t you say we were going to eat?”
Shen Jinyan jumped down from the carriage, and a beautiful speckled hen sauntered unhurriedly past his feet. As if finding him in the way, it even shot him a rather disdainful glance.
“No, no, Gu Ning,” Shen Jinyan said incredulously, “you’re not thinking of making me catch a chicken to eat, are you?”
Just casually eating a farmer’s chicken like that…
“No way! My mother would beat me to death if she found out!”
“What are you thinking?”
Gu Ning also stepped down from the carriage using a stool, carrying a pearwood box in her hand. She glanced at him, surveyed the surroundings, and followed the speckled hen toward the alleyway where a crooked-neck willow tree grew.
“We’re going to my friend’s house.”
Earlier, while buying medicine at another pharmacy, she had casually asked about the Jiang family’s estate in the suburbs. Since Heart-Loss Madness could be treated and Jiang Yingyue still had value, someone like Master Jiang probably wouldn’t give up on his daughter just yet and send her far away.
Holding up the hem of her skirt, she slowly walked around the willow tree at the alley’s entrance. Arriving at the house with a red-painted door diagonally across, she raised her hand to knock but paused when a fierce quarrel erupted from inside.
“Why are you looking at me? Zhao Qinghe! Hurry up and control your crazy daughter!”
“A-Yue, be good, let go…”
“Ahhh! You crazy woman! I’ll beat you to death!”
Immediately after, a torrent of angry shouts and curses erupted, mixed with the clattering sound of pots, pans, and dishes crashing to the floor.
“Gu Ning, is your friend’s house… perhaps not very convenient right now?”
“Not convenient?”
No, there couldn’t be a more convenient time.
Gu Ning stepped aside and calmly looked up. “Help me kick the door open.”
“Me, kick the door?” Shen Jinyan pointed at his own nose. “But…”
“Young man, you look so sharp, but why are you so hesitant in your words and actions?” Suddenly, a rough voice cut in. “Step aside, all of you, and let this old man handle it!”
Before the words had fully faded, a wooden cane tapped lightly in front of the door, followed by a worn black boot kicking the door open with a loud “bang.” Dust swirled, and the commotion inside abruptly fell silent.
“Quarreling, quarreling, all you do is quarrel! This old man can’t even take a peaceful nap!”
Gu Ning carefully observed the old man leaning on a cane at the door. His hair was graying, he was missing an arm, and one of his legs was lame, yet his frame remained sturdy, his back straight as a pine tree standing tall and robust in the snow.
Judging by the way he walked, he was likely a veteran who had returned from the battlefield.
“Old Wu, what business is it of yours if our family quarrels? All you do is nap all day—be careful you don’t fall asleep and never wake up!” In the courtyard, a woman with narrow eyes, around forty years old, planted her hands on her hips and immediately began shouting as soon as she regained her composure.
“Zhou Sanniang, have some decency! Day in and day out, you either beat or curse that mother and daughter. Have you forgotten that the Jiang family is your employer?”
“So what if they’re my employer? This madwoman hit me with a rolling pin—am I not allowed to fight back?”
Standing outside the gate, Gu Ning glanced up and happened to meet Jiang Yingyue’s gaze.
The latter shook her head slightly at her, then let out a frantic scream, brandishing the rolling pin as she charged forward. “Thief! How dare you steal my money!”
“Madwoman! What nonsense are you spouting? Get away from me!” Zhou Sanniang dodged while grabbing a broom to fight back. “She’s always acting crazy like this!”
“Yue’er, there must be some misunderstanding here. We can’t resort to violence…”
Old Wu busied himself trying to mediate between the two sides. Neighbors, hearing the commotion, came out to watch the spectacle, turning the scene into utter chaos.
Concubine Zhao Qinghe tried to help one moment and pull someone apart the next, flustered and anxious, constantly wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
She couldn’t understand why her once well-behaved daughter had ended up in such a state. What a tragedy!
“Have none of you considered calling a doctor to examine her?” Gu Ning suddenly spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“Those who suffer from Heart-Loss Madness often do so due to emotional trauma, internal fire disturbing the heart, or deficiencies in qi and blood. What’s urgent now is to help the patient dispel phlegm, clear the mind, and reduce internal heat—not to engage in shouting and fighting.”
“Who are you? Putting on airs like that. What business is it of yours whether we’ve called a doctor or not?” Zhou Sanniang wiped her hands on her skirt, her tone hostile.
“Manager Jiang heard that Fifth Miss is ill and asked me to come check on her.”
Gu Ning raised her hand slightly, and Shen Jinyan, who had been following her, instinctively stepped forward with the pearwood box. Only after entering the gate and handing the box to Concubine Zhao behind Jiang Yingyue did he snap back to reality, looking at his own hands and feet in disbelief.
Wait, what was he doing?
Why was he acting like such a lackey, and so naturally at that?
“These are medicines I brought for Fifth Miss to nourish her body. And this…”
Gu Ning untied the pouch from her waist. Embroidered with delicate lotus leaves, it was bulging and seemed to glint with a silvery sheen at the top.
Zhou Sanniang’s heart itched with greed as she watched from a distance.
“This is the money I prepared for Fifth Miss,” Gu Ning said, her fingers stroking the pouch as she lowered her eyes and frowned, seemingly hesitant. “But… I just heard that someone here has been stealing money, and Fifth Miss is so seriously ill, yet no doctor has been called. Sigh, perhaps it’s better to forget it.”
“Forget it? How can we forget it?” Zhou Sanniang was the first to object. Realizing her tone was inappropriate, she quickly forced a smile. “Young Miss, just look at your fine silks and satins. I’d wager even a single hairpin on your head is worth more than the money in that pouch. This…”
Her gaze drifted to the pearwood box before sliding back to the pouch in Gu Ning’s hand.
“I’m afraid it would be beneath your dignity.”
“Dignity…” Gu Ning sighed, leisurely pulling over a wooden chair in the courtyard to sit down, crossing her legs. “Come to think of it, what you say does seem reasonable. But before I give you the silver, I’d like to know where all the silver Fifth Miss gave you before has been spent?”