“Oh, Junior Apprentice Gu is back?” Just as the two were speaking, a loud, cheerful voice rang out. “Why don’t you hurry inside? Second Young Master Jiang is here and has been waiting for you for quite some time!”
Gu Ning looked up to see a man in a sapphire-blue brocade robe embroidered with golden cloud patterns standing at the entrance of the clinic. As soon as he spotted her, his face broke into a wide smile, and he quickly stepped forward. “Junior Apprentice Gu, come with me quickly to properly entertain Second Young Master Jiang. We can’t let people think those from our sect lack manners!”
This man was named Wu Ju, who could barely be considered Gu Ning’s “junior uncle.” He was neither talented nor diligent, and in recent years, he had developed a bad habit of heavy drinking and gambling. Now impoverished and destitute, he relied on mooching off others to get by. Lately, he had even taken to lingering at Gu Ning’s Ningchun Hall without leaving.
“Uncle Wu!” Hong Yao stamped her foot, her face filled with indignation. “You clearly know that my young lady—”
“Go away, what does a little girl like you know?” Wu Ju impatiently cut her off, pushing Hong Yao aside and squeezing in next to Gu Ning. “Junior Apprentice Gu, let me tell you, this Second Young Master Jiang is a rare catch. Not only is he handsome and elegant, but he’s also immensely wealthy, generous with his money, and quite taken with you. Junior Apprentice Gu, I’m speaking from the heart here—you really should seize this opportunity with such a fine man.”
Gu Ning raised her eyes and smiled. “It sounds like Uncle is quite satisfied with Second Young Master Jiang? I suppose you’ve been on good terms with him lately?”
“No, no, how could that be? Someone like Second Young Master Jiang is far beyond my reach on ordinary days!” Wu Ju’s denial was as transparent as a guilty plea. He chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head, but his eyes unconsciously drifted toward the silver-red carriage embroidered with golden threads parked outside Ningchun Hall.
Could it be that this little girl found out about Second Young Master Jiang secretly lending him money to pay off his gambling debts? Wu Ju’s brows furrowed involuntarily, and he rubbed his fingers together. This was troublesome. Back then, Second Young Master Jiang had made it clear—only if Gu Ning married him would the debt be forgiven. But now…
“But now Uncle has managed to get close to him, hasn’t he?” Gu Ning chuckled softly, taking a few steps forward. She tucked her hands into her sleeves and tilted her head slightly. “I recall Second Young Master Jiang mentioning to me not long ago that Uncle’s medical skills are quite impressive.”
“…Huh?” Wu Ju was taken aback for a moment before stroking his beard with pride. “Ah, Second Young Master Jiang is too kind! But back in the day, I was indeed a standout in our sect, even surpassing your master by a fair margin!”
“I never knew Uncle Wu was so remarkable back then!” Hong Yao exchanged a glance with Gu Ning before stepping forward to flatter him. “I suppose Uncle Wu was a renowned miracle doctor famous throughout the jianghu back then?”
Wu Ju’s expression stiffened, and his smile instantly turned awkward. “Ah, well, actually…” He stroked his beard and put on an air of a transcendent master. “To be honest, when your master founded Spring Return Valley, half the credit was mine.”
After saying this, he lifted one eyelid, his gaze subtly sweeping over the two of them.
“So that’s how it was,” Hong Yao quickly chimed in with a smile. “Since you were even more skilled than my young lady’s master, Uncle Wu must have played a pivotal role back then.”
“Well, it’s nothing much, really. I wasn’t that remarkable, hahaha…” Wu Ju, utterly flattered and carried away, narrowed his eyes smugly.
Hong Yao winked at Gu Ning, who immediately withdrew her hand from her sleeve and, unseen by Wu Ju, pinched two fingers together and flicked them lightly. A few faint red droplets landed on Wu Ju’s face, vanishing without a trace as the wind blew.
Wu Ju instinctively scratched his cheek and spread his hand open, finding nothing. He muttered to himself, “How strange, for no reason at all, my face feels a bit itchy.”
“Perhaps it’s a pollen allergy?” Hong Yao stepped forward, casually brushing a few peach blossom petals from Gu Ning’s shoulder, subtly wiping Gu Ning’s hands with a handkerchief before turning back with a smile. “But the itch must be quite uncomfortable. Uncle Wu, why not get a few doses of medicine later?”
The deeper they went into the alley, the more vibrant the peach blossoms bloomed, floating like rosy clouds in the air, overlapping and concealing one another.
“Hey, you! Come here and shell walnuts for me!” Just as the three of them reached the entrance of Ningchun Hall, they heard a commanding voice from inside. “Tsk, do you even know how to do this? Use your hands! Walnuts shelled by hand have the best flavor, understand?”
“Second Young Master Jiang sure puts on quite the airs,” Gu Ning lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold. “This is a medical clinic. If you lack attendants or maids, perhaps you should return to your estate earlier.”
“Doctor Gu, you’re back!” Jiang Shijin immediately waved away the young assistant and rose to greet her as soon as he saw Gu Ning, his face beaming with an oily smile as he rubbed his hands together. “I don’t lack maids or attendants—I only lack a beautiful wife. Doctor Gu, what do you say…”
“Second Young Master Jiang, watch your words!” Hong Yao, furious, stepped in front of Gu Ning. “This is a medical clinic, not a matchmaker’s office. If you wish to discuss marriage, you’d be better off finding a proper matchmaker!”
“I’m speaking to Doctor Gu. Who gave you, a mere maid, the right to interrupt?” Jiang Shijin’s expression turned cold as he prepared to scold her further, but his gaze suddenly shifted, and he raised an eyebrow with a smirk. “Doctor Gu, come to think of it, this little maid of yours isn’t bad-looking either. Since you treat her like a sister, how about I take her as a concubine after we marry?”
“You shameless—”
Hong Yao began to curse, but Gu Ning suddenly grabbed her hand and subtly shook her head. Hong Yao glared fiercely at Jiang Shijin before reluctantly retreating behind Gu Ning.
“What brings Second Young Master Jiang to my Ningchun Hall today?” Gu Ning walked behind the counter, organizing the herbs she and Hong Yao had recently collected, her voice cool. “If it’s only to have our clinic’s assistant shell walnuts for you… I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.”
“Doctor Gu, don’t be so quick to send me away,” Jiang Shijin shamelessly leaned closer to the counter, pressing a hand to his chest. “Actually, I’ve been feeling a bit flustered these past few days, especially when I see you—my heart starts pounding even faster. Why don’t you feel my pulse for me?”
“My senior brother is more skilled with such symptoms.”
“But your senior brother left half an hour ago,” Jiang Shijin sneered. “If you ask me, he looked so rushed, he must have a lover outside and was hurrying to meet them. Doctor Gu, don’t waste your efforts on someone else’s behalf!”
“The young master went to treat Master Li in the east of the city. Master Li’s condition is critical, so haste was necessary,” A Qi, the young assistant sweeping the floor, muttered under his breath. “The Li family upholds strict morals and discipline, unlike some people…”
“Hey, you little wretch! Say that again and see what happens?”
Jiang Shijin instinctively stepped forward to slap A Qi. A Qi pursed his lips, ducked his head, and hid behind Gu Ning.
Gu Ning slightly shifted to block him, pulling a soft pillow from the medicine chest. “Since my senior brother is out on business today, I will take over the pulse diagnosis for Second Young Master Jiang.”
She withdrew her hand from her sleeve and gently placed it beside the soft pillow. Against the pale lilac cushion, her knuckles appeared even more lustrous and delicate, slender and elegant like an exquisite jade carving.
“Excellent, excellent!”
Jiang Shijin felt a sudden itch in his heart, wishing he could immediately take her hand and play with it. However, as he looked up and met her cool, indifferent gaze, he only dared to cautiously move his hand closer to hers. Seeing that Gu Ning did not shy away, a surge of joy filled his heart, and his movements grew bolder.
But before his fingers could touch hers, Gu Ning lightly raised her hand, her fingertips deftly resting on his wrist. A few faint red droplets clinging to her fingertips immediately seeped into the skin of his wrist.