In front of the counter of Xinglinju stood a woman, her back turned as she spoke with the physician inside the clinic.
The intricate filigree gold hairpin adorned with gemstones in her bun was a masterpiece, the embedded rubies shimmering with dazzling brilliance. This was an heirloom passed down from Shen Jinyan’s mother, Jia Xiangwei. Yet, no matter how exquisite the hairpin, it could not conceal the few strands of white hair peeking out from her bun.
Gu Ning’s footsteps halted. A breeze laden with the fragrance of peach blossoms brushed against her face, merging with a memory from the past. It had only been three years since they last met… yet a wave of melancholy seemed to seep into Gu Ning’s heart.
“Miss?” Hong Yao waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What are you thinking about? I called you several times, but you didn’t hear me.”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Gu Ning snapped back to reality. But as she lifted her foot to leave, she couldn’t help but glance sideways. Inside Xinglinju, Jia Xiangwei covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly a few times. The maid beside her quickly patted her back to help her catch her breath.
Gu Ning’s pace slowed, and she eventually stopped. She beckoned to a few children playing by the roadside, took out a packet of medicinal tea, and pointed toward Xinglinju. “Give this to the lady wearing the gold hairpin over there. Tell her… if she wants to treat her cough, Quanxiang Hall in Pear Blossom Lane is better.”
During the transition between spring and summer, when pollen and willow catkins filled the air, she used to suffer from allergies and coughing every year. The new medicinal tea recently introduced by Quanxiang Hall happened to be effective for such ailments.
As she spoke, Gu Ning pulled out a few copper coins and pressed them into the hand of the child leading the group. The children cheered and skipped over to Xinglinju. Watching the slightly flustered Jia Xiangwei, Gu Ning couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Let’s go.”
“Since Miss is concerned about the general’s wife,” Hong Yao thought for a moment, “why not go over and meet her? After all, Miss has disguised herself…”
Gu Ning shook her head gently. “There’s no need.”
She stepped over the threshold and entered the Jiang Family Medicine Shop diagonally across from Xinglinju. As soon as she entered, the bitter yet refreshing scent of herbs enveloped her. The shop’s assistants were busily preparing medicinal ingredients. One boy, about eight or nine years old, handled the process and controlled the heat with remarkable skill. Gu Ning couldn’t help but watch him for a moment longer.
“Well, if it isn’t Doctor Gu?” The manager hurried over with a smile upon seeing her. “What medicinal ingredients are you looking to buy today, Doctor Gu?”
“Your young assistant here works quite deftly,” Gu Ning replied, picking up a few dried white peony root slices instead of answering directly. “Was he taught by a new master in your shop?”
“Doctor Gu, you flatter us,” the manager chuckled. “He was taught by our Fifth Miss Jiang. If you find his work satisfactory, why not buy some? The price is negotiable.”
Gu Ning took the pouch from Hong Yao. “Then I’ll buy some,” she said, glancing at the young assistant again with a smile. “If this apprentice can prepare white peony root so well, then the master’s skill must be even more remarkable. Manager Jiang, would it be convenient for me to meet with Fifth Miss Jiang?”
“Well…” Manager Jiang hesitated, his expression uncertain.
“Sister, sister, are you looking for my master?” Upon hearing “Fifth Miss,” the young assistant perked up nearby. “I know where my master went!”
Manager Jiang shot the boy a discreet glare. Unfazed, the boy dashed over to Gu Ning, grinning like a clever little fox. “If you consider buying more herbs from our shop, I’ll tell you.”
“You’re quite a greedy little kid,” Gu Ning didn’t speak, but Hong Yao couldn’t help laughing, “So tell us, how much do we need to buy to count as ‘a lot’?”
The young clerk frowned and thought for a moment, then held out one hand: “At least… fifty catties!”
“Hey, you little rascal!” Manager Jiang slapped him on the head, then turned to Gu Ning and the others with an apologetic smile, “Please forgive him, Doctor Gu. This kid only arrived half a month ago and doesn’t know the rules.”
“It’s fine,” Gu Ning smiled, pulling a list from her sleeve, “But our Ningchun Hall is indeed short on a few medicinal herbs. Hong Yao, you go with Manager Jiang.”
“Could we have A Chun…”
“Ah, Manager Jiang, can’t you see A Chun is busy?” Hong Yao exchanged a glance with Gu Ning and quickly tugged at Manager Jiang’s sleeve, “Manager Jiang, hurry up!”
The bitter scent of medicinal herbs floated in the air, accompanied by the sound of other clerks pounding herbs nearby—thump after thump, like tiny hooks catching the noise drifting in from outside and pulling it further away.
“Can you tell me now?” Gu Ning crouched down.
“My master went to Miss Wang’s flower-viewing banquet, at the home of Prefect Wang’s younger brother,” the young clerk thought for a moment, “But Miss Wang has a bad temper, and if you go like this, sister, you’ll definitely be bullied by her. If you want to find my master, you can come back in a few days.”
“If you say Miss Wang has a bad temper, aren’t you worried your master will be bullied by her?”
“Why would I worry about that? I think the one who should worry is Miss Wang,” seeing Gu Ning still staring at him, the young clerk scratched his head, “I can’t really explain it, but you’ll understand once you meet my master.”
Could this Jiang Yingyue be a formidable character?
Well, anyone who can stand up to Jiang Shijin must be something.
Seeing the young clerk couldn’t elaborate, Gu Ning simply changed the subject and smiled, “Actually, I saw your master a few days ago and wanted to befriend her then. I brought some gifts—some medicinal herbs and some jewelry. Which do you think she’d prefer?”
“I don’t think she’d like either. My master, she…” The young clerk frowned and thought for a long time before his eyes suddenly lit up, “She likes storybooks! Last time, I even saw her hiding behind a rockery reading one secretly!”
“You little brat, what are you saying about your master behind her back again?” Manager Jiang scolded from afar, “Go do your work!”
The young clerk stuck out his tongue at him and scurried away. Manager Jiang shook his head, then turned to Gu Ning with a smile, “Doctor Gu, the medicinal herbs Ningchun Hall purchased will be delivered to you within two days. Would you and Miss Hong Yao like to stay a while longer?”
“Thank you for your kindness, Manager Jiang,” Gu Ning took Hong Yao’s hand and stepped over the threshold, turning back with a smile, “There are still matters at the clinic, so I won’t trouble you further.”
As soon as the master and servant left the medicine shop, Manager Jiang hurried over and pinched the young clerk’s ear: “You little brat! Always causing trouble!”
“What trouble?” The young clerk looked aggrieved, “I was just trying to help the shop sell more medicinal herbs! Once this matter is resolved, my master won’t have to…”
“Quiet!” Manager Jiang lowered his voice, then softened his tone upon seeing the young assistant’s teary eyes. “I know you want to help, but this isn’t the way to do business. Doctor Gu has a good temper—if it were someone else, you might have made things worse and caused trouble for your master…”
…
“Miss, miss, guess what I just found out?”
As soon as they left the medicine shop, Hong Yao was bubbling with excitement.
Without waiting for Gu Ning to respond, she cautiously glanced around and whispered, “That Fifth Miss Jiang has been meeting with Prefect Wang’s brother lately—the one old enough to be her father!”