Jiang A Yao was startled, but a faint smile appeared on her face. “At such a young age, why talk about death? Don’t you trust my medical skills?”
As she spoke, she deliberately sighed.
“Sister Jiang, it’s not that I don’t trust you.”
Lu Mingzhu quickly explained, her tone suddenly subdued. “I know my own body. These past couple of days I’ve been feeling better only because I’ve had a few full meals—it’s just a final rally, that’s all.”
Jiang A Yao said gently, “Eating gives you strength, so let’s focus on eating well and not worry about anything else.”
Lu Mingzhu looked somewhat surprised. “Is that really okay?”
Jiang A Yao reached out and patted her little head, smiling. “I’m the doctor here. If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay.”
“Then… can I stop drinking those bitter medicines?”
Lu Mingzhu’s round eyes fixed on Jiang A Yao, a mix of cunning and anticipation in her gaze.
She knew she was pushing her luck, but she still wanted to ask.
“I’m afraid not.”
Jiang A Yao shook her head, speaking with feigned seriousness. “You still need to take medicine, but I’ll adjust the prescription so it won’t be as bitter as before.”
“Alright then!”
Seeing Lu Mingzhu’s disappointment, Jiang A Yao coaxed, “Don’t worry, the medicine from now on won’t be too bitter.”
Lu Mingzhu was soft and pale, like a freshly steamed bun, making Jiang A Yao unconsciously lower her voice when speaking to her.
While they were talking, Lu Da knocked on the door.
He didn’t speak, but Jiang A Yao followed his gaze outside and immediately understood—it must be that man called A Long coming to hurry her along.
She told Lu Mingzhu to rest well and prepared to leave, but at that moment, Lu Mingzhu grabbed her hand.
Jiang A Yao turned back and asked with a smile, “What is it?”
“Sister Jiang, wait a moment.”
After saying this, Lu Mingzhu threw off the covers and got out of bed. She pulled out a small box from under the bed and placed it on the bed.
The box was clean, clearly something frequently handled.
Lu Mingzhu opened the box to reveal a collection of small jewelry pieces. The most valuable items appeared to be a silver lock and a silver pendant visible at first glance, while the rest were small things like wooden hairpins.
But Lu Mingzhu took a jade hairpin from a hidden compartment and handed it to Jiang A Yao. “Sister Jiang, this is for you.”
Jiang A Yao paused, quickly refusing. “This looks expensive. You should keep it for yourself.”
Lu Mingzhu said with a cheerful smile, “Sister, this isn’t valuable. Your hair is so black and shiny—this hairpin would look beautiful in it.”
Just as Jiang A Yao was about to refuse again, Lu Mingzhu directly took her hand and placed the jade hairpin in her palm.
“If Mingzhu is giving it to you, you should accept it,” Lu Da said in a calm tone. “Although it’s an old piece, it’s not worth much. Make do with it for now. When we go to town later, you can buy a new one if you see something you like.”
“Even if it’s not valuable, it must be worth several taels of silver, right? Jade isn’t cheap these days.”
Lu Mingzhu and Lu Da exchanged glances, and both siblings laughed.
“No one in the village wears things like this. My current clothes are already quite eye-catching. If I wear such a hairpin too, it might give people wicked ideas.”
Jiang A Yao thought for a moment, then handed the hairpin back. “How about this, Mingzhu—you keep it for me first. I do need a hairpin right now, so why don’t you lend me your wooden hairpin for now? Is that alright?”
“This one?”
Lu Mingzhu took out a very simple hairpin from the box. It had no carvings on the head, just a plain design.
“Yes, this one.”
Jiang A Yao nodded and asked again, “Is that okay?”
“Of course!” Lu Mingzhu quickly replied. “Oh, and there are earrings and other things too, Sister Jiang. Feel free to pick any—you can wear them all.”
Holding the wooden hairpin and looking into Lu Mingzhu’s sincere eyes, Jiang A Yao felt a warmth in her chest.
How could she be so kind!
She held nothing back, willing to give her everything, even though Jiang A Yao had only been here for three days and hadn’t spent much time with Lu Mingzhu at all.
“I have some things to attend to, and wearing earrings would be troublesome. You keep them for now, and I’ll come pick from your treasure box when I have time, alright?”
Seeing that Jiang A Yao wasn’t looking down on her belongings, Lu Mingzhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement.
Jiang A Yao touched her hair—it was already dry. Just as she was about to use the wooden hairpin to tie up her long hair, Lu Mingzhu promptly handed her a wooden comb.
“Sister Jiang, do you need help?”
Seeing Lu Mingzhu blinking playfully at her with a mischievous smile, Jiang A Yao nodded. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you, Mingzhu.”
With that, she sat down by the bed.
Lu Mingzhu took the comb and began to gently brush her hair. Her hands were soft, and she worked with patience, carefully smoothing out the strands before securing them with the hairpin. When she finished, she handed Jiang A Yao a bronze mirror to look.
Though the bronze mirror was small, it was enough for Jiang A Yao to see her reflection clearly.
Her face was small and sharp, with straight bangs covering her forehead but not obscuring her bright eyes—instead, they made her eyes appear even larger and more luminous.
But as she looked closely, she froze slightly.
Wasn’t this… exactly how she looked before she came here?
Aside from being a bit thinner and malnourished, her appearance was almost identical.
Seeing her silence, Lu Mingzhu worried she didn’t like the hairstyle and quickly asked, “Sister Jiang, is the hairstyle not pretty? Should I redo it for you?”
“Mingzhu, you’ve done it beautifully. I used to just braid my hair into one big plait—I never knew how to style it like this.”
Jiang A Yao looked up and smiled. “I just never imagined hair could be styled this way.”
Lu Mingzhu said, “Sister Jiang, as long as you like it. I know many different styles and can teach you all of them. If you don’t have time to learn, just come to me—I’ll style it for you.”
“How are you so skilled?” Jiang A Yao’s praise was genuine.
Lu Mingzhu laughed. “I’m not that skilled, really. It’s just that I used to often help others with their hair…”
Ahem…
Lu Da cleared his throat loudly, as if it were itching, and coughed twice with emphasis.
As if remembering something, Lu Mingzhu immediately changed her tone. “When I was little, I was often sick and bored, so I’d help children whose parents were too busy to braid their hair. It’s all from practice.”
Jiang A Yao showed no doubt and praised, “Self-taught—that’s still impressive.”
Lu Mingzhu smiled but said nothing.
Seeing that it was about time, Jiang A Yao stood up, preparing to leave.
Lu Mingzhu followed behind her to see her out. She thought her brother would accompany Sister Jiang, but unexpectedly, someone had been waiting outside the courtyard for a long time.
Lu Mingzhu asked curiously, “Brother, who is that? Why is he waiting for Sister Jiang here?”
Lu Da explained, “Sister Jiang is a doctor. That person came to invite your Sister Jiang to treat someone.”
Lu Mingzhu gave an “oh” and didn’t ask further.
“It’s cold outside. Go back and lie down quickly.”
Lu Mingzhu was nudged back by Lu Da. As soon as she returned to the room, she couldn’t help but say, “Brother, did I almost say something wrong earlier?”
“Even such small things—can’t they be mentioned to Sister Jiang either?”