After arriving in town, Gu Xiaoxiao and Gu Yong paid Uncle Sun for the cart ride and headed straight toward the apothecary.
What she didn’t know was that Xu Cuihua and Xu Yu were following behind them.
When Xu Yu saw Gu Xiaoxiao hurrying away, he assumed she was embarrassed and shy, which was why she was walking so fast.
Noticing that they were headed in the same direction, he simply followed after her.
Only then did Xu Cuihua realize something was wrong.
Why was Xu Yu looking at Gu Xiaoxiao with such affection?
She had already discarded Gu Xiaoxiao, that foolish and gullible girl, as a useful pawn.
But she absolutely couldn’t let Xu Yu slip through her fingers as well.
Xu Yu and Gu Xiaoxiao weren’t even in the same league.
If she could marry into Xu Yu’s family, wealth and luxury would be hers.
Lowering her head, Xu Cuihua called out sweetly,
“Brother Xu Yu, where are we going?”
Her soft voice snapped Xu Yu out of his thoughts.
Looking at Xu Cuihua’s pretty face, he smiled.
“We’re going to the clinic to get medicine for you.”
The moment she heard that, Xu Cuihua’s face brightened with delight.
“Really? Brother Xu Yu, you’re so kind!”
Her reaction filled Xu Yu with satisfaction.
For a moment, he completely forgot about Gu Xiaoxiao.
Straightening his back proudly, he declared,
“Come on. I’ll definitely make sure the injury on your face heals properly.”
In truth, Xu Cuihua’s wound was already almost healed.
Even without medicine, it probably wouldn’t leave a scar.
Still, Xu Yu’s reaction was exactly what she wanted.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxiao entered the apothecary first.
As soon as she stepped inside, a shop assistant approached with a smile.
“How may I help you two?”
“We’re here to sell medicinal herbs.”
Hearing that, the assistant apologized politely.
“I’m sorry, but we have our own suppliers. We don’t normally purchase herbs from outsiders.”
Gu Xiaoxiao answered confidently,
“You’ll definitely want this herb.”
The certainty in her voice made the assistant hesitate.
“Could I take a look at it first?”
Gu Xiaoxiao placed the cloth bundle she had brought onto the table.
When the assistant opened it, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the He Shou Wu inside.
His expression immediately became serious.
“Miss, please wait here for a moment. I’ll go fetch our physician.”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
The assistant hurried into the inner courtyard.
Just then, Xu Yu and Xu Cuihua entered the apothecary as well.
The moment Xu Cuihua spotted Gu Xiaoxiao, she nearly ground her teeth to dust.
Why is this woman everywhere?
Xu Yu, however, was pleased to see her.
“Xiaoxiao, what are you doing here too? Are you feeling unwell?”
Gu Xiaoxiao turned around in confusion.
Did he just call me Xiaoxiao?
Are we really that close?
Frowning, she looked at him coldly.
“Since when are you allowed to call me Xiaoxiao?”
“And what business is it of yours why I’m here?”
Gu Yong immediately sensed something was off.
He fixed Xu Yu with a dangerous stare, looking ready to punch him if he said one more word.
Xu Yu’s mouth twitched awkwardly.
He hadn’t expected them to be so disrespectful.
Xu Cuihua looked shocked.
“Xiaoxiao, how can you talk to Brother Xu Yu like that? He’s only concerned about you.”
Her words struck straight at Xu Yu’s heart.
That’s right.
Gu Xiaoxiao is nothing but a pretty face.
And I was even considering taking her as a concubine.
Looking at things now, Xu Cuihua was clearly better.
She was gentle and considerate.
Unlike Gu Xiaoxiao, who was always so aggressive.
Gu Xiaoxiao glanced between the two of them.
A young unmarried man and woman had come all the way into town together.
Did they really have nothing better to do?
Not bothering to waste any more energy on them, she replied indifferently,
“Oh.”
Then she turned away.
Xu Yu had never expected Gu Xiaoxiao to disregard him so completely.
He snorted and turned his head away as well.
At that moment, the assistant returned.
“Miss, the physician would like to see you in the rear courtyard.”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded and followed him.
Seeing that Xu Yu and Xu Cuihua were still waiting nearby, the assistant offered them an apologetic smile.
“Please wait a moment.”
Then he led Gu Xiaoxiao away.
Both Xu Cuihua and Xu Yu stared in astonishment.
The assistant had actually taken Gu Xiaoxiao into the back courtyard?
Wasn’t that where the physicians rested?
Why would she be invited inside?
Xu Cuihua’s eyes darted around as she silently calculated something.
Following the assistant into the courtyard, Gu Xiaoxiao saw an elderly man sitting beneath a tree at a table.
He looked about the same age as Old Master Gu.
The assistant introduced him.
“This is Physician Chen.”
After that, he left, leaving only Gu Xiaoxiao, Gu Yong, and Physician Chen.
Gu Xiaoxiao got straight to the point.
Placing the cloth bundle on the table, she said,
“Physician Chen, I’ll be direct. Please take a look and tell me how much this He Shou Wu is worth.”
Physician Chen appreciated her straightforward attitude.
He unwrapped the herb and carefully examined its quality.
The longer he inspected it, the more excited he became.
Finally, he set it down.
“Miss, do you know how to gather medicinal herbs?”
Gu Xiaoxiao nodded.
“I know a little.”
“I was careful not to damage the roots, so I assume that should increase its value somewhat.”
Seeing that she understood the basics, Physician Chen nodded approvingly.
A He Shou Wu of this quality was quite rare.
Judging from its appearance, it was probably around one hundred years old.
Not wanting to waste time, he got straight to the point.
“This is excellent quality.”
“And I happen to need He Shou Wu at the moment.”
“How about two hundred taels?”
Gu Xiaoxiao thought that two hundred taels for a century-old He Shou Wu was a very reasonable price.
She nodded immediately.
“Deal.”
“But could you exchange part of it into smaller pieces of silver? Carrying all of it in large ingots would be inconvenient.”
Physician Chen admired her decisiveness.
Without hesitation, he paid her the two hundred taels and said with a smile,
“Of course.”
“If you find any other medicinal herbs in the future, feel free to bring them to me.”
Gu Xiaoxiao smiled back.
“Definitely.”
“With how straightforward you are, if I find anything good, you’ll be the first person I bring it to.”
Physician Chen burst out laughing.
“What a clever girl!”
“Then it’s settled.”
He personally escorted Gu Xiaoxiao out, clearly in high spirits.
Watching from a distance, Xu Cuihua noticed how warmly the physician treated her.
They must have discussed something pleasant.
Could Gu Xiaoxiao have found herself a powerful new connection?
At that moment, the shop assistant’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Miss, have you decided yet?”
He was looking at Xu Cuihua with growing impatience.
Her examination had been finished long ago.
Medicine had already been prepared.
Yet she kept insisting that this hurt or that felt uncomfortable.
She had dragged things out for ages.
There were other customers waiting.
Naturally, his patience was running thin.
Hearing his voice, Xu Cuihua immediately tore her gaze away from Gu Xiaoxiao.
“I’m fine now. I’ll just take the medicine and leave.”
The assistant gave her a strange look but went to fetch the medicine anyway.
As soon as he left, Xu Cuihua’s eyes returned to Gu Xiaoxiao.
She had waited here this entire time for one reason only—
to find out exactly what Gu Xiaoxiao had come to the apothecary to do.