When Xu Zhi returned home, Chen Zhaoci was startled when she saw Xu Zhi's face. She said, "Oh my, my little darling, you've caught a cold! How can you be so careless about your health? You caught a cold and you're still running around everywhere. The weather is so cold now, don't you know how hard it is to treat a second cold?"

Chen Zhaoci pulled Xu Zhi into the house, took her pulse, wrote a prescription, and told Bai Wei to quickly get the medicine and prepare it.

Xu Zhi smiled and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Mom, I'm fine. I'm in good health, so this is nothing. Don't scare yourself."

Chen Zhaoci said angrily, "Major illnesses all start from minor ones. Don't underestimate these minor ailments and pains. If you're not careful, they will develop into serious illnesses. You child, you're really going to drive me crazy. You grew up with me, a doctor, and you don't even understand this simple principle?"

Zheng Yuanyuan also rushed over. When Xu Zhi saw her, she asked in surprise, "Weren't you in the courtyard in the south of the city? Why did you come along?"

Zheng Yuanyuan said somewhat shyly, "I was worried about you, sister-in-law. My uncle asked me to come and keep you company. He said he was there for you, and I could tell he still had things to do, so I came back."

Zheng Yuanyuan shuddered as she thought of the person standing behind Xu Rao earlier, exuding a chilling aura. She said, "Sister-in-law, you don't know, just now in that courtyard, I saw someone standing behind Uncle. It was so scary."

When Xu Zhi was in that courtyard, she only exchanged a few words with Xu Rao at the courtyard gate. As for the person who went with Xu Rao, Xu Zhi did not see him. Zheng Yuanyuan probably went into the courtyard and saw the person she had not seen before.

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Since you're here, stay and keep me company. My father is in the south of the city, so there shouldn't be any problems. By the way, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I'll have the kitchen make you something to eat."

Zheng Yuanyuan quickly waved her hand and said, "Sister-in-law, no need. It's almost noon. I'll have lunch with you later."

Chen Zhaoci served the two of them a pot of fruit and flower tea. Zheng Yuanyuan picked it up and took a big gulp, then smiled and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Auntie, this tea is really delicious."

Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "I made quite a few tea bags. I'll prepare some for you to take with you later, okay? This tea is good for your skin and your health, especially for young ladies."

Zheng Yuanyuan thanked him, and Chen Zhaoci let the two of them talk in the room. She went to the backyard to check on the medicinal herbs she was drying. Every year, Chen Zhaoci would process many commonly used medicinal herbs herself, and some of the processing methods were unique to Chen Zhaoci.

When Zheng Yuanyuan saw Chen Zhaoci leave the room, she quickly sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) next to Xu Zhi and whispered, "Sister-in-law, I always feel that there are some things here that we shouldn't know."

Xu Zhi laughed and said, "Look at you, what kind of talk is that? What do you mean by not knowing things we should know? Are you overthinking it?"

Zheng Yuanyuan shook her head and said, "I didn't think too much, sister-in-law. The adults I saw in the courtyard today, standing with my uncle, seemed to be extraordinary people. Really, although I don't know much, I've been to so many places with you and my brother over the years, and I've met quite a few of my brother's comrades. Today, I felt the same way about those adults as I do about my brother's comrades who have fought on the battlefield for many years."

Xu Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she felt her right eyelid twitching incessantly. She pressed her eyelid with her hand and said nonchalantly, "You're overthinking it. Fortunately, we haven't suffered any losses. In a couple of days, once things are settled here, we'll quickly settle the wages with the workers, return the houses that need to be returned, hire the workers that need to be hired, and then we'll hurry to Wuzhou."

Xu Zhi now felt that although Wuzhou might be seen as the front line by many people, the situation in Wuzhou was relatively simple, unlike the capital, where the waters were too murky. Who knew which side the people on the other side belonged to? It was better to leave as soon as possible to avoid living in constant fear.

Since Xu Zhi returned, she has felt extremely tired from worrying and working hard. It's not that she's physically tired, but mentally exhausted. As the saying goes, there are only those who are thieves for a thousand days, but not those who are guarding against thieves for a thousand days. Guarding against thieves is really tiring, and Xu Zhi is the one who guards against thieves for a thousand days. In order to prevent these things from happening yet, she has made so many contingency plans, thought of so many methods, and mobilized so many people. All kinds of measures, both imaginable and unimaginable, have been implemented. How could she not be mentally exhausted?

Xu Zhi caught a cold because she had too many things weighing on her mind and hadn't been able to vent her anger. Yesterday, this anger reached its peak, which is why Xu Zhi got sick.

When Zheng Yuanyuan heard that they were going to Wuzhou, she said happily, "Sister-in-law, that's great! I've been looking forward to going to Wuzhou with you. This capital city is really no fun. I've been to a few poetry gatherings, wine parties, tea parties, and flower parties, and all the girls in the capital are so aloof. It makes me feel tired just watching them."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Aren't you also a girl from the capital?"

Zheng Yuanyuan laughed and said, "That's different. These girls from the capital have never left the capital since they were young. The only place they can see is the capital. The farthest they've ever been is to a manor on the outskirts of the capital. How could they understand the meaning of 'a lone plume of smoke rising straight from the desert, a long river and a round setting sun'? They wouldn't know how vast the sea is. I think my heart is too big. This capital city can't contain it."

Hearing this childish remark, Xu Zhi couldn't help but laugh. Wang Mama and Hong Gu were sitting in the outer room. Hearing Xu Zhi's words, Wang Mama couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. She said to Hong Gu, "My dear girl, you're about to find a husband, how can you still have such childish ideas? Oh dear, oh dear, it's really going to drive me crazy."

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