10 flat boat

"It's time to take your medicine."

"Since you know you're being presumptuous, why did you even ask?" Ying Jianhua retorted. "Besides, what is my relationship with her, and what does it have to do with you?"

Despite being bombarded with criticism, Lu Ping remained unperturbed, as if he hadn't heard a word he said: "I heard from Miss Mu that she is your patient. Is Miss Mu's illness serious?"

Seeing his concerned expression, Ying Jianhua felt a surge of anger. What was wrong with this man? Didn't he see that Du Zhijin was so ill, yet he was only thinking about romance and fleeting pleasures? Was his concern so superficial?

Without having time to think about why she had such a thought, Ying Jian layd on the scene without changing her expression: "It's important, she...can't have children."

In any case, Du Zhijin is a Taoist practitioner who is detached from worldly affairs, so she will probably not conceive or have children in this life.

For ordinary men, the mere fact that they cannot have children is enough to make them back down. He had assumed that Lu Ping was the same kind of person, but to his surprise, Lu Ping said, "When two people are in love, they are in love with each other as individuals, and only with each other. It has nothing to do with parents, siblings, or ancestors and descendants."

"Perhaps Doctor Ying values ​​bloodline inheritance. But I am just a rough man, not from a prestigious family. I am content with a loving husband and wife, and I don't care about children and grandchildren."

His words were sincere and impeccable, which only highlighted Ying Jianhua's narrow-mindedness and lack of gentlemanly demeanor. Ying Jianhua was so angry that she cracked the mugwort in her hand, staring coldly at him: "A boorish man? I think Officer Lu is quite eloquent and has the demeanor of a scholar."

Elsewhere, "scholar" might be a compliment, but in Jinxi City, it certainly isn't. It's all because a few years ago, a notorious scholar named Qian, through his sycophantic flattery, gained favor with Prince Chengduan, committing murder, arson, and all sorts of other heinous crimes. In the end, he drowned, and many say it was revenge from those he had wronged in the past.

The painting described Lu Ping as having "the air of a scholar," practically an insult. Lu Ping's expression darkened slightly, his raised lips fell, and he abruptly asked, "You have feelings for Miss Mu...?" "Sister, look! There's a beautiful butterfly here!"

"Hey, why is there a rock next to the butterfly? Move aside, move aside."

Faced with Honghua's innocent words, Du Zhijin wanted to say that the stone was naturally there, and if anyone was blocking its way, it was the butterfly. But seeing the little girl's rapidly blinking eyes, she swallowed her words.

Children speak without restraint, children speak without restraint.

Hearing footsteps, Lu Ping suddenly stood up, straightened his back, and hid the flowers behind his back.

His earlier gloom vanished, and he smiled at her: "Miss Mu, you're back."

Du Zhijin then noticed his presence. She had a good impression of this constable and returned his smile: "Long time no see."

Honghua glanced at her sister who was holding her hand, then at Ying Jianhua whose face was as dark as the night, and silently let go of her hand.

Dr. Ying, this is all the safflower can do for you.

"It hasn't been long. Actually, I wanted to come find you yesterday, but the rain was too heavy, and the county government was busy repairing the water conservancy system, so they couldn't spare any time." "Oh? Repairing the water conservancy system? That's a big deal. Jinxi City, as its name suggests, is built by the water, and during the plum rain season..." "Cough, cough cough!"

Just as the two were about to start chatting away as if no one else was around, Ying Jianhua suddenly burst into a violent cough.

Sure enough, Du Zhijin's attention was drawn to him, and she quickly walked to his side and supported him: "What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell from your cold?"

He didn't speak, his long, thick eyelashes drooping, concealing the emotions in his eyes, making them difficult to discern, only revealing a vague, hazy sorrow. She remembered that he had the same expression last night when his fever was at its highest, and said worriedly, "Don't stay outside, go back inside."

"Is Doctor Ying ill? A doctor cannot heal himself, so we must not be careless." Lu Ping made a gesture to help him up, but before he could get close, Ying Jianhua slapped his hand away.

The sound was crisp, like a slap across the face.

Even if Du Zhijin was slow to notice, he would have sensed something was off between the two. He immediately stepped forward to separate them and said to Lu Ping, "Excuse me for a moment."

Lu Ping nodded, watching her support Ying Jianhua thoughtfully.

Dr. Ying's attitude towards Miss Mu seems to be more than just that of a doctor towards a patient.

————

Ying Jianhua discovered that ever since meeting Du Zhijin, she had become extremely prone to changing her mind.

For example, on a night when one is not in a good mental state, or just now.

He didn't need to get angry at Lu Ping, much less resort to despicable jealousy and rivalry. Weren't Du Zhijin and Lu Ping both insignificant to him? Did two insignificant people suddenly become important when put together?

Therefore, when Du Zhijin asked him again if he needed help, he refused.

"He's outside, you can go now."

He turned his head away from her, staring at the bits of thatch by the wall.

This fell down this morning when they were repairing the roof together.

He pursed his lips as he listened to the footsteps fading into the distance.

She can fix his roof today, and perhaps she can fix Lu Ping's roof tomorrow. To her, Ying Jianhua is just an insignificant person.

It's no big deal.

Seeing her come out alone, Lu Ping quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "How is she? Is Doctor Ying's illness very serious? Should I go to town to fetch a doctor?"

Du Zhijin shook his head and thanked him for his kindness: "I'm feeling better this morning. I guess I'm just too weak and can't handle being outside for long periods of time."

“I see.” Lu Ping nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. Doctor Ying is a physician who sits in the clinic all day seeing patients, unlike us constables who train and run around every day.”

"By the way, Miss Mu, there's something I'd like to give you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out a bouquet of flowers that he had prepared beforehand from behind his back, his eyes clear: "Last time when we went to the back mountain, I saw you looking at these flowers the whole time, so I guessed you liked them."

Du Zhijin exclaimed "Ah!" and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, I was looking to see if there were any rabbit holes behind the flower bushes... But thank you anyway, the flowers are very pretty."

She held a large bouquet of delicate flowers in her arms, their fragrance clinging to her clothes and hair. Curious, she gently touched a rhododendron petal, thinking, "What a coincidence, the rhododendron's surname is also Du."

After hearing her explanation, Lu Ping's smile deepened: "Then next time we can specifically look for rabbit holes. I've explored all the surrounding mountains and know where there are abundant resources and wild rabbits."

She became interested: "Really? Do you know where there are big insects or bears?"

Lu Ping was stunned for a moment: "Huh? Miss Mu, you're asking this... do you want to rid the people of this scourge?"

What an extraordinary girl, with such lofty aspirations.

Du Zhijin waved his hand: "I have nothing of value, and I was saved by Doctor Ying, but I have nothing to repay him with. So I thought I would exchange the game for some money, at least to pay back the consultation fee and the cost of medicine."

"I see..." Lu Ping thought for a moment and said, "There are some in the back mountain of Wuling Village. However, the wild beasts are fierce. If Miss Mu wants to go up the mountain, she might as well ask me to come with her."

Du Zhijin asked curiously, "Aren't you a constable? You receive a salary but still have to subsidize your own family?"

She thought Lu Ping's words meant he wanted to cooperate with her.

Lu Ping smiled and shook his head: "I won't take a single penny."

Not taking a single penny? If not taking a single penny, what's the point?

The wind carried the fragrance of flowers, a wonderful scent, like a valley full of flowers in spring, or like the stirring thoughts of a young heart.

She looked at the face that was gradually turning red and blinked, puzzled.

Everyone blushes easily.

In this sudden silence, Lu Ping took several deep breaths and finally mustered the courage to extend an invitation to her: "Miss Mu, will you come to the Orchid Bath Festival?"

————

[As expected of Pingzhou stock, which had a strong initial momentum, Lu Ping, you did a great job! Just be direct, be direct!]

Ying Jianhua really wanted to smash the chattering demon in his head with a pestle, since the demon, apart from bothering him from time to time, hardly had any other impact on his life.

But he held back; a small act of impatience could ruin a great plan. Who knew what kind of wicked scheme the monster was plotting?

With a cold expression, he plugged his ears with the discarded medicine prescription, trying to block out the annoying sound. But the monster wouldn't let it go, becoming even more persistent: "Hey, Amo, don't bury your head in the sand! You have to fight for it yourself. Arrogance is obsolete now!"

It's just more nonsense; it's so annoying to listen to.

He snorted and continued copying the prescription, only to find that he had written "Pingzhou" on the page.

......

[Pfft.]

The conversation outside the door continued. He suddenly stood up, opened the door, and said to Du Zhijin, "It's time to take your medicine."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Seeing that the bouquet of flowers had been transferred from Lu Ping to Du Zhijin, he didn't say anything and slammed the door shut.

The wooden door wobbled slightly, but ultimately did not close completely, leaving a tiny gap.

Seeing this, Lu Ping tactfully suggested that he should leave. Du Zhijin walked him a few steps, and on his way back, he encountered Honghua peeking through the door frame. After thinking for a moment, he took out a rhododendron and gave it to her.

“This is also a safflower,” she said, touching the safflower’s head.

Doctor Ying was decocting medicine in the room, and the bitter smell of the medicine overpowered the floral fragrance on her body.

Du Zhijin can now drink her medicine without changing her expression, but she always feels that Ying Jianhua's gaze is on her, which makes her a little nervous.

The medicine spilled out, staining a small patch of her plain white clothes black. Ying Jianhua saw it, tossed her a handkerchief, and scoffed, "Clumsy."

The handkerchief landed squarely on her face. Du Zhijin pulled the handkerchief off and glimpsed a small orchid embroidered in the lower right corner.

The embroidery was small, but exquisitely crafted. She suddenly remembered Lu Ping's words and asked him, "Doctor Ying, what kind of day is the Orchid Bath Festival?"

He turned a page of the book and casually said, "It's a festival unique to this place, some boring legends."

It's said that two people who have drunk from Jinxi River will stay together forever until old age...

Why did you suddenly ask that?

Du Zhijin answered truthfully, "Oh, because Lu Ping asked me if I wanted to go with him."

"Bang!"

A loud crash came from the direction of the desk. She looked up in surprise and saw that Doctor Ying, who always cherished his books, had accidentally knocked over the inkstone.