Chapter 9: Why are you blushing, my miraculous doctor and my husband?
The man's palm was hot, and his hand was broad and bony, easily enveloping Zhou Shan's entire hand. Zhou Shan felt uncomfortable in the man's grasp, but she didn't dare to break free. She had no choice but to let him hold her hand and walk through the crowd.
In the middle of winter, Zhou Xian's palms were sweating from being squeezed by the man.
"What would you like to eat, Princess?"
When they arrived at a place full of dim sum shops, noodle shops and restaurants, Zhang Jinwei leaned close to the princess's ear and asked softly.
"This is where many delicacies from the capital gather. I'm bringing the princess here today. If you want to eat something in the future, just send someone to buy it here."
Zhou Xian had one hand held by him and had no free hand, so she had to use her other hand to lift the curtain that blocked her view, revealing half of her face, and looked around curiously.
The first thing that floated before him was the fragrance, the sweet aroma of yam paste and date cake, the oily aroma of sesame pancakes, the meaty aroma of donkey meat roasted on the stove... Suddenly, a mellow aroma rushed in and hit him in the face, circling around Zhou Xian, and he looked in the direction of the fragrance out of curiosity.
Around a corner, a steaming pot sat. A muscular man, wielding arm-length chopsticks, skillfully scooped cooked noodles from the pot. The noodles, glossy and moist, were tossed into a large, open porcelain bowl with a clatter. A nearby woman quickly scooped up a large spoonful of the sauce and poured it over the noodles. The rich aroma of the sauce wafted across the street corner.
Zhou Xian was envious.
He tugged at Zhang Jinwei's hand, pointed at the noodle stall, and said expectantly, "Prince Consort, I want to try that—is it the noodle with gravy?"
"Princess, you have good taste." Zhang Jinwei looked in the direction the girl's hand was pointing and saw the couple from Lu's noodle stall. He smiled and said, "They're quite famous. Their noodles are springy and chewy, and the sauce is delicious. I'll ask Saoyan to make a bowl for you and send it to Jingchun Pavilion for you to try."
Zhou Xian actually wanted to sit at the stall to eat, but due to his status, he probably couldn't. Besides, the place was full of burly men, and the women usually took their food home in lunch boxes. Even if Zhang Jinwei was open-minded, there was no way he would let him sit on a greasy bench, take off his veil and eat noodles without any regard for etiquette. Feeling quite regretful, he asked, "Jingchun Pavilion? Is that the Jingchun Pavilion that sells crab stuffed oranges?"
"That's right," Zhang Jinwei replied. "I booked a private room at Jingchun Pavilion yesterday. If the princess wants to eat something later, please ask Saoyan to buy it and send it to Jingchun Pavilion. We will have dinner there."
He was talking with a smile when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of drunken men emerging from the restaurant. They were all dressed in rich attire. These men were generally descendants of nobles, and relying on their ancestral wealth, they spent their days feasting, drinking, whoring, and gambling. They were notorious dandies in the capital.
Zhou Xian's attention was drawn to the colorful shops and stalls, and he didn't notice the group of people at all. He half-opened the curtain, revealing his porcelain-white face beneath the veil. His small, pointed chin and lipstick-coated, cherry lips attracted several unfamiliar gazes.
He was just about to watch an old man making clay figures when the man holding his hand suddenly approached him and held his other hand tightly. The white gauze curtain fell down in an instant, and Zhou Shan's vision became hazy again.
Zhou Xian:?
What's wrong with this person?
He almost cursed, but he remembered that he was a "virtuous" person and held it back.
He was full of doubts. The man half-hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear, "Princess, when you go out, you must always remember not to show your face. If someone with ulterior motives sees you, it will be difficult for you to go out again in the future."
Zhou Xian was feeling annoyed, but luckily there was a curtain covering his face, otherwise the man would have been able to see his disgust. He snorted and said, "I understand."
"That's good." Zhang Jinwei released the girl's hand, looking calm and composed. However, the tips of his ears were red. The girl's faint body fragrance lingered in his nose. Was it the scent of rose water? Zhang Jinwei couldn't tell.
He held the girl's hand and walked for a long distance. The servants' hands were gradually filled with various kinds of food, and they walked until they reached the vicinity of Jingchun Pavilion.
Zhou Xian was holding a "Sugar Prime Minister" in his hand. He had almost finished eating it. Most of the "Prime Minister" had turned into sugar water and entered his stomach. He felt a little thirsty from eating too much sugar, so he looked around and wanted to drink something.
At this moment, Zhang Jinwei was entangled by a quack doctor.
The quack doctor had been sitting in front of his clinic, dozing on a chair. When Zhang Jinwei and Zhou Xian passed by, he suddenly jumped up and ran over to them. He stared at Zhang Jinwei, looked him over, and then sighed and shouted, "Sir, please stay!"
Zhang Jinwei raised his eyebrows and said with a gentle smile, "May I ask what you may want to ask?"
The doctor stroked his goatee, a pair of sharp eyes hidden beneath his sagging eyelids. He laughed heartily, "I'm a quack doctor. I run a clinic, and when I have free time I like to sit in front of it and see patients. Just now, you passed by me. At first glance, you looked rosy-cheeked and in good health, but that's not the case."
Zhang Jinwei forced a smile: "Oh? What do you mean?" He had been going to Xuanbeifang for more than half a year, and had never seen such a miracle doctor. He was afraid that he was a fake doctor who was out to cheat people and specifically targeted passers-by who were well-dressed.
The doctor looked at him several times, then shook his head repeatedly. "Young Master, your eyes are a little dark, but you don't look like someone who indulges in sexual pleasure. I'm afraid it's a symptom of working at a desk for years and not getting enough sleep. Plus, your face is too red, so your heart is probably not in good shape. You need to take good care of yourself, otherwise, in a few years, this minor illness will become a major one, and that will be troublesome!"
What bullshit!
Zhang Jinwei kept smiling: "Really? It seems that I didn't take care of my body. Thank you for telling me." He blushed because... the girl seemed to be sticking to his back, and was curiously sticking her head out, lifting a corner of the curtain, and carefully looking at the doctor who was blocking the way.
The warm breath on his neck was a little itchy.
Going out, he encountered a scammer. Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Jinwei didn't want to get entangled with him, so he took Zhou Xian's hand and ran away. But the doctor was unyielding. He looked old, but he ran faster than a rabbit.
The old man blocked Zhang Jinwei in a flash, revealing an unfathomable smile and an ambiguous look in his eyes. He whispered, "Hey, sir, don't be in a hurry to leave. I'm also good at other things... hehe, regulating kidney qi, strengthening yang... sir, do you want some special medicine? Go back and take it, and your wife—"
"Ahem, that's not necessary." Zhang Jin was annoyed to death by the old man, and the muscles on his forehead were throbbing. How could he say such dirty words in front of the princess? He quickly quickened his pace, called the servant to stop the old man, and pulled the princess towards Jingchun Pavilion.
The old man called out behind him, "Young Master, if you need medical treatment in the future, please come to me! My name is Sun Yi. Ask around. Who in the capital doesn't know my reputation as a miracle doctor..."
Sun Yi.
Hearing this name, Zhang Jinwei's expression suddenly froze. Almost instantly, he remembered a doctor that a friend had recommended to him not long ago. He was also in Xuanbeifang and specialized in men's health.
It happened to be like this.
Zhang Jin pressed his forehead because of the headache, and couldn't help smiling bitterly in his heart.
"What did that person say to the Prince Consort just now?"
The princess's clear voice rang in Zhang Jinwei's ears, and he immediately felt ashamed. He hoped that the princess hadn't heard those dirty words. He said awkwardly, "It's nothing. They're just selling some so-called magic recipes. People out there are treacherous and there are often scammers. Princess, please don't listen to them."
Magic recipe.
Zhou Xian silently crushed the last bite of candy. He caught a glimpse of the man's flushed face through the gap in the curtain and smiled faintly in his heart - is this a magic recipe for aphrodisiac?
…
"Shameful old thing!"
The young man dragged the old man back from the street to the clinic. His handsome face flushed red with anger. He stamped his foot fiercely, poked the old man's heart with his fingertips, and cursed, "What are you doing with your epilepsy again? You're pestering me for no reason. You want to be beaten again, right?"
The old man was at ease, his eyes peacefully closed, lying comfortably in the chair, humming an incomprehensible tune.
"Tell me, who is that person?" the young man said anxiously. "I'll go to his house and apologize tomorrow!"
The old man didn't answer. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "It's so similar... That child's eyebrows and eyes look so much like Ningxiang's."
"Ningxiang?" The young man was stunned. "Is she the girl wearing the veiled hat?"
The old man closed his eyes again: "Girl? Humph, that's a boy!"
The young man was surprised: "They look like a couple to me, Old Man Sun, are you dazzled?"
"When have I, Sun Yi, ever been blinded?" the old man snorted coldly. "Even if you disguise yourself, you'll always be exposed. Especially when you encounter a doctor like me who has a keen eye."
The boy tutted at him.
"Go find out tomorrow who that man was and who his wife is..." The old man suddenly became extremely tired. He collapsed in his chair and muttered, "Ningxiang, Dad has been looking for you for twenty years... From Zhejiang to the capital..."
…
Jingchun Pavilion is a good place to go.
The interior is decorated in a very elegant style and serves Jiangnan cuisine, which is very popular among literati in Beijing.
Zhang Jinwei had booked a private room in advance and led the princess up to the second floor. From the window, they could gaze out at the bustling night scene. The food they'd bought that afternoon was laid out on the table, and the inkstone-cleaning boys had quickly brought back Lu's noodles, which they served in large white porcelain bowls.
"Princess, are you tired after walking around for so long?" Zhang Jin asked with a smile as he helped Zhou Shan take off her veil.
Zhou Xian shook his head. His hair was a little messy, with a few strands of black hair hanging down. Because he had been walking for a long time, his cheeks were slightly red, and the lip balm on his lips had fallen off a lot. However, his eyes were still bright - illuminated by the food on the table.
The noodles with gravy were fresh out of the pot and were hot. Zhou Xian picked up the noodles one by one with chopsticks, blew on them carefully, and then put them into her mouth.
Zhang Jinwei wasn't very hungry. He propped up his chin and watched his wife slowly eat the noodles. Suddenly, he said, "Lao Jiang can also make broth, but the taste is different from Lu Ji's. Princess, you can ask him to make it for you when you go back."
"Hmm!" Zhou Xian nodded while biting the noodles. The noodles were rolled too thick, making it a bit difficult for him to eat. He also had to maintain a dignified demeanor, which was really tiring.
"Sir." Saoyan, who was guarding outside, suddenly pushed the door open and said in a low voice, "Master Mei is looking for you."
"Teacher? Please come up quickly." Zhang Jinwei straightened up immediately, frowning and said, "By the way, did the teacher say what it was?"
Saoyan said, "The Lord mentioned the issue of converting farmland into mulberry trees in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas."
Now even Zhou Xian, who was concentrating on eating, stopped.
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