Su Jin's legs were already weak from drinking, and Lin Xiangzhi gently pulled her back to where she was.
Seeing that Jiang Shuyue's tone was calm, Zhen Jingxiu thought for a moment and realized that since everyone at the female doctor's clinic was a woman, nothing serious should have happened there.
Gao Mu swung his arm, and the whip drew a graceful arc in the air before snapping with a sharp crack, sending the horse galloping forward.
Watching the carriage drive away, Xie Yunchen's thoughts seemed to be pulled far away, unable to return to their source for a long time, his soul seemingly drifting away with the carriage wheels.
Lin Xiangzhi's gaze involuntarily turned to Su Jin, "Brother, were those beef strips made by your older sister?"
"Yes, that's right. My older sister is skilled in so many things; she's proficient in everything from music and chess to calligraphy and painting." Su Jin said with pride when talking about her older sister.
"Tsk tsk tsk! I really envy you, my dear brother. Your elder sister not only has an unparalleled beauty, but also superb medical skills. We are so envious."
Lin Xiangzhi looked at Su Jinqing's handsome face and smiled, "Brother, you are also a handsome man, but why do your eyebrows and features not resemble your elder sister at all?"
“Brother Lin, you don’t know this. Miss Jiang is Brother Su’s cousin,” Zhen Jingxiu said with a smile.
Su Jin nodded. "That's right, she's my cousin."
"Miss Jiang's talent is beyond that of ordinary talented women. Not to mention anything else, her calligraphy alone makes the scholars who come to Qingyunzhai feel ashamed of their own inferiority."
Speaking of Jiang Shuyue, Zhen Jingxiu's eyes shone as brightly as if they were inlaid with stars.
What kind of man is worthy of such a beautiful woman?
Suddenly remembering the lonely man in the palace, Lin Xiangzhi cupped his hands and said, "We'll meet again later. I still have to go back and write a letter home."
Lin Xiangzhi received a letter from home. His uncle planned to expand his business to the capital and would soon send people to the capital to purchase properties and set up business operations. He was really in a hurry to go back and write a reply.
However, the most important thing is to go to the palace first and meet the Emperor.
After seeing Lin Xiangzhi off, Zhen Jingxiu and Xie Yunchen also took their leave.
The air in Jishetang was filled with the fragrance of herbs, and the pretty young women, dressed in simple white clothes, were busy with their own tasks.
Hurried footsteps sounded at the door, and the old lady in her gorgeous clothes turned to the side, her emerald hairpin swaying in the breeze.
A maidservant on one side of the screen glanced outside, walked to the old lady's side, and whispered, "Miss Jiang has arrived."
Footsteps approached, and a female healer went to greet her: "Master, the person is inside."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Shuyue took three steps in two and walked behind the screen.
The person in front of her was somewhat unexpected.
"Yue'er, you've kept this old lady waiting." Old Madam Wu feigned grievance.
"May the old lady be blessed." Jiang Shuyue felt a great weight lifted from her heart upon seeing the visitor, Old Madam Wu.
Gao Mu retreated as soon as he saw that it was an old woman.
"So it was someone Master knew. I thought..." Yinqiao was pulled aside by Qiuju before she could finish her complaint.
Qiu Ju silently chanted "Amitabha" a few times in her heart. As long as it wasn't that vampire family that came looking for her, nothing else mattered.
"Madam, you look very well. Why did you come to the clinic to see my daughter?" Jiang Shuyue asked Madam Wu with a kind smile after sitting down.
Madam Wu looked towards the medicine cabinet and saw that the female doctors were all casting curious glances at her.
She gave an awkward smile. "This isn't the place to talk. Why don't you come with me to the teahouse across the street for a chat?"
"It's alright. All the people here are my daughter's personally accepted disciples. Madam, you can speak freely."
Seeing the hesitant look on Old Madam Wu's face, Jiang Shuyue wondered if there was some unspeakable ailment among the women in the Grand Commandant's household.
Standing to the side, Madam Yan was so anxious that she was twisting the handkerchief in her hands. This was the second time she had accompanied the old lady to the clinic. The last time, she went into the clinic to look for someone, but Jiang Shuyue was not there. The two of them watched for an entire afternoon in the teahouse across the street, but they still couldn't find her.
She couldn't let this trip be in vain, so she respectfully curtsied slightly. "Miss, our old lady often praises you, saying that your temperament is as beautiful as an orchid and your talent as fragrant as a fairy. There is no other girl in the entire capital who is as talented and beautiful as you."
"You flatter me. My appearance is a gift from my mother, and my medical skills are a result of my master's careful instruction."
Jiang Shuyue gave Madam Yan a polite, faint smile, then looked at Old Madam Wu. "You know that my daughter has had a difficult life. To make a living, she has to work harder than ordinary women. Thank you for your kind words."
Upon returning to the capital, he did not deny his true identity only in front of Madam Wu.
Although Madam Wu did not know the details of Jiang Shuyue's words, she could guess that Jiang Shuyue had suffered a lot before she was able to return to the capital.
"You are a precious child with such a beautiful face. You only need to find a suitable husband to rely on. Why make things difficult for yourself?"
"Madam, you are mistaken. Men should be self-reliant, and women should be equally independent. If all men in the world were reliable, why are there so many resentful women in the inner quarters?"
Jiang Shuyue's words stirred up old lady Wu's memories. Back then, when her husband took concubines, beauties were sent from the palace to the mansion. She had cried and complained, but in the end, she had to generously accept them all.
She forced a bitter smile and said, "Haven't we all lived like this for thousands of years? Women, once they give birth to children, they've established themselves."
Jiang Shuyue smiled faintly. "You can't talk about ice with a summer insect. Trying to reason with the ancients about equality is like playing the lute to a cow."
She glanced at the hourglass on the table. "Does Madam have anything else to say? If not, I have other matters to attend to."
"Moon girl, I won't beat around the bush. You've been missing from the capital for the past few years. Have you gotten married?"
Jiang Shuyue raised her eyebrows slightly, wondering how to respond to that.
Is Madam Wu going to act as a matchmaker for her?
She, who advocates free love, cannot accept blind dates. She nodded slightly and gave a soft "hmm" as her reply.
Madam Wu looked regretful and turned to Mother Yan, saying, "I knew a girl as outstanding as Yue would not be still unmarried by now."
Mother Yan's gaze fell on Jiang Shuyue's hair bun; the novel updo was not a typical married woman's bun.
She gave Old Madam Wu a reassuring look, then smiled and asked Jiang Shuyue, "Is your husband from the capital?"
If he were the son of an official, he would certainly not allow his wife to open a clinic in public.
“No, he’s from Yannan.” As she said this, that devilishly handsome face suddenly popped into Jiang Shuyue’s mind.
"Moon girl, don't try to hide it from me anymore. He didn't come with you when you returned to the capital, which means he still has concubines at home. This marriage is better off not happening!"
Seeing that her eldest daughter-in-law was useless, Madam Wu sent people to inquire about her these days. The people who came back to report said that she was accompanied by guards and maids when she went out, and occasionally she was accompanied by a little boy. She had never seen any other men with her.
Jiang Shuyue didn't want to explain further, so she used the old lady's words as a way to deflect the question: "Having a son is enough for me."
"You child, you're still so young. How can you only have a son? My Wu family's third son is of excellent character and appearance. I intend to marry you as his principal wife. What do you say?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
