Chapter Sixty-One: The Two Dined Together for the First Time
Walk?
Where to go?
When the two appeared together outside the Xu family's courtyard, Xiao Tao's expression instantly crumbled.
Xu Chumian's gaze shifted from the embarrassed Doctor Chen to Zhao Yu's face.
At the same time, a question lingered and deepened in her mind.
Zhao Yu remained calm, seemingly unaware that he might not have been there in the first place.
Zhao Yu was brought by Doctor Chen, who had been kind to her. She couldn't do anything to put Doctor Chen in a difficult position, so she could only pretend not to see Zhao Yu and invite Doctor Chen in.
Doctor Chen couldn't help but glance at Zhao Yu, his face saying, "You were only allowed in because of me."
Zhao Yu lazily curled his lips. "Thanks."
The only happy person in the yard was probably Mu Mu.
The little girl trotted up to Zhao Yu and showed off her little bow from all angles.
Zhao Yu picked up the little girl, but his gaze kept following Xu Chumian.
"If you like, I'll have the craftsman make you something else next time."
Mu Mu nodded and said, "Thank you, brother."
According to seniority, Mu Mu should be the one to call Zhao Yu "brother," since he is her cousin.
The little girl loves snow.
Zhao Yu held her in his arms, and Mu Mu couldn't help but reach out to catch the snow.
He met his sister's warning gaze.
Mu Mu immediately withdrew her hand and hid her face in Zhao Yu's shoulder.
Zhao Yu curled his lips and was about to speak when Xu Chumian indifferently withdrew her gaze.
The dining area was a small shed set up outside the kitchen, well-ventilated on all sides, with some green plants and a few wintersweet buds emitting a cool fragrance.
The mutton soup pot was steaming hot and smelled delicious.
Mu Mu wasn't used to having too many people eating at the table, so she always ate with Xu Chumian, while Xiao Tao Qiuyu and Brother Liu ate separately outside the kitchen.
Now, four people are sitting at the small square table, and it's snowing outside the shed.
The gaze from the other side was intense and scorching, but Xu Chuming's face remained expressionless, and she rarely spoke.
During the meal, it was mostly Zhao Yu's voice telling Mu Mu how to practice archery.
The bow was inlaid with jewels, but it was actually only for display and play.
Zhao Yu patted the little girl's head: "I'll bring you a wooden bow next time."
Mu Mu nodded and smiled, her eyes crinkling.
Xu Chumian finally glanced at Zhao Yu, "You don't need to do this."
The complexity and rejection in Xu Chumian's eyes stung Zhao Yu's heart.
He smirked, "It's for her; she's my sister too."
Xu Chumian didn't say anything more.
Dr. Chen inwardly cursed his nemesis. He cleared his throat and said, "Today is the first snow. Let's toast with tea instead of wine, wishing for a bountiful harvest and many more such days to come."
Seeing this, Mu Mu followed Dr. Chen's example and raised her wine cup: "Drink, drink tea."
Xu Chumian smiled faintly as she remarked that her younger sister was precocious despite her young age.
Zhao Yu couldn't help but look over.
Xu Chumian looked up and met Zhao Yu's direct and piercing gaze. The smile on her lips faded, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed.
Under the snow curtain, Xu Chumian's face grew even paler.
Doctor Chen coughed lightly, "Well... we've almost finished eating. Pingfu, come and help Miss Xu tidy up. I have some things to do in my courtyard. Well... Miss Xu, I'll be leaving now."
Doctor Chen stood up and gave Zhao Yu a meaningful look.
Please, sir, don't cause him any more trouble. He still wants to eat Miss Xu's delicious cooking in the future.
Zhao Yu remained in the same position.
Dr. Chen: What's wrong? Aren't you leaving yet?
Zhao Yu's gaze was deep as he continued to look at Xu Chumian.
Xu Chuming's expression was distant as she spoke in a low voice, "You can leave now."
Zhao Yu got up and left without saying a word.
After leaving the Xu family courtyard, Zhao Yu glanced thoughtfully at Doctor Chen.
Dr. Chen immediately took a step back: "Why are you looking at me like that? Zhao He'an, I'm warning you, I'm only taking you out to eat once, and it won't be the same next time..."
Zhao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, and Doctor Chen's voice grew weaker and weaker.
In a daze, Zhao Yu curled his lips, seemingly in a good mood.
"How is the poison?"
Dr. Chen slapped his forehead. "I was just saying I'd find an opportunity to talk to you about this, but I almost forgot again."
“My senior brother is on good terms with the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. He said that the Imperial Medical Academy still has the medical records of that concubine from the previous dynasty. Since it is a medical record, the Imperial Medical Academy kept it and did not lose it. Mu Mu’s symptoms are exactly the same as those of that concubine.”
"This poison is vicious; I wonder who would give this little girl such a poison."
"That academy head is a good friend of my senior brother, and I've already made him shut up."
Zhao Yu: "No need."
Doctor Chen couldn't help but say, "You want to lure the snake out of its hole? Although this poison has appeared in the imperial palace before, so many years have passed. It's not necessarily the people in the palace who did it. Besides, who would go so far to Jiangnan to poison someone?"
Zhao Yu didn't explain further, "Thanks."
After saying this, Zhao Yu rode away.
That evening, Zhao Yu's gift of gratitude was a large quantity of fine charcoal, enough to last Doctor Chen for three winters.
The messenger who brought the charcoal was Zhao Yu's secret guard, who also gave Doctor Chen a note.
Upon seeing this, Dr. Chen couldn't help but chuckle.
"I knew it, they sent me so much."
So Dr. Chen took Pingfu and moved most of the house next door.
Xu Chumian had just put Mu Mu to sleep when she saw Xiao Tao carrying things into the yard.
"Xiao Tao, where did this charcoal come from?"
“Miss, it was sent by Dr. Chen just now. He said it was a gift from one of his former patients. It was specially sent as fine charcoal. Dr. Chen will only be staying in the capital for a year, and he might leave any day now. He had nothing better to do, so he sent us some. I wanted to give him some money, but Dr. Chen refused.”
Xu Chumian paused slightly, then opened the bamboo basket and looked inside. It was full of broken pieces of refined charcoal, some large and some small, more like pieces left over from when it broke during transport.
Xiao Tao: "Miss, is there a problem?"
Xu Chumian felt a little relieved, shook her head, and moved into the house with Xiao Tao.
After washing her hands, Xu Chumian went next door.
Pingfu opened the door. "Eh? Miss Xu, what brings you here?"
Xu Chumian, holding an umbrella, asked with a smile, "Has Dr. Chen rested?"
Pingfu shook his head, "Not yet, please come in first."
Dr. Chen was still reading in the pharmacy when he saw Xu Chumian arrive, and his heart suddenly tightened.
"Miss Xu is here. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Xu Chumian closed her umbrella, a faint smile on her face, "There are indeed some things I need to ask you."
Dr. Chen had already come up with an explanation for the charcoal.
"Was it because of Zhao Yu that you agreed to treat Mu Mu in the first place?"
Dr. Chen was taken aback, never expecting it to be this.
He chuckled twice, "Why did Miss Xu suddenly bring this up?"
Seeing this, Xu Chumian understood everything.
"As long as the illness can be cured, that's fine. Overthinking is bad for your health, Miss Xu, please don't worry too much."
Xu Chumian's eyelashes trembled slightly. She tugged at the corners of her lips and left Doctor Chen's courtyard, her body covered in snow.
Back in the courtyard, Xiao Tao was surprised: "Miss, why didn't you use an umbrella?"
Xu Chumian forced a smile, "It's nothing."
"Your hands are freezing! I've boiled some water, so please go take a bath."
Xu Chumian came out of the bathroom after taking a shower. The room was warm from the burning charcoal.
She reviewed today's lessons, but her thoughts were disturbed by Dr. Chen's words.
Zhao Yu shouldn't be like this.
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