Chapter 7
This was nothing new; Wen Shu had already anticipated it. However, the Qi family's arrival signified that things were beginning to unfold in the direction of her past life.
She would never repeat the mistakes of her past life.
When Wen Shu returned to the Wen residence, Qi Pingzhi and his son had been waiting for her in the front hall for quite some time.
After drinking a cup of tea and receiving a message from his servant, Wen Tao, the prefect of Anyang, exchanged a few polite words with the Qi family father and son before leaving.
"father."
Wen Shu's feelings for Wen Tao were not complicated; at most, they were thin, or even distant.
Wen Tao, who was about forty years old and had a goatee, walked over with a smile when he saw her waiting obediently under the eaves. "Shu'er, your Uncle Qi has long wanted to arrange a marriage between our family, you know that, right?"
Wen Shu nodded, "It's not appropriate for me to talk about these things, but Mother said that Brother Wenxuan visited me every day when I fell into the water and was unconscious, so I can guess what's going on."
"Alright." Wen Tao stroked his beard. "I've practically watched Chengxuan grow up. He's of good character and quick-witted. He'll definitely pass the imperial examination next year. Your family background isn't a bad fit for you, do you think?"
Wen Shu smiled and said, "Since ancient times, marriages have always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. Shu'er will listen to her father."
After seeing Wen Tao off, Wen Shu gave up on dealing with the Qi family and walked along the flower corridor towards the backyard.
Hanxiang had been by Wenshu's side for many years. The two had grown up together and were the closest of confidants.
Hanxiang noticed some subtle emotions and followed closely behind Wenshu, saying, "Why do you look so troubled, Miss? Do you not like the young master of the Qi family?"
"Like?" She pondered the word, then suddenly scoffed, "Like is something that can be faked or acted out. Hanxiang, you should know that all these expressions of joy might be fake."
Seeing her in a daze, Wen Shu suddenly smiled, changed her expression, and said cheerfully, "Let's go, we have an appointment with someone important."
The important person Wen Shu mentioned was Zhuang Yan.
As soon as the Qi family left, Zhuang Yan arrived at the door, almost at the same time.
Inside the exquisite courtyard, a young woman's lips parted slightly in surprise as she asked, "Young Master Qi? Is he the second son of the Prefect's household?"
"Exactly." Wen Shu had tea served, and two plates of chilled sweet fruit sat on the table, looking very fresh and crisp. "What do you think?"
A woman dressed in light pink was absentmindedly holding a fruit in her hand; it was Zhuang Yan, the wife of the Zhuang family.
At this moment, as if struck by the coldness of her fingertips, she came to her senses and said, "I haven't seen this young master of the Qi family much, but in the past six months, he seems to have taken a special liking to you."
Zhuang Yan pursed her lips, revealing a pair of shallow dimples. "I remember, at the end of last year, several officials from our Anyang Prefecture gathered together, and wasn't Young Master Qi there too?"
Wen Shu glanced at her with a smile, "Then the young master from Military Advisor Wu's residence has also come."
“That’s true.” Zhuang Yan thought for a moment and said with a mischievous smile, “A few days ago you accidentally fell into the water, and I heard that the young master of the Qi family came to visit you every day. It’s clear that he cares about you. Today, Magistrate Qi came in person again. I guess the marriage is probably settled.”
Wen Shu leaned against the bamboo chair, peeling fruit with both hands, whether she heard or not was unclear.
After Zhuang Yan finished speaking, her face fell again, and she said dejectedly, "If you get married, we sisters won't be able to get together often."
Wen Shu raised her head. "What if one day, the world changes drastically, and we never have the chance to meet again?"
"How could that be?" Zhuang Yan looked at her. "We were born in Anyang Prefecture. Anyang is our home. Where do you think you can go if you leave home?"
Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "If that day ever comes, I will definitely find a way to see you."
Zhuang Yan left after lunch. Zhou Yun came over with a smile and said that the Qi family had hired a matchmaker to match the horoscopes of the two of them.
Wen Shu wasn't surprised; she simply responded with words.
When Zhuang Yan came earlier, she implied that she didn't know much about Qi Chengxuan either. She had to find out how much of the good reputation he had spread was true and how much was false.
"Shu'er, what's wrong?" Zhou Yun saw that she looked thoughtful and reached out to tap her forehead. "Did you go crazy from reading medical books?"
Zhou Yun sat down beside her, fully clothed. "I heard you've been going to the medicine shop a lot these past few days?"
Wen Shu's eyelids twitched, and she said alertly, "It's just getting some commonly used medicinal herbs. Didn't Mother also ask me to manage the medicine shop? I have to go and check on it from time to time."
Zhou Yun held her hand, "The medicine shop can be managed by the servants. You can just look through the account books. The medicine shop is part of my dowry. When you get married, the medicine shop will go with you, and you'll be able to manage it more easily then."
Seeing that Zhou Yun didn't suspect anything, Wen Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.
Zhou Yun added, "You like to play with these medical books and herbs, so I'll let you do as you please. But when you marry into the Qi family, although you won't have to manage the household affairs, you'll still have to take care of the affairs of the second branch of the family. You can't do whatever you want like that anymore."
Many dried medicinal herbs were drying on bamboo racks in the courtyard. Some were collected from poor families, and some were grown in medicinal herb farms. She had seen both common and uncommon herbs.
When she was a child, she learned to identify medicinal herbs from her maternal grandfather and always found it difficult to understand. Now, she can write prescriptions fluently.
"Mother, it was my maternal grandfather's wish to practice medicine and save lives, I don't want to..."
Zhou Yun squeezed her hand, "What nonsense are you talking about? You are the daughter of an official, and you will be an official's wife in the future. Let alone in Anyang Prefecture, in the entire Dasheng, where is there an official's wife who goes out to practice medicine?"
"It's considered lowly for women to practice medicine; they're seen as gossipy and meddlesome. You want to prescribe medicine and practice medicine, but there's never been a precedent for that," Zhou Yun sighed softly. "All I want is for you to live a peaceful life."
Wen Shu lowered her eyelashes. "I understand."
——
"What do you understand?! Do you know how serious this is?!"
A thousand miles away in the capital city of Ji, a roar nearly blew off the roof tiles.
The boy stood with his hands on his hips and swayed around three times. "It's been so long and there's still not a single word. If something happens to my uncle, will my mother even be able to live?"
The subordinate knelt on one knee without uttering a sound, his face showing rare annoyance. "It was my dereliction of duty. The young master has been missing since crossing the river. Should we send someone to search for him?"
The boy calmed himself down. "My uncle went to Anyang on a mission, and we can't disturb him rashly, lest we alert him. But I haven't been able to contact him, and I'm really worried..."
Those below had a vague sense of foreboding, when the young man said, "How about this, I'll sneak across the river quietly. That way, we can find my uncle without a large-scale search. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
The servant's face darkened. "Young Master, the Prince instructed before he left that you must not leave Jijing even a step."
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