Chapter 10
Yu Wan observed the man's condition and couldn't help but worry. "Is it okay to just get medicine without seeing a doctor? Could it kill him? I think we need to draw up a written agreement that if I get the medicine according to your prescription and something goes wrong, I will not be responsible."
He Jing was experiencing severe abdominal pain, which made it difficult for him to breathe. He coughed heavily twice, glanced at her, and said...
"Don't worry, I won't blame you."
He took out a brocade pouch from his bosom and explained Yu Wan's question.
"This is a medicinal powder developed by a master craftsman who imitated the scent of a lynx."
Yu Wan's eyes lit up. She seemed to remember something. In her previous life, she had indeed read a popular science article that said wolves were very afraid of the scent of lynxes and would almost never go to places where lynxes were present.
"That's amazing! Is there any more? Can you share some with me? In case I encounter wolves again, I won't be afraid."
He Jing tossed the brocade pouch to her, saying, "Here you go."
Yu Wan took it. "You have more?"
He Jing said nonchalantly, "That's all, just this one."
Yu Wan placed the brocade pouch beside his pillow. "Never mind then, you can keep it yourself. So how did you find me?"
At that moment, a gurgling sound came from inside.
Yu Wan was certain it wasn't herself, and only then did she realize that the sound was coming from the other person's stomach.
"Ahem!" He Jing coughed lightly twice. Fortunately, his messy hair covered his face and concealed his expression, but his red ears still betrayed his embarrassment.
Yu Wan suddenly remembered something. "Oh dear! I didn't bring you food before I left last night, did I? I'm so sorry, I forgot about it. Hurry up and eat some dumplings while they're hot. But it's a good thing that we don't have to sneak around anymore."
He Jing picked up his chopsticks. "I'm not doing this for a meal. I just heard your mother talking about you, so I went out to look for you. You took me in these past few days and were kind to me. Now that you're in trouble, I can't just sit idly by."
Yu Wan smiled, her eyes narrowed. "Anyway, you saved my life, thank you so much. You should rest now, I have to open the shop later, so I won't bother you any longer."
Unexpectedly, He Jing stopped her, "There seems to be more to yesterday's events than meets the eye. Did you offend someone?"
Yu Wan was surprised that this person was quite clever and kindly reminded him.
After going through several things together, my opinion of him has changed quite a bit.
"I know someone wants to give me a warning, but I haven't decided who it is yet."
But she'll find out sooner or later that she'll have to pay back this debt.
First, let's rule out Jin Yifei and Zhu Zhifeng. Those two are just foodies and probably won't do anything to her.
The magistrate and his wife appeared amiable, but they were quite cunning. In particular, Madam Zhu's suggestive remark before they left made her suspicious.
Are you worried that she will use some means to entangle Jin Yifei? Words alone are not enough. You need to teach her a painful lesson.
Yu Wan was speechless. She was just trying to make money and get more opportunities. How did she end up being suspected of trying to sleep with a rich young man in front of others?
The most suspicious person is Boss Qian. After all, that was originally the home turf of his Fumanju restaurant, but he didn't expect his limelight to be stolen. Later, he wanted to buy her recipe, and after being refused, it's hard to guarantee that he wouldn't get angry and teach her a lesson.
Her thoughts drifted for a while before she came to her senses and didn't say much.
"I'm going to get busy. Don't worry about getting the medicine; I'll be very careful. My mother's leg isn't good, and we're going to treat her these next few days. If we get the medicine together then, no one will care."
He Jing nodded, "Thank you for your trouble."
Yu Wan went downstairs and saw that her mother had wiped the tables and chairs clean. She guessed that her mother must not have slept much last night.
"Mother, I'm sorry to have worried you."
Mother Yu's eyes softened. "What parent wouldn't worry about their child? I'm relieved that you're back safe and sound. By the way, the clothes that young master was wearing look just like your brother's."
Yu Wan thought to herself, "This is bad. My weakness has been discovered."
"It's like this, when you saw me, I had already come back once. His clothes were covered in blood, it was quite frightening. I was afraid of scaring you and Acheng, so I didn't disturb you and took my brother's clothes first so he could change outside."
Yu's mother asked again, "His injuries were so severe, all because he saved you?"
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Don't ask anymore. He'll leave once he's recovered."
With red eyes, Yu's mother said, "I don't know what he's been through. If his parents knew what he's like now, they'd be heartbroken. Seeing him reminds me of your brother. I wonder if he and your father are alive or dead..."
Yu Wan comforted her for a long time before she calmed down.
Mother Yu wiped away her tears. "I'll have Acheng boil some water so that young master can wash up properly."
Yu Wan responded, "Okay."
She knew business wouldn't be too good in the days following the New Year, so she didn't have high hopes. With the mindset of earning every penny possible, she would serve skewers to anyone who came to eat them, and if no one came, she would do the accounting at the counter and plan for future development.
The current problem is that there is a lack of funds and a shortage of ingredients.
As the weather gradually warms up, there will be more fish and shrimp in the river, and chickens and rabbits in the mountains.
These all-natural ingredients are even more delicious. I'll go out every morning and try my luck. If I run into hunters returning from their hunt, I can buy some with some silver.
If you have a vegetable garden, you can grow your own vegetables and save on the cost of buying vegetables.
Only two groups of customers came in one day, but it's better than nothing.
She took some time during lunch to ask a doctor to take Yu's mother's pulse. The doctor's conclusion was that the illness was a long-standing ailment that couldn't be cured in a short time and required long-term medication to gradually regulate her body.
Yu Wan got the medicine for her mother and then went to several pharmacies to buy all the ingredients for another prescription.
That evening, she carried the prepared medicine, giving one bowl to her mother and one bowl to the man.
She arrived at her brother's room and knocked gently twice. A short while later, the door opened from the inside.
What comes into view is a face with sharp, handsome features, pale skin as delicate as porcelain, and long, dark hair tied up in a high ponytail.
Tall and slender, dressed in coarse linen, yet his innate nobility was undeniable.
Yu Wan blinked. "You are... He Suzhi?"
He had a facial injury and always had disheveled hair. Yu Wan only knew that he was a man with a good figure and was somewhat handsome. She never expected him to be so otherworldly and exceptionally beautiful.
He Jing's expression was cold and stern, his thin lips slightly pursed, as he took the medicine bowl with one hand.
"It is I."
Yu Wan looked away and asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
He Jing drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and put the bowl on the table.
"No, thank you."
Yu Wan put away the bowls and went downstairs, never asking questions she shouldn't.
Business had been slow for two consecutive days, which she had anticipated, so she didn't stock up on too many ingredients.
The number of diners increased as soon as the third day of the Lunar New Year ended.
Several familiar faces arrived; they were the people who worked as Chef Chen's assistants at the magistrate's residence.
"Welcome, welcome, please come in." Yu Wan greeted them warmly.
The group greeted each other with laughter, "We've been busy for several days, and the boss finally gave us a day off. We're heading straight to your barbecue place. We've been curious about your barbecue ever since we tried it at the magistrate's house last time."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Thank you all for coming. Take a look at the menu; you can order anything listed there."
The group glanced around and said, "Give us one of everything here. This place isn't close to the county town, and we finally found it, so let's try it all in one go."
Yu Wan happily agreed and went to the kitchen to get busy.
These past few days, he hasn't asked Yu Cheng for help; he's gone out to play with other kids and only comes back around mealtime.
"Sister, what are we having for lunch?"
As Yu Wan worked, she smiled and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Yu Cheng said, "I want to eat braised noodles."
Yu Wan replied, "Okay, okay, I'll make it for you when I'm done with my work."
Yu's mother shook her head helplessly: "Acheng, you've been acting crazy for days. You can't go out tomorrow. Stay home and help your sister with the chores."
Yu Cheng obediently replied, "I know, Mom."
He then asked, "Sister, why does Brother Su never go out? He stays in his room all the time. Doesn't he get bored?"
Yu Wan placed the skewers on the grill and then went to knead the dough.
"He's not feeling well, so it's not convenient for him to go out. Please don't disturb him, okay?"
Before long, the skewers were plated, and Yu Cheng carried the plates to the guests' tables.
The group, captivated by the aroma, began to scramble for the skewers, one after another.
"Oh my god, these green peppers are so delicious!"
"The chicken gizzards are absolutely delicious. I told you they're better than Chef Chen's, but you didn't believe me."
"What did Chef Chen grill? The lamb skewers were all overcooked and dry, the taste was so bad."
"Who would have thought that green vegetables could be grilled like this? They're usually used for grilling meat skewers."
"And this fish tofu, pork tenderloin, oh my god, I've never tasted anything like this before, I really want to have a couple of drinks."
"Madam Yu, do you have any wine?"
Yu Wan was carrying a bowl of noodles and was about to go upstairs when she said, "We don't have any in the shop. What kind of alcohol would you like to drink? I'll have my brother go and get it for you."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the noodles, which were covered with a layer of sauce and smelled delicious.
What smells so good?
"Noodles with braised meat sauce? Madam Yu, give us a bowl of noodles too!"
Yu Wan was always accommodating and readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go upstairs first and come down to make it for you in a bit."
She then said to her mother, "Mother, you should go upstairs and rest too. I'll help you."
Seeing that the shop wasn't busy, Yu's mother nodded and said, "Don't overwork yourself."
The mother and daughter went upstairs, but little did they know that not long after they went up, Yu Cheng, who had gone out to buy wine, was dragged back by a burly man by the collar.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the men from Fumanju stood up and tried to persuade him, "Brother, what are you doing? He's just a kid. Why are you getting angry with him? Why don't you sit down first? We'll treat you to some barbecue skewers. The barbecue here is really good. How about we have a drink together?"
The burly man, his face contorted with rage, roared, "Who's in charge here? This brat stole my money, and I'm here to demand an explanation! If no one dares to step forward, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Yu Cheng was lifted into the air like a chick, which frightened the others so much that they dared not make any rash moves.
"Brother, don't be impulsive, stay calm. Talk it out slowly. The child's sister is the owner of this shop; she went upstairs to take care of something and will be down soon."
Yu Wan happened to see this scene when she came downstairs.
Her eyes turned cold, and she strode up to the burly man. "Brother, let's talk this over. Put my brother down first, and whatever happens, come to me for a solution."
The burly man glared at him angrily: "What? Don't you have any men in your family? Why are you sending a little girl like me? Or are you all cowards?"
Yu Wan remained calm. "My father and brother aren't home. I'm in charge of this household now. Just tell me what's going on. Don't make things difficult for my brother. Please put him down first."
Others also tried to persuade him, saying, "Brother, all the men in their family have gone to the battlefield. You should talk things out."
Yu Cheng struggled fiercely: "Sister, I didn't steal the money! I didn't do it!"
The burly man still wouldn't release them, his face contorted with rage. He roared, "You still dare to say you didn't! The money I just collected from selling the liquor was right there on the table, and then it disappeared. You were the only one there; if it wasn't you who stole it, who else could it be?"
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