Over one night, one day, and another half night, the medicine that Su Rong prepared for Zhou Gu was finally ready.
She labeled them and placed them into the jade bottles that Fen Ling had pre-purchased. She sealed them with wax, there were dozens of bottles. She loaded all of them into several sachets and handed them to Zhou Gu, yawning, she waved her hand and said, "Alright, you can leave now. I won’t see you off tomorrow."
Zhou Gu: "..."
He wanted Su Rong to see him off, but seeing how tired she was, he hesitated to press the matter. He collected a series of sachets from her and asked in a whisper, "Don’t you have anything to say to me before I leave?"
Yawning, Su Rong thought for a moment and answered, "No."
Zhou Gu sighed, "I heard from your elder brother that after he was appointed an official at the Jeweled Grove Banquet, he plans to go to Jibei. You plan to go as well. I’ll go to Nanping first and as for Jibei... I won’t go anymore. I’ll head straight to Nanchu."
He felt obliged to investigate the situation in Nanchu for her in advance. After all, there would be discrepancies relying solely on the files compiled by the Crown Prince. The messages sent back from the people he sent to investigate the Ye Xiang Residence indicated that there seemed to be no problem, but because of the limited time, he felt more at ease going there himself to investigate.
Su Rong nodded her head, "Alright."
Zhou Gu looked at her and asked, "Can I write to you every time I go to a new place?"
Su Rong didn’t object, "Sure."
Zhou Gu was slightly reluctant to part, "Then, I’m leaving?"
Su Rong waved her hand, "Go ahead!"
Zhou Gu sighed silently, picked up the sachets, and left.
Su Rong leaned against the door, watching him dawdle out of her courtyard. She found it slightly amusing. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she turned around and went back into the house.
Fen Ling stealthily poked her head out and asked Su Rong from the door, "Sister, should I wake you up early tomorrow to bid goodbye to Lord Thursday?"
"There’s no need." When Su Rong said she wouldn’t see him off, she meant it. She had things to do tomorrow.
Fen Ling withdrew her head, "Alright then!"
By the time Zhou Gu returned to Duke Residence, it was already past midnight. The Duchess was waiting for him in his room. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, he asked, "Mother, why are you still awake? Why are you waiting for me this late?"
"I can’t sleep anyway, so I thought I’d wait for you." The Duchess looked at him. His clothes were wrinkled, he smelled like medicine, and looked tired, but his spirits were high. She smiled and asked, "So, you’ve been making the medicine too?"
"Yes." Zhou Gu nodded, untied the sachets, and showed them to his mother, "Mother, look, all these medicines were made by Su Rong herself."
The Duchess was surprised, "So many? She made them all herself?"
She picked up one of the bottles, saw the label, and hesitated, "This medicine... is it the Jade Satin Ointment that sells for a thousand gold pieces a bottle in the medicine hall?"
"Yes, it’s the Jade Satin Ointment you’re familiar with."
The Duchess asked, "How did she get this recipe? Is she involved in the medicine business?"
Zhou Gu shook his head, "I don’t know."
Of course, he wouldn’t mention that Su Rong got the recipe by paying five thousand taels of silver to borrow it from the Great Buddha Temple.
"Your grandmother bought two bottles for you, I bought another two for you, and they are already in your luggage. But here, you have..." The Duchess counted, "five bottles?"
Zhou Gu curved his lips, "Five bottles are enough. You don’t need to bring the extra ones you and grandmother prepared for me. Leave them at home!"
"That should be enough. But it’s better to be prepared. We’ll feel better knowing you’ve taken some extra with you." The Duchess looked at the smile on her son’s face. It’s been a while since she’s seen him smile, it was truly a rare and precious sight. She checked each bottle and their labels on the table, apart from the Jade Satin Ointment, all were precious medicines that were hard to come by even at the Duke Residence. Compared to these, the medicines prepared by the Crown Princess Sheng An and herself seemed mundane, except for the Jade Satin Ointment, the others were common medicines for bruises and wounds.
The Duchess felt moved, she understood that to know a person, one should not just listen to what she says but observe what she does. Su Rong didn’t appear to be indifferent to her son at all. On the contrary, it seemed like she cared a great deal. All these precious medicines and the fact that she made them herself, disregarding their invaluable price, it was her heart and thoughtfulness that was truly rare.
She asked Zhou Gu tentatively, "Ever since you went to Hutong that day, have you been making medicine with her?"
Zhou Gu nodded and shook his head, "During the day, she went to the palace to visit the emperor and stayed in the palace for half a day. The rest of the time, she was preparing the medicine for me."
The Duchess nodded, "What did she talk to you about during these two days?"
Zhou Gu thought for a moment. Most of the time, Su Rong explained to him about the herbs and the tricks to prepare the medicine, and advised him to carry the medical books and recipes with him. If he needed some medicine that he ran out of, he could make it himself instead of struggling to find it somewhere else. Apart from that, she didn’t say much. Her attitude towards him was casual, as if it was like old times, but it also seemed different. Back in Jiangning County, she was more cautious and scheming, while later she became distant and silent. Now, while her words were casual and she treated him no closer than Fen Ling or Su Xingze, the distance and alienation seemed to have disappeared.
He shook his head, "She taught me how to prepare medicine. That’s it."
The Duchess nodded, "You must be careful while traveling. If you encounter any difficulties, write back to us, don’t bear it in silence. Our family is no ordinary family, there is no reason for you to struggle. This is also the advice of your grandparents."
"I understand." Zhou Gu smiled, "Don’t worry, mother. I’m not stupid."
The Duchess also laughed, "Yes, you’ve always been good at charming us since you were a child."
Had he not been this charming, Su Rong probably wouldn’t have treated him as she did. Cold-hearted people can be warmed up by those who are likeable.
Feeling relieved, she stood up, "You don’t have to get up too early tomorrow. Rest well before you leave, there’s no need to rush. Keep these medicines in a safe place and get some sleep!"
Zhou Gu nodded and agreed, he escorted her out of his room, "Mother, you should get some rest too. I’m about to go to sleep."
The Duchess nodded, left Zhou Gu’s room, and was guided back to her chamber with her maid holding the lantern.
After the Duchess left, Zhou Gu carefully kept the sachets with the medicine bottles and went to sleep on his bed.
The next day, he rose after daybreak, had breakfast, packed up, and went to Princess Sheng An’s courtyard.
The people in the Duke Residence had been waiting in Princess Sheng An’s courtyard quite early, even the old Duke was present.
After bidding goodbye to the old Duke, Princess Sheng An, Duchess, and others, he was escorted to the gate of the Residence. He hugged the tearful Princess Sheng An and Duchess. Then, he waved at everyone, said his goodbyes, mounted his horse, and under the escort of Ziye and others, left the Duke Residence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
