Chapter 47: Lady Su Yu's Background
He Zhilin looked embarrassed, but stood still, neither responding nor opening the door.
"A close female friend?" Jiang Xue teased with amusement on her face, then turned to Fu Dong and said, "Fu Dong, go open the door."
Fu Dong opened the door and saw a tall woman standing outside the house. She had a graceful figure and a bun with a fairy-like bun. She wore a pair of jade fan-shaped hairpins and a gilded hairpin on both sides. Her face was like a lotus, her mouth was like red, and her eyebrows and eyes still had a hint of heroism. Jiang Xue was a little dazed for a moment.
"Oh!" The woman came towards him and said, "Sir, there are two such beautiful girls hidden in your room. No wonder you didn't respond when I called you and didn't open the door for me for a long time!"
He Zhilin said sternly, "Su Yu, don't talk nonsense. This is my uncle's daughter and her maid."
"Su Yu?" Fu Dong suddenly spoke up and exclaimed, "Is this Madam Su Yu?!"
Oh my God, she actually met her idol, Lady Su Yu, here and at this moment!
Su Yu covered his mouth with his fan and chuckled, "Does this girl recognize me?"
Fu Dong nodded heavily, then suddenly shook his head repeatedly.
"I, I've only heard of your beautiful name..." Fu Dong murmured, "It turns out that Madam Su Yu is so beautiful."
Su Yu laughed even more and said to He Zhilin: "This girl is really interesting. I like her."
When Fu Dong heard what she said, a blush instantly appeared on her face, and she hid behind Jiang Xue in embarrassment.
Su Yu saw Jiang Xue and said, "This sister is also a goddess."
Jiang Xue smiled and said, "Madam Su Yu, you can just call me Jiang San."
"Jiang San?" Su Yu asked curiously, "There is actually a girl with this name?"
"I am the third child in my family. My name is Jiang..." Jiang Xue glanced at He Fudong and said, "Jiang Dong'er."
"It turns out to be Miss Dong'er. How old is she this year?"
"Just turned nineteen."
"I'm already twenty-two, so I'll be bold and call you sister, okay?"
Jiang Xue glanced at He Zhilin and saw that he looked speechless, which she found very funny.
"It is my great honor to be called sister by the famous Madam Su Yu," Jiang Xue said with a smile, "Dong'er is very honored."
Su Yu felt that the Miss Jiang in front of her was very generous and decent, without any affectation at all, which made her like her very much.
"Are you from the capital?" Su Yu asked.
"I lived in Beijing when I was a child. My family...elders and the Yan family's elders often interacted with each other in the early years, but later both families left the capital and we haven't had any contact for many years." Jiang Xue immediately made up a story for herself.
"No wonder my sister speaks with a Beijing accent, so that's why." Su Yu took her hand and led her to sit on the chair.
"Did you just return to the capital as well?"
"My family returned last month. These days, I heard about the reputation of the 'famous doctor from Jiaodong' in Beijing. I also found out that his surname is Yan. I wanted to come and see if he is the old brother of the Yan family. I didn't expect that he really is."
He Zhilin heard Jiang Xue's nonsense and stepped forward to interrupt, "Su Yu, why are you back at this time?"
"Come back?" Jiang Xue was curious. These two actually lived in the same place?
"What? You are allowed to keep a beautiful girl in your golden house, but I am not allowed to see her?" Su Yu teased.
"I told you to stop talking nonsense, Your Majesty..." He Zhilin paused and said, "Isn't the store still open? How come you have time?"
"What shop? Nanxing came to look for me and said that many girls came to his master's room. Should I come over to take a look?"
He Zhilin said awkwardly: "Stop talking nonsense."
He said to Jiang Xue, "Miss, this is Su Yu. From what Fu Dong said, you should know her."
Jiang Xue teased, "I have only heard a little bit, why don't you tell me, brother, how did Madam Su Yu know you?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Let me tell you something. In my early years, I was not in the capital. My family was very poor. When I was 15, my parents wanted to sell me to a local old man as a concubine for the sake of my brother's future. I escaped."
"It was winter, the weather was freezing cold, and I was a 14 or 15-year-old orphan who had wandered all the way to Ruzhou. I fell ill and couldn't get up, but I had no money to see a doctor."
Ruzhou, the capital of Jiaodong.
Jiang Xue immediately felt a little embarrassed. These two people actually knew each other in Jiaodong.
It seems that Su Yu doesn't know He Zhilin's true identity? Then she just mentioned the Yan family, which was just a cover-up.
"Maybe I'm lucky. I survived six or seven days with a high fever and met Mr. Yan." Su Yu looked at He Zhilin with a flickering look in his eyes.
He Zhilin coughed awkwardly a few times and said, "I had been back to Jiaodong from the capital for more than half a year. I often went out to collect herbs by myself, and occasionally set up a medical tent to provide free medical services. I saw Su Yu on the road, and fortunately he was saved."
"Then how did Sister Su Yu end up in such a place..." Jiang Xue didn't continue, feeling a little hesitant.
"Qinlou and Chuguan, right?" Su Yu laughed and said, "Ladies from wealthy families like you may be ashamed to say it out loud, but I don't mind."
"There's nothing hard to say," Jiang Xue said with a firm look in her eyes, "There's nothing wrong with making a living by your own ability."
"That's right," Fu Dong said unconvincedly, "Besides, Madam Su Yu is so capable, I wonder how many women admire her."
Su Yu couldn't stop laughing, supporting her slender waist with her hands, and said, "These two sisters are really interesting!"
Someone happened to walk in and shouted, "What are you talking about here? You are laughing so happily but you didn't call me—"
"Hey! When did a beautiful sister like a fairy come here!"
The person who came was Lu Qiongshuang. She walked to Su Yu, pulled her sleeve, and exclaimed loudly.
Jiang Xue felt a little embarrassed unconsciously.
Lu Qiongshuang said to Jiang Xue with a look of delight: "Sister, is this your friend? She is so pretty! How could I not recognize her?"
The girl in front of him had her hair tied up in a ponytail without even a hairpin. Her face was full of heroism and neatness, but it didn't match the gorgeous dress she was wearing. Her every move seemed extremely... awkward? Su Yu was a little confused.
Jiang Xue pulled Lu Qiongshuang over and said, "This is Madam Su Yu, a friend of Brother Yan."
Lu Qiong rolled her eyes and said in an ambiguous voice: "So it's Brother Yan's 'friend'..."
Yan Zhe looked a little embarrassed and glanced at Jiang Xue quietly, only to see that she was also laughing quietly.
I feel a little lost.
Su Yu said: "Is this Jiang San's sister's sister?"
Jiang Xue nodded.
Lu Qiongshuang clasped his fists and bowed to Su Yu. He looked particularly funny under his wide sleeves. Su Yu couldn't help laughing out loud.
Lu Qiongshuang turned around and complained to Jiang Xue: "Sister, when will you take me to buy some clothes? This dress is so uncomfortable for me!"
Su Yu asked, "Little sister, you want to buy some clothes? I happen to own a few clothing stores right here in Sajin Lane. If you don't mind, come with me and pick out some clothes."
Before Lu Qiongshuang could answer, she heard Fu Dong nodding repeatedly, "Okay, okay!"
The unparalleled clothing store that Wusha talked about! She really wanted to go and have a good look!
Jiang Xue smiled helplessly and said, "My little sister and the maid are ignorant and rude."
"What's the point of saying it's abrupt or not?" Su Yu took Lu Qiongshuang's hand and said, "I like you guys very much. If there's someone you really like, I'd be so happy."
Lu Qiongshuang was flattered as he looked at the beauty holding his hand and smiled foolishly.
Jiang Xue said: "Then I'd better obey your command."
So Lu Qiongshuang and Fu Dong circled around Su Yu, the three of them walked in front, and Jiang Xue and He Zhilin walked behind.
Jiang Xue asked in a low voice: "Brother He, this Lady Su Yu seems to be very familiar with you? Could this Yawu House be her yard?"
He Zhilin nodded, and then said anxiously: "My relationship with her is not... not the kind of relationship you think."
Jiang Xue smiled with her eyebrows curved, and said sincerely: "Brother is not like those pedantic scholars, but I have never seen you have any prejudice against family background. Madam Su Yu is very good, if brother likes her, he should be more generous."
Seeing that she was trying to persuade him seriously, He Zhilin could only smile bitterly.
"I saved her that year and rented a small house near the city gate of Ruzhou. I took her in for a while and let her recuperate. She was very grateful and wanted to go back to my mansion with me to be a maid."
"She thought that my excellent medical skills saved her life, but it was not the case. She was a very tenacious person with a strong will, otherwise she would not have survived for so many days."
"I told her that there are thousands of paths in the world, and people like her will definitely shine, and there is no need to be a servant. If she can't make a name for herself in her whole life, isn't it a waste of her ambition?"
"I gave her some money and told her to do whatever she wanted. I would go and congratulate her when she became successful. Then she left Ruzhou and I haven't seen her for many years."
Jiang Xue nodded and said, "Brother, your intention is very good, but I just don't know how she became the honorary courtesan of Jijing?"
He Zhilin sighed, "Maybe I'm too naive, or maybe I don't know how difficult life is for women. She first came to Jijing and used the money I gave her to start some small businesses, but she was so beautiful that someone had bad intentions and swindled all her belongings away. They also tricked her into going to a brothel and then sold her off."
Jiang Xue frowned, feeling a little distressed, and said, "It's really not easy for Madam Su Yu. But brother didn't misjudge her. She is indeed a person of determination and great talent in business. Otherwise, she wouldn't have achieved what she has today."
"When she was in Beijing, she would often send letters to Ruzhou Posthouse. I was away at the time, and it was my family members who brought the letters to me that told me what had happened to her. But by then, she had redeemed herself and left Cangjiao Pavilion on her own. I was not able to save her from the fire pit when she needed me the most."
Jiang Xue comforted him, "But brother, you gave her faith, which is the biggest help in changing her life."
"Maybe if I had taken her to the He residence back then, she wouldn't have had such a rough time these years."
"Brother, do you really think that being an unknown servant is better than being the brilliant Madam Su Yu?"
Jiang Xue frowned, and seeing that He Zhilin did not answer, she continued:
"I don't think so. What path a person takes in life is up to him or herself. With Madam Su Yu's character, she would definitely prefer to be self-reliant rather than throwing away her talent. Even if there are many setbacks, she finally took the path she was willing to take and was happy on."
He Zhilin nodded and said, "Maybe so. I didn't help enough after all."
Jiang Xue shook her head and said, "Women don't have to rely on others for everything. Even if parents, brothers, lovers or friends can help, it can only be temporary. Instead of that, I think the life of Madam Su Yu, who has been reborn from the dead in a desperate situation, is more admirable."
He Zhilin turned around and smiled at her, "You were like this when you were a kid, always having a lot of weird truths."
Jiang Xue looked depressed and said, "How could you know about my childhood?"
He Zhilin said to himself, "Some time ago, I sent her a letter to tell her that I was coming to Beijing, and she invited me to come to this Yawu cottage. Sajin Lane is very lively and prosperous, and there will be many people seeking medical treatment. I agreed and set up a decent medical clinic here."
Jiang Xue said: "I see, does she know your true identity?"
He Zhilin shook his head and said, "The He family is famous in Ruzhou for saving people. The people of Ruzhou treat the He family very well. I usually don't like to use the He family name when I go out."
"Are you afraid that when you eat out, people won't charge you?" Jiang Xue joked.
"You may think it's a joke, but it's true." He Zhilin said, "I also used a pseudonym when I met her."
"A pseudonym?"
Jiang Xue's heart was filled with alarm, and she immediately chased after the three people who were walking together in front of her and grabbed Lu Qiongshuang who was chattering.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
