Chapter 80 The Strange Woman
On Jiang Nuanzhi's side.
She saw that she had reached the dock, but the little tail behind her was still there. So she stopped her horse and turned back.
Seeing that Miss Liu, who was following her, was frantically spurring her horse to run away, Jiang Nuanzhi directly spurred her horse to block her way.
Then she rolled over and got off.
Miss Liu, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Jiang Nuanzhi's gaze, dismounted from her horse.
"Young Miss, you've been following me all this way, what exactly do you want?"
"I...I'm not following you. There are many paths in the world, let's each go our own way. Are you saying you can leave but I can't?"
Jiang Nuanzhi let out a long sigh: "If you don't tell me, I'm really leaving."
"Hey! Wait a minute." Miss Liu hesitated and said, "Um, you're injured, but I haven't seen you go to the clinic."
Jiang Nuan was taken aback: "You followed me because you were worried about my injury?"
Miss Liu's eyes widened: "Who cares about your injury?! I'm just worried you'll bully others again. Besides, what if you really die from your illness?"
Jiang Nuanzhi spread her hands out and twirled them around: "Now you see, I neither bullied anyone nor died of illness. Shouldn't you go back now?"
Ms. Liu paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, oh."
He remained standing still.
Jiang Nuanzhi let out a long breath and noticed a stray hair sticking up on her forehead, covered in bits of grass. She casually removed it and patted her shoulder. "Alright, Miss, we've become friends today, albeit through a fight. To be honest, I'm a veterinarian, and I can take care of my own wounds. You should go back. It's not safe for a young girl to be alone."
"A veterinarian?" Miss Liu looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with a face full of questions, then added, "Aren't you all alone too?"
Before Jiang Nuanzhi could even speak, a group of servants rushed towards her.
"Miss! What are you doing here? We've finally found you!"
"That's right, Miss. There are many bad people outside. You can't go out alone in the future!"
"Look, you got into trouble just for buying some rouge. We heard from the shop owner that you were bullied today?"
"Miss, are you hurt? Someone! Quickly fetch a doctor, we need to go back to the manor immediately!"
Surrounded by a group of people, Miss Liu glanced back at Jiang Nuanzhi as she walked back.
In fact, Ms. Liu herself didn't know why she was following her.
Perhaps no one had ever treated her like this before, and she always wanted to see what she would do.
She was already mounted on the horse, leaving only her back exposed.
This person is really strange. He's clearly fat, but his back is very straight.
Despite wearing inexpensive clothes, she interacted with others with neither servility nor arrogance, displaying a remarkable demeanor.
Her eyes were big and bright, and she spoke slowly and leisurely, but walked very fast, with a lazy air about her, yet she seemed inexplicably carefree.
Her back had been struck by her own whip, tearing a piece of her clothing and exposing the flesh beneath. It was clear at a glance that she was in great pain, yet she seemed completely unaffected. She didn't act like a typical young woman at all.
Thinking this, she looked at the wet nurse beside her: "Wet nurse, could you help me investigate someone?"
After all that trouble, it was nearly noon when Jiang Nuanzhi finally arrived at the dock.
The dockworkers who were unloading goods were now resting in twos and threes, taking out the dry food they had brought from home to eat.
Jiang Nuanzhi looked over from a distance and spotted a small, thin figure in the corner.
It wasn't that Jiang Nuanzhi had particularly good eyesight, but rather that he was simply too conspicuous among this large group of burly men.
Everyone else was resting, but he was still carrying two or three packages of goods, probably because he was too young.
After cleaning up the bags in front of him, Li Junping plopped down on the ground, took out a dry biscuit from his pocket, took a bite, and then let out a heavy sigh.
"Have some water."
When Li Junping was suddenly handed a water bag, he paused in his eating and looked up.
Then, he saw Jiang Nuanzhi looking at him with a smile.
As if by reflex, he immediately stood up, looking at Jiang Nuanzhi with a somewhat awkward expression: "I...I..."
Jiang Nuanzhi, however, followed Li Junping's example and sat down on the ground, patting the person next to her to indicate that he should sit as well.
Li Junping frowned, unsure of what to say, and simply sat down in silence.
The next second, Jiang Nuanzhi handed him an oil paper package.
Li Junping took the oil paper package, opened it, and found two large steamed buns inside.
Jiang Nuanzhi also unwrapped an oil paper package, took a bite, and casually said, "Is this the place you said you could earn twenty coins a day? It has mountains and water, and the scenery is quite nice. I wonder if they hire female workers here."
Upon hearing this, Li Junping frowned and said urgently, "You are a doctor, you don't need to do these things! Besides, everyone here is a man, it's not appropriate for you!"
Jiang Nuanzhi turned to look at him: "Eat your steamed buns first. We were just chatting, why are you so angry?"
Li Junping pursed his lips, took a bite of the steamed bun, and lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
"How is it?" Jiang Nuanzhi suddenly asked.
A hint of confusion flashed in Li Junping's eyes: "What?"
"These steamed buns aren't as good as the ones I make, are they?"
Li Junping hadn't expected her to ask that, and silently nodded, "Mm."
After the two finished eating the steamed buns, Jiang Nuanzhi stood up, dusted off her clothes, and asked, "Are you full?"
Li Junping: "Hmm."
"Then let's take our wages and go home."
As she spoke, she took Li Junping's hand and walked outside.
Li Junping stopped in his tracks, glanced at her hand, and then pulled away: "I'm not leaving, I haven't finished yet."
Jiang Nuanzhi listened, nodded, and rolled up her sleeves: "Alright then, let's finish the work together before going home."
Li Junping grabbed her arm: "Don't you understand what I'm saying? You're a doctor! Your hands can't do these things! Do you want to use needles in the future?"
Jiang Nuanzhi said leisurely, "If someone like you who is good at reading can do these things, why can't I, a doctor, do them?"
Li Junping: "You!"
Jiang Nuanzhi squatted down and looked up at him slightly: "Ping'er, do you know how people who are exiled to the Great Wilderness get out?"
Li Junping awkwardly looked away, avoiding her gaze, and said coldly, "Those who are exiled, even if they die, will be buried here. What's the point of talking about leaving?"
Jiang Nuanzhi shook her head with a smile: "This refers to criminals. The current emperor has issued a pardon for the descendants of criminals. As long as they pass the imperial examinations, they can be exonerated. If they are favored by the emperor, it is not uncommon for them to become officials in the court."
Li Junping froze, staring intently at Jiang Nuanzhi: "What do you want to say?"
“Ping’er, I don’t know what you went through in Kyoto. I don’t know how strong your opponents were. But I think, if you’re going to spend your whole life hiding and cowering, why not face the challenge head-on and confront it directly? Go straight back to Kyoto for the exam. After all, no one can predict the future, right?”
Li Junping froze, his fists clenched tightly.
Jiang Nuanzhi softened her tone and said gently, "Ping'er, it's not that I don't want you to go out and work, but you're still too young. Your shoulders are too weak. These bags of grain will bend your back and break your pride."
As you said, I'm a doctor, and I need to take good care of my hands, but you're a scholar, and your hands are precious too.
"You're only eight years old. It's not shameful to hide under my shoulder for now. When you grow up and become strong, I will support whatever you want to do."
(End of this chapter)
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