Chapter 30 You big glutton!
Hongxiu listened silently.
Jiang Ling spoke these words with a very strong tone.
She was heavier than the old nanny who taught her and the great scholar.
But these words, which seemed to weigh a ton, seemed to penetrate her body, accumulating little by little, and becoming the source of her confidence!
Hongxiu suddenly stood up, clenched her fists, and her eyes were no longer filled with sorrow.
"I see!"
"I'm going to compete for the title of courtesan! This is my goal that I've been striving for for over a decade. Whether I succeed or not, I deserve to give myself an explanation! To subdue the enemy without a fight? That's the act of a coward!"
Jiang Ling looked at her with relief; her words earlier had not been in vain.
Just then, a carriage approached from a distance, and someone inside kept calling out the word "Miss"!
Hongxiu gave a wry smile: "This is my carriage that has come to find me."
Now that she had figured it out, she felt relieved.
She walked to the door and waved to the carriage in the distance.
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the general store.
Xiao Qiao hurriedly dismounted, tears still lingering on her face.
"Girl! I've finally found you! I thought..." She glanced at Jiang Ling, then stopped herself. "The courtesan competition is about to begin!"
As the sun set, she discovered that her daughter was missing and searched the entire Bailong Temple without success.
That's how they followed the trail of people all the way here.
As a girl living under the peony, she naturally knew the consequences of running away.
If her daughter really runs away, she won't survive either!
"Don't worry, I can't escape," Hongxiu said resignedly.
Then she looked at Jiang Ling, "Haven't you asked the shopkeeper's name yet?"
"My name is Jiang Ling. I'm two years older than you, so just call me 'older sister'."
“Sister.” Hongxiu’s nose tingled with emotion. She then bowed to Jiang Ling.
"Thank you so much, sister. I will never forget your teachings!"
Jiang Ling thought for a moment and called out to her as she turned to leave.
"When does your courtesan competition start?"
Hongxiu replied, "It's Hai Shi (9-11 PM). If the carriage moves quickly, it will arrive in half an hour. Go back and change your clothes and get ready; you can make it in time."
Jiang Ling checked the time. "If you trust me, give me fifteen minutes, and I'll do your makeup."
Jiang Ling went upstairs to get her makeup bag.
Time was of the essence, so she moved quickly, but her hands remained as steady as ever.
Hongxiu sat on the stool, letting Jiang Ling do whatever she wanted to her face.
Looking at the table full of cosmetics she had never seen before, she didn't ask any questions.
Since it's competition makeup, it has to be a bit heavier than usual.
Jiang Ling put on false eyelashes, eyeliner, and eyeshadow.
To complement Hongxiu's pure and innocent temperament, a floral decoration was added to her forehead.
Red sleeves love to wear red, and a bright lip color can enhance the effect.
A quarter of an hour, no more, no less!
Jiang Ling gave her a small round mirror that she could carry with her.
Hongxiu picked up the mirror and looked at herself. She was startled!
"Oh my god! Is that me in the mirror? Such fair skin! Such big, watery eyes! Such vibrant red lips!"
"Why is this mirror so clear? It reflects people in every tiny detail!"
The moment she turned around, even Xiao Qiao, who had known her since childhood, was amazed.
"My God! You're so beautiful, girl!"
One of the four great evil arts, who wouldn't be terrified if they saw it?
Hongxiu was always worried that the girl was prettier than her, so this should ease her anxiety a bit.
Jiang Ling left her a lipstick and a powder compact, saying, "If your makeup gets smudged, use this to touch it up."
"Thank you, sister!"
"Don't cry, your makeup will be ruined and you won't look good!"
Just before getting into the carriage, Jiang Ling slipped something into Hongxiu's hand.
He whispered in her ear, "If you lose the election, mix this with water and coax Master Huang to drink it, and he'll sleep soundly all night. Also, happy birthday!"
Before she could turn around, he pushed her onto the carriage.
————
After seeing Hongxiu off, Jiang Ling felt dizzy.
It was pitch black outside, and no one was walking around.
She tidied up the mess on the table and was just about to close the door when she saw two horses running towards her in the distance.
...They probably didn't come looking for me, did they?
She was about to close the door when she suddenly heard someone shouting in the distance.
"Miss Jiang!"
Jiang Ling: ......
The sound of horses' hooves came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the grocery store.
Cheng Fang dismounted and strode to the door, a relieved smile on his face.
"Luckily we arrived in time, otherwise Miss Jiang would have closed the shop if we had been fifteen minutes later!"
Zhao Jingxing followed closely behind, bowing respectfully and saying, "Miss Jiang."
Upon learning that Jiang Ling had generously given them the special medicine and wound medicine that could save thousands of people without accepting a single penny, they now regarded Jiang Ling as more than just a merchant.
Well then, all who come are guests.
Just as Jiang Ling was about to invite them in, a gust of wind blew by, and she suddenly gulped down a large mouthful of air.
It choked her so much that she kept coughing.
Cough—cough—cough
"Miss Jiang, are you alright?" Cheng Fang was startled and quickly stepped forward to help her.
Zhao Jingxing said, "Miss Jiang doesn't look well. Are you sick?"
"Ah! Miss Jiang, are you sick? Should I go and fetch a doctor?"
Jiang Ling coughed until her voice was hoarse, and she couldn't speak for a moment, so she could only wave her hand.
I walked quickly to the counter, picked up a water glass and took a big gulp, which finally calmed me down.
My head was already dizzy, and after coughing a few times, it became even more dizzy and painful!
Seeing that she was unsteady on her feet, Cheng Fang quickly helped her sit down on the stool next to him.
"Maybe she's just a little tired. She'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Looking at her pale face, Cheng Fang said with concern, "Miss Jiang, please don't push yourself if you're not feeling well!"
Jiang Ling rolled her eyes inwardly: If you hadn't come, I could have been asleep by now!
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Is there something wrong with that batch of medicine that you came over so late at night?"
Zhao Jingxing immediately said seriously, "Miss Jiang, please rest assured. There is no problem with that batch of medicine. It is very effective. Nearly half of the patients have had their fevers reduced and their symptoms are currently stable. They are already able to eat."
"And the wound medicine provided by Miss Jiang is also very effective. The army was already running out of wound medicine, and the medicine that was hastily collected was not very effective. The army was already in trouble, and Miss Jiang's medicine was like a timely rain, solving the urgent problem!"
Cheng Fang excitedly added, "Miss Jiang, you don't know, but now everyone in the army is saying that a goddess surnamed Jiang sent you a magic medicine. She also said that once the epidemic is over, she will build a golden statue of you in the local area and burn incense and make offerings to you every day!"
Jiang Ling felt even more dizzy!
Never mind, as long as the Crown Prince and the others believe it's not a magic elixir, that's fine.
As for ordinary villagers, perhaps they would be more accepting of the idea of a magic medicine.
After all, a good mental state is more conducive to recovery.
The villagers are still homeless, and the imperial court will begin to fund the construction of houses once the epidemic is over.
A month or two later, they'll probably have long forgotten about the matter of repairing the golden statue.
"It would be best to advise the Crown Prince that patients whose high fever has subsided should not have a recurring fever for seven consecutive days before they can be considered truly out of danger. Otherwise, they still carry the virus and risk infecting others."
Zhao Jingxing nodded solemnly: "Miss Jiang is right. I will definitely pass on this suggestion to His Highness when I get back."
Jiang Ling nodded: "By the way, what brings you here so late?"
Cheng Fangxin had been wanting to come over for instant noodles, but when she saw that Jiang Ling was sick, she found it difficult to bring it up.
"...Miss Jiang, do you still have any instant noodles? They're so delicious, I can't eat any more of the food in the army after eating them."
Jiang Ling: ......
You greedy little brat, coming all this way at night just to eat instant noodles?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com