The Great Zhou Dynasty was known for its open-mindedness and less restrictive attitudes towards women. Unmarried women were allowed to roam freely, and wealthy young ladies would cover their faces with veils to display their noble status and modesty.
Jiang Wuyou came from a humble background and was quite young. Furthermore, her disguise was rather inconspicuous, so she naturally didn't adhere to many rules. Before leaving, Wuyou thought for a moment and then put on a veil. Jiang Wuyou was beautiful, and going out would inevitably attract attention; it was better to keep a low profile.
Jinling City exudes a prosperous atmosphere, with pure folk customs, clean and tidy streets, and bustling crowds. Wuyou went to the cloth shop and bought two sets of clothes. She wore a light blue cloth dress, simple and elegant, with her hair casually tied up with a blue hairband, and soft cloth shoes on her feet as she walked on the asphalt road.
Aside from his mother's memorial tablet, most of the things Jiang Wuyou brought out of Zuixianglou were things he didn't want. However, Wuyou still carefully put them away, planning to bury them in front of Chunyan's grave after some time, so that the mother and daughter could be reunited.
Carefree is like a butterfly flitting among the crowd, yet untouched by the dust of the world, her movements as graceful as flowing water.
After wandering around all morning, Wuyou unconsciously arrived at the entrance of a clinic in the north of the city. This clinic, named Baohetang, was a two-story wooden building with a rustic feel. Two red Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the door, looking rather drab and dilapidated. Compared to the bustling clinic across the street, Baohetang was eerily deserted.
A gust of wind blew by, adding to the desolation.
"Young lady, is there something you need? Our Baohe Hall is a medical institution with hundreds of years of history. Our medicines are effective in curing all ailments. Please come in." A man in a gray robe happened to come out. He had a typical baby face, and his naturally smiling mouth was very approachable. When he saw Wuyou looking around at the door, his eyes lit up, and he took a few steps forward with a longing look on his face.
The man even shifted to the side, deliberately blocking Wuyou's view of him, staring at her pitifully like a little puppy. He did resemble Liang Baichuan somewhat, the thought unconsciously popping into Wuyou's mind, and she nodded.
"Okay." The girl's clear, innocent voice was like heavenly music, and it brought tears to Sha Songyun's eyes. He finally... finally had a guest.
Heaven knows that ever since he inherited the family clinic, business has been getting worse day by day, especially after the clinic across the street opened, his business has plummeted.
It was truly his own lack of medical skills that caused him to take half a month to treat even a minor cold, making his customers vomit and have diarrhea. Gradually, he lost his old customers, which was really his own fault.
It's also his fault for not learning medicine properly from his father when he was young, only thinking about getting rich. He only realized this after his father passed away, but it was too late.
The Baohe Hall was filled with a strong smell of Chinese medicine. Wuyou glanced around and saw a huge medicine cabinet with a very detailed arrangement of medicines. Some of the edges were worn smooth and shiny, indicating that it was frequently used by the owner and was a cherished item.
Unfortunately, the trust was placed with the wrong person, and now it is covered in the dust of time. Wuyou can tell how many medicinal herbs are in the medicine cabinet with just a slight sniff; it is an instinct ingrained in her soul.
"Please sit down, young lady. You look unwell, you must have been having trouble sleeping lately. I'll prescribe you a medicine..." Although Sha Songyun's medical skills were not excellent, he was quite eloquent and spoke fluently, making him hard to dislike.
Wuyou did not interrupt Sha Songyun, but listened quietly, occasionally glancing at the decorations inside Baohetang, and already had an idea in mind.
After everyone finished their long-winded explanation, Wuyou finally spoke, "Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. You only glanced at me and made a conclusion without even taking my pulse; that's far too hasty. And the smell on you..."
The smell? What's wrong with the smell on me? Did he smell that I haven't showered for three days? Sha Songyun's face flushed, feeling inexplicably embarrassed. Men are all concerned about their image, and Sha Songyun, now 21 and unmarried, always felt a bit more eager to impress men.
Seeing his ashamed yet carefree expression, I couldn't help but wonder, what's wrong with this guy? Judging from his long speech earlier, he's quite eloquent, and probably not very thin-skinned either. It's really strange.
"People who are exposed to drugs for a long time will inevitably have a medicinal smell on them, that's unavoidable. But you, you have almost no medicinal smell on you..." Wuyou's words were like a bucket of cold water, which chilled Sha Songyun to the bone, and his heart turned cold as well.
"So you're an expert, young lady. I've been showing off my limited skills before you," Sha Songyun said with a wry smile, her previous enthusiasm gone.
“Your medical skills aren’t that great, but this clinic seems to be a century-old establishment. The furnishings, decorations, and everything else are very sophisticated. If it were properly managed, it wouldn’t need to be like this.” Wuyou spoke bluntly, without considering Sha Songyun’s feelings.
“I…” Sha Songyun was unusually eager to confide in someone, as very few people had spoken to him properly in the past six months.
"I want to buy this clinic. Name your price, and I won't haggle. What do you think?" Wuyou waved her hand magnanimously, her slender index finger tapping lightly on the table, making a dull sound. She seemed to have plenty of money to spare.
Upon seeing this clinic, she had an idea. She wanted to establish a stronghold for herself and properly cultivate her reputation. Medical skills were the foundation of her livelihood, and it would be a real shame not to utilize them.
Upon hearing this, Sha Songyun was not as happy as Wuyou had imagined. Instead, his smiling face darkened. "I'm sorry, young lady, I'm afraid I can't do as you wish. Baohetang is my family's ancestral medical clinic. Even if I have to go bankrupt, I will never sell it. Please leave." With that, he gestured for her to leave, as if to see her out.
Looking intently at Shang Songyun's resolute face, Wuyou couldn't help but laugh, a hint of apology on her face. "Alright, I apologize for my previous abruptness. I just wanted to find a place to stay, and I couldn't bear to see the century-old Baohetang tarnished. I was too impulsive."
Wuyou is not an arrogant person; he is able to identify and correct problems in a timely manner and face mistakes head-on.
Sha Zongyu wasn't one to hold a grudge. He could sense Wuyou's sincere apology. Besides, it would be a bit embarrassing for a grown man to argue with a young girl; it would make him a laughingstock.
“Actually, if it were an ordinary clinic, I could just sell it and get rid of it. But this is an heirloom passed down from my ancestors. My father told me before he died that I must protect Baohetang, so I acted impulsively. It was my fault. Young lady, if you have nowhere to go, I can offer you a place to stay, as long as you don’t mind.”
"Of course I don't mind." Wuyou smiled. This is a good person! Good people always get good rewards.
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