With the help of his henchmen, the kids, and Aunt Wang, Jiang Zhiyuan's courtyard quickly became the liveliest place in the alley every day.
Every morning, Jiang Zhiyuan would buy breakfast, keep it warm in a pot, and then go to work.
After Xu Ningyan had a good sleep and slowly finished her breakfast, Aunt Wang came over to ask her to go grocery shopping together.
Xu Ningyan changed her clothes, then took her lackey and went out with Aunt Wang.
The imposing dog beside Xu Ningyan attracted the attention of many people.
Especially when Aunt Wang took Xu Ningyan to buy groceries, with her lackeys standing by to intimidate them, those old ladies who used to swarm to grab anything good all kept their distance.
They cautiously kept their distance, only daring to approach after Aunt Wang and the others had finished shopping and left.
When Aunt Wang returned and boasted about it, starting the next day, all the old ladies in the alley followed her, wanting to ride on the coattails' intimidating power.
With the help of these lackeys as a powerful weapon, the old ladies in the alley all returned home laden with their loot, having snatched up many more sought-after items than before.
In no time, the lackey became the darling of the old ladies and children in the alley, the pride of the alley!
Xu Ningyan, the master of this sycophant, was instantly accepted by the aunties and became the most popular woman in the alley.
The man and his dog were incredibly popular.
Every day, the older women would bring Xu Ningyan and Jiang Zhiyuan some of their favorite food. The children would also secretly hide a few pieces of meat and bones that they couldn't bear to eat themselves, and then bring them to the courtyard to feed the lackeys.
As a lackey, Jiang Zhiyuan never mistreats it, not to mention Xu Ningyan secretly gives it special treatment, so it naturally has no shortage of food.
Moreover, being a good dog, it consistently refuses to eat food offered by anyone other than Jiang Zhiyuan and Xu Ningyan.
We can only appreciate the children's good intentions.
However, Xu Ningyan would not let these children's most sincere hearts go to waste. When each child came, he would secretly hide some meat for them to eat themselves, and he would also give each child two White Rabbit candies.
The children's initial disappointment vanished instantly.
The courtyard was bustling with activity every day, but Aunt Wang knew her limits. Jiang Zhiyuan had asked her to take good care of Xu Ningyan and give her fifteen yuan a month as payment for taking care of her and for buying groceries and cooking.
She knew that Xu Ningyan was still taking medicine to recuperate.
So she simply made the arrangements. In the morning, after buying groceries, she and her old friends from the alley would come to the Jiang family's courtyard to chat, pick vegetables, and gossip. The morning passed by quickly.
After lunch, Xu Ningyan will rest, and no one will disturb her.
Before leaving get off work, after the children get out of school, I let these kids come to the yard to see the henchmen for no more than 45 minutes before sending them home.
Some children don't even go home after school; they come straight to the Jiang family's courtyard with their schoolbags on their backs.
Some of the more sensible kids would even do their homework at the Jiang family's house.
If anyone doesn't understand, Xu Ningyan can offer some guidance.
In those three-quarters of an hour in the Jiang family's courtyard, he not only saw the lackeys and ate candy, but also finished his homework.
The parents of these children already had a good impression of the Jiang family because they had heard their own parents praise the Jiang family's dog and the Jiang family's young wife.
Looking at it now, I'm amazed to find that my child had finished all their homework at the Jiang family's house. I'm so grateful.
Previously, they had always seen Jiang Zhiyuan as unapproachable, and they also had the arrogance typical of people from the capital, so they kept their distance.
But now that his own child is eating other people's candy every day and even getting help with homework from their fiancée, he has taken the initiative to show goodwill.
If we bump into each other on my way out in the morning or on my way home from get off work, we'll greet each other and exchange a few pleasantries.
Jiang Zhiyuan was initially puzzled as to why these neighbors were all greeting him, but after understanding the situation, he was amused and said that he owed it all to Xu Ningyan; otherwise, these neighbors probably wouldn't have bothered to talk to him.
And you know what? The neighbors who live together are mostly people who work for the government or some very good companies.
After the neighborhood relations improved, several times when Jiang Zhiyuan's unit had difficulty communicating with other units and needed cooperation, the other units, which were previously somewhat slow to cooperate, became very enthusiastic and cooperative, which was an unexpected surprise.
As for Xu Ningyan, after taking the medicine for another seven days, her overall spirits improved significantly, and she no longer experienced fatigue or frequent drowsiness.
Even outsiders could tell that Xu Ningyan looked much better and more energetic, and that she had gained some weight back in her face.
Jiang Zhiyuan took Xu Ningyan to see Old Master Yu again.
Given Mr. Yu's status and position, there is no longer a need for him to practice medicine.
However, due to his long-standing medical practice, he would hold a consultation at the largest pharmacy in the capital for one day each month, in the middle and at the end of the month.
He usually stays at home, teaching his disciples.
Yu Lao's home was no different from a pharmacy. His disciples received patients at the front, and they could also get medicine and decoct it.
As soon as you enter, you can smell the medicinal herbs. It's not exactly pleasant, but it's quite refreshing.
Because they had called to make an appointment a day in advance, Mr. Yu remembered it and made a point of setting aside time to wait for them.
After taking your pulse and asking a few questions, Old Master Yu nodded: "You've recovered well! The remaining toxins have all been cleared away! I'll prescribe some pills to replenish your qi and blood and nourish your body for you to take home. Come back for a check-up after three months."
Xu Ningyan was overjoyed to hear this, finally she wouldn't have to drink that bitter and smelly Chinese medicine anymore.
Seeing Xu Ningyan's reaction, Old Master Yu simply snorted and remained silent.
There was no one else in the room. As Old Yu wrote the prescription, he asked, "Your young wife has had all the poison cleared, but that matter is still unresolved?"
This expresses dissatisfaction with the speed of the Northwest Military Region and Jiang Zhiyuan's team.
Jiang Zhiyuan wasn't annoyed: "It's been going on for the past two days! The Northwest Military Region has been using this as an excuse to negotiate with the Beijing Military Region. They're asking for quite a lot, and Commander Yang is feeling the pinch and isn't willing to budge!"
Old Yu chuckled, "Everyone says soldiers are roughnecks, but I think they're quite shrewd."
Despite saying that, Old Yu couldn't help but add, "Your wife has suffered a lot this time. Don't be shy about negotiating the terms with the Northwest Military Region! You can't let this suffering go to waste! If it weren't for those people from the Northwest Military Region dragging your wife into this, she wouldn't have had to go through all this!"
"Don't let your youthful naiveté lead you astray, and those cunning guys in the Northwest Military Region take advantage of you. They might just say a few nice words and fool you, leaving you with only a reputation and nothing else!"
Jiang Zhiyuan said helplessly, "Don't worry, I won't let Yan Yan suffer!"
If it were him, he wouldn't make any demands if he suffered this pain. But it's Yan Yan who is suffering. Don't be fooled by his silence now; he's just trying to get the Northwest Military Region to take a piece of Gu Yong's flesh.
Once this is over, the Northwest Military Region won't have an easy time either!
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