Time
When we came back from the back mountain, there was still some light in the sky.
Guizhi stood far away from the place where she said goodbye to her in the afternoon, looking around until she saw Jiang Nian's figure. She ran over excitedly, but then she glanced at Xiao Yingzhu following behind her and stopped instantly.
Seeing the little girl in front of him change her expression from overjoyed to bitter, Jiang Nian's eyes curved slightly.
Sensing her strong reluctance to approach this place, Jiang Nian turned around and whispered to Xiao Yingzhu, "You should go back first. I have something to discuss with Guizhi."
Xiao Yingzhu nodded lightly, without saying anything more, and turned to walk to the other side.
Sometimes, seeing him approach the edge of the rice paddies with such a noble look, she would feel a sense of disconnection. However, what concerned her most was the edge of his clothes that passed through the flowers without getting a single leaf on them.
How do you avoid getting mud on your body?
Seeing that the terrifying Duke had left, Guizhi moved forward step by step. She glanced at Xiao Yingzhu for a moment, then looked away. She moved closer to Jiang Nian and whispered, "Miss, the young man is still next to the rice field."
Jiang Nian had been paying attention to Xiao Yingzhu who was walking side by side with her. Now she came back to her senses from Xiao Yingzhu's back and looked towards the rice field that Guizhi had whispered about. Sure enough, she saw the young man wearing a veil.
Her sight caught a glimpse of white after the embers of dusk. Jiang Nian was getting worried and was walking towards the young man, but she saw the young man turn around, bowed to her, and was actually walking towards her.
Guizhi, who was following closely behind her, nervously grabbed the small piece of her clothes hanging by her side and subconsciously held her breath.
“…”
Not understanding what Guizhi was nervous about, Jiang Nian smiled and glanced at her sideways, then turned around and took a step forward towards the boy, returning the greeting at the right time.
The young man wearing a veil stopped five steps away, his smile gentle and light, like a spring breeze or spring water. Through his eyebrows and eyes, there was no trace of impurities.
"Young lady, are you the owner of this Liangdu Pharmacy?"
Jiang Nian observed the young man for a moment, then replied calmly, "Excuse me, sir, what may I ask you for?"
The young man lowered his brows for a moment, a smile flickering across his eyes. Then, he bowed respectfully to Jiang Nian again, "My surname is Shang, and I'm a traveler in Yanxia. I've heard your insect repellent method is exceptional. Although I'm not well-educated, I've long admired it. I'd appreciate your guidance."
Jiang Nian was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the young man's neither humble nor arrogant face, and suddenly he smiled and said:
"So that's how it all came about. I recently wanted to open a school to teach those who are willing to learn this way. Mr. Shang, you've arrived at the perfect time. If the time is right, you can come to my pharmacy a few days after the competition to chat and explore this way together."
Guizhi was stunned listening behind Jiang Nian, and from time to time she shifted her gaze away from the face of the young man opposite her and turned to look at her own lady's face.
It suddenly felt like the young lady had become a different person when she met a stranger, and she immediately became serious.
The young man was surprised by Jiang Nian's straightforward answer. His eyes lit up, like spring water being brushed by willow paper, rippling. He smiled gently and said, "I am honored to receive your kindness, young lady. After the competition, I will definitely pay you a visit and ask you for advice on this matter."
The burden on her heart was suddenly resolved by the young man in front of her. Jiang Nian was naturally in a good mood. She smiled softly and replied, "Then I will wait for you in the pharmacy. I hope you will come as scheduled."
The young man showed no joy, but his features became gentler. After bowing again, he said goodbye to her, raised his hand to lower the veil, and turned to walk away.
—
Guizhi didn't say a word the entire time. She didn't know what to say. After they had parted ways and Jiang Nian had some free time, she asked, "Miss, what have you decided on? Why are you so..."
Someone who didn't know the details directly agreed to teach?
Jiang Nian knew what Guizhi was thinking. He stood there, watching the young man disappear into the vast expanse. Then he turned and smiled, "I've always wanted to set up a school, but I just haven't had the time to recruit people to teach and help me pass on my knowledge."
After previous activities and the promotion of this competition, the anthelmintic formula in her pharmacy has become known to more and more people in not only Pingzhou but also the neighboring states. Many people come from far away just to try whether the anthelmintic formula she developed is as effective as advertised.
During the month that Jiang Nian went to Cang County, a lot of things really happened. Some things were better than expected, and Jiang Nian was very pleased.
Seeing that Guizhi was still confused, and that she seemed to have missed something, she finally calmed down her joy and explained to her word by word:
"Our original idea was to spread the insect repellent formula in the pharmacy, and then we would cooperate with Duke Xiao."
"The anti-insect method has been promoted to a certain stage. In addition to relying on external forces, we also need to innovate on our own."
"Now that we've made the innovation, what remains is to find another, more attractive method. When the insect repellent has a good reputation, let others learn about it, put it into practice, and spread the reputation of our pharmacy more widely."
Guizhi frowned, as if she was confused by her words.
Jiang Nian said everything he wanted to say at once, but he didn't rush Guizhi to respond immediately. He turned and walked towards the road not far away.
There are already horse-drawn carriages from the pharmacy by the rice fields. Now is the perfect time to go back to the mansion and have a hot meal.
Guizhi, who was left behind by her young lady, came back to her senses from her thoughts about a ball of wool and hurried forward, thinking about what Jiang Nian had just said while walking.
"Miss, what you mean is that by opening this school and teaching knowledge, while not revealing our insect repellent formula, you can let more people know about the reputation of our Liangdu Pharmacy?"
Jiang Nian turned around, looking slightly surprised: "Guizhi reacted quite quickly."
“…”
Guizhi, feeling looked down upon by Jiang Nian, puffed up her face like a pufferfish and chased after Jiang Nian, saying, "Of course! Guizhi has been busy at the pharmacy lately and has learned a lot from it!"
Jiang Nian ignored the subtle words in her words and just said several times with a smile: "Guizhi is really studious."
"The competition will be over in three days, and the transportation work at the pharmacy will be finished by then. You can help Fuling go to the gate of Pingzhou City to distribute some information about the opening of our school."
Although the insect plague in Huandu is not as serious as that in Donglan, it is still a serious matter. Guizhi knows that this announcement will definitely attract many people. After thinking for a moment, he turned his eyes and asked:
"There must be no room for a school in the pharmacy. Where is the young lady planning to set up another school?"
As Jiang Nian walked forward, he raised his eyes and thought for a moment: "Well, I have been thinking about this problem recently."
"Do you still remember the family next to our mansion?"
Due to family changes, the mansion next to the Jiang Mansion has been vacant and no one lives there.
Guizhi recalled the mansion that sometimes appeared dark and eerie in the sunset, and frowned uncomfortably: "Guizhi remembers."
"Um."
"That family moved to another state because their business failed, right? Perhaps we could ask them if they intend to sell their warehouse?"
Considering that the incident that happened to the vacant family was not a murder, although Guizhi always had some bad associations with the gloomy mansion, when it came to matters related to the operation of the pharmacy, she suppressed the slight resistance in her heart.
"Well, Guizhi remembers that the old lady from that family will be going to the teahouse in Pingzhou to buy some things soon. You can ask her."
The carriage was approaching, and Jiang Nian walked towards it. The setting sun shone on the roadside of the rice fields, casting shadows as deep as the abyss.
After hearing what Guizhi said, Jiang Nian paused his gaze at the back of the carriage. He suddenly remembered the private teahouse behind Xiao Yingzhu when he met him on the way to Zhao the Blacksmith.
That room only receives invited guests, and I heard that the quality of the tea has always been good... Her thoughts wandered, and suddenly she thought of the quiet and cool night, when she and Xiao Yingzhu had a conversation in that teahouse that belonged exclusively to Xiao Yingzhu.
Realizing her thoughts had wandered, she quickly snapped back to her senses and nodded in response, "Yes, but it probably won't be easy to meet. How do you plan to meet that old lady?"
Guizhi, who was following behind Jiang Nian, chuckled and said, "We can ask Xinfeng for help! He has a lot of connections."
Trade winds?
Jiang Nian thought of the secret guard beside Xiao Yingzhu who was sometimes a little careless. Although he looked like a funny guy, he should be a very reliable person when it came to serious matters.
She nodded for a moment, but then realized something was wrong.
Isn’t Guizhi going to Xinfeng for help equivalent to her going to Xiao Yingzhu for help?
Seeing Jiang Nian's hesitant look, Guizhi felt a sense of urgency and asked, "Miss, what's the matter?"
“…”
Jiang Nian opened his mouth and was about to say something to refuse, but then he recalled what he and Xiao Yingzhu had said in the afternoon on the back mountain.
Xiao Yingzhu didn't think that she was not independent by asking him for help repeatedly.
The long and dense eyelashes drooped slightly, and a light flashed in Jiang Nian's eyes. In the dim light, Guizhi could not see the complicated thoughts in Jiang Nian's eyes. She wanted to open her mouth to ask again, but closed her lips with some worry.
She was worried that she would disturb her young lady's thoughts.
But Jiang Nian quickly freed himself from the tangled contradictions in his heart, raised his eyes, and nodded gently to Guizhi: "It's best if you have an idea. I'll leave this matter to you."
In the past, Jiang Nian's tasks were mostly assigned to Xu Bo and Fuling, and at worst, Qing and Yu. Although Guizhi didn't know about the existence of these two people in the mansion, she was immediately happy to see that Jiang Nian could now entrust her with important tasks:
"Yes! Miss, Guizhi will definitely work hard to complete the task!"
Jiang Nian laughed for a moment, and the emotions in his heart dissipated a little, but like the receding tide, they rose again after a while.
She still hasn't fully accepted what Xiao Yingzhu said.
It was not that she was resisting, but her thoughts were half a beat slower than Xiao Yingzhu's. She had been immersed in her career and was suddenly awakened by him. It was like someone who had lived in a soap bubble for a long time and looked up to see a needle piercing the world, revealing the world's true inner qualities.
Her mind was still slowly swallowing the words.
Therefore, she looked a little dull.
Sitting in the carriage on the way back to the mansion, Guizhi handed the fruit tea sent from the mansion to Jiang Nian. Seeing that Jiang Nian was still a little dazed, she stared at her for a moment. Seeing that Jiang Nian did not respond, she asked in a probing voice, "Miss?"
"......Um."
"Miss?"
"Um?"
Guizhi's voice came from a distance. Jiang Nian suddenly regained his composure from the memories of traveling with Xiao Yingzhu and looked up at Guizhi: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"No." Guizhi shook her head and handed the still warm fruit tea in her hand to Jiang Nian. "I wanted to ask the young lady to drink some fruit tea, but no matter how I called her, she didn't respond to me."
Taking the fruit tea from Guizhi's hand, Jiang Nian saw her dazed expression reflected in the tea soup. She was slow to react to Guizhi's slightly smiling complaint. She raised her eyes and smiled at Guizhi sheepishly, "Well, thank you. I was just thinking about something."
Guizhi hadn't expected her young lady to explain to her. After a moment's pause, she replied, "Hmm...it's alright. Are you thinking about something related to Duke Xiao?"
!
Jiang Nian subconsciously raised his hand and stroked his cheek, "Is it obvious?"
"......" Guizhi raised her eyes to look at her, as if she had such a reaction when she saw Jiang Nian for the first time, "Not really, but since the young lady agreed like this, Guizhi is sure."
Feeling that Jiang Nian looked a little dazed, Guizhi stopped joking and thought for a moment:
"I just felt that the young lady looked a little melancholy after she came back from the back mountain and said goodbye to Xiao Guogong? Or maybe she was lost in thought. Well, Guizhi couldn't explain it."
Was it that obvious? But she had indeed been thinking about Xiao Yingzhu.
It’s not that Jiang Nian is unaware of emotional matters, she just doesn’t want to get involved in them. She always wants to avoid them and delay them as long as possible.
But Xiao Yingzhu took the initiative to put these things in front of her today, and she had to face it.
But how should she accept all this? And how should she make these things become commonplace in her life? Jiang Nian has not yet decided.
She could only follow her own ideas step by step to the final outcome.
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