In Jingzhou, He Jiuniang's club business has officially begun preparations.
The most important thing about a shop is its location. Cheng Xuewei originally wanted to find the busiest area in the city, but He Jiuniang felt that it should be quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle, close to the busiest street, but not too noisy.
Cheng Xuewei admired He Jiuniang's business strategies to the point of worship, so naturally she would do whatever He Jiuniang said.
He Jiuniang was the main owner. She paid for the land herself, while the others only needed to contribute to the construction and decoration. Each branch of the family contributed some money, which, although not much, would amount to a large sum when the business was good and dividends were distributed.
He Jiuniang has a lot to do every day. She goes out to make house calls in the morning, holds consultations at the clinic at noon, and draws all sorts of design drawings when she gets home in the evening.
The clubhouse building is currently under construction and is being built entirely according to He Jiuniang's design drawings. He Jiuniang personally oversees everything, from the exterior to the interior details.
It's not that she necessarily had to be this tired; after all, there are quite a few skilled craftsmen here. It's just that He Jiuniang deliberately made herself so busy.
When you're busy, you don't have time to think about trivial things.
During this period, she received many letters from Lu Baichuan, talking about all sorts of things, including Daoping and Lin Yiping, as well as the princes in the royal family, and of course, he also mentioned missing her and her child.
Every time He Jiuniang received such a letter, she would reply very seriously, helping him analyze the situation in the court and the relationship between Lin Yiping and Prince Lin.
She talks about everything, but she never mentions whether she misses him or not.
He Jiuniang's mind was in turmoil; this was the first time she had ever felt such conflicted feelings towards a man.
When he asked her if she wanted to, she knew the answer in her heart, but she just didn't dare to admit it.
When he was around, he would see her off every day and pick her up from the clinic to go home. The children were all in the county town, and the two of them enjoyed a long period of time alone together.
During that time, the two got along very well, experiencing a warmth that He Jiuniang had never felt before.
Although he lived in a patriarchal society, he always treated her with the utmost care and respect, never being arrogant or conceited, and never interfering with her career.
She used to think she was strong enough and didn't need anyone's care, but when she thought about all the little things she had done with him, she realized that her previous thoughts were wrong.
She was used to facing everything with the attitude of a strong person, but forgot that she also needed to be cared for and loved, and Lu Baichuan filled that void.
She thought that she might really have fallen in love with this man, but how should she tell him?
The words spoken in the letter were too formal and not very serious.
She felt embarrassed to say it to his face, so she could only wait and see, hoping to postpone it until he came back.
"Madam, it's time for your meal."
He Jiuniang was drawing a design sketch when she started to daydream. It was only when her maid, Yue Mei, called her that she came back to her senses.
"You can leave it here for now, I don't have much of an appetite."
He Jiuniang was preoccupied; she had no appetite and no energy at all.
I had only drawn half of the design in my hand when I looked down and saw what a mess it was!
She actually wrote Lu Baichuan's name on the blueprints! She's insane!
Feeling a little guilty and afraid that Yue Mei would see it, she quickly dipped her brush in ink and covered up the words.
The servants in the house noticed that the lady had been acting strangely lately. She seemed absent-minded, and when they brought up a topic with her, she would give a completely different answer.
The servants noticed something amiss, but dared not say anything; they were not in a position to speculate about their master's affairs.
Just like now, seeing He Jiuniang's flustered appearance, she didn't expose her. After setting out the food, she asked, "Does this servant need to clean up?"
"No need, no need, you go and do something else."
He Jiuniang waved her hand dismissively, and Yue Mei respectfully acknowledged and withdrew.
It's not that she doesn't know how to pack her things, it's just that He Jiuniang is different from other mistresses. She likes to do things herself. They had helped pack a few times before, but later they were specifically told to ask before doing so, because there were some things that needed to be explained, or that she wanted to handle them herself.
He Jiuniang crumpled up the half-finished drawing and threw it in the trash can. Then she went to eat absentmindedly, still without much appetite, and put it down after taking a couple of bites.
After much deliberation, she decided to go to the Ming residence.
Jiang Ruoya's condition has completely stabilized during this period, and she is sleeping very well. Every time Jiang Ruoya sees her, she is all smiles. Her condition is better than He Jiuniang had expected.
Because the situation has stabilized, He Jiuniang hasn't been to the Ming Mansion for several days, mainly because she's been too busy.
Jiang Ruoya has now recovered her mental state. Although she longs to see her daughter every day, she knows that her daughter has many things to do, so she tries not to burden her.
Just after finishing dinner, Jiang Ruoya heard a servant report that He Jiuniang had arrived, and she almost thought she had misheard.
Even so, she still went out to greet them personally to see if it was true.
"Aunt Jiang, I've missed you so much! It's been several days!"
For some reason, the moment He Jiuniang saw Jiang Ruoya, her heart softened, and she wanted to hug her tightly.
"My Jiu'er, I miss you too!"
Jiang Ruoya hugged He Jiuniang and gently patted her back, just like she was coaxing a child.
After hugging her for a while, Jiang Ruoya took a good look at her and was surprised to find that she was pitifully thin. She exclaimed, "What have you been busy with all this time? How come you've lost so much weight in just a few days!"
"Is the food at home not to your liking? Come on, come on, I'll cook you a few dishes myself!"
As Jiang Ruoya spoke, she pulled her towards the kitchen. He Jiuniang originally wanted to say that she had no appetite, but when she thought of the dishes that Jiang Ruoya made that suited her taste, she held back and didn't say anything. She did miss Jiang Ruoya's cooking skills.
Mingze tactfully refrained from showing up, giving the mother and daughter some time alone.
The two went to the kitchen together, refusing the help of the servants, and did everything themselves.
He Jiuniang didn't like cooking, so she sat and helped pick vegetables, listening to Jiang Ruoya talk about what new dishes she had recently learned, which tasted pretty good, and that she would cook them for her later.
Hearing these words, He Jiuniang calmed down. After a while, when Jiang Ruoya had finished speaking, she said, "Aunt Jiang, I'm feeling confused. I don't know what to do or who to talk to, so I came to you. You're a senior, and you have a good relationship with Master Ming, so you should be able to help me analyze this."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruoya paused in her cooking.
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