Before entering the house, Yun Jinnian glanced at Luoyi and Luo’er, who immediately bowed their heads guiltily.
Upon entering the parlor, he saw Chu Yu lounging on the nanmu Arhat bed, his complexion rosy and lips red, his eyes brimming with smiles. He hardly looked ill at all.
It was clear that he just wanted to see her and had found an excuse.
When Chu Yu saw Yun Jinnian come in, he intended to sit up, but recalling that he was supposed to be a patient, he flopped back down, sickly.
His brocaded clothes spread out, his banished fairy-like face all aglow with secret delight.
Yun Jinnian found it amusing and glared at Chu Yu before sitting on the stool in front of him, "Young Master, where do you feel uncomfortable?"
"Everywhere is uncomfortable, everything feels awful!"
"Then it’s nothing serious. I’ll give the Young Master a few acupuncture needles, and you’ll surely feel much better!" Yun Jinnian said, signaling Hemei to bring the medicine box over.
Chu Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Aren’t you going to take my pulse first?"
"No need. This is a disease of extravagance, Young Master. I can cure it without taking your pulse!"
Looking for trouble when none existed, if it wasn’t a disease of extravagance, what else could it be?
Chu Yu smiled gently, "Then, will it hurt when Miss administers the needles?"
"Well then, Miss, please proceed!" Chu Yu said bravely, and in the end, Yun Jinnian’s heart softened.
"We’d better take the pulse first."
Chu Yu was delighted inside and quickly rolled up his sleeve for Yun Jinnian to take his pulse.
Yun Jinnian’s hands were ice-cold, while Chu Yu’s wrist was warm. When they touched, both of them shuddered slightly.
Chu Yu felt a ripple through his heart and mind.
Watching Yun Jinnian’s delicate fingers, his heart thumped wildly, and his face also flushed a bit.
After the initial shock, Yun Jinnian earnestly took Chu Yu’s pulse, "Young Master, there is nothing seriously wrong with you. It’s just some internal heat. I’ll prescribe some heat-clearing medicine, and you’ll be fine after taking it!"
Having said this, Yun Jinnian withdrew her hand.
She asked someone to prepare writing materials and wrote the prescription.
Then she got up and left.
Chu Yu lay there bewildered on the Arhat bed, thinking of Yun Jinnian’s ice-cold hands and her delicate fingers. He felt a tightness in his body and dared not dwell on it further.
Yun Jinnian returned to the guesthouse to chat with Mrs. Han.
"Shall we go for a walk around the market?" Mrs. Han suggested.
"Let’s wait until I’ve finished treating the City Lord!"
Mrs. Han thought that made sense.
It wasn’t quite proper to wander around before the illness was cured.
In the afternoon, Yun Jinnian returned to the City Lord Residence to scrape the bone and apply acupuncture.
However, this time, far fewer Iron Sand Snakes came out.
In the following days, Dongfang Jingtian’s condition improved greatly. There were no more Iron Sand Snakes left in his body, but he was as thin as a rack. However, he still had his spirits.
During her free time, Yun Jinnian often wondered why Dongfang Xu had appeared in her previous life and where he had gone after that.
Over the past few days, Chu Yu indeed found opportunities to encounter Yun Jinnian several times, but they never spoke.
Chu Yu was not discouraged but became even more determined.
"The City Lord’s poison has been completely cured. He can take gentle nourishment in moderation in the future, but he must not over-indulge in tonics!" Yun Jinnian said, taking a cloth to wipe her hands.
Dongfang Jingtian let out a deep breath.
Madam Dongfang thanked heaven and earth profusely.
Everyone in the room was overjoyed, but they also knew that Yun Jinnian was about to leave.
Yun Jinnian had saved the City Lord, becoming a benefactor of the City Lord Residence. Naturally, Madam Dongfang would prepare a generous gift.
It was decided that they would leave early on the first day of the fifth month.
The day before, led by Madam Dongfang, Yun Jinnian and Mrs. Han went shopping in the streets. Yun Jinnian wanted to buy a few gifts for Ruan Wanrong and the others.
At the jewelry shop, Yun Jinnian picked out a precious hairpin and a precious bracelet for each of them. The price was quite high, but Bai Que payed the silver promptly.
Madam Dongfang smiled, realizing that she hadn’t bought anything herself this trip. She was simply accompanying Yun Jinnian and Mrs. Han.
Having bought their goods, they returned to the City Lord Residence, only to find the road ahead blocked.