"Hmm!" Gu Feng nodded and said, "Everything has been prepared early on. Instead of choosing a day, it’s better to just take today, so let’s make it tomorrow. Please trouble Matchmaker Zhang to make another trip to notify the Lei Family!"
"Ah, of course!" Matchmaker Zhang busily said with a smile.
She had thought that coming back would sever all ties with him, but to her surprise, days passed without much change.
Jin Zijin still went hunting in the mountains every day, and at night, he still firmly imprisoned her in his embrace.
Gu Youyou often felt quite suffocated; she couldn’t push him away, couldn’t beat him, and when she scolded him, he would just snore, really coming off as a rascal.
"Can you be more serious? Didn’t we agree to separate amicably? You know better than anyone why we were tied together. Now that we’ve settled everything, we should stop sleeping together!"
"I’m just worried you would feel cold!" Jin Zijin said earnestly.
His hot breath gently exhaled on her neck, feeling somewhat scorching.
Gu Youyou pushed his hands away, stating righteously, "It’s July. Do you think I would feel cold?"
"Then it’s because I feel hot!"
Gu Youyou truly didn’t want to continue this vague and unclear entanglement. At this point, she still couldn’t pry a single word out about his affairs.
After counting her silver, Gu Youyou had nearly a hundred taels saved up. Ten taels were enough for her to rent a quiet courtyard in Qingshui Town for a year. She couldn’t return to the Gu Family, nor stay beside Jin Zijin, this dangerous person. She decided to become self-reliant and move out first.
In the summer heat, women in the village liked to wear cloth-wrapped conical hats to shade them from the sun; blending in with the locals, she also picked a breathable fabric to make one for herself.
In town, there were few people around at noon, and many homes had smoke rising from their cooking.
This was the difference between townfolk and villagers.
Villagers were busy working, eating more in the morning and evening, not at noon. In town, only those too poor to cover their expenses skipped lunch, while most others did eat.
When Gu Youyou arrived at Jisheng Hall, it happened to coincide with mealtime, and she felt a bit embarrassed.
Embarrassed, she truly hadn’t intended to drop by at lunchtime!
Qin Changlin invited her for lunch, and she shamelessly accepted. Inside Jisheng Hall, she still didn’t see that legendary Doctor Zhou.
Qin Changlin said, "My master has been quite busy lately with endless patient calls. Just now he headed to the Lu Family in Lu Town!"
Gu Youyou said, "Doctor Zhou dedicates himself to the welfare of others; people trust his medical skills and ethics, that’s why they come from far and wide to request his services."
Qin Changlin proudly declared, "That’s true. My master’s medical skills are recognized even by wealthy families in Beijing, comparable to an Imperial Physician!"
At the mention of the Imperial Court, Gu Youyou was slightly surprised!
She wondered about the medical skills of the Imperial Physician in the palace and even what level of medical expertise existed in this world; she had no idea, only knowing that the person who had poisoned her had used something beyond her knowledge.
Then there were those incidents she encountered in the mountains a few days ago...
Ah! There was really quite a lot she couldn’t figure out.
"Alright, I didn’t come today to see your master nor for the meal. You know this town well, help me out, find a house with good conditions and a fair price."
Qin Changlin was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly overjoyed, saying, "Sister Youyou, have you finally decided? Are you planning to open a medical practice in town?"