Yue Rujing said with a smile, "Indeed, we may not yet know the flavor of this dish, but just looking at its complex preparation and the substantial amount of sugar involved makes it clear that it’s not something ordinary families can afford to eat." His tone shifted as he continued, "But what I’m talking about isn’t the Sweet Osmanthus and Sugar Lotus Roots. It’s about her temper, which is as fiery as if she had eaten hot peppers. And the way she orders people around, that’s not something learned in a day or two, unless she grew up in such an environment and it came naturally to her."
Jin Zijin waved his hand dismissively and said, "I know all that. Stop talking about useless things. You’ve been following her for so many days; have you noticed her interactions with other people?"
Yue Rujing paused for a moment, then shook his head, saying, "No, besides you and me, there are only the people from Jisheng Hall."
"What about the people from Jisheng Hall?"
"Except for Doctor Zhou, who passed away, I haven’t noticed anything suspicious about the others for the time being."
Gu Youyou clenched the weeds in her hand into a ball, pouting in frustration.
Damn it, it’s bad enough that they’re tailing and investigating me, but they even scrutinized everyone at Jisheng Hall.
What happened to privacy?
Suddenly, she remembered that no matter how capable they were, they couldn’t find out anything. She smirked coldly and thought to herself: Investigate all you want, and see if you can figure out my background.
Jin Zijin had his concerns, and that he couldn’t trust himself was something that even Gu Youyou had begun to understand recently.
Although she still didn’t know his full story, she guessed from what she had overheard around the corners recently that his situation seemed more dangerous than hers. Someone had poisoned him, so he had been hiding in Lotus Village looking for an antidote all this time.
She just didn’t know what poison it was.
Jin Zijin didn’t trust her, and wouldn’t let her take his pulse. He deserved it.
Footsteps approached the kitchen, prompting Gu Youyou to quickly collect her thoughts and focus on tending the fire seriously.
"Youyou, I’ll have to leave for a while in a few days. If you need anything, go to Rujing. He is a trustworthy person," he said.
"Hmm...?" Gu Youyou looked up at him.
She thought to herself, you don’t trust me, and you two have been investigating me. How can that Yue Rujing be considered trustworthy unless hell has frozen over.
Jin Zijin pondered for a moment, then said, "I have been in Lotus Village for six years, and there are some things I must do myself."
She had nothing to say and didn’t want to speak, so she simply hummed affirmatively.
For some reason, she felt a pain in her stomach. Gu Youyou reached down to her lower abdomen and pressed against it, furrowing her brow.
Jin Zijin noticed her slight movement and asked, "What’s wrong?"
She tossed the firewood aside and took her own pulse.
As soon as her hand touched her wrist, the pain intensified. Her complexion turned as pale as paper, and cold sweat broke out.
Standing by, Jin Zijin was shocked. He scooped her up at once. Touching her body, he found it icy cold. Though the weather did get cooler at night, it shouldn’t have been to this extent. Could it be that her cold poison was acting up again?
"Youyou, do you feel very cold?" he asked.
Gu Youyou felt the pain in her lower abdomen spreading throughout her body, as if robbing her of all her strength, accompanied by a sense of dizziness and confusion. She sensed she was on the verge of fainting, so while still lucid, she quickly bit her tongue to stay conscious a while longer.
As the salty copper taste of blood spread through her, an epiphany struck her like enlightenment!
A warmth surged from her lower abdomen, and the blood flowed out like a tide, quickly soaking her skirt.
This long-lost feeling was all too familiar to her from a past life.
Gu Youyou felt that she shouldn’t have bitten her tongue. She might as well have let herself faint.
This body was experiencing its first menstrual period!