Release her, and seeing her gasping for air with a face full of panic, her voice chokes as she tried to speak, "It was to save a life, I’m a doctor, I would do the same for anyone. You really don’t have to..."
Jin Zijin glared at her fiercely, his voice low with anger, "In the future, you are not to treat male patients."
"That won’t do, I can’t discriminate based on gender." Gu Youyou shrank her neck but decisively refused.
"So you want to be like those women in the inner court? Like your aunt?"
"Do you want me to confine you, to find a bunch of people to watch over you, preventing you from going out?"
Gu Youyou bristled, "Don’t you dare say that’s going to be my life from now on, I’m not joking."
"So you have to behave."
"Behave my ass!" Gu Youyou erupted with rage, swearing coarsely. "Anyone who dares to imprison me will get poisoned by me, you included."
Gu Youyou was not an ordinary woman, Jin Zijin knew that. He said these things only to scare her, not to actually treat her as such.
Seeing Gu Youyou’s reaction, it was clear she wasn’t easily intimidated. He watched her face, not able to help a rueful smile.
"You’re really ruthless." Alright, he conceded. "You can practice medicine, but you can’t... you should understand what I mean. You need to avoid suspicion. There are more people than just you in the clinic, call on someone else when necessary."
Gu Youyou was silent for a moment, actually knowing Jin Zijin had a point.
She herself found it hard to change some habits formed in the modern world, let alone the thoughts of an ancient man like Jin Zijin.
For him to give in a bit, that was already very progressive.
If the two of them were to live together in the future, one couldn’t always insist the other change in the way one wished; one couldn’t always expect the other to accommodate. Rather, they should learn mutual tolerance.
Only by both contributing and making progress together, could their relationship grow stronger.
This was advice from an elder to a close friend caught in marital disputes, a piece of wisdom she always remembered.
Today, Gu Youyou was not in her best condition, but remembering the task Jin Zijin had entrusted to her, she persisted and went with Lin Qianqing to attend the hairpin ceremony of the Left Principal Minister’s young Miss.
In the carriage, Lin Qianqing was both excited and worried, "Cousin, are you really ok? If it really won’t work, let’s not go. I won’t go either."
"How could that be, didn’t you say Miss Jie is a good friend of yours?"
"Yes!" Lin Qianqing started to get tangled up again, her hands wringing her handkerchief, "I told you about it yesterday too. Because of the matter with her family’s concubine second sister-in-law, many legitimate daughters of families don’t want to go. Her hairpin ceremony is such an important event, yet it might not go well. Qinyun and I had always had a good relationship, and if even I don’t go, she..."
"That’s just right." Gu Youyou patted her hand, "If you consider someone a friend, you should naturally help them out in their time of need."
"I’m fine, I’ve taken my medicine."
Seeing Gu Youyou so insistent, Lin Qianqing could only nod, figuring they would just go early and return early.
The hairpin ceremony for the girls of the household was a big event, but the guests were all Madams and young misses, aside from male elders of the own clan, men from other families did not attend the girls’ hairpin ceremonies.
Gu Youyou and Lin Qianqing alighted from the carriage at the entrance of Officer Jie’s residence, handed over the invitations, and were led into the courtyard by maids.
Upon entering the back garden, they were met by a richly dressed young matron coming forward to greet them.