CMWKSD -Chapter 107 Jiu Yue Is Rarely This Embarrassed

Jiu Yue was packing up her things. Normally, this sort of thing was always done by Ji Yiqing.

But today, Jiu Yue was unusually doing it herself—only her movements were painfully slow.

As she packed, she kept glancing toward General Shen.

How could this man have no sense at all? She was about to leave!

She was leaving already!

It wasn’t that Shen Zongnian and General Shen had deliberately forgotten. It was just that, knowing Shen Zongsheng’s leg could be treated, they were overjoyed. And seeing Jiu Yue complete the first treatment in just a few swift moves, they naturally wanted to ask Shen Zongsheng how it felt.

Tears were still clinging to Shen Zongnian’s eyelashes. Hearing Shen Zongsheng say that he felt “alright,” he immediately broke into a grin.

When he lifted his eyes, he met Jiu Yue’s bright, piercing gaze.

Shen Zongnian cleared his throat ever so slightly. H-He… what had he done now?

Why was Doctor Jiu Yue looking at him like that again?

He sneakily glanced at himself—his clothes were neat, his manners impeccable. There was nothing to fault, was there?

And besides…

His face was still black-and-blue in patches—hardly something that would attract appreciative looks.

Jiu Yue rolled her eyes helplessly. “Today’s treatment is over. My husband and I will be leaving first. I’ll come back once every three days to give him acupuncture, and I still have to go back to prepare the medicine. There’s a whole pile of things to do—I’m busy to death.”

General Shen straightened up. “Many thanks for your trouble, Doctor Jiu Yue.”

Shen Zongnian hurriedly clasped his hands. “Thank you, Doctor Jiu Yue.”

Jiu Yue was so anxious she was about to stomp her feet. Ji Yiqing, carrying Jiu Yue’s medicine box, nearly laughed.

He roughly understood why Jiu Yue hadn’t directly asked for silver again.

First, because the pile of things Shen Zongnian had sent to the Ji family today was already far too valuable.

Second, Ji Yiqing guessed that the items Jiu Yue had asked General Shen to prepare for Shen Zongsheng’s treatment were extremely expensive—so expensive that even a small amount of mysterious iron wouldn’t suffice.

And mysterious iron was rare to begin with; even with money, it wasn’t necessarily easy to obtain.

Jiu Yue probably needed quite a lot of it.

So she felt embarrassed to ask again.

Yet she was unwilling to let it go.

Seeing that General Shen and Shen Zongnian hadn’t caught her meaning, she felt dejected and snorted. “Ji Yiqing, let’s go!”

The three members of the Shen family: …What, what, what happened again? Why did it feel like Doctor Jiu Yue was angry again?

Just as Jiu Yue was about to step over the threshold, a sudden thought struck Shen Zongnian.

He hurried forward. “Doctor Jiu Yue, please wait.”

Jiu Yue turned back with her lips pursed. “What else is there?”

Shen Zongnian immediately looked toward the steward beside him. “Uncle Wei, where are the silver notes I told you to prepare for Doctor Jiu Yue? Why haven’t they been brought over yet? Go get them, quickly.”

As expected of the general’s household steward, Uncle Wei instantly took the matter upon himself—even though Shen Zongnian hadn’t actually told him to prepare anything. “Oh dear, look at this old brain of mine. I’m getting on in years—my memory’s failing. Doctor Jiu Yue, please forgive me. I’ve already prepared them. I’ll go fetch them right now. Please wait a moment, Doctor Jiu Yue.”

Jiu Yue bit hard into the soft flesh inside her lip to keep herself from laughing. “There are silver notes too?”

Shen Zongnian nodded repeatedly. “As there should be, as there should be. The things sent earlier were for saving me. The silver notes now are to thank Doctor Jiu Yue for removing the gu from my father and treating my elder brother’s leg.”

“When my brother’s leg is fully healed, there will be an even more generous gift. Doctor Jiu Yue, please don’t refuse it.”

Jiu Yue grinned. “Oh, I won’t refuse, I won’t refuse.” Still just as straightforward and lacking in subtlety as ever.

This wasn’t her asking for it—it was them offering it.

As they spoke, the steward came trotting back with a thick stack of silver notes. Jiu Yue’s eyes lit up—there had to be several thousand taels at least.

No—adding in the gold, silver, jewels, precious paintings, and the set of mysterious iron equipment, it might exceed a hundred thousand taels altogether. This trip was so worth it.

Jiu Yue was just about ready to put her hands on her hips and tell Ji Yiqing how capable she was.

Only then did the two of them leave.

Shen Zongnian personally escorted Jiu Yue and Ji Yiqing to the main gate before returning to Shen Zongsheng’s side.

General Shen hadn’t expected that what upset Jiu Yue in the end was this, and he burst into hearty laughter. “This little girl…”

Shen Zongsheng also rarely showed a smile. Ever since his leg injury, he truly hadn’t smiled in a very, very long time.

“Father, she’s already married. Calling her a ‘little girl’ might not be appropriate, no?”

General Shen shook his head with a laugh. “Alright, alright. Though she loves money, she knows how to take it properly. Quite forthright, really.”

Shen Zongnian happened to overhear this and added, “What Father says is right. Back in the snow, she asked me for silver directly. This time she didn’t say anything—probably because the items needed to treat Fifth Brother are rather expensive, and she felt embarrassed to ask again.”

General Shen waved his hand. “The Shen family lacks no money. It’s not as if we can’t afford even this much. Next time she comes to treat Sheng’er, remember to receive her properly.”

Both Shen Zongnian and Shen Zongsheng nodded. But with no womenfolk in the household, it still felt somewhat inappropriate for two grown men. “What about Mother’s side…?”

General Shen pondered for a moment. “It’s fine. I’ll speak with your mother. And your sister-in-law as well—life at the temple is harsh. She can’t possibly stay there forever.”

Neither of them responded.

After a brief silence, General Shen continued, “Those two young masters of the Ji family are both juren. They’re here to participate in the spring examination, correct?”

Shen Zongnian shared what he knew. “Yes. They specifically came to the capital for the spring examination.”

He then mentioned the rankings and other details he knew.

The three of them fell silent.

Naturally, they would still send people to verify everything—especially matters concerning Jiu Yue.

Being cautious was never a bad thing.

Thinking of Ji Yiqing, General Shen found him to be a clever and resilient scholar, and hoped he could stay in the capital.

If he failed this time, then for Shen Zongsheng’s sake alone, General Shen would still hire a famous tutor for him.

Otherwise, if Jiu Yue followed Ji Yiqing back to Jinyun Prefecture…

Would they have to follow them all the way to Jinyun Prefecture to treat the leg?

After all, the capital was far more prosperous, with more renowned teachers.

But recalling Jiu Yue’s temperament, General Shen couldn’t help but adopt a worried, fatherly tone.
“With Doctor Jiu Yue’s personality, if the Ji brothers truly enter officialdom, won’t Doctor Jiu Yue suffer among the womenfolk?”

Shen Zongsheng & Shen Zongnian: …Father! What nonsense are you talking about?!

The room fell silent.

The two brothers exchanged a strange look toward their own father—didn’t it feel shameless to say that?

With just a few kicks from Jiu Yue, even if Concubine Zhu hadn’t been beaten to death today, she probably wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway.

And yet their father was saying Jiu Yue would suffer?

Shen Zongnian suddenly felt his face ache.

Jiu Yue would suffer?

With just one lapse in attention, Jiu Yue had crossed half the capital in the middle of the night to sneak into the general’s residence just to beat him up!

Jiu Yue would suffer?

Speaking of that nighttime intrusion into the general’s residence, Shen Zongnian finally remembered what he had forgotten. “Father! That woman from the Ji family who controls gu! Shouldn’t we have someone bring her back?”

General Shen slapped his thigh hard. “Oh my—I completely forgot!”