Chapter 55: The Eccentric One

Wang Junhao stepped forward to block the way and said, "Mother, this is the doctor I found for Xin'er. She can cure Xin'er's illness."

"Shut up," Madame Sun suddenly flew into a rage. "Have you brought fewer doctors for Xin'er over the years? Since they've all said it's incurable, aren't you embarrassed enough? Just because you've been scouring the entire capital for physicians, now everyone knows that Sun Qiaoqiao gave birth to a sickly daughter. You've completely disgraced me."

Good grief... Madame Sun's words thoroughly shattered Jiang Lihua's worldview.

Blaming her own daughter just because the child was born sickly?

As if that weren't enough, she even blamed her son for trying to find a doctor to save his sister?

Shouldn't that be something she worried about herself? What kind of bizarre mother was this?

No wonder Wang Yunxin had sounded so terrified when she heard Madame Sun's voice earlier!

"Mother, I've said it before, this cannot be blamed on Xin'er. She couldn't choose her birth, nor could she choose her constitution. If she had a choice, would she want this sickly body?"

"She already suffers enough from her illness, yet Mother treats her this way. Do you have any idea how she feels inside?"

Wang Junhao demanded loudly.

"Brother, please don't say anymore," Wang Yunxin sobbed, tugging at Wang Junhao's sleeve.

"Crying, crying, crying, all you know how to do is cry. I reckon your illness was cried out of you in the first place." Madame Sun utterly despised Wang Yunxin's tearful appearance.

After scolding Wang Yunxin, she turned her gaze back to Wang Junhao and said, "Hao'er, can't you have some pity for your mother? Which banquet do I attend without becoming the laughingstock of everyone? Stop causing trouble for your mother. I've already treated her well enough. Look at this courtyard of hers—is there anything here that isn't of the finest quality? Look at what she eats—is there anything that isn't the absolute best?"

Wang Junhao had listened to Madame Sun's tirades every time he hired a physician until his ears were practically calloused.

"Mother, this time is different," Wang Junhao persuaded. "The doctor I've brought this time will definitely be able to cure Xin'er's illness. Once she's healed, you won't be mocked anymore."

"Definitely?" Madame Sun suddenly raised her voice. "Where on earth are there so many certainties under the heavens?"

She turned to look at Jiang Lihua, who had been standing quietly to the side, and asked, "The doctor you mentioned couldn't possibly be this little girl, could it?"

Wang Junhao nodded. "That's right, Mother, it's her. I saw her save someone with my own eyes."

Madame Sun sized Jiang Lihua up for a moment. "Hao'er, haven't you been tricked enough times already? Which of the doctors you've brought back hasn't made the exact same claims? And what was the result?"

With that, she cast a disgusted glance at Wang Yunxin. "The result is that this sickly wretch still hasn't been cured."

"You're even more ridiculous this time. At least the previous frauds looked somewhat like physicians," Madame Sun continued. "As for the little girl you've dragged back today, I can tell you've simply been duped and scammed."

She eyed Jiang Lihua sideways, insinuating heavily, "Hao'er, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I can assure you that you've been fooled by this girl's street-performing tricks. The person she supposedly saved was definitely just a plant hired by her."

Listening to Madame Sun rattle on incessantly, Jiang Lihua felt her head spinning.

She had come out of the goodness of her heart to offer medical help, only to be subjected to such verbal abuse. Her efforts were entirely unappreciated, and she was a person with a temper, too, wasn't she?

"Young Master Wang, if your mother does not trust me, I have matters to attend to and will take my leave. Should the need arise in the future, you may come to the medical clinic to find me," Jiang Lihua said to Wang Junhao.

"Don't go, Lihua," Wang Junhao pleaded anxiously, blocking her path.

"Hao'er, let her leave. I simply don't believe this little girl can cure anyone. If she actually manages a cure, I'll chop my head off and use it as a stool for her to sit on," Madame Sun declared harshly.

Jiang Lihua was genuinely amused to the point of anger by Madame Sun.

"Use it as a stool?" Jiang Lihua stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at Madame Sun. "Madame Sun speaks without fear of biting her tongue. If I truly cure her, I'm just afraid you'll try to renege on your bet when the time comes."

Madame Sun akimboed her hands and raised her voice. "Bold girl! When it comes to making wagers, I, Sun Qiaoqiao, have never known fear."

Looking at her now, she was the spitting image of a fierce tigress.

"How about this, Madame Sun? What a coincidence, I've never known fear when gambling either," Jiang Lihua chuckled softly. "As for your head, I won't be needing it. If I effect a cure, you shall simply assign one-tenth of the profits from the Wang family's pharmacy to me."

Upon hearing this, Madame Sun's expression shifted. She scrutinized Jiang Lihua seriously from head to toe and remarked, "You little girl certainly have an ambitious appetite."

After a moment of contemplation, she refused, "I won't fall for your trap. I'm not making this bet with you. On second thought, making such a massive wager over this sickly wretch just isn't worth it."

...Jiang Lihua was left speechless.

Wang Yunxin was battered beyond recognition by Madame Sun's words, clutching her chest as she swayed precariously.

Wang Junhao hurriedly supported her with a worried expression.

"Since that is the case, farewell." Jiang Lihua finished speaking and departed with crisp, decisive steps.

Wang Junhao was blocked by the two maidservants standing behind Madame Sun, forced to watch helplessly as Jiang Lihua walked away.

After leaving, Jiang Lihua returned straight home.

Upon reaching her doorstep, she spotted Ning Wenyu and a young woman strolling slowly from a distance, deep in pleasant conversation.

What was the meaning of this? Ning Wenyu had never been this close to any other woman before.

A strange feeling of discomfort stirred in Jiang Lihua's chest.

Seeing Jiang Lihua standing at the entrance, Ning Wenyu called out a greeting, "Lihua, you're back. This is Miss Zhao from the Prime Minister's Estate."

The young woman covered her mouth and giggled, "Brother Ning, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Sihui."

Jiang Lihua couldn't help rolling her eyes internally. Was she a hen? Giggling like that.

"You must be Brother Ning's cousin, Lihua, right?" Zhao Sihui asked, looking directly at Jiang Lihua.

Jiang Lihua nodded unhappily.

She and Ning Wenyu had indeed discussed previously that they would pose as cousins to the outside world until he passed the metropolitan examination and their engagement was officially announced.

Otherwise, living under the same roof without a proper title would make it awkward to introduce her whenever a guest visited.

"Brother Ning talks about you all the time along the way," Zhao Sihui continued. "He spoke of you so much that I couldn't wait to meet you."

"Heh," Jiang Lihua offered a dry laugh. "What did he say about me?"

"Only good things, praising how remarkably capable you are. My health is poor, and having lived secluded in the inner chambers for so long, I rarely go out. Hearing Brother Ning describe you made me so envious of your carefree life, being able to do whatever you please."

As she spoke, Zhao Sihui wore a look of yearning.

Jiang Lihua covertly sized her up. Indeed, the young woman possessed a fragile constitution; she looked sickly, devoid of color in her cheeks, and so slender she seemed as though a gust of wind could blow her away.

Jiang Lihua offered words of comfort, "Each has their own blessings, I suppose. I quite envy you for not having to hustle for a living!"

"That's true as well. Life is never completely flawless," Zhao Sihui agreed readily.

Finding this person rather agreeable, Jiang Lihua invited her in for tea.

"No, thank you, Lihua. Brother Ning, I shall come visit and play with you both another day. I must head home now; if I return too late, my mother will worry," Zhao Sihui said her goodbyes.

Seeing as she insisted, Jiang Lihua did not press further. Zhao Sihui departed with her maidservant, while Ning Wenyu watched her retreating figure with a faint smile lingering in his eyes.

Jiang Lihua frowned slightly. "Cousin, how did you and this Miss Zhao come to know each other?"

Once Ning Wenyu recounted the tale, Jiang Lihua learned that Zhao Sihui had nearly been trampled by a passing horse on the main street, and Ning Wenyu, happening to pass by, had stepped in to save her.

To express her gratitude, Zhao Sihui had treated him to a meal and walked back with him along the way.

During their conversation, Ning Wenyu had discovered that Zhao Sihui shared many similarities with Jiang Lihua.

Moreover, she was not only well-read and articulate but also deeply accomplished in poetry and prose, which naturally earned her considerable favor in Ning Wenyu's eyes.

Why did this whole affair sound suspiciously like the classic trope of a hero saving a beauty, straight out of a romance tale?

"Lihua, you aren't angry, are you?" Ning Wenyu asked cautiously.

"Of course not," Jiang Lihua replied. "Just be a bit more mindful when you're out. After all, now that you're associated with the Third Prince and stand as the most promising provincial examiner candidate, there are bound to be plenty of eyes watching you."

"Right, I understand," Ning Wenyu nodded. "I didn't see this Miss Zhao as being like those unreasonable women of the past. Since she reminds me so much of you, I simply hoped you might make a few more friends, which is why I brought her to meet you."

"How is your medical clinic coming along?" Ning Wenyu inquired. "Is there anything you need my help with?"

"The location has already been chosen, and the medicinal herbs have been purchased. Everything is fine for now, so you should just focus on preparing for the palace examinations."

"Alright. Lihua, I'm free tomorrow, so I'll accompany you to purchase a couple of maidservants. You're always moving about outside alone; should anything ever happen, you wouldn't even have anyone to run errands for you."

Jiang Lihua agreed with a nod. It was indeed time to buy a couple of maids, as the capital was vastly different from a small town or village.

The next day.

As Jiang Lihua and Ning Wenyu prepared to head out to purchase maidservants, the moment they stepped out the front gate, Jiang Lihua caught sight of Wang Junhao arriving with two pages in tow.

Catching sight of her, Wang Junhao holstered boisterously, "Lihua! Lihua! Where are you off to so early?"

How on earth had Wang Junhao managed to track down her residence so quickly?

"Young Master Wang, do you need something so early in the morning?" Jiang Lihua asked. "If it's about going to the estate, I'm not going."

"No, no, we're not going to the estate," Wang Junhao waved his hands frantically. "I came today to invite you to a teahouse. I've brought Xin'er out; you can just treat her illness at the teahouse."

"Lihua, who is this?" Ning Wenyu stood to the side, entirely baffled by the conversation as he had no idea what they were talking about.

Before Jiang Lihua could reply to Ning Wenyu's query, Wang Junhao introduced himself with practiced familiarity, "I am Wang Junhao, young master of the Wang family in the capital. I've come to invite Lihua to treat my younger sister. You must be Lihua's cousin, right?"

After Jiang Lihua's departure yesterday, he had dispatched men to gather information on her, learning that she had a scholar cousin—presumably the young man standing right beside her.

Ning Wenyu nodded silently, leaving Jiang Lihua to make her own decisions.

"Your sister's condition cannot be cured in a day or two. My cousin and I are currently heading out to buy two maidservants; once we return, I'll come find you, how's that?"

"Alright, no problem!" Wang Junhao agreed readily, then immediately asked, "Lihua, are you looking to buy personal maidservants? I know the market well. Let me take you so you don't get cheated."

Jiang Lihua shot him a peculiar look. Why was he familiar with everything?

Wang Junhao let out an awkward, dry laugh.