Chapter 180

Gu Xixi said gratefully, "Thank you, Master. I was just about to ask you to help me review the process."

"That woman hasn't finished her postpartum confinement yet; if I made any mistake, Master, if you intervene, perhaps there's still time to fix it."

From the process of Madame Zhou's childbirth, the symptoms displayed, to later which acupuncture points were needled and how deep the needles went, Gu Xixi recounted everything in detail.

Lao Langzhong listened, then his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and even his face showed a hint of a smile.

Seeing this, Gu Xixi secretly let out a breath of relief; fortunately, her illegal medical practice hadn't caused a major problem.

Lao Langzhong nodded and said, "Although your needling technique is unskilled, resulting in insufficient depth, you did locate those acupuncture points correctly."

"Moreover, the parturient's symptoms indeed match; she only needs to observe the postpartum confinement like other women, resting will suffice."

Gu Xixi's terribly bad mood instantly brightened: "Really, nothing's wrong? Won't it leave any sequelae for her?"

Lao Langzhong said, "Rest assured."

Gu Xixi had just let out a long sigh, but seeing Lao Langzhong turn toward her, his smile made his wrinkles bloom like chrysanthemums.

"Xixi, you can get it eight or nine out of ten after just one look; no wonder you're my good disciple."

Gu Xixi looked at his expression and already sensed something amiss.

She then solemnly said, "Master, you overpraise me; it's only because I had no other option, this blind cat happened to catch a mouse. The fact that everything turned out safely is all thanks to the parturient's good luck."

However, Lao Langzhong still smiled narrowly, squeezed his voice, and uttered those words:

"Otherwise, you should still follow me to study medicine."

Gu Xixi helplessly said, "Master, didn't we agree on this before? Why bring it up again?"

Lao Langzhong said, "Medicine and pharmacy are not separate; learning one is learning, learning two is just a matter of course."

"With your talent, I guarantee you'll be ready to go out on your own within three years!"

"No way!" Gu Xixi declared firmly, not yielding an inch.

"You know I'd rather farm; later I'll have more and more to do, and I simply can't focus on studying medicine."

"As the saying goes, greed leads to indigestion; your medical art should be left to some fortunate junior fellow disciple to inherit."

She picked up the medicine box from the table, and while fleeing, said, "I've taken the labor-inducing life-saving pills you made; first, let me thank everyone in Dependents Village on your behalf."

"Later I'll get some good medicinal herbs to replenish your stock, or if you want anything else, think it over tonight, make a list for your disciple, and I'll procure everything for you."

"Master, you should rest early; I'm heading back first."

With a soft bang, the door shut, and she ran off.

Lao Langzhong shook his head, both angry and amused, sighing, "Such talent, yet unwilling to study medicine—what a waste!"

"If I had taken her as a disciple when she was young, before she set her heart on farming, our school might have had a chance to flourish!"

Half a month later, the news of the Northwest Army's victorious battle reached the tiny Flower Pool Ford Village.

It is said that the Beili army suffered a crushing defeat and retreated, pursued by the Northwest Army deep into Beili territory for dozens of miles.

The Northwest Army took advantage to recover the land previously occupied by Beili, pushing the border of the Great Undertaking Dynasty into the canyon region.

After such a major event, at noon many villagers brought their rice bowls to the village entrance to join the bustle, just to hear Lao Qian's latest news.

Under the warm sun of late spring, it was already getting hot.

Everyone ate their rice while listening to the exhilarating good news, and some even had sweat beads appear on the tips of their noses.

"Great! After holding it in for so many years, we finally can raise our heads and breathe freely!"

"More than ten years ago, our village was still having grain snatched by the Beili people; from now on we needn't worry anymore!"

"With the border advancing toward Beili, isn't our village becoming even safer?"

The crowd chattered excitedly, their spirits high.

After a while, someone again asked Lao Qian, "Have the Beili people already surrendered and admitted defeat?"

Lao Qian puffed out his chest and lifted his head, waiting until everyone's eyes were on him, then said without lack of pride, "We made them cry for their fathers and mothers, cutting their combat strength in half. They won't admit defeat so easily."

"In the coming years, they'll have no strength left to fight us; it's said their king has already sent a truce letter to the Northwest Army's grand general, and afterward they'll have to pay indemnities and tribute to our Imperial Court—none of which can be avoided."

Outside the crowd, beneath the shade of a small tree.

He Jinglan leaned against the tree trunk, shoveling chicken soup dumplings into her mouth.

"That's amazing; too bad I couldn't witness it myself."

Gu Xixi also held a bowl, and said calmly, "Don't bother thinking about it; even if we hadn't left, staying there wouldn't have given us a chance to personally witness the grandeur of the battlefield."

She glanced at He Jinglan from the corner of her eye, "But you're adapting to this situation much faster than I imagined."

Holding their rice bowls, outdoors under everyone's gaze they sat, stood, or squatted, shoveling rice into their mouths without regard for appearance, all while eating and chatting.

How could this be the behavior of a noble lady from the capital, the He family's eldest daughter?

Yet she not only did that, but was also completely at ease and relaxed, as if she had been born this way.

He Jinglan's eyes remained fixed on the center of the crowd; eating and speaking didn't distract her.

"Hey, do you really think Beili will pay indemnities and tribute? If so, wouldn't that boost the prestige of that person in the palace?"

"Such an outcome where effort goes unrewarded—would General Huo and... Mu... Chen Fang, the two of them, be willing to accept it?"

"Definitely not." Gu Xixi's voice sounded faint as the wind.

He Jinglan suddenly turned her head, thinking she had misheard, "How do you know they definitely won't agree?"

Gu Xixi had just been emotionally agitated, and in a dazed moment she let slip her words.

She came to her senses and said, "I was just guessing."

"You said it's an unrewarding outcome, those two are as sly as a thousand-year-old fox—how could they possibly suffer such a hidden loss?"

He Jinglan nodded in agreement, thoughtfully saying, "Exactly, if things keep going this way..."

"I might have to stay at your place for a long time."

She faced Gu Xixi, eyes bright and shining, "Xixi, I suddenly thought of a job I could do—you have to help me!"

Two days later, a female teacher appeared in the village school at the Tudimiao.

Some little rascals who had never seen a woman as a teacher inevitably harbored mischievous ideas.

But in the morning, Gu Xixi personally escorted He Jinglan to the school gate, with the little rascal and Shitou guarding on either side, so no one dared openly bully Mr. He.

He Jinglan was confident in herself, saying, "Today you help me bolster my presence; later it will still depend on my own ability—I must make these kids genuinely convinced and obedient."

From today onward, Master Liu and He Jinglan will take turns teaching.

Master Liu teaches literature and scholarship; He Jinglan teaches literacy and writing.

Before leaving, Gu Xixi felt uneasy, as if it were her first time sending a child to kindergarten.

As she walked out, she kept looking back, thinking she had already told Shitou to look after He Jinglan and not let her be bullied to tears by the village children.

Nothing should go wrong, right?

Gu Xixi planned to go to the tea plantation at the foot of the mountain, needing to first go home to get tools.

Just as she stepped outside her own courtyard wall, she saw Zhang Shen anxiously pacing, looking for Zhang Wang.