Chapter 7

As soon as Xiao Liulang set foot in the town, he was immediately taken to the medical hall by his schoolmate. There was a long line of people outside the medical hall, all of whom came to see the miracle physician for treatment.

The two young men went to stand at the back of the line.

The schoolmate stood on tiptoe and looked ahead, "We’re not too late. We should be able to meet the physician."

Xiao Liulang said, "I'll give you the payment for the carriage later."

The schoolmate patted his chest and replied, "We’re schoolmates and also from the same hometown, what are you being so polite for? By the way, are you hungry?"

He went out in a hurry and didn't eat anything, let alone Xiao Liulang.

He took out a small clean bundle from his wide sleeves and opened it to reveal three pretty cornmeal buns.

"Where did you get these steamed buns?" Xiao Liulang thought that the buns looked familiar.

The schoolmate answered, "I took it from your kitchen. When I got there, it was just steamed."

Xiao Liulang furrowed his eyebrows, "How many did you leave?"

The schoolmate said oddly, "Isn’t there just three in total? Don’t you remember how many steamed buns you made yourself?”

Xiao Liulang pursed his lips and said nothing.

After a while, he said, "Why didn't you leave one for her?"

The schoolmate was surprised and said, "Are you referring to that wicked woman? Why should I leave one for her? Hasn't she done you enough harm? Moreover, she doesn't even eat the food you make!"

The schoolmate picked up a steamed bun and gnawed a mouthful of it. His eyes widened in an instant, "Brother Xiao, how come the steamed buns you made today are so delicious?"

All of a sudden, Xiao Liulang walked out of the line.

The schoolmate was momentarily stunned and then said, "Where are you going, Brother Xiao? It’s almost us!"

Xiao Liulang didn't say anything and just continued to walk away.

Looking at the long line of people behind him which almost reached into the alley, the schoolmate stamped his foot anxiously and said to the woman behind her, "Auntie, we’re just going to the latrine and will come back immediately!"

When he caught up to Xiao Liulang, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Buy osmanthus cake." Xiao Liulang said as he walked through the alley to Li Ji shop.

Li Ji was a famous shop with a long-established reputation, and the number of people waiting in line here was no less than that of the medical hall.

The schoolmate was somewhat angry as he said, "Are you crazy? You’re really buying osmanthus cake for that wicked woman!? Did you know that Physician Zhang only treats patients for half a day? When you finish buying osmanthus cake, we won’t be able to see him anymore!"

Xiao Liulang was a stubborn person. Once he decided on something, even eight horses couldn’t pull him back.

An hour later, Xiao Liulang bought Li Ji's sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

"I hope Physician Zhang hasn't left yet!" The schoolmate grabbed Xiao Liulang and headed for the medical hall.

However, when they arrived at the entrance of the medical hall, they found that the long queue had disappeared. Instead, a crowd of onlookers watching the bustle surrounded the place, along with a group of dignified and solemn officers and soldiers.

The schoolmate looked at a middle-aged man and asked, "Uncle, did something happen here? Why are all the patients gone?"

The middle-aged man responded, "Just now a madman rushed into the medical hall. He said that the physician of the medical hall had killed his wife and waved a knife at random. The people inside were slashed by him! See that lady at the door? She was the last one to get in, and as soon as she entered, that madman came! She was lucky enough to get out quickly, but she fell and injured her head!”

Wasn't that the auntie behind them at that time?

If they didn’t leave, Xiao Liulang would be the last to enter.

Given Xiao Liulang's leg problems, it would’ve been impossible for him to run out, then he could’ve only been amongst the people who had been injured.

On the way back, neither of them said a word.

It was getting dark, and the wheels of the cart creaked along the silent path.

At this time of the day, the carriages in town were no longer willing to drive to the rural areas, so they hired a mule cart for twenty copper coins. Since it wasn’t a carriage, there was only a simple awning, without any walls to protect them from the wind.

The hands and feet of the two people were stiff with cold.

Suddenly, a thin little figure broke into Xiao Liulang's sight.

Xiao Liulang's eyes lit up.

There was a fork in the road.

Ahead was the road back to the village, and to the west was the road to the market.

On the road to the market, Gu Jiao was walking breathlessly with the heavy basket on her back.

The afterglow of the sunset was gone, and her thin figure was shrouded by the twilight. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat on her face, revealing the bloodstained gauze on her wrist.

"Stop." Xiao Liulang said.

The driver stopped the cart.

"Why did you stop the cart?" The schoolmate asked with puzzlement. Then he saw Gu Jiao coming on foot.

Gu Jiao didn’t seem to find them, thinking it was just an ordinary mule cart. Without looking up, she turned and walked past the cart.

"Come up." Xiao Liulang said.

Gu Jiao turned her head and surprisingly looked at Xiao Liulang in the mule cart. Beside Xiao Liulang sat his schoolmate from the daytime.

The schoolmate still had a look of hatred on his face, but said nothing to forbid Xiao Liulang from talking to her.

"Come up." Xiao Liulang repeated in a cold voice.

He was obviously just a 16 or 17 year-old teenager, but he possessed a calm and momentum that did not belong to this age.

Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment before she climbed up.

She sat opposite Xiao Liulang, took the basket off her back and put it on the cart floor.

Xiao Liulang looked at the basket and said, "Did you go to the market?"

Gu Jiao nodded and said, "Yes, I went to sell two fowls and bought some rice and rice flour." And, uh, something else.

Xiao Liulang cast her a deep look as if he understood something, but didn’t say a word.

The schoolmate also threw Gu Jiao a strange look. This foolish wicked woman could still do business?

Gu Jiao, however, seemed to not notice him and merely asked Xiao Liulang, "What about you? Did you meet the physician in town today?"

"You still ask?! It’s all your fault! If you didn’t clamor for osmanthus cake, how can we miss Physician Zhang?" The schoolmate would never tell her that Brother Xiao escaped a disaster because they bought the osmanthus cake.

"That’s... a pity." Gu Jiao looked down and muttered.

She uttered words of regret, but somehow it seemed like she really didn't find it regrettable. Could it be that she already knew what happened in the medical hall?

Impossible. With her nasty attitude, would she remain so calm knowing that she saved Brother Xiao by accident? When she saved Brother Xiao last time, she forced Brother Xiao to marry her. If she knew she saved him again this time, wouldn’t she become so proud of herself?

The schoolmate scoffed, "I've already eaten the osmanthus cake! You don’t deserve to eat them!"

Gu Jiao said calmly, "Oh."

The schoolmate felt his punch hit a cotton.

None of them spoke again after that.

Suddenly, a very elegant carriage was coming towards them.

The schoolmate’s mind shook and he sat upright, saying, "Look! It's the Dean's carriage!"

"What Dean?” Gu Jiao asked.

The schoolmate answered, "Tianxiang Academy’s Dean, ah! Brother Xiao will take an examination of the academy in three days! The Dean is a native of the capital and was once the head of the four gifted scholars in the capital. He’s very knowledgeable and well-educated, conversant with ancient and modern learning. His achievements in the imperial examinations twenty years ago have been unsurpassed so far! A word of advice from him is better than ten years of reading books! How good it would be if I could be his disciple! But I've heard that the Dean hasn't taken any disciples for many years. I've been in the academy for six months and I haven't even seen his face..."

The schoolmate chattered on and on. He was so excited that he forgot he was talking to the person he hated the most.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage.

The Dean, dressed in white dean’s uniform, sat respectfully on one side, and an old man dressed in plain cotton clothing was sitting on his right side.

The old man's left arm was bandaged and he carried a small broken umbrella in his arms. On his face was a large footprint.

The old man’s current appearance rendered the Dean unable to say a word. He knew nothing and he didn’t dare to ask.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Why did you suddenly come out of the mountain? And you didn’t even tell this student so this student can send someone to pick you up?"