“It’s nothing. As long as it can save more lives, a little silver is no big deal.”
At that moment, Doctor Qian completely changed his opinion of Gu Heng.
He had practiced medicine in this county for decades, and had seen countless sons and daughters of noble families—most were arrogant and looked down on others.
Someone like Gu Heng was rare.
“Second Miss, I will decoct the medicine according to your prescription and give it to them. No matter what, we’ll try it out. But I won’t take the extra silver—for a doctor, saving lives is our duty.”
Gu Heng nodded, expressing her thanks. “Then I’ll leave this matter in your hands. I have other business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”
After saying this, the three of them prepared to leave.
Just then, Ziyun called out to her in a hurry, “Miss, if you leave, what will I do?”
Gu Heng glanced at the medicine simmering in her pot and saw that it still needed time. She took the key to her new residence from her person and handed it to her.
“Once the medicine is ready, take it to your mother and younger brother. After they’ve drunk it, move out today.”
Ziyun understood what she meant.
Now that Second Miss had returned, no one knew how many more underhanded tricks the Eldest Miss would use against her.
At a time like this, she couldn’t drag her down, and her family couldn’t become leverage in the Eldest Miss’s hands.
Thinking of this, her eyes reddened, but her voice was firm. “Alright. You and Young Master Shen go ahead. I’ll take care of everything you asked.”
With this matter settled, Gu Heng could finally leave with Ah Zheng and Qin Momo at ease.
At such a critical moment, taking Qin Momo back to the residence was clearly not an option.
She had been beaten and driven out of the manor. If she brought her back now, Qin Rou and the others would surely seize on this to attack her. With so many eyes watching, it wouldn’t help Qin Momo’s recovery either.
In the end, the three of them traveled until they reached a small village twenty li away.
As soon as they entered, they spotted a long-abandoned wooden hut. Though cobwebs had gathered in the corners, it was still relatively clean inside.
At the doorway of the hut, a girl around ten years old was playing with mud, using leaves as bowls and flowers and grass as food—she was playing house.
She was the only one playing there, and it looked a bit lonely.
When she saw Gu Heng and the others approach, she immediately stood up nervously and looked at them timidly.
But she wasn’t completely cowardly—at least she didn’t turn and run.
Seeing this, Gu Heng took the initiative to speak. “Little girl, what’s your name?”
The girl lowered her head and replied softly, “I’m Four Ni…”
Ah Zheng scanned the hut and thought it would be a good place for Qin Momo to recuperate. “Is this house yours?”
The girl shook her head. “It belonged to my second uncle. But his whole family got sick and died this year, so it’s empty now.”
Gu Heng fell silent for a moment.
This plague had indeed been a tragic disaster, tearing countless families apart.
All they could hope for now was that it would end soon.
Gu Heng took a packet of candied fruit from her robes and handed it to the girl, gently asking, “Are your parents nearby? Could you call them over to see me?”
The girl’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the candied fruit and instinctively reached out, but she hesitated at the last moment. Gu Heng simply placed it in her hands. “Take it. This whole packet is yours. Go call the adults in your family.”
The girl took the treats happily and ran off.
When Gu Heng turned her head, she saw Qin Momo crouching down at some point, playing with the little girl’s leftover toys.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Qin Momo came to me when I was three years old. Who would’ve thought she’d end up acting like a child now.”
Ah Zheng chuckled. “Really? Then what were you like at three? Were you as cute as you are now?”
Gu Heng raised an eyebrow. “You’ll know when you regain your memory. After all, the year you moved next door to us, I had just turned three.”
In that instant, Ah Zheng’s smile froze.
“Really?”
He turned his head away and muttered, “What if I never remember?”
Seeing how uneasy he looked, Gu Heng felt both pity and amusement and decided to tease him. “Then just wait until I turn eighty. By then, I’ll probably be senile and my mind will be like a three-year-old’s. Then you’ll know.”
She burst into laughter after saying that.
Her playful words finally helped ease Ah Zheng’s nerves.
She was right—if he’d forgotten what she looked like as a child, then he’d simply grow old with her.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw the little girl returning with a couple.
The couple had dark, weathered skin and many wrinkles on their faces, clear signs of years of labor. They looked much older than their actual age.
Their clothes were patched and worn. Compared to them, the little girl was dressed relatively well.
When they saw Gu Heng and the others, their faces immediately showed nervousness.
“We don’t know what you honored guests called us here for…”
Gu Heng helped Qin Momo up and spoke sincerely to the couple, “Forgive us for the imposition. This Momo is someone very dear to me, but she’s ill and needs a quiet place to recover. I saw your place was suitable and hoped she might stay here for a while. Could you help take care of her?”
The couple looked troubled. “We could, but we’re both farmers scraping by each day. We’re busy from dawn to dusk and might not have time to properly care for her.”
Gu Heng took out a tael of silver and pressed it into the woman’s hand. “I don’t expect you to tend to her constantly—just make sure she eats three meals a day and has her wounds cleaned. Is that alright?”
At the sight of the silver, the man snatched it up and stuffed it into his pocket, nodding repeatedly. “Of course, of course!”
Heck, even if they toiled for a whole year, they might not earn a tael of silver. Now someone was offering that just to look after a person—it was like silver falling from the sky.
The woman looked like she wanted to say something when she saw how excited the man was, but in the end, she stayed silent.
Gu Heng then took out the medicine Qian Zhaoquan had prescribed and handed it to the woman. “Please feed her this three times a day, and apply the ointment to her wounds regularly. Otherwise, her condition might worsen.”
The woman nodded and accepted the medicine.
“As long as you take good care of her, there will be more silver.”
Then her tone changed slightly, becoming colder. “But if I come back and find she’s worse than before, you won’t get another coin. Understood?”
The couple nodded quickly.
Gu Heng gave them a few more instructions. Once they had cleaned the house, she and Ah Zheng departed.
For some reason, Ah Zheng couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the man.
He didn’t seem trustworthy.
But Gu Heng had too much on her plate right now. Ah Zheng didn’t want to trouble her with such small worries, so he said nothing for now.
If that couple dared to play any tricks, he wouldn’t let them off.
With that task completed, the two began the journey back to the manor.
As soon as they entered the city, they saw the streets filled with wailing patients. It was a pitiful sight.
At that moment, Ah Zheng suddenly realized that if Gu Heng hadn’t tended to him day and night back at the zhuangzi, he might have ended up like them.
If his luck had been worse and his wounds had become infected, he might’ve turned into a festering, filthy mess.
If he’d become like that, he probably wouldn’t even dare approach Gu Heng—she was so radiant that he didn’t dare harbor even the slightest improper thought.
He felt deeply fortunate—to still be alive, and alive in good health.
Just as he was lost in thought, he saw a man rushing toward them, trying to grab Gu Heng’s foot.
Without thinking, his body moved first—he kicked the man away with one swift motion.
The man’s cries grew louder, drawing the attention of passersby.
Gu Heng felt a little awkward.
She had wanted to dodge, but Ah Zheng had gone straight for the kick.
She coughed lightly, covering her mouth with her fist. “Ah Zheng, help him up. That was a bit too much.”
Ah Zheng lifted the man and set him down by the wall. His voice was cold. “It was wrong of me to kick you just now. Sorry. But you shouldn’t have lunged at people either.”
Hearing this, the man suddenly burst into tears and kowtowed to them. “Miss, Young Master, just one look at you and I knew you were noble. You must be able to save my wife and child. That’s why I lost my head and rushed over. I’m sorry!”
Just then, a woman carrying a child walked out. Both looked sickly, but they still managed to offer a proper bow. “Miss, I’m terribly sorry. Our family doesn’t even have a single grain left at home…”
At this point, the woman began to cry quietly. “With how things are now, if our child doesn’t die from illness, he’ll die of hunger. My husband panicked and tried to beg you for help… we’re truly sorry.”
After hearing this, how could Gu Heng bear to scold them?
Even Ah Zheng felt a pang in his heart.
He touched his chest, surprised by the unfamiliar emotion.
He suspected that before he lost his memory, he wouldn’t have felt sympathy for people like this.
Gu Heng sighed and handed Ah Zheng a few copper coins, pointing at a nearby porridge shop. “Ah Zheng, could you buy them a few bowls of porridge?”
Of course, Ah Zheng didn’t refuse. He quickly returned with the food.
Watching the three of them devour it hungrily, Gu Heng finally felt a bit more at ease.
“Thank you, Miss. Without you, we might really have starved to death today!”
Gu Heng smiled and patted the child’s head. “A chance meeting is still fate. I hope you all live well, so we can meet again someday.”
After saying that, she and Ah Zheng walked away.
She suddenly felt a few warm gazes on her back. Turning around, she saw the family standing there, eyes brimming with tears, watching them depart.
At this moment, Ah Zheng spoke softly, “Since they’re having such a hard time, why not just give them silver? After they finish these few bowls of porridge, they’ll probably be hungry again soon.”
Gu Heng blinked. “Look around you.”
Ah Zheng glanced around. All he saw were sickly and frail people; there was nothing particularly unusual. “What about it?”
Seeing that Ah Zheng truly didn’t understand, Gu Heng had to explain in a low voice, “This whole street is full of disaster victims and refugees, all struggling to survive. The reason I gave that couple food is because they happened to ask us for help—and porridge is the safest choice.”
Looking around again, Gu Heng noticed many eyes watching them, and she raised an eyebrow with a cold smile. “If I had given them a few taels of silver today, this crowd would’ve surely rushed in to snatch it. That couple might have ended up dead trying to protect the money.”
