Jiao Niang’s Medical Record Chapter 344

Half of the courtyard gate had been pushed aside, and the broken door was thrown away by Steward Cao. The Cheng family servants stood outside the gate, watching Steward Cao and his men, who wore unfriendly expressions, and then looking at First Master Cheng as he entered the courtyard—it all felt rather like the solemn atmosphere of “the wind whistling, the river cold,” evoking a sense of heroic determination.

As First Master Cheng walked past the row of Zhou family men, gripping their clubs and glaring fiercely, he suddenly felt as though he were stepping alone into enemy territory. Though he had never been on a battlefield, he imagined from his readings that this must be the sensation. But then he scoffed at himself.

This was his home! What enemy territory? In his home, he was the king!

First Master Cheng stopped in the middle of the courtyard and fixed his gaze on the girl already seated under the corridor.

Ban Qin handed over a towel, and Cheng Jiao-niang set aside her bow and arrows, taking it to wipe her hands and sweat.

First Master Cheng hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and sitting down under the corridor.

Beautiful, eloquent, persuasive, skilled in archery—any one of these traits alone would be enough to draw attention, let alone all gathered in one person.

“Have you… truly recovered?” he asked, looking at the girl before him.

“Are you asking me, or yourself?” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.

First Master Cheng was taken aback. So… was her mind still unclear?

“If you’re asking me, of course I know I’ve recovered,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “But as for whether you know—that, I can’t say.”

Her words were vague and ambiguous—seemingly simple yet carrying hidden meaning… Perhaps she was better, but not entirely clear-headed yet…

First Master Cheng frowned, stroking his beard.

“Did the Zhou family cure you?” he asked.

Cheng Jiao-niang smiled faintly but did not answer, instead picking up her bow and arrows. The male servants outside the gate immediately stirred uneasily—though the arrows were blunted, it would still be quite unseemly if the master were struck in the face.

“Are you trying to drive me out?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.

“How could it be called driving you out?” First Master Cheng replied, clearing his throat lightly. “It’s just… relocating you to a different residence.”

Cheng Jiao-niang nodded and gave a soft “Oh.”

“However,” she said, “I don’t feel like moving just yet.”

First Master Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

What did she mean by “she didn’t feel like it”? Did she think she could just do as she pleased?

Who was the master of this household?

“You may decide who runs this household,” Cheng Jiao-niang said with a faint smile, wiping the bowstring with the towel—it gave a dull twang. “But for now, I have no intention of moving.”

That was as good as saying nothing at all!

“No, we should move somewhere else,” Ban Qin suddenly interjected, as if struck by a thought.

This maid…

First Master Cheng turned to look at her, surprised that a servant would speak up and contradict Cheng Jiao-niang—yet the young mistress showed no sign of displeasure.

First Madam Cheng had said this maid was trained by the Zhou family, that everything Cheng Jiao-niang said and did was actually orchestrated by her. Could it really be true?

“This room is damp and chilly—we should move to one with more sunlight,” Ban Qin said.

“And preferably one facing the street, for easier outings,” Steward Cao added. “A separate courtyard would be best, one that’s convenient for us to serve and attend to our duties.”

Convenient for you to serve? More like convenient for you to pick fights and cause trouble whenever you please!

First Master Cheng looked at them with a cold sneer.

“Now that you’ve recovered and seen the family register, I presume you know who you are?” He turned his gaze to Cheng Jiao-niang.

Cheng Jiao-niang nodded.

“Then whose words do you follow?” First Master Cheng asked sternly.

Cheng Jiao-niang smiled.

“Of course, I follow my own words,” she replied with a laugh, raising a hand to stop First Master Cheng from interrupting. “Don’t worry—I’ll leave when the time comes.”

With that, she looked at First Master Cheng and smiled faintly.

“Besides, it’s not as if I’m staying here for free.”

The more he listened, the more uneasy he felt. First Master Cheng frowned at the girl before him.

“Are you… really Cheng Jiao-niang?” he suddenly asked.

Cheng Jiao-niang’s smile deepened.

“Are you… really the master of this household?” she countered.

The sarcasm in her words was unmistakable, and First Master Cheng’s expression darkened further.

“Whether I am or not, you’ll soon find out,” he said grimly, rising to his feet. “A place to stay is just a place to stay. Today, you’ll move to the temple. Once your residence here is properly prepared, we’ll bring you back.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked, watching him.

First Master Cheng didn’t even bother to reply, turning instead to leave.

Steward Cao and the other Zhou family attendants tensed, ready to knock the old man flat at a single glance from Cheng Jiao-niang.

But as First Master Cheng strode out of the courtyard gate, not a single glance came.

Outside the gate, the Cheng family servants collectively let out a sigh of relief. Though First Master Cheng’s expression remained unchanged, inwardly, he too exhaled in relief, a faint chill lingering on his back.

Good, good… At least she’s not completely mad—she didn’t shoot an arrow at my back.

Perhaps being “recovered” wasn’t so bad after all. At the very least, she still understood hierarchy and propriety. If she had been a senseless fool, she might have truly acted recklessly.

First Master Cheng paused and glanced back. The girl in the courtyard remained seated under the corridor, head bowed as she adjusted and wiped her bowstring.

“First Master Cheng.”

A woman’s voice called out, accompanied by footsteps.

First Master Cheng turned and saw a Taoist nun. For a moment, he was taken aback before finally recognizing who she was.

“Madam sent me,” Abbess Sun said.

She arrived awfully fast… But no matter. First Master Cheng nodded.

“Go ahead. Take her away,” he said.

Take her away?

Abbess Sun was inwardly astonished. Are these people really about to drive this living deity out again? That would be absolutely perfect! She had been dreaming day and night of enshrining her.

Hurriedly bowing in acknowledgment, she stepped past him toward the courtyard.

“Master, what if these people refuse to leave and make trouble…” a servant nearby couldn’t help but whisper.

“Make trouble?” First Master Cheng frowned, his tone laced with irritation. “Whose house is this? Should our family fear a mere handful of them causing a scene? How dare they defy us!”

The servant hastily nodded in agreement.

First Master Cheng fell silent for a moment.

“Gather all the men,” he finally ordered.

So, deep down, the master is also afraid… Of course, the servant would never dare voice this thought aloud. He acknowledged the command and hurried off.

How utterly humiliating! First Master Cheng let out a heavy breath and turned to look back—only to freeze in surprise. Inside the courtyard, the Taoist nun was bowing deeply to the girl in a grand ceremonial salute…

A grand ceremonial salute?

She hadn’t even bowed to him with such reverence…

“Miss, you’ve returned…” Abbess Sun prostrated herself on the ground, her voice choked with emotion the moment she spoke.

Though she had spent only a month or two with this young lady, in her heart, it felt as though they had been family for a lifetime.

By now, the Xuan-miao Temple had firmly established its reputation in Jiang-zhou and even beyond. She herself was no longer the kind of Taoist who relied on empty words and smooth talk—when she went out to preach scriptures and doctrines, she did so with genuine confidence. Yet, the moment she heard that this young mistress had returned, she felt the same overwhelming sense of reassurance as a child left alone at home when their family finally walks through the door.

On her way here, she had merely sensed this feeling. But now, truly seeing the young mistress again, Abbess Sun could no longer contain her emotions. The longer she remained bowed on the ground, the more she wanted to cry—and soon, she truly was weeping.

If any of her devotees were to witness this scene, their jaws would surely drop in astonishment.

Ban Qin observed the abbess with curiosity. Since the abbess had befriended Cheng Jiao-niang after Ban Qin had already left the Cheng household, she didn’t recognize her. However, she had heard about her from the maid and Qing Mei, so the abbess wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to her. Moreover, upon learning that when lightning struck the temple that day, this abbess had immediately rushed to the scene with her people to fight the fire, Ban Qin concluded she must indeed be a kind-hearted person.

Ban Qin liked anyone who treated her mistress well. She turned to fetch a warm towel and tea.

“Thank you, young lady,” Abbess Sun said, wiping her tears as she stood and hurriedly expressing her gratitude.

Ban Qin responded with a sweet smile.

“Miss, you look much better now,” Abbess Sun said, wiping away a few lingering tears as she steadied her emotions.

“Things will only continue to improve,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, smiling gently at the abbess. “And so will you.”

Abbess Sun felt tears welling up again. It was strange—she was old enough to be this young lady’s grandmother, yet in her presence, she always found herself losing composure, as if she were a granddaughter in need of reassurance, receiving praise from a kind and wise elder.

“All of this is thanks to you,” she said, bowing deeply.

“You flatter me, Abbess,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a light shake of her head. “This is what you’ve earned yourself. It has nothing to do with me.”

“No, no. Without your help and guidance, we would never have come this far,” Abbess Sun insisted hurriedly.

“Whether I extend my hand to help or offer advice is my choice,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, sliding a plate of tea cakes toward her with a faint smile. “But whether you can grasp it and understand it—that is entirely up to you. So, this is what you’ve earned yourself, not something bestowed upon you by anyone else. And you owe no one.”

Abbess Sun wiped her tears and smiled.

“Yes, Miss. I owe no one,” she said, gazing at Cheng Jiao-niang. “I only thank fate for allowing me to meet you.”

Cheng Jiao-niang smiled faintly but said nothing, instead gesturing for her to drink the tea.

Abbess Sun nodded in gratitude and sipped the tea, nibbling on the pastries.

“Miss, are they trying to send you away again?” she asked. “If so, don’t worry—the quarters there are cleaned daily, and the heated floors have long been warmed. It’s cozy and free of dampness.”

“I still have matters to attend to here, so I won’t be moving there,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.

Abbess Sun couldn’t hide her disappointment, but she nodded in acceptance.

“Then, whenever you have time, please do visit,” she said.

“Of course,” Cheng Jiao-niang agreed with a nod.

When Abbess Sun returned to the Xuan-miao Temple from the Cheng residence, several of her disciples were eagerly awaiting her.

“Master, did you see Lady Cheng?”

“Master, will Lady Cheng come to stay with us?”

They immediately crowded around Abbess Sun, firing questions at her in excitement.

With a serene smile, Abbess Sun answered them one by one.

“That family truly intended to send Miss to stay here,” she said. “But she declined.”

“Ah, what should we do then?” one disciple couldn’t help but ask worriedly. “What if they force her out? How will she manage?”

Abbess Sun smiled.

“That would be simple to handle,” she replied, flicking her horsetail whisk and gazing up at the mountain. “Just like this Small Xuan-miao Temple—it’s nothing more than a change of name.”

Like the Small Xuan–miao Temple? Change its name? Change to what?

The disciples were utterly confused.

“Master, when you preach to outsiders, you’re always so cryptic—but now you’re talking to us the same way,” a young novice couldn’t help but mutter.

Abbess Sun laughed heartily and lightly tapped the novice’s head with her horsetail whisk.

“Alright, hurry along and do your studies,” she said, her expression turning solemn. “What others have is never as reliable as what you possess yourself. Relying on heaven or earth ultimately means relying on yourself. If you want to stand firm, you must study diligently. Otherwise, even if heaven favors you, you won’t be able to grasp or keep its blessings.”

The disciples quickly straightened their expressions and acknowledged her words in unison.

As the Xuan-miao Temple began its daily studies, the atmosphere in the Cheng family’s courtyard grew tense.

Steward Cao withdrew his gaze from outside the gate.

“Miss, they’ve surrounded us,” he reported. “But don’t worry—each of us can take on ten of them. So, what do you say? Shall we fight now?”