242 Simple Life
Baili Jinghua’s expression changed as she reminisced, and Su Binglan noticed it. She said to Doctor Wu and Su Wenxiu, “Second Brother, Doctor Wu, you guys can leave now. I want to talk to the patient in private, please.”
The duo nodded. Indeed, it was inconvenient for the two men to be around while the two women talked.
As if she had thought of something, Su Binglan said, “Oh right, Second Brother, I want you to brew the medicine and bring it in when you’re ready.”
“Okay, Little Sister, don’t worry.” Su Wenxiu was patient when it came to studying medicine. He naturally took good care of the herbs he would brew.
!!
At that time, Baili Jinghua returned to her senses and hurriedly removed some broken silver from her clothes pocket. She said, “Doctor, how much is the consultation fee?”
She had sewn all her silver in her clothes.
Su Binglan thought about the price of the herbs and replied, “One silver tael.”
She did not ask much for the consultation fee but charged Baili Jinghua for the herbs instead because they were expensive.
Baili Jinghu did not expect the bill to be so cheap. She removed one silver tael and gave it to Su Binglan. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Oh, I’m not a doctor. I only come here occasionally to check on things.”
Baili Jinghua looked at Su Binglan and said, “Miss, you asked the others to leave because you want to talk to me about something, right?”
Su Binglan went straight to the point, saying, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re from General Baili’s residence, right? Are you Baili Jinghua?”
Baili Jinghua was stunned when she heard Su Binglan’s words, looking at the young girl in disbelief. She was unprepared for that question. Since Su Binglan had saved Baili Jinghua, she could not kill her because she owed Su Binglan a debt.
“How did you discover that, miss?” Baili Jinghua knew it was pointless for her to deny it since the young girl had discovered her true identity.
After a moment of silence, Baili Jinghua said, “Indeed, my name is Baili Jinghua, but I’m no longer a member of General Baili’s residence. My second uncle has taken over his house, so I no longer consider it my home.”
Her eyes were full of self-mockery and sarcasm when she said this. There was also a hint of hatred. It seemed there was a fight in General Baili’s residence.
“I was also wondering why you came to Tenghe town, Miss Baili,” Su Binglan asked.
Baili Jinghua explained, “I did not intend to come here initially. I only want to live in the city where King Ding is. I felt it was safe there, but I did not expect there to be a plague.
“I didn’t want to cause trouble for King Ding, and I had no choice but to leave with my son. Still, I’ve already written a letter to King Ding, so he should know that the refugees have caught an infectious disease and will take precautions.
“After leaving the prefectural city, I did not know where to go. However, along the way, I heard many good things were going on in Tenghe Town. I also saw someone carrying a basket of tofu, grilled chicken, and roast duck. They all smelled delicious.”
“I asked around and discovered that all the food came from Tenghe Town, so I thought of bringing my son here to taste these delicacies.”
Baili Jinghua enjoyed eating delicious food. Her son also clung to her and would do whatever his mother would. However, Baili Jinghua knew something was wrong with her body and almost could not hold on during the journey.
Still, she always thought of bringing her son to Tenghe town to settle him down before she died, no matter what. She only had a few pieces of silver with her and was not even willing to spend them on herself. She wanted to keep it all for her son.
Moreover, she knew Blue Mountain Academy was in Tenghe Town and planned to send her son there. Mr. Kong was familiar with Baili Jinghua and would undoubtedly treat her son well. With that thought in mind, she would not have to worry when she arrived in Tenghe Town.
Baili Jinghua seemed to have thought of something and said, “May I know your name, miss? I must properly thank you for saving my life.”
Su Binglan said, “It’s nothing, Miss Baili. My name is Su Binglan. Unfortunately, I cannot let you make sudden movements or leave for the time being.”
She said that because the poison in Baili Jinghua’s body was contagious, saving one person meant saving everyone.
“You look like a kind person, Miss Su. You remind me of my good friend.” For some reason, Baili Jinghua felt amiable toward Su Binglan.
Su Binglan felt the same way. She asked, “Do you have any further plans, Miss Baili?”
“I plan to live here when I’ve recovered fully. I-I don’t know where you live, Miss Su, but I know martial arts and can protect you. I will stay by your side as repayment for saving my life.”
Su Binglan felt amused, saying, “You’ve already paid the consultation fee, so there’s no need for you to repay anything. I live in Su Teng Village. You can live there if you have nowhere to go. The villagers there are kind and honest, so it’s a safe place to live.”
She did not like meddling in other people’s business, but she could not help but want to help Baili Jinghua and her son.
Baili Jinghua looked at the young girl gratefully and said, “Thank you, Miss Su. I will bring my son to Su Teng Village after I’ve recovered. Um, won’t my illness be contagious?”
She did not know anything about her illness. The last doctor she visited said she was okay, but she was still worried and traveled carefully. Baili Jinghua even covered her face and ate with her own bowl and chopsticks.
She had followed her father to the military camp and knew the initial measures to defend against the plague. Therefore, she was cautious along her journey and did not interact with others, even avoiding using other people’s bowls and chopsticks.
Su Binglan said, “Don’t worry. You’ll be okay after taking your medication. Moreover, we’ll boil the herbs in water, so everyone can use them to protect themselves against infections.”
She planned to put a water tank with boiled herbs in front of her dessert and tofu shop so everyone could drink it for free. That way, the people could defend themselves against infectious diseases.
“Besides, your illness was minor and won’t be contagious. You’ll feel excellent after taking your medication, so you don’t have to be concerned about infecting others,” Su Binglan continued.
“Thank you, Miss Su,” Baili Jinghua said, cupping her hands.
The little boy heard his mother and copied her, saying, “Thank you, Sister Su.”
Su Binglan’s heart melted. “You’re so cute.”
…
After drinking her medicine, Baili Jinghua’s body felt excellent. Su Binglan brought her and the little boy to her big brother’s shop to eat haggis soup and sesame buns shortly after. She even bought a few lamb skewers for the mother and son to eat.
Baili Jinghua almost cried as she ate these things. “These are too delicious, Miss Su!”
The little boy’s eyes lit up as he echoed, “Aren’t they, Mom?!”
Su Binglan looked at the duo’s satisfied expressions and smiled. “You can have more if you enjoy them so much.”
Su Binglan’s mind constantly flashed with strange light and shadow whenever she looked at Baili Jinghua and her son. The light and shadow resembled her additional memories. She felt conflicted when she thought of these memories.
After eating their fill, Baili Jinghua and her son followed Su Binglan to Su Teng Village. The mother and son duo sat on the oxcart, looking at the distant fields and crops. They felt very relaxed.
A cool breeze blew, bending the paddy in the fields as many villagers busied themselves with harvesting their crops.
Baili Jinghua felt this was what a simple life looked like when she saw the busy figures. There was no smoke or fighting, and everyone lived peaceful and stable lives.
She wanted her son to live like this. Happy and simple. She also wanted to learn things and set up a stall to earn money or buy land to grow food and earn money. It was the simple life she always wanted.
Nonetheless, Baili Jinghua was strong and not afraid of suffering.
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