Being taught a lesson several days ago, An Lingshan was well behaved these days, staying at home to serve her mother, madam Zhang. On a warm spring day when flowers were in full bloom, An Rushuang intended to go to the Eastern Street after having lunch at her mother's room. Nanny Liu, who could get out of the bed several days ago, was busy with housework again when Ye Chengzhi allowed her to have a walk in the yard. An Rushuang tried to persuade her to have a good rest, but Nanny Liu could not bear to stay within for a single day.

As stubborn as she was, others had got used to her character.

“Will you go out again, my lady?”

Seeing An Rushuang clad in plain clothes, Nanny Liu couldn't help asking.

It was beyond her expectation that An Rushuang would take the chance to send her back to the room by saying, “You already had a walk yesterday; why are you standing in the cold wind now? Physician Ye asked you to stay inside in case you catch a cold. Silver, send Nanny Liu back to her room.”

An Rushuang resolved a potential crisis with her wisdom.

When arriving at Eastern Street, An Rushuang didn't let the wagon enter the lane, but told the carter to pick her up at night before she stepped into a house with Hong Yu.

Ye Chengzhi was was.h.i.+ng clothes at yard. With two men living together, neither of them was good at doing housework. Being too poor to employ a was.h.i.+ng maid, Ye Chengzhi, an honorable man, unwilling to trouble his disabled master with household ch.o.r.es, had no choice but to do it all by himself.

Hong Yu went up, took the clothes from his hands and said, “Give it to me. Mr. Bian's clothes have been worn out by your rough hands...”

Ye Chengzhi blushed with the clothes held in his hand. “I have got used to doing the housework. Just leave it to me.” Struggling for living with his master at the capital city, Ye Chengzhi, having taken other people's spite for granted, couldn't accept An Rushuang's help as a matter of course.

Hong Yu sighed. “Don't argue with me. It's better to learn from the old man about acupuncture than wash clothes here!” She s.n.a.t.c.hed the clothes from Ye Chengzhi's hands before she squatted to wash them. The dirty water splashed onto Hong Yu's peach red dress, but she didn't have the faintest care.

In Ye Chengzhi's mind, it was his internal organs rather than her dress that was tainted by the dirty water. He stared at Hong Yu in silence, feeling deeply touched, and left for the main suite.

An Rushuang's crisp and clear voice resounded in the stuffy room when Ye Chengzhi entered.

“...This is your medicine for this month. I will bring another dose when I get my monthly payment.”

There were several heavy paper bags on the desk. Without opening them, Ye Chengzhi could smell the light scent of musk, the most precious herb in the dose. Miss An really had helped him a lot.

“You needn't come in the future.”

It was Bian Wen's voice.

Ye Chengzhi was shocked at his words, let alone An Rushuang. “Why?” They asked simultaneously.

“Why don't you allow them to come here, master?” Ye Chengzhi, frowning at the old man, stepped into the room in big stride. He hadn't realized that he not only protested for An Rushuang, but also for her maid was.h.i.+ng clothes outside in the yard.

Catching a glimpse of the medicine on the desk, Bian Wen answered slowly, “I have already known the things I intended to. Since the medical fee has been paid off, there is no need for you to mind my business.”

As a wanted criminal in the Northern Kingdom, he had already got an orphan into trouble. He couldn't implicate another innocent person in the misfortune.

Frowning a bit, An Rushuang tried her best to recall her past in the Northern Kingdom. In her previous life, An Rushuang could do nothing to protect herself, let alone inspecting Bian Wen's medical accident in detail. She heard someone talking about this matter but she had no idea what happened afterward.

Staring at Bian Wen, An Rushuang stated in no hurry, “Since I have come for a few times, you must have known my intention. Is this your final decision?”

An Rushuang didn't want to give up. Even if she couldn't be the disciple of Bian Wen, An Rushuang still intended to learn some medical skills. What's more, the fake crown prince of Northern Kingdom couldn't be cured, but the real crown prince of Nanqi Kingdom may survive with the a.s.sistance of Bian Wen.

As long as the crown prince was healthy enough, Zhu Han would have slimmer chances.

The more she thought about it, the more she didn't want to give up.

Bian Wen glanced at An Rushuang without any expression on his face before shaking his head. “You should ask yourself whether you truly love medicine and want to save other people's lives. Living as a n.o.ble lady or living as a poor physician, which do you prefer?” He continued after waving to An Rushuang, “Go back to think it over. If your answer can persuade me, please come here in the morning after three days. If your answer can hardly persuade yourself, best to give it up.”

An Rushuang turned to leave after staring at him in silence for a long while.

Watching the girl's figure fading into distance, Bian Wen asked his disciple in calmness, “Why did you want to learn medicine at the very beginning? Was it out of love?”

“When I was young, there was plague in the village I lived. Not a single physician dared to get close to us. I was lucky enough to survive,” Ye Chengzhi murmured with a chuckle, “I learned medicine because of fear.”

On her way back home in the wagon, An Rushuang kept silent like a wooden sculpture, staring blankly out of the window.

Hong Yu called her name for many times, but she gave no answer.

For the whole day, An Rushuang was pondering on Bian Wen's words. Admittedly, she didn't like medicine, but she had decided to learn it. If she had known something about medicine, she wouldn't be like a blind or deaf woman, daring not to look at Ping'er or listen to his voice when he was heavily ill.

Only did she know that she really hoped she was blind or deaf at that time.

The sun sank slowly. An Rushuang, sitting beside the window for a whole day, stared at the sky gradually encroached by darkness, like a well-knit huge net pressing her heart heavily.

“My lady, time to have a rest,” Hong Yu, standing beside her, said softly.

She thought An Rushuang would not take notice of her, however, An Rushuang turned around slowly, her pretty face as peaceful as the dead sea.

Hong Yu, her heart twitching seriously, intended to drag Ye Zhicheng here immediately, asking him what he had done to Miss An?!

Though worried, she could do nothing to help An Rushuang. Hong Yu felt her heart was grilled upon the fire, too painful to endure.

“Hong Yu, have you ever been obsessed with anything?”

An Rushuang asked, lying behind the bed curtain.

This was the first sentence she said since she came back.

Letting out a sigh in relief, Hong Yu hesitated for a moment before she answered, “My lady, when I do something, I always follow my heart. I will give up if it's so difficult to get. There is no need to be obsessed with one thing.”

Exactly.

With a faint smile on her face, An Rushuang said slowly, “It would be better if I were you. Go have a rest.”

Hong Yu suddenly stopped before she left.

“Are you obsessed with anything, my lady?”

Burying half of her face in the quilt, An Rushuang shook her head. “No.”

There were one or two things she must do in this life.