Wu Caiwei sneered, "You're right, I'm not worried about my own life. Come at me, I'm not easily scared."
Xu Yijie glared at her hatefully, turned around, and said as he walked away, "It seems you prefer the hard way."
He reached the entrance of the medical hall and, still not satisfied, kicked the door hard. It slammed against the wall with a bang, nearly falling off its hinges with a creak. He flinched back in alarm and almost tripped down the steps.
The commotion from their argument had been quite loud. As soon as he left, the shopkeeper immediately approached Wu Caiwei, looking at her with concern. "Do you need me to notify the young master to send more people to protect you?"
Wu Caiwei waved her hand dismissively, smiling. "Not for now. I don't take those little tricks of his seriously."
Although Wu Caiwei felt her safety was not a concern, upon returning home, she still instructed her servants to keep an eye on Shuqin and prevent her from going out for a while.
Upon hearing this, Xu Shuqin pouted, looking a bit dejected. "Our courtyard is so small. I'll be bored to death staying home all the time. What can I do if I can't go out?"
Wu Caiwei realized this was indeed a significant problem and, for the first time in a long while, sought out Young Master Zhang.
This was the first time she had actively approached him since their collaboration began. Young Master Zhang couldn't help but show his joy. He warmly said, "Doctor Leng, you're truly a busy bee, always helping at the medical hall. And your help has been very effective; your reputation has certainly spread. Everyone knows that the resident physician at my Zhang family medical hall is a divine doctor."
Wu Caiwei replied politely, "There are always greater talents, and others are more skilled. It's just that people haven't encountered better doctors yet. My medical skills can only be described as slightly superior."
Young Master Zhang admired her composure even more as he looked at her. He thought to himself that if he were praised to the heavens, he would surely become arrogant. Yet, this young woman, and a woman at that, remained so clear-headed. He had some questions he wanted to ask her directly but hesitated, fearing it might ruin their friendship. After some thought, he quickly changed the subject.
"Given your usual disposition, you don't visit without a reason. Is today's visit not a simple one?"
"You've hit the nail on the head. My daughter, Shuqin, is almost seven years old and it's time for her to attend a girls' school. Although our family cannot compare to yours, I still want her to learn what girls should learn. In the future, when she ventures out into business like me, she should be literate and numerate. Therefore, I thought of your family's girls' school and wondered if you could accept my daughter as a student." Wu Caiwei knew he wouldn't refuse, but she still phrased it tactfully. Su Dan Fiction Network
"I thought it was something significant. It's a minor matter. Have her come tomorrow. I'll arrange it shortly." Young Master Zhang was actually a little disappointed. He paid close attention to Wu Caiwei and was well aware of everything happening with her. The shopkeeper had secretly told him about her encounter with Xu Yijie yesterday. He had expected her to come seeking protection today, but instead, she was talking about her daughter.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing I forgot to mention. My elder brother wants to come to the city to find work. He doesn't know anything. I'd like him to work as an apprentice in your shop. Would that be alright?"
"You came here in person today, and I thought it was something important. Turns out, they are all minor matters. Forget being an apprentice; even a manager, if you ask, I'll agree."
For some reason, Wu Caiwei felt that there was more to Young Master Zhang's words and that the atmosphere was a bit ambiguous. Having navigated the world for many years, she could tell he was interested in her. However, since he hadn't made it explicit, she pretended not to notice, thanked him, and left without any hesitation.
Young Master Zhang sat there, quietly watching her receding figure. A wave of dejection and regret washed over him. He wished he could openly confess his feelings to her but lacked the courage to break the current calm.
The next morning, Wu Caiwei took Shuqin to the girls' school. The unfamiliar environment made Shuqin a little scared, but thinking of the many new friends she might make, she secretly observed everything with her large, blinking eyes.
The young ladies of the Zhang family knew the identity of their mother and daughter and looked down on them. On several occasions during breaks, Xu Shuqin wanted to join them, but as soon as they saw her approach, they fell silent.
This was a blow to Xu Shuqin, but she was well aware of her and her mother's status and knew how hard her mother worked. If they didn't want to accept her, she wouldn't force it. She would focus on learning diligently with her teacher.
In the afternoon, during the teacher's lecture, a young lady sitting to her right quietly tugged at her sleeve, gesturing for her to pass a book from her hand to a young lady in front of her.
Although Xu Shuqin felt this was disrespectful to the teacher, it was her first day, and someone was actually interacting with her. She couldn't refuse. So, when the teacher wasn't looking, she quietly handed the book over.
The young lady in front received it, looking confused about the gesture. She silently opened the book, and the moment she did, she screamed and jumped away from her seat.
"A mouse, a mouse..." Her face turned pale with fear. She glared at Xu Shuqin with eyes full of hatred.
Xu Shuqin was stunned. She hadn't expected the book to contain a flattened dead mouse. Facing such a situation for the first time, she was so anxious that tears welled up. She whispered defensively, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me! She asked me to give it to you."
The young lady to her right was unhappy. "You can't just accuse me! When you make a mistake, you should admit it instead of pushing the blame onto others."
Xu Shuqin looked at her with disbelief and exclaimed, "Why are you like this? You asked me to give it to her, and now you deny it."
The female teacher, hearing this, had a general idea of what had happened. If Young Master Zhang hadn't specifically instructed her, she might have turned a blind eye this time and placed all the blame on Xu Shuqin. However, this situation put her in a difficult position. Regardless, these were all young ladies of the Zhang family, and she couldn't afford to offend any of them. Even knowing Xu Shuqin might be innocent, she punished both of them.
As Xu Shuqin stood outside with Zhang Yumeng, she felt incredibly wronged. Especially when Zhang Yumeng cast daggers at her from time to time, and Zhang Yuyan, who had been scared by the mouse, also watched their every move with a sullen gaze. For the first time, Xu Shuqin found the Zhang family truly frightening and thought it might be better to just stay alone in their small courtyard.