On the other side, Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting returned to the banquet. On the way, they encountered Lu Yuanxiu's mother, who asked if Lu Yuanxiu had thrown a tantrum or done anything out of line.
Upon learning that Lu Yuanxiu had returned home safely, his mother breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Rong Zhi for stopping him.
"Our Yuanxiu just cares too much about his reputation. He's read a lot, and he's a bit pedantic. It's all thanks to Doctor Lin today."
"You're welcome, Auntie. Hurry home and look after him. Lu Yuanxiu drank too much, he's probably in a bad mood."
The woman nodded and left with a grateful expression.
Xia Yunting said, "When they have the chance, they don't cherish it. When they lose it, they regret it. They're not like men at all."
Rong Zhi replied, "People are like this. The best is always what you can't have and what you've already lost. If you truly obtained it, you might not even like it anymore."
To put it bluntly, this was all due to pride.
Rong Zhi returned to the banquet after speaking, and Xia Yunting looked at her retreating figure thoughtfully, wondering if his feelings for her were also due to his unwillingness to accept her rejection.
Since there were too many people dining, the banquet lasted for several rounds, and the sun had already begun to set before they knew it.
Rong Zhi was a little surprised: "Why haven't Chu Qingze and Zhang Yajing arrived yet? Did something happen to delay them?"
Xia Yunting said, "Shall I have Chen Xing go inquire?"
As soon as he finished speaking, cheers suddenly erupted from the venue, and everyone turned to look at the entrance.
"It's Divine Doctor Chu."
"Why is Divine Doctor Chu here?"
"Divine Doctor Chu, please take a seat!"
Amidst the cheers, Chu Qingze responded to everyone with a polite smile, and some people even directly pulled Chu Qingze to Rong Zhi's table.
"Divine Doctor Chu, this is our village's Divine Doctor Lin, who is also very skilled. Now Changping County has two divine doctors."
Chu Qingze said humbly, "You are too kind. I am just a doctor, not a divine doctor."
Rong Zhi playfully chided him as he sat down, "Why are you only arriving now? The sun will be setting soon if you're any later."
Looking at the banquet, there was still a table full of people just now, but now only Rong Zhi, Xia Yunting, and Chu Qingze remained.
Chu Qingze's expression changed slightly as he seemed to recall something. He explained, "Zhang Yajing had a slight fever this morning. I prescribed medicine for her. I originally wasn't going to come, but she insisted I come."
"She has a fever? What are the symptoms? Is it serious?" Rong Zhi asked with concern.
"It's nothing serious. Perhaps it's a bit cold at night in autumn, and she caught a chill. She'll be fine after taking the medicine and getting some rest."
"That's good," Rong Zhi said with relief, then added regretfully, "I wanted her to come and liven things up, to relax. It seems she can't make it."
Chu Qingze poured himself a glass of wine. "Her father was convicted, and she's in a bad mood. Seeing such a lively scene would probably make her feel even more melancholic. It's better to let her have some peace."
Rong Zhi thought it made sense.
"I was inconsiderate."
Chu Qingze did not wish to dwell on the topic. Seeing Xia Yunting silently drinking, he raised his wine glass and said, "Xia Lei, Lin Mo, I'm greatly indebted to your help this time. Otherwise, I don't know how long I would have been undercover, how long I would have been a lackey for those people in Yanzi Mountain. I'll drink this one to you first."
With that, he tilted his head and emptied his glass.
Xia Yunting and Rong Zhi simultaneously said, "Please," and also drank their wine.
Chu Qingze said, "The local officials disregard the suffering of the people and collude with criminal organizations. It's simply outrageous. Changping County has this example, and who knows how many other places are like this. If everyone were like you two, why would we worry about not having peace and prosperity?"
He frowned, looking extremely indignant.
Rong Zhi comforted him, "The poor should mind their own business, and the successful should help the world. As ordinary people, our abilities are limited. We can't manage great affairs of state. We just intervene when we see injustice. That's all we can do, and we won't be ashamed of our conscience."
Hearing this, Chu Qingze smiled and looked at Rong Zhi with admiration, "I didn't expect you to be so open-minded at such a young age. You don't seem like an 18-year-old girl."
"That just shows I'm precocious, smart, and have high comprehension. You still have a long way to go."
Rong Zhi pretended to be smug. Xia Yunting watched Rong Zhi with a smile, a look of appraisal in his eyes.
In fact, Rong Zhi could tell that Chu Qingze was probably in a bad mood due to Zhang Yajing's influence. Besides occasional conversations about medical skills, no other topics were brought up during the meal.
Not long after, Liu Hong came to toast them, and Chu Qingze, Rong Zhi, and Xia Yunting all stood up.
"Miss Lin, Brother Xia, Divine Doctor Chu, thank you for gracing my wedding with Xin Lan with your presence. I don't have many eloquent words to say, so I'll toast you."
He then drank his glass heartily, already showing signs of intoxication, indicating he had toasted many guests.
After drinking, Rong Zhi teased, "Don't just keep drinking. If you drink too much, your wife will have to serve you tea and water tonight."
Liu Hong's face turned even redder.
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from the entrance, drawing the attention of the four of them.
"Ouch, you almost killed me! Are you blind?"
A woman in a grey cloth dress was getting up from the ground, dusting herself off, and looking at the person in front of her with displeasure.
Facing her was a young woman in a white dress, holding a brocade box, with a simple and elegant makeup. She lowered her head and quietly said, "I'm sorry."
"Who is that?" Liu Hong thought the person looked unfamiliar, so he went to investigate. When the woman in white raised her head, Liu Hong's eyes widened in surprise.
"Miss Zhang..."
It turned out the person was Zhang Yajing. Liu Hong had seen Zhang Yajing before, but today she was uncharacteristically not wearing the bright red dress she usually favored. Instead, she was in white, and her meek demeanor just now was unlike her usual style.
Zhang Yajing smiled, her voice a little shaky, "I'm sorry. Today is your wedding. You don't mind if I attend, do you?"
She said this, of course, because Zhang Chu had colluded with Yanzi Mountain.
Liu Hong shook his head, "Of course I don't mind. It's my and Xin Lan's honor that Miss Zhang could come to support us."
"Thank you," Zhang Yajing's expression relaxed slightly as she handed over the box in her hand. "This is my gift to you. I wish you a long and happy marriage."
"Thank you," Liu Hong said gratefully, then stepped aside and pointed to Rong Zhi's table. "Divine Doctor Chu is at that table. Miss Zhang, please sit anywhere you like!"
Zhang Yajing nodded and walked over.
"It's you, isn't it? I thought you weren't coming. Chu Qingze said you had a fever this morning. Are you feeling any better?"
Rong Zhi got up and made space for Zhang Yajing, naturally placing her hand on her forehead to check. She found that she no longer had a fever, but her complexion was not good.
Looking at Zhang Yajing's attire, a plain white dress with only a few delicate flowers embroidered on either side of the belt, it was nothing like her usual style.
Rong Zhi felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. She glanced back at Chu Qingze and indeed found him looking at Zhang Yajing, while Zhang Yajing had already started pouring herself wine.
Strange, she had a bad premonition.
An hour later, twilight had already fallen outside, but the banquet showed no signs of ending. The village chief had lanterns hung at the entrance and throughout the courtyard. They were bright red and very festive. The village chief's composed and prepared demeanor suggested he intended for everyone to drink all night.
Liu Hong had initially gone around toasting at each table, but eventually, he couldn't hold his liquor. Rong Zhi pulled him to sit by the table to sober up.
"Here, eat this."
Rong Zhi handed him a pill.
Liu Hong took it without seeing what it was and swallowed it whole. Afterwards, he indeed felt much better about his dizziness and headaches.
"Is that a hangover remedy?" Chu Qingze asked.
"Mm," Rong Zhi took out a bag and placed it on the table. "It's more convenient to make this medicine into pills and carry it."
Chu Qingze opened the bag and took out a pill to examine.
Xia Yunting said, "Xiao Mo, I'm also drunk."
Rong Zhi generously pushed the bag towards him. "One pill is enough. Don't take too much."
"I'm too drunk to move."
Rong Zhi turned her head and saw that Xia Yunting's eyes were bright, with no sign of drunkenness. This was not being drunk at all; it was clearly being deliberately difficult.
Rong Zhi held up two fingers. "How many is this?"
Xia Yunting didn't react for a moment and blurted out, "Two."
"Mm," Rong Zhi nodded with satisfaction. "You're not drunk. You don't need to take it."
"..." So cold.
"Yajing, stop drinking. Your body can't take it if you drink any more."
Rong Zhi looked at Zhang Yajing, who had been silent since their initial greetings, and was somewhat worried.
Zhang Yajing's face was flushed from drinking, and she held her wine glass with a mournful expression. "It's okay... I'm not drunk. I can... hiccup... drink a thousand cups without falling..."
As she reached for more, Rong Zhi directly snatched her wine glass and wine pot.
Zhang Yajing's hands were empty, and it took her a moment to react before looking at Rong Zhi with a hint of pity in her expression.
"That's enough." Rong Zhi stood up and went to Zhang Yajing's side. She personally gave her a hangover pill and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Take care of yourself. No matter how difficult things are, nothing is more important than being alive."
Zhang Yajing was stunned, and then tears welled up in her eyes. She turned and buried her head in Rong Zhi's chest.
Rong Zhi felt a dampness and patted her back.
"Don't go back tonight. Sleep at my place."
Zhang Yajing shook her head, her voice muffled. "No need."
Rong Zhi sighed. It was probably true what Chu Qingze said; such a lively scene would only make Zhang Yajing feel more sorrowful.
As a doctor, Rong Zhi could heal physical wounds but not the scars of the heart.
Liu Hong had sobered up a bit. Seeing Zhang Yajing like this, he said apologetically, "Miss Zhang isn't feeling well. I was negligent. I'll go get some sour plum soup right away. Just a moment."
With that, he got up and went into the room.
Seeing her like this, Chu Qingze also felt guilty. He suddenly remembered the words Zhang Yajing had drunkenly spoken that night.
The reason she had become like this was all his fault. If it weren't for him, even if Zhang Chu were held accountable, she would at least have had a healthy body.
As he was feeling guilty, a gust of wind suddenly blew beside him. Chu Qingze's eyes turned cold. He turned and raised his hand to block. There was a clatter, and something fell to the ground.
Everyone's eyes fell on the object. It was the brocade box Zhang Yajing had brought.