Chapter 575: Chapter 577: Too Reckless
"Ouyang Bing strung Miss Zhong along for so many years, and the Zhong Family are no saints. He basically led them on a wild goose chase across half the Rong Dynasty. The fact they didnāt flay him alive is already showing a lot of restraint."
Gu Wenheng shook his head as he spoke. "The Zhong Family still held back. If it were me, I wouldnāt be satisfied until Iād broken his bones and fed them to the dogs."
Jin Qianqian asked, "So the Zhong Family just gave him a beating?"
"More or less. But I heard from my subordinates that they broke one of his legs and probably a few ribs. If his parents hadnāt rushed over, bowing and scraping and apologizing, he probably would have had it worse.
"But that brat is cunning. He timed his apology perfectly, waiting for Guo Yurong to arrive. With a divine doctor like him around, the most Ouyang Bing will suffer is a bit of pain. After half a month of rest, heāll be up and jumping around again."
"He canāt possibly recover in just over half a month, can he? He broke bones, after all."
Gu Wenheng said, "With a regular doctor, it would certainly take over a hundred days.
"But donāt forget, this is Guo Yurong. Who knows how many priceless medicines he has on him? All wasted on that brat..."
Jin Qianqian heard the regret in his tone and agreed. Using such fine medicine on someone like Ouyang Bing was indeed a waste. āHow will he ever learn his lesson if he doesnāt suffer for a while longer?ā
Gu Wenheng patted his chest. "But thanks to that brat, we did gain something from this.
"Marrow-cleansing and body-strengthening. Perfect for our two boys."
Jin Qianqian said, "Letās see how many pills there are when we get back. If thereās an extra, let me try one first."
Gu Wenheng lightly tapped her on the head. "Even if someone has to test it, it should be me. This isnāt the place to talk. Weāll discuss it when we get back."
When the carriage stopped at the entrance to the Magistrateās back office, Gu Wenheng disembarked and led Jin Qianqian to their main courtyard.
After dismissing the servants, Gu Wenheng immediately took out two vials and casually handed the white one to Jin Qianqian.
Guo Yurong had mentioned that his own mother had taken the medicine in this one, so there was naturally no problem with it.
He uncorked the cyan vial, and a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out. Fearing the efficacy would dissipate, Gu Wenheng quickly cupped his hand and poured the contents out.
As if it had been calculated beforehand, out came exactly five medicine pills.
"...Looks like he knew weād be wary and intentionally left one for us to test." Jin Qianqian walked over, picked one up, and popped it directly into her mouth.
Gu Wenheng didnāt even have time to stop her. "What are you doing? Spit it out, quickly!"
Jin Qianqian opened her mouth; there was no trace of the pill. "Itās already dissolved. It seems this medicine is quite well-refined."
"How could you be so reckless?" Gu Wenhengās face was pale with anxiety. "Pay attention. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Jin Qianqian pursed her lips. "A refreshing medicinal fragrance, a cool sensation... it actually tastes pretty good.
"You donāt have to be so nervous. If he had only given us two pills, then I might have hesitated.
"But by giving an extra one, heās showing he isnāt afraid of us testing it.
"Besides, we have no conflicts of interest with him. He has no reason to harm us."
Gu Wenheng understood her reasoning but was still displeased. "Regardless, that was too impulsive! And since he gave us an extra, we could have found someone else to test it."
Jin Qianqian knew her husband was angry. She quickly went over and hugged his arm. "I was reckless this time. From now on, Iāll definitely discuss things with you first."
Seeing that her complexion was perfectly normal, Gu Wenheng finally put away the pills in his hand.
However, he still had one pill left in his palm. Just as he was about to take it, Jin Qianqianās hand blocked him.
Jin Qianqian took the pill from his palm as well, tossing it into her space. "Iāve already taken one. You should wait a while."
Gu Wenheng instantly understood that Jin Qianqian had made herself the guinea pig. He couldnāt help but reach out and pinch her cheek. "If you dare do this again, Iāll really have to punish you."
Jin Qianqian made a face at him. "Do you really think Guo Yurong would dare to tamper with the medicine?"
If Guo Yurong knew about this conversation between the husband and wife, he would probably just roll his eyes.
As the divine doctor of his own clinic, he wouldnāt go to all this trouble just to harm someone.
Medicine and poison have always been two sides of the same coin. If he truly wanted to harm someone, he could do it without ever meeting them face-to-face. Why go through such a convoluted process?
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Having received his reward, Wang Li decided to return to his small fishing village before heading out to sea again.
Because the spots he had chosen for casting the nets had resulted in bursting nets every time, he had received the largest reward: a full ten taels of silver.
This was more than he and his brothers would make in an entire month of hard work.
With silver in his hands, he wanted to go back and get together with his brothers. Otherwise, who knew how long it would be before he returned from this next sea voyage.
He bought some wine and food in Lu City and headed for the village in a brand-new carriage.
"Wang Li, where have you been striking it rich lately?" Seeing Wang Li in his new clothes, the driver, Liu Er, couldnāt help but stare.
Wang Li smiled and said, "I just found a job in Lu City, earning a bit of hard-earned silver."
Liu Er asked, "Then what about the dried goods you guys were collecting before? Are you not doing that anymore?"
They were all from the nearby villages, so everyone knew each other.
Everyone had actually been envious of the money-making venture Wang Li and his friends had found. At the very least, it was better than having no income at all, like most of them.
Wang Li sighed. "Itās hard to make a living doing anything. The profit margins on that were too small; it wasnāt enough to support a life.
"Otherwise, I wouldnāt have taken a step back and gone looking for work elsewhere.
"Theyāre still collecting dried goods, though. If you have anything to sell, Uncle Liu, you can look for Little Stone and the others. Theyāre in charge of it now."
Liu Er gave him a gossipy look. "You boys used to be as thick as thieves. To split up so suddenly... did you have a falling out?
"Even blood brothers quarrel, let alone sworn brothers like you lot. Sometimes you just have to bear with it and move on. No need to let it get in the way of making silver."
Wang Li naturally didnāt want his brothers to be blamed. "Uncle Liu, youāve really misunderstood. Iāve truly found a good job. Look, this is a reward my master gave me because he thinks Iām a nimble worker. I just bought some good wine and food to go back and celebrate with my brothers."
Liu Erās eyes widened when he saw the oil-paper package in Wang Liās hand. "Such a good deal? Where are you working now? How about you make an introduction? My boys are just lazing around at home. If you have a suitable opportunity, give them a chance to make a living, too."
If he wasnāt mistaken, that package contained either meat or chicken. It seemed Wang Li really had found a good master.
After all this time, Wang Li now knew who his master was. He tilted his head up proudly. "Itās not that I donāt want to help, Uncle Liu. Itās just that my masterās status is a bit high. A low-level worker like me doesnāt have the connections to put in a good word."
"Youāre not working for an official, are you?" Only those kinds of people had "status."
Wang Li said, "Youāve guessed right, Uncle Liu. So itās really not that I donāt want to help, but that Iām in no position to ask."