Chapter 716: Poison Test

Gu Jin’an let down the green cloth curtain and turned to Qiu Lang, saying, "Move Luo Wu to your mule cart and keep moving forward."

After another half an hour, they would arrive at Dapan Town, where many people traveling between He’an Prefecture and Linhe Prefecture would stay. They could stop at Dapan Town for Luo Wu to rest and recuperate.

"Yeah," replied Qiu Lang, moving Luo Wu onto the mule cart and heading towards Dapan Town.

...

Luo Wu had been in a deep sleep for a whole day and night, only waking up in the late evening of the next day.

Through the wooden window, he looked at the snowflakes outside and realized that this wasn’t an inn, but an ordinary residence.

Gu Jin’an often went to Jinling Prefecture, and he had traveled the route from Qingfu Town to Jinling Prefecture for three years. Every time he passed through a county or town, he would inquire whether there were houses, shops, or lands for sale.

This residence in Dapan Town was purchased by the Gu Family and registered under Gu Jinli’s name, serving as a resting place for the family members who traveled between the two places.

Zezi was watching over Luo Wu. When he saw Luo Wu wake up, he hurriedly said, "Stay put and don’t run around, or you’ll be responsible for the consequences."

After speaking, he went out to find Gu Jin’an.

Good Brother An had ordered that if Luo Wu woke up, he should go find him first and not to let Gu Jinxiu know right away.

Luo Wu knew that his actions had angered the Gu Family People, so he didn’t dare to see Gu Jinxiu first and stayed put in the room.

Soon, Gu Jin’an arrived and, upon seeing Luo Wu, his first words were, "Spare my sister, will you? She’s just a girl and can’t withstand your torment over and over again."

Luo Wu felt a twinge of pain in his heart, closed his eyes for a moment, and then reopening them said, "I know I was wrong. I came after her because I had a nightmare. I was afraid she would run into trouble at the Winter Embroidery Meeting."

"Ha!" Gu Jin’an laughed upon hearing this and said to Luo Wu, "Have you gone mad, Luo Wu? You’ve rushed over here just because of a dream? Is my sister’s and my whole family’s kindness to you worth less than a nightmare?"

When his older sister had treated him well before, why hadn’t he clung to her? Now, after she had left, he came running back, and it was all because of a dream, no less.

At this moment, Gu Jin’an truly wanted to slaughter Luo Wu.

"I don’t want to hear about your nightmare. I only have one question for you: if my sister doesn’t go to the Winter Embroidery Meeting, will you leave her be? Stop pestering her?"

He continued, "Don’t think I’m being heartless. Although we’ve grown up together since childhood, you certainly cannot compare to my sister in my heart. I’ve grown up; I will protect her. Although you have protected her before, now you’ve become the person who has hurt her the most, and I won’t let you have the chance to hurt her again."

Gu Jin’an was even more protective than Gu Jinli and couldn’t stand to see his family bullied.

Luo Wu replied, "I don’t blame you, Sister Xiu is fortunate to have a brother like you, but you must let me finish telling you about the dream. It was too realistic, perhaps it was some sort of warning, so you can better protect her after hearing it."

Luo Wu’s throat was in agony as if slashed by a knife, but he insisted on telling Gu Jin’an about the dream.

Gu Jin’an scoffed, "You’re crazy, and I’m not. Are you some fortune teller on the street? Dreaming of warnings? I’ll give you two choices: one is to go back immediately and get engaged, marry and have children to live your own life; the second is to join the army and leave, and only come back after my sister is married and has children."

He added, "Don’t worry about your parents and sister; I will protect them while you’re away. Rest assured, I, Gu Jin’an, will definitely take good care of them. I am not some indecisive person."

Luo Wu knew Gu Jin’an was very angry, and, to get a chance to speak about the dream, he revealed his most humiliating secret, "I might have been given an infertility drug by Xia Gu, which means I’ll never have children in this life."

He had originally not wanted to speak of it, fearing that the Gu Family would sympathize with him and be unable to completely let go of him.

"What, what did you say?" Gu Jin’an was stunned, indeed shocked: "You’re calling off the marriage because of this?"

Luo Wu nodded: "I don’t want Sister Xiu to go through life without children... And since she’s a woman, if we get married and have no children, surely she will be the first one people mock."

Mother said that life is too difficult for a woman, no matter what the reason, eventually everyone will assume it’s the woman’s fault.

As soon as the words fell, Gu Jinxiu rushed in and threw herself onto the bed to embrace him.

She was already sobbing uncontrollably: "Why didn’t you tell us?"

She knew that Brother Luo Wu’s refusal to marry her must have been because of some trouble, but she had never imagined that it would be something as earth-shattering as this.

To be poisoned with an infertility drug, Gu Jinxiu didn’t dare to think about the desperation he must have felt upon discovering he was poisoned.

Luo Wu froze, not expecting her to have been eavesdropping outside.

Gu Jin’an felt like dying; Brother Cheng was right, it wasn’t that they were careless with their vegetables, it was that their own Bai Cai was too ferocious.

"Zi’er, get out here and take your punishment!" Gu Jin’an yelled outside. If Zi’er had been more vigilant, Big Sister wouldn’t have overheard Luo Wu’s words.

"Yes." Zi’er knew at the moment he let Gu Jinxiu go that his punishment was inevitable. He obediently went to find Qiu Lang and received ten heavy strikes.

Inside the room, Gu Jin’an pulled Gu Jinxiu aside: "Big Sister, don’t be so agitated, let’s first let Luo Wu clarify the situation."

Even though it was just the three of us in the room, you still should maintain some decorum.

Luo Wu also said: "Good Brother An is right, Sister Xiu, please let go of me first."

Gu Jinxiu obediently released him, but she remained seated on the edge of the bed.

Gu Jin’an sighed; his Big Sister’s courage seemed to grow bigger and bigger, did she consider the feelings of him looking after the garden at all?

Seeing that she was unwilling to leave, Luo Wu had no choice but to tell her about the letter he received from Xia Gu, the deer meat situation, and his visit to the Prefecture to see the doctor.

Gu Jin’an listened with anger; Xia Gu the old thief, on the brink of death and still causing such trouble, but: "So, it’s not yet certain whether you’re poisoned?"

Luo Wu nodded: "Doctor Liu and Doctor Xiao said, the poison doesn’t show up in the pulse."

But to know whether he was poisoned required testing with a woman, yet he didn’t want any other woman, nor did he wish to harm Sister Xiu’s body.

Gu Jin’an made a decisive decision: "Let’s go back and ask Xiao Yu, she must know of other methods to test for poison."

Xiao Yu conducts experiments in the pharmaceutical workshop every day, countless burrows of rabbits on Dafeng Mountain have been victimized by her; she knows tons about medicine.

Even if Xiao Yu doesn’t have other methods to test for poison, Hu Yun Temple could help. Since the disaster was caused by Xia Gu, the Lu Family must come out and clean up the mess.

"Brother An is right, Brother Luo Wu, don’t worry, we’ll go back and ask Xiao Yu, she’ll definitely have a way," Gu Jinxiu looked up at Luo Wu, her gaze unwaveringly fixed on him, fearful he might run away again.

Luo Wu, looking into Gu Jinxiu’s eyes, felt extremely despicable; she did so much for him, even knowing that he might have been poisoned with an infertility drug, she still hadn’t given up on him. How could he abandon her?

He recalled that dream again... She was clothed in silk and jewels, yet ultimately upon hearing news of his death in battle, she broke off all her will to live.

Unknowingly, she had already considered him her lifelong support, and yet he had abandoned her.