Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

The next day, the seventh day of the lunar new year, after dinner, Zhang Mingyue took the initiative to say, "Brother Luo, a while ago Magistrate Jiang renovated Guojia Lane and renamed it West Market. It's full of shops and delicious food, and I heard it's very good. Brother Luo, let's go for a stroll tonight."

Luo An didn't have any particular preferences; he was fine with going anywhere after a meal to digest. The four of them going out attracted a lot of attention. Luo An kept his eyes straight ahead, while Nan Fei was overwhelmed with stares.

Luo An stopped in front of the bookstore, and Zhang Mingyue quickly introduced, "This Jishi Bookstore has a history of a hundred years and contains many old books..."

Just then, a young man came out carrying a pile of books. When he saw Zhang Mingyue, his eyes lit up: "Mingyue."

Zhang Mingyue introduced, "Brother Luo, this is Su Liuguang from the county school. Brother Liuguang, this is..."

Su Liuguang said, "The Jade-Faced Divine Physician, Dr. Luo. Dr. Luo has been providing free medical consultations in Wudong County for the past few years, and he is well-known to everyone."

Luo An was a low-key person and practiced medicine alone without a name. Once, after a medical session, the client was extremely grateful and praised them to the skies. Nan Fei responded, "What immortal doctors or bodhisattvas are there? None of them can compare to the Jade-Faced Divine Physician. I am the Jade-Faced, Young Master Divine Physician."

The reputation of the Jade-Faced Divine Physician spread far and wide.

Nan Fei looked proud, but said humbly, "Lord Su, you flatter me. This is what we should do."

Luo An chose "The Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" and "Emergency Prescriptions for Elbows", Nan Fei chose "The Yin Classic of Taibai", and Zhang Mingyue chose "The Moon King's Medical Diagnosis".

Su Liuguang took out some silver to pay for them, but the bookstore owner shook his head: "Dr. Luo has come to Wudong County to provide free medical care, benefiting so many people. If you have to pay for a few books, I'm afraid people will ruin my reputation. Dr. Luo, if you need any books in the future, just send someone to tell me, and I'll personally deliver them to you."

Nanfei insisted on leaving the loose silver on the counter, and the shopkeeper angrily said, "Nanfei, you're looking down on me. Then I'll just have to throw the silver away."

Immediately, someone nearby chimed in, "Nanfei, you and Doctor Luo are great benefactors to our county of Wudong. We have no way to repay your kindness. You don't need to be so polite."

They left the library and continued browsing. Tao Yao walked ahead, next to Zhang Mingyue. Su Liuguang could only follow behind, chatting with Nan Fei: "Brother Nan Fei, do you know military strategy?"

Nanfei asked, "Military strategy?"

Su Liuguang pointed to the "Taibai Yin Jing" in his hand.

Nanfei looked surprised: "Is this a military treatise? I thought it was a medical book written by Venus."

Nanfei seemed to be trying to cover up his embarrassment: "I just picked it randomly. If I go into a bookstore and don't buy a book, it makes me look uncultured."

Tao Yao turned around and said, "You're saying I'm uncultured?"

Nanfei realized his mistake as soon as he finished speaking and was about to make amends when Taoyao added, "Yes, I'm just uncultured. You, on the other hand, treat military books like medical books?"

Tao Yao was still not satisfied: "Teach me after you've finished reading."

Nanfei chuckled and said, "I'll keep it for my son to see later."

Tao Yao said, "Your son? With your philandering ways, you'll definitely have a daughter in the future."

Nan Fei was speechless, a rare occurrence. Luo An even smiled, a rare occurrence. Zhang Mingyue also laughed heartily: "Tao Yao, say less."

The sights were quite a feast for the eyes as we strolled around. Luo An, who doesn't manage things and doesn't buy anything, bought a peach wood phoenix pendant, Su Liuguang bought a hairpin, Zhang Mingyue bought a love knot, and Tao Yao bought a pair of earrings.

It was supposed to be a purchase, but it was actually a free gift. The shopkeeper refused to accept the money from Luo An no matter what. This was the first time Luo An had visited the market in three years of free medical consultations. The shopkeepers felt honored to have him there, while those who weren't patronized were extremely disappointed.

As the group headed back home, they passed by a large wonton shop. The owner, with his child, stopped in front of Luo An and said, "Dr. Luo, my son contracted tuberculosis before the New Year, and we even prepared a coffin. But after taking the medicine for seven days according to your prescription, he recovered. You are like a second parent to my son. We kowtow to you."

Nanfei held one in each hand, looking delicate and seemingly without effort, but they just couldn't bring themselves to bow down.

Nanfei said, "It is a doctor's duty to heal the sick and save lives. Please don't make us feel ashamed, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper said, "Then please come to my shop and have a bowl of wontons, so that I can express my appreciation."

This is indeed a place with simple and honest people. Nanfei was flattered and said, "Young master, from now on, Nanfei will follow you around and eat and drink for free."

Luo An sat down first, Nan Fei sat to his left, Zhang Mingyue sat to his right, and Su Liuguang took the seat next to Zhang Mingyue before Tao Yao could. Tao Yao had no choice but to sit next to Su Liuguang.

Su Liuguang said, "Although Doctor Luo only comes for three days a month, his reputation in Wudong County is greater than that of the county magistrate. Not to mention freeloading, even if he wanted to find a wife, it would be an extremely simple matter."

Nan Fei asked, "Is Lord Su acquainted with the Second Miss?"

Su Liuguang said, “We’re more than just familiar. We’re childhood sweethearts and even slept in the same bed when we were little. When I was ten, my father was transferred to Songzhou as an official in charge of education, and our whole family moved away from Wudong County. Later, I passed the imperial examination and went to Qinzhou. Last year, I returned to Wudong County to serve as the county school teacher.”

Nanfei immediately praised, "Your father is a scholar of the prefecture, and your son is a scholar of the county; truly, you are from a family of scholars and officials who have inherited their father's legacy. Lord Su has a bright future ahead of you..."

The owner brought over steaming hot wontons, their aroma filling the air: "Please help yourselves, everyone. You can always order more if you're not full."

A customer nearby said, "Boss, why are their bowls bigger than ours?"

Immediately, someone chimed in, "Dr. Luo is a great benefactor of our Wudong County. Forget about getting a large bowl of wontons, even when choosing a wife, she has to be the most beautiful woman in Wudong County. Don't you all agree?"

The sounds of agreement were endless, laughter and giggles filled the air...

Zhang Mingyue seemed somewhat embarrassed, so Su Liuguang quickly steered the conversation back on track: "Brother Nanfei, you flatter me. However, the Su family does indeed have a high-ranking official among its relatives, so we are actually cousins. It is the late Prime Minister and Grand Tutor, Su Wenzheng. He was deeply trusted by the late Emperor during his lifetime, and after his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of Wenzheng, the highest posthumous title for a civil official. The late Emperor also said that after Su Wenzheng, no one else would be capable of being called a prime minister, so he abolished the title. Su Wenzheng thus became the last prime minister of our country..."

A bystander, listening intently, interjected, "The late emperor was widowed for many years, and Su Wenzheng was someone who could spend the night in the inner palace, so naturally he was favored. After Su Wenzheng's death, the crown prince escorted the coffin; wasn't that tacitly acknowledging his brother-in-law?"

Someone else chimed in: "I've heard that the late emperor was a womanizer and kept male favorites. None of the eunuchs were castrated, just for the sake of convenience..."

They ate late-night snacks and chatted about gossip, and once the conversation started, they couldn't stop. The topic veered further and further off track, something Su Liuguang hadn't anticipated.

Until someone said, "Su Wenzheng's two sons have different surnames. The eldest son takes his mother's surname, Qi, while the second son takes the surname Su. It is said that the second son was born to the late emperor, and to distinguish them, the eldest son was forbidden to take the surname Su..."

Luo An managed to pick up a wonton several times, but it fell back into the bowl, splashing soup onto his face. Zhang Mingyue took out an embroidered handkerchief to wipe it for him, but Luo An slightly turned away and wiped his face with his sleeve.

Zhang Mingyue twisted her handkerchief, a sour taste rising in her nose. Su Liuguang saw this and felt both heartache and joy.

Nanfei's tone softened: "To speak ill of the late emperor or slander the current emperor is a capital offense, punishable by death or even confiscation of property. Lord Su, you have quite the nerve."

It wasn't him who said it; Su Liuguang was utterly wronged. Then Nan Fei said, "As an academic official responsible for teaching and imparting knowledge to students, one should also set a good example and cultivate good customs in society. How can one tolerate the gossip and rumors of ordinary people?"

The county school official was actually reprimanded by a mere medical apprentice; Su Liuguang was humiliated and unable to refute him. The South African man's tone was flat yet quite authoritative, and the shop immediately fell silent.

Suddenly, a bolder but timid voice replied, "The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, what's there to be afraid of!"

Luo An stood up and left, leaving the others looking at each other in bewilderment. No one knew what they had done to offend the divine physician.

Enraged, the boss picked up a rolling pin and slapped the man on the back: "Er Gouzi, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute. The Jade-Faced Divine Doctor is a man of high moral character; how could he listen to your foul language?"