Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Nanfei was dumbfounded. Luo An went for a stroll by the river, while he went to Fengchunlou for drinks. Zhang Mingyue definitely couldn't go with him; if she went with Luo An, he would have to come along too.

He gets two days of free time each month, so it looks like he'll be wasting one day today.

Nanfei forced a smile: "That's perfect, the more the merrier! Xu Ma, why don't you come along? And also January, March, and July..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Yue and the other two ran off in a flash. Xu Ma said, "You young men and women are enjoying the scenery; what am I, an old woman, doing following you? Go on, and come back later."

Behind Zhongjing Hall is the Dongshui River, which flows into the Jingjiang River. Small boats can travel from Chongming Island all the way to Zhongjing Hall. Since the river gangs don't enter the inland waterways, they can only disembark at the ferry crossing.

Luo An and Zhang Mingyue walked ahead, while Tao Yao and Nan Fei lagged behind by two steps, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

Tao Yao looked at the two people in front of her and suddenly asked, "Nan Fei, you never miss a month of free clinics. Don't you ever go home? Where are your ancestors from? Do you have any relatives? How much money does the Dahe Gang give you each month?"

Are there too many questions? Nanfei chose the safest answer: "Our income is determined by the guild's income. If the guild's income is high each month, we earn more; if the guild's income is low, we earn less. However, we provide room and board, and two sets of clothes for each season."

Tao Yao asked, "So how much do you earn on average each month?"

Nanfei said, "Everyone is guaranteed a minimum of two taels of silver per month. The higher the rank, the more you will receive. There will be monthly bonuses and year-end bonuses as well. On average, you will receive about ten taels per month, and I will receive about five taels per month."

Zhang Mingyue asked, "Brother Luo, Father said that the new Zhongjing Hall is short of doctors. If you are willing to come, it will be considered as a 50% investment in Zhongjing Hall, with a guaranteed minimum of ten taels of silver per month. Nanfei will have a guaranteed minimum of five taels of silver, and dividends will be calculated separately. Food, clothing, and lodging will all be provided by Zhongjing Hall, so you won't need to spend any extra money. Zhongjing Hall has a good profit margin and high sales volume, so it should be more than what the Dahe Gang will give you."

Nanfei nodded, thinking that Zhang Mingyue was very kind, after all, it doesn't matter where you make money.

Seeing him nod, Tao Yao immediately said, "Miss, Nan Fei is willing."

Luo An stopped and turned to look at Nan Fei.

Nanfei immediately protested his innocence: "Young master, I didn't say I was willing. I just thought the second young lady was very kind, very kind."

Luo An continued walking forward with his hands behind his back. Master Zhang didn't say this; it was simply Zhang Mingyue's spur-of-the-moment decision.

Zhang Mingyue said anxiously, "Brother Luo, is there something inconvenient about it? Chongming Island is very humid. Young people might be able to handle it, but older people are prone to rheumatism and leg problems. Wudong County has a simple and honest folk culture, and the magistrate is good at governing the people. Doors are left unlocked and lost items are not picked up. It's more lively than Chongming Island and is a good place to live. Nanfei likes it very much."

Zhang Mingyue once compiled statistics showing that the medicine Dahe Gang obtained most from Zhongjingtang was for treating rheumatism.

Nan Fei pretended not to hear the last sentence. No matter how reasonable Zhang Mingyue's words were, Luo An didn't express his opinion, so he naturally couldn't make the decision.

Tao Yao nudged him with her hand and whispered, "Say something."

Nanfei was somewhat worried. He pondered Luo An's thoughts and slowly said, "If you really want to practice medicine, you should open your own clinic, not sit in the pharmacy. Otherwise, people will say that we collude with the pharmacy to prescribe medicine when we are not sick or to prescribe expensive medicines..."

Zhang Mingyue said, "My father told me the other day that there's a tea shop diagonally opposite the old Zhongjing Hall that's not doing well and is being sold. There are a lot of people there, so it's a good place to open a clinic. If Brother Luo is interested, I'll have my father take it over and let you use it for free."

Zhang Mingyue was using Master Zhang as a shield. Nan Fei was just feeling touched by her deep affection when he saw Luo An shaking his head ahead.

Nanfei said, "The Dahe Gang has treated us well. If we leave right after the old leader's death, it will make us look like we're greedy and ungrateful, which is immoral and shameful. Anyway, we need to go back and discuss this matter carefully. Second Miss, don't worry."

Nan Fei spoke tactfully, but his meaning was clear. Zhang Mingyue believed she had offered good enough terms, and anyone with a sound mind wouldn't refuse. She simply couldn't understand why Luo An wouldn't agree.

The four of them walked back and forth across the two bridges over the East River and returned to Zhongjing Hall. Nan Fei breathed a sigh of relief: "Second Miss and Miss Taoyao are both tired, they should get some rest."

After Zhang Mingyue and Tao Yao returned to their room, Nan Fei looked at Luo An and said, "With such good terms, why didn't you agree, young master? You haven't fallen for that girl, have you? She's not as good as Zhang Mingyue. I wouldn't even look at her."

Luo An ignored him and went upstairs by himself. Nan Fei stood in the courtyard for a while, then jumped over the wall to go to Fengchun Tower for a drink.

Zhang Mingyue sat in the room, lost in thought. Xu Ma and she had been so explicit; Nan Fei understood their meaning, and Luo An couldn't possibly be oblivious.

Zhang Mingyue had known him for several years and had never seen him show any emotion such as anger, frustration, disappointment, or sadness. He treated everyone the same, showing little emotion.

Luo An might not necessarily have no feelings for her; he's just naturally aloof. Like when he encounters a patient screaming and rolling on the ground during a free clinic, he remains calm and unmoved.

Thinking this way, Zhang Mingyue felt a glimmer of hope.

Tao Yao came over carrying two sets of clothes: "Miss, these are clothes for Young Master and Nan Fei."

They were staying here for their free medical consultation and had left some clothes for them to change into. Zhang Mingyue said, "You can just leave them in their room."

Tao Yao said, "Miss, I think they might not be from the Great River Gang. I've heard that members of the Great River Gang wear clothes with the character 'River' printed on the chest. But neither of them has that on their clothes."

Zhang Mingyue said, "The Great River Gang is unruly and is regarded as a bandit gang by various countries. They will definitely have to wear ordinary clothes when they come to Wudong County, otherwise it will be too conspicuous and inconvenient."

Tao Yao said, "But Brother Luo and Nan Fei's clothes are even better than Miss's."

Tao Yao spread out her clothes, starting with Nan Fei's. Nan Fei's clothes were easy to recognize; all of them were sandy brown, and the cuffs were embroidered with phoenixes without exception.

Tao Yao then opened Luo An's clothes again. Luo An's clothes were easy to recognize; they were always understated and unassuming. His sky-blue robe was embroidered with matching flowing cloud patterns, appearing simple from afar but luxurious up close.

Zhang Mingyue carefully touched the fabric and embroidery of the clothes, then touched the clothes and embroidery on her own body: "This should be plain silk gauze and cloud brocade. Wudong County doesn't sell this kind of fabric. I had a few pieces brought back from Songzhou by someone. I heard that the Dahe Gang is extremely wealthy. Brother Luo and Nanfei must have very high positions in the gang, so it's not surprising that they have luxurious everyday clothes. Even if they bought them themselves, a set of clothes would cost less than ten taels of silver, while they could afford fifteen taels a month."

Tao Yao felt that their luxurious clothes were not worthy of their status, but after hearing Zhang Mingyue's words, her doubts were dispelled.

Tao Yao was somewhat dejected: "I think Young Master Luo is just a medical idiot. He only knows how to treat illnesses and doesn't understand romance."

Zhang Mingyue asked, "Why?"

Tao Yao said, "I've inquired about it. Nan Fei goes out to drink and carouse, and Young Master Luo just strolls along the river. So, he's a completely unromantic person. If you were with him, Miss, he definitely wouldn't say anything nice or try to make you happy."

Zhang Mingyue said, "Life is about the practicalities of daily life, like firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Romance and frivolity don't fill your stomach. Nanfei is a master at charming people, and he's known for drinking and womanizing all the time. He's not suited for a stable life. This matter is still far from settled, so why are we talking about this?"

Tao Yao comforted her, "Miss, isn't this a done deal? With your family background, talent, and beauty, there's no one else like you in the entire Wudong County. Nan Fei said that Young Master Luo's parents died early, he has no relatives, and no one is even concerned about his marriage at twenty. How could he refuse a good wife offered to him? Could he possibly marry someone better than you, Miss?"