Mrs. Zhou was frantic. "I-I don't know!"
Ye Chutang watched her, her dark, gentle eyes looking as if they could see through anything.
With a guilty conscience, Mrs. Zhou clutched the bottle of golden sore medicine. She opened her mouth and stammered, "W-well, I'll head back and check on things—"
With that, she lowered her head and rushed for the door.
Ye Chutang offered a helpful reminder, "He's likely been taken to the government office by now. You won't see him if you go back."
Mrs. Zhou stopped short, a conflicted look on her face.
Aunt Yang had been curious about this matter. She'd wanted to ask when she first saw Ye Chutang but had been too embarrassed. Now, hearing this, she couldn't help but ask, "Doctor Ye, are you saying that the death of the Cao Family's second young master wasn't an accident?"
Aunt Yang, of course, believed that the Ye Family's fourth son could never have killed Cao Chengwu. Doctor Ye had raised those children, and every one of them was well-behaved.
Though the Ye Family's fourth son was prone to mischief, he wasn't vicious enough to harm someone so cruelly.
Earlier that day, she'd been in the crowd and had heard bits and pieces. She assumed Cao Chengwu had simply died from an allergic reaction to something he shouldn't have eaten. She never imagined there was more to the story!
Ye Chutang nodded slightly. "The current theory is that someone deliberately fed him shrimp the night before."
Aunt Yang's eyes widened. "Deliberately!? Who on earth would be so audacious! That's the second young master of the Cao Family!"
Everyone in Jiangling knew the Cao Family was not to be trifled with. And this second young master, in particular, was treated like a prince, utterly doted on.
To think someone actually had the gall to kill him!
Ye Chutang sighed softly. "Indeed. I heard Mrs. Cao had a difficult time conceiving him and has always doted on him. To raise him for over a decade, only for something like this to happen... Mrs. Cao has apparently fainted from grief several times. I can only imagine how heartbroken Boss Cao will be when he returns."
Aunt Yang clicked her tongue. "You're telling me! Boss Cao doted on his younger son even more than his elder one! How else could he have become so spoiled? If Boss Cao finds out who did this, I bet he'll want to flay them alive!"
CRASH!
Mrs. Zhou, who was just heading out the door, stumbled and nearly fell.
Ye Chutang glanced over, asking with concern, "Are you all right?"
Her lips pale, Mrs. Zhou shook her head.
Aunt Yang chided, "You're a grown woman. How can you be so clumsy!"
Mrs. Zhou regained her balance, bid the two farewell again, and hurried away.
Aunt Yang watched the figure disappear out the door and couldn't help but mutter, "I don't know what's gotten into her today. She seems completely out of it."
Ye Chutang gave a faint smile. "Perhaps she's frightened, hearing that Cao Chengwu was murdered."
Aunt Yang pursed her lips, unconvinced. "That can't be it! She's usually quite bold! This morning, when the Cao Family came to block our door and cause a scene, she was pushing her way to the front to get a better look!"
Ye Chutang's interest was piqued. "Oh?"
Hearing her reaction, Aunt Yang thought she'd upset her by bringing up the morning's events and lowered her voice slightly.
"...Actually, it was good that there were so many onlookers. With that many eyes on them, the Cao Family couldn't just sling mud at you!"
At this thought, Aunt Yang gave her a thumbs-up, full of admiration. "Doctor Ye, you're the incredible one! If you hadn't reacted so quickly, your fourth son wouldn't have been able to clear his name no matter what!"
Ye Chutang smiled. "I also have you to thank, Aunt Yang, for fetching the officials so quickly. Otherwise, with the Cao Family so numerous and powerful, there's no telling what might have happened."
Aunt Yang waved her hands frantically. "Doctor Ye, don't say that! You saved my Ping'er's life. It was the least I could do!"
Ye Chutang didn't stay long. After exchanging a few more words, she took her leave.
Aunt Yang, understanding how exhausting her day had been, also urged her to hurry home and rest.
"Doctor Ye, try not to worry. Now that the government office is investigating, I'm sure they'll find the real killer soon!"
...
After returning home, Ye Chutang personally brewed Shen Yanchuan's medicine.
Normally, Yan or A Feng would handle this. However, considering the hefty fee Shen Yanchuan had paid, Ye Chutang decided to put in some extra effort to show him his money was well-spent.
On the other hand, she also wanted his injuries to heal as quickly as possible so he could be on his way.
'She had enough trouble on her plate already. The last thing she needed was to get entangled in something else just for treating a patient.'
By the time she finished, night had fallen. Ye Chutang returned to her room.
As soon as she walked in, she saw the Little Milk Group sprawled over a small table, fiddling with an abacus. An open ledger lay beside her.
Ye Chutang walked over and peered over her shoulder. "Having fun with the numbers?"
The Little Milk Group first nodded emphatically, then shook her head with hesitation.
She held up a chubby little hand and began to gesture.
'The clinic was closed today, so we didn't take in any silver.'
Ye Chutang ruffled her little head. "Tsk, you're even more obsessed with money than I am."
She had discovered long ago that Xiao Wu had a keen sense for numbers. At first, she'd only taught her mental arithmetic as a game, but unexpectedly, Xiao Wu had picked it up just by being around it and had learned to read the ledgers at a very young age.
While other children her age only wanted to play, Xiao Wu was different. Her greatest joy each day was flicking the beads of the abacus.
Eventually, Ye Chutang just let her be.
"Don't worry. We have a big benefactor now. The fee I charged him is enough to cover what we'd normally make in several months."
Jiangling was a small town, after all. No matter how skilled a doctor Ye Chutang was, there was a limit to how much she could earn.
'Now that she'd finally found someone she could fleece, she certainly wasn't going to be polite about it.'
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
Ye Chutang chuckled and pinched her nose.
"What? Do you like him just because he's handsome?"
Xiao Wu was quiet and introverted, and rarely warmed up to anyone. With Shen Yanchuan, however, it was a different story.
'It's probably because of his handsome face,' Ye Chutang mused.
Xiao Wu fumbled inside her robes for a moment before pulling something out.
Ye Chutang looked closely and froze.
It was a Jade Pendant.
Carved from the finest white nephrite jade, its texture was superb and the craftsmanship exquisite. A single glance was enough to tell it was incredibly valuable.
Ye Chutang took it, examining it for a moment before asking Xiao Wu, "He gave this to you?"
Xiao Wu nodded emphatically.
'For Big Sister! It's pretty!'
'Though he acted low-key, he was clearly of noble birth. It seemed normal for someone like him to casually give away such a trinket.'
Ye Chutang fell silent for a moment. 'Perhaps my earlier thought was too rash.'
'It was hard to say whether Xiao Wu was more taken with his handsome face or his extravagant generosity.'
'Like sister, like sister... no, that's not it!'
Suddenly, Ye Chutang's gaze sharpened, and her brows drew together.
'The tassel on this Jade Pendant... it seems...'
Her heart skipped a beat.
"From the Capital City?"
...
At that same moment, Shen Yanchuan, who had just choked down a dose of terribly bitter medicinal soup, sneezed.
"ACHOO!"
He gently rubbed his prominent nose and murmured to himself.
"Who could be thinking of me at this hour..."