Chapter 609: Chapter 211 Tailless_3
Even after Lu Tong had left and my father had a Medical Officer come to feel his pulse for him, no one could detect anything amiss.
This made Qi Yutai ecstatic.
He only needed to wait for Lu Tong to come and administer treatment every other day, temporarily quenching his craving with the powder she brought. Although it lacked the intensity of the true Cold Food Powder, for Qi Yutai, it was like receiving timely help amidst snow.
He even stopped clamoring to go out.
The servants in the manor told him that now in Shengjing, strict orders prohibited restaurants and taverns from providing Cold Food Powder, so even if he were let out, he would not be able to buy any.
Better to enjoy the present.
Qi Yutai narrowed his eyes, picked up the teapot from the table, took a gulp directly from the spout, wiped his mouth, and looked at the person in front of the table.
The female Medical Officer was putting away the Silver Needle and Silver Medicine Pot back into her medical box, dressed only in a lotus-colored gown, with a graceful figure and hair black as clouds.
A thought crossed Qi Yutai’s mind.
He wasn’t sure if it was the lingering effect of the medicine or the fact that he hadn’t been to a brothel to "enjoy" himself in a long while. A surge of excitement suddenly rose in his heart. He got out of bed, walked behind Lu Tong, and suddenly said, "You really are a treasure; no wonder both Pei Yunmeng and Ji Xun treat you differently."
"A woman as capable as you, to be honest, I find it a bit hard to let you go."
He reached out, one hand caressing Lu Tong’s cheek, only for her to turn her head to avoid his touch.
Qi Yutai was not annoyed; he had just taken the powder and was in a good mood, only narrowing his eyes and smiling.
"Doctor Lu, neither the Ji Family nor Zhao Ning Manor will accommodate you, and if you were to follow them, at best you’d end up as a Servant Concubine," he said.
"Why not choose convenience over a far-fetched option?"
He continued, "Truth be told, there is no deep hatred between us, just a misunderstanding. I am willing to let go of past grudges and reconcile with you."
He reached out, his fingertips gliding over the back of Lu Tong’s hand, his tone ambiguous and low.
"With your skills in preparing medicine, if you were to follow me, I would not treat you cheaply. I could even compensate you for the mistake of killing Qiang Wei..."
Before Lu Tong could speak, suddenly, from outside the door, a voice interrupted with a "Young Master."
Irritated by the interruption, Qi Yutai snapped, "What is it?"
The person who came was a Guard from the courtyard, who bowed his head and said, "Just now, Miss Qi from the courtyard said she was feeling unwell and has requested Doctor Lu to come and have a look."
"Hua Ying?"
Qi Yutai’s expression changed and he immediately urged, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up!" He then asked, "What happened to my sister?"
The Guard only said he didn’t know.
Lu Tong nodded her head, packed up her medical box, and left.
Qi Yutai stood at the door, watching as Lu Tong walked away. Even though he knew it was Qi Huaying’s command, he still felt unsettled that a pleasant moment had been interrupted, and he gave the Guard who had spoken a vicious glare.
The Guard looked new, apparently having joined not long ago, with a red birthmark at the corner of his eye that was annoying to look at.
Qi Yutai cursed, "Get lost!"
The Guard bowed his head and retreated.
...
Carrying her medical box on her back, Lu Tong followed a young maid to a courtyard in the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.
She had been in the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion for quite some time, but she had only ever visited Qi Yutai’s courtyard and had never been to any other courtyard before.
The courtyard was meticulously maintained.
Flowers were planted everywhere, and under the windows, there were numerous jasmines, autumn orchids, and night-blooming cereuses. Moreover, Wukang stones lined the courtyard, elegant and orderly.
The maid stopped in front of a door, lifted the Xiang bamboo curtain, and Lu Tong followed her in. As soon as she entered the room, she saw someone sitting with their back to her in front of a long table.
Just as Lu Tong took a step forward, the maid hurriedly said, "Wait a moment!"
She looked up, and the maid pointed to the carpet in the room, "You’ve come in from outside the mansion, and your shoes might carry mud. This is a new carpet from Song River, worth a hundred Gold; it’s hard to clean if it gets dirty. Please take off your shoes and socks before proceeding."
Lu Tong looked at the carpet with a moon-blue base, plush velvety lotus and seawater border patterns embroidered on it. The embroidery was luxurious, and the seawater patterns were intricately stitched.
She bowed her head, ready to remove her shoes and socks.
Just as she was about to bend down, a voice from inside the room said, "Never mind, Qiang Wei, let her come in directly."
Hearing this, the maid gave Lu Tong a look and said, "Then come in."
Lu Tong straightened back up and followed the maid inside.
Upon approaching, she saw a beautiful young woman sitting at the small table, dressed in a light pink gown embroidered with peony patterns, with bejeweled hairpins in her hair, radiant in beauty. The woman was cradling a snow-white cat in her arms and anxiously addressed her upon her entry, "My cat has refused to eat anything since this morning. Doctor Lu, please take a look, is it ill?"
Lu Tong looked down at the white cat in the woman’s arms. The cat looked listless. She extended her hand to Qi Huaying, "Give it to me, Miss Qi."
Qi Huaying carefully handed the white cat over to her.
Back when Lu Tong was on Luomei Peak, she had treated various animals on the mountain, so looking after a cat’s illness was not beyond her abilities.
After examining the white cat’s body and inquiring about its recent behavior, Lu Tong said, "It might have eaten something wrong, like a poisonous insect or something. With proper rest for a few days, it should recover."