Yu Muhe slowly put down the food box, not wanting to leave just yet. At this moment, he suddenly thought of a plan and immediately clutched his stomach, saying, "Mr. Lu, something's wrong. I have a stomachache. Where is the restroom here? I need to use it!"
Lu Kaiwen, helpless, pointed to the restroom in the corner. Yu Muhe then rushed over. Everyone has urgent needs, and at critical moments, these can be exploited, especially when it comes to delaying time. The tactic of feigning illness to leave could be used at a banquet, during negotiations, and even at this moment, time could still be bought.
Lu Kaiwen held Xiao Long, who was still waving his hands, as if trying to grab something. Children at this stage find everything new. Their only way to recognize something is to bite it; whatever they grab, they bite. Thus, Lu Kaiwen had to hold him, otherwise, Xiao Long would be grabbing everywhere.
"Young master, please don't run around. Your mother will be here to pick you up soon!" Lu Kaiwen said to Xiao Long.
Xiao Long giggled and suddenly pointed at the person outside the door, shouting, "Mama, Mama!"
Lu Kaiwen looked towards the clinic's entrance and saw Chang Jianyi and Du Xinshi walking in from outside. The two quickly walked to their children's sides. Du Xinshi immediately hugged her son, and seeing him so lively, she was overjoyed. Chang Jianyi also carefully held Xiao Hu in his arms.
"Doctor Gu, thank you so much. It must have been difficult for you to take care of my child these past few days." Chang Jianyi had also heard about her son's cold and fever two days prior. Fortunately, she had found Gu Yanxiao, who had treated the child, and she was extremely grateful.
Lu Kaiwen also pledged his loyalty at this moment, "Madam, I have been working diligently these past few days. The two young masters have never left my sight."
Chang Jianyi nodded and said, "Your performance has been very good, and I will reward you. However, this is not the place to talk. You should come to the city with me. If Doctor Gu wants to open a clinic, feel free to choose a location within the city, and I will do my best to help!"
Luo Qing also walked in from outside. Looking at the facilities in the room, she first began to survey the surroundings. She was a professional bodyguard, especially trusted by the Deputy City Lord. Therefore, at all times, she had to first observe the environment and ensure there were no suspicious individuals anywhere.
Chang Jianyi was very grateful to the doctor who had treated her son and was now prepared to repay her. Gu Yanxiao was running this small clinic, so she would take her to the city; she could even open a hospital if she wished.
However, Gu Yanxiao immediately refused and said earnestly, "Thank you for your care, Madam, but I am worried that going to the city will attract the attention of my family. They always want to force me to get married. I would rather stay in this place where no one knows me!"
Upon receiving this answer, Chang Jianyi felt somewhat helpless. She pointed to the large crowd of onlookers outside the door and said, "Look how many people are watching outside now! You can't keep a low profile even if you wanted to. With so many people watching, there might be a few newspaper reporters. Your peaceful life is already over!"
Gu Yanxiao also quickly looked outside and indeed saw many people watching. They were whispering as they watched, indicating that they had already started discussing her small clinic.
"I didn't pay attention before and thought this was just an ordinary clinic with a quack doctor. Now it seems that's not the case."
"Exactly! The Deputy City Lord has come here now, which means the person inside must be someone of great importance."
"I've seen a doctor here before. The environment was average, but the female doctor inside was very beautiful."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion. Coincidentally, there was a newspaper reporter among them. Upon seeing the situation, he took out his phone and started taking pictures, while also contemplating the headline for his next article: "Shocking! I Never Expected Such a Clinic to Exist Outside Yuzhou City!"
Chang Jianyi was the Deputy City Lord of Yuzhou. When she went out, she was naturally accompanied by a large entourage, with bodyguards always protecting her. The streets were cleared at all times, and her procession was naturally grand. This was necessary protection, as Chang Jianyi was not a combat-specialized ability user. If she were to encounter an assassination, it would be all over. There might be formidable individuals among the crowd, so it was best to be cautious and implement protective measures.
When Chang Jianyi appeared outside the city, she immediately attracted a lot of attention. After all, except during harvest season, the Deputy City Lord generally did not leave the city. Her leaving the city today naturally caused a stir, and even an outing for leisure would inevitably draw attention.
Gu Yanxiao, seeing the situation unfold, had no choice but to shake her head helplessly. Clearly, she had not expected to be thrust into the spotlight like this.
"Then I can only rely on your care, Madam. If it causes trouble for Yuzhou, I will leave immediately!" Gu Yanxiao said quickly.
From Gu Yanxiao's demeanor, Chang Jianyi could tell that she was a typical lady from a prominent family, polite in every action, neither humble nor arrogant. Her ability to react quickly in this situation indicated that she was indeed forced into this position by her family's decisions. Otherwise, how could such a gentle and refined woman be relegated to an inconspicuous clinic?
"Then pack your things and come to the city with me. There is a banquet tonight, and you should attend. Don't worry, as long as you are in Yuzhou, no one will dare to bully you!" Chang Jianyi said confidently.
Gu Yanxiao looked at the small clinic where she had been living for some time and mused, "There's not much to pack. The beds and bedding don't need to be carried. The most valuable things in the clinic are these medicines. I'll pack them up."
Gu Yanxiao also knew that in the apocalypse, besides food, medicine was the most precious commodity. After all, with the advent of the apocalypse, many pharmaceutical factories had ceased production, and raw material supply was also an issue. Obtaining medicine was not easy, yet medicine was a life-saving item. Therefore, to know if a clinic could treat illnesses and save lives, one first had to see if it had various medicines. Without medicine, even Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing would be useless.
In the common understanding, there were Chinese and Western medicines in the country. In terms of effectiveness, Western medicine was undoubtedly faster-acting. However, Chinese medicine was also usable, especially in the current situation where Western medicine was scarce, and traditional Chinese medicine shops were doing brisk business.
The traditional Chinese medicine shops in Yuzhou were even more prosperous, which was related to their geographical location. The southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou were rich in traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, as was Sichuan province to the west. With three major production areas for Chinese medicinal herbs nearby, Yuzhou's Chinese medicine shops were naturally booming.
As Gu Yanxiao was packing, Luo Qing suddenly saw a figure moving in the restroom. This startled her. She had not heard that there were other people in the clinic before coming here. Why was there a stranger now?
Thus, Luo Qing instantly drew the pistol from her waist and sternly shouted, "Who is hiding in there? Come out quickly, or I will shoot!"
Luo Qing had prepared for the worst. She felt that the person hiding in the restroom was likely an enemy, so caution was paramount. The Deputy City Lord's safety could not be threatened.
As a result, she was startled by the sight of the shadow moving in the restroom. Could it be that assassins had already discovered the Deputy City Lord's whereabouts?
At this moment, Yu Muhe's voice came from the restroom: "Wait, don't shoot. I'm just a passerby, a passerby. Mr. Lu Kaiwen can testify for me."
Luo Qing then looked at Lu Kaiwen and asked, "Is that true?"
Hearing the question, Lu Kaiwen quickly nodded and said, "That's right. He's the leader of a mercenary group. He came to chat with me today. There's also some braised food on the table."
Du Xinshi quickly opened the food box and found it filled with braised food. The moment the lid was opened, the aroma immediately wafted out, filling the clinic with its fragrance. Xiao Long reached out his hands towards the box, mumbling, "Mama, I want... give it to me!"
Du Xinshi, helpless, handed a chicken foot to the child. Xiao Long had just grown his teeth, and gnawing on a chicken foot was quite difficult, but he tried his best. His rosy little mouth was constantly gnawing, and from his eating posture, it was clear that he would never go hungry in the future.
Yu Muhe proved his innocence and that he was not an assassin. After coming out of the restroom, he quickly bowed to Chang Jianyi, clasping his hands and saying, "Madam, what an unfortunate coincidence. I intended to have a chat with Mr. Lu, but I didn't expect to disturb your outing!"
Chang Jianyi smiled and shouted to the guards outside, "Arrest this person!"
Yu Muhe dared not resist, as resistance would likely lead to death. As he was being escorted away by the female soldiers, he couldn't help but shout, "Deputy City Lord, I'm really not a bad person! I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
Hearing this, Chang Jianyi said indifferently, "The person is not wrongly arrested. You've come at the right time. My original plan was to pick up the children and arrest you at the same time. Now it's perfect, saving me another trip."
Yu Muhe was baffled by this statement and quickly asked, "Madam, I have never betrayed Yuzhou, nor have I offended the City Lord's Mansion. Moreover, I pay my taxes on time. You can't discard me after I've served my purpose!"
Yu Muhe completely failed to understand why he was being targeted. He had always been loyal and had never colluded with external forces. Furthermore, his contributions to Yuzhou through his business during this period were also very important. Therefore, he considered himself a meritorious official, and being arrested now felt extremely unjust.
However, in response to Yu Muhe's confusion, Chang Jianyi said calmly, "You know what you've done. Come with us. If you can admit your mistakes, we might let you go. But if you remain obstinate, then don't blame us!"
After speaking, Chang Jianyi waved her hand, and someone immediately bound Yu Muhe and took him away, giving him no chance to argue.
As Yu Muhe was being taken away, he was met with various gazes from the surrounding crowd on the street. Some were curious, some were worried, and many were gloating. Clearly, many people were paying attention to Yu Muhe being arrested by the Deputy City Lord's guards. They likely never imagined that Yu Muhe, who had risen so rapidly, would face such a day.
Yu Muhe looked at the gazes of the surrounding people, feeling very angry. He couldn't understand why he was being arrested when he had done nothing wrong. He had never offended anyone in power, yet he was facing this day, which was truly perplexing.
"See? I told you such nouveau riche can't last long. It's already proven true."
"Exactly! I've disliked him for a long time. If he didn't have so many people under him, I would have beaten him up myself!"
"You should all be more mindful of your words. Besides, Mr. Yu might not be in trouble. Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding! Be careful, he might seek revenge later!"
"Come on, what kind of misunderstanding leads to someone being arrested? I think he's been up to no good and committed a crime. What's wrong with saying a few words about him?"
A group of people were discussing, their voices low enough that only those nearby could hear. However, Yu Muhe was an evolved individual and could clearly hear people's conversations. These words, upon reaching Yu Muhe's ears, made him furious.
Yu Muhe looked at the crowd around him and thought to himself, "Back then, when I was in power, everyone fawned over me. But now, these snobs are all kicking me while I'm down. When I come out again, I will teach you all a harsh lesson!"