Chapter 971 - 969: Painstaking Effort

Words : 1311 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 971: Chapter 969: Painstaking Effort Wang Yongzhu liked it in his heart, but he knew that this thing was quite valuable, and he dared not accept it. He resolutely withdrew his gaze, thinking that he should find the opportunity to get two such small items to keep and play with in the future. Song Chongjin noticed Wang Yongzhu’s reluctant gaze, remembered it, and thought that since his wife liked it so much, he would ask Gu Zikai to find some and buy two for his wife another day. Imperial Doctor Du saw that Wang Yongzhu refused, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt even more pleased. This disciple had a steadfast nature and wasn’t blinded by material things. However, the disciple was so promising, and naturally, the master cherished the disciple. He coughed and said, "Alright, since both of the gentlemen have given you these meeting gifts, wouldn’t it be disrespectful to them if you don’t accept? Take them!" Only then did Wang Yongzhu thank Governor Chen and Zhu Haoran and accept the gifts. He didn’t dare to wear them and solemnly put them aside. The attentive attendants promptly brought two boxes, and Wang Yongzhu carefully placed the items inside the boxes for safekeeping. Imperial Doctor Du then reluctantly relented, "Alright, alright, given the gifts, you each can have an ounce of tea later. You’ve made quite a bargain!" Wang Yongzhu finally understood the reason for the gentlemen’s gifts. He quickly said, "So the two gentlemen also like this tea. I have a little left at home. If the two gentlemen don’t mind, I’ll send it to you later." Governor Chen and Zhu Haoran exchanged a glance and both showed satisfied smiles. See, they couldn’t get it from the elder, but the younger one delivered it willingly! Having achieved their goal of acquiring the item, the two didn’t linger to avoid Imperial Doctor Du getting upset and barring them from receiving it. They got up and took their leave. After seeing them off and returning to the hall, Imperial Doctor Du said, "Are you sure there’s still tea left? If not enough, take this—" He reluctantly took out some tea and placed it on the table. Wang Yongzhu quickly said, "Master, don’t worry, there’s still some tea left. No need to use your share. Rest assured, there will be enough for you." Imperial Doctor Du nodded: "Have Chongjin send the tea over tonight." Song Chongjin nodded and simply said, "Thank you, Master!" without saying much more. Imperial Doctor Du nodded with satisfaction. He behaved this way all for the sake of Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin, the young couple. Did he really begrudge that bit of tea? Well, he truly did. However, earlier, half of it was genuine reluctance, and half was an act to help Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin establish some connections with these two gentlemen. Fortunately, they were smart enough to understand his good intentions, so he was content. He originally intended to say more, but seeing that it was already late afternoon, knowing that the young could still be energetic, while his old age made it hard for him to hold up. He waved a hand: "Today, you can head back first. Starting tomorrow, Yongzhu should come by every morning at Chen hour and head back after having lunch." Wang Yongzhu quickly agreed. Then went to the backyard to thank Lady Qi and took Old Granny Zhang home. Upon returning home, he saw Lady Huang with a stout man in the yard, digging a pit under the window. In the courtyard, all the tree pits by the walls were already dug up. The soil was neatly piled at the edge of the pits, nothing scattered everywhere. Wang Yongzhu was satisfied by three-tenths, not mentioning anything else; just the working attitude was quite decent. Seeing three of them returning, the man quickly stepped forward to greet them: "Greetings to Scholar Master, Scholar’s Lady, and the old lady." Then introduced the man: "This is my husband, his surname is Dong, ranking third in his family, and everyone calls him Dong Laosan. He’s not much for other things, but he’s good with plants." After the man bowed, he demonstrated a commendable amount of shrewdness: "Scholar Master has just returned, we dare not disturb you. Today, the pit is almost done, and tomorrow the tree can be moved." Meaning to take their leave. Lady Huang seemed about to say something, but Dong Laosan gave her a look, so she smiled and said, "We’ll come again tomorrow then." Wang Yongzhu nodded and had Old Madam Ding see them out. Helping Old Granny Zhang back inside, the weather had become increasingly hot, making people drowsy, Old Granny Zhang lay on the bed for a rest; after saying just a couple of idle words, she couldn’t hold it and fell asleep, leaning against the pillow. Wang Yongzhu covered Old Granny Zhang with a thin quilt, then quietly left the room. Song Chongjin had already freshened up and changed his clothes. He was sitting at the table, staring blankly at the meeting gifts from Governor Chen and Zhu Haoran. After quickly freshening up, Wang Yongzhu changed into household clothes, sat down, looked at the two items, and felt they were burning hot, too wary to even glance at the Tian Yellow Stone’s little carved cat figurine. She quickly closed the box and put it away. Song Chongjin poured a cup of tea for Wang Yongzhu, and while drinking tea, the two sorted through the connections they met today. Wang Yongzhu felt today’s gifts from Lady Qi were too expensive and thought there was more to Imperial Doctor Du’s words, shared this with Song Chongjin, he thought for a moment and then comforted Wang Yongzhu: "Let’s wait and see first. I think Master and Mistress don’t seem to have any ill intentions. Maybe we’re overthinking it." Wang Yongzhu frowned, "I also know that Master and Mistress have no ill intentions, but it feels like their attitude—I don’t know if you felt this—seems overly favorable? I heard that in other households, the disciple must be respectful and filial, but I’ve never seen a master so considerate of their disciple, and they seem particularly attentive to you. Especially Mistress, she looked at me today like I was her daughter-in-law, and it made me feel uneasy..." Wang Yongzhu’s sixth sense was sharp now; she could clearly distinguish between when others truly liked her or were merely being polite. Awhile ago, Lady Qi was more polite than affectionate towards her, but today was different; that gaze was filled with love and a bit of critique, within the critique was a bit of sympathy, and the sympathy carried an inexplicable nostalgia—it was very complex. Besides, that bracelet was no ordinary item. When she took it out, even Master Du’s expression showed a trace of astonishment, and her heart skipped a beat. Especially recalling Imperial Doctor Du’s words later, it seemed like there was a hidden meaning. Song Chongjin, hearing what Wang Yongzhu said, recalled Imperial Doctor Du’s attitude. The two looked at each other, and both thought of one thing: Song Chongjin’s origins. Song Chongjin’s eyes instantly darkened, gritting his teeth: "It’s him again—" But Wang Yongzhu shook her head, "It may not be that, I feel like there are other hidden truths. It’s enough for us to be aware of this. Besides, Master being good to us is not a bad thing. Seeing how Master is fully planning for us nowadays, if we think too much, wouldn’t that mislead Master’s good intentions? Exchange sincerity with sincerity, if Master is good to us, we repay with honesty, over time, Master and Mistress will naturally see what kind of people we are." Song Chongjin pondered over what Wang Yongzhu said, remained silent for a while, then nodded, "You are right."

Chapter 971 - 969: Painstaking Effort

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