Chapter 282 If She Were Still Here

Chapter 282 If She Were Still Here

Su Youyue couldn't understand why Doctor Ji would refuse to acknowledge them if she were truly her mother. Even if she didn't remember, how could anyone not want to recognize their close family?

Su Youyue's rationality wavered between asking Doctor Ji directly and respecting her wishes, eventually settling on the latter. Even if she were her mother, they should approach the situation more gently and gradually.

"I'll think of another way."

"I have already found many wine recipes for Doctor Ji. I believe this will keep her here longer. If she decides to leave, I have my ways to make her stay," the man said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Su Youyue shook her head. "Xie Yuan, family ties cannot be forced. If she is indeed my mother, I will only try to help her remember the past. Then, let her decide whether to stay or go."

With that, she looked at him again. "So, your task now is to go back and recover properly!"

Seeing Xie Yuan silent, she pressed further. "Were the assassins from Dongrong Country? Did you catch them?"

The man replied, "We caught them, but we can't hold Dongrong Country accountable publicly. We can only deal with them privately."

Su Youyue knew it was true; with Dongrong Country suffering such a setback in Great Shen, they wouldn't easily swallow their pride.

"Will Dongrong Country really honor the bet?" she asked hesitantly.

In her previous life, there was no such bet during the martial arts competition, and subsequently, a significant conflict erupted between the two countries.

Now, Su Youyue had no doubt that a war was inevitable.

Seeing her worried expression, Xie Yuan smiled suddenly. "We'll deal with future matters when they come. Dongrong Country values its reputation and will certainly honor the bet within a year."

It seemed he didn't want to discuss it further, so he stood up and said, "Nuan Nuan, choose a good date. I'll go back and recover. On our wedding day, I'll welcome you into the Xie Mansion with great pomp."

His eyes flickered, hiding something, which Su Youyue sensed, causing her some unease.

Xie Yuan must know too that a war between the two countries is inevitable. Has he... already prepared himself for battle?

Given the gravity of the matter and his reluctance to discuss it, Su Youyue could only suppress her concerns and smiled back. "Alright, you must take care of yourself and not wander around. Let's set the wedding date as soon as possible."

"Agreed," the man responded promptly.

As they looked at each other, the atmosphere was warm, yet beneath it, worries simmered.

Su Youyue wanted to tell Xie Yuan not to worry; if he needed to go to war, she would support him wholeheartedly and wait for him no matter what. But these words would be better left for after the wedding.

They still had a long time ahead.

After setting the wedding date, Su Youyue felt more hopeful, temporarily pushing aside her worries.

The entire Su Mansion became busy, except for her, the bride-to-be, who still had leisure time.

One day, she gathered all the medical books her mother had left behind, planning to invite Doctor Ji over to look through them. However, upon arriving, Doctor Ji excitedly mentioned finding a tavern in the Capital that served exceptionally good rice wine, so she planned to visit it.

Not wanting to dampen her spirits, Su Youyue decided to accompany her.

She was also curious if seeing familiar places might trigger some memories in Doctor Ji.

As they walked through a garden toward a path, they overheard two young servants gossiping.

"Did you hear? Doctor Ji saved Zhu Zi by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!"

"I heard? I saw it with my own eyes! Doctor Ji is so beautiful; Zhu Zi is truly lucky, hahaha..."

"You're right. I wonder what it felt like. We should ask him later..."

Their voices were lewd, and Su Youyue's anger flared. Just as she was about to confront them, she heard her father's voice.

"Who do you want to ask?" Su Zhenyun appeared behind them, wearing his crimson official robes. His usually gentle face was now filled with rage.

Caught off guard, the two servants realized their master had heard everything and immediately knelt down.

"Master... Master, we didn't say anything."

"Saving a life is a great virtue, regardless of gender! Doctor Ji is a saint for saving a life. How dare you two lowlifes gossip behind her back!" Su Zhenyun was visibly furious, his face turning red. "If it were your parents drowning, would you dare refuse help?"

Hearing her father's outburst, Su Youyue fell silent.

It seemed... there was no need for her to intervene.

She glanced back at Ji Qingyan, who, though unable to see, seemed to be looking in that direction.

"Li Rong, go and give each of them fifty lashes, then throw them out of the mansion!" Su Zhenyun ordered. Seeing Li Rong about to leave, he called him back sternly. "Gather everyone. Today, I want to see who else dares to slander Doctor Ji behind her back!"

Su Youyue, watching Doctor Ji, noticed the fleeting light in her eyes upon hearing her father's last words.

Before they could greet her, Su Zhenyun stormed off, apparently planning to warn all the servants.

Left hesitating, Su Youyue wondered whether to follow.

Ji Qingyan, however, continued walking towards the mansion's exit without any reaction.

Seeing her indifference, Su Youyue felt a twinge of disappointment but accompanied her nonetheless.

Getting into the carriage, Ji Qingyan seemed lost in thought, no longer as excited as when he had decided to buy wine.

He lifted the curtain and watched the ancient buildings and people along the way pass by his eyes. After a long while, he finally let the curtain fall.

"Your father seems quite enlightened."

Su Youyue was taken aback for a moment before she quickly nodded. "Indeed... My father believes that men and women are equal, yin and yang in balance... Others often say daughters are useless and cannot inherit the family business, but my father is an exception. He thinks daughters are also his own flesh and blood, no different at all."

Hearing Doctor Ji mention her father, Su Youyue naturally praised him enthusiastically.

"My mother... seems to have been a particularly independent person as well. It's said that her thoughts were different from most people's. She believed that women could match men, and she even wanted to become an official herself back then... I heard her medical skills were impressive too."

She chattered on, and by the time she got to this point, Ji Qingyan had already understood her intentions. He had initially wanted to stop her, but seeing the hope in Su Youyue's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

From what he had learned over these days, Su Youyue had never seen her birth mother since childhood.

Now, although she was of marriageable age, she was still just a fifteen-year-old girl—still a child by modern standards.

Over this period, he had been teaching Su Youyue medicine step by step, and in his heart, he had already considered this young girl his true disciple, thus indulging her more.

At this moment, instead of interrupting her, he smiled. "Then your mother truly was a forward-thinking woman. If she were still here, she would surely teach you these things."