The Fallen Medicine Woman: The Daily Life of Chun Nuan-Chapter 328 - 199: Meeting the Zhao Family Patriarch
As she turned, she saw Zhao Minghua.
"Third young master."
Ding Xiang saluted.
"You may leave," Zhao Minghua said, "I’ll take over."
"Yes."
The son-in-law was good to the young lady, which Ding Xiang was happy to see.
She quickly retreated, not daring to disturb them.
After Ding Xiang left, Zhao Minghua asked Chun Nuan which hairpin she liked.
"Did you prepare all these?"
There was nothing Chun Nuan could not understand.
A grown man, silently preparing so many hairpins for her, made her heart warm.
"When did you buy them?"
Chun Nuan counted them; there were twenty-eight in total.
"When I was traveling and handling affairs, I bought whatever seemed suitable for you, not knowing which one you’d like, so I bought them all for you to choose. If there are any you don’t like, you can give them away to others."
"I like them all," Chun Nuan shook her head, "Since you bought them personally for me, I can’t bear to give them to others."
Hearing Chun Nuan say she liked them all, Zhao Minghua’s face beamed with a broad smile.
"Come, let me put one on you."
"Alright, but be quick, if we are late..."
"No worries."
He personally put a hairpin on Chun Nuan and held her hand, "Let’s go meet them."
Zhao Minghua had mentioned the situation of the Zhao family to her more than once.
Grandmother had passed away, but Grandfather was still alive, an old physician.
Of course, he had not practiced for twelve years, having passed all his medical knowledge to his eldest son Zhao Mingqing.
Chun Nuan held deep respect for old physicians.
In her imagination, the old physician should resemble her grandfather, kind and gentle.
However, when she reached the main hall and saw the old master of the Zhao family seated at the head, Chun Nuan... her expectations were overturned.
He did not appear kind and gentle; instead, he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a full beard. But most importantly, both his hair and beard were all black, with not a single strand of white.
This must be the old physician’s final tenacity; they are very health-conscious, knowing what to eat and do without overexerting their bodies.
"Nuannuan, this is Grandfather."
Zhao Minghua held her hand as both knelt before Mr. Zhao, "Grandfather, I have brought back the granddaughter-in-law you have longed for."
"Grandfather, please have some tea."
"Good, good, good child, our Zhao family is blessed."
The old master’s smile was so wide that it could not close. He took the tea, had a sip, and put it on the table. Then he took a red cloth bundle from a servant’s hand.
"Grandfather knows you are talented, so here’s a gift for you."
He handed the red cloth bundle to Chun Nuan, gesturing for her to open it and have a look.
In fact, everyone in the Zhao family craned their necks, curious to see what gift the old master had prepared—a large red cloth bundle that looked quite precious.
Because everyone knew how excited the old master was that Zhao Minghua had married the granddaughter of Doctor Xiao.
Not to mention, he’d been up since 5 AM, eager to drink the tea offered by his granddaughter-in-law, only to be told by his daughter-in-law that he had to wait.
The old master said directly it was alright, saying that even if he couldn’t sleep, he didn’t want everyone else to be deprived of sleep because of him.
In truth, everyone knew he was so excited he woke up early.
It was also because he liked Zhao Minghua and his bride that he indulged them, letting them sleep as long as they wished.
The item brought out now must be a treasured possession.
Chun Nuan felt that examining the gift in front of everyone might seem somewhat impolite.
But since the old master gestured for her to look, she opened it.
She was startled when she opened it.
"Fang’s Handbook?"
"Yes, this handbook was something I came across by chance, documenting mostly pharmaceutical recipes," the old master said. "Mingqing focuses more on diagnostics, Ming Lang is dedicated to the imperial exams, and Ming Hua, since small, couldn’t focus on studying or medicine. You, however, excel at preparing medicinal herbs, so this book is my gift to you. How about it?"
"Thank you for your generous gift, Grandfather."
Chun Nuan promptly thanked him respectfully.
"Do you like it?"
"I do. Grandfather’s gift is invaluable."
"Hahaha, that’s someone who appreciates its worth," the old master turned to a servant. "Old Li, what did you say at that time?"
"Master, it was my lack of vision."
Back then, the old master decided to gift this book as a meeting gift when the granddaughter-in-law offered tea. The senior servant beside him, Old Li, thought the old master was being stingy. Young ladies usually liked gold, silver, and jewels, while the old master wanted to gift an old, yellowing book, so Old Li had advised him to reconsider and choose something else more appealing.
