The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

Chapter 115 General Xia Guangcheng of Huaiyuan

"What did you say?"

General Xia Guangcheng of Huaiyuan was taken aback by his deputy's words.

"Miss Xiao was invited to the palace by the Empress Dowager's maid, and she hasn't returned yet."

"Is she... alright?" Xia Guangcheng frowned. "Why did the Empress Dowager summon her to the palace?"

"I'm not quite sure," the lieutenant said. "General, what do you think...?"

"I'm going into town. Please prepare a few more dishes according to the old lady's preferences," Xia Guangcheng said. "If the old lady asks about it later, just say that I have official business to attend to and that I haven't returned by time. Tell her to have her meal first."

"Yes, General."

The lieutenant silently straightened his back.

See how right I was this time!

A qualified deputy general must always pay attention to the general's preferences.

People over thirty years old have achieved great success and made outstanding contributions, yet they are always dissatisfied with their personal life's most important matters.

His first fiancée died of illness just as their wedding date was set; his second fiancée was ordered to fight the enemy on the border just as their wedding date was set, and when he returned five years later, she had already married someone else. Originally, it was because she was worried about Rui wasting his prime years by not returning for so long that she begged her family to break off the engagement; what could the old lady say? She could only accept her fate.

The third relationship seemed to be on the verge of success, but things went even more outrageously when the other party eloped with her cousin.

To save face, the woman's family claimed she was seriously ill and wanted to beg the general's forgiveness by offering to replace her with a concubine's daughter. The general was furious, saying they had given them too much face. He terrified them with just a few words and went back to announce that the legitimate daughter who was betrothed to General Huaiyuan had died of illness.

This was originally meant to cover up the truth, but people in the capital took it seriously, and the blame for the general being a jinx fell on his head.

When the general returned to the capital, many people wanted to curry favor with him, but the legitimate daughters all valued their lives and only used the illegitimate daughters to fill the gaps.

The old lady was so angry that she fell ill for a long time, and the general refused to discuss matchmaking at all.

The old lady is pressuring him to get married right now.

Who would have thought that the dignified General Huaiyuan, with his high position and great power, would be so fond of the divorced Miss Xiao from the neighboring village?

He figured it out, so he tried his best to control Miss Xiao's every move. See, it came in handy today.

What he didn't expect was that the general had deep feelings for Miss Xiao, and now he was going to the palace without an imperial decree. His reasons were obvious.

Xia Guangcheng whipped his horse very fast, shouting "Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!" and galloped all the way from the village to the capital, a distance of more than 20 miles.

He dismounted in front of the palace gate, took a deep breath, and prepared to have someone announce his arrival.

Suddenly, someone came out from one side of the palace gate.

When Xia Guangcheng saw the person's face clearly, his heart skipped a beat.

"Please go back, Granny. Thank you for taking care of Panpan." Chunyu quickly handed over the purse and gave Qing'er a purse as well.

"You're too kind, Miss. This old servant will see you off here and then return to report to the Empress Dowager."

"Please, nanny."

The nanny, overjoyed with her reward, went to the palace.

Only Qing'er looked at Xiao Chunyu with great concern.

"Don't worry about me, everything will be fine," Xiao Chunyu said. "It's not easy for you in the palace either. Be efficient in your work. If someone bullies you, you have to endure it. Endure it until you have enough ability to crush them before you lash out."

"Yes, Miss, you and my sister should take good care of yourselves."

"I will. You can come to the manor to play when you are on leave. Don't treat me like some kind of young lady. If you don't mind, you can call me elder sister."

"Elder sister!" Qing'er was extremely excited. What did she do to deserve Miss Xiao's favor and for her to recognize her as her younger sister?

"Okay, remember, you have Changqing behind you."

"Yes," Qing'er was deeply moved!
Xiao Chunyu turned to leave the palace, and almost bumped into a wall without paying attention.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a wall, but General Huaiyuan.

"Chunyu greets the General."

“Miss Xiao, there’s no need for such formalities.” With just one glance, Xia Guangcheng was certain that she was the person he was looking for: “Miss Xiao, are you returning to your estate from the palace?”

"Exactly."

“What a coincidence, I am also leaving the palace and am on my way back to the manor. We can travel together.”

Xiao Chunyu... what's going on here?
Do you want to hear the nonsense you're spouting, a lone man and woman walking together in broad daylight?

Did she walk from the city to the village because she thought her jokes weren't enough for others to tell for three days and three nights?
"Recently, a group of bandits has been roaming outside the city. We don't know what their intentions are. Miss Xiao, it would be best to be careful when you go out."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chunyu quickly expressed her gratitude.

Yes, if he wants to go with us, let him go. Why is he being so dramatic?
Reputation can't put food on the table. After all, she's a divorced woman who has long lost her reputation. He, the dignified General Huaiyuan, isn't afraid of her, so why should she be afraid?

Xiao Chunyu is just that kind of person. She may seem gentle and timid, but deep down she has a kind of mental strength that even men might lack. After analyzing the gains and losses, she quickly chooses the option that is most beneficial to herself.

So General Huaiyuan rode his horse slowly behind the carriage.

General Huaiyuan was already a hot topic in the capital.

Handsome and dashing, with a distinguished military record, still young and unmarried, he was the dream lover of countless young ladies. But they only dared to dream, after all, he was considered unlucky in marriage.

Men may be handsome, but you also need to be lucky enough to enjoy them, so you only dare to think about it but don't actually do it.

General Huaiyuan followed behind Miss Xiao's carriage, and the news spread like wildfire, quickly causing a sensation.

When the old lady of General Lian Huaiyuan's mansion, who was about to leave for the estate, heard this news, her eyes went black.

"I knew it! I knew that slut would cause trouble. How could Cheng'er resist her temptation?" The old lady said, "Hurry up, hurry to the manor! I want to meet that shameless bastard!"

"Please calm down, Madam." Xu, the old nanny beside her, quickly advised, "Madam, perhaps they are just traveling together and there is nothing between them. If you really make a scene, she might become desperate and pester the general, which would be a real problem."

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"The best way is to hurry up and find a marriage for the general." Granny Xu was full of experience: "Even if something happens later, she can just be brought back as a concubine. With a legitimate wife to protect the house, she can't cause any trouble."

"Of course this is a good thing, but the problem is that we can't find a suitable candidate." Madam Xia was also having a lot of trouble finding a daughter-in-law. The women she liked didn't like Huaiyuan because they thought he was too old.

The truth is, they were afraid he would bring bad luck to his wife.

Those who eagerly try to curry favor are often the ones you don't even like.

Being stuck between high and low standards is a real headache.

"Hurry up, let's go to the village."

"Yes."

The coachman urged the horses on, and it was better to leave the old lady's anger to the general.

At the manor, Mo Lan saw her young mistress's carriage and happily went forward to greet her.

As I approached, I saw a large deity behind the carriage, which startled me greatly.

"Mo Lan, Pan Pan is asleep, come and give her a hug."

The little one is quite heavy. Usually, Mo Lan and the others would hold her to sleep, and she never felt tired. Today, she carried her out of the palace, and her arms ached from the long carriage ride. Chun Yu couldn't move at the moment.

"Yes, ma'am."

Mo Lan was about to reach out to hug the child when a pair of large hands reached directly into the carriage.

"I'll hold the child, and Mo Lan will help your young lady."

"Ah, oh, okay, yes." Mo Lan glanced at her young mistress in shock, then secretly glanced at the tall and imposing General Huaiyuan. He was...very intimidating.

When Chunyu was helped out by Molan, she was a little dumbfounded to see the man holding Panpan.

"Thank you, General. Please entrust my daughter to Chunyu."

How can it be that your own daughter is sleeping in another man's arms?
Once it gets out, it will likely be embellished into countless versions of the story.

"Lead the way, I'll carry you back."

What?
"What, you're escorting Miss Xiao back to the manor, and you won't even give her a chance to have a sip of water there?"

"That's not how it is." Xiao Chunyu's face turned red. "General, please."

Jianlan and Granny Zhou looked at the person carrying the child who came in, and then at Molan supporting the young lady, and assumed that she had suffered.

"Miss..." Tears streamed down her face as if they were free.

"What's wrong? What happened at the village? Why are you crying?"

"Miss, everything is alright at the manor. Have you suffered?"

Have you suffered?
Yes, carrying a child this far is indeed a bit tough.

"Miss, where are you hurt?"

"What injury?" Xiao Chunyu asked, puzzled, while General Huaiyuan asked at the same time.

"Miss, you went to the palace, but the Empress Dowager didn't..."

"You silly girl, can't you think of things in a positive light? I only went to the palace because the Empress Dowager wanted to see Panpan, nothing else."

Yes, it seems like I didn't have anything to do from beginning to end; it was all Panpan's performance.

Just as she was about to doze off, the Empress Dowager finally allowed the mother and daughter to leave the palace.

So, what could possibly be wrong with her?
"Miss's legs..."

Why would someone limp if they weren't injured?
General Huaiyuan also stared at Xiao Chunyu.

"After sitting in the carriage for a long time, I couldn't free my hands while holding the child, and my hands and feet became numb. I'll feel better after a rest."

"Then Miss, please sit down and rest."

"Granny, please take Panpan inside and give her to the wet nurse." Seeing a grown man holding a child standing in front of her, Xiao Chunyu felt a little uncomfortable and really embarrassed.

"Thank you, General. Please entrust the girl to this old servant."

Granny Zhou was also quite moved, thinking that the general was actually a very easy-going person, and even helped the young lady hold her child.

"Be careful not to wake her up, she's been behaving very well."

When Xia Guangcheng handed the child to Granny Zhou, he whispered some instructions.

"Yes, I save you the trouble."

Granny Zhou... Is this how you show concern for the neighbor's child?
Xiao Chunyu was also confused by this person's sudden gentleness: Is this still the same General Huaiyuan, the god of war on the battlefield?
"What, is there something on my face?"

If someone had looked at him like that before, Xia Guangcheng would have definitely given him a terrifyingly cold face; however, facing the woman in front of him, he could only make fun of himself.

"No, no." Xiao Chunyu also realized that she had been foolish. How could she stare at someone like that? "General, please sit down. Mo Lan, serve tea."

"Yes, ma'am."

Mo Lan was also surprised.

Since the Empress bestowed this estate upon her, there has been no other visitor besides Miss Qiuyan.

"So deserted that the place is practically empty" is an extremely high description.

Today, the young lady is actually entertaining guests, and the guests are none other than General Huaiyuan.

Why do I inexplicably feel that the two of them are a good match?
Mo Lan was distracted and mistakenly took out the flower tea that the second young lady had prepared and started brewing it.

"General, please have some tea."

Upon seeing the tea that Mo Lan brought over, Xiao Chunyu could tell from the aroma that the girl was lost in thought.

This is a privately treasured item; how can it be used to entertain guests?

No, that's not right either. This man once saved their lives, so it's only right that they treat him with respect.

"This tea smells really good." Xia Guangcheng initially thought that the tea tasted better because the person was in a good mood, so he casually asked, "What kind of tea is this?"

“This is flower tea,” Xiao Chunyu said. “My second younger sister brought it back from Sichuan.”

“No wonder, I was saying I’d never had this before, it’s delicious.” Xia Guangcheng was the kind of person who never skimped on himself and never hesitated to ask for something: “I wonder if Miss Xiao could give me two jin each? My mother would definitely love this tea.”

"We've run out of two jin." Xiao Chunyu said regretfully, "Otherwise, I'll write to my second sister and ask her to bring back more next time to send to your esteemed matriarch."

"No need, no need. Let's sell as many as we can this time to Xia."

How can I sell it? I can only give it away.

"No way. You're raising a child alone, and my life is definitely better than yours. How can I take advantage of you? You can't even afford a little tea. What will people think if word gets out?"

Xiao Chunyu... In my village, in my courtyard, what kind of rumors will spread?

Xia Guangcheng took out a gold ingot and gently placed it on the table.

"General, please take this valuable item back. This tea is really not worth that much money." Xiao Chunyu was also anxious: "If people find out that I asked you for a gold ingot for less than half a jin of tea, not only my reputation, but also my daughter Panpan's reputation will be ruined."

"Anyone who goes around gossiping will have their tongue cut out if I find out," Xia Guangcheng said. "Take it if you want; this is the deposit and payment for the tea."

That's incredibly generous! What a big buyer!
Xiao Chunzhu had no choice but to agree. While having Mo Lan wrap up the remaining tea leaves, he went to the kitchen.

Did you make any pastries today?

"Yes, Miss. It's all done. Here it is."

Xiao Chunyu took the food box and put some pastries inside. She planned to have General Huaiyuan take them back for Old Madam Xia to try later.

As Xiao Chunyu hadn't anticipated, when General Huaiyuan brought the food box back, Old Madam Xia launched into a tirade, berating everyone and everything, before throwing the food box away, which Xia Guangcheng managed to catch.

"Mother, I'll correct any mistakes I've made, please don't be angry." Xia Guangcheng quickly coaxed her, "Try this pastry, it's really delicious. Please try it."

"No, I won't taste that vixen's stuff. How dare she, a divorced woman, provoke you?"

“Mother.” Xia Guangcheng sensed something was wrong with these words: “Mother, I’m putting this out there today. You let me get married, and I can decide who I marry. If you’re going to make the decision for me, I’ll stay single for the rest of my life.”

"You unfilial son."

(End of this chapter)