Chapter 35: Why didn’t you come sooner?

“Why are you only eating that?”

Shen Yu looked at Yin Qiu, who had a look of satisfaction while chewing on a wild vegetable pancake, and subconsciously thought the girl was needlessly enduring hardship again.

Shen Yu possessed considerable wealth and could afford to eat at restaurants every day, let alone afford a bit of meat.

Why did the young girl have to mistreat herself so?

Shen Yu could not bring herself to enjoy delicious food alone while leaving the girl to eat pancakes made of wild vegetables and coarse grains.

“I didn’t really help you with anything, Sister, so this is fine. I just stood by your side for the entire morning. It is only right that you eat the meat while I eat the pancake.”

“Besides, this is delicious!”

For Yin Qiu, being able to eat wild vegetable pancakes for every meal without worrying about going hungry was already a rare blessing.

It had been the same when she was at home.

If she did not do her chores properly or go up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs to earn a few more copper plates, the only thing waiting for her would likely be a single bowl of thin porridge.

If she did not eat enough, she would have even less strength to work the next day.

The porridge would become even thinner and harder to satisfy her hunger, leading to a vicious cycle.

Therefore, for Yin Qiu, eating these two thick wild vegetable pancakes was as good as a holiday feast.

“I have a poor appetite and prefer something light,” Shen Yu said as she stuffed the white flour bun in her hand into Yin Qiu’s grasp.

Then, without allowing any room for argument, she took a bite of the wild vegetable pancake Yin Qiu had been holding.

It was dry and hard, yet it was surprisingly tasty.

It was just a bit coarse, making it somewhat strenuous to chew and difficult to swallow.

What Shen Yu said was not entirely meant to coax Yin Qiu; she really was accustomed to rich meals and was quite interested in these coarse grains.

At home, when Shen Yu was not researching medicinal herbs, she was researching food and drink.

Any livestock raised in Qingfeng Village would quickly be cooked and served on her table if she so much as glanced at it.

The environments in which Shen Yu and Yin Qiu grew up were worlds apart, so Shen Yu could not understand Yin Qiu, and Yin Qiu could not understand Shen Yu.

In Yin Qiu’s eyes, her sister was simply being kind and had said those words on purpose.

How could a wild vegetable pancake be better than a white flour bun with stewed meat?

However, a single look from Shen Yu forced the hesitant Yin Qiu to swallow her words.

Under Shen Yu’s supervision, the young girl finished the meal with tears of gratitude, the food so savory that she did not recover from the bliss for a long time.

In the past, she could not even afford meat once a year, even during the New Year.

“Wuu wuu, I’m so happy to be with you, Sister. You’re so kind. I’ll love you forever…”

“You’ll love me forever just because I gave you something good to eat? You’re far too easy to win over, little one.”

Shen Yu rested her chin on her hand, watching Yin Qiu—who had a moved expression and a greasy little mouth—and could not help but let out a smile.

Shen Yu’s smile was beautiful.

The late autumn midday sun fell upon her exquisite and elegant profile, making her look exceptionally charming and moving.

“Miss Shen!”

Just as Shen Yu and Yin Qiu were chatting during their break, they suddenly heard a familiar, crisp voice.

“Eldest Miss Yun?”

Coming toward them was Yun Wei, the young lady from the Capital whom she had met at the Wangzhou Inn.

Yun Wei had previously sought her out to treat her dysmenorrhea and uterine coldness and had even insisted on showing her the affected area.

Her figure was as slender, capable, and fit as Shen Yu remembered.

Her high ponytail, combined with an exquisite face that held a hint of martial prowess, made Shen Yu steal a few extra glances.

As the daughter of a general who was skilled in both literary and martial arts, her temperament was indeed extraordinary.

“Eunuch, there is no need to take me to see Zhou Yuanpan. I have another candidate in mind for the Medical Officer who can treat this illness.”

Yun Wei spoke softly to a little eunuch beside her.

The little eunuch looked at Yun Wei and then at the young Shen Yu, his eyes filled with astonishment.

However, since he was of low status and his words carried little weight, he did not dare to say much.

He merely confirmed a few things with Yun Wei, offered some polite remarks, and then bowed and departed.

“Are you looking for me to treat you? Is it still because of the previous trouble? Ssss… why didn’t you come sooner?”

Seeing Shen Yu slightly furrow her brows with a troubled expression, the smile on Yun Wei’s face instantly collapsed.

“No, no, I didn’t come for myself this time. But… but Miss Shen’s reaction now makes me a bit worried. Could it be that you’ve noticed something? Is there a risk of my illness… worsening? But I’ve felt very good recently after taking the medicine you prescribed!”

As the saying goes, one does not fear a physician’s smile, but rather their furrowed brow.

Shen Yu’s sudden change of expression and her question about why she had not come sooner truly gave Yun Wei a fright.

She could not be so unlucky that one trouble followed another, could she?

“My illness… has it become very serious now?”

“No,” Shen Yu replied.

“It is just that I am resting now. Huimin Hall’s regulations state that we do not reopen for consultations until one in the afternoon.”

“…”

Hearing Shen Yu say this, Yun Wei’s face instantly went dark.