Knowing the Warmth of Southern Tea (GL) - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“Mother, I’m coming in.” Xingyue saw Nan Nuan sitting in the outer room, gave her a small nod, and called out from behind the door. When her mother was treating a patient’s wounds, no one was allowed to enter—even Xingyue had to ask in advance.

“Come in with Miss Nan; it’s finished,” Rongrong replied.

Xingyue pushed the door open and entered, with Nan Nuan rising to follow her.

Inside, Rongrong waved Xingyue over and said, “Come, meet your ‘biological’ sister from different parents.”

“Biological sister? Mother, you can’t be looking for a ‘little father’ for me!” Xingyue immediately grabbed Rongrong’s hand. She didn’t feel at all embarrassed about acting like a spoiled child at her age; she felt she was doing the right thing by preventing her parents’ divorce. She believed it was her painstaking care that kept the family together, and she hadn’t expected this “enchantress” to cause trouble today… When Xingyue was little, she had been looked after by a neighbor for a few days and was deeply brainwashed with the idea of “watch out for fire, watch out for thieves, and watch out for mistresses…”

“Different parents?” Nan Nuan clearly caught the key point of that sentence. Could it be… It was just as she suspected: a “martial arts world style” reunion. Usually, experts recognized kin because the other person was a rare talent; however, with Wen Cha, the gap was a bit too wide.

Rongrong shook off Xingyue’s hand and took Wen Cha’s hand instead. “The moment I saw this girl, I liked her. She is willing to be my daughter, so I have taken her as my goddaughter.”

Seeing Rongrong shake off Xingyue to hold her hand, Wen Cha felt her life might be nearing its end. She guiltily wiped the sweat from her face that had broken out during the dressing change.

Xingyue looked at her mother holding Wen Cha’s hand and suddenly smiled. “Oh, I see. So that’s how it is. Don’t worry, Mother, I will take ‘excellent’ care of my ‘biological’ sister.”

Seeing the look in Xingyue’s eyes, Wen Cha’s survival instinct flared. She felt she couldn’t just go along with it and said, “There’s no need, I wouldn’t want to trouble Sister Xingyue.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Xingyue said, looking at Wen Cha “tenderly.” Little girl, you want to use my mother to get close to my father and become my stepmother? You’re a bit green for that. See if I don’t torment you to death. And you dare let me call you ‘Sister’? We’ll see who’s whose sister.

“Since that’s the case, you two should get along well,” Rongrong said, satisfied as she looked at Wen Cha and Xingyue. It reminded her of herself and her Senior Sister back then, supporting each other. Her eyes grew moist unintentionally. Some people are so dear that even if you can’t explain why, you can never forget them for a lifetime.

“Madam, why don’t you let Miss Xingyue and Wen Cha have a good chat?” Nan Nuan felt there was more to this than met the eye. Setting aside Wen Cha’s aptitude, just looking at Rongrong’s demeanor suggested something deeper. However, that wasn’t the priority right now.

“Indeed, we should.”

“In that case, why don’t you come to the courtyard with me to look at the orchids, Madam? I noticed them the moment I arrived; I’ve never seen that variety before and was hoping for some guidance.”

“I wouldn’t dare offer ‘guidance,’ but if you like them, I can give you some,” Rongrong replied. She also wanted Xingyue and Wen Cha to spend time together, and she knew Nan Nuan had something to say to her, so she agreed.

Nan Nuan ignored Wen Cha’s pleading eyes, stood up, and walked out with Rongrong.

Left behind, Xingyue proceeded to give her “biological” sister a “full-body massage”—guaranteed to leave no marks, only pain, without harming the body, but making it hurt everywhere she moved.

…

Outside, the sky was clear and vast. The orchids in the courtyard were blooming brilliantly, clearly tended to with great care. There were also several racks where medicinal herbs were drying in the sun.

“Miss Nan, what is on your mind?” Rongrong asked directly, not intending to beat around the bush.

Nan Nuan didn’t answer but knelt down directly. Rongrong hurried to support her. “Miss Nan, there is no need for this. Whatever it is, please stand up first.”

Nan Nuan remained unmoved. “Thank you, Madam, for saving Wen Cha’s life.” With that, she bowed to Rongrong.

“Since you have already bowed, please get up quickly.” Rongrong tried to help her up again. She felt that while Nan Nuan was a complex and calculating child, her fundamental nature was still good.

“Nan Nuan has an audacious request. Please grant it, Madam.”

“Get up first. No matter what the request is, I agree,” Rongrong insisted on helping her up. Nan Nuan was shocked to hear this. In this world, there aren’t many people who agree before even hearing the request.

Though moved, she still didn’t quite believe it. After all, people are inherently selfish.

“Please listen to me first, Madam. I am a follower of the Crown Prince, sent to Qingzhou to manage the floods by his order. His Highness once said his mentor resides in Bingzhou; I didn’t want to intrude, but circumstances forced my hand. Our schedule cannot be delayed, but I truly cannot rest easy regarding Wen Cha. Therefore, I would like to ask if you could accompany us, Madam?” Nan Nuan spoke with deep sincerity, though how much of it was genuine remained unknown.

“This… I must discuss it with Xiao Zhuang first. Don’t worry, Wen Cha is my patient, and as her godmother, I must take responsibility for her.” Rongrong helped Nan Nuan up again, and this time, Nan Nuan finally stood.

Rongrong thought it was a much bigger issue, but it turned out to be this. This was fine; she could go with them. After all, she still hadn’t decided how to tell Gu Zhuang about her pregnancy. Delaying things by leaving was a good option. Moreover, she truly couldn’t feel at ease leaving Wen Cha alone. It wasn’t that Rongrong was biased, but most people from the Capital possessed “hearts with seven apertures” (were overly calculating); she had to be on guard.

Nan Nuan watched Rongrong leave, knowing she was going to discuss it with Gu Zhuang when he returned.

“Master, will this work? If not, why don’t we…” An San whispered.

“Stupid. In all these years, have you ever seen this ‘Physician Immortal’ serve anyone? And who can rival Master Zhuang? Even if you all attacked at once, you might not win. We must bring Rongrong on this trip. Why cause unnecessary losses? Is there any news from An Er?”

“Reporting to Master: none.”

“Tell him to come back. He won’t find anything.”

“Understood.”

“You may leave.”

“Your subordinate still doesn’t understand one thing. Why use Miss Wen to plead with the Divine Physician instead of the safety of the people in Qingzhou?” An San had listened to everything; it didn’t match the original plan.

“Rongrong becoming Wen Cha’s godmother just because they ‘felt a bond’ is laughable. It’s likely that Rongrong knew Wen Cha’s family. One naturally puts their heart and soul into protecting the child of an old friend.”

“Master is wise,” An San said before withdrawing.

Nan Nuan looked at the orchids in the courtyard and slowly plucked a blossom. By now, she had a guess about Wen Cha’s identity, though it wasn’t yet confirmed. Back then, Rongrong had a Senior Sister who was said to have done some “dark work” for the current Emperor. Later, it was heard that she fell in love with a high-ranking noble during a mission. After that, she disappeared mysteriously. Wen Cha was likely the child of Rongrong’s Senior Sister and that noble.

“Wen Cha… should I trust you?” She crushed the flower to a pulp, letting the juice run through her fingertips and onto the ground. Was all of this a coincidence or destiny?

Wen Cha, I hope you don’t disappoint me. Otherwise, I don’t know what I will do to you.