Resplendent – Chapter 536

Chapter 536: Old Friend

She tossed the manuscript to Lin Nuo. “Study it carefully. Mark any characters you don’t recognize or parts you don’t understand. Next time we meet, I’ll help you figure them out.”

“Thank you, Master!” Recognizing Gu Ye’s handwriting, Lin Nuo felt a surge of excitement.

“By the way, how is your mother’s health?” Gu Ye recalled Aunt Lin, whose body had been severely weakened by years of overwork. She had casually prescribed a restorative formula, instructing Lin Nuo to gather the herbs from the medical warehouse himself. Any ingredients unavailable there would be delivered by Jimin Pharmacy with the charges billed to her account.

Lin Nuo expressed his deep gratitude, “My mother has taken the prescription you gave her and is already much better.”

His mother was a woman who couldn’t sit still. As soon as she felt better, she voluntarily took on the responsibility of managing the warehouse. She often assisted her son and could identify nearly all the herbs, making her quite adept at managing the medical warehouse.

Gu Ye nodded. “Tell her not to overexert herself. With a year or so of quiet recuperation, she should fully recover. Tomorrow I’ll come by to take her pulse and prescribe a new prescription.”

“Master, I am deeply indebted to you…” Lin Nuo bowed deeply in a formal salute.

Gu Ye gently took his hand. “There’s no need for such formality. Benevolence is the healer’s heart. I’d do the same for anyone. Besides, you call me Master now, don’t you?”

“Master…” Lin Nuo hesitated, his gaze meeting a pair of eyes as gentle as spring water. Gathering his courage, he asked, “For the next assessment, might I…”

“Naturally, you’re the only apprentice by my side. Who else would I bring?” Gu Ye offered him a faint smile.

Lin Nuo was about to speak when the Chu family arrived to greet them. The Duke and Duchess fussed over their daughter: “Wasn’t it terribly difficult crafting those medicines this time? To endure five days cooped up in such a cramped space… Our Bao’er must have suffered. You’ve even lost weight.”

Gu Ye touched her own cheeks—soft and supple. Since arriving in the capital, her summer heat symptoms had eased considerably, and she’d gained some plumpness back. At the examination grounds, fresh ingredients and pastries were delivered daily, making meals scarcely inferior to those at home. She traced her cheeks and waist: where had she grown thin? There was a kind of ‘thinness’ that only parents perceived.

“Father, Mother,” Gu Ye saw the tears of worry glistening in her mother’s eyes. Her temples throbbed, and she hurriedly said, “I stink so bad I could kill mosquitoes! Let’s hurry home. Mother, my scalp is itching like crazy. Check it when we get home. I think I have lice!”

The only thing Gu Ye couldn’t stand at the assessment grounds was not being able to bathe or wash her hair. With everyone watching, she didn’t even have a chance to enter her space. She felt like she reeked of sour sweat, like some kind of biological weapon.

“You don’t smell bad! Where would you smell bad? Our Bao’er smells sweet! Xiaoliu, go and see where our carriage is parked. We need to give our Bao’er a proper meal when we get back and let her rest well these next couple of days.” Lady Jun held Gu Ye’s hand as they waited outside for the carriage.

“Sister Gu—” A cheerful, lively voice rang out. Gu Ye turned to see a tall, pretty young girl in a silver-and-red butterfly-patterned muslin dress, grinning widely at her.

“Sister Qing…” Gu Ye rushed forward joyfully. This young lady was one of only two noble daughters at the hunting grounds who had befriended her. “Sister, you’ve become so fairer and more beautiful. I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Yuan Haiqing touched her face, her smile deepening. “I have to thank you for the skin-whitening and rejuvenating skincare set you gave me. After less than two months of use, the results are remarkable. My mother says I finally look like a proper young lady!”

“Sister Qing, you simply have such good natural features. Even the finest skincare can only enhance your complexion. It can’t alter your facial structure.” Gu Ye held a favorable impression of this bright and generous young girl. She was quite generous toward those she liked. “Sister Qing, come to my place tomorrow. I have another set of skincare products that would suit you…”

“I’ve long heard of Sister Gu…” Yuan Haiqing paid her respects to the Duke and Lady Jun. While the Marchioness of Dongping and Lady Jun exchanged pleasantries, she took Gu Ye’s hand and said, “I can’t call you Sister Gu anymore. I never imagined you were the daughter the Chu family had been searching for all this time. How wonderful! Now I have another young lady to play with in the capital.”

Upon hearing this, the Marchioness of Dongping turned and shot her daughter a sharp glance. “Do you think your Sister Ye is like you, with nothing better to do all day but think about playing?”

Yuan Haiqing stuck out her tongue at her mother, then tugged at Gu Ye’s sleeve as she complained, “I recognized you the moment you took your first exam. I wanted to come say hello, but Mother wouldn’t let me. She said you were preparing for the pharmacist exam. How could you possibly entertain friends? She told me not to get in the way.”

“It’s fine. Making medicine isn’t something you cram for at the last minute. The closer the exam gets, the more relaxed I feel. Keeping a calm, positive mindset is key to performing well. I don’t have many friends in the capital, so I’ll be counting on you to look out for me, Big Sister!” Gu Ye thought about it. 

Her social circle was indeed rather small. She couldn’t just bury herself in pharmaceutical work forever; she needed to make more friends she could actually connect with!

“Gu… Sister Chu… Ahem! I’ll just call you Sister Ye then.” Yuan Haiqing patted her chest, offering her full support. “Don’t worry! From now on, you’ll be under my wing. I’ll look out for you!”

Marchioness Dongping glared at her once more, then sighed helplessly to Lady Jun. “My daughter’s been spoiled rotten by her father. Look at her acting—does she even behave like a proper young lady?”

“It’s good for girls to be lively and enthusiastic. Our Bao’er is wonderful in every way, but she doesn’t go out much and doesn’t have many friends.” Watching her daughter chatting happily with Yuan Haiqing, Lady Jun was delighted she’d made a good friend.

“Rest assured, your daughter is extraordinary. She’ll never struggle to make friends,” Marchioness Dongping remarked meaningfully.

Meanwhile, Yuan Haiqing exclaimed enthusiastically, “Sister Ye, you’re truly remarkable. You’re already a Level 8 Pharmacist! If you advance one more level, won’t you be on par with the Lady Apothecary?”

“The results of today’s assessment won’t be out for another two days. I wonder if I’ll pass…” Gu Ye offered a rare moment of humility.

Yuan Haiqing, however, was brimming with confidence for her. “Don’t worry, you’ll definitely pass! For the behind-the-scenes pharmacist at Gu Pharmaceutical, passing a mere Level 8 Pharmacist exam should be a piece of cake, right?”

Since their parting at the hunting grounds, the two had kept in touch through letters, and Yuan Haiqing had gained some insight into her background.

“Miss Chu, it’s been a while.” A gentle voice drifted softly over.

Yuan Haiqing turned her gaze and her smile faded. “Wang Liluo, what brings you here?”

Wang Liluo’s smile faltered momentarily before she replied, “Miss Yuan, aren’t we all here for the same reason?”