The Whole Village Thrives After Adopting a Lucky Girl

As soon as Xueqing left, Yingbao immediately took down the medicine box and placed it on the bed.

The room was dark and damp, filled with dust, and cobwebs hung in the corners. It seemed like no one had lived here for a long time.

The bed opposite hers was covered only with a layer of bamboo, without even a mat, just like hers.

Through the bamboo strips, she could clearly see the broken soil dug up by rats underneath the bed.

Yingbao moved another large wooden box by herself, placed it at the head of her bed, and stacked it on top of the previous one.

Then she found a rag to wipe the dust off the table.

When she opened the window, she could see a garden outside. In the garden were some evergreen trees and a few peony and paeony buds waiting to bloom.

There were also a few bamboo racks hung with clothes and quilts.

It seemed that this backyard was where the female students dried their clothes.

She just didn’t know where they washed their clothes and if there was a pond nearby.

Just as she was thinking, Xueqing came in with mattresses and quilts, followed by a nanny in her forties.

“Jiang Shimù, here are your quilts. I will go get the clothes later.” Xueqing placed the quilts on the small wooden bed, then pointed to Yingbao, “This is Fang Nanny. She is responsible for managing our yard and living. If you need anything, just tell her.”

“Thank you, Senior Xueqing.” Yingbao saluted the nanny, “Fang Nanny, please take care of me here.”

Fang Nanny nodded, “I can’t take care of much, I’m just here to make sure you students follow the rules.”

Yingbao blinked without understanding.

Why did she feel that this nanny is somewhat like the Mama Mia from Wuchun Yard?

Next, Fang Nanny began to talk about the rules of the Medical Bureau: “Every morning you must get up at Mao Shi, and go to the canteen before Chen Shi. At the quarter of Chen Shi, you must go to class, and at the half of Wu Shi, the canteen will provide afternoon tea, and dinner is served at the beginning of You Shi (5-7 pm), hot water is also available at that time.”

Fang Nanny glanced at Yingbao and continued: “Every day after Xu Shi, you are not allowed to go out. Lights out in Hai Shi. No quarrelling, no stealing, do you understand?”

“Understood.” Yingbao nodded.

Fang Nanny: “In class at the Medical Bureau, you must wear the same attire, and it should be clean and tidy. You must not be slovenly. If you damage things or medicine at the Medical Bureau, you must pay for it.”

Yingbao lifted her head to reply: “I know, Nanny.”

Fang Nanny, seeing how obedient she was, was a little more lenient in her speech. She gave a lengthy rundown of the dos and don’ts, and then she left.

By this time, Xueqing had come with Yingbao’s clothing. There were two white gowns in total, and a black turban.

Yingbao took the clothes and put them on immediately.

It was almost April now, and the weather was quite warm. Wearing two layers of clothes was enough.

But she didn’t know how to tie the black turban. She had to ask Xueqing to demonstrate it several times before she could barely put it on.

Xueqing also brought her bronze mirror for Yingbao to look at herself and laughed saying, “Look how good you look.”

Yingbao glanced at herself in the mirror and felt that all dolled up; she looked like a pretty young lord.

Xueqing also helped Yingbao to lay the mattresses and quilts and said, “Wait a few more days, then you go ask the Senior Brothers for some mosquito repellent incense. When the weather gets a little warmer, the mosquitoes in the room here are quite a lot.”

“Okay.” Actually, Yingbao had planted a lot of mint grass in her cave. So she just needed to move some out and place it on the window sill.

Afer the two of them finished cleaning the room, it was almost You Shi. Xueqing brought her bowl and chopsticks, and gave a set to her younger sister. “Let’s go, let’s go to the cafeteria.”

So, the two of them carrying their bowls and chopsticks and also carrying a bucket of water, went to the cafeteria.

On the way, as expected, Yingbao met Chen Tiantian.

Walking with Chen Tiantian was a beautiful girl about twelve or thirteen years old.

“Yingbao.” Chen Tiantian greeted Yingbao with a smile.

Yingbao nodded expressionlessly and said, “Chen Junior Sister.”

The young girl beside Chen Tiantian looked at Yingbao in surprise, wondering, “Why do you call Sweetie ‘Junior Sister’?”

Yingbao smiled: “You ask her.”

The beautiful young girl then turned to Chen Tiantian: “Why?”

Chen Tiantian said with a helpless expression: “Yingbao insists that her medical skills are superior to mine and insists on being my senior.”

The beautiful young girl was taken aback, she then laughed: “That’s quite stubborn.”

Without acknowledging the two, Yingbao clutched Xueqing’s hand and strode into the dining hall.

There were already several people in the dining hall, mostly men, with over a dozen of them.

The meal consisted of two steamed buns for each person, a large bowl of thin rice porridge, and no vegetables.

Most people brought their own pickles to eat with the rice porridge and steamed buns.

After finishing a bowl of thin porridge, one could go for another until the porridge pot was empty.

The nanny was right, anyone arriving late wouldn’t only miss out on the steamed buns but even the dirty porridge.

Once Xueqing had collected her steamed buns and porridge, she placed the bowl on the table, then went to fetch hot water, for if she delayed it too, the hot water would be finished and she would be left with cold water only.

Yingbao was eating her steamed bun and drinking her porridge while examining the people in the dining hall.

There were nine girls in the dining room, all under the age of fifteen.

Among them, she was the youngest at seven, followed by Chen Tiantian, who was about eleven, and then the beautiful young girl.

Sister Xueqing looked around fifteen and the other five were around thirteen to sixteen years old.

After the meal, people began to leave one after the other.

Upon returning to her room, Yingbao washed herself slightly using the hot water brought by Sister Xueqing, closed the windows and locked the door before finally climbing to bed to rest.

Gazing at the cobwebs on the ceiling beam, Yingbao fell into deep thought.

She didn’t understand why Chen Tiantian came back to study medicine in Qinchuan County. Was there no one in the Imperial Medical Bureau in Beijing who could teach her?

There was also the girl accompanying Chen Tiantian, later, she heard from Sister Xueqing that the young girl’s name was Wen Yurong, the granddaughter of Wen Jingyan, the Imperial Physician from Beijing.

Wen Jingyan’s granddaughter?

Wen Tian and Wen Jiao were also Wen Jingyan’s granddaughters. Yet now another one had appeared and she came to study medicine along with Chen Tiantian. Was there some underlying message?

She remembered Xiao Mo saying that she was sent to study medicine in accordance with the wishes of a noble person in Beijing.

Who was this noble person from Beijing?

It certainly wasn’t Murong Xian.

Although Murong Xian had health issues, he was clear-headed with a gentle and kind nature.

He knew that she detested Chen Tiantian. Thus, he would never arrange for Chen Tiantian to study medicine along with her.

Moreover, Chen Tiantian was the good luck charm given to him by the Empress, and a person decreed to bring good fortune by the Qin Tianjian, without the Empress’s consent, Murong Xian couldn’t possibly send her out of Beijing.

Therefore, this could only be the Empress’s idea.

The Empress let her son’s good luck charm study medicine in Qinchuan County. Was it because she valued Chen Tiantian’s talent? Probably not.

It was probably because she wanted to cultivate a skilled medical practitioner as an intimate servant for her son. After all, the Prince was frail and often ill. He needed someone to look after him all the time.

And Wen Yurong, beautiful and cultured, of the same age, and the direct granddaughter of Imperial Physician Wen Jingyan, she was probably one of the potential candidates for Murong Xian’s harem.

But why had the Empress involved her?

She was a child who knew nothing. By the time Murong Xian came of age, she would be just ten years old.

Thinking about this, Yingbao couldn’t help but shudder, associating it with the plot in the story-book.

Could it be that without her, the showgirl, the female lead couldn’t turn the plot around? Did she have to step on her to ascend to the top?