Chapter 340: Chapter 340

340 Heading to Suzhou

She was not the only one who could not sleep. The already aging Yunniang, after talking to her apprentice Zhao Ya, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Finally, she got up and stood by the window, looking at the night sky and sighing.

Previously, Zhao Ya had mentioned her desire to go to Suzhou, but Yunniang had always found excuses to put her off, dragging her feet and never mentioning the matter of avenging their sect. Perhaps sensing Yunniang’s unspoken wishes, Zhao Ya obediently stopped bringing it up. However, fate had other plans. The Zhao family’s young lady, Zhao Zhitong, was going to Suzhou for an official post, which reignited Zhao Ya’s desire to visit the city.

Yang Yunniang glanced at the presbyopia glasses on the table and sighed once more. If the young lady from the Zhao Family is there with her friends, Zhao Ya would surely be safer.

After a sleepless night, Yang Yunniang made up her mind. Since she would have to face it sooner or later, she might as well go back and take a look while she was still alive. The next day, she approached Zhao Ya and said she agreed to the trip to Suzhou, but on one condition: Yang Yunniang herself had to accompany her.

After hearing what Zhao Ya and Yang Yunniang had to say, Zhao Zhitong thought for a moment. The Fei Clan was a dominant local force in Suzhou and very difficult to deal with; once they arrived, they would inevitably have to interact with them. Moreover, Suzhou was Yunniang’s hometown. Seeing the already gray-haired Yang Yunniang, Zhao Zhitong finally agreed, saying, "However, I have to inform Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue first."

Yang Yunniang nodded hurriedly, "Of course, of course."

After Zhao Zhitong spoke to Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue about the matter, the two agreed without hesitation. Qiao Muchen’s new appointment was imminent, so they did not stay at home for long. Three days later, they prepared to leave. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥

They packed their bags and bid their families farewell. The medical clinic was closed that day, and Zhao Zhitong’s grandfather and his family all came to see her off. The Qiao Clan, Butcher Zhao’s family, the Wei family, and many other villagers also came to send them on their way. Everyone offered auspicious words of farewell. For a time, the village entrance was bustling with activity.

A son’s journey is a mother’s worry.

Mother Qiao held her son’s hand, feeling both proud and reluctant to let him go. She earnestly advised him to eat properly, take care of his health, and wear more clothes when it got cold. In short, she was full of worries and unease.

Qiao Muchen smiled helplessly. "Mother, please don’t worry. I’m a grown man; I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry."

On the other side, Sun Mei was also incessantly giving advice to Zhao Zhitong. Zhao Zhitong comforted her, "Mother, don’t worry. I’m a physician; no one knows better how to take care of people than I do. How could I not take care of myself? Please don’t fret. I’ll definitely take good care of Xiao Ge and Sister Yaya."

Hearing this, Mother Qiao couldn’t help but laugh and say to Sun Mei, "Look, look, these two children think we’re being too long-winded."

Sun Mei smiled. "Aren’t they just?"

Mother Qiao stepped forward, took Tongtong’s hand, and patted it, saying, "However, don’t you worry too much. My Muchen is older than your Tongtong; he can certainly look after her."

Sun Mei also smiled and said, "My Tongtong knows medicine, so you don’t have to worry either. I’m sure she’ll take good care of your Muchen’s health."

The two mothers looked at each other’s children, growing more satisfied by the moment, almost as if they were about to arrange a marriage on the spot and unite the families.

Fortunately, just then, Wei Shulan and Wei Zijian’s horse carriage arrived, interrupting them. This time, although Wei Shulan and Wei Zijian didn’t return with official titles like Zhao Zhitong and her companions, they had come back with rewards from the emperor. This alone had Country Gentry Wei overjoyed; the items bestowed by the emperor were immediately placed in the family’s ancestral shrine that very day. Later, when Wei Shulan and Wei Zijian mentioned they wanted to go to Suzhou with Zhao Zhitong and the others, Country Gentry Wei agreed immediately without any hesitation. He even prepared a considerable sum of travel money for them and repeatedly instructed his son to follow the Qiao family’s young master and the Zhao family’s young lady and work hard.

When the Wei family’s horse carriage stopped, Wei Shulan and Wei Zijian jumped down, carrying their small bundles on their backs.

The two called out as they approached. "When are we leaving?"

"Everyone’s here," Zhao Zhitong said. "We can leave now."

It’s best to start early for a long journey, so they needed to hurry to the pier first as the way was far. Therefore, although their families were reluctant to see them go, they didn’t detain them further and let them set off.

After bidding farewell to her family, Zhao Zhitong boarded the horse carriage. Just as she was getting on, she saw Ding Xiang standing far off in the distance, looking in their direction. Zhao Zhitong furrowed her brows slightly, then withdrew her gaze and entered the carriage.

I learned from Liu Baixue that Ding Xiang seems to be hiding something from everyone, plotting something. Of course, that’s her private matter, and I have no right to interfere. As long as she doesn’t harm the Sun Family, I won’t meddle too much. During my time away from Anyang County, Liu Baixue has been keeping an eye on things for me, so I’m not too worried.

With the sound of hoofbeats, they set off.

This time, it was truly a long journey. The distance from Xuzhou to Suzhou was over seven hundred kilometers, passing through Chen Zhou, Yingzhou, Shouzhou, Jiangning, and Runzhou. They set off at seven in the morning. Without hurrying too much, their horse carriage maintained a moderate pace, traveling for about four hours.

When it was almost noon, they arrived at the Yingshui County pier. From there, they would travel by water to Shouzhou and then switch to a land route to reach Suzhou.

After alighting from the horse carriage, they bade farewell to the coachman who had driven them there. Carrying their own luggage, the group headed to the pier to wait for a boat. Since there were many of them and they would need to spend the night on the boat, Zhao Zhitong directly chartered an entire vessel from a boatman.

Once on board, Zhao Zhitong found the boat’s captain, gave him a small tip, and said with a smile, "Captain, we have an elderly person with us, so please ensure a steady journey. We’re not in a hurry; safety is paramount."

The boatman, seeing Zhao Zhitong’s generosity, grinned broadly. "Don’t worry, young lady. I’m always careful when sailing. Just enjoy the scenery along the way, and I promise to safely deliver you all to Yingzhou."

Zhao Zhitong nodded, thanked the boatman, and went to find Qiao Muchen and the others on deck.

The boat had been underway for some time, and Wei Shulan and the others were standing on deck, admiring the scenery. Wei Zijian, however, looked quite miserable; he was seasick. As Zhao Zhitong approached, he was leaning over the side of the boat, vomiting.

Upon seeing Zhao Zhitong, it was as if he’d seen a lifeline, and he called out miserably, "Master, I feel awful! Can you give me a couple of needles?"

"Brother, how could you get seasick?" Wei Shulan exclaimed.

Wei Zijian wore a pained expression. "I don’t know," he managed, "I just..." Before he could finish his sentence, another wave of nausea hit him, and he turned to the edge of the boat, vomiting again.

Zhao Zhitong shook her head, took out her silver needles, and went over to insert a few into Wei Zijian. "Alright," she said, "but this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. It can only provide some temporary relief."