Chapter 85: Letting go of Ego
Lu Jiao didn’t respond and didn’t act awkward at all.
Aunt Guihua got up swiftly and squeezed in beside Lu Jiao.
“Yunjin’s wife, these days, I’ve been thinking and regretting my past actions. I shouldn’t have fought against you so much in the past.
Now that I think about it, you haven’t done anything wrong. I never should’ve fought against you. I want to apologize to you now, do you think you can forgive me?”
Aunt Guihua stretched out her hands to grab Lu Jiao’s and put on a regretful expression.
Everyone else in the cart widened their eyes. This woman was able to forgo her old face and apologize?
Though everyone knew what her intentions were, it wasn’t easy for someone to let go of their own ego like that.
Everyone turned to Lu Jiao.
Lu Jiao couldn’t just keep slapping her in her face. She was older and was willing to let go of her own pride.
“Since you are apologizing, let’s let the past be in the past.”
This woman wasn’t a kind one, but the original host wasn’t much better. It wasn’t easy for anyone to let go of their ego like Aunt Guihua was doing.
Aunt Guihua started to wipe away her tears, “You are such a kind child. I was so wrong in the past. I am so sorry and I regret everything so much.”
Lu Jiao’s face darkened. This woman sure was addicted to acting.
“Since you are so genuine, let’s both let it go and stop behaving like we used to.”
Aunt Guihua’s eyes were red as she stared at Lu Jiao and spewed out, “Jiaojiao, your generosity is uncommon. It is no wonder everyone compliments you. You have a heart of gold! How can you forgive someone like me? I committed such sins. You are a real-life buddha.”
Lu Jiao’s gooseb.u.mps appeared.
Everyone else reacted the same. Oh my G.o.d, how cheesy was this?
Luckily, the oxcart arrived at their destination. Lu Jiao got out of the cart and Xie Xiaojuan followed.
Since aunt Guihua was older and couldn’t move as well, she was the last to get out.
Lu Jiao was now long gone but Aunt Guihua still yelled after her.
“Jiaojiao, I will talk to you later! You are such a kind soul.”
Behind her, Tieniu made a face. This old woman sure was shameless.
Xie Xiaojuan made the same comment, “All these years, I never knew that Aunt Guihua had such good acting skills. This is all because she worries that you won’t teach her family how to pick herbs. Or else she would never be able to grow thick skin like that.”
Lu Jiao chuckled, “It’s a skill to be okay with losing face like that.”
Her mother-in-law, for example, would never be able to let go of her pride and will always act as if she was the best.
The two chatted a little and then soon departed. Lu Jiao headed to Baohe Tang. Behind her, Shen Xiu followed. After making sure of Lu Jiao’s destination, she evilly chortled and headed another way.
Lu Jiao wasn’t aware of this and went inside Baohe Tang with her basket.
Inside, Dr. Qi was with a patient while the manager and worker were getting patients’ prescriptions ready.
The moment Lu Jiao appeared, Manager Li delegated his work so he could greet Lu Jiao.
He heard that this woman had amazing medical knowledge. Not only did she easily get rid of a ringneck snake’s poison, she even claimed that she could do surgery. It was rare to find a doctor who was willing to operate.
The owner of this place had intentions of partnering up with her.
“Lady Lu, come here.”
Lu Jiao nodded and Manage Li asked with a grin, “Lady Lu, are you here today to get medicine or to sell herbs?”
Lu Jiao turned to peek at Qi Lei, “I’m here to see Dr. Qi. We have something to discuss.”
Manager Li was delighted. Was she here to talk about her husband’s surgery?
The three people here in Baohe Tang knew about that matter. Even the idea of surgery excited Manager Li. Was he really going to witness a legendary operation?
Qi Lei heard Lu Jiao and quickly came over after he dealt with his patient.
“Lady Lu, let’s chat in the back.”
Lu Jiao nodded and went to the backyard with Qi Lei. on the way there, she thanked him, “Thank you Dr. Qi for the furniture you gave me. I will give you money for those later.”
Qi Lei declined. He gifted her those because he thought they were practical. Plus, he didn’t spend too much on those.
On top of that, he wanted to form a good relationship with her so he could learn from her.
He wasn’t sure however if she was willing to teach him.
“It’s okay. They aren’t expensive things.”
Right away, Lu Jiao asked, “Then, Dr. Qi, I wonder if you have any ways of finding me two woks?”
Woks were made out of carbon steel – a rare material in this day and age. Steel in the shape of a wok was even rarer. These days, lots of families still cooked using earthen jars. It wasn’t that people didn’t want woks, it was that there was no supply.
Qi Lei agreed to help, “Okay, I will try to get you two from the Capital City.”
“Thanks, Dr. Qi. How about I pay you upfront?”
“There’s no need. Though I am not rich, I have enough money to give you two woks.”
Lu Jiao raised an eyebrow. This guy’s niceness was a little over the top. Did he have other intentions?
Qi Lei beamed and was about to speak when someone in front of them interrupted.
“Lady Lu, you are here?”
Lu Jiao looked forward into the small pavilion up front. There, Baohe Tang’s owner stared at her collectedly and almost boastfully. Lu Jiao nodded toward him.
Zhao Lingfeng nodded back and gestured for them to come and sit down. Lu Jiao didn’t decline and sat down by the table.
A round table was set in the middle. On top were several pieces of paper full of writing. Lu Jiao didn’t try to peek in case there was private information written on there.
Lu Jiao got straight to the point, “I am here today to talk to you about my husband’s surgery. My husband was. .h.i.t by a horse carriage and his legs are dislocated and broken. Surgery is needed to correct the positioning of his legs and to extract all the crushed bone pieces.”
Before Qi Lei could speak, Zhao Lingfeng opened his mouth sharply, “How do you know how to do surgery?”
Where does a weak woman learn a skill like that?
Lu Jiao turned to him with a warm expression on her face, “I learned medicine from a masterful grandma. I studied under her for seven to eight years. This is why I am confident I can perform the surgery myself.”
The many signs of skepticism on Zhao Lingfeng’s face faded a little. However, he still asked curiously, “If you are so skilled, why not tell your husband? Why lie and say it will be Dr. Qi who does the surgery.”
Lu Jiao grinned, “Not many people in this world believe that a woman can operate. My husband isn’t doing well. If I told him I would be the one operating, he would have many concerns and worries. That isn’t good for his health. This is why I want to borrow Dr. Qi’s hands.”