How could someone be unhappy living in a matriarchal society?

Chapter 59 Going to see the Master

Over the course of several cups of tea, Nongmo repeatedly tried to provoke Shi'an, but Shi'an skillfully defused each attempt.

Each time, Shi An always responded in a subtle yet perfectly timed manner, rendering Nong Mo's attacks ineffective.

He Mian sat quietly to the side, observing their interaction.

They neither spoke nor responded.

In fact, He Mian knew that she had no chance.

He certainly wouldn't lower himself to share a woman with a man.

After all, he has his pride.

However, he was in a really bad mood right now, and since Nongmo was making things difficult for Shi'an, he didn't want to get involved.

But to my surprise, this man was quite intelligent.

He always manages to make Nongmo suffer a setback.

Not long after, a servant walked up to Shi An and bowed respectfully to him.

“My lord, your wife is waiting at the door. Please come with me.” Shi An smiled and nodded. Then, he stood up, bowed to He Mian, and left with the servant.

At the entrance of the He residence, Chu Ci stood there, holding silver and the token given to her by He Sheng, lost in thought.

She has made up her mind to take the martial arts exam, which means that her future path will be completely different from her previous plans.

Thinking about this, she felt it was necessary to find a suitable time to have a good talk with He Baobao, since she knew how things would turn out in the future.

When An arrived at the door with the servant, Chu Ci had already composed himself and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

She said softly, "Let's go eat first."

Shi An nodded and left the He residence with Chu Ci.

After the two left, Chu Xun finished his household affairs and couldn't wait to go to the study in the main courtyard to find his wife.

Upon entering, one could see He Sheng sitting upright in the main seat, seemingly deep in thought.

Chu Xun softly called out, "My lady."

Hearing the voice, He Sheng looked up, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and softly replied, "Ah Xun is here."

After saying that, she got up and went to greet him, took his hand, and led him to a seat.

Chu Xun asked with concern, "My lady, what are you thinking about?"

He Sheng smiled slightly, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and slowly said, "I have seen a promising talent today."

"You mean Madam Chu?" Chu Xun asked curiously. "Madam Chu does look kind, but why did you choose her? I remember a disciple of a martial arts master once asked you for a letter of recommendation, and you refused without hesitation."

He Sheng gently patted Chu Xun's hand and patiently explained, "Chu Ci is an orphan with a clean family background and no connections. People like that are easier for us to control. That's one reason."

Chu Xun nodded as if he understood, then asked, "And the second one?"

"The wanted criminal Zhao Qing was killed by Chu Ci. This Zhao Qing was not only the martial arts champion six years ago, but also a centurion who made many military achievements. General Zhao even wanted to promote her to the rank of lieutenant general. However, her abuse of men was discovered, and she quickly became a wanted criminal."

Over the past six years, she has committed countless crimes, raping many men, yet no one has been able to catch her. Why? Because she is highly skilled in martial arts. But now she has been killed by a mere hunter. What are your thoughts on this?

"..." Chu Xun fell silent. He hadn't expected Chu Ci to be so capable.

He Sheng said meaningfully, "Just you wait and see, this woman is definitely no ordinary person."

***

Ping An Restaurant is located diagonally opposite the clinic, and Chu Ci plans to invite He Baobao to eat together.

But as soon as they got near the restaurant, they heard a commotion inside. It turned out that an old lady had choked.

The elderly woman collapsed to the ground, pale and struggling to breathe, surrounded by people in a panic.

Some people patted her back, and others poked her throat with chopsticks, but nothing worked.

At this critical moment, He Baobao was hurriedly pulled over.

"Quick, Dr. He, this old lady is choking! Please help her!"

Without saying a word, He Baobao immediately lifted the old woman up, quickly put his hands under her armpits, and firmly fixed them on the lower half of her sternum. Then he forcefully contracted his arms and continuously thrust at the back of the old woman's chest.

Before long, the peach pit was successfully expelled, and the old lady was finally out of danger.

The people in the restaurant applauded and cheered, and the old lady's daughter was so moved that she burst into tears and knelt down on the spot to express her gratitude to He Baobao.

"No, no, please rise!"

He Baobao quickly helped the young woman up, saying, "Treating the sick and saving lives is my duty."

The young woman was moved to tears and quickly took out a string of copper coins to give to her, but He Baobao resolutely refused to accept them.

However, faced with the other party's enthusiasm and persistence, he could not refuse in the end and had no choice but to accept one of the coins.

As the emergency ended, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed, and they began to discuss the situation.

"Thanks to Dr. He, otherwise Aunt Sun might have choked to death," someone said with emotion.

Another person chimed in, "Who says otherwise? This Dr. He is truly amazing. He saved the person with so little effort. He's incredible."

“I saw her for gout before. The ointment she made is very effective. It relieves the pain once I apply it.”

Some people expressed their regret, saying, "I used to think Dr. He was too young to let me see her, but now I regret it so much."

……

Hearing the praise from those around her for He Baobao, Chu Ci couldn't help but smile. She stepped forward, gently patted He Baobao's shoulder, and softly called out, "Baobao."

When He Baobao saw Chu Ci, a surprised smile appeared on her face. "Oh, Sister Chu Ci, what brings you here today?"

Chu Ci smiled and replied, "I brought your brother-in-law over for dinner. I was just about to discuss something with you. Let's go together."

He Baobao agreed without hesitation: "No problem, I'll go tell my master."

Chu Ci nodded: "It's the same old room. We'll be waiting for you there."

"okay."

After everyone left, Chu Ci led Shi An to Room 2, and she ordered several dishes that everyone liked, as if she knew the place well.

He Baobao arrived late, after all the dishes had been served.

Chu Ci and Shi An were already used to her being late.

After all, as a doctor, treating and saving lives is always the top priority.

As expected, He Baobao immediately apologized to them upon arrival: "I'm so sorry! An elderly lady coughing up blood just came in, and I had to see her first before I could come over."

"It's alright." Chu Ci smiled slightly, gesturing for He Baobao to sit down quickly, his face showing no sign of dissatisfaction or resentment.

Shi An then poured He Baobao a cup of tea, and the group began to eat and discuss.

He Baobao is a modern person, so he doesn't pay much attention to the rules when eating.

As a wanderer of the martial arts world, Chu Ci lived a carefree and unrestrained life.

Therefore, the two hit it off immediately, completely disregarding the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping.

"So, are you really planning to participate in the martial arts examination?"

"Yes," Chu Ci replied readily.

He Baobao nodded heavily in support: "With your skills, you'll definitely be fine. If you really become a great general in the future, don't forget me!"

Chu Ci smiled, raised his hand and took a sip of tea. "General? I'm not that interested. My ultimate goal in participating in the military examination and entering officialdom is to overturn the verdict against the Shi family."

Upon hearing Chu Ci's words, Shi An felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but at the same time, she was filled with worry.

He bit his lip and said softly, "My lady, I've actually thought it through. You don't necessarily have to participate in the martial arts examination. The officialdom is too dangerous. We can do some small business in the capital. I can also use the information I gained in my previous life to make deals with the Eighth Princess."

"Didn't Doctor He say that the Eighth Princess would ultimately ascend the throne? Then I could have helped her from the very beginning."

Chu Ci gently rubbed Shi An's head and comforted him, "You're oversimplifying things. Don't worry too much about me. Anyway, there's nothing important right now, and participating in a martial arts exam isn't difficult for me."

Shi An gripped Chu Ci's hand tightly, feeling a pang of regret.

He couldn't help but reflect that perhaps he shouldn't have brought Chu Ci into that complex and dark officialdom in the first place.

Now, he only hopes to stop the damage in time and prevent Chu Ci from being harmed.

“I’m afraid you’ll be in danger. Really, you don’t have to risk your life to take the martial arts exam for my sake.”

Chu Ci understood Shi An's concerns, but she certainly wouldn't let Shi An face the matter of overturning the verdict alone.

So she gently replied, "Don't worry, perhaps because of you, I will really be able to become a majestic general in the future, bringing glory to my ancestors! Anything can turn out for the better."

However, Shi An seemed increasingly anxious, her voice trembling with urgency and a hint of tears: "You know perfectly well that's not what I meant..."

Seeing this, Chu Ci quickly pulled the person into a tight embrace and gently comforted her, "I know you're worried about me, and I'm worried about you too."

If you try to overturn the case alone, I will definitely be worried.

So please believe me, no matter what difficulties and obstacles we encounter in the future, we will work together to overcome them.

Being together is the most important thing.

Shi An was so moved that tears streamed down her face, and she buried her face in Chu Ci's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

He Baobao looked at the two of them and sighed helplessly, "You two are so love-struck, it's really speechless!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ci not only didn't feel embarrassed, but smiled at He Baobao and frankly admitted, "That's right, I really like Shi An."

He Baobao, a single dog, was fed a mouthful of dog food and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

However, he knew that Chu Ci and Shi An had a deep relationship, so he didn't say anything more, only reminding them: "Just know what you're doing."

Chu Ci nodded, indicating that he understood.

Her internal strength has now recovered to more than 60%, and at this rate, she should be fully recovered by the time of the provincial examination.

In her previous life, she was able to escape unscathed even from dangerous situations like sneaking into the palace at night, so she was quite confident in protecting Shi An.

After all, even if the situation is worse, it's still much better than Shi An having to overturn the case alone.

Thinking of this, Chu Ci patted Shi An on the back and said gently, "Alright, Shi An, don't cry. Let's eat. I'm starving."

Upon hearing this, Shi An quickly stopped crying, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and softly replied, "Mmm~"

The man obediently sat up and served Chu Ci food, all of which were Chu Ci's favorite dishes.

Seeing that Shi An's emotions had gradually calmed down, Chu Ci talked to He Baobao about her plan to study policy essays.

"Lord He recommended a reclusive scholar to me in West Street, living in Kongtong Alley, saying that he could teach me the policy essays for the provincial examination."

He Baobao's clinic was located on West Street. Because she often went there to make house calls, she was quite familiar with Kongtong Alley, so she continued to ask.

Do you know which apartment number that teacher lives in?

Chu Ci recalled for a moment, "The 21st."

He Baobao was a little surprised after hearing this, "It's her! Master Li."

Chu Ci raised an eyebrow, "Master Li?"

He Baobao recalled for a moment and explained, "That's what everyone calls her. It seems she used to be a teacher. But she's almost seventy years old and lives alone. She came to the clinic for treatment after falling down, and I was the one who bandaged her wound."

Later, fearing something might happen to her if she was alone, I visited her every two weeks. She's a nice person; she even gave me tea, which my master really liked.

Chu Ci felt somewhat relieved after hearing this, but was still a little uneasy.

After all, she only attended school for a few years with her husband when she was young, and then her studies were interrupted due to family changes.

Now that she's starting to study again, she can't help but feel a little nervous and worried.

He Baobao keenly sensed Chu Ci's embarrassment and immediately stepped forward to offer help: "Today happens to be the day we're going to visit Master Li. I can accompany you this afternoon."

Chu Ci agreed without hesitation: "Okay, thanks."

He Baobao smiled and waved her hand: "Oh, don't thank me! We're best friends, the strongest besties!"

Chu Ci was already used to the novel words that He Baobao would occasionally come up with.

However, Shi An, who was standing to the side, seemed very curious and couldn't help but ask, "What does 'best friend' mean?"

He Baobao patiently explained to him, "A best friend is a very close friend, as intimate as a sister."

Shi An seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "Can this word only be used to describe women?"

"Yes."

Shi An nodded, indicating that he understood.

Chu Ci suddenly spoke up, as if remembering something, "By the way, Bao Bao, can you tell me what specific things will happen in the future?"

He Baobao scratched his head, looking thoughtful. "I don't remember the specifics very well, but I do remember a few major events. I'll write them down for you to see."

Chu Ci cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you."

He Baobao patted her hand, "I already told you there's no need to be so polite."

After finishing the meal, take a short rest.

Chu Ci and Shi An then followed He Baobao to Master Li's house.