Chapter 107: The Republican-Era Young Lady Stops Making a Fuss 18 – So, What Exactly Is This

Since Song Xuange wasn’t in a position to go out, the people in charge would come to Song Mansion every three days to report on the progress of things, and the husband and wife would discuss them together and make corrections.

This was Song Xuange’s first time handling something so precise and concrete, and every day she was brimming with excitement.

There were so many things to think through, handle, decide, and solve that she had been so busy she had nearly forgotten the physical exhaustion of late pregnancy.

In the past, all the two of them ever talked about was food, drink, social niceties, and gossip.

Now, even before bed, all Song Xuange talked to He Dusheng about was the factory.

The more she was exposed to it, the more she could understand other business matters as well, and He Dusheng would also take the initiative to tell her where he had gone that day, what he had discussed, and what problems had come up.

The two of them could even come up with ideas together.

Even though many of Song Xuange’s ideas were childish enough to make one laugh.

Whenever that happened, He Dusheng would laugh speechlessly for a while, without the slightest concern for saving her pride.

Only after she started getting annoyed would he stop laughing.

Then he would patiently explain the reasoning behind it all to her.

She had also come to understand even better just how difficult it had been for him to shoulder this whole enterprise on his own.

And when Song Xuange occasionally had a flash of inspiration, He Dusheng would adopt her suggestions too.

That always made her especially happy.

Even if, by careful calculation, the benefit his business gained from her ideas might not have been worth as much as the time He Dusheng spent explaining things to her.

Still, in this way, she was able to stand one step closer to him.

She thought of her parents’ marriage, courteous and respectful as guests, and when she thought about them, it seemed they had never once even raised their voices at each other.

But no matter whether business brought joy or worry, her father never brought such matters home to discuss.

And her mother was content within the narrow sphere of supporting her husband and raising children.

After talking enough about food and drink, the only thing the two of them could really discuss in depth was their son and daughter.

Perhaps that, too, was a kind of happiness.

But it was not the kind Song Xuange wanted.

She understood his ambition. She wanted to stand at his side, the two of them like two great trees leaning on each other.

Their roots entwined, their branches and leaves interlaced.

To give him shade from the sun, to shelter him from the rain.

Now, she was happier.

During this period, Lu Zhu had been just as busy.

Even Song Pingzhang, after learning what Song Xuange wanted to do, began following people out after school every day to observe and learn, doing whatever small tasks he could manage.

In these past days, his growth had been obvious to the naked eye.

As for the house Lu Zhu had been renting outside, the landlord wanted to take it back and resell it. Song Xuange was worried about her safety, because ever since the Song Family’s factory machinery had been improved and its efficiency increased, there had been all sorts of people making inquiries, both openly and behind the scenes.

Song Xuange asked Lu Zhu what she thought. “There are plenty of guest rooms at home. I wonder if you’d be willing to move in with us. We won’t charge you rent, and it’ll be more convenient when we need to discuss things.”

She didn’t put it too bluntly. If Lu Zhu disliked living with others and felt constrained, then her good intentions would only backfire.

“If that’s inconvenient, that’s fine too. I also have an empty apartment. You could stay there instead. The people living there are all either wealthy or powerful, and the security is excellent.”

Lu Zhu smacked a fist into her palm. “Of course I’ll move in. This is the legendary Song Mansion.”

Song Xuange liked her lively, cheerful manner best.

“All right. I’ll have Ruixin prepare a room for you. The one on the far right of the second floor, it overlooks the garden.”

“Hehe, anything’s fine. You decide. I’m not picky.”

On the day Lu Zhu moved, Song Xuange had people go help her.

But before they got there, someone had already driven Lu Zhu over.

Lu Zhu didn’t have much luggage, only two suitcases.

Song Xuange was still standing there with her hands on her belly, not yet having gone out, when she saw a tall man already carrying one suitcase in each hand as he walked through the door.

Lu Zhu carried a small bag and jogged in behind him.

The man stopped with the suitcases in hand and greeted Song Xuange. “Hello, Mrs. Song.”

“Doctor Yuan?”

Who else could it be but Yuan Zhong, the attending physician from when He Dusheng had been hospitalized?

Song Xuange looked at one, then the other.

So, what exactly was going on here?

Out of Yuan Zhong’s line of sight, Lu Zhu gave a shrug to show that she was even more surprised.

Yuan Zhong said brightly, “I happened to hear that Miss Lu was moving. I was passing by anyway, so I gave her a ride.”

Song Xuange hurried to invite him inside.

Yuan Zhong did not stay long. He sat for only a short while, drank a cup of tea, and then took his leave.

Unexpectedly, only a few days later, Yuan Zhong came to the house again.

This time He Dusheng brought him.

Yuan Zhong had brought gifts, though the gifts were a little strange.

Aside from the usual items for ordinary social courtesy, there were also little snacks like sugar cakes and chestnuts.

It wasn’t that Song Xuange looked down on them. She just found it a little unusual.

He Dusheng said, “I ran into Doctor Yuan and heard from him that we’re looking for physicians. Doctor Yuan said he had acquaintances he could recommend, so I brought him home to discuss it in detail. I didn’t expect you to be so courteous. You’ve really gone to too much expense.”

The second half was directed at Yuan Zhong.

Yuan Zhong waved a hand. “How could I possibly come empty-handed? It’s only a small token of my regard.”

Song Xuange had them sit down, then went to the kitchen and told Nanny Wen to keep an eye on things and add two more dishes.

Lu Zhu helped her carry the gifts inside, sniffing around everywhere like a bloodhound.

“The chestnuts smell amazing.”

She didn’t try to hide how greedy she looked in the slightest.

Song Xuange found it amusing, so she told her to take some and eat them.

Lu Zhu sat on a little stool by the kitchen door. Before long, a little pile of chestnut shells had gathered on the apron spread across her lap. She looked like a little hamster, eating until her cheeks puffed out.

Nanny Wen even warned her, “Chestnuts are very filling. If you eat too many, you won’t be able to eat dinner.”

Lu Zhu said, “If I’ve got chestnuts, I don’t need dinner.”

Song Xuange grew thoughtful and asked her, “You really like chestnuts?”

“I absolutely love them!”

So she said, “Doctor Yuan is interesting too, thinking to bring chestnuts. I suppose he must like chestnuts as well, or he wouldn’t have thought of bringing them.”

Lu Zhu replied, “That’s right. Back when Mr. He was in the hospital, I once went to a pastry shop near the hospital to buy chestnut cakes and ran into him there too. He was there buying chestnut cakes as well.”

Song Xuange arched a brow.

Could there really be such a coincidence?

When they sat down to eat, Song Xuange noticed that even while Yuan Zhong was drinking with He Dusheng, his gaze kept drifting toward Lu Zhu, whether intentionally or not.

And Lu Zhu?

Having eaten her fill of chestnuts, she was picking at the sour and spicy strips of pickled radish on the table.

She was completely unaware of Yuan Zhong’s gaze.

Perhaps because Lu Zhu was eating the carrot sticks with such obvious relish, Yuan Zhong also reached out with his chopsticks and picked up a piece.

That made Lu Zhu lift her head and glance at him.

Yuan Zhong raised another cup of wine and said, “This side dish is genuinely excellent.”

But he did not take another bite.

Yuan Zhong had come on business.

After the meal, he and the married couple, Song Xuange and He Dusheng, each had a cup of tea and spoke in detail about the matter of choosing doctors.

Lu Zhu sat nearby, keeping them company while eating fruit.

Aside from being a doctor by profession, Yuan Zhong was also a teacher at a medical college.

That medical college covered both Chinese and Western medicine, and he could be said to have a whole garden full of disciples and students.

Besides recommending practicing doctors to He Dusheng, he also wanted to help find a path forward for those students.

Not every student could find hospital-related work after graduation.

He Dusheng said, “I don’t particularly care whether it’s Chinese medicine or Western medicine. As long as they’re legitimate doctors and won’t cost people their lives, that’s enough.”

When workers fell ill, they generally did not dare seek treatment. Small illnesses were often dragged out into serious ones. Having a doctor who could help identify what was wrong was already a rare blessing.

Yuan Zhong said, “Then it’s settled. I’ll bring a few students over later for Mr. He to look over. These children do have skill in their hands. It’s just… sigh, you can only say fortune hasn’t favored them.”

He Dusheng naturally agreed.

Lu Zhu speared a piece of apple and let out a delicate yawn.

Her eyes were already unfocused with sleepiness, yet she still did not forget to feed herself apple.

Yuan Zhong stood up. “I’ve imposed for long enough. I’ll take my leave now.”

He bid farewell to the three of them one by one.

He Dusheng walked him out.

Lu Zhu relaxed at once, and behind Yuan Zhong’s back, let her whole body sag into the languid posture of someone who could finally rest. Unexpectedly, Yuan Zhong, who had already stepped out of the entrance hall, suddenly turned back and caught her expression in full.

Lu Zhu’s whole body stiffened, and even her drowsiness was scared away.

Yet Yuan Zhong did not look annoyed. Instead, the corners of his lips curved slightly in a smile.

Only after Yuan Zhong had finally turned the corner and his figure was no longer visible did Lu Zhu pat her chest and say, “What kind of look was that? It scared me to death.” She asked Song Xuange, “That expression at the end… was he making fun of me?”

Song Xuange smiled.

She reached out and stroked the fluffy head. “Go get some sleep.”

When He Dusheng came back, he said, “Madam seems to be in quite a good mood?”

Song Xuange was certainly not going to tell him.

She only said, “I just found it all rather amusing.”

Then she asked He Dusheng, “Did you look into Doctor Yuan’s background at all?”

“Not in much detail. I’m not that familiar with him. Even today’s matter was arranged through a middleman. When we met, I realized he was actually someone I knew. I only know that he studied abroad and that his ancestral home is in the north. As for which province exactly, I have no idea.”

Song Xuange said, “It would be better to have someone investigate.”

“I’ve already had A-Xiang send people to look into it. If there’s something wrong with him, then we definitely can’t use the people he recommends.”

Different roads may lead to the same destination. As long as the goal could be reached, that was enough.

Song Xuange said, “Then remember to tell me once you get the results.”

A month later, the people sent north returned. They really had found out some things.

Yuan Zhong came from the Yuan Family, a great clan in the north.

The Yuan Family was a scholarly household with upright family discipline.

The sons of the family were never permitted to frequent prostitutes, nor were they allowed to take concubines.

But Yuan Zhong was the illegitimate son of the Yuan Family’s eldest master.

He was only brought back from outside when he was seven or eight years old.

At the time, that matter became a hot topic of local gossip.

Some people even opened a betting pool on whether the Yuan Family’s eldest madam, now the matriarch of the household, would divorce the eldest master.

The bets were overwhelmingly placed on divorce.

But those who had put money down waited and waited, and still did not see the eldest madam of the Yuan Family bring up divorce. She only returned to her natal family once when the betting was at its most feverish.

After that, she raised Yuan Zhong as if he were her own son, and for twenty years mother and son were never once seen at odds.

Everyone praised the eldest madam’s broad heart, but the eldest master’s reputation did not fare nearly so well.

There were even opportunists who sent girls to the eldest master, only for him to have them beaten and thrown out. In all these years, no other illegitimate child had ever shown up at the door, nor had he kept a woman elsewhere.

Others said that after the matter with Yuan Zhong, the eldest master had probably been shut in a room by the eldest madam and taught such a harsh lesson that he never again dared step out of line.

As for exactly how the eldest madam disciplined her husband, the stories varied wildly, as if the storytellers had been crouching beneath the couple’s bed.

Song Xuange found it rather astonishing after hearing all this.

Why was it always these laughable stories about men and women?

A-Xiang replied, “The people investigating said that aside from this, there was nothing unusual. The Yuan Family mostly keeps its doors shut and studies, and they don’t even have much contact with relatives. None of the people they associate with seem problematic.”

Song Xuange said, “What about Yuan Zhong? What is he himself like?”

“No sign of bad conduct. Even within the Yuan Family, he was the best at his studies. His medical skills at the hospital are first-rate, and his teaching at the medical college is also widely praised.”

It did not sound as though there was any problem.

Then another thought occurred to her. “He’s already in his twenties now. Why isn’t he married?”

“I heard he was once betrothed, but that young lady was unfortunate and died early. After that, no new engagement was arranged. People all say he’s deeply devoted, unlike his father.”

As they were speaking, Lu Zhu came in carrying a kraft paper bag and humming a little tune. From a great distance away, Song Xuange could already smell the sweetness coming from it.

It was probably some delicious treat again.

Rain was still falling outside, yet Song Xuange had not seen her carrying an umbrella, and not a strand of hair or corner of her clothes was damp in the slightest.

Subconsciously, she leaned forward to look outside.

A familiar figure was holding an umbrella, then turned and disappeared into the misty rain.