Capítulo 1442: Chapter 1420: The Extra Box (Additional Update in Honor of Book Supporter “Anitaqing”)
Manbao couldn’t stay long at the Li Family; she had to enter the palace in the afternoon to perform acupuncture for the Crown Prince.
So after she had lunch and sat for a while, she stood up to say goodbye.
As she stood up, she noticed Ms. Cui sitting nearby. After thinking for a moment, she quietly pulled her aside and said, “You’ve just had a baby, don’t stay outside for too long. You should go home.”
Ms. Cui also thought there were too many people here, and it was too noisy, plus she was accustomed to afternoon rest, which was not suitable here. So she also stood up to say goodbye.
As they were about to leave, Madam Tang thought for a moment and also stood up to leave with them.
Just like them, many people who had eaten lunch also decided to say goodbye, so they weren’t particularly noticeable, as others still stayed behind to continue socializing.
The three went out together, and Madam Yang sent someone ahead to inform Yang Heshu. Soon, Yang Heshu’s Xiaos came over personally and said, “The master has met Lord Yang from Henei County who came over, so he is talking in front. He asked madam to head back first.”
He also said to Manbao, “Miss Man, Young Master Bai and others ran into Young Master Feng and were held up, and Young Master Bai asked me to deliver a message to you.”
His exact words were: “Take Daji with you and have him escort you. Leave Chiji for our elder cousin to ride back.”
Manbao agreed and advised, “Tell them to drink more wine. I heard there’s grape wine today.”
The Xiaos froze for a moment, thinking he heard wrong.
Ms. Cui and Madam Tang couldn’t help but turn to look at her. Ms. Cui thought she misheard, but Madam Tang instantly understood Manbao’s intention and couldn’t help but laugh and gently scold her, “You little miser, how much does a bottle of grape wine cost?”
Manbao asked, “Could it be that you don’t find it expensive?”
Ms. Cui couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ve received so many rewards, are you unable to afford a bottle of wine?”
Grape wine was imported from the Western Regions, though Longxi also grew grapes and made wine, but production was low, and the quality wasn’t as good as that from the Western Regions.
Thus grape wine was always expensive.
But no matter how expensive it was, they believed Manbao could afford it now, with the continuous rewards from the palace.
In this light, being a civilian doctor seemed better than being an Imperial Physician.
Madam Tang mused, it was only natural for Imperial Physicians to treat the masters in the palace, rewards existed, but surely not as abundant as Manbao’s.
Madam Tang watched Manbao and couldn’t help but quietly ask her once they exited, “Tell me, could this be why you didn’t want to enter the Imperial Hospital?”
Manbao widened her eyes and couldn’t help but say, “You mentioning it actually reminds me, truly, comparing like this, being a civilian doctor seems quite good.”
Madam Tang: …
Seeing that she seemed genuinely surprised by this thought, she held her tongue and said nothing further. Since her intention wasn’t there, no need to point it out.
Actually, as Imperial Physicians, besides the salary from the Imperial Hospital, they had other incomes, likely not much less than what Manbao received in rewards from the palace.
Madam Tang smiled, found the Tang Family’s carriage, and stood at the side inviting Ms. Cui to join her.
As for Manbao, she naturally went her own way.
Manbao still had to return home to change clothes, take her medicine chest, and wait for the guards to escort her before leaving, so she didn’t continue chatting with the two, and climbed onto the carriage once Daji brought it over.
After getting into the carriage, Manbao yawned and sat in the middle; just having had a full meal, she felt a bit sleepy.
She leaned back, intending to rest against the carriage wall, when suddenly her hand touched something. Curious, she turned and found a long box beside the seat.
The box had decent decorations, which piqued her curiosity. She lifted the curtain and asked Daji, “Did Brother Bai leave a present behind?”
Daji said, “Impossible, I moved the gifts, they were all handed over according to the gift list.”
Manbao handed out the box, “So this was left in the carriage by Brother Bai?”
Daji glanced at the box, saw the good decorations, and said, “I’ll ask the elder young master later…”
Speaking of this, he paused, furrowed his brow, and asked, “Where did Miss Man find it?”
“On the middle chair, but placed at the side; I didn’t notice it at first.” The chairs in the carriage were long benches, as this carriage was usually used by the three of them together, often traveling together.
Thus the middle and both sides under the windows were long benches, with a small table between them, which could be pressed down when not needed, acting as a plank to free up more space inside.
When needed, they’d pull it up, and could even play cards on it; they used to while away time in the carriage traveling to the capital.
Daji’s back straightened at once, took the box from her hand, pressed it down, and said, “Let’s talk back home, this box shouldn’t be in the carriage, I emptied it when I moved the gifts.”
Because it was a short trip, they didn’t even bring a stove, teapot, or cups.
Daji, always careful and prudent, was sure that he had indeed emptied the carriage while moving the gifts, leaving nothing behind.
Daji’s gaze was deep, he said, “I went with the other servants for a meal just now.”
Servants were provided meals too, albeit simpler, they’d eat quickly and return to their carriage to watch over it and the belongings.
Manbao and the others weren’t as conventional, especially since today’s spring was perfect, with bright sunshine, and they didn’t even want to sit in the carriage, preferring to ride horses. Would there be any need for two coachmen?
Thus, no one replaced them to watch the carriage.
Mainly, they didn’t need it; they hadn’t brought spare clothes or jewelry either.
By this time, the carriage had already exited the Li Family, Daji held the carriage, thought for a moment, then decisively whipped the horse to continue onward.
Today too many people came, not to mention the hosts dining inside, there were numerous servants, even the maids accompanying Ms. Cui and Madam Tang couldn’t go to the backyard, having to wait in the front yard while Li Residence servants came to notify them of any orders from their masters.
This hundred-day banquet coincidentally bumped up against the time for the upcoming examinations in over a month, so many scholars were coming to the capital during this period.
The Han and Li Families were renowned, how could they not send invitations when encountering old acquaintances?
Plus, friends and family from Yongzhou were coming to join the fun, leading to an exceptional turnout today.
Forget Manbao being just a small doctor, even if a noble family young master had something thrown in their carriage today, it would still be difficult to trace.
Since it couldn’t be traced, it wasn’t worth staying behind to create trouble.
Manbao thought the same way and didn’t suggest turning back.
Daji held the reins with one hand and the box with the other, preventing Manbao from touching it.
Once they were on a less crowded road, he stopped the horse beside the road, jumped down to inspect the carriage anew, confirmed there were no issues, and jumped back inside, speeding back home.
From start to finish, he kept a hand on the box to stop Manbao from handling it.