CH 20

Hearing what Father Zhou said, Wang Lu instantly froze, as if drenched by a basin of ice water from head to foot. When he regained his clarity, his mind filled with anger.

Now the Zhou family no longer had the Xuande Furnace; Wang Lu, for Boss Liu, had lost his value. Even if he had some knowledge about herbal blending, his level was similar to that of ordinary folks. How could he comfortably live in the Zhou family’s herbal store as a shopkeeper? His heart welled up with endless regret, thinking of saying a few soft words, pleading with Father Zhou to let him continue to take him.

However, before he opened his mouth, Father Zhou and his daughter turned around and entered the Herbal Store. Yu Fu and the others stopped him outside with faces full of contempt as if he was dirty filth.

Zhou Qing held her father’s arm, walked with him into the herbal room, and softly advised, “His human heart is like a snake not sated when swallowing an elephant, even if father is good to Wang Lu, he will not be satisfied. It is better to draw the line. We don’t know if he has suffered, or his greedy nature can also be changed.”

Father Zhou sighed while shaking his head. He cleaned up the mess of his eldest disciple for so many years to say there was no resentment in his heart would certainly be a lie. Although there was some pain now, it was more of a relief.

Sitting on the futon, Father Zhou poured two bowls of tea; his voice was quiet as he spoke, “Wang Lu is ignorant. Qian takes care of his daughter. I’m afraid they’ll suffer some difficulties in the future. If we can help, then help. Do not let the mother and daughter suffer.”

Compared to the wolf-hearted Wang Lu, Zhou Qing had a good impression of Qian, so she nodded slightly and agreed to the matter.

Wang Lu failed to get the benefit from the Zhou family and returned to the Herbal Pavilion across the street, where a beautiful woman sat by the window pane, holding a long-lost herbal scroll in her hand and studying it intently.

The Liu family was mainly engaged in the alum business and was also considered one of the wealthy families in the capital. As Liu Zhaoqu’s only daughter, Liu Ningxue was extremely favored since she was a child. Unlike ordinary women who would stay in the boudoir all day to do women’s work. She followed Boss Liu since she was young to travel from north to south; and somehow fell in love with herbal making, plunging headlong into this path.

Although Liu Ningxue was born extremely beautiful, she wasn’t an empty straw with great looks. The woman’s talent when it came to fragrances wasn’t low. Liu Zhaoqu also specially invited several masters to personally teach her. These people were full of praise for her and determined that Liu Ningxue would become the most proficient perfumer in the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future.

In the hall, there were a lot of men who fiddled with herbs. They also heard that Wang Lu originally was the shopkeeper of the Zhou family’s Herbal Store and would receive a lot of silver money every month. Who knew which tendon went wrong and would be willing to come here as an ordinary boy?

The sound of their muttering alarmed the woman sitting on the soft chair. Liu Ningxue put the book aside. Her sharp, cold phoenix eyes swept over Wang Lu, softly saying, “Even if you are the man arranged by father, you must do work in the store in peace. If you think the Herbal Pavilion is not good, you can leave.”

Wang Lu did not expect that Miss Liu would be cold to him. His heart felt as if dropped in a bottomless abyss. His head was in a jumble, so his response was muddled. He just wanted to follow a few men to work together, but she stopped him.

“If I remember correctly, you are the disciple of Mr. Zhou Zhenyuan. His herbal blending skills were incredibly famous in the capital. Have you learned his water-dispensing herbal technique?”

The so-called water point fragrance was where the herbs were wet using the prepared spring water so the aroma would be more distinct and lasting. Although Liu Ningxue’s sense of smell was outstanding, she had only seen it once. She could distinguish the bamboo leaves and white tea inside, but the rest wasn’t vivid.

The man’s simple face showed a trace of embarrassment. He had no talent in herbs; even those herbal recipes were done by rote memorization. Usually, there were no hands-on opportunities. How could he pay special attention to Father Zhou’s techniques?

Stiffly shaking his head, Wang Lu did not say anything.

With a bit of disappointment in her eyes, Liu Ningxue waved her hand and let him back off. After waiting for the people to leave, the woman’s face showed a thoughtful look, contemplating that she should go to the Zhou household no matter what. Her skills had reached a bottleneck, and if she did not get the recipe for the water fragrance technique, she would probably stagnate and never make any progress in her life.

After the fight, Zhou Qing didn’t know if it was because he felt ashamed or something else, but Wang Lu never appeared in front of the Zhou family again.

Zhou Qing was a bit worried at first, but when the days of the warehouse having burned in her previous life passed, she breathed a sigh of relief and stayed home to nurture her baby.

Since the nightmare of the previous life had changed, the anguish in her chest dissipated, and Zhou Qing’s whole person became different from before. The almond eyes no longer contained the gloom that was too thick to dissolve but a crystal bright light. Moreover, Mother Xi boiled soup and water everyday as the family’s tonic. Her complexion became white and flushed. Zhou Qing became more lustrous than before she married. If her hair wasn’t combed, one would fear that people would make a mistake.

On this day, the father and daughter stayed in the herbal room. The room was lit with the An Shen herb; the fragrance was fresh and exquisite, which could dispel irritability and calm emotions.

Initially, Father Zhou didn’t like his daughter using this method of hurting herself to make herbs, leaving his heart full of sorrow. After several days of taking Ding Shen decoction rounds, it still had no effect; he could only slowly recuperate with the An Shen herb.

“Your father has been much better lately. You cut your finger day after day. How can the wound get better?” The white cloth was seeping with blood. Father Zhou shivered with torment, but Zhou Qing was stubborn and would not change her mind no matter what, so it was useless for Father Zhou to wear out his mouth.

As Father Zhou was sighing in the room, Yu Fu’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“Master, Miss Liu from Shen Xiang Pavilion wants to meet you.”

“Miss Liu?” Father Zhou was a bit surprised. The Herbal Pavilion was a newly opened store; he had never seen daughter Liu before. Why did she suddenly come to visit?

Father Zhou got up and went outside. Zhou Qing hurriedly followed him and solemnly said, “Father, this Liu Ningxue is Liu Zhaoqu’s daughter, who wanted to rob our Xuande Furnace earlier. The so-called “Three Treasure Palace,” she suddenly came to the door. She must have some intention.”

Although Zhou Qing had never dealt with Liu Ningxue, she had guessed her character perfectly. But whatever Liu Ningxue wanted, there was nothing that she couldn’t get. In her previous life, whether it was the Xuande Furnace or the position of County Princess, she had it all in her pocket and would not allow others to get their hands on it.

The father-daughter duo walked together to the front of the store. Liu Ningxue was sitting in the store with her maid; she wore a soft green tunic dress, slim waist, and body posture like a willow. With a slightly frigid look, she was like a fairy who fell into the mortal world. Numerous customers were secretly looking at her.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Liu Ningxue gazed back and saw Zhou Qing standing behind Father Zhou. Her phoenix eyes subtly flickered. She remembered that she had seen this woman when she was on the street with Jing Zhaoqi. She never could imagine she would meet her again in the Zhou family’s Herbal Store. It was really a coincidence.