190 Fully Armed
Su Binglan said, “Doctor Wu, I’m going on a long trip. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Oh, you’re leaving?” Doctor Wu was shocked but immediately thought Su Binglan was going to the Legendary Medicine Valley.
‘She said she’s from Su Teng Village, but I refuse to believe such a capable girl came from the countryside. As expected of her to go on a long journey.’
Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, my big brother and sister-in-law have a business here in town, while my husband and two nephews attend a nearby academy. I hope you can take care of them should anything happen.”
Doctor Wu hurriedly replied, “O-Of course! Don’t worry, Miss Su. I will keep an eye on them and ensure the staff members take good care of your family. Also, you saved the county magistrate’s grandson last time, and they are grateful to you, so they will undoubtedly help.”
Fortunately, Su Binglan had saved Old Madam Feng’s grandson last time. Otherwise, Hundred Herbs Hospital would not be able to operate in Tenghe Town any longer.
Moreover, Su Binglan taught Doctor Wu how to perform CPR, which was a tremendous help. Doctor Wu also wanted to be on good terms with a capable person like Su Binglan because she would greatly benefit him by teaching him more medical skills.
Su Binglan was relieved when she heard Doctor Wu’s words. Immediately after, she went to the blacksmith shop.
The blacksmith looked at her and smiled. He took a box from the table and said, “Miss, these are the things you ordered. I finally completed them today.”
The temperature in the shop was high, so the blacksmith wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at Su Binglan carefully, afraid she would be dissatisfied with his filth as other customers typically were. Even though he knew Su Binglan was more respectful, he took his appearance seriously.
Su Binglan carefully looked at the parts and began to assemble them.
Click, clack. Clack.
Soft sounds of clicking and clacking sounded in the shop as she put the parts together. The thing she assembled looked like a compass-like contraption, a round thing that spun up and down several times.
The blacksmith was in shock and awe with what he saw. He had never seen anything like it before. He was not shocked at the new gadget but how Su Binglan assembled such a thing in a short amount of time.
He thought it was fantastic as he stared blankly at the compass-like thing Su Binglan assembled. His eyes were dazzled, and he could not figure out how the young lady assembled it.
Su Binglan said, “Hm, not bad. Thank you.”
Then she paid some silver to the blacksmith. Previously, she had only paid a deposit, so now she paid the remainder.
The blacksmith knew he should not ask the young lady about the gadget, but he could not help himself. “Miss, that thing looks interesting. I wonder what it does.”
“This is of great use to me. It’s like a compass needle.” Su Binglan understood that compasses did not exist in that era. Everyone distinguished north, south, east, west, and time according to the skies and stars.
The blacksmith was utterly stunned but did not truly understand what the young lady meant. After some careful thinking, he understood something.
The compass could distinguish directions, but it was tricky to make because of how small the components were. Even so, the blacksmith would not know how to assemble it.
However, the young lady before him was skillful and had assembled the tiny parts into a compass. It was genuinely mystifying to the blacksmith as he thought of Su Binglan’s capability.
The blacksmith did not try to overanalyze the compass and continued forging iron weapons.
…
When Su Binglan returned to her shops, she had already determined her second brother’s location. “I didn’t expect Wenxiu to be in a valley in the capital. I guess the most dangerous place can also be the safest place. Fortunately, he’s still okay.”
She heaved a sigh of relief while making lunch and putting it into a container. She told Li Shi, “Go to Blue Mountain Academy at noon and pass this to Jin’an.”
She trusted Lin Zheng and the other two with this.
“Yes, Boss!” Li Shi and Zhou Shan regarded Su Binglan as their benefactor and would handle any tasks she gave them.
Su Binglan even told them she was going on a long journey and would entrust the shop to them.
“My parents will come over to help, too,” she said.
Shen Qiuhua was worried and wanted to help her daughter with the shop matters. After all, they still had to make tofu and tofu pudding, so Shen Qiuhua and her husband would go to the shop to make them in the backyard. That way, they would have enough to sell.
Su Binglan had given many orders to almost everyone, but she did not give any tasks to Lin Zheng, so he became anxious. “W-Why didn’t you give me any tasks, Boss? I-Isn’t there something you need from me?”
He thought he had done something wrong since his boss did not give him any orders. After careful thought, he knew he had done everything his boss had told him to do. He even practiced his kung fu every day till it was late.
He even bathed in the herbs as his boss instructed and felt stronger than ever. Lin Zheng felt like he was no longer an amateur.
Su Binglan looked at him and said, “You’re just as impatient as ever. Don’t worry. You will do great things soon enough.”
Lin Zheng was relieved when he heard that.
After giving orders and instructions, Su Binglan picked up her bag and said to Lin Zheng, “Change into these clothes, and we’ll set off in a while.”
She had planned to set off at night but decided to leave immediately because Tenghe Town was far from the capital. She needed to travel ahead to get there as quickly as possible.
The clothes Su Binglan had prepared for Lin Zheng possessed a hidden feature, but Lin Zheng was unaware of it. He was stunned and asked, “Y-You’re taking me with you, Boss?”
“What’s the matter? You don’t want to come?” Su Binglan asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lin Zheng shook his head frantically. “I-It’s not that, Boss. I’m just thrilled that I can come along.”
“I’ve seen how hard you work, so I feel comfortable bringing you along,” Su Binglan said smilingly.
Once again, Lin Zheng nodded excitedly. “I’ll always work hard, Boss!”
Su Binglan took a few knives and said, “Tie these two knives to your boots, so you have quicker access to them. Now, strap these two other knives to your waist.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Then she went to the room behind the shop and changed her clothes. Su Binglan dressed like a man but looked like a teenage boy. Still, she looked outstanding, so she applied some makeup to make her skin look darker. She did that so she would not be too conspicuous.
Lin Zheng was stunned when Su Binglan exited the room. “B-Boss?”
Su Binglan said, “One must keep a low profile when leaving town or the village. No one will notice me if I don’t stand out.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Su Binglan stammered, “A-Also, you look…”
She had never noticed it before, but Lin Zheng was quite handsome as his face had a distinct jawline that made him look tough. She looked at him and continued, “You should put on some makeup too.”
After Su Binglan put on makeup for Lin Zheng, he looked at his reflection in the water tank and could not recognize himself.
“T-That’s me? This must be some sort of legendary disguise technique.”