Transmigration: A Farm Girl's Brocade-Chapter 40 - The Back Garden_1

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 The Back Garden_1

Chapter 40: Chapter 40 The Back Garden_1

Baohe Hall was the largest and best medical clinic in the entire Yi’an Province, and even nobles from the provincial city and Capital City would come seeking treatment. The current head of the family, Zhang Zhongkun, was not only a master of medicine, but also an upstanding person, filled with great compassion.

The ghost of Qian Yixiu, having once brushed shoulders with Zhang Zhongkun’s Ghost Daddy, succumbed to curiosity and visited the Zhang family several times, learning some of their private secrets.

The ancestors of Baohe Hall’s master were once Imperial Physicians of the Previous Dynasty, with the head of the family beheaded for offending the Empress. Before his death, he made a rule that his descendants could only practice medicine and save lives in their hometown far from Capital City; they were not allowed to open a medical clinic in Capital City, nor could they enter the palace as Imperial Physicians.

The medical skills of the Zhang family were extremely superior, especially the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases, which were considered second to none in the entire Great Qian Kingdom. They followed the wishes of their ancestors and only opened a clinic in Xishan County, not even venturing into the provincial city.

The Zhang family was not prolific, with almost every generation having only one son. Particularly notable was the generation of Zhang Zhongkun’s grandfather, who had his only son at nearly forty years of age, Zhang Zhongkun’s father, who was extremely spoiled by his grandmother, and could be said to lack talent and had some unsavory secret preferences.

Zhang Zhongkun learned his medical skills from his grandfather, and Baohe Hall was directly passed down to him from his grandfather’s hands. Now under his management, Baohe Hall was thriving more than ever. What kept Zhang Zhongkun restless, however, was that his father, dissatisfied that his grandfather had handed over the clinic directly to Zhang Zhongkun, had secretly stolen and hidden several important deeds, and died suddenly without revealing where he had hidden them. Zhang Zhongkun had turned his entire home upside down without finding them. If these documents were to fall into the hands of someone with ill intentions, even if Baohe Hall didn’t change ownership, he would suffer greatly.

Old Lady Zhang had a rather difficult first half of her life due to the incompetence of the men in her family. Only after her husband had passed did her days become more comfortable. But that cursed Ghost Daddy, even in death, did no good deeds, leaving her clueless as to where he hid those important deeds. She worried about her son and often had restless nights.

Qian Yixiu felt a surge of elation when the maid invited her into the courtyard to meet Old Lady Zhang, but she kept a composed face and nodded, “Okay, thank you, sister,” and followed the maid toward the side entrance.

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Qian Manxia felt somewhat scared and tried to stop her, saying, “Yixiu.”

The maid saw the wariness in Qian Manxia’s eyes and smiled, “Our master is the owner of Baohe Hall, known for his benevolence, don’t be afraid, little sister.”

Upon hearing that they were speaking of Baohe Hall’s master, Qian Manxia let go of her guard. Some of the medicine her father needed was bought from Baohe Hall, and both her sister-in-law and Yixiu were treated by a doctor from Baohe Hall. Old Master Zhang, knowing her family was poor, had even waived the consultation fee, only charging for the medicine, and both Qian Sangui and Lady Wu often spoke of Old Master Zhang as a very kind person.

The two girls followed the maid through the side entrance. Before entering, Qian Yixiu flashed a reassuring smile at Lady Wu, who was not far from the side door, as if to imply that she could wait there with peace of mind. Lady Wu, who faintly heard the maid mention that this residence belonged to Old Master Zhang of Baohe Hall, also felt at ease.

On the way, Qian Yixiu devised a marketing strategy for her visit, inspired by Grandma Liu’s cleverness. She not only wanted to sell the flowers for a good price but also hoped to please Old Lady Zhang enough to earn some reward money. She had no choice; only after finding herself in this new time did she truly understand that poverty diminishes ambition. Dignity was irrelevant when one was close to starvation. She would uphold her noble character once her family could afford to live well.

As for the legendary back garden, the Jin Qianrong tree, and the deeds, she planned to establish a good relationship with them first and then find a way to go to the back garden and “discover” the items hidden in the tree. If she found the deeds, her contribution would be immense.

Getting in good graces with their family seemed very promising. Not only could she offload some valuable items, but she could also get medical treatment for her grandfather and mother, and they could serve as a reliable backing for her own family.

They passed through several pavilions, including the Moon-viewing Pavilion. The two young girls, curious, looked up at the loftily situated pavilion with its red windows and black tiles, and the flying eaves reaching for the sky, surrounded by elegant woods and the sea of flowers that bloomed in all four seasons. Little did they know, from behind the intricately carved windows on the fourth floor, several pairs of eyes were watching them with interest.

They walked past a herb garden and came to a large garden filled with many colorful, fragrant flowers. At the end of the garden was a pond covered with lotus flowers.

So this is the legendary backyard garden. They’ve actually made it to the backyard garden!

Qian Yixiu’s eyes spun around. In the southwest corner of the garden was a pavilion, where two women clad in brocade sat in front of a bamboo table, with several servant girls and maids attending to them. Placed inside the pavilion was a large potted plant, a Caryota.

Oh, and there’s a Jin Qianrong plant too? It was always set next to the Caryota. She had come here numerous times as a ghost and had seen it.

Qian Yixiu felt a sudden sinking feeling in her heart. Could it be that they threw it away? That would be a great loss. Not just for the Zhang family, but for her, Qian Yixiu, as well.

The maid led Qian Yixiu into the pavilion with a smile and said, “Old Lady Zhang, I know you fancy beautiful flowers and even more beautiful people, so I took the liberty of bringing both the person and the flowers to you.”

The oldest of the ladies had a kind and benevolent face, flushed and full-bodied. She was Zhang Zhongkun’s mother, Old Lady Zhang. To call her old would be a misnomer; she was just over fifty.

Sitting beside her was a beautiful woman of about thirty, the wife of Old Master Zhang, Lady Song, commonly known as Mrs. Zhang.

Old Lady Zhang faintly heard a girl singing and figured she must be seven or eight years old, but she didn’t expect her to be so young. Her sympathy began to overflow once more.

She beckoned Qian Yixiu over and said, “Come here, let me have a look at you. Oh, my poor child, so young and already out making a living. Are you even four years old?”

Qian Yixiu felt a pang of hurt inside. Approaching, she said pitifully, “To answer Old Lady Zhang, I’m already six years old.”

Old Lady Zhang, holding Qian Yixiu’s tiny hand, noticed that although the hand was skinny as bones, it was white and clean, even under the fingernails. The little girl’s appearance was also endearing, which made her like Qian Yixiu even more. She then asked, “I just listened to the song you were singing. Your daddy has passed away? And your mother is ill? Have you borrowed money too?”

Qian Yixiu’s eyes reddened, and with a quivering lip, she said, “Yes. My daddy died in battle, and my mom and I fell down a mountain last month; she’s still being treated at Baohe Hall. Old Master Zhang is charitable, he reduced the medical fees. Our family also borrowed a lot of money to cure my mother’s and my sickness…”

Old Lady Zhang’s eyes turned red with sighs. Lady Song said, “Such a pitiable sight, so young yet so clever, and her singing is delightful too, though she’s a bit thin—a clear sign of hardship and not getting enough to eat…”

Then, a voice behind them, gruff as a drake’s, said, “The Imperial Court has given very generous compensation to the families of soldiers who died in battle this time, not only awarding them ten taels of silver but also waiving three years of taxes. How is it that you’re living in such difficulty?”

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