Chapter 8: Recruitment of a Son-in-law

Seeing her daughter being so affectionate, the third concubine was even more delighted, saying: "It is only natural for a man to marry and a woman to be given in marriage. You are the only offspring of the Gao family, and it is your responsibility to invite a son-in-law to join our family and inherit our estate. This young divine doctor, despite his youth, possesses remarkable medical skills, surpassing even the imperial physicians of the past. His future is boundless. If you marry such a person, we will be at ease. The Gao family will have hope, won't it, my lord?"

The second concubine said: "Looking at him, he must come from a poor family. — In fact, this is not a big deal; at such a young age, he possesses such medical skills. What difficulty would he have in becoming wealthy in the future? Our master was once a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; if we support him a little, he could certainly achieve great success. Once he becomes a court physician, he would be worthy of our daughter, right?"

Old Master Gao expressed his gratitude repeatedly, personally escorting Lu Jinping and Ye Qingqing to the gate of the courtyard. After watching them leave, he turned back and returned to his daughter's boudoir

Thus, two days passed

Miss Gao nodded and softly said, "Thank you, young master, for saving my life." She quickly glanced at him again, then hurriedly turned her face away, feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment

A single remark made everyone in the room laugh. Miss Gao was so embarrassed that she buried her face in the blanket, too shy to look at anyone

Lu Jinping put down his chopsticks and said, "You do have a point. Alright, let's first go deliver the meals, and we can eat later."

Lu Jinping furrowed his brow and said, "Please don't bring up topics that are inappropriate. Is it acceptable for a dignified man from a founding county to become a son-in-law? I must marry with proper ceremony and bring my wife home; otherwise, if I become a son-in-law, what will happen to the Lu family? I am the only descendant of the Lu family. If my son changes his surname to Gao, how can I carry on the Gao family lineage? In the future, how will I have the face to meet my great-grandfather?" I am the only descendant of the Lu family. If my son changes his surname to Gao, how can I carry on the Gao family lineage? In the future, how will I have the face to meet my great-grandfather?

On the second day, Lu Jinping took Ye Qingqing to deliver soup medicine and porridge to Miss Gao once in the morning and once in the afternoon

She spoke in front of Miss Gao, who immediately felt both embarrassed and awkward, covering her face with her hand and twisting her body as she said, "Mother, what are you saying!"

At the entrance, I could hear laughter coming from inside, presumably a few wives and concubines were teasing the daughter. Upon entering, I indeed heard the third concubine cheerfully say to Old Master Gao: "Master, we just asked, and the daughter is very satisfied with that young divine doctor; you can bring up the marriage proposal with him."

Around noon, Lu Jinping assigned Ye Qingqing the task of preparing the medicine, while he personally went to the kitchen to cook.

I will go, Your Grace, you stay and eat by yourself; otherwise, the food will get cold, which is not good for you either

Having said that, Lu Jinping led Ye Qingqing into the courtyard. Upon arriving at Miss Gao's room, he saw a room full of people sitting there, smiling at him while looking at the *illustrations* and *books*. As he entered, the original wife of the old master Gao and two concubines all rose to pay their respects. Lu Jinping hurriedly returned the gesture with cupped hands, walked to the bedside, and glanced at Miss Gao.

Miss Gao's face had turned red all the way to her neck, and she said, "The daughter is unaware; everything is decided by her father"

Lu Jinping sensed that something was amiss, smiled, stood up, and said to Old Master Gao: "The recovery is going very smoothly. At this rate, after taking medicine for another two days, I should be almost fully recovered."

Miss Gao cast a quick, shy glance at Lu Jinping, then hurriedly lowered her head, her soft voice saying: "My appetite has improved somewhat, but the thin porridge does not satisfy hunger. Sometimes I wake up hungry at night after eating it, and I do not allow my aunt and the others to cook for me. I can only endure until dawn when you bring me something to eat"

Old Master Gao chuckled and said, "Since that's the case, when he comes at noon, I will bring up this matter with him"

After taking Lu Jinping's medicine for three consecutive days, Miss Gao was surprisingly able to slowly walk around the room with the support of her maid. Old Master Gao was overjoyed, watching his daughter improve day by day. He couldn't help but marvel at the young man's extraordinary medical skills, as he was able to cure ailments that even the imperial physicians could not, which was truly remarkable

Lu Jinping said, "Since it is like this, I will go in and take a look"

That afternoon, Lu Jinping came again to deliver medicine. Old Master Gao still personally welcomed him at the door, clasping his hands and saying: "Esteemed doctor, my daughter is now able to get out of bed and walk slowly. However, I believe it would be best to have you come in for a follow-up examination to set my mind at ease. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingqing smiled charmingly and said, "Since that is the case, let us go first."

Lu Jinping smiled and said, "It was my oversight. When I come by at noon, I will bring you some plain rice and dishes. You can have your regular meals three times a day."

When several exquisite dishes were placed on the table, Ye Qingqing was astonished, staring in disbelief. She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite, exclaiming in admiration, "Your Grace, how come I didn't know you could cook? I thought you were joking, but it turns out you really make such delicious food! This is impossible; I've been following you every day, yet I've never seen you step into the kitchen to wield a spatula. When did you learn to cook?"

Lu Jinping said with a smile: "Did I not mention it? There are still many things that will surprise you. You can take your time to be surprised later. Now, let us eat first, and after we finish, we will deliver food to Miss Gao."

Third Aunt said to Old Master Gao: "Sir, you mentioned in your previous announcement that if a young doctor who is unmarried successfully treats our daughter's illness, he would be invited to become a son-in-law. I think this young divine doctor who is treating our daughter is quite suitable. Should we discuss this matter?"

Ye Qingqing filled a jar with medicinal soup and packed the meals in a bamboo woven food box. Carrying them, she followed Lu Jinping and headed straight to the residence of Old Lady Gao

Ye Qingqing said: "If we finish eating, the food will probably be cold. It doesn't matter if we eat cold food, but Miss Gao is a lady of high standing and is also unwell, so it is not good for her to eat cold food. How about this: Your Grace, you eat first, and I will go deliver the medicine and food. I will eat when I return."

Madam Gao, who was standing nearby, chuckled and said: "If she says that, then it means she has agreed. I think this young divine doctor is quite good. Tomorrow, I would like to inquire about his background. If he is worthy of our family, then it would be good for him to marry in. If his background is unclear, we still need to be cautious"

I went to the market to buy meat and vegetables, as well as seasonings, and returned to the old house

Old Master Gao smiled, stroked his beard, and said: "Indeed! My dear daughter, when that divine doctor treated you last time, you were in a daze and probably did not see him clearly. He sent medicine these past two days, stating that the effect is not different from before, and there is no need for a follow-up consultation, which is why he has not come in to see you. You probably have not taken a good look at him, have you? Tomorrow morning, when he comes to deliver the medicine, I will invite him in for you to have a good look at him and see if you find him agreeable. Then we can discuss further; if he is not to your liking, we will reward him handsomely. If he is agreeable, they can take him in as a son-in-law, how does that sound?"

And regardless of him, when he truly wants to bring up this topic, I will naturally have a reason to politely decline. Alright, let's go to the market to buy some meat and vegetables. Now that we have money in our pockets, on one hand, we can prepare some delicious food for Miss Gao, and on the other hand, we can indulge ourselves.

When have you ever seen the lord hiding and eating alone? We share joys and sorrows, breathe the same air and share the same fate, going together, returning together, and eating together—that is truly delightful

Lu Jinping did not need to take her pulse; he could already see that Miss Gao was in good spirits and recovering smoothly. It seemed that his conjecture was entirely correct. If this continued, in another two days, he would be able to tell Old Master Gao the truth.

At the moment Lu Jinping entered the room, Miss Gao scrutinized him several times. However, when Lu Jinping approached, Miss Gao's face had already turned as red as a piece of cloth, and she merely lowered her head, not daring to look at him. She extended her wrist for him to take her pulse.

By evening, Miss Gao seemed to be in better spirits than before, and she was able to engage in conversation with Old Master Gao and his wives for a short while. This delighted Old Master Gao and his wives, making them unable to contain their joy.

Old Master Gao looked at his daughter, who had already burrowed under the quilt, covering her head completely, clearly extremely shy

Ye Qingqing said with a smile, "That is true; it was indeed Qingqing who was overthinking. But what should we do if they bring up this topic again?"

Lu Jinping led Ye Qingqing towards the old residence. Ye Qingqing whispered, "Lord, why do I feel that they are acting a bit sneaky? Are they planning to recruit you as a son-in-law? The notice for seeking medical help from Old Master Gao did mention it."

After Lu Jinping pretended to take the pulse for a while, he said: "The young lady's condition has greatly improved. How is her appetite now?"