Chapter 28.1 – Ignorance

Looking at this red envelope, Lu Xingwang could probably guess what it was for.

On the other side, Jian Mei was afraid that Lu Xingwang wouldn’t accept it, so he said discreetly, “I have a lot of pocket money, and I don’t have anywhere to spend it in my hometown. You take it. Originally, I wanted to save it to buy candied hawthorns, but I already had some, so even if I treat you, I’ve already had my share.”

In reality, Jian’s family was not considered poor, but they had a tradition of being frugal. Jian Mei didn’t really know about the family’s wealth since his parents were very thrifty. They only hired a necessary nanny to take care of him when they were worried that he wouldn’t have anyone to look after him. As for other expenses, they followed a normal household’s approach. They only replaced their phone when it malfunctioned and bought new clothes when the season changed. They never indulged in extravagance or reduced their quality of life.

Lu Xingwang told him, “I don’t need the money. Take it back.”

After reading the message, Jian Mei felt even more inexplicably upset.

Da Zhuang was truly a very good and independent young man. No matter how difficult and challenging his own life was, he was unwilling to burden others and even pretended to be strong. But the more he acted this way, the more Jian Mei couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Da Zhuang was so good to him, and now that he had the ability to treat him to candied hawthorns, he had to make sure to follow through with this.

Jian Mei typed rapidly, “It’s okay, don’t be polite with me. If you don’t take it, then we’re not friends!”

Lu Xingwang: “…”

He didn’t know where he had gone wrong, causing Jian Mei to have some misunderstanding about him.

After thinking it over, he came up with a possibility. Although he never liked arguing with people, at this moment, he inexplicably lowered his bottom line and explained, “Transferring money won’t work either. Where I am, there are no candied hawthorns.”

This was another conversation they had about this issue.

Jian Mei held his phone, contemplating for a moment, and cautiously asked, “Is your home far from the city?”

Lu Xingwang hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want Jian Mei to get involved in his somewhat obscure realm, so he simply replied, “Very far.”

Jian Mei asked, “How far?”

Lu Xingwang didn’t want to entertain those thoughts, so he said, “Farther than you can imagine.”

Far.

It’s possible that we may never meet in our lifetime.

The moonlight from the planet Stan Star cannot reach the Earth. The difference between them is more than just a candied hawthorn.

As Lu Xingwang’s thoughts settled, Jian Mei, on the other end of the communication device, remained silent for a while before softly saying, “Actually, when I think about it, candied hawthorns don’t taste that good.”

Lu Xingwang raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I feel like candied hawthorns are a bit too sweet,” Jian Mei spoke with a serious tone, carefully considering Lu Xingwang’s feelings. “Oh well, I’ll have to brush my teeth later, so annoying.”

His tone was cheerful as he came to a conclusion on his own. “This thing should definitely be eaten less.”

Lu Xingwang saw through him: [But don’t you like sweet food?]

Jian Mei looked like a small animal caught with a guilty conscience.

“Well, I do like it,” he pouted, somewhat helplessly saying, “But my body has some minor issues, and I can’t eat sweet food too much. I have to control it.”

If it were an ordinary boy, they might console him at this point.

Unfortunately, Jian Mei was facing Lu Xingwang, whose way of thinking was never that of an ordinary person: [Excessive sugar intake is indeed not good for the body.]

Lu Xingwang was always straightforward: [You exercise less usually, so you should pay more attention.]

Jian Mei choked on his response as he looked at the message on his phone.

Da Zhuang-ge, you’re really honest!

But I guess this is him caring about me. Although his expression is a bit obscure and awkward, if you try to understand it with sincerity, you can still feel the awkward tenderness of this boy.

Jian Mei smiled and pursed his lips, replying, “Yeah, I know.”

Putting down his phone, he went to brush his teeth, while Prince, who cautioned him about eating less sweet food, fell into contemplation.

A Ruo came in from outside and said to him, “Your Highness, General Zuo sent a message earlier, saying that he wants to come later to discuss something with you.”

Lu Xingwang nodded. “Understood.”

A Ruo placed the fruit tray that had been delivered and prepared to leave but was stopped. “Wait.”

Lu Xingwang’s gaze fell on the fruit tray, and his slender fingers tapped it a few times, as if pondering for a moment before he spoke. “I remember the palace chefs often make some candy balls.”

A Ruo quickly replied “Yes, They’re a regular treat all year round, loved by the imperial concubines and some young ladies. These candy balls are made from fresh flowers by the culinary priests. Although they taste sweet, they remove the calories and harmful sugars and fats. However… you’ve never liked sweet things, so they haven’t been sent to our palace.”

“Ah, I see.”

Lu Xingwang nodded. He remembered the transfer function from some time ago, and if conditions allowed, that child would be delighted to have the candy balls.

A Ruo hesitated and asked, “Why did you suddenly think of it today?”

Isn’t that something only girls or children like?

Could there be a guest?

That’s impossible. Even when neighboring princesses visit, they don’t have this privilege.

Lu Xingwang refocused his thoughts and said to her, “Prepare some and send them over.”

A Ruo was slightly shocked, but what shocked her even more came next. Lu Xingwang calmly instructed her again, “Don’t get them from the Food Bureau. It’s easy to make mistakes with such things. Make them yourself and keep a close eye on it.”

At this moment, A Ruo understood the importance of this person. She quickly replied, “Yes.”

“Well…” she ventured to guess that it was for an important guest, so she asked, “Do we need to prepare anything else? Apart from the candy balls, there are some seasonal snacks in the palace. Should we make some of those too?”

Lu Xingwang fell silent for a moment and then said, “No need.”

I shouldn’t spoil Jian Mei too much after all, he thought.

…

The next day, early in the morning, many people arrived outside. They were going from door to door, seeking medical advice. The small courtyard was unusually bustling. Jian Mei wondered if it was his imagination, but he noticed that after he came out, many people looked at him with eager eyes.

Jian Mei: ?

Aunt Zhang was the first to come over. “Meimei! Oh, you’re such a lucky star, my child.”

Jian Mei looked at her in confusion.

“Do you remember the medicine balls you gave Aunt Zhang last time?” Aunt Zhang clapped her hands and sighed. “I used to take the medicine your grandfather gave me. I had this chronic problem that kept recurring, but for some reason, since you’ve been here, after you gave me the medicine balls, my back hasn’t hurt all night!”

Many people in the village are somewhat superstitious.

Jian Mei smiled wryly. “That must be a coincidence.”

Aunt Zhang shook her head and pointed to someone not far away. “And Aunt Li too.”

Aunt Li, who was called, also came over and said, “Isn’t it amazing? These past two days, the parts of my body that were originally uncomfortable have inexplicably improved. Previously, when I went to Dr. Jian, it was the same prescription, but this time it miraculously worked much better.”

Not just these two people, many others who have taken the medicine also expressed that there was a noticeable difference in its effectiveness.

The prescription was written by the old master, but Jian Mei took over the task of preparing the medicine. It was just a subtle difference, but the results turned out surprisingly well.

Jian Mei himself was puzzled, wondering, “Is it really true?”

Aunt Zhang was still excited and wanted to grab Jian Mei’s hand. “Meimei, quickly prepare another set of medicine for me?”

Jian Mei’s arm was being shaken around, feeling a bit dizzy. Shen Meina quickly came over and separated the two, afraid of hurting the child. She said to Aunt Zhang, “Look, what does a child understand? Chinese medicine is meant to regulate the body, and taking the medicine regularly will gradually improve. Our old master’s prescription is reliable. If you want to show gratitude, you should thank the old master instead. We can’t burden Jian Mei, a child, with such responsibility.”

Aunt Zhang was half-believing and half-doubting, “Is it a matter of regulation?”

Aunt Li, influenced by Shen Meina’s words, also became hesitant, “If you put it that way, it seems reasonable, but we really feel…”

Jian Mei’s father also came out of the house, politely smiling and saying, “Recovering health is a good thing, but we should also believe in science.”

After being spoken to like this, several people immediately felt that they might have been too extreme and didn’t dwell on it. However, even after leaving, they still muttered to themselves:

“But we really feel much better than before.”

“It’s really strange, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, if Jian Mei could become a doctor in the future, that would be great.”

After the neighbors dispersed, Shen Meina returned to the kitchen with her husband and child to prepare breakfast. She asked Jian Mei, “Have you been helping grandpa these past few days?”

Jian Mei replied, “Big brother has also been helping a lot.”

Jian Mei’s father’s focus was on something else. “You didn’t make any mistakes in preparing the medicine, did you?”

“Dad!” Jian Mei pouted. “I wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.”

It’s really strange when you think about it. Although Jian Mei is usually careless with math problems, he has exceptional talent in traditional Chinese medicine. He has been able to memorize the effects of various herbs since childhood, and he quickly grasped the arrangement of the medicine cabinet at home.

Shen Meina was steaming egg custard when she heard this and rolled her eyes, saying, “That’s just a case of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. There’s nothing magical in this world. Oh, grabbing some medicine doesn’t come with any added buffs. Do you think your son is some kind of medicine god, possessed by supernatural powers?”

Jian Mei’s father chuckled, “Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

Shen Meina could tell from his smug look that although Jian Mei’s father didn’t say it aloud, he was proud of their child. She pouted and said, “If that’s the case, I should light some incense.”

As they were talking, a few more patients arrived outside.