Chapter 19: Money Can’t Buy Your Happiness

The sky cleared up, and the sea breeze blew in without the usual humidity, offering a pleasant contrast to the past few days.

As Gu Yi walked home, she heard mournful crying coming from the direction of the coast.

On such a beautiful day, it would have been ideal for fishing, but the entire village seemed to be shrouded in a blanket of sadness.

She paused for a moment, then quickened her pace, heading home.

Upon arriving, she noticed there were guests in the house, and Wang Yulan was attending to them.

When they saw Gu Yi return, they immediately stood up and took out twenty copper coins.

“Little Miss, this is the fee for yesterday’s treatment,” one of the women said.

Gu Yi, having set the rule the day before, didn’t refuse. She took the coins and treated them again.

The woman then added, “Oh, right, Little Miss Gu, could you please defer the payment for Juan Niang? She’s having some financial difficulty at the moment.”

Gu Yi thought for a moment but couldn’t recall who Juan Niang was.

“For treatment, it doesn’t have to be copper coins; two bundles of firewood would do. My family is short on firewood and eggs. As long as the value is fair, that’s fine.”

The woman seemed quite excited. “I didn’t know that was an option! Little Miss, you’re so understanding!”

Gu Yi scratched her nose.

She didn’t enjoy gathering firewood, and Dalang could barely collect enough, which bothered her. Using firewood instead of copper coins wasn’t a loss for her.

The next day, three people came by with bundles of firewood, neatly stacked along the stone wall of the small house.

Wang Yulan was very pleased and praised Gu Yi. She then added, “If you treated people at home, it would be safer than fishing at sea.”

Life on the sea was too dangerous. As a small doctor, everyone greeted them warmly when they met people on the road, earning their respect.

“But I don’t like it,” Gu Yi pouted.

Dalang also persuaded her, “Fishing is too tiring, harder than anything else, and it’s not stable. Why do you like doing such hard work?”

“Who knows? Maybe I was a doctor in my past life, and I wanted to fish but couldn’t!” Gu Yi winked.

Wang Yulan understood and sighed, “Go ahead, fish if you want. It’s priceless to see you happy.”

Gu Yi smiled in response.

Not wanting to risk the unpredictable weather and a sudden typhoon, Gu Yi didn’t go to the county for the next three days.

The weather was calm, with only light breezes, so it wasn’t important.

On the fourth day, with the risk of a typhoon greatly reduced, she decided to go to the county.

She carried two full buckets of fish, along with dried shark liver.

Wang Yulan gave her a list of things to buy, and the siblings set off.

Once again, it was Uncle Yuan who helped them with the boat.

After three days, the village had returned to its usual routine, and everyone had started working again to make a living.

This time, the people on the boat treated her much better. As soon as she boarded, she was met with everyone’s attention and smiles—except for one person.

It seemed fate had a way of bringing them together. She ended up sitting on the same boat as He Chunli.

“Little Miss Gu, are you selling fish?” the woman sitting next to He Chunli asked cheerfully.

Gu Yi nodded.

“With your medical skills, why are you still doing this kind of hard work?”

He Chunli didn’t say anything but scowled, glaring at the woman, clearly displeased at having to talk to someone she didn’t like.

Gu Yi glanced at her and smiled. “All work is tiring. I enjoy catching fish more.”

The woman continued, “Is your medical skill inherited? Was your father also a great doctor?”

The moment the question was asked, it piqued the interest of everyone on the boat.

“Little Miss Gu, you’re so young, and you can prescribe treatments and even treat severe wounds. Your father must be even better, right?”

He Chunli’s eyes flickered with excitement, and she couldn’t resist speaking up, “You’re exiled here, aren’t you? Could it be that your father made a mistake and caused a death in his treatment, which is why the officials exiled you all here?”

The conversation quickly shifted, and the warmth of the previous smiles faded as the villagers began to murmur.

A doctor who caused someone’s death was considered more dangerous than a murderer.

He Chunli smirked, clearly pleased with herself.

Gu Yi’s face, which had been smiling, turned expressionless.

Dalang frowned deeply, his face darkening with anger.

The General’s father was his sore spot. He wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of him, let alone listen to people discussing his father’s mistakes.

“My father isn’t a doctor. My family just has a lot of medical knowledge, and I’ve had many great teachers. If I wanted to, I could’ve been a doctor,” Gu Yi responded coolly.

The villagers were taken aback. They had vaguely known that the Gu family had once been wealthy, but hearing it from Gu Yi herself was different.

He Chunli’s face twisted with jealousy.

“Too bad you were still exiled to the seaside. You still haven’t told us what exactly you did to get exiled.”

Gu Yi casually smiled, “Didn’t the old Gu family next door tell you why we were exiled?”

She was curious, thinking that everyone in the village would know, but apparently, they hadn’t bothered to make it known, even though it was convenient for everyone to blame them.

Dalang quietly clenched his fists.

The villagers all looked confused, clearly unaware.

Gu Yi continued, “Although it wasn’t because of my medical skills, my father did offend someone, and he died as a result. That brought misfortune to the whole family.”

The villagers quickly understood.

Dalang couldn’t hold back his impatience. “Is there any other question? Do you want to go through our entire family history?”

The woman smiled awkwardly, glancing at He Chunli. “Sorry, Little Master Gu, Little Miss Gu. We were just curious. My younger sister sometimes speaks without thinking.”

Someone nearby reminded them, “That’s He Chunli’s younger sister, He Qiuli.”

Gu Yi smiled again. “I see the dark circles under your eyes and the exhaustion on your face. You must have a lot on your plate. I didn’t expect you to be worried about your sister, who’s been married for years. It must be tiring. Let me diagnose you for free and write you a prescription.”

He Qiuli’s expression shifted, and she looked at Gu Yi.

“Too much worry can lead to illness. You might just end up with stiff muscles one day. You can’t even manage your own family, so don’t be curious about others’ problems. The secret to longevity is not meddling in others’ affairs.”

Just then, the boat reached the shore, and Gu Yi picked up her buckets and disembarked.

She paid no attention to the sour expressions on the He sisters’ faces.

The siblings headed straight for the back door of the county’s main restaurant, where the supplier was waiting.

He stepped out, scrutinizing the fish.

“These big eels are good, the mackerel’s a decent size, and even the longevity fish! But this East Star Grouper looks a bit weak.”

Gu Yi’s neck tingled. She could tell the supplier was about to start haggling.

She immediately said, “If you can’t take it, I’ll go somewhere else.”

Dalang moved to leave, not saying a word.

The supplier quickly called out, “I can take it, but the price can’t be too high!”

He wasn’t going to let go of these two buckets of seafood. After all, the last time the seafood they brought had delighted the rich customers, and the shopkeeper had rewarded him with a month’s wages.