Chapter 455: 455. New drug developed

Translator: 549690339

The children got up from their nap, tidied up, and were sent to Lin Mansion by Gu Ling to attend their lessons. Ying Ye also went along with them. He had the mentality of a child and although he loved to play, he was also very serious about studying and writing.

During the break, Gu Ling played with the two children from the Lin Family, who were also his disciples. Although he didn’t smile much, the children all liked him very much.

After the lesson, the children ran into the courtyard like little birds let out of their cage and began to play.

Lin Shuzhi looked on with a smile, “Having children in the house makes it lively. Next time, bring Nuannuan over.”

Gu Ling’s expression remained indifferent, “If I bring her, Master will have no heart to teach.”

Lin Shuzhi cleared his throat, “That wouldn’t happen.” But actually, last time Gu Ling brought Gu Xiaonuan to Lin’s house, Lin Shuzhi held her for a long time. He studied, and Gu Xiaonuan also learned along with him. It was indeed lively, but Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu couldn’t concentrate, and both of them made two mistakes during the dictation test after class.

“Then next time, I’ll come over instead.” Lin Shuzhi chuckled.

Gu Ling picked up Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu’s hats from the table and went out to call them over.

“Master, let’s go climb the mountain! Will the snow on the mountain be even more beautiful?” Ji Xiaoshu ran over, his little face flushed.

“Go find your dad.” Gu Ling put a hat on him, pulled it down, and covered his eyes.

Ji Xiaoshu didn’t bother adjusting the hat and waved his little hands around, pretending to be blind. “Oh my, I can’t see! What should I do? Senior brother, Uncle Xiaoye, where are you?”

Lin Shuzhi couldn’t help but laugh. This child really didn’t seem like someone born in the Royal Family. He was naughty but very likable.

Gu Ling helped Zhengzheng put on his hat, then led him away without caring about the drama-loving Ji Xiaoshu.

Ying Ye laughed and carried Ji Xiaoshu on his back, “Let’s go, let’s go! Goodbye, Uncle Lin!”

Lin Shuzhi waved to Ying Ye with a smile.

Ji Xiaoshu adjusted his hat and lay on Ying Ye’s back, occasionally reaching out to grab the branches of the trees they passed. Some of the lower branches were caught by Ji Xiaoshu and then let go, causing the branch to spring back and scatter the accumulated snow on it.

Seeing that Gu Ling was about to walk under a tree, Ji Xiaoshu whispered in Ying Ye’s ear, “Uncle Xiaoye, when we get closer, quickly run over there, kick that tree, and then run away immediately!”

Ying Ye understood the intent and smirked before rushing forward with Ji Xiaoshu in his arms.

At this moment, Gu Ling and Zhengzheng had already reached the tree and were about to get close to the trunk.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Gu Ling didn’t look back. Instead, he pushed the tree and then picked up Zhengzheng, running out of the tree’s range.

The prankster Ji Xiaoshu, who originally intended to play a trick on Gu Ling and Zhengzheng, didn’t expect that Gu Ling would beat him to it. By the time he realized something was wrong and reminded Ying Ye to run quickly, it was too late for Ying Ye to stop. He lifted his leg and kicked the tree trunk.

As a result, Ji Xiaoshu and Ying Ye were both hit by a double attack of falling snow from the tree.

Ying Ye was overjoyed, while Ji Xiaoshu was dumbfounded… When they caught up with Gu Ling and Zhengzheng, they heard Zhengzheng saying, “Xiaoshu, Master said you love snow so much that you must want to experience the feeling of snow falling on you from a tree. He was indeed right.”

Since the prank didn’t succeed, Ji Xiaoshu couldn’t reveal that he’d originally intended to play a trick on Gu Ling and Zhengzheng. But Ying Ye “betrayed” him.

Gu Ling was not surprised, and Zhengzheng burst into laughter.

“Let’s ask my dad to take us mountain climbing tomorrow!” Ji Xiaoshu still wanted to go mountain climbing.

Zhengzheng nodded, “My dad will go too!”

“My dad…” Ying Ye scratched his head, “I don’t have a dad, but Xiaoliang will go with me!”

“Master said he won’t go, so we won’t bring him!” Ji Xiaoshu said, “I’ll go ask my mom. She’ll definitely want to go!”

At this moment, Su Liang was feeding Yan Shiba medicine.

“You little devil, why didn’t you tell me that little brother Yun renounced the monkhood?” Yan Shiba complained lightly.

Su Liang replied calmly, “You only arrived yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to mention it.”

“So, tell me now, what exactly happened?” Yan Shiba said.

Su Liang briefly described the incident.

“That Pu Cheng is really a bigger scumbag than Sheng Yue!” Yan Shiba cursed angrily, “Poor little Yun has such a terrible father. Luckily, he has nothing to do with those scumbags now!” He laughed, “From now on, little Yun is mine! Haha!”

Su Liang shook her head slightly, “Please don’t celebrate too soon.”

“What, do you still oppose us being together even now?” Yan Shiba pinched Su Liang’s face.

Su Liang snorted softly, “Don’t look at me as if I’m the elder trying to break you two up. If you both like each other, of course I won’t oppose it, but so far, it’s just unrequited love on your part. I see Cheng Yun as a younger brother, but he insists on being my older brother since he’s older than me, and now he’s my daughter’s uncle. I’m just stating that if you want me to help you two get together, it’s impossible. If you try to force Cheng Yun, I’ll definitely stand on his side.”

Yan Shiba rolled his eyes, “What if Cheng Yun likes me?”

“You said ‘what if,’ but the possibility is too small, small enough to be negligible.” Su Liang said, “Also, don’t go around saying that Cheng Yun is your man. This is tarnishing Cheng Yun’s reputation. If he has other marriage prospects, don’t ruin it for him.”

Yan Shiba looked speechless, “Which side are you on, brat?”

“The side of reason.” Su Liang said, “If you recover from your injury, or if you want to find Cheng Yun even when you’re injured, I won’t stop you. But since he’s not home now, just calm down.”

“If I get better, I’ll definitely go find him!” Yan Shiba said, followed by a coughing fit.

After he had taken the medicine, Su Liang stood up, “Since you’re not asking to go right now, it seems you still value your life. Focus on healing and stop thinking so much.”

As Su Liang was about to leave, Yan Shiba stopped her and asked, “Tell me the truth, do you still think Cheng Yun and I are not suitable even now?”

Su Liang nodded, “He deserves better.”

Yan Shiba didn’t get angry. Instead, he held his chest and spoke softly, “I actually thought you were the most important and only family I had in this world…”

“Oh, so my daughter is not important to you then.” Su Liang chuckled, “In any case, my husband has asked you to stay away from my daughter.”

Yan Shiba got furious, “No! Way!”

Su Liang smiled and left the room. She would never admit to being cold-hearted towards Yan Shiba; just now she had personally fed him medicine. But some things needed to be made clear. Yan Shiba needed to know the rules of this family and stop carrying on his bad habits from the past; it was essential.

When the room quieted down, Yan Shiba sighed heavily, “What if he might… like me…”

Ji Xiaoshu returned home and asked Su Liang if she wanted to go mountain climbing with him the next day.

Su Liang said that it was a bit dangerous to climb at this time, but Ji Xiaoshu replied that both his father and Zhengzheng’s father were going.

“Oh, then you guys go ahead and be careful.” Su Liang said it was okay.

“Are you really not going, Mom?” Ji Xiaoshu shook Su Liang’s hand.

Su Liang smiled, “I have something to do tomorrow, I won’t go.” It was obvious that Gu Ling had refused, otherwise Ji Xiaoshu wouldn’t have come to find Ji Yuebai to accompany him.

“What are you doing tomorrow, Mom?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Su Liang glanced at Gu Ling not far away, “Accompanying your master.”

Ji Xiaoshu complained again, “Just spoil him already!” And then he ran out to check the snow house.

Ji Yuebai and Lu Yu gladly agreed to take the children mountain climbing the next day and settled on a time. Since Gu Ling would not go, Qi Yan was arranged to accompany Ying Ye to prevent any accidents.

That night, before going to bed, Su Liang and Gu Ling mentioned Sheng Yue again.

“As I looked at Yan Shiba today, I thought of Nian Ruxue. Sheng Yue is capable of changing people’s looks to the point of them being indistinguishable from the real ones, could he possibly make two people impersonate us?” Su Liang said.

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “It’s possible.” But for now, they hadn’t found any indication that Sheng Yue had the need to do so. Although he could alter their looks, he couldn’t change their behavior and mannerisms.

“After the New Year, we’ll have to go south and get ready to meet Mo Yan.” Su Liang sighed lightly, “I’m a little curious how he would react if he finds out I’m his granddaughter.”

“We’ll talk about it then.” Gu Ling leaned down and gently kissed Su Liang, “Today is the first snow, worth celebrating.” The hint was quite strong.

Su Liang laughed, “In the snow?”

“Then you have to hold me tight, or you’ll be cold.” Gu Ling whispered in Su Liang’s ear, seeing her ears turn red.

The weather cleared up, and the snow castle by the lake in Su Mansion sparkled with a crystal-clear glow in the sunlight.

Zhengzheng, Ji Xiaoshu, and Ying Ye all went climbing, and the mansion was much quieter today.

The messenger from Jiaye City who arrived yesterday set off early this morning. Min Rou’s reply letter for Qiao Jing was delivered before dark yesterday, and Su Liang also wrote back to their masters, Qiao Jing and Cheng Yun, telling them about the situation at home and their plans with Sheng Yue.

In the letter to Cheng Yun, Su Liang mentioned Yan Shiba’s return.

By the time Yan Shiba remembered to write a letter to Cheng Yun, the courier had already been gone for an hour.

In the afternoon, Su Liang and Gu Ling took Gu Xiaonuan to the Imperial Palace to see Duanmu Chen’s two children.

Duanmu Chen was very happy to see them, and he had been paying close attention to the matter of Sheng Yue. Except for the matter related to the crossing, he knew almost everything.

“So you guys are going to go south after the New Year and fight Mo Yan?” Duanmu Chen held Gu Xiaonuan, gently swinging her little hand. There were also a pile of precious toys on the table next to them, all prepared for Gu Xiaonuan.

“Whether we’ll fight or not depends on the situation.” Su Liang held Duanmu Chen and Xing Yuyan’s son in her arms, the little guy looked very delicate and was babbling unintelligibly.

“I hope it will end soon.” Duanmu Chen sighed, “When you guys leave the capital together, you can let Nuannuan stay in the palace with Zhen’er by my queen mother’s side. My queen mother really likes Nuannuan.”

“No need, if we are going together, we will take the child with us.” Su Liang said, “If we leave her here, someone will definitely keep an eye on her.”

Gu Ling and Duanmu Zhen were staring at each other with big and small eyes. Duanmu Chen laughed when he saw it, “I’ve noticed recently that Zhen’er really looks a bit like Gu Ling in her eyebrows and eyes.” She was Situ Yao’s child, and Situ Yao was Gu Ling’s cousin.

After leaving the palace, the family of three went to Marquis Zhong Xin’s mansion to visit Old Lady Xing and Xing Ji.

Old Lady Xing now spent her days playing with her grandson, and with Su Liang’s adjustments, she looked much younger than before. As soon as she saw Gu Xiaonuan, she called out affectionately, even Xing Ji couldn’t snatch her.

After leaving Xing Mansion in the afternoon, they went to Lian Mansion.

Ying Ying is now Lin’s family’s treasure, and Lin’s mother spends all day circling around her. Ying Ying was not used to it at first but quickly accepted it. The maternal love she had never experienced was fulfilled in Lin’s mother, and the two got along as if they were a real mother and daughter.

This directly led to Lian Shun’s loss of favor on both sides. When he went to his mother alone, he asked her to take care of Ying Ying and leave everything to him, but he was beaten by Lian’s mother, “Xiaoying is pregnant and you still want to mess around? Go play chess with your dad!”

Ying Ying was very happy to see Su Liang come to see her.

Su Liang took Ying Ying’s pulse and said the baby was doing well, so she should relax, eat well, and rest well.

Ying Ying asked about Ying Ye, and Su Liang said he went climbing, “As for the medicine, let’s improve it a bit after the New Year. Now he wants to have fun, so let him have fun, if he gets cured after the New Year, he’ll suddenly become an adult.”

Ying Ying nodded repeatedly, “That’s the best.”

“Ying Xiaoying, whatever you want to play, we’ll play with the child after it is born.” Lian Shun said. He knew that Ying Ying hadn’t had a normal childhood either.

“I want to hit you.” Ying Ying said casually.

Lian Shun raised his hand and slapped himself, “I’ll do it for you.” Then he changed to the other side and hit again, “This is for the baby.”

Gu Ling looked at Lian Shun as if he was an idiot, but Lian Shun was very calm, “You don’t understand, hitting is showing affection while scolding is caring. Su Xiaoliang has never hit you, has she?”

Gu Ling didn’t respond, but said to Ying Ying, “You should let your child be my apprentice as well.”

Ying Ying’s eyes lit up, “Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’m afraid the child will become stupid following Lian Ershan.” Gu Ling relentlessly teased.

Lian Shun’s smile froze, and he rolled up his sleeves, “Gu Xiaoling, come on, let’s go outside and fight!”

Gu Xiaonuan clapped her little hands, “Fight!”

So, Su Liang with Ying Ying and Lian Shan holding Gu Xiaonuan, they all went to the garden to watch Lian Shun and Gu Ling… have a running race. Because Lian Shun definitely couldn’t win a fight.

It was agreed that they couldn’t use lightness skills, they would start from the same place, run a lap around the lake, and whoever came back first would win.

“What will happen if you win?” Lian Shan asked.

Su Liang smiled, “Nothing. Just to satisfy the childish competitiveness of men.”

Lian Shun couldn’t help but laugh, “Is Nuannuan’s father also childish?”

Su Liang replied, “Number one in the world.”

Soon, they started running. Not far into the race, Lian Shun threw snowballs at Gu Ling, who counterattacked while continuing to run.

Seeing this, Lian Shan nodded slightly, “Indeed childish, Brother Pei is not like that.”

At this time, Yuan Pei came over, smiled at Gu Xiaonuan, and looked at the two people who had already run to the other side of the lake, “I thought it was going to be a martial arts competition. If I had known it was just a running race, I could have participated too.”

Lian Shan: …

In the end, Gu Ling won of course. The two ran and fought a snowball battle, Lian Shun losing very thoroughly.

Su Liang wiped the snow from Gu Ling’s face, and Lian Shun immediately put his face in front of Ying Ying, “I want it too.”

Ying Ying slapped him aside, “What do you want for losing?”

Declining the offer to have dinner at the Lian Mansion, Gu Ling and Su Liang took their children back home when the sky was getting dark.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu both returned to their own homes, not staying at Su Mansion tonight, and Ying Ye also went to King Yin’s Mansion.

A few days later, it snowed again, and the footsteps of the New Year were getting closer.

On that day, Su Liang specifically went to visit the elderly, children, and Ying Ying, and then “closed the door” with her two masters, Weng Ming and Qi Bai. Of course, everyone saw her every day, but she was always busy except for eating and sleeping. Ji Xiaoshu endured not looking for Su Liang.

Because the three masters and disciples – to be precise, four people, including Gu Ling, who mainly assisted in making medicine – were researching a new drug at a crucial time.

The cause was that Su Liang had always wanted to make a drug similar to the truth serum of her previous life after capturing enemies. Interrogating anyone would be much more convenient, and there would be no need to guess anymore.

Old Bai knew about this matter, and Weng Ming also thought it was worth a try. After two high-level experts in medicine, a pharmacist and a poisoner, met, they had actually been secretly competing. In Su Liang’s words, men’s competitiveness, plus the “I am Su Liang’s master” competitiveness unique to Su Mansion.

So after basically deciding how to treat Ying Ye, they mainly researched the truth-telling drug that Su Liang mentioned. The two experienced, knowledgeable masters really came up with many good ideas.

Finally, one day after being busy all night, Su Liang and her two masters came out of the underground secret room. Weng Ming yawned, Old Bai rarely showed excitement, and Su Liang walked behind them with a medicine bottle in her hand.

“Master, you should rest soon.” Su Liang said.

Old Bai said he was hungry, and Weng Ming’s stomach also growled because they hadn’t eaten dinner.

Gu Ling, who had stayed upstairs to take care of the children, heard the noise and came downstairs, saying that there were late-night snacks on the stove and asking them to wait for a moment.

Soon, Gu Ling brought the late-night snacks, and the two old men ate quickly. Su Liang was not very hungry and showed Gu Ling the medicine.

“Have you tried it yet?” Gu Ling asked.

Su Liang shook her head, “Not yet, planning to let Nangong Lin try tomorrow.” She said regretfully, “It’s a pity. If it had been made earlier, we could have given it to Sheng Yue first. I believe he still has secrets.”