Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times
Chapter 354 - Chapter 354 Chapter 229 Bringing a Dad Home

Chapter 354: Chapter 229: Bringing a Dad Home Chapter 354: Chapter 229: Bringing a Dad Home “Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The response he received was Gu Changsheng’s brisk execution of three resounding kowtows, as if afraid someone would renege, not even pausing to blink!

“Foster Father above, please accept your daughter’s bow!” After completing the three kowtows, Gu Changsheng pressed both palms to her forehead and performed the dignified formal bow reserved for elders once more.

In both her past life and this one, Gu Changsheng had never met her father; not even in her memories did he exist!

Fatherly love was something she had long yearned for but could never obtain!

“Good, good, good!” Mr. Ban Shan exclaimed thrice in approval, leaping down from the rockery, lifting Gu Changsheng up from the ground. His aged face couldn’t contain his smile, which deepened his wrinkles considerably, “Who says I am destined to be alone my whole life? Though I was unable to start a family without children or disciples to pass on my legacy, being able to adopt such a fine daughter is enough to make my life worthwhile! Fear not, my beloved Changsheng, as long as I live, I will ensure your precious son, my dear grandson, is well educated to become accomplished. Whatever you desire, I shall desire as well!”

Mr. Ban Shan quickly immersed himself in his role, instantly changing his manner of address thoroughly.

Gu Changsheng looked at the spirited, elegantly scholarly old man before her and felt a tremor in her heart.

Perhaps the fatherly love she had missed out on for two lifetimes would be compensated for in this one. Although her foster father was quite aged, almost as old as her grandfather from her past life, what of it? Having a father made one a treasure; from now on, she could also be someone cherished!

Listening to Mr. Ban Shan’s indulgent words, Gu Changsheng smiled knowingly, curtsying again, “Daughter thanks her Foster Father for his affection!”

Oh, Father! Even though he wasn’t her biological father, he was still a father indeed!

Gu Changsheng murmured the words “Foster Father” over and over, growing more comfortable with the term the more she said it.

From now on, even if it came to a contest of fathers, she wouldn’t be afraid! Her father, damn it, was one of the few great literati of the time, huhu, who would dare to challenge her?

“Foster Father, your residence here may be humble and suitable for cultivating one’s mind and character, but with no one to take care of you. Why not move in with me? Xiao Gu Ze is eagerly waiting at home for the Teacher I promised to find him!” Gu Changsheng seized the opportunity, her words flowing smoothly.

“Afraid your Foster Father won’t stay with you for very long before you’re arranging other tasks for him, aren’t you?” Mr. Ban Shan chuckled as he looked at his newly adopted daughter, an impression of understanding spreading across his scholarly face, “You have taught your subordinates all manner of livelihoods, the only exception being scholarly pursuits, presumably because you trust no one to instruct them, do you?”

“Foster Father is wise and unparalleled in the world!” Gu Changsheng declared promptly, lavishing praise, “Indeed, your daughter does have plans to ask Foster Father for assistance, hehe, those people, after all, are the capital on which our entire family will rely to establish and sustain ourselves. To cultivate them, I have resorted to all I know–I want them to be able to fight on horseback and write when they dismount, to blend in with the crowd yet stand out as extraordinary. Foster Father, please take the trouble to give them some guidance.”

Mr. Ban Shan smiled and nodded, agreeing readily, “Alright, I never imagined that without taking on pupils, I would end up instructing hundreds. This certainly qualifies as teaching and resolving doubts! Once I move all the books stored here to your residence, I can help you at any time.”

“That won’t be a problem; rest easy, Foster Father. Before nightfall, your daughter will make sure that everything in your courtyard is moved to our mansion, just as it is, and not a single item will be missing!” Gu Changsheng assured him with immense joy, patting her chest as she promised.

Having a father is wonderful; with him ready to fulfill her requests unconditionally, she liked it! Hehe…

“That won’t do, my personal belongings are treasures. Especially those unique editions in my study; they cannot suffer any mishaps. It would be more reassuring for me to handle it myself.” Mr. Ban Shan, who had cherished books all his life, was particularly concerned about the books in his study. Upon hearing Gu Changsheng’s words, he immediately shook his head, his face filled with worry.

“Foster Father, you’re of such an advanced age–how can you do such physical labor as moving? I can’t rest easy with that. How about this: I’ll find a couple of people who are as attentive as possible so that they won’t damage your treasures, alright?” Gu Changsheng raised a hand and gently tugged on Mr. Ban Shan’s beard, smiling as she spoke.

Mr. Ban Shan swatted her hand away with mock irritation, pretending to be angry, “You impish girl, since Foster Father has agreed to go with you, would I deceive you? Look at how cautious and wary you are!”

Gu Changsheng nodded earnestly, “But I must be wary. I’ve already kowtowed; if you were to go back on your word, wouldn’t I be at a great loss? A father so within reach should not fly away. I don’t care, you must return with me, otherwise I won’t be at ease.”

Mr. Ban Shan laughed and patted Gu Changsheng’s head affectionately, “You! I really don’t know what to say about you. When it’s time to be serious, you’re very serious, and when it’s not, you’re altogether not. I’m at my wits’ end with you! As you wish, Foster Father will go home with you. Go call the young Attendant Student in, I’ll instruct him in what’s needed, and then we can leave.”

“All right!” Gu Changsheng cheerfully agreed, turning and running towards the outer courtyard.

With her wish fulfilled and buoyed by success, Gu Changsheng wished she could fly home that very moment to share the wonderful news with everyone!

Indeed, shared joy is double joy! Such good news this was!

Mr. Ban Shan gave Scholar Yan Tai meticulous instructions, leaving under Gu Changsheng’s escort amidst Yan Tai’s puzzled gaze.

Along the way, Gu Changsheng frequently looked over at Mr. Ban Shan and giggled, almost driving him to exasperation.

The foster daughter he had taken in, why did she seem so simple yet clever?

The front door of Longevity Medical Hall was always surrounded by people seeking medical attention, which is why Gu Changsheng, with Mr. Ban Shan, her foster father in tow, decided to head back through the back door.

No sooner had he opened the back door than a body, magnificently dressed and exuding wealth, tumbled out, giving Gu Changsheng a fright.

“What’s the meaning of this? Can’t you let a young master get some shut-eye?” Zhou Zongbao clamored as he picked himself up from the ground, his eyes still bleary with sleep.

Gu Changsheng pointed at him incredulously, “You! What are you doing nodding off behind the door for?”

As if it made sense for Prince Bao, with a fine bed at his disposal, to be napping on the doorstep. Who else would take a tumble quite like Yang Mencha if not him?

Damn it, he was just looking to hurt himself out of sheer boredom!

It was definitely not her fault!

“It’s all because of you! Shang Xie said you’d surely win over Mr. Ban Shan to come out of retirement and also mentioned that the front door was bad luck for me. He suggested guarding the back door would be better, and as a man of my word, I came. Yet it seems even the back door is against me. Did Shang Xie hoodwink me or what?” Zhou Zongbao grumbled, feeling a bellyful of complaints when he thought about it.

His Little Wood was quite shameless, happily leaving him at the back door and repeatedly pressing him with phrases like ‘a man of his word must not break his promise,’ and ‘a word pledged is not even chased by a team of horses.’ Zhou Zongbao, the mighty Little Overlord Hetian, would never stoop to welshing on a bet. Since Shang Xie had spoken, the outcome was pretty much set in stone. Thus, he had to steel his heart and stay behind to guard the door, lest Gu Changsheng come back demanding the debt. Guarding the door was inevitable, and the clever Zhou Zongbao wouldn’t suffer humiliation for nothing. He willingly and consciously did it, without needing anyone’s prompting!

Gu Changsheng watched Zhou Zongbao with a bewildered expression, “So, you’re really planning to guard my house’s door?”

“What else?” Zhou Zongbao brushed the dust off his body demeanor angrily as he replied.

“No, I mean, you’re Prince Bao. Guarding doors? Doesn’t that seem a bit off?” Gu Changsheng inspected her homestead’s modest back door. To think an emperor would become a doorkeeper–truly unprecedented!

“It doesn’t matter if it fits or not, as a young master, I’ve lost the bet and accepted the outcome!” Zhou Zongbao declared boldly and concisely, slapping his chest in affirmation.

“No, no,” Gu Changsheng waved her hand, “I mean, a bet’s a bet, but at the very least put up some resistance, make it look like a struggle, and we can just act like this never happened. There’s no need to take it so seriously, you’re actually here to guard the door!”

Damn it, the former emperor himself! If he really ended up guarding her back door, wouldn’t he bring ruin to her house’s feng shui?

Sheesh! She was too unlucky to enjoy this ‘good fortune’!

“How could that be acceptable? Unless you failed to bring Mr. Ban Shan, a loss is a loss!” Zhou Zongbao paused mid-sentence, “Eh? Where’s Mr. Ban Shan? Didn’t you bring him?”

Gu Changsheng glanced at Mr. Ban Shan, who was enjoying the cool shade under a tree, and nodded, “I didn’t! But… I’ve brought home a foster father instead…”

“Wait a minute! So, you didn’t manage to bring Mr. Ban Shan?” Zhou Zongbao breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he wouldn’t have to guard the door for a month. “You were so confident about inviting the teacher, and yet you didn’t succeed, but you managed to bring back a foster father to offer tribute to. Gu Changsheng, you’re quite a character!”

Zhou Zongbao couldn’t help but give Gu Changsheng an approving thumbs-up as he said this.

Gu Changsheng looked at that bright shiny thumb and nodded in agreement.

She had gone to invite the teacher, yes, but who would have thought she’d end up with a father? What a stroke of unexpected good fortune…

“Where’s the foster father you brought? Where is he? Bring him out for a walk!” Zhou Zongbao looked at Gu Changsheng with a gleeful expression, his eyebrows raised mischievously as he asked.

Gu Changsheng mimicked his gesture, raising an eyebrow and motioning her chin towards the tree on the side of the wall, “There, that’s him!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zongbao hopped off the threshold and craned his neck to look toward the back-lit area of the door wall.

Under a large kapok tree, a man dressed in a blue wide-sleeved robe was squatting on the ground, counting ants, his scholar’s cap askew, oblivious to its angle.

Zhou Zongbao took one look at his profile, twitched at the mouth, double-checked, and then his mouth twitched even more severely.

“You… your foster father is Mr… Mr. Ban Shan?” Zhou Zongbao twisted his neck stiffly as a puppet toward Gu Changsheng, asking timidly.

Could this be Mr. Ban Shan? The same Mr. Ban Shan from his memory? How did he become Gu Changsheng’s foster father? Oh… Zhou Zongbao was on the verge of tears, wishing he could bash his head against the wall!