The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 438

Only when facing Zhou Chu does Xiao Dao act like a child afraid of making mistakes, appearing very awkward.

"Is the old man feeling any better?"

Zhou Chu looked at the small knife and asked.

Xiao Dao shook his head upon hearing this.

"His ailments have been left untreated for too long. It's already quite good that he can barely keep them from getting worse."

As he said this, Xiao Dao's face was full of worry.

Zhou Chu was not surprised to hear this. Jin Youcai's body was often affected by colds and flu, and it would take a long time to recover. Moreover, Jin Youcai was quite old now, and his recovery was much slower than that of a young person. It was already good that he could maintain his current condition.

"This is ambergris that His Majesty bestowed upon me. Grind it into powder and burn it by the old man's bedside. It should have a good effect."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he took out a small piece of ambergris, a small portion of the one the emperor had bestowed upon him. Zhou Chu thought that Jin Youcai's ailment might come in handy, so he brought some with him.

"This...this is too expensive, isn't it?"

Xiao Dao looked at the ambergris in Zhou Chu's hand. She had naturally heard of the great name of ambergris. In fact, not only her, but almost all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital had heard of it, but they had only heard of it by name and had never seen it.

The effects of ambergris have always been legendary, almost to the point of being said to be able to bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones.

Xiao Dao knew about this thing from stories in operas, and now that he had seen such a legendary item, he naturally dared not accept it.

"What's so valuable about this? It's just ambergris. Now that the Ming Dynasty's navy is all over the world, there will only be more and more of this stuff in the future."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he placed the ambergris in Xiao Dao's hand.

"Don't tell the old man what this is, so he won't feel guilty."

Zhou Chu explained.

Xiao Dao looked at the ambergris in his hand and immediately felt it was burning hot. Hearing Zhou Chu's instructions, he subconsciously nodded.

"Thank you for your concern, young master."

Xiao Dao said, his face full of emotion.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu waved his hand dismissively and went with Xiao Dao to the side room in the backyard.

This is where Jin Youcai lives, and the whole room is filled with the smell of herbs.

Jin Youcai lay in bed, coughing every now and then. He didn't look well, but he wasn't in much worse shape either; he looked about the same as he had six months ago.

It seems Xiao Dao was right; the old man's health has stabilized.

Seeing Zhou Chu walk in, the old man tried to get out of bed, but Zhou Chu stopped him.

"When did the young master return to the capital?"

The old man was pinned to the bed by Zhou Chu, and he didn't insist anymore. He looked at Zhou Chu and asked.

Now, Jin Youcai dares not act like he did before when facing Zhou Chu. After all, back then Zhou Chu was just a small businessman, but now Zhou Chu wields immense power.

Even back then, Jin Youcai never failed to obey Zhou Chu's orders.

"I just got back not long ago, and Wenxin's wedding is just around the corner, so I came back specifically to attend his wedding."

Zhou Chu smiled.

"Your health has stabilized."

Zhou Chu looked at the old man and continued.

"It's all thanks to you, young master. If it weren't for you, this house, and the money you gave me to buy medicine, I'd probably be buried long ago."

Jin Youcai looked at Zhou Chu with gratitude on his face.

Zhou Chu shook his head upon hearing this.

"You can't say that. You did a lot of things for me back then."

Upon hearing this, Jin Youcai looked at Zhou Chu in front of him and couldn't help but recall his first formal meeting with Zhou Chu.

At that time, Zhou Chu was already a successful businessman, but he was still just a businessman. He was still a bit naive in front of Jin Youcai, a seasoned veteran. Only two years had passed, and the imposing presence that the young man had exuded in his every word and action had made Jin Youcai afraid to look him in the eye.

Jin Youcai witnessed Zhou Chu's growth firsthand, and the speed of his growth was truly astonishing.