Perhaps because too many unexpected things had happened that day, Qin Jiuye’s footsteps felt exceptionally heavy. By the time she returned to Dingweng Village, the sky was already half-dark.
Light shone from within Guoran Residence, but the brushwood gate was tightly shut.
She sighed, fished out a rusted half-piece of iron from the doorframe, and poked it through the gap in the door. After a bit of maneuvering, the latch dropped with a thud.
Entering the courtyard, she headed straight for the glowing east room, with Li Qiao following silently behind her.
An oil lamp was lit extravagantly on the kitchen stove. Jinbao was leaning against the rice vat with his legs crossed, holding a booklet and looking for all the world like a scholar burning the midnight oil, projecting an aura of "do not disturb."
Qin Jiuye narrowed her eyes to look closer. The three flamboyant characters on the cover read: *The Flower Market Collection*.
That was the book given to her two months ago by that dandy, Xu Qiuchi, when she went into the city to buy rice.
She didn't care for idle reading, and she cared even less for a book given by a dandy. Guoran Residence had no books other than medical texts; this "fish that escaped the net" hadn't appeared before her eyes lately because Jinbao had apparently scavenged it.
"Reading, are we?"
Jinbao shifted his body, pretending not to hear, and continued to flip through the pages with affected seriousness.
Qin Jiuye sneered inwardly, knowing he was still sulking over not being able to go to the Qingyang Fair. She didn't bother with him, simply placing the paper-wrapped sugar cakes on the table and saying to Li Qiao, "Sit. He’s busy; the two of us will eat first."
Jinbao still didn't turn around, but every strand of hair on his head seemed to stand on end. His entire back was a portrait of the struggle between "enduring humiliation" and "never compromising."
After a flurry of rustling sounds, Qin Jiuye had nimbly unwrapped the paper and brought out a dish of pickled radishes. He could no longer sit still. He "swished" up from the rice vat and reached the table in two strides.
"Where’s my share?"
Qin Jiuye didn't even bother to look up at him as she picked up a sugar cake and moved to put it in her mouth. "Aren't you busy reading?"
Situ Jinbao was both angry and stifled, momentarily speechless.
It wasn't that he had any real grievance against Qin Jiuye, but he harbored quite a bit of resentment toward Li Qiao. This resentment had existed ever since the second daughter of the Fang family started coming to the pharmacy just to stare at Li Qiao. Now, seeing Qin Jiuye starting to favor an "outsider," the imbalance in his heart could no longer be described as mere gloom.
"I was just passing the time. Why do you care what I do?!"
Jinbao plopped back down by the rice vat, every hair on his head screaming a complaint.
Li Qiao glanced at his back and stood up of his own accord to walk out the door. "I'll go see if the medicine for tomorrow is ready."
The moment he left, Jinbao returned to the dining table. He tore open the paper wrap in a few strokes, stuffing white sugar cakes into his mouth while glaring toward the door.
"Did you two eat something delicious in the city and only bring back a few sugar cakes to appease me?"
Qin Jiuye looked at him as if he were a fool. "If I really wanted to appease you, why would I bother bringing back sugar cakes? Wouldn't it be better to bring nothing at all?"
Jinbao paused, thinking it over. It did seem to be the case, but he didn't want to admit his own stupidity, so he argued stubbornly, "You felt guilty, didn't you? You've been so biased lately. How does the line in the plays go? 'One only hears the laughter of the new, never the cries of the old!'"
Qin Jiuye couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You think today was some kind of treat? Go into the city another day and ask what kind of chaos broke out at this year's Qingyang Fair."
Jinbao froze, then perked up, lowering his voice. "Something happened this year? It’s always been fine in the past! Hey, I’m not one to gossip, but I think that guy is bad luck. Whoever crosses his path meets misfortune."
Qin Jiuye glanced at him. "Wasn't it you who brought up Grandpa to pressure me, insisting I take him in?"
Jinbao was at a loss for words.
He certainly couldn't admit he did it just to have an extra mouth to feed so he could justify buying more rice. In his desperation, he could only resort to twisted logic.
"I didn't think that much of it back then! But look at him now—even his name is inauspicious."
"How is it inauspicious?"
"It’s inauspicious for you."
"For me?" Qin Jiuye had two pieces of radish stuffed in her mouth, letting out a series of clucking laughs like a courting toad. "Whether a name is lucky or not depends on who it's compared to?"
"Of course." Jinbao began gesturing on the table, his face full of earnestness. "Look at this character *Qiao*. It means 'woodcutter.' Your name, *Jiuye*, contains the characters for 'nine leaves,' which are plants. His name counters yours; he’s meant to chop you up like firewood."
"Is that so?" Qin Jiuye swallowed the radish and slapped her chopsticks onto the table. "In this life, I’m the one who counters others; no one counters me. Let him try."
Jinbao thought about it seriously and felt there was some truth to it.
"You do have a hard fate. Anyway, between people, it’s either you countering me or me countering you. Look at me—I’ve been countered by you for so many years that my hair is almost gone..."
Being blamed for no reason, Qin Jiuye flew into a rage. "Can you blame me for your lack of hair? Your father had no hair, your grandfather had no hair, and which of your uncles or aunts has any hair?!"
Jinbao’s face turned beet red, unable to endure his family being labeled as "bald."
"My father had plenty of hair when he was young! Not just hair, he had a lot of beard too..."
It was just a typical squabble. Qin Jiuye didn't feel like arguing over a few strands of hair anymore. Just as she was about to stand up and take her bowl away, she suddenly heard a noise from the front yard. It sounded like someone was pounding on the gate.
Qin Jiuye walked out of the room, poked her head out, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Too much has happened today! We’re not taking patients! If it’s not an emergency, come back tomorrow!"
The pounding paused for a moment, then resumed, just as firm and forceful as before.
It couldn't be Widow Dou having another coughing fit, or Old Wang the cattle herder getting diarrhea from stealing wild fruit again, could it? Day after day, they were reluctant to pay, and they truly never let her have a moment's peace.
Qin Jiuye held her breath, suddenly losing the desire to be polite for the sake of profit. She shuffled her worn-out shoes over to the brushwood gate, lifted the latch, and pulled the door open a crack.
"I said we’re not taking—"
Halfway through her sentence, she froze.
Standing outside the gate was neither Widow Dou nor Old Wang.
It was a tall woman dressed in red, her hair tied high, her expression very cold. Seeing Jiuye show her head, she pushed the gate open and entered the courtyard without a word.
Who was this? Judging by her appearance, she didn't seem to be from the nearby villages.
Qin Jiuye felt it was quite strange. Pulling up her shoes, she followed after her. "We’ve already closed for the day. Does the lady have an acute illness? Or is someone at home..."
The figure stopped and frowned as she surveyed the surroundings. "Is this Guoran Residence? Where is Shopkeeper Qin? Tell her to come out and see me."
Though this woman was fair-featured, her posture and attitude were more irritating than the County Lieutenant coming to collect land taxes. However, looking at her attire, even if she didn't look like a young miss from a wealthy family, she was definitely not from an ordinary household.
In short, at Guoran Residence, money was king.
Qin Jiuye smoothed her hair and stepped forward with a fawning smile. "That would be me. May I ask what business the lady has with me?"
Only then did Jiang Xin’er truly cast her gaze upon Qin Jiuye.
Although this thin woman wasn't dressed respectably today, she had at least combed her hair. Compared to her disheveled appearance in front of the carriage that day, she had improved quite a bit, which was why Jiang Xin'er hadn't recognized her immediately.
But that wasn't important. She didn't really need to know her. If the Young Master hadn't insisted she make the trip personally, she wouldn't have wanted to see her at all.
At this thought, her voice grew even colder. "Did you go to Treasure Mirage Pavilion today?"
Qin Jiuye’s heart tightened. Recalling the officials passing through the streets earlier that day, she instinctively looked for an excuse to brush it off. Unexpectedly, Li Qiao’s voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
"Sister, has a guest arrived?"
One moment his voice was by the porch, and the next he was behind her.
Before Qin Jiuye could fully react, she felt her arm being gently tugged. She involuntarily took half a step back, falling behind his silhouette.
"Is the lady here for a consultation? Your complexion suggests nothing is seriously wrong. It is late; please return tomorrow."
As the shopkeeper, she hadn't even spoken yet. Surely the words to see a guest out shouldn't be coming from him?
Qin Jiuye was about to add a few words of her own when she noticed that the moment the woman saw Li Qiao, her entire posture seemed to change slightly. Although she didn't make a move, it felt as though her entire body, down to every strand of hair, had tensed up.
Looking at Li Qiao again, though he still looked like an obedient young lad, his gaze had changed accordingly.
Qin Jiuye could only see his profile, which seemed to suddenly leap out from a hazy landscape painting; the contours from his nose to his jawline had become sharp.
She poked half her head out from behind him, her gaze struggling to shift between the two tall figures. One moment she felt the two of them were like a tiger and a leopard meeting on a narrow mountain path; the next, they seemed like two stray cats about to fight on a roof; and then, like two hens from the village that had wandered into the wrong coop...
Seeing the two of them still standing frozen and silent, she finally couldn't help herself. "I say, you two, if there’s something to discuss, why don't we sit down and talk slowly..."
Before she could finish, both of them turned their heads in unison. "No need!"
Not far away, Jinbao was hiding behind a pillar watching. He accidentally kicked over a broken wooden basin.
The basin clattered down the porch, rolled across the courtyard, and wobbled to a stop at the feet of the three people.
The woman in red stared at the basin, which was nearly missing its bottom, for a moment. The uncomfortable pressure around her suddenly dissipated, and she regained the arrogance she had when she first entered.
"I only have a few words to deliver; there’s no need to sit." She looked at Qin Jiuye, her height allowing her to look down on her. "The second miss of the Su Manor has fallen ill. Her symptoms are strange and dangerous; she hasn't been able to get out of bed for half a month. The Su Manor has posted a reward of one hundred gold taels for famous doctors to come and consult. My Young Master saw your calling card at Treasure Mirage Pavilion and asks you to go and take a look."
The moment Qin Jiuye heard the words "one hundred gold taels," her eyes widened uncontrollably.
One hundred gold taels—that would buy everything.
She would never have to worry about leaking roof tiles again; she would never have to endure Old Chen’s attitude while worrying about the price of rice; she would no longer have to stay in a dilapidated village on the outskirts of the city, worrying every day about her grandfather working the boats on the river...
Thinking of this, Qin Jiuye confirmed with a near-tremble, "If she is cured, will there really... really be a hundred gold taels?"
Jiang Xin’er looked at that money-grubbing face and couldn't help but frown.
"Listen carefully. This second miss of the Su Manor is the betrothed of the new Inspector. The Inspector is the eldest son of the Zhenshui Captain, Qiu Yan. He hails from the Qingzhong Mountain Academy and was a personal general in the Southern Pacification General’s manor. It has only been half a year since he left the camp to take up this post as the Inspecting Overseer; he surely has his methods when it comes to handling affairs. Now that he is involved, his requirements for visiting physicians will be extremely strict. Do not think that money is easy to earn and try to get by with some underhanded tricks."
The smile on Qin Jiuye’s face froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, continuing to smile apologetically. "How could I? To be able to treat the Su family’s miss is the honor of my Guoran Residence. I would not decline even if I had to die ten thousand deaths—ten thousand deaths!"
As she rambled on with her declarations of loyalty, the other woman simply threw the calling card to her, turned around, and walked toward the gate.
"I have delivered the card and the news. If you aren't afraid of embarrassing yourself, come to the side gate of the Su Manor on Yuzao Street in the north of the city at the hour of the Snake the day after tomorrow to wait for your consultation."
Before her voice even hit the ground, the brushwood gate closed with a "bang."
Qin Jiuye rubbed her hands together and carefully tucked the calling card against her person. Just as she was about to say a few words about a certain someone’s ill-timed behavior, she turned to find that the youth who had been standing beside her was no longer there.
She rubbed her nose, feeling that none of this was enough to dampen her current good mood. Humming a little tune, she went back into the room to take out her medical box and began rummaging through her things to pack.
After being busy for a while, she suddenly remembered something.
That arrogant woman only said her Young Master had sent her, but she didn't say who her Young Master was.
Who could it be? Could it be...
A figure on horseback flashed through her mind. Qin Jiuye dithered for a moment, and Jinbao’s voice rang out unexpectedly.
"From what she said just now, is that person from the Qiu family back? Did you hear no news at all during your trip to the city?"
Having her thoughts stepped on so accurately, Qin Jiuye couldn't help but cough. "Yes, I heard."
Jinbao’s voice continued to draw closer. "Just heard?"
She quickly glanced around, as if wary of something, then feigned indifference. "I seemed to run into him while I was in the city today. Things were a bit rushed at the time; there wasn't a chance to say much."
But the more she acted like she didn't care, the more he pursued it.
"It’s been so many years; can you still recognize him? Where exactly did you meet? What was said? You didn't mistake him for someone else, did you?"
Qin Jiuye was already getting impatient and turned her face away. "He was on horseback and wearing moon-silver armor."
Situ Jinbao leaned in again, seemingly oblivious to her mood, looking at her with disapproval. "Even if he was on horseback when he left, it doesn't mean he has to be on horseback when he returns. Why didn't you ask a few more questions? Before he came back, weren't you going to Tingfeng Hall every other day to ask for news? You’d even spend half a day interrogating them about which disciple from Qingzhong Mountain had come down the mountain..."
Qin Jiuye finally reached her limit and slapped her hand over Jinbao’s mouth.
"If you say another word, I’ll give you two ounces of laxative to clear your 'heat,' and make sure those two sugar cakes in your belly don't last the night!"
Having lived together for so long, Jinbao naturally knew how terrifying Qin Jiuye’s curses could be. He promptly vanished from the porch.
The woman stood dazed for a while, and only after a long pause did she continue organizing her medical box.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
花墟集 | The Flower Market Collection | A book given to Qin Jiuye by Xu Qiuchi.
丁翁村 | Dingweng Village | The village where Guoran Residence is located.
果然居 | Guoran Residence | Qin Jiuye's medical clinic/home.
司徒金宝 | Situ Jinbao | Qin Jiuye's assistant/associate.
姜辛儿 | Jiang Xin'er | The woman in red who brings the message.
苏府 | Su Manor / Su Residence | The home of the patient, the Su family's second daughter.
督护 | Inspector / Inspecting Overseer | A military/administrative rank (Duhu).
镇水都尉 | Zhenshui Captain | A military title; "Zhenshui" means "Suppressing the Waters."
秋偃 | Qiu Yan | A high-ranking official/general.
青重山书院 | Qingzhong Mountain Academy | A prestigious academy where the Inspector studied.
玉藻街 | Yuzao Street | The location of the Su Manor in the city.
听风堂 | Tingfeng Hall | "Listening to the Wind Hall," likely an information brokerage.
月甲 | Moon-silver armor | A specific type of bright, silver-colored armor.
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