Shopkeeper Qin of Guoran Pavilion had returned. However, she seemed to have sustained some superficial injuries, and it took several days of bed rest before there was any sign of movement from her house.
Upon hearing the news, the regular customers from the village brought over gifts of local eggs and green mugwort cakes. Yet, aside from offering perfunctory greetings, they did not seem overly concerned. The wild grass in the fields of Dingweng Village could stand upright again half a day after being trampled; naturally, Shopkeeper Qin of Guoran Pavilion would not take much longer to recover.
As it turned out, after living together day and night for all these years, the villagers did indeed have some understanding of Shopkeeper Qin.
One day passed, and Qin Jiuye remained in the same position on her bed, her mind a whirlwind of a thousand thoughts, as if a millennium had slipped by.
Three days passed, and she was able to leave her bed by leaning against the walls. With her hands tucked behind her back, she paced around the courtyard, directing Jinbao to tidy up the chores that had been neglected over the past few days.
Seven days passed, and she began to brace herself to sit in the front hall to see patients. At first, she sat for half a day, then for a full day, and eventually, she sat from before dawn until nightfall, just as she had before.
Without that "Second Manager"—her distant younger cousin—Jinbao once again became the sole young apprentice of Guoran Pavilion. Although he worked much more efficiently than before, his appearance remained as unremarkable as ever. Business at Guoran Pavilion grew somewhat quiet; even Dou Wuniang, who used to come frequently seeking medicine, had not been seen lately.
At first, almost every day, someone would ask: *Where did that clever and polite "Second Manager" go?* To this, Shopkeeper Qin would only say flatly: *He went back to his hometown.* Not a word more.
Later, fewer people asked, but private gossip increased.
Some said that perhaps the Situ boy was "unable to tolerate others," feeling his position threatened, and had found an excuse to push the man out.
Others said the "siblings" might have had a falling out, likely over money. After all, everyone knew the shopkeeper of Guoran Pavilion was stingy to the bone. Only a blockhead like Jinbao could stand working in such a place. Water flows down, but man climbs up; someone with talent would naturally want to see the world outside.
Some even suggested that the Qin family’s "younger brother" had only come to Guoran Pavilion because of a weak constitution. Seeing how Shopkeeper Qin now refused to mention him and wore a somber expression, they feared he might have taken a turn for the worse and been reclaimed by the Heavens. What a pity for such a handsome man; truly, "a beautiful face has a tragic fate."
For people who had lived their entire lives in a village no larger than a palm, the affairs of the few acres right under their noses were the easiest to talk about. The messy, incomprehensible events, on the other hand, went unmentioned. For instance, the bloodstains that appeared in the village that night; or Dou Wuniang, who vanished for a few days before returning; or that young Protector riding a tall horse in black armor; or the unknown young men and women buried in the old peach grove outside the village.
It was as if nothing had ever happened. Only the old elm tree at the village entrance, snapped in half, stood as a silent witness: something truly had occurred that night.
The Dog Days of summer were approaching, and the busy farming season was nearly here. The villagers took advantage of the pre-dawn hours to work the fields. When the sun hung high and the air was at its most stifling, they gathered under the old locust tree to chat—about chickens and ducks, about beans and grain, about whose family had a new baby or who had met with misfortune. When the chatter reached a fever pitch, they would all sigh in unison, ending with complaints about this year's weather and harvest.
The rain in Jiu'gao showed no sign of stopping. It wasn't just Jiu'gao; the entire Longshu region seemed soaked in water.
Nine out of ten fertile fields were flooded, and the remaining seedlings were sickly and limp. After a full day of laboring with their faces to the earth and backs to the sky, everyone stood in the fields and sighed.
The price of rice, which had dropped slightly at the start of summer, began to creep back up in secret. Nearby villages were all whispering that this winter would be even worse than the last; it was destined to be a hard one.
Qin Jiuye tied her hair ribbon tight and brewed the most refreshing mint tea. She spent her entire day shuttling between the pharmacy and the diagnostic desk, her instructions to Jinbao brief and stern, demanding a proper beginning and end to every task. Jinbao spent a few days weeping and wailing, but eventually resigned himself to his fate. Gradually, he began to take on the air of a "Second Manager," capable of holding down half the pharmacy on his own.
More than half a month later, the Lotus-Scented Orchid moved from Tingfeng Hall beneath the window sill finally bloomed.
That orchid had once been Old Tang’s pride and joy, yet it had always been half-dead while he was around. Now that he was gone, it had finally decided to flourish.
On the day it bloomed, Qin Jiuye picked up her medicine chest and took Jinbao into the city.
Back in the spring, she had almost never set foot in the northern part of the city, but now she knew the way by heart. However, she didn't enter the city to see old acquaintances this time; she was there to collect a debt.
To be able to collect debts all the way in the city—that was a sign of growing capability. In the past, the most distant name on Guoran Pavilion’s ledger was a village outside the eastern gate. She had never dared to touch the business of wealthy families, always feeling that money earned that way would eventually bring trouble. Now, however, she no longer thought that way. After all, there could be no greater trouble in Jiu'gao than the Number One Villa Under Heaven or the Prince of Xiaoning’s Manor. She was already "riddled with a hundred diseases"; why fear a few gnats and lice? She might as well take the opportunity to rake in some gold and silver.
"Please inform your master that Qin Jiuye of Guoran Pavilion is here to collect the payment for the previous medical consultation."
She politely explained her purpose to the gatekeeper. The man sized her up, gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment, and then retreated back into the deep, grand courtyard.
As luck would have it, the "customer" in this grand estate was none other than the Second Master of the Bai family, the man who had received a kick from her at the Treasure Mirage Pavilion.
Back then, the two had "formed a bond" over the Wild Fragrance Seeds. She had already seen through his stupid and wicked nature and had no desire to interact with him further. Yet, she hadn't expected to hear news at the start of summer that the old Tea King, who had always been robust, was now gravely ill.
Rumors were spreading among the city's pharmacies that Old Man Bai wouldn't live to see the autumn.
The eldest son of the Bai family ruled with an iron fist, and the second son was no saint either. Both sides were eyeing the mountain of wealth that made up the family estate like hawks. The entire Bai Manor was a scene of internal strife and chaos; they likely had no time to spare for a country doctor like her.
After an unknown amount of time, the gatekeeper finally poked his head out again. After a series of polite excuses and long-winded nonsense, it boiled down to two words: *No money.*
The old Qin Jiuye would never have understood why a wealthy family would owe a debt, but the current her felt little surprise. Once a person became shameless, it had nothing to do with whether they had money or not.
She remained silent for a moment, her eyes drifting to the side. Sure enough, she spotted a carriage parked at the mouth of the alley. The Second Master Bai, who was supposedly "not in the manor," was just about to climb into the carriage when she grabbed the back of his long robe, nearly making him fall flat on his face.
Seeing the man's fury, Jinbao turned pale with fright, but Qin Jiuye became increasingly composed.
After witnessing the biting He Yuanzhou, the murderous Zhu Fuxue, and the sadistic Manor Head Di Mo, these figures who once seemed tall and terrifying suddenly appeared mundane and ordinary. Even their faces had become blurred, failing to pique her interest.
"I ask that the Second Master pay the outstanding medical fees in full, so that I do not have to keep coming to disturb you."
She stated her request politely, but the man was in a fit of rage, shouting back at her.
"You have the nerve to come asking for money? My father is nearly at death's door because of your treatment! I’m being generous by not asking *you* for compensation!"
"Your father’s illness is aggressive. He himself knows his days are numbered. My prescription can only alleviate his pain; it cannot cure him completely. I made this clear when I first came for the consultation."
Bai Xun still held his nose in the air, sneering.
"Quack! Someone from the countryside with no reputation... truly untrustworthy. I heard that Daoist Master Shengyu of the Green Crane Temple hasn't left for his travels yet. Tomorrow, I shall personally visit with generous gifts to ask the old master to come out of seclusion..."
As he spoke volubly, his gaze accidentally swept across the woman's face. He suddenly froze, as if remembering something, and clutched his backside in alarm, trembling with a mix of shock and fury.
"You... you're that..."
Qin Jiuye maintained her proper smile.
Since she had decided to come in person to collect the debt today, she hadn't intended to avoid this confrontation. She repeated herself without changing her expression.
"I ask that the Second Master pay the outstanding medical fees in full."
New grudges piled onto old ones. Bai Xun rubbed his hands together, clearly thinking of countless ways to get his revenge with interest. Wicked schemes seemed to seep from his squinting eyes.
In the next moment, the woman before him stood on her tiptoes, leaning close to his high-held, arrogant head, and whispered softly.
"The Second Master has a poor memory, so I must help you remember. When you were at the Treasure Mirage Pavilion, you said... you said you didn't care whether your old man or your brother lived or died. Those words were truly impressive. It would be a pity not to relay them to the old gentleman. While he still has a breath left, why don't we call the Eldest Master over to listen together? What do you think?"
In the end, Bai Xun paid the silver without another word. Qin Jiuye had never doubted this outcome.
Though the man was malicious and difficult, he was, at his core, a useless fool.
She completed the transaction smoothly. She had walked two or three streets away with the silver tucked away before Jinbao finally spoke in a trembling voice.
"You nearly scared me to death."
Qin Jiuye didn't stop walking. Only after a long while did she look back.
"They were the ones in the wrong. What are you afraid of?"
That said, this world wasn't one where being in the right meant one would have the upper hand.
Jinbao hesitated for a moment before muttering in a low voice.
"...You... you weren't like this before."
She finally stopped, but her gaze remained fixed on the distance.
"What was I like before?"
"Before, you would endure everything. Sometimes I felt frustrated on your behalf."
Was that so? It seemed she really was different from before. Although her days were the same, the marks left by her foray into the *jianghu* were permanently etched into her body.
This was what he had left her.
Even though he knew nothing of it.
"One must still endure. But if it truly becomes unbearable, then there is no need to endure. Just treat it like a sneeze."
A sneeze, after all, cannot be held back no matter what.
In a lifetime, were there more moments of endurance or more moments where one could endure no longer?
Qin Jiuye had never considered this question before.
Every time, she told herself: *I must endure no matter what, because I cannot bear the consequences of not enduring.*
Only at some point did she suddenly realize one thing: whether she endured or not, some things simply would not change because of it.
She had even cursed out someone like Teng Hu; what was there to fear in scolding this Bai Xun?
Qin Jiuye walked forward in silence. Jinbao followed sheepishly behind her, his voice growing smaller.
The crowds in Jiu'gao were the same as always. Every day here seemed much the same, but when she occasionally looked up to scrutinize the subtle details of her surroundings, she felt that in just a few short months, every corner within these high city walls had changed.
Tightening the basket on her back and patting the silver tucked at her waist, she lowered her head and set off on the road out of the city toward home without a word, her pace brisk.
The Su Manor, the Protector’s Estate, the docks, Tingfeng Hall, Lu Zican’s noodle stall... she didn't even want to pass by these places. She only wanted to enter the city with a basket full of herbs and leave with the silver she had exchanged for them. The faster, the better; no staying behind.
She was afraid that if she stayed a moment longer, she would remember the past.
But she had lived for over twenty years. Clearly, many things had happened in the past, so why did only those few incidents come to mind now?
"Business is good today! You've only been away from home for half a day, and someone's already come looking for you."
In a momentary lapse of focus, Qin Jiuye found she had already returned to Dingweng Village. Hearing Jinbao speak, she snapped her head up and saw a tall, thin youth standing before the brushwood gate of Guoran Pavilion. Dressed like a country lad, he was quiet and still, though he peered into the pavilion every now and then as if waiting for someone.
She stared at the figure in a daze, standing at a distance for a while before stepping forward.
Hearing footsteps, the youth turned around. It was a stranger's face.
At that moment, the setting sun sank behind the mountains. The light faded from the woman's eyes, and she regained her usual look—seven parts shrewdness, three parts exhaustion. She pushed open the gate and called out.
"Is the young brother here for a consultation? Come in and speak."
The youth shook his head quickly and said clearly.
"The shopkeeper is finally back. Granny Wang from the cleaver shop in the west of the city sent me to tell you that the item you ordered is finished. It's at the shop, and she wants you to remember to go pick it up in the next few days."
Qin Jiuye paused before remembering what the item was.
Back when Qiu Ling had sought Granny Wang’s help to retrieve the item from the scabbard of the Qingwu Blade, Granny Wang had asked her for a "side business." At that time, this "iron rooster" had been in the throes of passion and, failing to restrain herself, had actually spent silver to order a new scabbard.
That old woman... she had been full of excuses when she first took the job, but now she had suddenly become fast? She wasn't just doing a sloppy job to get it over with, was she?
The corners of Qin Jiuye’s mouth twitched, but her eyes drooped. She felt her current expression must look worse than crying.
Perhaps seeing her lack of response for so long, the messenger youth scratched his head.
"Are... are you Shopkeeper Qin? Could I have found the wrong place..."
Before she could say anything, Jinbao beside her could no longer contain himself, whispering accusations in her ear.
"When did you order another cleaver? Can't the one we have still be used? If it's really no good, we can just find someone to sharpen it. Can you return that one? You should return it..."
*Can it be returned? Probably not.*
After all, once some things appeared, they could never be erased. Moreover, considering the price she had paid and her stingy nature, how could she bear to throw it away?
Qin Jiuye took a deep breath and softly thanked the youth, saying she would go pick it up another day and asking him to give her regards to Granny Wang.
Half an hour after returning to the courtyard, Jinbao was still nagging incessantly.
He didn't know exactly what she had spent money on at Granny Wang’s; he only knew the money hadn't been spent on the rice jar, and the dissatisfaction in his heart grew more and more.
No matter how he complained or questioned, the woman gave no response. She didn't even rush over to grab the scruff of his neck and tell him to shut up. She simply waited for him to finish venting before pointing to a corner.
"The firewood piled by the eastern wall is damp. Tidy it up, then go gather some fresh wood."
Jinbao stood there dejectedly for a moment before puffing out his little belly and picking up the firewood basket.
Frustrating as it was, life had to go on.
This was not just the life of that little apprentice, but the life of the vast majority of people under heaven.
Qin Jiuye watched the figure depart stumbling with the wood-cutting knife, then turned and began her chores in silence.
After finally getting the courtyard in order, she took out the silver she had previously earned with her life from Wang Xiao and Yuan Qi, added the money collected from Bai Xun, and tucked it all away. She headed toward the small kitchen to the east, trying to comfort herself. This "foray into the *jianghu*" had yielded some gains; at least her small treasury was much fuller, and life had some new hope.
Wiping the sweat from her face, Qin Jiuye stepped into the small kitchen and brought the money to the earthen stove. She pried loose the familiar brick and took out her snack box.
The moment the box was in her hand, her movements froze.
She was too familiar with this box. How many pieces of broken silver were inside and what it felt like in her hand was etched into her very bones.
But right now, the box was noticeably heavier.
Her heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly opened the lid and was stunned.
Her pieces of silver, large and small, were all there. Not a single piece was missing, nor had they been replaced with stones.
In addition, in the gaps in the corners, there was a faint golden glint.
She had only ever glimpsed that kind of light in Yuan Qi’s alchemy furnace; once seen, it could never be forgotten. She had never imagined that one day she would see such a light in Guoran Pavilion.
After sitting there in a daze for a moment, Qin Jiuye slowly reached out and pried the gold out, placing it in her palm.
There were six or seven pieces of gold, about the size of a small fingernail. Their shapes were irregular; because they had been intentionally kneaded, their original form and origin could no longer be discerned.
She had hidden this box for many years. Not only would others likely never know of it, but even if a thief entered, no one would rummage through the earthen stove of a pharmacy shopkeeper in a desolate village. And if she remembered correctly, the last person to touch this box should have been Jinbao; she had told him to take some silver to buy a chicken. Given Jinbao’s personality, if he had seen these gold pieces then, he would have hit the roof.
The only remaining possibility was that at some point after Jinbao left, someone who was intimately familiar with Guoran Pavilion had come here, quietly left these gold pieces, and then departed in haste.
And the person who could do such a thing...
*Thud.*
Qin Jiuye slammed the lid shut with a vengeance, her hand twisting with the force she exerted.
*Why?*
*Why, when she had already decided to let him go, to forget him, and to live a life without him, did he suddenly crawl out from some invisible corner and try so hard to make his presence known?*
The kneaded gold beans creaked pitifully in her palm. After an unknown amount of time, they were finally placed back where they belonged.
That gap was from three months ago, when she had taken out silver to buy rice to "keep him." Three months later, he had used gold to help her fill it.
Longing is pervasive, and she was already riddled with holes.
With a creak, someone pushed open the brushwood gate and entered, followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.
It was the sound of bundled firewood landing.
Qin Jiuye’s movements stiffened.
Even though she knew the person gathering wood was someone else, she turned around almost instinctively. At the same time, the name she had decided never to touch again slipped from her heart.
*Li Qiao...*
The youth snapped his eyes open.
In that state between dreaming and waking, he seemed to hear that person calling his name again.
Before him were swaying green waves; in his ears was the sound of water as the boat moved. The small fishing boat rocked beneath him with the waves. The sun, slanting to the west, hung at the bow, looking as if it were about to be swallowed in one gulp by a yawning cormorant.
He hadn't closed his eyes for a full night's sleep in a long time. After leaving Jiu'gao, he seemed to have returned to his former life.
His eyes, ears, and nose had to remain alert at all times. Only then could he sense danger before it arrived and avoid falling into a position where he was at the mercy of others.
"Awake? Dinner is almost ready."
The boatwoman’s voice sounded beside him. He nodded and softly closed his eyes again.
The boatman was an old hand at navigating rivers. Though the boat was old and somewhat dilapidated, it didn't lose any ground as it wove through the waves. The boatwoman was a skilled cook of authentic Yuzhou cuisine. The couple worked as a team; though the business of running a boat was hard, it was enough to support them.
Moreover, their passenger during this period was generous and handsome.
The boatwoman worked while stealing glances at the youth who was feigning sleep. She and her husband had run this boat for many years, but this was the first time they had seen such a good-looking young man. It was hard not to look a few extra times.
This young man was fine in every way—his speech, his mannerisms, and his way of treating people were all polite. The only thing was that he spoke little, and he didn't seem to sleep much at night. A few times she thought he was fast asleep and went to add a blanket for him, but he would open his eyes before she could get within a few steps. Those eyes were lighter in color than most; they seemed affectionate when he looked at people, yet upon closer inspection, they were cold, making one afraid to stare.
But having such a beautiful sight to add some joy to her monotonous life made the boatwoman very happy. She didn't feel the toil of her daily work anymore and began to hum a pleasant tune, her whole being becoming more vibrant.
It was a long, drawn-out melody, but the voice was high and undulating, like the mournful cry of a water bird. It was quite different from the soft, light tunes often heard along the canals of Jiu'gao.
Li Qiao’s eyes shifted slightly, his eyelashes trembling.
In the past, he would never have noticed such things. He would only observe whether they had weapons hidden at their waists, or test whether they had taken money to kill him, ultimately weighing whether he should strike first or remain still and watch for changes.
"We'll be passing a town soon. Does the young master want to go ashore to buy anything?"
As the song ended, the boatwoman’s voice rose again. The youth looked around, and only after a moment did he seem to realize something, asking softly.
"Have we reached Xingshou Town?"
The boatwoman nodded and couldn't help but look over again.
From the day he paid the fare and boarded, this youth had almost never left the boat, let alone left the docks to wander through the bustling town. Not only that, the waterways they took every day were relatively secluded; often they wouldn't see a single soul for two or three days.
The boatwoman loved excitement. She couldn't understand the meaning behind his actions and only asked curiously.
"Has the young master been here before? Where are you going next? Are you visiting relatives, returning home, or traveling for pleasure?"
Few people in the entire *jianghu* knew the specific location of the place he was going. And the person he was to see and the things he was to do were even less known.
He never embarked on a journey without a destination, but he had run out of options.
The boatman gave a heavy cough, signaling his wife with his eyes not to be too nosy. The youth, however, only gave a shallow smile, diverted the topic, and asked casually.
"What were you just singing?"
The boatwoman smiled too, her teeth bright. In an instant, she forgot what had just happened.
"It's a tune from our mountains. It's not a famous song."
He wasn't actually curious about these things at all. Yet for some reason, as soon as she answered, he asked almost instinctively.
"What do the lyrics mean?"
Before the boatwoman could speak, the boatman spoke up brusquely.
"Country talk. It's very tongue-twisting. Just listen for fun."
Though he said this, his lowered face turned red.
"He's too embarrassed to say, so I'll say it for him." The boatwoman laughed without restraint, fine lines appearing on her rosy face from the smile. "This song is sung by a lover to his beloved. He met with bandits and was stranded in a foreign land. He has nothing on him, only a sincere heart and a loyalty that gold cannot buy. He is asking his beloved girl if she is willing to be with him."
*A clear heart and a loyalty that gold cannot buy.*
In this filthy world, how many people could see a sincere heart? At any pawnshop, how many coins could loyalty be exchanged for? After a few years, how much would be left of that fickle human heart and intangible loyalty?
The image of a thin woman biting her brush while doing accounts every day flashed before his eyes. The youth murmured unconsciously.
"Silver is more important."
He was truly too impoverished; he could only afford gold and silver. Other things... he would only mess them up.
His voice was very soft, but the boatman standing at the stern heard him. He looked over with a touch of disagreement, leaning on his long pole, a simple stubbornness in his voice.
"Anyone can earn silver. A heart and loyalty are the truly precious things in this world."
Li Qiao looked up.
"But what counts as loyalty?"
"One heart, one person, one lifetime."
After the boatwoman spoke, she put down the vegetables and rice she had been washing and began to sing softly again.
Her voice was no longer as clear and melodious as when she was young, and her breath was no longer as full and long. Yet that slightly flawed singing voice pierced through the misty twilight water and echoed in the mountains. The figure of the boatman at the stern, originally as cold and hard as a stone, became soft and swaying at this moment.
Li Qiao listened quietly for a while, then asked again.
"What did she sing this time?"
This time, the boatman no longer hid his feelings. His eyes were full of smiles and warmth as he looked at the boatwoman. He waited until the song had completely dissipated before leaning down and saying quietly, with three parts bashfulness and seven parts sentiment.
"Do you see why the rushing river is so clear, and why the evening clouds after the rain are dyed red? It is because no matter how the girl answers, the young outsider had already offered up his clear, fervent heart during all those nights he himself had never realized."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 兴寿镇 | Xingshou Town | A town mentioned during Li Qiao's boat journey. |
| 郁州 | Yuzhou | A region known for its specific cuisine, mentioned by the boatwoman. |
| 圣羽真人 | Daoist Master Shengyu | A Daoist master from the Green Crane Temple. |
| 碧鹤宝观 | Green Crane Temple | A religious site/temple mentioned by Bai Xun. |
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