Thanks to Seraphinareads for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapter!!

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“Shuangshuang, why didn’t you wait for me?” Song Saixue caught up with him on the ridge of the Liu family’s field. Her tears hadn’t even dried yet, but a smile had already spread across her face.

Liu Qishuang was poking the short stick in his hand into the field ridge. He smiled at him, withdrew the stick, and tossed three or four soybeans into the muddy hole she’d just poked, then said calmly, “I knew you’d come looking for me.”

It had been a long time since the two had seen each other. The last time Liu Qishuang had given her food, he hadn’t said a single unnecessary word. Now that they’d run into each other today, naturally they had to chat a bit.

It was a cloudy day, and the cool breeze felt quite pleasant on their faces. Liu Qishuang was planting beans along the field ridge ahead; bending over for so long was exhausting, so he would occasionally stand up straight to rest for a moment, catch some fresh air, and chat with Song Saixue.

Song Saixue followed behind him, chattering away nonstop. She started with what had happened at the Wan family’s paddy fields a few days ago and moved on to the altercation she’d had with the Wang brothers that very day.

“First they laughed at me for being a copycat, mimicking them picking wildflowers, and then they said you were using tricks from storybooks to seduce Wan Dongyang. I couldn’t stand it, so I got into a fight with them. When they couldn’t argue their way out of it, they shoved me—but I wasn’t afraid to fight back. Turns out I’m actually pretty good at it; I even swelled up someone’s cheek with a slap, hahaha.”

Song Saixue laughed as she spoke, bobbing her head up and down, looking in high spirits.

Liu Qishuang hadn’t reacted much to everything she’d heard earlier, but when he heard the words “picture books,” his mind started racing. Yet it was just a fleeting thought; the spark died out almost immediately.

Even if he had such a picture book, so what? He couldn’t read, so he couldn’t learn the skills taught in it, and he certainly couldn’t seduce Wan Dongyang.

Planting beans along the field ridges was the quickest method. He’d use the short stick in his hand to poke a hole in the ridge, toss in four or five beans, and didn’t even need to cover them with soil. Moreover, the beans weren’t planted densely; they needed to be spaced a few inches apart to give the plants room to grow, which made the process even faster.

Liu Qishuang planted beans in silence, while Song Saixue chattered away like a little bird. The two of them moved slowly along the field ridge. After about twenty minutes, Song Saixue’s throat was dry from talking, and Liu Qishuang had heard all the recent village gossip.

“Saixue, do you want to come with me to pick flowers? The fragrant-leaf flowers on that sandy slope over there should be in bloom.” Liu Qishuang had been hunched over working for half a day, and his back was now aching a bit. He stretched his body as he looked toward Bee-swarm Cliff.

If that sandy slope where the fragrant-leaf flowers grew weren’t so close to Bee-swarm Cliff, he wouldn’t have hesitated to ask—he would have simply called out for someone to come along.

Song Saixue, who had been chattering nonstop, was now at a loss for words. Liu Qishuang knew from her reaction that she didn’t dare go. Smiling, he gave her a gentle nudge toward the village and headed off toward Bee-swarm Cliff himself.

It wasn’t that Liu Qishuang was brave enough to fear no bee stings; it was mainly because that spot was still some distance from Bee-swarm Cliff, so he wasn’t particularly afraid.

The path from the village to these rice paddies was a mountain trail, but since villagers walked it year-round, the ground was firmly packed, and the weeds along the sides didn’t obstruct the way. The path to Bee-swarm Cliff, however, was different—the weeds there were tall enough to hide a person, and the trail itself was barely discernible.

Fortunately, the gravel slope he was heading for wasn’t far from the paddy fields, and he arrived in no time.

The slope was quite steep, but since it was overgrown with weeds, the boy—who had grown up in the mountains and was used to mountain trails—didn’t find it difficult to navigate. Gripping the weeds and low shrubs on the slope, he climbed with ease and reached the top in the blink of an eye, picking the fragrant-leaf flowers.

At first glance, the fragrant leaf flowers appeared unusually large and grew in clusters, but they were actually formed by countless tiny blossoms clustered along the branches. Since the leaves were completely hidden within the blooms, they were as eye-catching as the azaleas in the mountains when in full bloom, appearing from a distance as a sea of purple flowers.

Purple flowers are rare in home gardens, where reds, pinks, and yellows are more common. Liu Qishuang, who liked them himself, picked several extra branches.

When he could no longer hold them all in one hand, Liu Qishuang stopped. As he walked down the slope, a smile played on his face, and his gaze kept drifting to the flowers in her hands, and he couldn’t help but marvel, “They’re truly beautiful.”

The descent required even more caution than the ascent, but Liu Qishuang was not afraid of this slight slope. Watching his step and gripping the grass and branches with his hands, he reached the path safely in a matter of moments.

Liu Qishuang was delighted with his harvest, but he hadn’t expected another surprise to be waiting for him on the path.

“Shuangshuang!”

Song Saixue had turned back; she’d been worried about both the person and the flowers, so she’d come back after all.

As soon as Song Saixue arrived, her eyes were drawn to the flowers in Liu Qishuang’s hands. Without a word, he set the flowers down, told her to wait, and began climbing back up the slope.

The hillside was quite steep, though the spot where the fragrant-leafed flowers grew wasn’t very high—no more than a hundred meters from the road. Liu Qishuang’s footing was steady and his pace quick; in no time, he was back down with another large armful of flower branches.

The two of them walked home holding the beautiful flowers and enjoying the spring breeze, their conversation filled with laughter all the way. It wasn’t until they neared the village entrance that Liu Qishuang fell silent again, saying no more.

For even from a distance, he had spotted quite a crowd at the village entrance.

The entrance to Wanjia Village was always bustling. There was a large boulder there where children often played, and a resting bench by the roadside where villagers working in the fields would stop to catch their breath. Additionally, there was a bamboo grove nearby where elderly villagers would sit and daydream year-round.

When Niu Meiyu called out to him, Liu Qishuang thought she still wanted some loquat flowers, but as soon as she spoke, he was a bit confused.

“Xu, didn’t we agree you’d come by the house to get the medicine? It’s been days, and I haven’t seen you. That old man’s illness can’t wait. You mustn’t be like your mother—your grandfather has had a hard enough time as it is.” Niu Meiyu was resting while carrying a basket of grass fertilizer on her back. As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at the flowers in Liu Qishuang’s hand, implying that he had time to pick wildflowers but no time to fetch medicine for his grandfather.

Standing beside Niu Meiyu were several other women holding farming tools; they must have been on their way to work when they ran into her, so they’d stopped to chat for a bit, and now they, too, were looking at Liu Qishuang with disdain.

Ever since learning about the loquat leaves, Liu Qishuang hadn’t planned to go to the Jiang family to demand an explanation, but he wasn’t prepared to let them take advantage of him anymore.

He was usually a man of few words, so the villagers naturally assumed he was simply not very talkative. Niu Meiyu’s words were filled with concern for his grandfather, and the women standing nearby couldn’t help but praise her for her kindness.

Song Saixue had a straightforward nature and knew that Liu Qishuang never spoke much to the villagers. Just as she was about to speak up for Liu Qishuang, she was stopped by Liu Qishuang,

“Saixue, you go home first.” Liu Qishuang gently pushed her aside, then stood her ground, her gaze fixed directly on Niu Meiyu.

“Aunt Jiang, a few days ago I went into the mountains to pick some loquat leaves to brew into a decoction for Grandpa. He’s feeling better now, so there’s no need to trouble Village Doctor Jiang.”

Just then, Liu Qishuang recalled Wan Dongyang’s words and was thinking about how to bring up the Wan family when Niu Meiyu’s reproachful tone cut in again.

“You silly child! Medicine has to be the right remedy for the illness—how could you just give your grandfather something random to take!” Niu Meiyu’s words were filled with anxious concern. Her hands gripped the straps on her shoulders tightly; she must have been worried herself. Her face darkened as she continued her well-meaning advice: “Go home and get the medicine. My father has already prepared it for you.”

“Aunt Jiang, I wasn’t taking it haphazardly. I also boiled the loquat leaves that Grandpa Jiang gave me earlier—they work just as well as the ones I picked myself.” Liu Qishuang finally understood: Niu Meiyu had called him over simply to look good in front of the villagers, making them think her family had provided some rare and precious medicine.

Liu Qishuang, of course, had no intention of playing along. After mentioning that his family had merely provided a small amount of loquat leaves, he suddenly thought of how to bring up the Wan family’s advice and continued, “The Wan family also said that drinking a decoction of loquat leaves helps with coughs.”

By the time Liu Qishuang got this far, Niu Meiyu had stopped paying attention to him and was busy explaining to the women standing nearby, “It’s not just loquat leaves—there are several kinds of herbs! They’re very, very expensive!”

“Aunt Jiang, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your family’s kindness, but I really can’t accept it. This summer I have other work to do and won’t have time to dig up that hard-to-find Pinellia ternata. Naturally, I have no herbs to trade with your family. Once I have some herbs on hand, if Grandfather falls ill again, I’ll definitely come to trouble Doctor Jiang.”

Liu Qishuang couldn’t be bothered to argue. His words were quick, and his feet were even quicker; as soon as she finished speaking, he turned and walked away, paying no heed to Niu Meiyu’s flushed and humiliated expression. Naturally, he didn’t hear the remarks the women made as they awkwardly walked away.

“So it wasn’t a gift after all.” 

“Just some loquat leaves.” 

“I thought they were so kind.” 

“They sure know how to put on a show,” and so on.

Of course, Niu Meiyu didn’t hear any of this either. Those people weren’t that foolish; they still had to go to the Jiang family for medicine later, so they certainly wouldn’t say such things in front of the Jiangs and risk offending them. But once she got home, Niu Meiyu immediately took her anger out on Doctor Jiang.

“Father, this is all your fault! I told you the Wan family was no good and would cause trouble, but you insisted that Wan Yong’an knew his place and wouldn’t ruin anyone’s livelihood. He doesn’t know a damn thing! He’s exactly the kind of person who brings disaster upon others!” By now, Niu Meiyu no longer cared about the meager gifts Liu Qishuang had given her, nor did she care about her reputation for caring for the elderly, the orphaned, and the weak.

What worried and terrified her most now was what Liu Qishuang had said. She never imagined her hunch would turn out to be right—that ger hadn’t come home for medicine in ages because he’d actually gotten a prescription and medicine from somewhere else, and had already taken it back to give to his grandfather.

She knew full well that the eldest son of the Wan family also understood medicine. The Wans had never once gone to her house for medicine or a consultation. The eldest Wan hadn’t gone out to see patients in years. She feared the Wans had also started practicing medicine. If that were the case, her family would no longer be the only one in the business, and she wouldn’t be able to speak with authority anymore.

Because the villagers now had other options.

Niu Meiyu’s words left everyone in the Jiang household with grim, worried expressions, but Jiang Tu, the village doctor, continued sorting the herbs at a leisurely pace, as if he hadn’t heard a word she said.

Niu Meiyu couldn’t stand seeing her father-in-law act as if it were none of his business, yet she dared not scold him to his face. She feared that the second and third sons might seize the opportunity to stir up trouble, split the family, and drive the eldest branch out—after all, this was the Jiang household, and her father-in-law remained the head of the family.

Unable to vent her anger, Niu Meiyu turned her fury on her husband and children, berating each of them mercilessly. Only after she’d finished did she remember Liu Qishuang.

“Hmph! I won’t let him off easy!”