"Miss Lin, I don't know much about Dr. Chu either. If you want to know, you should ask him directly."
Fearing that Rong Zhi would ask more questions, Zhao Qiancai quickly distanced himself.
Nonsense.
If she could ask directly, would she still be beating around the bush?
Seeing Rong Zhi deep in thought, Zhao Qiancai suddenly had an idea.
"Miss Lin, you... you're not falling for Dr. Chu, are you?"
"Ah?"
Rong Zhi looked at Zhao Qiancai with some confusion.
Zhao Qiancai put on a knowing look and sighed, "I know, Dr. Chu is handsome and his medical skills are brilliant. Many young girls in the city secretly admire him, but Dr. Chu doesn't like women! Miss Zhang pestered him for a long time before. If Dr. Chu were interested in women, he would have married Miss Zhang long ago. Besides, even if Dr. Chu liked women, it wouldn't be your turn. You're not as good-looking as Miss Zhang..."
He trailed off when he received a murderous glare.
Zhao Qiancai sullenly shut his mouth.
Rong Zhi could understand why he would think that.
To be fair, Chu Qingze was indeed good-looking, but was he as handsome as Xia Yunting? Moreover, in terms of medical skills, she was no worse than Chu Qingze. What reason was there to be infatuated with him?
"Don't you want to help Dr. Chu?"
"What?" Zhao Qiancai asked, confused.
"His gynophobia. If it can be cured, he'll be able to marry and have children normally in the future. I promised Miss Zhang that I would help him cure Dr. Chu's condition, so of course I need to understand him better. If you don't know, then forget it, don't make wild guesses."
"Oh..." Zhao Qiancai finally stopped his wild thoughts.
The two returned to the pharmacy, and An Ping was somewhat surprised.
"Shopkeeper, you weren't arrested?"
"You're the one who was arrested! Get back to work!"
An Ping stuck out his tongue. He had no work in his hands, so he could only pretend to be busy.
Rong Zhi glanced at the medicine cabinet and said to Zhao Qiancai, "From now on, sell all herbs at half price. Be pleasant to customers when they come in, and remain calm when they encounter problems. If there's anything, come find me in Yunshui Village. In time, customers will naturally come."
"Mmm..."
Zhao Qiancai didn't take it to heart and agreed perfunctorily.
Rong Zhi gave him a strange look. With such a casual attitude, one would think the shop wasn't his.
On the way, Rong Zhi watched the sky gradually darken, feeling that this was not a long-term solution.
Yunshui Village was a distance from town. She collected herbs on the mountain every day, and in the evening, she would clean, trim, and dry them, delivering them to the pharmacy the next day. On average, she could only deliver them every two days. Although she received a good amount of money each time, she didn't come to Jishi Tang just for money.
She still had to think of a way to go there every day.
As she was thinking, she had already reached her doorstep and could smell a strong herbal scent from across the gate.
She pushed open the door and saw a large bundle of herbs tied together with a rope, moving rapidly toward the center of the courtyard.
Rong Zhi was shocked, "Good heavens! The herbs have come alive!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the "herb spirit" paused, sank down, and landed on the ground, revealing a tall figure behind it.
Xia Yunting turned around, revealing a handsome face smudged with dirt. Two blades of grass were stuck in his dark hair, making him look a bit disheveled.
The last rays of the setting sun shone on his face, and he smiled, "Xiao Mo, you're back."
Rong Zhi looked at him, then at the herbs on the ground.
"Did you go to the mountains to collect herbs?"
She walked forward in surprise and found that the herbs were of excellent quality, each neatly bundled. Between each bundle, a thick rope was used to tie them together. Although they were bundled together, they were not messy.
This man was quite thoughtful.
Moreover, with so many herbs, it was enough for her to deliver for several days.
She suddenly envied Xia Yunting's tall and sturdy physique. If it were herself, she certainly wouldn't be able to collect so much.
Her heart felt a pang of envy. Why couldn't she grow taller?
Rong Zhi's mind raced, oblivious to Xia Yunting staring at her reaction.
Xia Yunting watched for a long time but couldn't discern any gratitude or surprise on her face. He felt a bit disappointed.
Although these herbs were collected incidentally while he was investigating the savages on the mountain, it was still a considerable amount. Didn't she even have a word of thanks? A smile would have been nice too!
He frowned, "Ouch! Xiao Mo, my shoulder hurts!"
"Ah? Shoulder pain? Is it because the load was too heavy? Let me rub it for you."
Rong Zhi instinctively massaged his shoulder, but then realized something was wrong. Even if the load was heavy, it shouldn't be much for someone who practiced martial arts, right?
Unfortunately, the other party's expression was too serious, and Rong Zhi couldn't find any flaws.
"Thank you, Xiao Mo. I feel much better."
Although Rong Zhi was not tall, her hands had considerable strength. Xia Yunting gradually became immersed in it.
"Xiao Mo, from now on, I'll go up the mountain to collect herbs for you. You don't have to go every day."
Rong Zhi slowed down her movements.
"Didn't I say it's dangerous for you to go out?"
"I'll be careful, and I have martial arts skills, so it's fine. Xiao Mo, you go up the mountain every day, it's really too hard. I haven't recovered my memory yet, and we can't return to the imperial city. Let me do something for you."
"...Alright then."
It was likely he wanted to investigate something in secret again, and Rong Zhi, having this guess, did not refuse.
"The herbs you collect need to be processed. Remove the rotten leaves, wash them, and dry them in the courtyard. I'll leave all this to you."
"Okay." Xia Yunting nodded and found that Rong Zhi's hands had already left his shoulder, feeling a sense of loss.
He leaned closer and said as if seeking merit, "I collected so many herbs today, how will you reward me?"
"Reward?" Rong Zhi thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, I'll reward you properly tonight!"
Xia Yunting curled his lips.
Since the last time, Rong Zhi had kept her distance from Xia Yunting. Although they slept in the same bed every night, Rong Zhi was a good sleeper. Her posture before sleep was the same as when she woke up. Moreover, on such a narrow bed, Rong Zhi could still create a gap between herself and Xia Yunting.
Xia Yunting would often recall the brief contact they had that day, and he suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
He wondered what kind of reward it would be?
In the evening, candlelight flickered in the room. Rong Zhi, having bathed, entered the room wiping her hair, bringing with her a gust of steamy air.
Xia Yunting leaned against the bed, pretending to be lost in thought, but his attention was already captivated by Rong Zhi.
Rong Zhi dried her hair, threw the towel aside, and patted Xia Yunting's leg.
"Move over."
Xia Yunting bent his legs to let Rong Zhi climb in, and then heard a calm voice say, "Take off your clothes."
Xia Yunting's heart began to beat uncontrollably.
He obediently took off his upper garment, revealing his firm muscles. He sat up straight, awaiting judgment.
A small hand slowly stroked his back, cool and icy, yet igniting a fire within Xia Yunting.
Just as he was about to get excited, his back suddenly hurt.
"Hiss!"
He turned his head and saw Rong Zhi holding several silver needles, inserting them one by one into his back, shoulders, and neck, her focus unwavering.
Xia Yunting was a bit slow to react.
"Xiao Mo, what are you doing?"
"Don't move!"
Rong Zhi turned Xia Yunting's head back, making him sit up straight.
"You said your shoulder hurt, so I'm giving you acupuncture."
Xia Yunting: "..."
Could this be the legendary reward?
"What's wrong?"
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Rong Zhi paused her movements and asked with some confusion.
"Nothing."
Xia Yunting's face fell. Only four words came to mind: "Lack of romantic understanding."
The first time he heard this phrase was when he had won a battle and was dragged to a brothel by his subordinates. After the courtesans tried to please him but were met with a cold shoulder, one of them had called him that.
He never expected these four words to be used on a woman.
Why was this little girl so different from the women his subordinates described?
Perhaps sensing the silence, Rong Zhi brought up the day's events.
"I delivered herbs to Jishi Tang today and found that the shopkeeper there seemed a bit off."
She recounted everything that happened that day.
"Shopkeeper Zhao has a good relationship with Chu Qingze. By delivering medicine to him every day, I'll be able to gather more information."
She became serious when discussing this topic.
"I must investigate doctors who are problematic. It doesn't matter if this matter is related to what you are doing. But don't worry, I'll do my own investigation and it won't interfere with your business."
Xia Yunting remained silent.
He knew her sense of justice, and she would never give up investigating that Dr. Chu. Coincidentally, he was also investigating the same person. They had the same goal, which was perfect.
He continued to feign ignorance.
"What business do I have?"
"Who knows what you're hiding from me?"
Rong Zhi rolled her eyes. It was one thing to hide things from her all along, but to put on a charming act here too.
"However, if you're investigating the case of missing persons, I suggest you start with the yamen. The village chief said they reported it to the authorities before, so there must be case files at the yamen. It would be great if we could see the case files."
This suggestion actually reminded Xia Yunting.
In fact, Xia Yunting had the same thought. Checking the case files at the yamen was indeed the fastest option. He just wanted to find the evidence left by his subordinates earlier. Now, it seemed the only clue was Chu Qingze.
Since Chu Qingze was being handled by Rong Zhi, he should indeed go to the yamen to investigate.
After a while, Rong Zhi pulled out the silver needles one by one.
"How do you feel?"
"Mmm... Very relaxed."
Rong Zhi put away the silver needles and her gaze fell on several scars on Xia Yunting's body.
"You've been on the battlefield for nearly ten years, accumulating many hidden injuries. You can endure it now while you're young, but as you get older, it will become a chronic torment."
"Mmm... What should we do then?"
Xia Yunting asked, but his mind was elsewhere. His gaze fell on her half-dry hair and her small, delicate ears, his eyes flickering.
"That's easy. As long as you can recover your memory quickly and help me return to Medicine King Valley soon, I can help you recover and guarantee you'll be more energetic than before you were injured. For now, I can prescribe a few doses of medicine for you to take..."
When it came to medical skills, Rong Zhi opened up, her eyes even brightening.
Xia Yunting felt a bit helpless. She only got so excited when she talked about medicine.
The moon was high in the sky, shining through the window onto the bed. Xia Yunting lay with his arms under his head, his peripheral vision catching the figure turned away from him.
He couldn't sleep.
The summer nights were not too hot, yet he felt a burning sensation.
A young man in his prime, lying next to a woman of the opposite sex, how could he not have any thoughts?
He took several deep breaths, but still couldn't calm his emotions.
He turned over, hooked a strand of Rong Zhi's hair, and slowly twirled it in his palm.
He was "amnesiac" now, so getting a little closer should be fine, right?
Thinking this, he slowly leaned in.
A startled cry echoed in the room in the middle of the night.
"Lin Mo, are you trying to murder your husband?"