When the sky was just beginning to lighten, the sound of chopping echoed from the kitchen of Tai Ping Residence.
At this hour, apart from the people from the tofu workshop, everyone else in the eatery was still sound asleep.
Li Dashao wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel in his right hand. Looking at the neatly shredded vegetables on the cutting board, he picked up a bowl of water from the side with his left hand, took a sip, then pressed down on the vegetable with his right hand and continued slicing with the knife in his left.
He kept at it until full daylight, when the others in the eatery woke up and began their day’s work. Once the kitchen staff and assistants came in, Li Dashao finally stopped.
“Brother Li, you’ve already finished chopping all the vegetables?” they said. “You’ve made us idle again.”
“This kind of work suits me just fine,” Li Dashao replied. “Besides, I only chopped the vegetables. You’ll still need to handle the meat and everything else.”
And coming in this early wouldn’t cause trouble for anyone.
Watching the kitchen grow lively with activity, Li Dashao stepped outside, took out two walnuts, and began rotating them in his left hand while taking a short rest.
“Dashao,” Sun Cai squatted down and watched for a while, then asked curiously, “Why aren’t you rotating the walnuts with your right hand? Didn’t you say your right hand needs more practice to recover?”
Li Dashao smiled as he kept the walnuts spinning.
“My right hand, even if it recovers, will never be the same as before,” he said. “As long as it can help press down on vegetables or carry a pot or tray, that’s good enough. I might as well stop training it altogether—so I don’t keep hoping it’ll return to how it used to be. Better to put my whole heart into using my left hand. I’ve always been slower than others, and now that I have to start over, I have to work even harder.”
Sun Cai nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Brother, I used to really look down on you. Turns out you’re a real man.”
“A real man, huh? It’s just because there’s no other choice,” Li Dashao said with a smile. “If we could choose, who would want to be a ‘real man’?”
Sun Cai nodded again.
“That’s true. If I had enough to eat and drink, I’d rather be a fool who didn’t know how to do anything,” he said with a grin.
Li Dashao burst out laughing.
“You’re full of nonsense,” he said, spitting to the side as he stood up. “Time for me to go practice my knife skills.”
“And I should go season the brine,” Sun Cai laughed.
The two parted ways, still chuckling. In the backyard, tofu deliveries and carts of vegetables came and went, bustling but orderly, full of life.
Meanwhile, over in the capital, the front panels of Immortals’ Abode were being taken down once again.
“They’re opening up again?”
Passersby stopped and asked curiously.
“That’s right! There’s a new manager now. The staff are all in place, so we hope everyone will come support us,” said Manager Wu cheerfully, standing by the door.
“Are you still only selling ‘Passing Immortal’?” someone asked.
“Yes,” Manager Wu nodded with a smile. “We only serve ‘Passing Immortal’.”
“But ‘Passing Immortal’ is neither relaxing nor tasty, and it’s terribly expensive too!” someone heckled from the crowd.
Manager Wu kept smiling.
“Immortals have their own special flavor. Each has its own charm. What’s the fun in eating the same thing all the time? Everyone should give it a try,” he replied with a grin.
This manager’s attitude was warm and friendly—but with a quiet pride that wasn’t arrogant. It left people with a good impression.
The crowd grew as more and more people gathered to chat and watch the lively scene.
And the same was happening over at Yichun Hall.
“Is the divine doctor seeing patients here?” someone poked their head in and asked.
“She is,” a shop assistant quickly replied. “But it’s still the same rule—she doesn’t do house calls, and won’t treat anyone unless it’s a matter of life or death.”
Even that reply made the visitor light up with joy, and he couldn’t help but crane his neck to look inside.
“Lady Cheng isn’t here right now,” the assistant added, “but if anyone needs a consultation, we can call for her immediately.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Other than that, we also have medicine made by Lady Cheng.”
The visitor was taken aback.
“What kind of medicine?” he asked.
Before the assistant could reply, someone else burst through the door.
“The medicine!” the newcomer shouted. “Lady Cheng’s medicine—I’ll take all of it!”
He didn’t even ask what kind of medicine it was?
The first visitor stood there a bit stunned. But that wasn’t the end of it—several more people came rushing in right after.
“Is it Lady Cheng’s medicine?”
“I want it—I want it all!”
“Why are you yelling? I got here first!”
“So what if you got here first? I’m paying first…”
The commotion here drew envious and jealous glances from the surrounding pharmacies.
“Having a divine doctor really makes a difference. Yichun Hall was never this busy before.”
“Good thing that doctor only treats cases of near-certain death. Otherwise, we’d be out of business.”
Passing through the lively scene on horseback, Wang Shi’qi couldn’t help but widen his eyes and click his tongue.
“Look at that—now this is what the capital’s supposed to be,” he said, leaning over to get a better look at the bustling pharmacy. “Even buying medicine turns into a fight!”
Cheng Si-lang also glanced over, his expression clearly surprised—but he quickly looked away and hurried to catch up in the direction Wang Shi’qi was heading.
“Where are you going? The Zhou family is this way,” he said.
“What’s the rush? Let’s go to Desheng Pavilion first,” Wang Shi’qi replied. “It’s not every day we’re in the capital—gotta see the sights, right?”
Cheng Si-lang grew anxious.
“Where are you going? Weren’t we supposed to pick up my sister and bring her back?” he asked.
“No need to rush. Your sister’s doing just fine at her maternal grandparents’ place—she’s not going anywhere,” Wang Shi’qi said. Once he got through the crowded street, he quickly swung himself onto his horse. “We can go see her in a few days. For now, I want to see if I can catch a glimpse of Lady Zhu.”
The beauties you haven’t won yet—those are the real priority.
Watching Wang Shi’qi gallop off, Cheng Si-lang was both angry and anxious. He swung onto his horse to give chase, but noticed the servant beside him had frozen in place.
“What is it?” Cheng Si-lang asked.
The servant was staring blankly in one direction.
“I think… I just saw Jin Ge’er,” he said.
Before they left, Chun Lan had repeatedly reminded him to pass along a message to Jin Ge’er—just to ask how he was doing. And if he could persuade Fourth Young Master to bring him back, that would be even better.
“Jin Ge’er?” Cheng Si-lang asked, quickly turning to look around. “Where?”
The street was packed with carriages, horses, and people—it was a blur of motion and color.
“Maybe I was mistaken…” the servant murmured again.
Cheng Si-lang shook his head and paid him no further attention, urging his horse forward to catch up with Wang Shi’qi.
Jin Ge’er sat at the front of the cart, happily snapping the whip to urge the horse forward.
“No, no—you can’t drive the horse like that,” the coachman instructed.
Jin Ge’er stuck out his tongue and watched the coachman’s movements closely.
The cart stopped in front of the gate. Cheng Jiao-niang got off, just as the carriage behind hers also came to a stop. Young Master Qin smiled and cupped his hands in farewell.
“Thanks again for helping me get that batch of top-grade wine from the official distillery,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
“No need to thank me,” Young Master Qin said with a cheerful smile.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and smiled faintly as well.
“Don’t pretend,” she said. “You’re only saying that because you want me to treat your leg.”
Young Master Qin gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Well… however you want to see it,” he said, quickly recovering his usual composure, still smiling. “As long as you’re happy.”
“And what if I’m not happy?” Cheng Jiao-niang looked straight at him. “What if I don’t want to treat your leg?”
Young Master Qin burst out laughing.
“Then it’s still up to you.”
“Then let’s wait until I’m happy, and we’ll talk about it then,” Cheng Jiao-niang said with a nod, turning to head inside.
The door closed with a thud as Jin Ge’er slid the bolt into place. Outside, seated in the carriage, Young Master Qin’s smile froze slightly—but he quickly shook his head and was just about to leave when he saw another carriage pull up.
Seeing the woman who stepped down from the carriage, Young Master Qin looked slightly surprised.
Jin Ge’er, who had opened the door, was also a bit taken aback.
Among the Chen family, they were the ones who visited most frequently in the capital—but it was usually Shi’ba-niang, Dan-niang, or some maids. The mistress of the household, Madam Chen, rarely came in person.
“I happened to be out looking at some dress fabrics, so I brought a piece for you as well.”
Seated in the main hall, Madam Chen said with a gentle smile.
A waiting maid beside her stepped forward and handed over a bundle.
The maid quickly stepped up to receive it and thanked her.
Cheng Jiao-niang also offered a polite bow.
Madam Chen took two sips of tea.
“Miss, you’re not getting any younger. Is your family arranging marriage for you?” she said.
The maid’s expression froze in surprise.
No way…
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
“I have a marriage proposal. Who do you think I should talk to about it?” Madam Chen asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at her and was silent for a moment.
“Which family is it, madam?” she asked.
So she’s expecting me to negotiate? Madam Chen thought to herself, just as she expected.
“It’s no one else, it’s from my family, my family’s…” she started.
Before she could finish, Cheng Jiao-niang interrupted.
“If it’s from your family, then there’s no need to discuss it,” she said.
Madam Chen was stunned.
“Why?” she asked instinctively.
Was her husband right after all? That she was unwilling? That she looked down on them?
“Because I do not marry into a family I have treated medically,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “That is Rule Number Three.”
She held up three fingers.
Not marrying into families one has treated medically?
What kind of rule is that?!
Madam Chen’s face was full of astonishment.
