Jiao Niang’s Medical Record Chapter 373

After a heavy snowfall, Cheng Ping finally made it to South Cheng, no longer worried about being stranded on the road.

Children were playing in the snow in the alley. When Cheng Ping called out to them, they stopped and turned to look at him.

“The little swindler is back!”

Before Cheng Ping could say a word, the children shouted loudly. He instinctively raised his hands and turned around, but instead of being pelted with snowballs, he heard the sound of chaotic footsteps. When he turned back and lowered his hands, he saw that the children had all run away.

What was going on? Had he turned into some kind of terrifying monster?

Cheng Ping playfully made a clawing gesture, let out a fierce “rawr,” shook his shoulders, and continued on his way.

With such heavy snow, he needed to find a place to stay. As he looked around and trudged through the crunching snow, he hadn’t even left the alley when he heard the sound of hurried footsteps—the group of children had rushed back, followed by several women.

Cheng Ping froze in fear, quickly raising his hands to show he wasn’t holding anything.

“Oh, Ping Ge’er, why did it take you so long to come back?”

A woman called out with a smile, quickly walking toward him.

Ping Ge’er?

Cheng Ping widened his eyes, staring at her in disbelief, then hurriedly turned to look behind him—the alley was empty, with no one else in sight.

The woman reached out, grabbed him, and began pulling him forward.

“…I’m talking to you! What are you looking around for? Why did it take you so long to return? The New Year is almost here, and we were all worried. We were just about to go out and look for you…”

What? What?

“Madam, were you looking for me? Is something wrong?” Cheng Ping asked, trying to step back.

But two more women surrounded him, smiling as they pushed and pulled him along, leaving him no room to escape. They ushered him all the way to the front of a house.

“Your place is all tidied up,” the women said cheerfully.

Cheng Ping stared at the house before him. Though it was a simple structure made of straw and wooden planks, it was considered quite decent in South Cheng.

“Mine?” He pointed at himself, disbelief in his voice.

“Yes, and don’t you dare complain about how humble it is,” the women said with laughter. “Just make it through the New Year, and once the new house over there is built, we’ll move you to a better place.”

A new house, too?

Cheng Ping looked at them in astonishment, then glanced around in disbelief. Had he come to the wrong place? Or was he dreaming?

He pinched himself and winced at the sharp pain.

“Huh?” He suddenly froze, his eyes fixed in the distance. “Is that… First Master Cheng over there?”

In the snow, a young servant held up a blue cloth umbrella while another supported a man standing in front of a doorway. Though the man was cloaked and hooded, Cheng Ping recognized him instantly—it was First Master Cheng.

“Yes, yes, First Master Cheng is here to see Lady Cheng again,” the women remarked casually, as though it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Cheng Ping turned his gaze back to the women, his astonishment growing.

To the people of South Cheng, First Master Cheng was like a god—someone they treated with utmost reverence, though they rarely had the chance to see him.

But now, these women seemed completely unfazed, their tone and expressions almost dismissive…

What on earth had happened here while he was away?

“Lady Cheng?” he asked, a thought dawning on him. “Which Lady Cheng?”

The women laughed.

“Why, the very Lady Cheng you’ve met before,” they replied in unison, still chuckling.

Suddenly, Cheng Ping understood—but then his surprise returned as he looked toward the distant figures.

“Why is that Lady Cheng living here now?” he asked, bewildered.

Ban Qin opened the door and looked at First Master Cheng standing outside, feeling somewhat helpless.

“Master Cheng, why have you come again? My lady truly is not receiving guests,” she said.

Upon hearing her words, the Zhou family attendants standing under the eaves of the neighboring courtyards immediately stepped forward with unfriendly expressions.

First Master Cheng’s face remained unchanged.

“I am not a guest,” he stated. “Go and tell her that if she is unavailable now, I will wait right here. After all, I am family—there is no need to stand on ceremony.”

Of course, he was no mere guest. As an elder, he had already made his position clear. If he were left waiting outside in the cold and heavy snow, and if he were to collapse or fall ill—well, it would hardly matter. At most, people might gossip a little.

Ban Qin looked at First Master Cheng, bit her lower lip, stamped her foot in frustration, and turned to go back inside.

First Master Cheng stepped inside, following her in. Through the lightly falling snow, he caught sight of the girl seated behind the half-open door, holding a book scroll. The scene grew even more elusive and mysterious amid the swirling snowflakes.

She knows how to shoot arrows—that, the Zhou family could have taught her…

But who taught her how to heal?

Could a fool truly become wise? Had she really encountered some extraordinary mentor? Or perhaps she had never been as foolish as they thought, and simply improved with age—something they hadn’t noticed since they weren’t around to see it?

Well, whatever the case may be, what’s done is done. For now, he had to focus on the matter at hand.

“What is it that you truly want?” First Master Cheng asked, stepping closer to the door. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?”

“That’s the question I should be asking you,” replied Cheng Jiao-niang, setting down the book scroll in her hands. She looked at First Master Cheng with a faint smile. “Haven’t you had enough of your own antics? I could overlook what happened in my childhood—human nature being what it is, it’s hard to blame you entirely. But what came after went too far. Again and again, you pushed things further. And now you have the nerve to ask me if I’ve caused enough trouble?”

Again and again? Who was the one who kept pushing things again and again?
First Master Cheng scoffed inwardly.

“Then what do you intend to do now?” he asked.

Cheng Jiao-niang looked straight at him.

“By asking me that, do you still think I’m joking?” she said.

Do you think I’m joking?

First Master Cheng’s expression grew distant, as if he could almost see the girl rising to her feet, a bow and arrow aimed straight at him…

“If you want a dowry, we’ll give you a dowry. What more do you want?” he murmured, almost dazed.

“A dowry.” Cheng Jiao-niang smiled faintly. “To be honest, whether I get it or not doesn’t really matter.”

Doesn’t matter?

First Master Cheng snapped back to reality and let out another cold laugh. If it truly didn’t matter, why would she have stirred up such a fuss at the government office?

“So you’re saying you don’t care? You’d just stand by and let those corrupt officials squander the money?” he retorted.

Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him.

“That money…” she began, then paused with a light smile.

Just then, the sound of carriage wheels and noisy voices erupted outside the gate.

More visitors?

First Master Cheng turned to look toward the gate.

Over the past few days, he had heard about the constant stream of carriages and horses coming to South Cheng. It seemed like every other day, someone arrived to deliver New Year’s gifts—mostly from prominent families in the capital. Making such a long journey in the harsh winter to deliver gifts was no small feat, something only wealthy and influential households could manage. And it wasn’t just out of mere courtesy—it spoke of deeper connections.

Where sentiment falls short, interest steps in.

Healing!

First Master Cheng gritted his teeth once more. The Wang family!

“Miss, it’s the shop from the capital—they’ve come to deliver the dividends!” Jin Ge’er exclaimed, bounding in excitedly.

By the door, Ban Qin, who had been kneeling, also let out a happy cry and rose to her feet.

“Has Ban Qin come too?” she asked eagerly.

Just then, someone stepped inside from outside.

“Ban Qin couldn’t make it. With the year-end affairs in the capital and the shop being so busy, she couldn’t get away. She sincerely asks for your understanding, Miss.”

It was a middle-aged man, dressed in a heavy fur robe and a hat, his face weathered from travel. As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply in their direction.

“Come in quickly and warm your hands! Jin Ge’er, go prepare some tea…”

“We would have arrived much earlier, but the snow slowed us down on the road…”

“No need to rush. Wouldn’t it have been easier to go straight to the Courier Office?”

“Ban Qin and Manager Wu said the New Year should be lively, so it’s better this way. We also get to see people along the journey.”

With just one or two more people in the courtyard, it suddenly felt as crowded as if seventeen or eighteen had arrived. Laughter and chatter filled the air, everyone bustling about. First Master Cheng felt his ears buzzing—though he stood beneath the eaves, he seemed miles away. No one noticed him, and he could hardly make sense of the scene.

Who were these people? What were they talking about?

A shop in the capital? Dividends? And… had Ban Qin come?

Was there something else the Wang family had kept from them?

“First Master Cheng, if you have no further business, please take your leave,” a maid’s voice sounded beside him.

First Master Cheng wasn’t quite sure how he ended up stepping outside, but the scene beyond the gate was even livelier than inside.

Two large carts were being unloaded amid cheerful chaos, surrounded by children who laughed and scrambled for the candies being tossed their way.

“…Why was it split into three separate shares?”

“Originally, the head manager suggested combining them, but no one agreed. They said that earning the lady boss’s favor shouldn’t be monopolized by the head manager alone…”

This remark sparked a wave of laughter among the crowd.

First Master Cheng stopped in his tracks, listening in a daze.

Three… separate shares!

“…So, the head manager actually benefited from this? By sending three shares, he doesn’t have to contribute separately—he just lends his name.”

Another round of laughter followed.

“…This one is from Tai Ping Residence… This is from Immortal’s Abode… And this is from the medicine shop… Isn’t it unusual? The medicine shop manager knew his earnings couldn’t match the other two, so he put extra thought into it. Look at these items—so delicate and exquisite…”

Everyone, including the children, gathered around the cart, exclaiming in admiration.

First Master Cheng, dazed, took a few steps forward and tapped a man on the shoulder.

The man turned to look at him.

“The Immortal’s Abode you mentioned…” First Master Cheng said, his voice trembling slightly, “does it also sell the Passing Immortal…?”

The man burst into laughter.

“Sir, you’ve got it wrong,” he replied.

It wasn’t…?

First Master Cheng felt a wave of relief.

“Not ‘also selling’—” The man raised a finger, a hint of pride in his expression, “Our shop is the only one selling it. There’s no other place in the entire capital that offers it.”

First Master Cheng stared at him, his face growing paler by the second.

“Your shop’s?” he stammered, his voice shaking. “This Passing Immortal… it’s… it’s…”

He suddenly turned his head toward Cheng Jiao-niang’s courtyard gate, his hand trembling as he pointed in that direction. He tried to speak, but no words came out.

“Oh, yes, the Passing Immortal belongs to our lady…” the man answered cheerfully, taking the initiative to explain. He studied First Master Cheng, seemingly noticing the elder’s refined attire for the first time, and asked with curiosity, “Sir, who might you be?”

Who might I be?

I’m a fool!

First Master Cheng wanted to shout, but no sound escaped his lips. His mouth fell open, his vision went dark, and he swayed unsteadily as startled cries erupted around him.

So you’re saying you don’t care? You’d just stand by and let those corrupt officials squander the money?

That money…

Of course she didn’t care! With mountains of gold and silver already in her hands, what did it matter to waste a little money for the sake of peace and happiness?

No wonder she dared! No wonder she could afford to be so reckless!

What on earth happened to that fool? What in the world is really going on here?

In the capital at this time, there was no snowfall—instead, the sky was clear and bright, casting a rare clarity over the heavily layered imperial palace in winter.

The New Year festivities had brought a flurry of activity even within the palace walls.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! The New Year gifts from the Duke’s residence have arrived,” a eunuch announced cheerfully as he entered, holding out a gift list. “Would you like to take a look?”

Duke Jin’an retracted his outstretched legs and sat cross-legged, reaching out to take the list.

“Same as last year’s routine,” he remarked after a quick glance. “I probably won’t even be able to wear these clothes. Last year’s were too small—who knows if this year’s will be too big or too small…”

These gift lists were all uniformly prepared by the Duke’s ceremonial office, each following the same template.

“Did my mother or any of my younger siblings send letters?” he asked after a moment’s pause.

Many things had changed with age—some questions had been left unasked over time—but this one remained constant, never fading with the years.

Unfortunately, the answer remained just as unchanging. The eunuch lowered his gaze, avoiding the prince’s eyes.

“Her Highness has been busy with the New Year preparations and likely hasn’t had the time… Your Highness, it’s only been two months since the Princess Consort last wrote…” he replied hurriedly with a forced smile.

Duke Jin’an let out a soft “oh,” then smiled and nodded.

“That’s right. Mother did send a letter two months ago—I’d almost forgotten,” he said with a light laugh. “She asked me to look into the matter of my younger brother’s title. I haven’t had the chance to bring it up yet.”

He stood up as he spoke. “With the New Year festivities, His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are in good spirits. I’ll find an opportunity to mention it. Come, let’s go. Even if the gifts are the same every year, they’re still gifts—they’re from home, after all. Let’s go take a look.”

The gift list in his hand slipped loose and fluttered to the ground as his brocade robes brushed over it. He stepped forward without looking back.