Ten taels of silver meant nothing to Ye Huan. Without hesitation, he took out the silver and handed it over.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Li Zhao took the money. Ye Wanmian asked Ye Huan to leave an address, saying that someone would deliver the pills to him the next day. Then Ye Huan left.
It wasn't until the carriage he was in had completely disappeared from sight that Ye Wanmian emerged from behind Li Zhao. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
"Uncle Li, you're so amazing! With just a few words, you made him apologize voluntarily!"
Qi Wen couldn't help but say, "Uncle Li's imposing manner just now was such that even some princes would show him deference! I'm truly in awe!"
At first, they thought this man was just a down-and-out beggar. After he cleaned up, he looked like a scholar who couldn't lift heavy objects but could only do calculations. Only now did they realize that he was actually a sharp-tongued lawyer!
Li Zhao smiled and tossed the ten-tael silver in his hand. "It's actually Mujin who impresses me. She turned ten wen into ten taels of silver in the blink of an eye. I don't even know how many times the profit is. Does your master know you're so good at making money?"
The group exchanged glances and burst into laughter in unison.
Xiao Jingcheng, who had been blocked behind Ye Wanmian, was completely out of the loop. He didn't understand what they were talking about or why they were laughing. Unconsciously, he clenched his fists and lowered his eyelashes to hide his eyes.
Ye Wanmian didn't notice Xiao Jingcheng's odd behavior. She coughed twice and told Li Zhao the truth. "Uncle Li, that man was actually right just now. I did add the coptis to the prescription on purpose."
Li Zhao looked at her tenderly. "I know."
Ye Wanmian was taken aback. She stammered, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Li Zhao laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I'm from Huichuntang Medical Hall, and I'm much older than you. If I don't support you, who will?"
A warm current surged through Ye Wanmian's heart, and her eyes grew slightly moist.
This was the first time someone had so straightforwardly told her that they were on her side. Even though they had only known each other for less than half a month, that unconditional trust was truly touching.
However, she thought that if her master were here, he would surely protect her like Uncle Li and prevent Ye Huan from doing anything to her.
Qi Wen, however, was curious and asked, "Why? Do you really have a grudge against that man's sister?"
Qi Wen had been in the backyard taking care of Xiao Jingcheng when Ye Huan and Ye Wanxing came last time, so he knew nothing about it. He was itching to know the reason.
Ye Wanmian gently rubbed the tassel on her sachet. "They're from the capital."
With just this one sentence, Qi Wen, who knew her background, immediately understood. "It's them?!"
Ye Wanmian nodded.
Qi Wen immediately said, "Adding coptis to the prescription was a good move! In my opinion, just adding coptis is too kind to them! If it were me, I'd probably add arsenic... Ouch!"
He covered his forehead and looked at Ye Wanmian pitifully. "Why did you hit me, Lady Jiang?"
Ye Wanmian admonished him. "You're not allowed to add anything random to the pills. That man's sister is the future wife of the Prince of Xuan. I've tormented her for a few days, and that's enough. If anything goes wrong, both you and I will be in trouble."
Li Zhao also said calmly, "Don't implicate Mujin and Huichuntang."
Qi Wen mumbled, "I was just joking. I won't really do anything."
It wasn't until nightfall when the medical hall closed that Ye Wanmian returned to the backyard to prepare dinner. Only then did she notice that Xiao Jingcheng seemed a bit down. He no longer clung to her as he used to.
Thankfully, his appetite was still as big as ever. Ye Wanmian had made two extra dishes tonight, but he still gobbled them all up.
Although Ye Wanmian noticed his odd behavior, she didn't pay much attention to it.
She had too many things to do. She had to organize medical records, read medical books, and learn medical skills. Where did she have the time to take care of a person whose mental capacity was no more than that of a three-year-old?
Thankfully, although Xiao Jingcheng was down, he didn't make a fuss. He quietly sat not far from her and watched her busily working with her head down.
The night watchman struck the gong three times. Ye Wanmian yawned, rubbed her sore eyes, closed the book in her hand, and got up to go to bed.
Looking up, she saw Xiao Jingcheng curled up on the ground, leaning against Dahuang.
Although he was a full-grown man over eight feet tall, when he curled up on the ground, he looked extremely small.
This was the crown prince of a country, the man destined by heaven in the words of Taoist Yuanzheng.
But in the past two days, she always felt that he was as fragile as a thin bamboo, ready to break with just a little force.
Ye Wanmian went over and woke him up. Her tone was helpless. "You have your own room and your own bed. Don't sleep here."
Xiao Jingcheng stood up following Ye Wanmian's tug. He looked at her blankly. He had just woken up, and his eyes were hazy. His amber pupils reflected the candlelight, clear and transparent.
Ye Wanmian avoided his eyes that seemed to suck people in. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to his room. She pushed him onto the bed. "This is your bed. Sleep here from now on. Do you understand?"
Xiao Jingcheng paused for a moment and then gently nodded.
Ye Wanmian watched him lie down and covered him with the quilt before leaving the room.
Back in her own room, Ye Wanmian closed the door. She undid the hairpin on her head, let her hair down, changed into comfortable clothes, and then lay down. She closed her eyes, ready to rest.
At night, one's senses are heightened. Whether it's hearing, smell, or the sixth sense, they are all sharper than during the day.
Although she was extremely sleepy, just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly woke up. She opened her eyes, propped herself up, put on an outer robe, and opened the closed door.
Outside, the moon was bright and the stars were few. The sound of insects chirping filled the air, and a gentle breeze blew. Under such a bright moon, Xiao Jingcheng, who she had just sent back to his room, somehow came out again and was sitting outside her door.
Seemingly not expecting her to open the door suddenly, Xiao Jingcheng looked stunned. Then a panicked look flashed across his face. He quickly got up from the ground and turned to leave.
Ye Wanmian looked up at the moon and the stars in the sky. She tightened her cloak and grabbed him.
"What on earth do you want?"
She looked directly into his eyes and voiced her doubts.
If she didn't figure this out today, even if she sent him back, he would probably run out of his room again and sleep outside her door for the whole night.
Xiao Jingcheng looked at her nervously. Seeing that she didn't seem angry, he summoned up his courage, grabbed her hand, bent down slightly, pressed his face against her palm, and rubbed it gently. Looking directly into her eyes, he said,
"Want... to be close... to you."