In the end, several apprentices still spread word of Wu Xuancao illegitimately practicing medicine in spite of not being familiar with medicine and pharmacology. Fearing what people would say, she closed Xuancao Hall and spent all day at home, immersed in the study of medicine. Xue Jiming persisted in wanting to marry her. Old Madam and Madam Xue couldn’t stop him and could only let him do as he wished. He had already withdrawn from one marriage, which caused so many catastrophic events. If he withdrew again, who knew how many calamities it would stir up. Well, the grandchildren had their own paths to happiness……

In late spring, Wu Xuancao married into Xue Manor, becoming the second daughter-in-law of the main branch. At some point, the former Xuancao Hall, across the street from Xinglin Spring, became a grocery store.

On this day, Lin Dan closed up shop and entered the kitchen to make a plentiful dinner. The dinner table was large, with a complete menu of vegetable and meat dishes, yet the seat opposite hers was empty. She ate a few mouthfuls without any appetite, zoned out for a while, then finally put down her bowl and chopsticks, took out a food box, and placed the still steaming dishes into it one by one.

A quarter of an hour later, the ox cart she had taken arrived at Xue Manor. She knocked on the corner gate.

“Wow, Miss Lin came to visit!” When the gatekeeper saw who it was, his expression was both surprised and happy. These days, Lin Dan’s reputation as a miracle doctor had spread all over the Qin kingdom. The capital’s rich and powerful all considered it an honor to meet her. As long as anyone became severely ill, Xinglin Chun was certainly the only choice and no other clinic would do. She was good at treating acute illnesses. The disease was cured the moment the medicine was taken; her skill in medicine had reached perfection. She could be called the number one in the present age.

When Lin Dan left the manor in anger, the gatekeeper would never have guessed that the next time she visited, it would be in this way. She had become the most popular figure in the capital. Many people tried to make friends with her, but they could never find a way to. It was no exaggeration to say that when she came to Xue Manor, it was a precious foot stepping on lowly ground, bringing glory to their humble home.

“Miss Lin, please wait a moment. I will report to Madam and Old Madam.” The gatekeeper bowed again and again to apologize, then closed the door and hurried to make the report.

Since the last time she left, Lin Dan had never returned to Xue Manor again. She gave the corner gate a push and found that it didn’t move at all, so she could only stand there and wait. After a while, the sound of many footsteps came from within the walls, and then the front door slammed open. Old Madam, Madam Xue, the old madam from the second branch, and several sisters-in-law all came out with enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

Lin Dan had goosebumps all over, but she had no choice but to step forward and politely greet them.

Old Madam continuously said “good,” Madam Xue held her arm and kept saying that she had become thinner, did she not eat well, and so on. The second branch stood aside and watched smilingly. They waited for the three to finish chatting before coming forward, all calling her “little sister Lin*.”

*Calling a younger girl “little sister” is a sign of intimacy and familiarity.

Lin Dan bit the bullet and made small talk with these people. When they finally led her in the door, she said, “Is Brother at home? I haven’t seen him for three days. I feared that his condition had recurred, so I specifically came to pay him a visit.”

Old Madam’s eyes lit up and she immediately nodded: “He’s here, he’s here, he just got off duty. He must be in Xiaofeng Pavilion at the moment. You know the way. You should go see him.”

Madam Xue also pursed her lips and smiled approvingly.

Lin Dan endured the weird feeling in her heart and left. She only let out a sigh of relief when she stepped through the door of Xiaofeng Pavilion. Coming here, she suddenly felt like she was coming home. Her pores opened* and she felt extremely delighted.

*According to Chinese medicine, pores open in warmth, comfort, and health (and close in the cold).

At this time, Xue Boyong was flipping through a military book. Li Zhong brought him a cup of hot tea, looked at him strangely for a bit before giving a reminder: “Eldest Young Master, your book is upside down.” He could read a book upside down for a whole hour – Eldest Young Master was indeed capable.

Xue Boyong’s empty eyes immediately focused, glanced towards the page, and then supported his forehead and sighed. After enduring three days, he was really somewhat unable to hold it anymore! At this moment, a guard quickly walked into the study, saluted, and said, “General, Miss Lin is here.”

Xue Boyong immediately stood up and hurried toward the door. When he saw Lin Dan, carrying a massive food box, his overcast face immediately cleared with a handsome smile.

Lin Dan was also very happy to see Xue Boyong. She opened her mouth and said, “Brother, you haven’t been to my place in three days. Did something happen, or are you not feeling well?”

But Xue Boyong didn’t answer. He just strode over quickly, took the food box, and then rubbed the little girl’s head.

Seeing his ruddy complexion and steady steps, Lin Dan also felt relieved. She followed him into the side hall, put the food on the table, and said candidly, “Brother, when you’re not here, food loses its taste.”

The smile hidden at the bottom of Xue Boyong’s eyes deepened, but he put on an act and sighed: “Lin Dan, in the future, I might not come see you as often.”

“Why?” Lin Dan’s brows fiercely furrowed. She felt extremely uncomfortable in her heart.

“A single man and a single woman, always alone in one room… others will gossip. I’m a man, so I won’t be affected, but you are a woman and need to pay attention to reputation and integrity.” Xue Boyong placed chopstick-fulls of all of the best dishes into Lin Dan’s bowl.

“Brother, I’m not afraid of others gossiping.” Lin Dan waved her hand, her tone very lighthearted. What was reputation and integrity, could it be eaten*?

*Chinese slang meaning “what use is it?”

“You might not be afraid, but I can’t harm you.” Xue Boyong continued to refute.

Lin Dan found herself in a dilemma, racking her brains trying to figure out how to persuade Xue Boyong to stay. In fact, she had a lot of strength; any dirty work, she could do by herself, and without Xue Boyong, she could still live. However, whenever she ate a meal looking at the empty dining table and listening to the quiet and desolate wind, she felt as if something was missing in her heart. It was stifling. When Xue Boyong didn’t come, she didn’t eat well, she didn’t sleep well, and she felt like her life was all messed up.

She bit her lip, revealing a fretful expression for the first time.

Xue Boyong coughed and pretended to be casual as he said: “If we get married, we can appropriately be together. What do you think?”

Lin Dan looked at Xue Boyong, stunned, completely unable to answer. She had chosen to follow a solitary path, neither having to serve parents nor carry on her ancestral line. Whether or not she married really didn’t matter. But what if the object of marriage was Xue Boyong…

As she tried to picture it, a pattering of footsteps came from outside the door, interrupting her train of thought. Xue Jiming and Wu Xuancao entered together and said in unison, “Brother, hearing that Lin Dan had come, we made a special trip to apologize to her.”

The blue veins on Xue Boyong’s temples jumped, and he gritted his teeth and said: “You really came at such an opportune moment.”

When Xue Jiming saw his brother’s dark and heavy expression and heard his frozen tone, he panicked in his heart, and when he saw Lin Dan turning her head to look at him, his eyes became even more evasive. He lowered his head and said earnestly and sincerely, “Brother, we’ll leave as soon as we finish speaking. We promise not to disturb you.” As the words fell, he bowed deeply toward Lin Dan and said, “Lin Dan, back then, I was the one who wronged you. This apology came too late, I hope you will forgive me for that. I also take the blame for lending your books to Xuancao and Physician Zheng without permission. If you’re still angry, take this whip. You can flog me and I won’t resist.”

He respectfully offered up* a horse whip, his cheeks were flushed with humiliation.

*The formal and respectful way of handing something to someone else involves using both hands. This could apply to a teacup, a business card, a sword, and so on.

“I accept your apology. Let’s let bygones be bygones.” Lin Dan flicked the whip, her tone serene. She had never been angry with Xue Jiming. She had never taken this person to heart at all.

But Xue Jiming didn’t know what she was thinking, so he couldn’t help showing a relieved expression.

Wu Xuancao immediately said, “Lin Dan, it was wrong of me to take your book without permission. Please forgive me.”

Lin Dan gave a perfunctory hum* without saying whether she forgave her.

*In Chinese, this sound is “en,” pronounced more like “nn.” It’s usually similar to “uh huh” or “okay” in that it can be a casual “yes,” but sometimes, it is just an acknowledgement that you heard something.

Wu Xuancao gritted her teeth and spoke again, “Lin Dan, can I ask you to be my master* and learn medical skills from you? If you can teach me, I can also pass my surgical techniques to you.”

*Teacher, in case that wasn’t clear.

Lin Dan finally looked her in the eye. She refused, saying, “I don’t accept disciples, and I’m not interested in your surgical techniques. You also know the profundity of the Dao of medicine. Medicine and pharmacology are enough for me to study for a lifetime. Where would I get the energy to study anything else? What’s more, the surgical techniques you speak of are actually very difficult to implement. A single mistake could turn a rescue into a murder. There are limits to my medical skills, and I dare not carelessly wade into these waters.”

Wu Xuancao endured the humiliation and said: “There are some surgical techniques that would still be very useful to you, you’ll see after you learn it. Lin Dan, I’m begging you, please teach me!”

Seeing how pitiful his wife was, Xue Jiming couldn’t help but look toward his brother, hoping that he could say a few words for her.

Xue Boyong looked at his younger brother coldly and said, “Jiming, if you were rich and lived comfortably, and a stranger knocked on your door, asking to exchange one hundred taels of silver for your household’s millions, would you be willing?”

Xue Jiming was stunned speechless and didn’t know how to answer.

Xue Boyong said again: “Or if we put it another way, let’s say you inherited your father’s position as the Zhenguo (nation-guarding) Marshall General. Suddenly, one day, a stranger comes and asks to exchange his title of Chief with your title of Marshall General. He begs you to consider his earnestness and sincerity, as well as his weakness and pitifulness, and grant his wish. Would you be willing?”

Xue Jiming shook his head decisively: “Of course not.” Before he finished speaking, his face flushed red. He hurriedly pulled his wife to his side and rebuked in a low voice, “Don’t keep making things difficult for Lin Dan! Her medical skills were passed down through her family, not to be taught to outsiders.”

Wu Xuancao argued: “Eldest Brother, how do you know that what the other party is holding is only one hundred taels of silver and not a priceless treasure?”

Xue Boyong raised his brows slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Dan had already opened her mouth: “Brother doesn’t understand medicine, but I do. Your surgical technique is not feasible at present. If you cut open the patient’s stomach, how do you stop the pain? How do you stop the bleeding? How do you find the diseased organs? How do you deal with the disease? And how do you ensure that the wound in his stomach will not lead to infection after you suture it?”

Wu Xuancao was struck speechless by this series of questions.

Lin Dan then slowly shook her head: “See, even you can’t answer these questions. How could you teach me?”

Wu Xuancao had nothing else to say.

Xue Jiming’s face oscillated between red and white. He was extremely embarrassed. It was only now that he realized that the reason Wu Xuancao took the initiative to come to Lin Dan to apologize was not because she felt remorseful, but was for the sake of learning the other’s family skills. If the other party was unwilling, she would use all means, by hook or by crook, to coerce or bribe, even to the point of using himself. Who was this Wu Xuancao, and why was she so unfamiliar to him?

He grabbed his wife’s wrist with quite a bit of strength and said forcefully, “Lin Dan is unwilling, so you should just forget about it. Properly stay at home and care for your husband and children.” As the words fell, he dragged her and left, his silhouette extremely hasty.

Xue Boyong’s good mood had been disturbed by these two people. He had no hope of getting a reply to his question from before. He added some more food to Lin Dan’s bowl, gently telling her to eat a little more.

But Lin Dan tugged at the hem of his clothes and said straightforwardly, “Brother, let’s get married.”

Xue Boyong’s chopsticks suddenly fell to the ground, making a clattering sound.

Lin Dan looked at his dumbfounded expression and suddenly chuckled: “Brother, I like the feeling of you protecting me.”

Xue Boyong then returned to his senses, took her into his arms, gently kissed the top of her head, and, as if making a solemn oath, seriously said: “Lin Dan, I will protect you for the rest of our lives.”