The small boat continued its journey in the drizzle, the scenery on both banks constantly changing in the mist and rain. At the bow, Xiao Chengkang, who looked like a scholar, was still reading, but his gaze would occasionally drift to the woman quietly sewing beside him.

After finishing the last stitch, A-Yuan bit off the thread and folded the mended garment. She looked up and met Xiao Chengkang's gaze. Their eyes met briefly in the air, and A-Yuan quickly lowered her eyes, a barely perceptible blush rising to her ears.

“Brother Kang Kang,” she said softly, breaking the slightly awkward silence, pointing to a shallow beach with lush water plants by the side of the boat, “Look over there, aren’t those little purple flowers the motherwort?”

Xiao Chengkang looked in the direction she pointed, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes: "Good eye. It is indeed motherwort. It invigorates blood circulation, regulates menstruation, promotes diuresis, and reduces swelling; it is an excellent medicine for gynecology." He paused, then added, "This herb is commonly found along the waterways of Jiangnan."

A-Yuan nodded and silently made a note of it. A light rain fell on the boat's awning, rustling softly. Looking at the boundless water shrouded in raindrops, she suddenly asked softly, "Brother Kang Kang, how much longer... will it take us to reach Jiangnan?"

Xiao Chengkang's gaze also turned to the hazy distance, his voice low and steady, carrying a reassuring power:

"Sailing through the misty rain, the road is under your feet. When the time is right, you will naturally arrive."

From the stern, the boatwoman's song drifted gently as she rowed. A few water birds skimmed the surface, creating ripples. A-Yuan fell silent, simply gazing quietly at the rain-soaked Jiangnan region, her profile appearing remarkably serene in the misty air. Xiao Chengkang picked up his book again, the pages turning softly in the damp breeze.

The small boat cut through the blue waves and sailed steadily into the depths of the misty rain.

Upon reaching a more bustling town wharf, the two disembarked and found a clean inn to stay for a day or two. They washed their clothes, which had been soaked by the rain and river wind, and bought some durable dry food and medicine to replenish Xiao Chengkang's ever-expanding medicine chest.

They stopped in Jiahe Town that day, just as the plum rain season was coming to an end, the air so sticky it felt like you could wring water out of it. They had barely settled into the inn when they heard a commotion downstairs, mixed with the anxious cries of a woman. Xiao Chengkang and Ayuan exchanged a glance and tacitly put down the bundles they had just untied.

Downstairs in the lobby, a man dressed in coarse cloth was being carried on a door plank, his face flushed like a boiled shrimp, his jaw clenched, and his limbs convulsing intermittently. Beside him, a woman was crying so hard she was almost breathless: "Husband! Wake up! He was fine at noon, weeding in the fields, how could he suddenly..."

Xiao Chengkang pushed through the crowd, knelt down, and swiftly placed three fingers on the man's wrist to check his pulse. He then lifted the man's eyelids to examine his pupils and touched his forehead, which was burning hot. He also observed the man's tongue coating, which was thick, yellow, and greasy.

“The summer heat and dampness are stirring up liver wind,” he said in a deep voice, his words quick and clear. “A-Yuan, get my needle pouch, and have the shopkeeper quickly prepare some cool well water and clean cloths!”

A-Yuan responded swiftly. Xiao Chengkang had already taken out a small porcelain bottle he carried with him, poured out a few pale green pills that emitted a cool, minty scent, and gestured for the woman to help pry open the man's jaw and insert them under his tongue. Immediately, silver needles were drawn from his pouch, moving with lightning speed, and inserted into acupoints such as Renzhong, Shixuan, Hegu, and Taichong. Shortly after the needles were inserted, the man's violent convulsions visibly subsided.

He wrote another prescription and handed it to the innkeeper, who was staring in disbelief: "Please go to the pharmacy and get these quickly: three qian of fresh agastache, two qian of elm bark, one liang of raw gypsum (decoct first), four qian of uncaria (add later), and one fen of antelope horn powder (taken with water). Decoct in three bowls of water until one bowl remains, and be quick!"

The medicine was prepared and carefully fed to him by A-Yuan. In less than half an hour, the man's high fever subsided, and he slowly regained consciousness. Although still weak, his life was no longer in danger. The room was filled with exclamations of amazement and gratitude. The couple thanked him profusely and insisted on giving him their only few laying hens.

“It’s a doctor’s duty, there’s no need for that.” Xiao Chengkang gently but firmly declined, only accepting a small basket of wild vegetables from the field ridges, still glistening with dew, that the woman insisted on giving him. “This is just right, stir-fried with porridge, thank you.”

Back in her room, A-Yuan placed the washed wild vegetables on a small table by the window. Outside, the town's wet cobblestone streets stretched out. She watched as Xiao Chengkang washed his hands, carefully wiping and disinfecting each used silver needle with focused and steady movements. The swift, steadfast, and unwavering demeanor he displayed when inserting the needles was completely different from his usual gentle and refined appearance.

"Brother Kang Kang, you were really amazing just now," A Yuan said softly, handing him a clean cloth to wipe his hands.

Xiao Chengkang took the cloth and said, "If you hadn't cooperated so well and brought the needle and water in time, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly." His tone was natural, as if it were only natural.

A few days later, they set off again, this time by land. They stopped at a teahouse by the official road to rest. After only a couple of sips of coarse tea, they saw an old farmer clutching his stomach, his face pale, squatting by the roadside grass, vomiting. Xiao Chengkang went over to inquire and learned that he had mistakenly eaten poisonous wild mushrooms. He immediately took out some raw licorice root and mung beans from his medicine box and had the teahouse owner boil them into a strong broth for the old farmer to drink to induce vomiting and detoxify. A-Yuan, meanwhile, gently comforted the farmer's panicked wife, and then took out the only clean rice cake she had left from her bundle, soaked it in warm water, and gave it to the exhausted old man to tide him over.

Once the old farmer's condition stabilized, the two resumed their journey. The setting sun cast long shadows of the two. A-Yuan carried a slightly heavy medicine box on her back—this was her insistence, saying that Brother Kang Kang's medical work was exhausting. Xiao Chengkang walked beside her, watching the sunset paint her profile with a soft golden hue.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Not tired." A-Yuan shook her head, her voice carrying a hint of lightness that was barely perceptible. "It's much more stable than walking on a boat."

Xiao Chengkang's smile deepened: "Yes, Lu Lu is reliable."