Chapter 103 Now that I have you, I'm not afraid of anything.

He helped Ye Wanning onto the horse again, then held the reins himself, deliberately slowing his pace and circling around. Ye Wanning gripped the reins tightly, sitting upright. Pei Zhi glanced at her from time to time, and only when he saw that she was indeed no longer afraid did he quicken his pace slightly.

"How was it? Pretty steady, right?" Pei Zhi smiled, gently smoothing the stray hairs from her forehead. "Relax, just follow the horse's rhythm, and you won't be afraid."

Ye Wanning nodded, slowly relaxing her body and swaying gently with the horse's movements. The warm sunlight shone on her, the wind whistled past her ears, and Pei Zhi's gentle words echoed in her ears. She suddenly realized that riding a horse wasn't so scary after all.

After riding for a while, Pei Zhi stopped the horse and helped Ye Wanning down. Ye Wanning finally smiled: "Thank you, Pei Zhi, I'm not afraid of riding horses anymore."

"You're welcome." Pei Zhi ruffled her hair. "If you like it, I'll take you out riding often in the future. We'll ride this chestnut horse, and I guarantee it will be safe."

Ye Wanning nodded, leaning against him, feeling completely at ease. She knew that Pei Zhi would always be by her side, and no matter what danger they encountered, he would protect her immediately, so she wouldn't be afraid.

The two led their chestnut horses slowly along the path in the military camp. The setting sun cast long shadows, and the soft clatter of the horses' hooves on the ground created a particularly warm atmosphere. Ye Wanning nestled close to Pei Zhi and suddenly smiled: "Pei Zhi, you know what? I used to be most afraid of riding horses, but now that I have you, I'm not afraid of anything."

...

While rummaging through old things in his study, General Pei found a dusty wooden box. Upon opening it, he found it full of old letters—mostly correspondence between him and Pei Zhi's mother, and a few written by Ye Wanning's mother, Su Wan.

"Isn't this Madam Su's letter?" General Pei sighed as he looked at the familiar handwriting. "Wanwan was a remarkable woman back then, with superb medical skills and a meticulous mind. It's a pity she left us too soon."

Just then, Pei Zhi and Ye Wanning came to see him. Seeing him sighing over the wooden box, they went over and asked, "Father, what's wrong?"

"Look, this is a letter that Madam Su wrote to your mother back then." General Pei opened a letter and handed it to the two of them. "Back then, your mother and Madam Su were very close friends."

Ye Wanning took the letter, her fingertips tracing the words, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Looking at the familiar handwriting, she couldn't help but let the tears fall: "Mother..."

Pei Zhi patted her back, picked up another letter, and after reading a few lines, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Wan Ning, look at this."

Ye Wanning took the letter and looked in the direction Pei Zhi pointed. The letter read: "...Zhi'er is intelligent, and Wanning is obedient. If we have children, I wish to marry him and live together in Begonia Valley..."

"A marriage between Qin and Jin..." Ye Wanning's heart suddenly raced, and her tears fell even harder. "So... so they arranged our marriage decades ago."

“It turns out our fate was already decided by our parents.” Pei Zhi held her hand, his voice choked with emotion. “My mother and your mother always wanted us to be together.”

General Pei looked at them and sighed with a smile: "Yes, back then your mother often told me that Madam Su's daughter was well-behaved and clever, and if she could marry you, she would definitely be a good wife. Later, your mother passed away, and Madam Su also had an accident, so the matter was put on hold. I never expected that after all the twists and turns, you two still couldn't be separated. It's truly a match made in heaven."

Ye Wanning leaned against Pei Zhi's chest, staring at the letter in her hand, her heart churning with turmoil. The regrets of her past life, their encounter in this one, and the promise made by her parents—these were like threads binding her and Pei Zhi together. She knew this was no accident, but fate, a blessing from her parents' spirits in heaven.

“Mother will be happy to know we’re together,” Ye Wanning said with a smile, wiping away her tears. “She used to love Begonia Valley the most. When we have time, we’ll go to Begonia Valley to see where Mother and Aunt Pei used to live.”

“Okay.” Pei Zhi nodded and hugged her tightly. “After we finish dealing with things in the capital, we’ll go to Begonia Valley and plant it full of begonia flowers, just like Mother and Mother wished, and guard Begonia Valley together.”

General Pei picked up another letter and added with a smile, "Look, this letter also says that your mother knitted you a tiger-head cloak back then, and Madam Su made a begonia flower bib for Wan Ning. Unfortunately, they were all lost during the war."

Ye Wanning's eyes lit up: "Really? My mother even made me a begonia flower bib?"

"Yes," General Pei nodded. "Your mother said that the crabapple blossom symbolizes 'wealth and honor,' and she hopes that you will have a peaceful and happy life in the future."

Ye Wanning cried and laughed at the same time: "My mother blessed me, and Aunt Pei blessed me too. We must keep the promise between our Pei family and the Ye family, just like they did."

After leaving General Pei's courtyard, Pei Zhi led Ye Wanning by the hand along the path in the general's mansion. Sunlight filtered through the crabapple trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground, making their shadows very long.

"Wan Ning." Pei Zhi stopped and looked at her earnestly. "Whether it's the past life, this life, or the next, I want to be with you. I can't let down our parents, and I can't let down your heart."

Ye Wanning nodded vigorously, nestled in his arms, and said firmly, "Yes, we will. In the future, we will be filial to Uncle Pei together, run the women's clinic together, take care of the children of Ci'an Hall together, plant crabapple blossoms in the Crabapple Valley together, and fulfill all their wishes so that time will not be wasted."

The bell at the female doctor's clinic had only rung three times when Ye Wanning heard a loud crash from the front hall, followed by a man's roar: "What kind of lousy medicine is so expensive? You're robbing me!"

She was bending down to change the child's dressing when she quickly looked up. Ye Wanning frowned, told Chun Tao to continue applying the medicine, and hurried to the front hall. There she saw a wealthy man dressed in bright brocade standing with his hands on his hips in front of the counter, a medicine packet lying on the floor, dregs scattered everywhere. The shopkeeper was ashen-faced, wiping sweat anxiously: "Master Li, this medicine is all good quality, high cost, we really didn't overcharge you..."

"You didn't overcharge?" Master Li slammed his hand on the counter, making the abacus beads rattle. "Five copper coins for a single herb of licorice! Your female clinic is a den of thieves! Where's Ye Wanning? Tell her to come out! I think she's just taking advantage of General Pei's power to extort us common folk!"

These words pierced Ye Wanning's heart like needles. The prescriptions at the female physician's clinic were all written at cost, 30% cheaper than those at the Imperial Hospital. If the people were poor, their medical fees would be reduced or waived. How could this be considered "heartless"?

Ye Wanning stepped forward, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Master Li, stop talking nonsense. If you don't believe me, you can look at the prescription. The price and dosage of each herb are clearly written on it. Go to the medicine market and ask if we overcharged you by even a penny."