"Little sister, your build doesn't seem like that of someone from the border town."

More and more refugees were falling at the foot of the city wall, and there weren't enough people to prepare medicine and help out. So Huo Xiaolong ordered Lijian to send some people down, specifically those who volunteered. If any of them didn't return, the government would provide compensation.

They didn't let these people work for free; they were paid well, calculated by the day, with five qian of silver per day.

Sun Ye, who had fled with her child and later married a soldier guarding the city, also ran out of the city walls with her husband to work. Even just brewing medicine was good. Her husband said that Miss Huo had given them sesame cakes at the city gate. Regardless of any favors, she just came when she wanted to.

The woman turned around, looked at her husband who was maintaining order, and smiled.

"No, that's not it. A few years ago, there was a severe drought in Jiangnan. I fled here during that time. Now I've even had a child. Look, he's on the city wall."

Following the woman's finger, you can see that the grown-up Tiger is holding a little girl in his arms, grinning and waving at his parents.

"Is that your son?"

"Yes, she had another daughter later."

"Your son looks like he's... in his teens."

Sun Ye knew what she wanted to ask, and said with a smile.

“He is someone I brought with me when I fled from Jiangnan. In this border town, people don’t care about these things. As long as the person is right, they will have everything they need.”

"You two are out this time?"

“Yes,” Sun Ye replied.

"What if... don't blame me for speaking ill of others, what if we can't go back...?"

Sun Ye Xiaoxiao

"If we can't go back, we can't go back. The government will help raise the children. They can study and learn to read. If they are promising, they can even take the imperial examinations."

Hearing Sun Ye's words, the woman fanned herself with even more strength. If others could do it, she felt she could too.

Inside the main tent, only the girl lying on the bed was sleeping soundly. Huo Xiaolong sat on the ground, leaning against the bedside. Sun Zixi was lying on the table with some ink on her face. Da Nier simply laid a mat on the ground and slept on it.

Hou Xiangxiang was the first to wake up, or rather, she was awakened by the noise outside the tent. Looking at her sisters who were sleeping in a mess, she nudged Huo Xiaolong.

The girl opened her eyes, and the first thing she did while still half asleep was to reach out and touch Hou Xiangxiang's forehead.

"We're not going to burn it."

"I feel much better, and my body doesn't hurt anymore."

The red envelopes had visibly shrunk, and outside the tent came the voices of women pleading for an audience. Huo Xiaolong said...

"Come in."

"Ladies, Sishui's mother's fever has subsided, and the pustules on her body have shrunk considerably."

Sishui's mother was the first woman to faint. When Sun Zixi heard the sound, she sat up, but her arm was a little numb. She couldn't get up the first time.

"What's wrong? Has the fever gone down?"

“Our little sister has prepared the prescription!” Huo Xiaolong said to her.

The girl looked at Hou Xiangxiang with great interest, as if she herself had written the prescription.

Sun Zixi clapped at her

"Our Miss Hou has made a great contribution this time; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a miracle doctor."

"It's not certain yet. We'll have to wait and see, and then we'll talk about it after a few days when you've fully recovered."

Huo Xiaolong agreed.

"Okay, then today?"

"Today, give medicine to those who can't hold on any longer; the rest of you, just hang in there."

Da Ni'er hadn't woken up yet, and slapping people was tiring, so she turned over, covered her head with the blanket, and automatically blocked out external interference.

—Three days later

Hou Xiangxiang breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at Sishui Niang, who was now able to get out of bed and take care of people. The girl turned around and looked at her little sister who was watching her from inside the tent.

She seems to understand now what her master meant by a sense of conviction.

It's the joy of seeing these patients get better after taking the medicine.

He genuinely wanted to become a renowned doctor.

To become a very, very good doctor.

The kind that can leave a mark on history.

"Long'er".

"What's wrong?"

Huo Xiaolong stepped out of the tent and handed her a sesame seed cake.

"If that day ever comes, I want to be the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, the most famous doctor, and my name must be recorded in the annals of history."

"Absolutely, didn't we already agree on that?"

“It’s not that feeling. My master said that I lacked a sense of conviction as a doctor. I never understood what a sense of conviction was before.”

"But now, look."

Watching the people who had been suffering from illness on their sickbeds walk out of the tents and bask in the sunlight again, Huo Xiaolong felt a bit of empathy for his girlfriends.

“Our Miss Hou is very capable. No matter what her purpose is, she always takes saving lives as her duty and makes life and medical skills extremely glorious. You have been doing this since you were guarding the city wall that year, haven’t you?”

From this day forward, Hou Xiangxiang will no longer be the little girl who studied medicine so she could play with her friends, but will become a doctor with a heart full of medical ethics.

A qualified doctor.

From a distance, Doctor Gu watched the girls standing in the sunlight. Those mischievous little girls from back then had grown up. He never expected that Hou Xiangxiang would be the first to come up with the prescription.

He tested the medicine on himself, demonstrating both compassion and skill.

As her mentor, Doctor Gu was proud of her.

"Thank you, Miss Huo, Miss Hou, and all the ladies, for preparing the medicine and treating our illness."

The fact that the plague can be cured signifies a new beginning.

Especially the women who knelt down and kowtowed to the girls; they had never known before that women could live like this.

"The difficult times are over. I hope everyone will respect and cherish themselves and be reborn," Huo Xiaolong said with his head held high.

She genuinely hoped that these women would live a fulfilling life, just like her sisters, free-spirited, confident, and poised.

"Thank you for your kind words, Miss."

"Get up, everyone. Go back and boil water, tidy up, and start brewing the medicine."

"yes."

At the outermost edge of the crowd, a little girl stared at Huo Xiaolong, her small hand clutching the wrinkled hem of her clothes, her lips pursed as if she wanted to say something. The girl squatted down and waved to her.

"Come here, Sishui."

The little girl huffed and puffed as she ran forward. Several girls surrounded her, pinching her little cheeks from time to time. The child had finally gained some weight in the past few days.

It was also because of these girls' mischievous hands that Huo Xiaolong, especially, had his cheeks pinched every day since he was little. Some of the older girls would even keep tugging at them with their fingers. Back then, the little dumpling was just like Sishui now, obediently staying still and letting people touch him.

But there were some differences. Huo Xiaolong would act coquettishly, while Si Shui remained silent and seemed a little nervous.

"Does Sishui want some pastries?"

The little girl shook her head shyly.

Sun Zixi took some pastries from the tent, held them under Sishui's nose for her to smell, and then took her hand and put it inside.

"Children should eat properly and speak up if they want something, understand?"

“But at home… at home… I can’t eat such good food.” Si Shui’s voice was a little soft, but the girls all heard it.

"Now you can."

Now you can, not just you, but any woman who comes to the border town can.

You deserve it.

You deserve it.