Housewarming gift
The clinic opened smoothly, and the medicinal herbs from southern Anhui arrived in full force. Under the leadership of the young master of the Feng family, Lin Yi signed a long-term contract with Qiancaotang, and due to the long-term purchase of medicinal herbs, she was specially upgraded to VIP service, with priority given to ensuring the supply of medicinal herbs to Xinglin Clinic at all times.
Although Xu Youtian repeatedly emphasized that this was because the Mingzhou branch hadn't encountered a customer as important as her in a long time, Lin Yi still felt that it was almost certainly because of Xie Chengnan's influence.
Speaking of which, Xie Chengnan and the young master of the Feng family had known each other for a long time, which made Lin Yi realize some problems—she couldn't completely control the plot.
Although she had read the original book and knew the backgrounds and fates of some of the characters, the book only briefly mentioned minor supporting characters.
In the world of this book, they are living, breathing people with their own circles and complete life trajectories, with too many uncontrollable factors.
Feng Zhengxian, the young master of the Feng family, did not originally appear in the book. It was because she wanted to open a clinic and had no other choice but to ask Xie Chengnan for help.
Immersed in it, every step she took was real, and these changes were genuine.
Lin Yi was somewhat bewildered. She had originally been happy to see her influence on the plot. She wanted to change her own ending, and even fantasized about helping other cannon fodder characters who were about to be swallowed up by the plot.
But when she truly saw her impact on the plot, her pre-existing self-doubt was amplified. Like the butterfly effect, perhaps she only did something insignificant, but it triggered other events, causing a chain reaction, and might even develop into another uncontrollable situation.
Perhaps she was overthinking things, but as she has come this far, a decision she made unintentionally may have changed something very important.
— Whenever Lin Yi thought of this, he would feel a strange sense of unease.
There are too many details she doesn't know, and being in the thick of it, whether she knows them or not will affect her judgment. Will she be able to successfully complete those crucial tasks she's about to face? And after completing them, will she be able to extricate herself unscathed?
[The host is only realizing this now?]
Since she took it upon herself to give the key item to the Crown Prince, the system has not contacted her proactively.
Lin Yi sighed softly, "Yes."
"Do you think I can change the plot that the author has already written?" Lin Yi asked.
[Theoretically speaking, the book is finished, and its key plot points cannot be changed. However, the host can freely improvise in areas where the author hasn't elaborated.]
Lin Yi forced a bitter smile.
The system seemed to be offering some consolation: "Although this system aims to complete the main storyline, due to the host's involvement, it's impossible to perfectly recreate the original work. What you will be creating is a story uniquely your own."
"You're wrong. If this were truly my story, why would it need to follow the key plot points of the male and female leads? Shouldn't I be the one to decide my own story...?"
[...]
Lin Yi didn't expect him to answer. After being here for several months, she had learned not to pry too much; many things didn't have a definite conclusion.
Moreover, her coming here is illogical in itself.
All she can do is react to whatever comes her way and take it one step at a time.
...
Young Master Feng rented a house opposite the Yong'an Marquis's residence, bought many rare and precious pieces of furniture, and hired seven or eight servants. It seemed he intended to live there permanently.
The next day, Xie Chengnan was sunbathing in his courtyard when he suddenly heard a deafening cacophony of firecrackers and drums. He moved aside a palm-leaf fan that was covering his face and lazily asked, "What's all this commotion outside?"
Cang Xie said, "It's Young Master Feng setting off firecrackers to celebrate his housewarming."
"He really moved in?" Xie Chengnan frowned, wondering what he was up to this time.
“Young Master Feng said he will stay in Mingzhou for a few months.” Cang Xie symbolically swept away the fallen leaves on the ground with a broom. “Young Master Feng also said that he originally wanted to stay directly at the Marquis’s mansion, but he was afraid that it would affect your and Miss Qiu’s life. So he found a place nearby, which is convenient for you to visit.”
He was being too conservative in his statement. Feng Zhengxian did intend to stay at the Yong'an Marquis's residence, but he was deterred by the peeling paint on the gate and the desolate, dilapidated scene inside as soon as he reached the entrance, and he uttered the aforementioned words as if fleeing for his life.
As the two were talking, there was a knock on the door. Cang Xie went to open it, and the old, faded wooden door hinges creaked loudly. Standing outside was none other than Mingzhu, the maidservant of the young master of the Feng family.
Cang Xie clasped his hands in a respectful bow: "Miss Mingzhu."
Mingzhu reciprocated with the same courtesy, saying, "My young master brought some poisons for the young marquis and asked me to deliver them."
As she spoke, she took a step to the side, revealing a box that her servant was vaguely holding behind her.
The box was intricately woven from some unknown vine, and no light could see through the gaps.
Cang Xie could only deduce from the servant's struggling posture and his expression of being on high alert that the box contained a living creature, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should accept it or not.
"Why doesn't he come by himself?" Xie Chengnan asked.
"The mansion has been newly renovated, and there are many things to do. Young Master, you still need to keep an eye on things."
Xie Chengnan took the box from the servant, who immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"He probably thinks my house is dirty and messy, and not good enough for him."
"No, the young marquis is the young master's best friend. There is absolutely no way he would look down on him."
She spoke with great certainty, but Xie Chengnan did not believe her.
"Mingzhu, I remember you used to be very shy," Xie Chengnan said abruptly.
"?"
“Now you can lie without blushing.” He solemnly handed the box to Cang Xie, then patted him on the shoulder as if entrusting him with an important task.
“…” After a short while, Mingzhu said, “It’s because the young master taught us well.”
If she hadn't spoken those words through gritted teeth, Xie Chengnan would have actually believed her.
Xie Chengnan waved his hand: "Whether he comes or not is up to him. But tell him that this is Mingzhou, right under the imperial city, and that he should keep a low profile."
"yes."
Cang Xie stared at the basket of poisonous insects, his scalp tingling with dread. Space was limited, so they were piled on top of each other, squeezing each other's bodies for more room to move. Watching them wriggle and thrash about, Cang Xie felt as if he could once again sense that vibrant, lively movement he had felt through the box earlier, and every hair on his body stood on end.
"My lord, what use do you have for this?"
His lord was teasing the largest spider in the box with a broken branch when he heard this. He winked playfully, put his index finger to his lips, and said, "It's a secret."
Cang Xie: "..."
Ever since those creatures moved into the Xie residence, Xie Chengnan has added a new activity to his daily routine besides reading storybooks and basking in the sun—teasing spiders.
He didn't rush to practice his Gu cultivation; instead, he raised them, much like a typical young master might keep a few pets to pass the time, such as when he played cricket fighting.
But this pet is rather unusual.
Cang Xie couldn't understand it, nor did he dare to ask.
Qiu Qing happened to pass by once and saw Young Master Xie fiddling with something on a stone platform in the courtyard, so he went over to join in the fun.
Cang Xie thought that a woman as delicate as her would scream in terror at the sight of a lively spider or scorpion, but Qiu Qingye's reaction was even calmer than his, perhaps even a little too calm.
Seeing that the hand was about to poke, Cang Xie was so shocked that he wanted to shout "Stop!" but he didn't even have time to make a sound. Fortunately, his lord was quick-witted and slapped away the outstretched slender hand.
Xie Chengnan shouted, "Are you out of your mind?!"
Lin Yi rubbed his reddened hand and asked, "Is it poisonous?"
Xie Chengnan was amused by her and pushed the box forward a few inches: "The poison depends on the color of the pattern. The more poisonous it is, the more colors it has. These few are multicolored... but there may be exceptions. Maybe this one in front of you is one. Try it yourself."
Lin Yi awkwardly touched his fingers and explained, "I didn't mean to touch them, I just wanted to point."
"What are you pointing at it for?"
Lin Yi suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I wanted to ask you, could you give me these and these few?"
Xie Chengnan asked, puzzled, "What do you need this for?"
"This is Du Bo, a precious medicinal herb! I've never seen one this plump before. It's priceless and extremely rare."
Xie Chengnan: "..."
"Young Master, would you be willing to part with it? I can pay for it," Lin Yi said sincerely.
Xie Chengnan conceded a step, "You want to use them in medicine... dead or alive?"
"It has to be done. Do it like dried tangerine peel."
"Okay, dry them into scorpion jerky, then come back to me for it." Xie Chengnan agreed, but he still didn't dare let this person touch him. Her sudden outstretched hand had startled him quite a bit.
Although Qiu Qingye appears quite composed now, he can still be reckless at times, which makes people uneasy.
Lin Yi clearly knew that he was worried about him.
It's actually not so bad to be worried about. My mood, which had been gradually brightening due to the discovery of the unexpected medicinal herb, has become even better.
In return for what she has done, since they have always lived under the same roof, she should do something for Xie Chengnan.
I just don't know what he needs her to do...
Lin Yi didn't wait until Du Bo was fully prepared for the medicine. After the scorpions died from dehydration after being exposed to the sun, she went to Xie Chengnan to get them.
At the Xinglin Medical Clinic, she spent her days either dealing with different patients or sitting there engrossed in studying medical books. She needed something else—like observing the drying process of the scorpions—to distract herself from the repetitive busyness. This was a habit she had maintained since her school days; doing small, non-urgent tasks during busy periods allowed her to quickly recover.
The clinic operated smoothly, with Wang Chunsheng as the main doctor and Erhei as his apprentice and assistant. Lin Yi would sit aside every day studying the pharmacopoeia, using the indexing ability given to her by the system to determine treatment methods, and then consult with Wang Chunsheng.
In addition, the clinic also hired a pharmacist to handle medicinal herbs, a cleaning worker, and an accountant. When Xueya had nothing to do, she would help out in the shop with odd jobs, such as making numbered slips for when there were many people.
Lin Yi thought that once he had earned more consultation fees, he would hire another waiter to shuttle between patients who came to see him.
...
It had just rained that day, and Lin Yi was moving the medicinal herbs he had brought inside back outside to dry when he saw an uninvited guest.
It's Lu Yanran.
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