Borrow 300 books
The study of Qiu Baiji was filled with books, so much so that it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as vast as the ocean.
Lin Yi, who spends most of his time in the university library, couldn't help but gape at the sight.
Qiu Baiji's collection of books wasn't as large as a library, but its dense arrangement made it all the more impressive. Bookshelves were overflowing, books were piled high on the floor; this not-so-small room was filled with medical books. Many of these books were only found in medical encyclopedias and had long been lost. Even she, a legal and Western-trained doctor, had heard of these traditional Chinese medicine classics, which speaks volumes about their renown.
"what are you doing here?"
A slightly puzzled voice came from behind.
"Father." Lin Yi bowed respectfully.
"I've never seen you so proper before. Even though you're married, you still bear the surname Qiu and will always be the eldest daughter of the Qiu family. Everything will remain the same."
Lin Yi readily agreed with a smile, "Okay."
"What are you doing here? Don't you hate seeing these books?" Qiu Baiji's expression suddenly changed as if he had just thought of something. "You've caused trouble again. Are you trying to sell my medical books?"
Even the dignified and composed head of the Imperial Medical Academy could get angry and glare, which actually made him look rather endearing. Lin Yi waved his hand, both amused and exasperated, and explained, "I haven't caused any trouble, and I certainly won't sell any books. You're overthinking it."
Mr. Qiu looked suspicious, clearly not believing it. It seemed that Qiu Qing was not only a bad person outside, but also a troublemaker at home, and had no credibility whatsoever with his parents.
Lin Yi pondered how to explain in a way that would sound truthful, and carefully said, "My daughter has been away from home for several days. No one has been there to pamper me, and I'm not used to the food and lodging. I often can't sleep at night and have all sorts of wild thoughts that I haven't been able to resolve. These past few days, after seeing my parents, I realized that they are the closest to me and that home is the best place. Qing knows that she was confused before and wants to change now. Is it too late?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Baiji's expression softened: "If you can change, it's never too late."
Lin Yi then said, "After thinking it over, I have nothing to do, but I don't want to stay at home and be a good wife and mother. So, I want to borrow some medical books from my father to pass the time."
"These books, no matter how much I forced you in the past, you wouldn't even glance at them. Do you really want to study them?"
“Qing is serious.” Fearing that Qiu Baekje might be reluctant to lend it, he quickly added, “I will return it to you intact after I have finished reading it, without even a dent in the corner.”
"If you really want to learn, then take it."
Lin Yi tentatively picked up a few medical classics she recognized, and seeing that Qiu Baiji's expression was normal, she took a few more. Most of the books were thick and heavy, and Lin Yi took quite a few, ending up with a large stack.
Seeing her swaying unsteadily, Qiu Baiji frowned and said to the outside of the study, "Sanqi, take Miss back to her room."
"Alright." Sanqi wasn't very tall, but he was quite strong. He took the book, which was almost taller than his head, and held it steadily in his hands.
In high spirits after borrowing the book, with her hands now free, she waved goodbye to Qiu Baiji with a genuine smile: "Goodbye, Father!"
Qiu Baiji waved to his beloved daughter, but his expression turned serious after she disappeared outside the courtyard gate.
The child has changed so much since her return visit. I hope she hasn't suffered some kind of shock and damaged her brain. Next time I get the chance, I must take a close look at her pulse.
Sanqi walked quickly and soon delivered the book to Qinggui Courtyard.
"Sanqi?" Lin Yi called out to him.
Sanqi turned his dark, energetic face: "Hmm? Miss, what are your orders?"
"It's nothing, thank you."
Sanqi was speechless, as if she had swallowed a fly. She quickly waved her hand and said, "Miss, you flatter me. It's just my duty."
"How have Father and Mother been these past few days while I was away from home?" Lin Yi asked casually.
"After you left, Madam lost her appetite for a long time, and only recovered after you returned home. Master, on the other hand, is as usual, but although he doesn't say it, he still misses you."
Lin nodded and then asked, "How are Aunt Xue and Yu Lin?"
"The Second Madam also misses you. After you left, the young master's life has become even more difficult. The Second Madam was already very strict, and now the Master often checks his homework." Sanqi tilted her head and thought for a moment, "That's all."
Lin nodded. It was pretty much what she had thought.
In the original book, Qiu Baekje and his wife had a very deep affection for each other, and their harmonious marriage was a well-known story in Mingzhou.
Before this, when Qiu Baiji had not yet risen to prominence, his family had arranged a marriage for him as a child. The family was quite wealthy in the area. Later, Qiu Baiji came to the capital of Mingzhou alone and stayed for ten years, so the marriage was called off. But after Qiu Baiji settled down in Mingzhou, married, had a daughter, and established the Qiu family, the girl he had been betrothed to, Aunt Xue, suddenly came to his door.
Qiu Baiji, mindful of their past marriage and his own past wrongdoing, took her as a concubine. However, they had little affection for each other, and it took many years for her to give birth to a son.
Madam Qiu was gentle and never deliberately made things difficult for the mother and son, but Qiu Qing was not so kind. She always felt that the new son would divert her parents' affection from her, and often made things difficult for Aunt Xue and her son.
Aunt Xue was a cautious person who never gave anyone a handle to use against her, but Lin Yi knew that she harbored resentment. She was even particularly harsh on her son, presumably hoping that one day Qiu Yulin would become a dragon or a phoenix and inherit Qiu Baiji's mantle, so that she would have someone to rely on in this household.
If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. Lin Yi isn't Qiu Qingye, so he wouldn't care or hold a grudge and would be happy to make peace with the mother and son. However, in the original book, after the Qiu family was implicated and fell from power because of Qiu Qingye, Aunt Xue, in order to save her own life and Qiu Yulin's, colluded with outsiders to frame the Qiu family with many fabricated crimes, which led to the complete downfall of the Qiu family.
If the Qiu family remains powerful, all are innocent bystanders, and things will be peaceful as long as things are calm. But once trouble strikes, they'll kick you when you're down and scatter to the sidelines. Now that she's here, I wonder if she can change that outcome.
Lin Yi stayed at the Qiu residence for quite some time. It was so comfortable there; there was plenty of food and drink, beautiful scenery, servants attending to her every need, and the love of her parents. She didn't really want to return to the deserted Xie residence.
The food at the Qiu residence suited her taste perfectly. After the meal that day, Lin Yi touched her round belly and thought to herself that she had gained a lot of weight these days. She thought that once she returned to the Xie residence, she would probably lose all the fat she had gained in just a few days.
Suddenly, Qiu Baiji grabbed her hand that was on her stomach, pressed it on the table, and frowned as he took her pulse.
Seeing the solemn expression on the Imperial Physician's face, she held her breath, afraid that she might have contracted some strange illness that the physician would notice.
Qiu Baiji lowered his hand, but his expression remained unchanged.
Lin asked cautiously, "How is it?"
"The pulse is rapid and tight, with a slight sluggishness and regular rhythm."
"Is there any hope?" Lin Yi stared at him anxiously.
Qiu Baiji gave her a strange look: "You've been eating too much lately, and you have indigestion. Other than that, you're quite healthy."
Lin Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Qiu's eyebrows curved into crescent shapes as she covered her mouth and laughed, "It seems the food Mother prepared was so delicious that it made our A-Ye all fat!"
"Qing really loves her mother's cooking."
"If you like it, stay a few more days, and Mom will cook for you every day."
Lin Yi should have readily agreed, but she was in a dilemma. Her trip back to her parents' home had taken far too long.
It's certainly nice to live here with good food and drink, but being well-fed and clothed makes one complacent and unable to make progress. Living too comfortably makes it hard for her to study, and she always has to stay up late studying under a small desk lamp.
She hadn't even really looked at the medical book she borrowed from her father's study that day. If things continued like this, even if she had the chance to save someone, she wouldn't. When would her goodness score ever reach a safe level?
The unknown villain mission was like a knife hanging over her head, ready to take her life at any moment.
"Mother, I've been away for quite some time now, it's time for me to return to the Xie residence."
Madam Qiu was naturally reluctant to let her go, and immediately grabbed her hand and persuaded her, "Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable? Tell your mother, and I will send someone to change it, and I guarantee it will be done to your liking."
Lin Yi was somewhat troubled; she couldn't refuse such a kind invitation, and she didn't know how to turn it down.
Then Qiu Baiji, who had been quiet for a long time, spoke up: "She's already married. What's the point of her staying at her parents' house all day? She should have gone back long ago."
Madam Qiu glared at him: "If the young lady wants to go back, you can refuse to keep her, but why are you kicking her out?"
"Where did you hear that I was trying to get rid of her?"
Seeing that the couple was about to start arguing, Lin Yi quickly persuaded them, "Home is very good. I really don't want to leave, but now that I'm married, the Xie family is still my home. Xie Chengnan is still waiting for me here. The Xie family isn't far away. I promise I'll come back to see you every few days. I will never break my promise."
With no other choice, Lin had to use Xie Chengnan as a shield.
Hearing her say that, Madam Qiu had no choice but to give up and repeatedly urged her to come back and visit often.
After the meal, Lin Yi packed his things, preparing to take Cang Xie and Xue Ya back to the Xie residence. Their small carriage, which had been empty when they arrived, was now fully loaded, even though one person was missing. Lin Yi stuffed all the medical books he had borrowed into the carriage, and then borrowed some more, filling it to the brim.
The carriage slowly drove away from the Qiu residence, with the two men still standing at the gate to see it off.
Madam Qiu said to her husband, "I was worried that Qingye would be wronged in the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, but now that I've seen Chengnan, he seems to be quite honest."
Qiu Baiji snorted coldly and declined to comment.
Madam Qiu continued, "Why did you let A-Ye take so many medical books back with her? Do you want to force her to study medicine?"
“I didn’t force her. This time, she wanted to learn it herself.”
"Why would a perfectly good girl study medicine? It's hard and tiring, and she can't even practice medicine in the market. It's all for nothing."
He had heard these words countless times back when Qiu Baiji desperately wanted Qiu Qing to learn medicine from him, and now he had no desire to argue. He simply said, "It's good that she's like this; at least she has no intention of harming anyone. Let her do what she wants."
The carriage disappeared into the alley, and the couple then returned to their residence together.
Cang Xie drove the two people and a cart full of medical books back to the Xie residence. Fearing that the people in the carriage were getting impatient, Cang Xie called out through the curtain, "Miss Qiu, we will be there in a quarter of an hour."
Lin Yi replied, "Okay. We're not in a hurry; playing it safe is the most important thing."
The carriage was moving smoothly along the road, getting closer and closer to the Xie residence, when it suddenly stopped abruptly, and the horse neighed.
Fortunately, the car was piled high with books, leaving no extra space; otherwise, the people inside might have already fallen out of the car.
With Xueya's help, Lin Yi sat down and heard a male voice outside ask, "Is the person sitting in this car Miss Qiu Qingye?"
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