The wind whistled past her ears as Shen Yuan's body plummeted like a flying stone, but the expected pain did not come.
Instead, she was embraced in a firm and broad embrace.
The wooden stakes on the roof kept shaking, and wood chips and dust fell down in a flurry. Shen Yuan felt as if she had spun around in mid-air before landing steadily on the ground.
After she steadied herself by the man's arm, she looked up at him. His handsome and taciturn face came into view. He was dressed in black, with his long hair tied up high, and the black ribbon in his hair fluttered in the firelight.
Shen Yuan's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. Before she could say anything, she saw Xiao Ling draw the long sword from his waist, leap up the steps, and cut the two-hand-width wooden stake in half with a single stroke.
The broken wooden stake, still carrying flames, rolled down the stairs and was extinguished by water.
Xiao Ling put down the bucket of water, and with no connection between the stairs and the front hall, the fire was miraculously brought under control.
The medicinal herbs and shops in the front hall were all saved!
Shen Yuan turned to look at Xiao Ling with great joy, wanting to ask him why he had come back again, and at such a convenient time, when she heard the voices of the neighbors outside.
"Hurry, put out the fire! Quickly! Hurry!"
Men and women, carrying buckets and kettles, all rushed into the yard, scrambling to fetch water and put out the fire.
Seeing so many people, Shen Yuan was a little surprised, but when she spotted Liu Mama mixed in with the crowd, she quickly realized that these people were all called by Liu Mama.
With the help of neighbors, the fire in the yard was extinguished in no time.
The fire was too intense, and the woodshed and kitchen were razed to the ground. Only the backyard wall and the two-story building in front were saved.
Looking at the mess on the ground, Shen Yuan couldn't understand how her perfectly good home could suddenly catch fire.
Every night before going to bed, she would put out the fire in the stove. She also kept the woodshed neat and tidy. There wasn't much wood and pine wood stored, and it was placed separately in the corner of the woodshed and weighed down with stones, so it couldn't be lit without a fire source.
It's even less likely that a fire would suddenly break out and spread so quickly...
As Shen Yuan was pondering this, she suddenly caught a pungent smell. She walked towards the woodshed, but the smell grew stronger and stronger.
Standing amidst the ashes, Shen Yuan suddenly noticed slippery marks remaining on the charred ground. She quickly crouched down, rubbed her fingers against the liquid, and smelled it.
It smells like tallow tree oil!
Someone poured oil in her woodshed!
Tonight's fire was deliberately set by someone with the aim of destroying her pharmacy and even burning her to death.
Shen Yuan stood up. Since arriving in Jian'an City, she had gotten along well with her neighbors and had not offended anyone.
The only person who would want to harm her is probably Aunt Zhao! And only she could order her subordinates to do such a despicable thing!
She knew it was she who ruined Chu Yuning's apprenticeship banquet, turning her winning hand into a useless one, so she hated her. This fire was a warning she received from her.
After returning from the banquet, Shen Yuan had anticipated the counterattack from Chu Yuning and Aunt Zhao.
She just didn't expect the other party to use arson as their method, how simple and brutal!
The courtyard was filled with collapsed houses and ruins. Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling worked all morning to move all the burnt wooden stakes and timber out of the backyard and cleared the foundations of the kitchen and woodshed for future repairs.
After tidying everything up, Shen Yuan finally had a chance to talk to Xiao Ling.
Thank you!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling glanced at Shen Yuan indifferently, seemingly having some reservations about her thanks.
Shen Yuan pretended not to see it and continued to ask, "Why are you back again?"
Xiao Ling leaned against the broken door frame, his mind drifting back to the day Shen Yuan saw him off.
He took a small piece of gold that she had broken out of her bodice, sent the two little girls named Li Luoxue and Jiang Wanzhu back to Jinling, and then went to inquire about some things. After confirming that no one in the capital would be looking for him, he returned to Jian'an City.
He hasn't found the person he's looking for yet, so he can't leave Jian'an City.
As for why he returned to the pharmacy, Xiao Ling himself couldn't explain it, perhaps it was because...
[The injury hasn't healed yet.]
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled when she saw the four large characters that Xiao Ling had written on the ground, and did not dwell on the matter any further.
Instead, they said, "The kitchen burned down, so we can't cook for the next few days. Let's go to the restaurant across the street for lunch and get something to eat!"
Granny Liu was also very happy to see Xiao Ling return, and said "good" with a smile.
The three of them came out of the pharmacy and went into Tianxiang Restaurant across the street. Shen Yuan ordered four dishes, and as soon as she sat down, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Shopkeeper, pack me three roasted pigeons and half a pound of char siu pork, and put them on the master's tab!"
After Chu Qiuyue finished speaking, she turned her head and casually glanced around the restaurant. When she saw Shen Yuan's face covered in soot and her clothes torn by the fire, she was taken aback at first, then smiled and walked towards Shen Yuan with a beaming smile.
Before coming to Tianxiang Tower, she had already heard that Shen Yuan's pharmacy had been burned down, but seeing Shen Yuan in such a disheveled state still surprised her greatly.
"I never thought you'd end up like this!" Chu Qiuyue crossed her arms, a gloating look on her face.
Shen Yuan ignored Chu Qiuyue, pretending not to hear anything, and continued eating her food with her head down.
Chu Qiuyue wasn't about to miss such a good opportunity to ridicule Chen Yuan, and continued in a sarcastic tone: "Back then, you almost caused my mother to be burned to death in the fire, and now your own house is on fire. What goes around comes around!"
"If the cycle of Heaven truly exists, you should be reborn as an animal in your next life!"
Granny Liu slammed down her chopsticks. "Over the years, how many pastries and fruits have you eaten from our Yuanyuan? Enough to feed a pig! Giving you all those pastries and fruits would be less profitable than feeding a pig, which could then be sold for three thousand coins!"
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