79 079 Little Peach◇
◎【2】◎
No one in the courtyard spoke for a long time, until finally Song Xi spoke first.
He calmly raised the corners of his lips, reached out to welcome Li Yang, and said with a smile, "Yangyang is here, come in and sit down."
Li Yang nodded and followed him into the room.
Xiaohan saw that they had all gone inside, so she went to brew tea and served it to them one by one.
After serving the tea, he picked up the tray and prepared to leave the room. Seeing Xia He still standing behind Li Yang, motionless like a pillar, Xiao Han thought to himself, "This person has been following Li Yang for more than ten years, how come she hasn't learned any manners? In this situation, Master clearly wants to be alone with Madam Yuan, yet she doesn't know to leave."
Xiao Han quietly walked up to Xia He, secretly grabbed her arm, and pulled her out.
Xia He refused, but she couldn't resist his strength, and the two of them left the house one after the other.
Hearing their footsteps as they entered the courtyard, Li Yang smiled slightly, picked up her teacup, and took a sip. The candlelight inside flickered, but it was enough for her to see that the two scars on Song Xi's face, near the corner of his mouth, had disappeared.
The original scars have long since been replaced by fair and flawless skin.
Seeing him like this, Li Yang knew that he had completely let go of the past. She smiled and said, "How have you been these past years? Why haven't you sent a letter back?"
Song Xi smiled faintly: "It's fine. In the past few years, Xiao Han and I have been traveling around the Great Qi and the surrounding countries. Our whereabouts are unpredictable, and I was afraid that sending a message rashly would attract attention, so I didn't write anything. What about you?"
He paused for a moment and asked, "I heard from Xiao Taozi that you and Yuan Chongjing already have two sons and a daughter. Congratulations!"
Thinking of the children, Li Yang's face was full of affection: "Well, Yu Han and Yu Ling are fine, the two boys are very sturdy, and Brother Jing has been taking care of them. It's my little girl Yu Yao, whose nickname is Yao Yao. She has been very weak since birth, thin as skin and bones, and her spleen and stomach are not very good. She only eats a little bit of food three times a day, and we have to coax her."
"Have you seen a doctor?" Song Xi asked hurriedly.
"We've consulted many doctors, both inside and outside the palace. Over the years, we've seen at least thirty or forty, if not seventy or eighty. But they all said we needed to adjust our diet, and after four or five years, we still haven't gotten better."
Song Xi wanted to say that he would personally take Yao Yao's pulse, but considering his current situation, he changed his mind and said, "Xiao Taozi should know about Yao Yao's health. I'll ask her carefully when Xiao Taozi comes over tomorrow."
Speaking of Xiao Taozi, Li Yang smiled and said, "Well, she has been studying medicine with the imperial physicians all these years, and her medical skills are quite good. Now, no matter who in our family has any illness, she is the one who comes to see us."
Song Xi also showed his agreement and said with a genuine smile, "I tested her today, and Xiao Taozi is indeed very talented."
"Yes, she really likes the 'Medicine Classic' you gave her; she reads it every day," Li Yang said with a smile. Seeing the smile on Song Xi's face, she asked, "Little Peach...recognized you?"
Song Xi's smile froze, then she said, "Yes, she said you told her about the past. But she doesn't remember much, she just calls me Sixth Uncle."
She had thought that time had passed and the past had long since faded away. But upon hearing the familiar address, Li Yang seemed to see the scene of their first encounter again. She said, "I've talked about some things. Little Peach has liked you since she was little."
Li Yang paused, looking somewhat embarrassed at Song Xi's expression: "Song Xi, you should know Xiao Taozi's identity, she..."
The rest is unnecessary to say; Song Xi already understands everything.
Xiao Taozi is warm-hearted and kind-hearted. Although she is carefree and rough around the edges, she values relationships. If Song Xi develops feelings for her after spending a long time with her, she might be hurt if she later finds out about the connection between her birth mother and Song Xi.
Song Xi said softly, "I know." He had originally planned to stay quietly for a while before leaving, without telling them. Meeting Xiao Taozi was also by chance.
"Don't worry, Yangyang, I know what to do," he said.
Li Yang sighed, "I really didn't expect that ten years have passed. Little Peach has grown from a little girl into a young woman, and now she can stand on her own when she goes out."
She looked at Song Xi: "But I don't see any change in you. You're still the same as before, mysterious and noble, still the 'most beautiful woman in the world'."
Song Xi smiled and said, "You've really changed; you've aged a lot."
Li Yang touched her cheek: "I'm over thirty years old and have had three children. How could I not be old?"
"It seems Yuan Chongjing treats you very well," Song Xi said with a smile. Her features were gentle, her temperament mild, and her expression genuine, revealing a simple and happy life.
Li Yang nodded: "Yes, he's fine."
"So it can be considered that your five years of dedication to him have not been in vain."
Li Yang said nonchalantly, "When it comes to feelings, it's not about whether the effort is worthwhile; it's just about putting your heart into it. And you, is Xiao Han still the only one by your side?"
“I’m used to being alone. Xiaohan is enough for me in my life. I’d get annoyed if there were more people,” Song Xi said.
Hearing this, Li Yang didn't try to persuade her any further. Xia He knocked on the door, and after receiving a response, she pushed the door open and came in: "Madam, it's time to go back."
Song Xi stood up: "Let me see you off."
When Li Yang brought Xia He out, they walked to avoid disturbing others. They walked back as well. After parting ways with Song Xi at the door, Xia He helped her walk along the quiet street. She said, "Madam, about this matter..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xia He spotted Xiao Taozi leaning against the alley entrance, seemingly doing nothing. She exclaimed, "Young Miss!"
Little Peach heard the voice, turned around and saw them: "Mother, you've come out."
Li Yang was somewhat surprised, but she calmed herself down and asked, "Little Peach? What brings you here?"
Little Peach walked over, took Xia He's place and helped Li Yang, saying smugly, "I saw you leave the manor, so I secretly followed you."
She didn't remember much about her childhood, but she vaguely felt that there must have been some special relationship between her sixth uncle and her mother.
Thinking of this, Xiao Taozi leaned close to Li Yang's ear and asked gossipily, "Mother, have you met Uncle Liu? How did you meet Uncle Liu? He's such a handsome and charming person, he must have amazed you before, right?"
Li Yang gave her a reproachful look: "Back then, Song Xi was indeed the most beautiful woman in the capital, no, in the entire Great Qi. No one could compare to him. However, very few people had ever seen his true face. As you know, he liked to disguise himself and always used a fake face when he went out to treat patients, so his reputation wasn't very widespread. When your father was injured, all the doctors in the capital were helpless. I heard that the legendary doctor, Ghost Hand, had come to the capital, so I went to ask him to treat your father."
"Then the miracle doctor deliberately made things difficult for you, Mother. You overcame many difficulties and moved the miracle doctor, so he helped you cure my father? Wow, Mother, your story with Father is so romantic. Is that why my father is so devoted to you?" Little Peach laughed.
"Don't pry into my and your father's affairs," Li Yang muttered with a smile, then immediately changed to a more serious tone, saying solemnly, "Song Xi's past, background, and life experiences are all very difficult, which has made his personality very complex. I have no objection to you learning medicine from him, but don't spend too much time with him, especially don't do anything he doesn't like. Just listen to him, understand?"
Little Peach nodded. She had been attached to Li Yang since she was little, and Li Yang rarely showed such a serious expression in front of her. She said, "Mother, I understand."
"Don't tell the Emperor or your father about Song Xi. They don't have a good relationship with Song Xi, and if they find out that Song Xi has returned to the capital, it might cause them trouble," Li Yang said.
Little Peach agreed, but she was curious about the relationship between the group. However, seeing Li Yang's serious expression, she didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Li Yang saw the question in her mind and explained, "It's all in the past, there's no point in bringing it up again. Just remember not to tell them."
"Oh, okay, Mother."
In such important matters, Xiao Taozi had never held back. Fearing that asking further questions might backfire, Li Yang didn't press the matter.
The next day, Xiao Taozi went out early again, only returning dejectedly at dusk. Li Yang, holding Yao Yao, was waiting for her and asked, "What's wrong? Did you learn your lesson?"
Little Peach pouted and sat down on the couch dejectedly, gulping down a large cup of water: "I told Uncle Liu about Yao Yao's pulse, and he gave me a prescription. He told Yao Yao to try it first and see if it works in two days at most."
Li Yang took the prescription and handed it to Xia He, instructing her to take Yao Yao out. Then she asked, "Was today not going well?"
Little Peach said, "Not really. Uncle Liu went out after writing the prescription, saying there was something important. Xiao Han taught me everything today."
Li Yang explained, "Xiao Han has been following Song Xi for over twenty years. His medical skills have been recognized by Song Xi. You can learn a lot from him."
Little Peach thought about it and realized that what Xiao Han had told her today was enough for her to process on her own for five or six days.
Li Yang said, "Little Peach, you've been away for several days now. Why don't you rest at home tomorrow? Jinghe sent word today that she'll be bringing her youngest son to see me tomorrow. I heard he seems to have some kind of rare disease. Could you take a look at him?"
Jinghe married the owner of a silk shop in the west of the city a few years ago, and she's been living a happy life ever since. Her eldest son is currently studying at school and has a good relationship with his husband. There are no major problems with her in-laws either. It's just that her youngest son, Yuanyuan, has recently fallen ill and has been seeking medical treatment elsewhere. Li Yang thought that Jinghe was probably coming over tomorrow to have Xiaotaozi check on Yuanyuan's condition.
Little Peach said, "Okay."
To get Yuanyuan medical treatment, Xiaotaozi stayed at the mansion for four days in a row before Yuanyuan's condition stabilized.
After explaining Yuanyuan's condition to Jinghe, Xiaotaozi approached Li Yang and said, "Mother, I want to go see Sixth Uncle."
Li Yang said, "Go ahead, just don't let your father see you." Yuan Chongjing has been busy with the reform of the civil service examinations lately, and he doesn't come back until late at night almost every day, so Li Yang isn't worried about it.
Little Peach changed her clothes and happily went to Song Xi's place.
Song Xi didn't go out this time. When he saw her coming, he smiled and put down the winnowing basket in his hand: "Little Peach is here. Come here quickly. Uncle Liu will test you on these medicinal herbs."
Little Peach walked over with her head down: "Oh, Uncle Liu, we haven't seen each other for several days. Why do you have to test me as soon as we meet?"
"That depends on whether you've been having fun these past few days or genuinely treating and saving lives," Song Xi said.
Little Peach said proudly, "Of course I was saving people. I only came out after Yuanyuan's condition stabilized. Do you know Yuanyuan's sixth uncle? He's Jinghe's youngest son. Sixth Uncle, do you know Jinghe?"
Song Xi said, "I know her. She was your mother's personal maid."
Thinking back to the time when Song Xi met Jing He and Zhao Chilai at the inn, she felt a pang of sadness. Zhao Chilai was the young master of the Duke of Zhongyong's mansion and the future heir to the title, while Jing He was just a maidservant by Yangyang's side. The two were not a good match in terms of status, position, or worldly experience.
Zhao Chilai has now fully taken over the Zhongyong Duke's mansion, but he remains single, without any wives or concubines by his side. Jinghe, on the other hand, married an ordinary man, and lives a simple and happy life.
Song Xi couldn't judge their relationship either.
Xiao Taozi said, "When Sister Jinghe came to visit my mother after she got married, I overheard their conversation. Sixth Uncle, do you know about Sister Jinghe and Duke Zhongyong?"
Song Xi nodded: "This is a private matter between Jinghe and Zhao Chilai, especially since they are your elders. Little Peach, don't gossip behind their backs."
"Oh," Little Peach replied. She didn't actually want to ask about Jinghe and Zhao Chilai; rather, she wanted to use this opportunity to probe the relationship between Song Xi and her mother. The fact that Song Xi knew even about Jinghe's private affairs proved that his relationship with her mother had once been very close.
Mother had previously mentioned that Song Xi, Father, and the Emperor did not get along well. Could it be that the three of them, all grown men, had a bad relationship because of Mother?
With this thought in mind, Xiao Taozi kept stealing glances at Song Xi, which soon caught his attention: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Little Peach leaned on the table, propped her chin up with her hand, and looked at him intently: "Sixth Uncle, you're so handsome, even more handsome than my dad. Why didn't my mom fall for you back then?"
“Of course she took a liking to me,” Song Xi said matter-of-factly. “She even pursued me for a long time, but your sixth uncle has good taste and didn’t take a liking to her.”
His expression clearly tells you he's lying.
It might even be the opposite of what they meant.
Seeing her wrinkle her nose and remain silent, her expression was exactly like Li Yang's. Song Xi smiled and patted her forehead: "Focus on your study, I'll be testing you later."
"Another test?" Little Peach didn't have time to think much and quickly went to look at the ancient medical books he had given her.
Around noon, Xiao Han brought in pastries and tea and placed them in front of Xiao Taozi: "Take a break before you look at it."
Little Peach looked at the pastry and found it very familiar. She picked it up, tasted a piece, and said with certainty, "It must be the osmanthus cake made by Sister Xiahe."
Xiao Han nodded, then said with dissatisfaction, "She was afraid you wouldn't like my cooking, so she brought it over specially." He had served his master for so many years and his master had never said anything bad about his cooking, so he didn't know what Xia He was complaining about.
Song Ximo looked at him silently and said calmly, "Xia He started sending them three days ago."
Little Peach didn't come three days ago.
Xiao Han scratched her head and said in a panic, "Master, what are you saying? It's almost noon. I'll go cook."
Little Peach was eating osmanthus cake, looking at the two of them blankly. When she heard that Xiao Han was going to cook, she hurriedly said, "Brother Xiao Han, I want to eat rice-scented chicken for lunch."
"Understood!" Xiao Han replied and hurriedly left.
Little Peach ate two more pieces of pastry, and then, urged by Song Xi, continued reading.
For some reason, she felt that Song Xi's expectations of her had become much higher; now, half a day's worth of her studies was equivalent to two days' worth of her previous learning. Pouting and whining were useless, so Xiao Taozi had no choice but to follow Song Xi's plan and begin studying the prescription day and night.
Fortunately, Li Yang covered for her, and her family didn't discover anything.
On this day, after Xiao Taozi had stayed in the palace for two days and returned home, she was in her room sorting through the rare medicinal herbs that the Emperor had given her when Li Yang pushed open the door and walked in: "Busy, aren't you?"
Little Peach nodded: "His Majesty selected a lot of medicinal herbs for me from the tribute this time. I'll see if there's anything I can take to Sixth Uncle."
Li Yang sat down next to her: "There's no need to go. Song Xi left Kyoto yesterday."
Little Peach was stunned for a moment: "Why? Uncle Liu didn't say goodbye to me. Where did he go?"
"I don't know, he probably went traveling to other places like before."
Little Peach pouted, no longer wanting to sort the medicinal herbs, and sat down listlessly: "Hmph, Sixth Uncle is really not nice. When he comes back next time, I will definitely have a good talk with him."
Li Yang said, "Xiao Han stayed behind. He plans to open a clinic in Kyoto, and you can go and help him then. Song Xi said that your medical skills have improved a lot and you can now make house calls on your own."
"Really? That's great! But Mother," Little Peach said, "If I see Brother Han often, won't Father find out? Didn't you say before that Uncle Six and Father don't get along?"
Li Yang smiled. Yuan Chongjing probably already knew about this, but they didn't want him to know, so he pretended not to. Otherwise, if Xiao Taozi had been leaving early and returning late every day, he definitely would have come to question her.
She said, "Your father has just been promoted to Imperial Censor and is very busy right now. He doesn't have time to manage things at home. Go ahead and do it. I support you."
"Thank you, Mother!" Little Peach hooked her arm around Li Yang's and rubbed her shoulder affectionately, then asked with a hint of worry, "Mother, where do you think Sixth Uncle will go this time, and when will he be back?"
Li Yang leaned her head against Xiao Taozi's head and said with a touch of emotion, "I don't know. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, or...maybe never. Even Xiao Han probably doesn't know where he is."
Little Peach nodded: "That's right, he must have gone to spread his reputation as a miracle doctor. Then I must study medicine diligently and strive to be like him, saving all the patients in the world!"
Li Yang stroked her face and praised, "Great! Our little peach is amazing, she has great ambitions."
Little Peach chuckled, then immediately let go of Li Yang and jumped up: "Mother, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'll organize the medicinal herbs first, then go ask Brother Xiao Han about the clinic. Mother, let Sister Xia He come with me."
"Why do you want Xia He to come with you? Don't you usually prefer to be alone?" Li Yang asked.
Little Peach winked at her: "Well, you'll find out later, Mother. Just let Sister Xiahe and I go find Brother Xiaohan together."
Thinking about how Xia He had been trying to find excuses to go to Xiao Han's place lately, Li Yang understood and pinched her cheek helplessly: "You, still playing guessing games with your mother. Alright, go ahead, come back early tonight."
"Mommy~ I'm all grown up now, stop pinching me~" Little Peach broke free from her mother's grasp, rubbing her face: "If you pinch me again, I'll tell Daddy!"
“Then go ahead and see if he helps me or you.” Li Yang wasn’t afraid at all.
Xiao Taozi felt a little discouraged upon hearing this. Thinking about it, it made sense. Over the years, whether it was her or her younger siblings, whenever they had a dispute with their mother, their father would always side with their mother without asking any questions and regardless of who was in the wrong.
Little Peach said, "I'm not going, I'm going to find Yao Yao!"
After saying that, she put down the herbs in her hand and ran outside: "Go find my dear sister and pinch her thin little face!"
When Li Yang arrived, Yao Yao had just fallen asleep. Once Xiao Taozi got there, another round of fuss was inevitable. Although Song Xi had previously said that more activity would increase Yao Yao's appetite, her little body couldn't withstand this kind of fuss. Li Yang quickly chased after her, saying, "Leave your sister alone! Take it out on me!"
Little Peach stuck her tongue out at her and immediately ran towards Yao Yao's room.
This side story is now complete.
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