Chapter 41 Do Not Seek Externally
Since their last parting at the Ji residence, Meng Yutong had realized that Li Wan in this life treated her very differently from the Madam Ji in her previous life, who always seemed to be scrutinizing and distant.
Now that the engagement has been called off, the two are like strangers and will never cross paths again. She did not want to delve into the reasons for Li Wan's change of heart.
However, Li Wan's personal visit today, coupled with her generous support of the business, forced her to take this deliberate show of closeness seriously.
What exactly is Madam Ji up to?
Li Wan seemed to see through her doubts, her smile remaining gentle as she explained, avoiding the main point: "Doctor Meng is overthinking it. The fragrant pillow you gave me last time is indeed very effective in helping me sleep; I've been sleeping much more soundly lately."
"Thinking that these sachets should have similar effects, I'll buy a few more to give to the ladies who often visit, as a token of my appreciation, and also to bring some foot traffic to Doctor Meng's newly opened clinic. Doctor Meng, you don't need to feel burdened."
"Oh my! Madam, you have such good taste! This sachet is both elegant and thoughtful as a gift, it couldn't be more perfect! I'll wrap it up for you right away and keep it safe!"
Wu Ming snapped out of his daze, his face lighting up with joy. He readily agreed and immediately called Bai Zhi over to help.
The two worked quickly; one went to find a suitable brocade box, while the other carefully arranged the sachets. In no time, the forty-nine colorful sachets were neatly arranged in an exquisite rosewood box.
Seeing this, Meng Yutong knew that further discussion would be pointless, so she stopped refusing.
However, when settling the bill, she insisted on only accepting the money for forty-eight sachets, leaving the remaining two as a gift for Ji Ming and Li Wan.
Li Wan did not refuse. She gestured for Yunzhou to pay the money, took the heavy box, exchanged a few pleasantries with Meng Yutong, and then called back Ji Ming, who was excitedly asking Cui Dacheng and Mei San questions.
The mother and son, along with Yunzhou, left Zhaoyutang amidst the farewells of the crowd.
As the blue-curtained carriage disappeared around the street corner, Wu Ming's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and his face was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
He didn't need Meng Yutong's reminder at all. He eagerly grabbed the income and expenditure book, dipped his pen in ink, and wrote it down in a flourish:
"On April 15th, I sold 53 calming sachets (including two given away), earning 7 taels and 850 cash."
He stared at the string of numbers, his mind racing: when Jufu Inn first opened, it only made a maximum of two or three hundred coins a day, and after deducting the cost, there was hardly anything left.
On its very first day, this clinic sold so many sachets! This is far better than running an inn!
He seemed to have already seen a limitless "money-making future"!
The more Wu Ming thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn't help but say to Bai Zhi, who was tidying up the counter, "Bai Zhi, you need to build this sachet tower even higher and more magnificent! Who knows, maybe another wealthy lady will come tomorrow and buy up all the rest in one go!"
Bai Zhi was carefully taking out another small basket of sachets from under the counter and rearranging them. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes at him and retorted crisply, "Dream on! Don't bite off more than you can chew. There aren't that many wealthy ladies out there. It's better to sell steadily."
"That makes sense." Wu Ming happily locked the money he had collected into the counter, hoping for good luck like today every day!
*
As dusk fell, the setting sun cast a golden glow on the horizon, bathing the rooftops of Lin'an City in a warm orange hue.
A few wisps of evening breeze, carrying the lingering heat of the day, swept through the hall, swirling up the scattered pages on the desk and knocking over two plain oil-paper umbrellas leaning against the wall with a "thud."
Ji Yun was hunched over his desk, concentrating intently, the tip of his brush hovering on the Xuan paper, the ink about to fall.
He was considering whether to add a piece of calamus to Jin'an's next dose of medicine to enhance its effect of opening the orifices and refreshing the mind.
The sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.
A nameless restlessness crept into my heart like vines, and I found it hard to calm down.
He subconsciously raised his hand, his slender fingers pressing heavily on the depths of his right scapula, where a faint soreness emanated.
It's likely to rain again tomorrow.
Whenever he felt stuck in his thoughts or his mind was unsettled, he would often go to Qingfeng Tea House for a cup of tea.
In the teahouse, the taste of Fuliang Xuehao tea suited his taste the best.
The tea has a slightly bitter taste at first, but a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. He often sits alone by the window, watching the everyday life of the city and the busy passersby, savoring the vibrant and chaotic human moments that are so different from his conventional life.
A pot of tea can always wash away some of the troubles and bring back some clarity.
He lowered his hand from his shoulder and called out in a deep voice, "Yunzhou."
The cloud boat entered in response.
"Go to Qingfeng Tea House and take the umbrella that Miss Meng gave you yesterday. Return it on the way. Also, take the handwritten copy of 'Pharmacology' that I asked you to prepare last time as a thank you gift."
His voice was deep and tired.
Upon hearing this, Yunzhou's face showed a hint of surprise, and he blurted out, "Ah? Young Master, you're going again?"
He thought to himself: This handwritten copy is the culmination of the young master's years of hard work. Every time the old master revises a new edition, the young master would take it to compare carefully and make detailed annotations in this handwritten copy.
Miss Meng only lent them an umbrella; there was no need for her to repay them with such a precious handwritten book.
Or is it that the young master actually sent a congratulatory gift to celebrate the opening of Zhaoyutang?
He scratched his head, but this didn't make sense. Didn't the young master say yesterday that there was no need to send a congratulatory gift for the opening?
Alas, the young master's thoughts are becoming increasingly unfathomable.
Ji Yun raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over him indifferently, a look of inquiry in his eyes.
Yunzhou then remembered what had happened that day and hurriedly reported, "Young master, this afternoon, the madam took the young master to Zhaoyu Hall."
He glanced at Ji Yun's expression and carefully added, "I bought a lot of calming sachets, and Miss Meng even gave one to each of the young master and his wife as a gift."
When he spoke of Ji Ming, his voice lowered, sounding a little guilty. "It's rare for Madam to take the young master out for a stroll, and the young master is overjoyed. I... I really can't bring up the matter of confinement."
He paused, then took out a sachet from his robes and presented it with both hands: "By the way, Madam instructed that this one be left for the young master."
Ji Yun's gaze fell on the sachet.
The sachet was made of apricot-yellow brocade, embroidered with a soaring eagle in dark blue and silver-gray silk threads. The stitches were fine and dense, and the eagle's wings seemed to carry the force of wind and thunder, its eyes sharp as lightning, as if it wanted to burst out of the sachet.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible ripple crossed his deep eyes.
Immediately, he casually reached out and took it, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the sharp feathers of the eagle's wings for a moment. Finally, he calmly tucked the sachet into the depths of his wide sleeve.
He wasn't completely unaware of his mother's unusual behavior. However... a sense of fear crept into his heart, and he was unwilling to delve into the reasons for this change.
It's as if once this subtle tension is broken, Mother will revert to her former self. This is already a rare occurrence.
He deliberately ignored this "unusual" feeling, and even more deliberately ignored the acceptance of certain "unusual" things that quietly grew in his heart, which was equally indescribable.
He has always hated change, hasn't he?
His way of life is one of unchanging routine, following a set pattern, and having everything under control.
From when did he begin to allow these subtle, uncontrollable changes to occur?
"Young master, the umbrellas are ready, and the book is ready too." Yunzhou's voice interrupted his thoughts. He had already taken two oil-paper umbrellas in his hands, and in his other hand he was carrying a wooden box containing the book "Pharmacology".
Ji Yun suppressed the inexplicable emotions surging in his eyes, stood up and said, "Let's go."
The master and servant walked once again toward Peach Blossom Street, bathed in the glow of the setting sun that seemed to flow like shattered gold.
This time, we took the main road again, crossing Wangxian Bridge, passing Zhaoyutang first, and then arriving at Qingfeng Tea House.
This time, Yunzhou didn't ask him why he didn't take the shortcut. He was carrying two umbrellas and books, and his arms were already sore. He really didn't have time to ask.
When they arrived at the entrance of Zhaoyu Hall, he took the initiative to say without waiting for Ji Yun's instructions: "Young master, please wait a moment while I go and take the things inside."
Having said that, he grabbed his umbrella and the box and slipped into the clinic with practiced ease.
Ji Yun stopped as instructed and stood quietly in the shadows beside the clinic's entrance.
The evening breeze brushed against the hem of his plain robe, bringing with it a faint scent of bitter herbs.
Through the open door, Ji Yun's gaze swept around the small clinic.
The clinic has a simple yet practical layout: a floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinet stands against the wall; in front of the cabinet is a long counter with a brightly colored "fragrant sachet tower" on it; an elegant "回" patterned screen cleverly divides the space, with examination beds and tables and chairs on both sides.
Behind the screen on the right, Bai Zhi, Cui Dacheng, Mei San and a few others were sitting together. Bai Zhi was focused on sewing a new sachet, while the others helped put spices inside.
Look to the left.
In the examination room on the left, a woman in her forties, dressed in an indigo coarse cloth dress, sat on a small couch. She nervously rubbed her fingers together, her eyes darting around nervously.
Meng Yutong was sitting on the round stool next to her.
Today she wore a plain apricot-yellow silk robe, which made her skin appear as white as jade. Her hair was still styled simply, with only a plain silver hairpin holding her dark hair in place. However, she had cleverly adorned her temple with a small apricot blossom pom-pom made of silk thread in the same color, adding a touch of liveliness and charm.
She quietly handed over a bowl of steaming hot herbal soup.
“Aunt Sun,” Meng Yutong’s gentle voice broke the silence in the consultation room, “Is there something you want to say to me?”
Sun Guifang held the bowl of hot medicine as if it were a hot potato. She murmured a few times, but couldn't utter a single word.
She came here today with a heavy heart, feeling deeply guilty for what she had done.
What alarmed her even more was that after today's farce, the way her neighbors looked at her had changed, and her already quiet restaurant became even more deserted.
When she got home and told Wu Qinglai, that heartless man also cursed her, saying it was "something no human being could do," and kicked her out to apologize to Meng Yutong.
She lowered her head, her fingers almost digging into the coarse cloth, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "What happened today...it was...it was my old woman who was bewitched, blinded by greed! I was just...I was afraid that if your clinic opened, my restaurant would have no way to survive...Sister, you are beautiful and kind-hearted, a bodhisattva with a bodhisattva's heart, and a magnanimous person...please, please don't hold a grudge against a fool like me..."
Her voice was tinged with sobs and a hint of shame.
A faint smile appeared on Meng Yutong's lips, but it didn't reach her eyes, which quickly returned to calm.
"You flatter me, madam." Her voice remained calm and unhurried. "I know you are not malicious at heart. It's just that croton powder is extremely potent. If ingested in excess, it can damage the internal organs and severely deplete one's vital energy, or even exhaust one's true essence and endanger one's life. If someone hadn't instigated and misled you, would you have risked such a great danger, betting your own life, to frame me?"
Sun Guifang's hand holding the medicine bowl trembled violently, spilling some of the brown medicine onto her clothes. She was horrified: "It's...it's so dangerous? Then...am I in serious danger now?"
"That damned bastard! He patted his chest and assured me that this stuff would at most give someone a couple of bouts of diarrhea, nothing serious! He even said... he even said that once your clinic closes down, he'll open a big inn across the street and I'll be in charge of all the cooking! I... I must have been blinded by greed to believe him!"
"Who is 'he'?" Meng Yutong asked tentatively.
"It's that damned manager of Bazhenfang, Zheng Hui!"
Sun Guifang gritted her teeth, "He said he has powerful backers, and if I don't do as he says, he'll make me close down and get out of here immediately! I'm desperate, sister! Please save me!"
The medicine was freshly brewed and still piping hot. She didn't bother to blow on it. As she spoke, as if afraid of being late, she held the bowl and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls, making her grimace from the heat.
She drank the medicine in one gulp, put down the bowl, grabbed Meng Yutong's wrist, and pleaded desperately as if grasping at a lifeline: "Besides this bowl of medicine, do you need any other miraculous medicines?"
Meng Yutong gently patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "Don't panic. Although there is no danger to your life right now, in order to prevent the disease from developing and damaging your health, it is best to take a bowl of herbal soup every day for the next month to regulate your internal organs and strengthen your body."
"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely come! I will come every day! Thank you so much, sister! Thank you so much, sister, for saving my life!" Sun Guifang hurriedly agreed, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.
She breathed a sigh of relief, wiped her mouth, and prepared to leave.
Meng Yutong called out to her, "Aunt Sun, please wait. Today's consultation fee plus the cost of this bowl of medicine totals one hundred coins. The subsequent month's medicine will cost thirty coins per day, for a total of nine hundred coins. Please trouble you to pay Bai Zhi this amount in advance so that we can prepare the medicine."
Sun Guifang paused, gasping in shock at the number.
It's so expensive?
Having always been frugal and stingy, she instinctively wanted to say that she didn't want treatment.
But when he turned around and saw Meng Yutong's calm and composed expression, and thought about how terrifying the effects of croton oil had been described by her, and then thought about his own old life, the thought of valuing his life ultimately prevailed.
She gritted her teeth and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Okay...okay! I'll go back and raise the money right away, and I'll send it over as soon as I have it!"
Meng Yutong nodded in agreement. Just as Granny Sun turned to leave, her clear, cool voice rang out again: "Granny Sun, the name 'Gui Fang' is excellent. Osmanthus flowers are resistant to bitter cold and bloom in the deep autumn when the frost is heavy, their fragrance spreading far and wide."
"It is evident that no matter how difficult the circumstances, as long as one's own character is strong, one will naturally have a beautiful and charming side. In this life, instead of eagerly hoping that others will give us a way to survive, we should reflect on ourselves, improve ourselves, and not seek externally."
"If Qinglai Restaurant wants to regain its former glory of being packed with customers, it ultimately depends on you two chefs. If you can improve your skills on the stove, the taste will be the key to keeping customers coming back."
Sun Guifang's body jolted, and she abruptly stopped in her tracks.
These words, each one like a heavy hammer blow, struck her ears and her heart!
Her family restaurant... was once packed with guests and bustling with activity ten years ago.
When did this couple start to become so lazy?
They no longer listened to the diners' complaints, only blaming bad luck and the decline of morality.
I've become lazy at the stove, and my cooking skills have deteriorated, so the food doesn't taste as good as it used to.
Husband Wu Qinglai always grumbles that people nowadays have picky tastes, but if you think about it carefully, the customers have changed, but haven't they changed too?
It's clear that they themselves no longer have the same heart they once had.
The calluses from over a decade of cooking rubbed against the hem of his coarse cloth clothes, and a surge of emotions mixed with shame, regret, and confusion welled up inside him...
She slowly turned around, faced Meng Yutong, and gave her a very solemn and deep bow, her voice choked with emotion: "...Thank you for your invaluable advice, sister!"
After saying that, she lowered her head and walked out unsteadily. In her daze, she almost bumped into Ji Yun, who was standing quietly outside the door. After hurriedly apologizing in a low voice, she ran back to the restaurant across the street in a daze.
Meng Yutong then noticed Ji Yun, who had been standing at the door for who knows how long.
She rose and walked gracefully to the door. Her apricot-yellow blouse shimmered softly in the setting sun, and a faint smile played on her lips: "What brings Physician Ji here?"
Ji Yun frowned slightly, his eyes were deep, and he seemed to exude a cold and solemn aura.
He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice carrying a hint of admonition: "Miss Meng, what you just said about the harm of croton seeds was rather alarmist. Although this substance is potent, its effects will stop once they have reached their limit. Why would it cause damage to the internal organs and require more than a month of herbal medicine to strengthen the body?"
"The art of medicine is benevolent and values sincerity. To use false words and intimidation to make money is to violate the teaching that 'the art of medicine is benevolent and values sincerity' and to lose the fundamental duty of 'great physicians are sincere and dedicated'."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yutong was not annoyed at all; instead, she chuckled softly.
She leaned against the doorframe with an unusually relaxed and casual posture, her smile bright and flamboyant, like a thorny flower blooming brilliantly in the twilight.
"Oh?" Her voice rose slightly at the end, tinged with a hint of mockery. "In what capacity does Physician Ji dare to reprimand me here?"
This situation is completely different from the well-behaved and reserved young lady in the rumors.
Ji Yun suddenly recalled Qing Shu's words: "The Meng family's daughter lost her loving mother at a young age, and her father neglected his duties. She was raised by the old lady of the Meng family and was known for her dignified and quiet demeanor..."
In retrospect, such a reputation for virtue seems like an excellent mask.
He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, "Miss Meng, you misunderstand. I had no intention of reprimanding you. It's just that as a fellow doctor, I couldn't help but speak frankly when I saw that your behavior violated medical ethics."
Meng Yutong understood. Ji Yun had his own set of almost harsh principles for "doctors": to heal the sick and save lives, to treat everyone equally; to speak with evidence and not to deceive or conceal; not to be greedy for profit and not to treat human life lightly... These rules were even stricter than the "Admonitions for Women" she had read in her previous life.
A faint smile suddenly curved her lips, her voice ethereal: "Young Master Ji, do you think my words that just enlightened Granny Sun were worth a thousand coins? That's..."
The golden afterglow gently bathed her jade-like face, outlining her beautiful features. She raised her head, gazing at the burning sunset on the horizon, the light falling into her eyes and refracting into a magnificent glow.
"That's a truth I learned with my life. I feel like I'm losing out by telling it to others so casually now."
She turned her gaze away from the distance, stood on the steps, and quietly looked at him.
Those clear eyes seemed to hold the weight of years of trials and tribulations, leaving behind a chilling stillness that made one's heart ache.
A lesson learned with one's life...
Do not seek it externally...
"What do you mean by that, Miss Meng?" he asked instinctively, his voice carrying a tension he himself was unaware of.
Meng Yutong had already composed herself and looked at the faint dark circles under his eyes. Her tone seemed to have become lighter, even a little mischievous: "Didn't Young Master Ji say last time that he used my incense formula? Why do you seem to have been restless these past few days? Could it be that the formula didn't work for you?"
She pointed to the sachet tower on the counter. "Look, we're selling an improved formula now, even more effective than before. Would you like to buy one and try it, Young Master Ji?"
The word "buy" was pronounced with exceptional clarity.
"Buy one?" Ji Yun frowned almost imperceptibly, as if in disbelief.
She was generous and considerate, giving generous gifts to the neighbors, Chen Bin and Yun Zhou who had brought her the copy the other day, and even her mother. So why did she ask him to "buy" one?
Why is she so... so biased towards herself?
“Yes,” Meng Yutong replied with a bright smile, “I’ll buy one.”
"No need," Ji Yun refused decisively, his voice returning to its usual coldness.
A sense of irritation welled up within him, and he didn't want to stay there any longer. He turned to the side and called out to the clinic, "Yunzhou."
Yunzhou was talking animatedly with Baizhi.
Upon hearing Ji Yun call him, he suddenly sprang to his senses, bid farewell to Bai Zhi, and hurriedly ran out. As he left, he didn't forget to grin at Meng Yutong: "Miss Meng, thank you for your umbrella yesterday. We'll take our leave now!"
Ji Yun had already turned and left, and Yun Zhou quickly followed, the two heading towards Qingfeng Tea House.
“Young master,” Yunzhou couldn’t hold back his words, “did you see that Sun woman at Qinglai Restaurant just now? I was inside when Baizhi told me about something big! Today, Zhaoyutang opened, and that woman actually came to cause trouble, insisting that the sachet given by Miss Meng was poisonous, almost causing a huge mess!”
Seeing that he was listening, Yunzhou recounted the scene Bai Zhi had vividly described, including details such as how Granny Sun cried and accused him, and how Meng Yutong broke the deadlock and exposed the truth in public.
Finally, he couldn't help but shake his head and comment: "Young master, you say that Prince Li is really lacking in class! A dignified prince, arguing with a mere young lady like Miss Meng about such things, and even resorting to such despicable means, really... tsk tsk."
Ji Yun had overheard the general events from outside the door, but only now did he realize that such a thing had actually happened today.
He didn't stop walking, his voice calm: "Was Sun's doing instigated by Zheng Hui, Li Jing's subordinate?"
“Exactly!” Yunzhou nodded vigorously, his tone indignant. “In my opinion, Miss Meng is too kind-hearted. That kind of black-hearted woman will only harm herself instead of her. She should just be left to fend for herself. Why bother treating her? Even if she is cured, she will only cause trouble. If someone instigates her next time, who knows what kind of trouble she will cause.”
Do not seek it externally...
These four words silently slipped through Ji Yun's mind again, but this time they seemed to carry a heavy weight.
Physical ailments can be treated with acupuncture and moxibustion; however, the torment of inner demons, the intertwining of greed, anger, ignorance, and delusion, is like a carbuncle clinging to the bone, driving ordinary people to stray from their conscience and go astray—this is the true intractable disease.
He instinctively stopped and looked back.
Meng Yutong was nowhere to be seen in front of Zhaoyutang.
Only the brand-new "Zhaoyu" plaque, bathed in the pale golden afterglow of the sunset, seemed to be fused with a layer of flowing gold, its shimmering light making it difficult to look directly at for a moment.
Perhaps... the words she just uttered to enlighten Sun Guifang were indeed worth far more than a thousand coins.
He is narrow-minded.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the direction of the newly opened gate.
A man on horseback galloped up and stopped in front of Zhaoyutang.
The man nimbly flipped off the horse, covered in dust but full of energy, and shouted into the hall, "Master Cui! Third Master Mei! Hurry up and come out to greet your young master!"
Yunzhou looked over curiously, and when he turned around, he saw Cui Dacheng and Mei San rushing out of the building like arrows, excitedly waving and hugging the man, shouting, "Young Master! You're finally back!"
"So this is Liu Sijun, the leader of those traveling merchants. He's indeed spirited and imposing!" Yunzhou exclaimed, turning to Ji Yun. "Look at them, they're acting like family with Miss Meng."
Ji Yun glanced at it indifferently, then turned his head away as if he hadn't heard anything and walked on.
Yunzhou snapped out of her daze and quickly jogged after him, calling out, "Young Master! Wait for me!"
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