Chapter 57 Why does the young lady always seem to have... a certain...
Ji Yun was tall and imposing. As soon as he squatted down, Meng Yutong felt that most of the light in front of her was blocked by his body.
"Sort out the best-quality lotus seeds here and fill these two earthenware jars." Meng Yutong moved half a step to the side, tilted her head and explained in a low voice, without looking at him.
"Understood." Ji Yun immediately understood, leaned forward slightly, and inserted his slender fingers into the jar to begin sorting efficiently.
On the ground, his shadow seemed to shift slightly towards the center.
In short, the small patch of light that Meng Yutong had managed to get by moving half a step was blocked off again by someone.
Meng Yutong frowned slightly, hesitated, and still didn't say anything.
Ji Yun was oblivious to all of this and continued with his work. He was extremely methodical, with sharp eyes and quick, steady movements. The plump, glossy lotus seeds were quickly selected and packed into two earthenware jars.
During the process, the two occasionally touched fingertips, and Meng Yutong would always quickly withdraw her hand.
Ji Yun remained calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to everything. Only when Meng Yutong quickly moved her hand away did his eyelashes flutter almost imperceptibly before returning to normal, his focus returning to his work.
After the lotus seeds were packaged, Meng Yutong explained, "This large jar will be taken back to the Imperial Medical Academy by Physician Ji and distributed to various clinics for emergency use; this small jar will be left to Doctor Song of Jishetang. What does Physician Ji think?"
Ji Yun stood up and moved the two full earthenware jars to a safe spot in the corner before speaking, "Doctor Meng has thought things through. However, these two jars of lotus seeds should be kept in Zhaoyu Hall for now. It would be safer for me to come and collect them after the critically ill patients upstairs have taken their medication and their conditions have stabilized, and after confirming that the prescriptions are correct."
He paused, looked at Meng Yutong, his gaze clear and upright, "Furthermore, Doctor Meng's donation of medicine is a benevolent act. Once the patient's condition improves, I will truthfully report this to Imperial Physician Zhu. During the official assessment, the amount of medicine donated today will be recorded in Zhaoyutang's evaluation. The Medical Academy will also settle the accounts for this jar of lotus seeds with Zhaoyutang according to the market price. In this way, we will not fail to live up to Doctor Meng's benevolent heart and will also comply with the regulations."
Meng Yutong was carefully putting the lid back on the large earthenware jar when she heard this, she paused slightly, and looked up at Ji Yun who was standing quietly to the side. He really was... never forgetting his set of rules and regulations.
She crouched down, looked up at him, and the light in the room danced in her bright eyes: "In that case, I thank Physician Ji for making such thorough plans for Zhaoyutang."
She had to admit that Ji Yun's meticulous, upright, and self-disciplined nature was not without its merits. For example, right now, without her having to say anything, he would follow the rules and do his best to secure the compensation and recognition she deserved, ensuring that she would not suffer any loss for doing good.
Although she hadn't intended to do this when she first gave him the medicine, hearing his meticulous arrangements still stirred a faint, complex emotion within her—a mixture of relief and slight melancholy.
"The ground is cold, Doctor Meng, please get up first." Ji Yun looked down at her.
She was tall for a woman, but at this moment, as she squatted there with her knees drawn up, her figure appeared exceptionally slender and thin, looking like a small ball. She had lost her usual sharp edges and aloofness, revealing a rare softness and a pitiful appearance.
Ji Yun looked down at her, his hand hanging at his side twitching unconsciously. He slowly exhaled, stopping the strange thoughts that had suddenly arisen but were contrary to propriety.
Meng Yutong nodded, braced her hands on her knees, and tried to stand up. However, due to squatting for too long, her blood and qi were not flowing smoothly. When she suddenly stood up, her legs suddenly felt sore, numb, and painful, and her vision went black. Her body swayed involuntarily and leaned forward slightly.
Seeing her slight stumble and the instant furrowing of her brows, Ji Yun almost instinctively reached out and firmly supported her elbow. With his other hand, he gently supported her side, wrapped his arms around her body, and pulled her up to help her stand upright.
Through the thin spring dress, his palm seemed to feel the slender outline of her arm through his fingertips, and as his nose brushed through her hair, he smelled a light, unique, cool fragrance mixed with the scent of herbs.
From this distance, you can see a very faint red mole under her left eye.
A strange sense of familiarity washed over me.
A faint, almost imperceptible ripple flickered in his deep, still eyes. A vague memory seemed to surface before him; he seemed to have seen this red mole before… it was… red, a sea of red, a woman's dark, piercing eyes beneath a bright red veil, and beneath those eyes, a small red mole…
Meng Yutong felt as if she had been burned and instinctively wanted to back away, but the soreness and numbness in her legs and the lingering dizziness made her unable to exert any strength for the time being, so she had to rely on the support from his arm for support.
Her posture made it seem as if she was half-encircled in his arms.
Ji Yun's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts. He took a deep breath and squeezed out the memories that seemed not to belong to him.
Once his mind cleared, he sensed her momentary stiffness and subtle resistance. His fingertips paused almost imperceptibly, but he didn't immediately release her. Only after confirming that she had relaxed and was steady on her feet did he subtly withdraw his hand.
The two stood still, and an awkward silence filled the air.
"Thank you." Meng Yutong quickly turned her face away, turned to the side, and pretended to straighten her skirt, her voice slightly tense.
"It's alright." Ji Yun lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the hand that had just supported her. His knuckles tightened slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.
"However, Physician Ji, I can handle such a small matter myself. After all, men and women are different. Next time, I won't trouble you with this." Her voice was somewhat cold and hard, as if being helped up by him was something she disliked.
Ji Yun's fingers, hanging by his side, curled slightly before relaxing, and he said in a deep voice, "I was being presumptuous, Miss Meng, please forgive me."
He paused, then looked at Meng Yutong again. There seemed to be an undercurrent in his deep black eyes, making his emotions difficult to discern. His voice was also more somber: "The last time I saw you, Miss, going to gather herbs with Young Master He from the teahouse, you returned laughing and talking, and seemed quite familiar with him. Just now I saw you with Young Master Liu, arm in arm, chatting and laughing, and your attitude was also very intimate."
“Since you just said that we are already friends, I thought that you were generally so friendly and unpretentious with your friends. It was my oversight that led me to overstep my bounds and offend you.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Yutong frowned even more deeply and blurted out, "You are different from them."
"What's different?" Ji Yun's eyes revealed genuine confusion, and the darkness in his eyes seemed to deepen as he stared intently at her. "Why does Miss treat others so differently from her towards me? I really can't figure out where I have offended you, Miss, that you always avoid me like the plague."
He couldn't understand it at all. His treatment of her was clearly very different now. He had personally recommended her to open a medical clinic and given her the manuscript of his grandfather's painstakingly written medical book... He would never have gone to such lengths for anyone else.
But why is she always so cold to him?
Meng Yutong naturally couldn't talk about the entanglements of her past life, so she could only avoid his gaze with a perfunctory expression: "Physician Ji has misunderstood. I did not show favoritism as you said. It is because Physician Ji has a noble status, being the eldest grandson of the Ji family and a rising star in the Physician Academy. We common doctors dare not presume to associate with him."
Because of his status, why wouldn't they dare to curry favor with him?
This sounds ridiculous. If she were such a cautious and socially conscious person, she wouldn't have openly refuted her aunt's difficult behavior at the Ji family's birthday banquet. Nor would she have been so poised and dignified in front of several senior doctors in the medical field at Qingfeng Tea House today. These words were just perfunctory remarks she made up on the spot.
Since she was unwilling to explain the reason, he did as she wished and did not pursue the matter further.
"I suppose I misunderstood. Now that I have heard your words, I feel much clearer. Miss Meng, as you just said, can we now be considered friends?" He asked very seriously, his gaze intense and unwavering.
Looking at his serious expression, Meng Yutong recalled how he had subtly recommended and protected the clinic in front of all the doctors today, and also how, during the recent inspection of the clinic, although he was strict, he had secretly made many exceptions for them.
She thought about the long-term future, the prevention and control of epidemics, the supply of medicinal materials, and even the operation of the clinic. Many things might indeed be inseparable from him... She calmed her mind, as if she had gone through a difficult internal struggle.
It's just a verbal agreement, and for the sake of the long term, it doesn't seem so difficult to say.
She finally nodded slowly, her tone softening slightly: "Since the clinic opened, Physician Ji has indeed helped me a lot, and in the future... there may still be many things I need to trouble you with." This was considered an acknowledgment of the "friend" label.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yun chuckled softly. The pharmacy was dimly lit, filled with the rich, bitter aroma of medicinal herbs.
The two stood by the window, the bright moonlight flowing quietly in through the carved wooden window, casting a soft silver edge on his handsome but often frosty profile, softening his usual cold and aloof demeanor, and revealing a rare hint of vitality between his brows.
He seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Physician Ji," Meng Yutong spoke again, taking advantage of his softened expression, "there's something else. At Qingfeng Teahouse today, you mentioned that the Imperial Medical Academy is short of medicine. Fortunately, my family's pharmacy has a large stock. My grandmother never hesitates to buy medicinal herbs, only seeking quality, and she has a very complete inventory of all kinds. She's an upright person, certainly not the kind of person who would take advantage of the city's rampant illness to raise prices. If the Imperial Medical Academy needs to purchase medicinal herbs, could you consider my Meng family's pharmacy?"
Her words were polite and respectful. She did not ask the Imperial Medical Academy to include Meng family's medicinal materials as official medicines because of her gift of lotus seeds. She was just taking this opportunity to promote them. If it could be settled now, it would be because the quality of her family's medicinal materials was up to standard.
Ji Yun suppressed his smile, but his expression remained gentle. He nodded and said, "The Meng family's medicinal herbs have a well-established reputation for quality. I have noted this down. I will discuss it with Dean Zhu and the colleagues in charge of procurement when I return to the academy."
Meng Yutong felt somewhat relieved. She knew that the Imperial Medical Academy's procurement of medicinal materials was extremely strict, requiring multiple checks such as medicinal property verification, quality comparison, and price review. In the past, only a few specific medicinal materials from the Meng family had been selected for the official procurement list due to their exceptional quality.
If we can take advantage of this emergency during the pandemic to bring more of the Meng family's high-quality medicinal herbs into the sight of the Medical Academy, and even establish a long-term cooperative relationship, it would undoubtedly open up a stable and reliable channel for the Meng family's medicinal herb business.
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