Chapter 38 The Eyes in the Dream
At the eastern end of Peach Blossom Street is the New Open Gate, which was specially set up to alleviate congestion on Imperial Street. Its closing time is later than other city gates, delayed until the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM).
At the beginning of the Xu hour (7-9 PM), the lanterns along Peach Blossom Street lit up one after another, and vendors on both sides had already set up their stalls. Shouts and laughter mingled together, and the street was bustling with activity at this time.
Ji Yun arrived at Qingfeng Teahouse at this time. There weren't many tea drinkers in the evening. He knew the way well and went straight to the second floor, choosing a private room he usually frequented to sit down.
This place faces a back alley; if you open the window, you can see Wangxian Bridge right in front of you, offering an excellent view.
It was mid-April. From the second floor of the teahouse, one could see the entire old peach tree by the Wangxian Bridge.
The peach blossoms have faded, and the trees are now covered in lush green leaves. Under the glow of the lanterns on the eaves, they cast dense, swaying shadows, adding a touch of tranquility and serenity compared to the peak of the blossoming season.
A gentle breeze carries the aroma of tea from downstairs, mingling with the refreshing scent of the flowing water under the bridge, creating a unique and tranquil atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
As soon as Ji Yun sat down, He Haochuan greeted him with a beaming smile.
Ji Yun was a regular customer at the teahouse, and the two had met again a few days ago in front of Ji'an Hall. He Haochuan was very natural and immediately asked, "Greetings, young master! As usual, I'll serve you a pot of the finest Fuliang Xuehao tea?"
"Thank you for your trouble." Ji Yun nodded slightly.
"Please have a seat, the tea will be right away!" He Haochuan usually looked energetic and full of vigor, but today he seemed to be in particularly high spirits.
As he leaned closer to speak, Ji Yun keenly caught a faint yet familiar, elegant fragrance.
Ji Yun lowered his gaze slightly and saw that He Haochuan had two exquisite sachets hanging from his waist, one on each side.
One is a dark green base embroidered with silver tea buds, and the other is a light blue base adorned with elegant orchids. Both have similar aromas, subtle and serene, with a calming and tranquil effect.
He spoke with great enthusiasm, leaning half his body out of the window and pointing diagonally forward, "It was given to me by Manager Meng of the newly opened 'Zhaoyutang' up ahead. It contains calming herbs, which he says can help me sleep and calm my mind. I've been using it for the past few days, and I've been sleeping soundly at night. It's very effective!"
These sachets were sent by Bai Zhi a few days ago through Meng Yutong. The dark green one was for her father, and the light blue one was for him. She said that they were a batch of calming sachets developed by Zhaoyutang, and she was giving some to the neighbors to use.
He was overjoyed and couldn't bear to part with them. Seeing that he liked them, his father gave him his own sachet to wear as well. So he started wearing both sachets every day in the teahouse, showing them off whenever he had a spare moment.
Whenever someone asked him about it, he would launch into a long, enthusiastic praise.
Meng Yutong was both his neighbor and his savior. He couldn't accept her kindness for nothing; he had to do his best to make Meng's name known.
After he finished speaking, seeing Ji Yun's indifferent expression, he suddenly seemed to remember something, and slapped his forehead, looking annoyed: "Oh dear! Look at my memory! I saw you and Sister Yutong together at Ji'an Hall that day. You two should be old acquaintances, so there's no need for me to introduce you."
"I suppose Sister Yutong has given these sachets to all the neighbors on Peach Blossom Street, so yours must be..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Ji Yun shift his gaze, his eyelashes lowered, casting a faint shadow, his thin lips slightly pursed, and his aura seemed even colder, clearly indicating that he did not want to talk any further.
“Ahem,” Yunzhou, who was standing to the side, spoke up at the right moment, interrupting, “Manager, please bring tea quickly.”
He Haochuan didn't care at all, grinned and said, "Alright! Coming right away!" He turned around and rushed downstairs.
"Young master," Yun Zhou muttered under his breath as soon as He Haochuan left, "Is that tea shop waiter very familiar with Miss Meng?"
Hearing those repeated calls of "Sister Yutong" gave him goosebumps.
He looks about seventeen or eighteen, isn't he ashamed? Even his young master might not call him that!
Ji Yun did not respond, but looked out the window.
The view here is superb, offering a panoramic view of Wangxian Bridge and a clear overlook of the backyard of Zhaoyutang.
Tonight, the fourteenth, a full moon hangs in the indigo sky, its clear light flowing silently like silk.
Presumably making final preparations for tomorrow's opening, the backyard of Zhaoyutang was brightly lit and bustling with people. The sounds of moving objects and sweeping the courtyard mingled with occasional laughter, creating a vibrant and busy atmosphere.
In the center of the courtyard, Meng Yutong stood beneath the old persimmon tree. She wore a light blue silk dress with cloud patterns, and the moonlight, like water, poured down on her, gilding her slender figure with a cool silver glow, making her resemble a graceful lotus blooming under the moon.
She was whispering instructions to Bai Zhi, her expression focused and composed.
Bai Zhi accepted the order and quickly entered the main hall. Soon after, she came out with a bulging purse, intending to give it to Cui Dacheng and Mei San.
The two men waved their hands repeatedly in refusal. Meng Yutong whispered something, and the two men exchanged a smile before happily accepting the gift with clasped hands.
Beside the well, an old man wearing a felt hat was intently drawing some pattern on the ground with a dry twig.
Meng Yutong glanced over and then winked at Wu Ming beside her.
Wu Ming immediately understood, ran up the small building, and in the blink of an eye, brought down an outer robe and covered Wu Lin's head with it.
Wu Lin was startled by the sudden warmth, his hand trembled, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw that the pattern on the ground had been half-damaged by Wu Ming's foot.
The old man immediately bristled, grabbed the dry branch, and chased his grandson all over the yard, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Granny Gui sat on a small stool in the corner, slowly grinding spices. Seeing this, Meng Yutong walked behind Granny Gui and reached out to massage her shoulders and neck.
The warm moonlight filled the courtyard, imbuing the busyness, laughter, anger, and warmth of the people inside with a vivid and lively atmosphere.
Zhaoyutang.
Ji Yun unconsciously repeated the name between his lips, perhaps touched by the warmth of the courtyard, a rare hint of warmth flashing in his eyes.
Helping the world doesn't require traveling thousands of miles; it only requires caring for the people in a small corner of the world. This name is both humble and ambitious. It's quite a remarkable name.
So this is the world she longed for?
The thought flashed through his mind, stirring up a complex mix of emotions that even he himself hadn't fully explored.
"Young master, your tea is here!" He Haochuan strode over with an ebony tray, placing a pot of freshly brewed Fuliang Xuehao tea and two plain white teacups on the table.
He was skilled; he first poured boiling water over the inside and outside of the teaware, then poured it from a high position.
The emerald green tea liquor cascades into the cup like a waterfall, and amidst the rising steam, tender buds unfurl and float, releasing a delicate fragrance.
"Please enjoy your tea." He finished serving the tea and respectfully withdrew.
Ji Yun gently cupped the rim of the cup with his two long fingers, and the warmth emanated through the delicate porcelain.
Ji Yun placed two fingers around the edge of the teacup, the heat passing through the teacup to his fingertips, white tea smoke curling upwards, and green tea leaves floating in the teacup. He called to Yun Zhou, "Go to Zhaoyu Hall and tell Meng Yutong that the matter she asked me to recommend her for has been settled, and she can open the shop with peace of mind tomorrow."
Yunzhou responded and took two steps outside, but then hesitated and stopped, turning back to ask, "Young Master, shall we go and offer our congratulations in person tomorrow?"
Ji Yun frowned slightly, looked up at him, and said, "I'm going to give a lecture at the Imperial Medical Bureau tomorrow."
The fifteenth of every month was the day he went to the Imperial Medical Bureau to give lectures.
"Then...then if I go to deliver the message empty-handed...wouldn't that seem...inconsiderate?" Yunzhou scratched his head, looking somewhat flustered.
Ji Yun picked up the teacup, took a sip, and looked out the window through the rising steam. His voice was calm: "No need. You just need to convey this message. For her, this is the best gift."
He knew all too well that the woman's requests were always practical, not based on empty formalities. Besides, if he really had Yunzhou send something over, she would probably feel burdened and have to think about how to refuse.
I'd better not cause her any trouble.
A hint of doubt flashed across Yunzhou's face. He replied with a "Yes" and hurriedly went downstairs.
A night breeze began to rise, carrying a damp chill. A few fine raindrops fell silently, and pedestrians on the street covered their heads with their sleeves and scurried away to avoid the rain.
Ji Yun's gaze returned to the misty Zhaoyu Hall shrouded in drizzle. His thoughts drifted back to that same rainy afternoon.
His first encounter with Meng Yutong was also on a rainy day like this. Stepping out of the teahouse, he saw the girl sheltering under the eaves. At first, he didn't pay any attention to her, until he inadvertently noticed the jade-green double fish pendant she wore at her waist. Only then did he stop and turn his gaze to the woman under the eaves.
She seemed to be as her grandfather had described, a dignified and elegant young lady from a respectable family. He gave her one of his umbrellas.
Through the misty rain, he saw her raise a pair of dark, jade-like eyes, clear and bright, filled with surprise, gratitude, and a faint hint of shyness...
When they met again at the Ji residence, everything had changed. He could clearly sense that she was reluctant to be associated with the Ji family, especially with him.
There seemed to be an inexplicable hostility towards him.
He lowered his head to drink his tea, the emerald green tea leaves rising and falling in the cup, and he saw his eyes reflected in the clear tea.
Those eyes held their usual indifference and coldness, but upon closer inspection, one could sense a strange curiosity and curiosity quietly growing within them, a curiosity that even he himself was unaware of.
Like a deep pool that has been still for many years, the calm surface of the water is disturbed by a stone that is accidentally dropped in, causing ripples to spread out.
His brow furrowed suddenly, and almost instinctively he slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.
The clear water in the cup rippled, and a few drops of scalding hot tea splashed out, burning his cold hand.
An indescribable sense of restlessness and unease surged up from the depths of my heart without warning.
He closed his eyes and quietly exhaled a breath of stale air... He rarely felt so agitated, and he figured it was because of the nightmare he had last night, which had kept him from getting a good night's sleep.
Rain falls continuously outside the window, slanting down and weaving a fine net.
He didn't know how much time had passed when the people on the street gradually dispersed, and the Fuliang Xuehao in the pot was almost empty. Only then did he hear Yunzhou's usual hurried footsteps behind him.
“Young master, the message has been delivered! Miss Meng said that yesterday, Physician Chen from the Imperial Medical Academy came to inform her and sent her a copy of the list with the official seal. She is aware of this and asked me to convey her thanks to you.”
Yunzhou held two oil-paper umbrellas in his hands, raindrops trickling down their tips. He casually swung them back and set them down along the corner of the wall, saying, "It's raining harder outside, so Miss Meng gave me two umbrellas."
As he moved, a brand-new grass-green cloud-patterned sachet at his waist swayed, releasing a light and elegant fragrance, exactly the same as the scent on He Haochuan just now.
Ji Yun's gaze swept over the sachet, then he looked up and fixed it on Yun Zhou's face: "Why have you been delayed for so long?"
Yunzhou grinned, with a touch of naivety: "When I arrived, Miss Meng was serving everyone a freshly made longan and red date warming soup, and I had a bowl! It tasted really good! Originally, Miss Baizhi offered to serve you a bowl too, but I said you were enjoying your tea and you don't like sweet things, so I declined."
He casually touched the sachet at his waist, quite pleased with himself. "Miss Meng and the others have made a new batch of calming sachets, which they plan to sell when the shop opens tomorrow. Bai Zhi also gave me one to try! But I don't have the habit of having insomnia, and I sleep very soundly at night, so I just wear this sachet as an ornament. It looks quite nice."
Ji Yun's nostrils twitched slightly as he keenly caught the scent emanating from the sachet.
This batch of recipes seems quite different from the one she told me about last time. It has a refreshing taste with a hint of the unique sweetness of cypress seeds, and also carries the calming effect of albizia bark. The combination is more exquisite, and the ingredients are more carefully selected.
"When did you and Bai Zhi become so familiar?" Ji Yun's voice rang out, clear and cold, amidst the soft patter of the cold rain hitting the eaves outside the window. It landed on Yun Zhou's ears with a strange chill.
Yunzhou had served Ji Yun for longer than Qingshu, but he was far less as perceptive and insightful as Qingshu.
Perhaps because martial artists are straightforward and blunt, he has always been somewhat insensitive and often fails to discern the undercurrents of emotion beneath his master's calm surface. As a result, he has been reprimanded many times for his outspokenness.
At this moment, completely oblivious to Ji Yun's strange mood, he grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and actually started counting on his fingers: "Just last time! I went with Miss Baizhi to Wang's Drink Shop to buy tangerine peel soup. We chatted on the way and discovered that we both really loved hawthorn cake. So we talked a bit more, you know? Hey, the more we talked, the more we hit it off, and we both enjoyed listening to Zhang the Blind Man's storytelling on West Street. Isn't that..." He frowned and thought hard, then his eyes lit up, "Yes! It's what they call 'instant rapport'!"
Ji Yun's brows furrowed with weariness, and he had no desire to listen to his rambling any longer. He stood up, brushed off his sleeves, and said, "It's getting late, let's go back to the manor."
Yunzhou, still wanting to continue the conversation, picked up his umbrella and followed behind to pay the bill. The two, master and servant, walked one after the other into the vast curtain of rain.
The Ji residence is located north of Qingfeng Tea House. To take a shortcut, one should go through the back alley of the tea house into Xingli Lane and then head straight north.
In the past, Ji Yun always took this route to and from his journey.
However, tonight, Ji Yun opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain, but instead of turning into the back alley, he headed straight towards Wangxian Bridge. This route would inevitably pass Zhaoyutang, making it a longer journey than usual.
Yunzhou hurried a few steps forward and asked in confusion, "Young Master, have we gone the wrong way? This isn't the way back to the manor."
"The alley is flooded and difficult to walk in, so take the main road." Ji Yun said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the puddles reflecting the lights in the deep alley.
Yunzhou glanced around and saw that the deep alley paved with bluestone slabs was full of puddles of all sizes, making it unsuitable for walking.
He suddenly realized, "Young Master is indeed very perceptive."
The two took two steps forward, and as they approached Zhaoyu Hall, two burly men emerged from the hall, each holding an umbrella.
Meng Yutong then escorted him to the eaves, saying, "The rain is pouring down, why don't you wait until it subsides a bit before you leave?"
One of the men, with a dark complexion, a square face, and a wide mouth, cupped his hands and said, "The young master should be arriving in the next couple of days. We'll go to the manor outside the city to wait for him, lest he find an opportunity."
Meng Yutong nodded, took out a jade-white brocade sachet from her sleeve, and handed it over: "If he arrives in the next two days, he will be exhausted from the journey and will surely have difficulty sleeping. Giving him this sachet may help him sleep."
"Thank you, young lady! We'll definitely come to support you when the museum opens tomorrow!" The two accepted the sachet, thanked her again, and quickly disappeared into the rain.
Amidst the farewells, Yunzhou whispered to Ji Yun, "That dark-faced, square-jawed man is Cui Dacheng, and the tall, thin man with a monkey-like face next to him is Mei San. They're traveling merchants from Qinzhou. Their leader's surname is Liu, and it seems he had a falling out with Bazhenfang a while ago. Master Liu went to Pingjiang Prefecture and should be back soon..."
Ji Yun glanced at them indifferently: "I did not ask."
Yunzhou awkwardly touched the umbrella handle: "You were looking very carefully just now, I thought you wanted to know."
Ji Yun remained silent, only slightly raising the oil-paper umbrella in his hand. As the umbrella edge lifted, his gaze pierced through the misty rain, meeting directly in the sight of the green-clad figure under the eaves.
The rain fell in fine threads, and the world was shrouded in a misty haze. The lanterns hanging under the eaves of Zhaoyu Hall swayed gently in the night breeze, casting warm, dim yellow halos that softly enveloped the woman standing in front of the door.
She stood at the intersection of light and shadow, dressed in a simple blue robe, like a lotus leaf after a rain, her beauty beyond words.
Through the heavy curtain of rain, Ji Yun gazed into those dark, jade-like eyes.
Deep within those eyes, it seemed as if the warm light of the lanterns under the eaves was reflected, revealing a touch of gentle warmth amidst the boundless chill.
Just then, a bright white lightning bolt flashed across the sky, the intense light blinding Ji Yun. His vision was instantly filled with a white light, and when it returned, he looked again at those deep, dark eyes...
Suddenly, for a moment, my eyes, which I couldn't quite make out, overlapped with those indistinguishable eyes from my dream.
A thunderclap boomed overhead, and Ji Yun felt his heart pound heavily with the earth-shattering roar. A strange and unfamiliar tremor spread from his heart, only to vanish in an instant.
absurd!
Ji Yun's fingers, gripping the umbrella handle, suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white, and blue veins bulging along the back of his cold, white hand.
After the rumbling thunder subsided, Meng Yutong nodded slightly to him. "The rain was quite heavy. Would Physician Ji like to come in and sit for a while until the rain stops?"
Her eyes were smiling, her posture was poised, polite yet distant.
Ji Yun suppressed the strange feeling surging in his heart and said in a calm and even voice, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Meng. It is already late, and there are still some matters to attend to at home, so it is inconvenient to disturb you."
He knew, of course, that Meng Yutong's words were merely polite formalities.
There were still various matters to attend to in the manor… A hint of understanding flashed in Meng Yutong’s eyes. Indeed, it was getting late; Ji Yun should be returning to the manor to help Jin’an research the prescription at this hour.
Meng Yutong did not try to stop him, and readily agreed: "In that case, be careful on the road."
"Um."
After Ji Yun and Yun Zhou left, Meng Yutong returned to the main hall. Bai Zhi and Granny Gui were still busy, one sewing sachets and the other grinding medicinal herbs.
Meng Yutong sat down next to Bai Zhi, picked up a plain-colored sachet that had been sewn, and carefully filled it with the prepared spices.
"Bai Zhi," she asked casually without pausing her work, "what was Aunt Sun's reaction when you delivered the sachet to Qinglai Restaurant yesterday?"
Bai Zhi continued working with her hands and replied, "At first she refused, saying that she 'falls asleep the moment her head hits the pillow and doesn't need this trinket.' But I could see clearly that she had dark circles under her eyes and a dark complexion, clearly indicating that she hadn't slept well for several nights! So I said a few words about the calming and sleep-inducing effects of this sachet, and as she listened, she stopped refusing and accepted it after a while."
"Did you ask her if she had any taboos?"
“I asked!” Bai Zhi said confidently. “She said no. The sachet I gave her was the most ordinary one; there’s no way it could be wrong.”
Meng Yutong nodded slowly, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to the opposite side. At this moment, Qinglai Restaurant was already closed with its doors and windows tightly shut, and it was pitch black. It had closed more than an hour earlier than usual today.
A hint of doubt crept into my mind.
However, considering the myriad tasks involved in opening the clinic tomorrow, she finally suppressed these thoughts and instead carefully instructed Bai Zhi on the many details of welcoming guests and entertaining guests tomorrow.
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