Chapter 159 Wild Beasts in the Valley
Ye Wanning nodded and said nothing more. She knew Pei Zhi meant well, but his kindness made her both dependent and wary—afraid of getting used to his protection and forgetting the bitterness of her past life, and even more afraid that his protection might conceal scheming she was unaware of.
The next day, Pei Zhi indeed brought Amu to the clinic. In front of all the people, Amu tearfully confessed to what he had done and even produced the silver given to him by Su Qingyao as evidence.
The people then realized what had happened and began to curse Su Qingyao as "vicious." Those who had previously cursed Ye Wanning also apologized with blushing faces.
Pei Zhi publicly sentenced Amu to punishment, sent him to the authorities for investigation, and also punished Su Qingyao by sending her to the family temple for three months of reflection. Seeing the resentment in Su Qingyao's eyes as she was led away by the guards, Ye Wanning felt a little relieved.
But she knew that Su Qingyao wouldn't give up, and that others would come looking for trouble in the future. Pei Zhi walked to her side and said, "Don't worry, with me here, no one can hurt you again."
Ye Wanning looked up and saw the determination in Pei Zhi's eyes, and felt a warmth in her heart.
The morning dew still clung to the grass blades. Ye Wanning stood at the entrance of a valley on the outskirts of the city, carrying a medicine basket on her back, gazing at the treacherous mountain path. She was going to pick some fresh snow lotus from the Western Regions to replace the tampered fake medicine, as the climate here was suitable for snow lotus growth.
“The mountain path is difficult to walk, I’ll go with you.” Pei Zhi’s voice sounded from behind. He was dressed in a practical outfit and held a wood-chopping knife in his hand. “There are wild animals in the valley, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone.”
Ye Wanning turned her head and saw that he had already walked up to her, his eyes filled with an unyielding determination. She wanted to refuse, but then she thought that there might really be wild beasts in the valley, so she nodded.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
She and Pei Zhi walked up the mountain path. The air in the valley was fresh, and the fields were full of unknown wildflowers, with the occasional chirping of birds. As Ye Wanning walked, she looked for herbs along the way, picking any that were usable and putting them into her medicine basket.
Pei Zhi followed behind her, constantly chopping down the thorns blocking her path with his wood-chopping knife, and frequently reminding her, "Watch out for the stones under your feet."
After walking for about an hour, Ye Wanning suddenly heard a faint cough coming from ahead. She and Pei Zhi exchanged a glance and followed the sound, only to find a group of refugees huddled in a dilapidated temple.
The refugees were all emaciated and dressed in tattered clothes, and several children had high fevers with flushed faces.
"What's going on?" Ye Wanning squatted down and touched a child's forehead; it was frighteningly hot.
An old man among the refugees sighed: "We came from the south. Our hometown was flooded, and we fled all the way here. We caught a cold, and many of us have fallen ill. We're almost out of food."
Ye Wanning's heart tightened, and she took out emergency medicines from the medicine basket—perilla for treating colds and bupleurum for reducing fever.
"I have medicine here that can cure your illness," she said to the old man. "But we need to start a fire to boil the medicine. Do you have a pot?"
The old man shook his head: "We don't have any pots. We're lucky to be alive."
Pei Zhi suddenly spoke up: "I'll go look around and see if there's a pot." He turned and left the dilapidated temple, and soon returned with a rusty pot and some dry branches.
"I just found it in an abandoned house at the foot of the mountain; it should still be usable."
Ye Wanning quickly put the medicinal herbs into the pot, while Pei Zhi started a fire. The flames leaped up and the flickering light illuminated their faces.
The refugees gathered around, their eyes full of anticipation. Some came over as soon as the fire was lit, while a few children looked curiously at the medicinal herbs in Ye Wanning's hand and asked questions in hushed tones.
"Sister, what is this? Can it cure our illness?"
"This is medicine to stop your fever." Ye Wanning smiled and patted the child's head. "After you drink the medicine, you'll get better quickly."
After the medicine was brewed, Ye Wanning distributed it to the refugees, and Pei Zhi also took out his own rations from that morning—hot steamed buns that he had specially prepared—and shared them with everyone.
The refugees were so excited to receive the medicine and food that they thanked her repeatedly. Some even tried to kneel down, but Ye Wanning quickly pulled them up.
"Please don't do this, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do."
A child, after taking the medicine, was still crying and complaining of a stomachache. Ye Wanning took out silver needles and gently pricked the child a few times, then wiped his face with warm water.
Pei Zhi squatted down to the side, holding up the lantern for her—it was too dark in the dilapidated temple. His eyes were full of tenderness as he watched her carefully taking care of the child, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
By evening, the refugees' conditions had stabilized, and some were even able to stand and speak. Ye Wanning put away the medicinal herbs, preparing to continue gathering snow lotus, when Pei Zhi spoke up.
“If you want to set up a public pharmacy to provide medical care for these poor people, I can help you find a location and allocate some funds.”
Ye Wanning paused, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart—in her past life, she had also thought about opening a public pharmacy, but her stepmother laughed at her for being delusional, saying that she had no money or power.
But in this life, Pei Zhi offered to help her, which made her both tempted and wary. She avoided Pei Zhi's gaze and bent down to carry the medicine basket.
"Let's pick the snow lotus first and not delay things. We can discuss the Huimin Pharmacy matter later."
She was afraid that she would get caught up in it and forget the grudges from her past life—her goal was her stepmother and stepsister, and she couldn't let these things distract her.
Pei Zhi watched her walk up the mountain. Seeing that she didn't respond, he didn't press her further and simply followed silently behind her. The mountain path was rugged, and he would reach out and help her every now and then.
The two remained silent, yet it seemed as if they had a thousand words to say. He understood that she was too guarded after her rebirth, and he could only take things slowly; she also knew that Pei Zhi's care for her was genuine, but she dared not accept it.
When they finished picking snow lotus and came down the mountain, the sun had already set, and their shadows were stretched very long.
As soon as the clinic door opened, Chun Tao rushed in, her face ashen: "Miss, something terrible has happened! I went to the teahouse to buy tea and saw Miss Su and Lord Pei together. Miss Su was even holding Lord Pei's arm!"
Ye Wanning paused, her hand holding the prescription he was holding, the pen leaving a mark on the paper. She feigned composure: "You must be mistaken. Lord Pei is going to court today, why would he be at a teahouse?"
"I didn't see wrong!" Chun Tao exclaimed, stamping her foot. "I saw it clearly. Miss Su was wearing a pink dress, and Lord Pei was sitting opposite her. Miss Su deliberately leaned over and took his arm, but Lord Pei didn't push her away!"
Ye Wanning's heart sank, and the pen in her hand fell to the table with a "clatter." She knew that Su Qingyao's eyes were full of resentment after she came out of the family temple, and she must have deliberately let Chun Tao see it so that Chun Tao would misunderstand Pei Zhi.
But she couldn't help wondering why Pei Zhi didn't push Su Qingyao away. Was it because Su Qingyao was his cousin and he didn't want to ruin things? Or did Su Qingyao already have a place in his heart?
In her past life, she was betrayed by her stepmother and stepsister because she trusted others too much, and ultimately died tragically in the lake. In this life, she is no longer a foolish girl, but hearing Chun Tao's words still makes her heart ache as if it were being stabbed with needles.
"I'll go take a look." Ye Wanning stood up, picked up her cloak, and walked out, her steps somewhat hurried.
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