Doctor Li had long heard that when the young masters of the capital’s noble families grew tired of their usual diversions, they turned to the fashion of male love. This Little Xi was born with delicate fair skin, and when dressed as a man, naturally appeared with red lips and white teeth, looking refined and charming—no wonder this person had taken a fancy to him.
Having thought this through, Doctor Li became quite displeased. After all, Little Xi was someone he had already decided would be his daughter-in-law—how could he just let this young master with perverted tastes set his sights on her? So he coughed heavily and said, “Little Xi, you’re not needed here anymore. Go to the medicine room inside.”
Upon hearing these words, Yuanxi felt as if she’d been granted amnesty. She stood up to flee inside, but Xiao Du raised his eyebrows, his heart burning with even more hatred. He roared loudly, “You dare!”
Yuanxi shuddered in fright and stood frozen in place, feeling guilty. Doctor Li became even more unhappy, his face darkening as he said, “Young master, Little Xi belongs to my medicine hall. Though he’s no famous physician, outsiders still have no right to shout at him randomly.”
Before he finished speaking, a gleaming, substantial ingot of silver appeared before him. Doctor Li’s angry expression hadn’t fully formed when his eyes went straight at the sight, unsure for a moment whether to be angry or pleased, his expression becoming quite spectacular. Xiao Du stared unwaveringly at Yuanxi while playing with the silver ingot in his hand, saying indifferently, “Ten taels of silver—I want her to treat me.”
Doctor Li’s heart immediately became tangled. He might not earn ten taels of silver even seeing patients for an entire day, but this concerned Little Xi’s chastity. After weighing back and forth for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and thought, “Forget it, it’s just seeing a patient. Under my watchful eye, he can’t exactly force anything.”
So he carefully pocketed the silver ingot, then put on a serious expression and said, “Little Xi, did you hear? Come diagnose this young master’s illness.”
Yuanxi watched helplessly as Doctor Li sold her out for ten taels of silver, feeling somewhat between laughter and tears. She still didn’t dare look at Xiao Du even once, fearing her heart might waver. So she kept her head down and shuffled to the desk, murmuring quietly, “What… what exactly do you want?”
Xiao Du couldn’t be bothered to waste words with her, growling in a low voice, “Come back with me!”
Yuanxi steeled her heart and forced herself to be firm: “Since I’ve left, what reason is there to return? Right now, I’m doing quite well.”
Doctor Li deliberately paced back and forth behind the two of them, straining his ears to hear their conversation clearly. Who knew he would be glared at fiercely by Xiao Du when he looked up? The murderous intent in that gaze actually forced him back several steps, causing him to stumble over a stool beside his feet. He patted his chest in shock, thinking, “Little Xi, these noble young masters are rarely any good. You must hold firm!”
Seeing Doctor Li retreat, Xiao Du fixed his gaze directly on Yuanxi again and said, “You’re doing well? Do you know what kind of days I’m living?”
Yuanxi was stunned, remembering how he looked when he entered, her heart feeling both sour and painful. But she held back her tears and said softly, “A’Du, I’ve already made my decision. Better short-term pain than long-term pain. Ending it now is good for both of us.”
Xiao Du’s heart flared with anger: “Didn’t I already tell you? I don’t care about children.”
Yuanxi looked up and stared at him: “But I care. I don’t want you to be with me yet have lifelong regrets. Moreover, if one day you truly could contend for the world but have no son to inherit, how would you explain to the world?”
Xiao Du seemed to find this question quite ridiculous: “I don’t need to explain to anyone.”
But Yuanxi bit her lip firmly and turned her head away, not knowing whether she was trying to convince him or herself: “In any case, I won’t go back with you.”
Xiao Du’s expression became increasingly ugly. Just as he was about to say more, Yuanxi already said loudly, “Young master, your illness stems from unresolved heart knots. You need only let go of your obsessions and look forward. After some time, you’ll naturally recover.” Having said this, she stood up and quickly ran into the inner room.
Xiao Du clenched his fists and slammed them on the desk with a “bang,” wishing he could charge in right now and tie her up to take her back. But he knew Yuanxi’s character well—she appeared gentle on the surface but had her own convictions inside. If she was determined to do something, the stronger the external force, the more counterproductive it would be. He shouted loudly, “I’ll come again tomorrow! If one day doesn’t work, then two days. If two days don’t work, then three days. Eventually I’ll take you back!”
Yuanxi pressed tightly against the door, finally letting her tears flow freely, leaving only the completely baffled Doctor Li standing outside in a daze for quite a while before shaking his head and continuing to see patients.
Xiao Chun waited anxiously in the carriage for a long time, finally seeing Xiao Du return in a rage with no one behind him, understanding this was another fruitless trip. As the carriage slowly traveled down the main street, Xiao Chun saw Xiao Du looking very dejected and secretly worried for him. Suddenly his eyes rolled and he said to Xiao Du, “My lord, in this servant’s opinion, this matter with the madam can’t be won by force—it requires strategy!”
Xiao Du turned his head and looked at him suspiciously for a long time before slowly understanding. Xiao Chun smiled broadly and added another line: “My lord, attacking cities is inferior—winning hearts is superior!”
The next day, Xiao Du came to the Spring Return Hall again, still paying ten taels of silver to specifically request Yuanxi’s diagnosis. This time, however, he truly was there to see a doctor. Seeing Xiao Du sitting boldly at the desk with an expression that boded no good, Yuanxi tried to maintain a cold demeanor and said, “What illness is it today?”
Xiao Du leaned closer to her: “My chest hurts.”
Yuanxi rolled her eyes inwardly, reached out to place her hand on his wrist and casually took his pulse: “There’s nothing abnormal about your pulse. Young master, this is likely an imaginary condition. Go back and rest more. I have other patients to see shortly.”
But Xiao Du grabbed her hand in return and pulled it toward his chest: “It really hurts. If you don’t believe me, feel for yourself.”
A blush flew across Yuanxi’s face. Before she could scold him for going too far, Doctor Li, who had been eavesdropping nearby, walked over with a cheerful smile: “This old man is best at treating that. Why don’t you let this old man feel?”
Xiao Du slowly raised his head to glare at Doctor Li, the murderous intent in his eyes crystal clear: “If you don’t want to die, get far away!” Doctor Li fled in panic back behind his own desk, picked up his teacup to calm his nerves, and silently chanted, “Little Xi, I can only help you this much. You’re on your own now.”
Yuanxi struggled desperately to free her hand, but he held it firmly, even intentionally caressing her fingertips, making her heart tremble. She quickly lowered her voice and snapped, “What are you doing? This is a medical hall!”
But Xiao Du’s eyes gradually became gentle: “Xi’er, that delicate yellow flower in our courtyard has bloomed. It’s very beautiful. Don’t you want to come back and see it?”
Yuanxi was stunned as many memories immediately flooded her mind: his figure planting flowers for her in the sunlight, kisses mixed with the fragrance of earth… overwhelming and inescapable. She quickly turned her head away, but her eyes became misty as she bit her lip and said, “They’ll have a new owner in the future.”
Xiao Du’s expression dimmed: “Are you really so heartless?” Yuanxi bit her trembling lip firmly, not daring to look at him again. But Xiao Du’s gaze became focused as he said word by word, “Then listen well—I will only have one wife in this lifetime. No matter how she hides from me, avoids me, or dares not see me, I will never give up.”