Chang Yuncheng still sent Qi Yue back home after lunch.

“There’s plenty of time, you focus on your business first,” he said, then added, “I’ll definitely arrange for tomorrow’s vegetarian feast.”

“There’s plenty of time,” Qi Yue also smiled and said, waving her hand at him.

Only after watching her enter the house did Chang Yuncheng turn his horse around and leave.

After a simple wash and changing into everyday clothes, Qi Yue went to find Chen Shi.

Unlike previous days when she could enter directly, she was stopped by a servant woman.

“Miss, please wait a moment. Let me see if Madam has fallen asleep,” the servant woman said with a somewhat unnatural smile.

Qi Yue looked up at the sky.

Sleeping so early? Is this an afternoon nap or evening sleep?

Cai Qing hurriedly walked out from inside.

“She didn’t sleep at midday, but just now said she was tired and wanted to rest briefly,” she said with a smile.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound—this seemed reasonable.

“Then I’ll come back when she wakes up,” she said, about to turn around.

Cai Qing quickly stopped her.

“Miss, please trouble you to invite Doctor Zhou again,” she said with a smile. “It’s really strange. Originally, I didn’t think there was anything wrong, but after hearing what you said, Miss, and after Doctor Zhou’s visit, Madam truly feels somewhat uncomfortable. I don’t know if it’s because of her troubled mind.”

Qi Yue was overjoyed, not expecting that Chen Shi had actually come to understand on her own.

It seemed it wasn’t that she knew about the illness but didn’t want treatment.

“Good, good, I’ll go have someone send word right away. It’s best to have him come take a look. This way, if there’s something wrong, she can take medicine early, and if there’s nothing wrong, it’ll ease her troubled mind,” she said happily.

“There’s no rush, Miss,” Cai Qing said with a smile.

Qi Yue had already walked away without stopping.

Watching her disappear at the courtyard gate, the smile on Cai Qing’s face vanished. She turned and walked into the house, looking at Chen Shi lying on the bed in the inner room.

“She’s reassured now, isn’t she?”

Chen Shi’s voice came from within.

Cai Qing walked over and responded affirmatively, looking at Chen Shi’s pale, bloodless face on the bed. She couldn’t help but want to cry.

“She became suspicious, and if I kept avoiding her, she would only become more anxious,” Chen Shi said with a smile, trying to sit up, but it was somewhat difficult.

Cai Qing quickly helped support her.

“But if Doctor Zhou examines me, it can’t be hidden,” she said with a choked voice.

“I never intended to hide it from Doctor Zhou,” Chen Shi said with a smile, patting Cai Qing’s hand.

Cai Qing was somewhat puzzled.

Originally thinking it was so late, Zhou Maochun wouldn’t be invited until tomorrow at the earliest. Unexpectedly, just as it was time for dinner, Zhou Maochun was brought by Qi Yue.

Qi Yue followed him in and became anxious upon seeing Chen Shi’s complexion.

“It’s all because you frightened me,” Chen Shi said reproachfully. “You keep saying I’m ill, I’m ill every few days. Now I feel like I’m sick everywhere.”

Qi Yue was amused again.

Zhou Maochun said nothing and sat down, taking out his pulse pillow.

“Don’t watch here. Your adopted father rarely comes home. Go personally cook a specialty dish to show your filial piety,” Chen Shi said with a smile.

“Really? This girl has specialty dishes?” Zhou Maochun said, looking at Qi Yue with disbelief.

Qi Yue nodded eagerly.

“Of course I do. Adopted father, I’m not just a divine physician. I have another unknown identity—divine chef,” she said with complete seriousness.

Both Chen Shi and Zhou Maochun laughed heartily.

“Go quickly, let me see the hidden skills of your divine chef,” Zhou Maochun said.

Qi Yue laughingly threw out a line “just you wait and see” and went out.

Cai Qing waved her hand and led the servant women out as well.

Only Chen Shi and Zhou Maochun remained in the room.

Chen Shi didn’t extend her hand, and Zhou Maochun didn’t ask to take her pulse. After a moment of silence.

“Where did you get this poison?” Zhou Maochun spoke first, his brows tightly furrowed, scrutinizing Chen Shi.

Chen Shi only smiled.

“Doctor Zhou is indeed a divine physician,” she said with a smile.

“As long as one isn’t blind, even non-doctors can tell,” Zhou Maochun said with a snort. “Why are you hiding it from Yueniang?”

“I don’t want her to be sad,” Chen Shi said with a slight smile, then sighed. “This child is without father or mother in this world, not a single relative left, all alone and pitiful.”

Zhou Maochun scoffed and shook his head.

“That’s only speaking of blood relatives. Who says that without blood relatives one is alone and pitiful?” he said. “Is she still alone and pitiful now?”

Chen Shi’s expression was stubborn.

“Those aren’t blood relatives. No matter how good they are, they’re not blood relatives. No matter how good, they can’t compare to blood relatives!” she said indifferently.

Women’s hearts are truly unreasonable, Zhou Maochun was too lazy to argue further.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked directly. “I can help you hide it, but just because I hide it doesn’t mean you won’t die, does it?”

Chen Shi bowed slightly to him.

“Just hide it for this period,” she said. “During this time she’s busy, and she just suffered such a great shock. She’s finally getting better. Rather than letting her know and worry daily, it’s better to let her be sad for just one day.”

Such matters of life and death were nothing in Zhou Maochun’s eyes. If one should die, then die—it’s unavoidable. Since it’s unavoidable, what’s there to be sad about?

He curled his lip and paid no more attention.

When Qi Yue came to call everyone for dinner, Zhou Maochun had already written the prescription.

“Once every three days,” he said.

Qi Yue looked at it while asking in a low voice what illness it was.

“Congenitally weak, plus too many worries, plus old ailments. In short, she’s just ill,” Zhou Maochun said.

Chen Shi’s mother lost her father during pregnancy, so the mother must have been greatly grieved. Children born under such circumstances are indeed prone to congenital deficiency.

Qi Yue nodded.

“This medicine is only taken once every three days?” she asked in a low voice again. “Will it work?”

Zhou Maochun glared and snatched back the prescription.

“If you don’t want to take it, don’t take it,” he said.

Qi Yue quickly smiled and grabbed it back.

“Take it, take it,” she said with a smile, while hurriedly pushing Zhou Maochun. “Adopted father, you’ve worked hard. Please take your seat quickly and try the old duck soup your daughter specially made for you.”

Just as she was speaking, someone from outside came to say that Marquis Dingxi had arrived. Zhou Maochun’s face immediately grew very long.

“Just in time for dinner, what a coincidence,” Marquis Dingxi entered with a hearty laugh.

“What coincidence? Who said you could eat here? Is it appropriate for an uncle to come here for meals? Don’t you have your own cooks?” Zhou Maochun said with glaring eyes.

Marquis Dingxi looked somewhat embarrassed.

“No, no, I didn’t come specifically to eat. I heard that sister-in-law was ill, so I came specially to see her,” he said hastily, pointing to the servants carrying things in the courtyard. “I brought many specialties from Yongqing Prefecture. I’m sure sister-in-law will recover faster eating these familiar foods.”

“More of those taro roots?” Zhou Maochun glared at the outside. “How many did you bring?”

Marquis Dingxi chuckled.

“Well, well, you all eat slowly. I’ll leave first,” he said, though his feet were reluctant to move.

After all, this was Chen Shi’s home, and Qi Yue couldn’t very well insist he stay.

A servant woman hurried out from behind.

“Madam invites the Marquis to dine before leaving,” she said with a bow.

Before her words finished, Marquis Dingxi had already seated himself at the dining table.

“Don’t be polite, don’t be polite,” he said with hearty laughter, picking up his bowl and chopsticks. Looking at the table full of dishes, he said, “Good, good, very good, very good.”

“Please try this—it’s soup I made,” Qi Yue said with a smile.

Zhou Maochun’s heart jumped, and he quickly picked up his bowl and chopsticks. But he was still a step too slow. Marquis Dingxi had already ladled a large bowl and began drinking.

“Good, good,” he praised while drinking the hot soup in one breath without regard for the temperature, then reached to ladle more.

Zhou Maochun tapped his chopsticks with his own.

“Marquis Dingxi, can you show some restraint!” he shouted.

The surrounding servant women couldn’t help but lower their heads and laugh. Qi Yue let them enjoy their liveliness while she went with the servant women to the inner courtyard to serve Chen Shi her meal.

Chen Shi only sipped the soup briefly.

“Don’t worry either. I’m taking medicine and slowly recovering. You know my constitution was never good to begin with,” she said with a comforting smile.

Qi Yue nodded and didn’t force her to eat, sitting beside her to chat.

Outside the window, night gradually fell. The night passed without incident.

The next day, Chang Yuncheng’s anticipated vegetarian feast was not to be had, as he was urgently summoned by the Ministry of War. Qi Yue was also busy with preparations for military medical supplies. Although Hu San was fully responsible, she couldn’t be a hands-off boss. She also needed to continue lecturing Zhang Tong’s disciples and organizing various teaching materials for Zhang Tong and his team to use when they reached the border, watching Chen Shi take her medicine, having Zhou Maochun come for regular follow-ups, and so on.

In the blink of an eye, it was eight days later. Zhang Tong and his group departed, along with Chang Yuncheng.

Although he had been demoted, he still had to work.

“I still couldn’t accompany you…” Chang Yuncheng said apologetically.

“There’s plenty of time,” Qi Yue patted his arm with a smile. “When the first batch of supplies is ready, I’ll personally deliver them. The first stop will be to see you, alright?”

Chang Yuncheng smiled and stroked Qi Yue’s hair.

Zhou Maochun coughed heavily nearby.

“Why are you coughing! You should have settled things earlier. Now you’re separating again—when will you see each other next?” Marquis Dingxi immediately said.

He had been nagging about this for two days already.

“Why the rush? Nothing comes that easily!” Zhou Maochun said with glaring eyes.

“How can I not be anxious? Look, if you had asked for the Emperor’s decree now, you could have held the wedding today. After all, everyone knows each other—no need to be so formal. By the time Yuncheng returns, you could probably be holding a child…” Marquis Dingxi said, pulling at him.

Zhou Maochun spat.

Qi Yue and Chang Yuncheng exchanged a smile.

“Take care,” he said.

Qi Yue nodded.

“You take care too. I’ll come see you very soon,” she said with a smile.

Chang Yuncheng also nodded.

The weather seemed to have suddenly warmed up. At Duke Deqing’s mansion, the old lady was surrounded by daughters-in-law and elderly servants.

“Why make new clothes? I’m so old now and don’t see people. One outfit worn from winter to summer is fine,” the old lady said.

Everyone in the room laughed.

“The old lady is saving for her children and grandchildren,” an elderly servant woman said flatteringly.

“Oh right, don’t forget clothes for Xueniang,” the old lady suddenly remembered and said quickly.

A daughter-in-law quickly responded.

“We’ve already sent someone,” she said.

“I heard something about Xueniang? Is she ill?” the old lady asked, sitting down.

“Yes, when we went the other day, she looked very unwell and said she was taking medicine,” the daughter-in-law replied.

The old lady sighed and stood up again.

“I’ll go see her. She’s unwilling to come see us, so I’ll go see her,” she said.

Everyone hurriedly tried to dissuade her, saying it was hot, that they needed to prepare the carriage, and so on. In the midst of this chaos, a maid ran in from outside.

“The young lady has returned,” they called out.

Everyone was stunned.

“Which young lady?” a daughter-in-law asked quickly.

Before the words finished, a middle-aged woman strode in—it was the young lady who had married into the Rao family in Shandong.

“Why have you returned at this time?” the daughter-in-law quickly went to ask.

The woman ignored her and, without ceremony, sat down in a nearby chair.

“Mother, Xueniang is going to destroy our family,” she said immediately, wiping tears with her handkerchief.