No wonder she had felt such a sense of familiarity from Little Xing’s entire family. Little Xing’s father bore some resemblance to Zheng Yun, and Little Xing’s eyes and brow were almost identical to his.

To think that Little Xing truly was Zheng Yun’s own nephew—and that his father was Zheng Yun’s own elder brother.

Zheng Yun had once told her he had two older brothers who had always lived in Peach Blossom Village, caring for their parents, while the children of his brothers were already old enough to run errands.

She had come to Peach Blossom Village partly to feel the place where he was born and raised—to see the landscapes he had seen, to walk the paths he had walked, to breathe the air he had breathed.

Everything that belonged to him was so beautiful, giving her the illusion that he was right beside her.

“Sister, doesn’t that make my little uncle amazing?” Little Xing blinked his bright black eyes innocently.

“Amazing. Little Xing’s little uncle is the most amazing of all.” Ling’ai gently ruffled his hair. “Little Xing, come here—Sister has more tasty things for you.”

“Sister, Father said you shouldn’t casually accept gifts from others. The chocolate you gave me—Father says he’s going to send you some peach blossom wine in return.”

“Does everyone in your family hold their liquor well?”

“Around here, people make their own wine. The adults in the village can all hold a good amount, and Grandfather in his younger days could drink wine by the jar.”

Ling’ai thought of how Zheng Yun had an extraordinary capacity for alcohol—it turned out that it was because he had grown up in this village that loved to brew wine.

“Sister, I’ll tell you a secret, but don’t tell anyone else.” Little Xing leaned close to Ling’ai’s ear and whispered, “I once sneaked a sip. It was so pungent—not good at all.”

Ling’ai couldn’t help but laugh, though she quickly put on a stern face. “You mustn’t drink anymore.”

Little Xing chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head. “I know.”

As they spoke, Little Xing’s father, Zheng Shucheng, walked in from outside. Seeing Little Xing with Ling’ai, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Little Xing, why have you come to bother Miss Ling again?”

Ling’ai quickly said, “I’m free anyway—Little Xing came to keep me company.”

Zheng Shucheng smiled. “Miss Ling, Mother and Father asked me to come and invite you to our home for a simple meal.”

“A meal?”

“Miss Ling’s treatment of Little Xing this time has lifted a great weight from the hearts of our entire family. These past few days of Little Xing’s illness, Father and Mother were nearly beside themselves with worry. So the two elders are deeply grateful to Miss Ling. Miss Ling is from the big city—a person of the world—and our small village has nothing fine to offer. We simply hope you’ll join us for a humble meal, and we hope you won’t think it beneath you.”

Ling’ai quickly waved her hand. “I appreciate the elders’ kindness, but please—there’s no need for a meal.”

Little Xing tugged at Ling’ai’s hand, his eyes full of hope. “Sister, please come! If you don’t, Grandfather and Grandmother will come in person to invite you themselves. They’re so old—could you really stand by and watch them run back and forth?”

It had to be said that Little Xing was quite skilled at persuasion—a single sentence had left Ling’ai with no room to refuse.

Seeing that Zheng Shucheng also looked a little tense as he watched her, Ling’ai finally nodded. “All right then.”

The truth was, she very much wanted to see Zheng Yun’s home.

Seeing that Ling’ai had agreed, Little Xing immediately began bouncing ahead to lead the way.

The Zheng family’s residence was like the other homes in the village—not especially large. It was a small courtyard enclosed on four sides, with a row of outer rooms by the gate. These gate-side rooms were unoccupied, used instead to store various tools and odds and ends.

Passing through the main gate, one entered a bright, open courtyard that had been kept spotlessly clean, revealing the owner to be someone both neat and hardworking.

Zheng Yun’s two older brothers both lived with their parents, and the whole family shared the courtyard in daily harmony and warmth.

Both of Zheng Yun’s older brothers were simple, honest men. They had a large peach orchard on the mountain, and like the other villagers, they made their living growing peaches to support the family.

After the autumn peach harvest, they would take on odd jobs as well, never truly idle throughout the year.

When Ling’ai met Zheng Yun’s mother, she understood at once where Zheng Yun got his looks—he closely resembled his mother. Though the old woman was nearly sixty, even her plain, unassuming clothes could not conceal the grace she must have possessed in her youth.

Zheng Yun’s father stood ramrod straight, with sharp, bright eyes and a brisk stride—clearly a man who had trained his body all his life.

Zheng Yun had mentioned before that their village had once produced a great general, and because of that general, the custom of practicing martial arts had continued to this day.

In Peach Blossom Village, whether old or young, man or woman, nearly everyone could wield a spear or staff. Zheng Yun’s father was among the finest of them, and Zheng Yun himself had surpassed his teacher entirely.

“Miss Ling, please come in!” Zheng Yun’s mother came out to welcome her with delight. She had apparently been cooking—she wore an apron around her waist, and upon seeing Ling’ai, instinctively wiped her hands on it.

Ling’ai felt a natural warmth toward the Zheng family. Zheng Yun’s mother had a kind and gentle face, and although his father had an air of authority about him, he did not seem intimidating in the least.

Zheng Yun’s two older brothers were straightforward and good-natured. The two sisters-in-law appeared gentle and pleasant as well—the eldest was talkative, and the second liked to laugh.

Little Xing was the eldest grandchild, with two younger sisters. With the whole family gathered together, there was no need for grand gestures or elaborate words—the scene simply radiated warmth and togetherness.

Ling’ai had grown up in Hui Village relying only on herself, and had never known what it felt like to have a family gathered around like this. The adults talked, the children played, and when the food was brought to the table, the fragrant aromas made one’s mouth water.

“Miss Ling, treat this place like your own home—don’t stand on ceremony,” Zheng Yun’s mother said warmly, urging Ling’ai to eat.

Ling’ai was still a little reserved, though she was already far more relaxed than before.

“It’s just simple home cooking—please don’t think it too humble.”

In this season, there were not many fine ingredients to be had, yet the Zheng family’s table was still quite abundant.

“The wild pheasant was just caught by Second Son in the mountains, and the fish were caught from the river,” said Zheng Yun’s mother. “Around here we live off what the mountains and waters provide. Miss Ling, please eat up—no need to be polite.”

Little Xing sat beside Ling’ai, and Zheng Yun’s mother placed a chicken wing into her bowl.

Ling’ai noticed the child gazing at it longingly and transferred it into his bowl instead. “Little Xing, you eat it—but don’t eat too much. You’re still taking medicine, so you need to avoid heavy foods.”

Little Xing glanced at his parents. Zheng Shucheng smiled and gave a small nod.

However, rather than eating it himself, Little Xing gave it to his youngest little sister.

Ling’ai was touched to see a child his age already knowing how to look out for his younger siblings, and she reached out to pat his head affectionately. Little Xing grinned at her in return.

The natural harmony between the two of them was plain for everyone to see—as though these two were somehow fated to meet.

“Miss Ling, you’ve come such a long way. Were you looking for someone, or here on business?” Zheng Yun’s mother asked with concern.

Ling’ai smiled. “A friend told me the scenery here is beautiful, so I wanted to come and see it for myself. It’s just that my timing is off.”

“The scenery here truly is lovely. Every year when the peach blossoms bloom, people come from far and wide just to see them.”

“Miss Ling, will you be staying in the village for a few days?”

Ling’ai set down her chopsticks. “Yesterday I heard that many villagers here suffer from back and leg pain. I’d like to stay for a while and help treat people. My skills are far from complete, but I hope I can at least be of some use.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Zheng Shucheng said happily. “Medical care around here isn’t advanced—we only have Doctor Sun, who can do little more than prescribe medicine for colds and headaches. If Miss Ling could stay here for some time, it would truly be a blessing for our Peach Blossom Village.”

Ling’ai quickly waved her hand. “Everything I know is only surface-level.”

“Miss Ling is too modest.” Zheng Yun’s mother placed a piece of chicken into her bowl. “Eat more—have some soup too. It’s cold outside, and soup will warm you up.”

After the meal, Ling’ai examined Zheng Yun’s father’s legs. His father had suffered from severe rheumatism brought on by years of physical labor and martial arts training—every time it rained, the pain was bad enough to keep him awake at night.

Ling’ai performed acupuncture on him, then wrote out a prescription.

“Boil these medicinal ingredients together into a medicinal plaster, and apply a fresh one each day.”

Zheng Shucheng took the prescription and looked it over, as though he had something to say but was holding back.

“Zheng elder brother, what is it?”

Zheng Shucheng said a little awkwardly, “The medicinal ingredients on this list—Doctor Sun probably won’t have all of them in stock.”

“I noticed that Peach Blossom Village has many mountains and forests with rich soil. Two of these medicines require the root and stem, and even in this season those can still be dug up,” Ling’ai said. “I can draw a picture of each one, and you can look for them using my drawings.”

“That would be perfect!” Zheng Shucheng said happily. “Thank you so much, Miss Ling.”

After Ling’ai finished writing the prescription, Zheng Yun’s mother brought over the teapot and warmly kept Ling’ai there to talk.

Looking at the face before her—so very similar to Zheng Yun’s—Ling’ai felt momentarily lost in a daze.

“Miss Ling, are you married?” Zheng Yun’s mother asked casually, and the question made Ling’ai pause.

But she did not deny it, and lightly nodded her head. “I was, but we’ve separated now.”

“What kind of person has such poor judgment? A girl as wonderful as Miss Ling—you’d have to search high and low with a lantern and still not find another like her.”

The eldest sister-in-law couldn’t help chiming in. “Miss Ling, are you thinking of finding someone new, or…?”

Ling’ai shook her head. “I don’t have any plans for that at the moment. When I return, I intend to study abroad—I likely won’t come back for four or five years.”

“Studying abroad is a fine thing. With the country in such turmoil these days, going abroad to lie low for a while isn’t a bad idea at all.” The eldest sister-in-law turned to the second. “Third Brother is also in Shun Cheng—he’s no longer young either. Why doesn’t he bring a wife home? Mother and Father are practically frantic.”

“Third Brother is too picky. An ordinary girl won’t do for him. And he’s a man of few words—any girl who ends up with him will be half bored to death in a matter of days.”

“Third Brother has been promoted now, and he’s earned the Young Commander’s favor. They say his future is limitless—so I imagine his standards have gone up even higher. Who knows what kind of woman would be good enough for him.”

“With the Young Commander taking charge of things, what are you worried about, Sister?”

The two sisters-in-law spoke in low voices, but Ling’ai caught every word without missing a syllable.

Inside her heart, she let out a quiet, bitter smile. They were right. Given where Zheng Yun stood now, she truly did not know what kind of woman would be worthy of him.