The night was black as ink, West Street was deserted without a soul in sight.

The lantern beneath the “Renxin Medical Hall” plaque shone exceptionally bright, casting a red glow even on the sparse-leafed plum tree in front of the door.

The small courtyard was filled with lively voices.

Today was New Year’s Eve. Since Old Master Du’s passing, Du Changqing no longer had any relatives visiting his home. Thinking it would be too dreary for the two young ladies Lu Tong and Yin Zheng to spend the New Year alone in a foreign place, he volunteered to move the New Year’s Eve dinner to the medical hall. Considering that Miao Liangfang was also alone now without family or close friends, he had A’Cheng invite Miao Liangfang as well.

The usually quiet courtyard behind the medical hall was unusually lively tonight.

Yin Zheng carried the last dish of steamed sea bass from the kitchen, walking toward the wooden table where everyone sat: “Make way, careful not to get burned—”

The small courtyard wasn’t large to begin with. When they moved the table inside and gathered so many people, it seemed quite cramped, but perhaps because of this cramped intimacy, even the winter night’s cold was dispelled.

Du Changqing stared at the fish dish Yin Zheng was carrying.

Without any decorative garnish, two sea bass lay sprawled unceremoniously on the plate, their tails half-raised, four large eyes staring straight up at the sky with a look of dying with eyes wide open that immediately killed one’s appetite.

“Miss Yin Zheng,” Du Changqing pointed at the two dead fish, “with such culinary skills, can you face these two deceased fish?”

Yin Zheng set the fish plate down on the table with a “clang,” giving him a fake smile: “When the master was brutally slaughtering them, why didn’t you ask if you could face them?”

Du Changqing was speechless.

The two sea bass were return gifts from Master Hu, delivered alive and kicking, clearly plump and delicious. However, when it came time to kill the fish, they encountered difficulties. Du Changqing wanted to show off in front of the two young ladies, so he pushed Lu Tong aside and volunteered: “What’s a young lady doing with such bloody work? Watch the master!”

Who would have thought that after a full hour, Du Changqing was still chasing those two fish around the kitchen.

The fish remained unharmed while he injured himself eight thousand times over.

Later, Lu Tong took over his unfinished task, and with swift movements of her hand and knife, killed and gutted the fish, finally enabling tonight’s dish to reach the table.

A’Cheng said with a smile: “It’s fine, we still have the cured meat Brother Dai sent, the fermented duck from Sister Song, the pig’s trotters from Tailor Ge…”

Among the five people at Renxin Medical Hall, while Lu Tong and Yin Zheng could cook, they were only capable of making food edible and not fatal. Du Changqing had been pampered since childhood with food brought to his mouth and clothes put on his body, only knowing how to make scrambled eggs his entire life.

Needless to say, Miao Liangfang had money to eat noodles and when poor would drink porridge. His broken-down house only had one pot, so his culinary skills were naturally mediocre.

Only A’Cheng could manage a couple of dishes, but with so many people and A’Cheng being just a child, they couldn’t expect him alone to prepare an entire table of New Year’s Eve dinner.

Unfortunately, on New Year’s Eve, almost all restaurants and taverns in Shengjing were closed. Du Changqing had to swallow his pride and go door to door like a beggar, knocking on neighbors’ doors to see if he could exchange silver for some dishes.

Fortunately, over the past year, Renxin Medical Hall’s reputation on West Street had gradually improved, and Yin Zheng had maintained good relationships with the neighbors. Most were willing to give without taking silver.

Tailor Ge contributed a bowl of pig’s trotters, Sister Song gave a plate of fermented duck, Widow Sun donated half a pot of ham and shrimp ball stew, and Dai Saburo sent freshly cured pork leg meat—in gratitude for Renxin Medical Hall making him more handsome than Pan An.

Through this patchwork approach, with A’Cheng and Yin Zheng randomly stir-frying some vegetables, steaming a fish, and adding the tusu wine bought a month ago, they managed to assemble a respectable New Year’s Eve dinner.

With the dishes steaming hot, Du Changqing stood up and filled everyone’s wine bowls with tusu wine. The wine was freshly opened, and its rich aroma was immediately noticeable.

Du Changqing raised his wine bowl, gazing at the red plum tree blooming in the courtyard, feeling quite emotional.

“This tree was nearly dead a few years ago. Doctor Lu truly lives up to being a miraculous female physician with the hands to bring spring back to life, able to make withered trees bloom again. Truly remarkable.”

Everyone followed his gaze to the plum tree in the courtyard. Originally gaunt and withered, it was now adorned with deep red blossoms throughout its branches, casting dancing shadows on the wooden windows that looked festive.

Miao Liangfang said: “The edge of a sword comes from grinding, the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold. Manager Du has also reached the end of hardship and the beginning of sweetness.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

When Lu Tong first came to Renxin Medical Hall, the clinic was run-down and dilapidated, with even the front plaque hanging crooked, looking like it would close down tomorrow.

In just one short year, from barely making ends meet to gaining some reputation, with West Street neighbors coming to Renxin Medical Hall for any aches and pains, it truly counted as reaching the end of hardship and the beginning of sweetness.

Du Changqing raised his wine bowl toward Lu Tong, saying solemnly: “Doctor Lu, your master toasts you a bowl, thanking you for fulfilling my father’s dying wish. Without you turning the tide, this medical hall would have failed in my hands sooner or later, and my father wouldn’t rest peacefully in the afterlife.”

“Thank you!” He clinked his wine bowl with Lu Tong’s and drained it in one gulp.

Seeing this, A’Cheng quickly stood up as well, holding his small bowl with both hands.

He was still a child and couldn’t drink alcohol, so Yin Zheng had specially bought him fruit juice.

The little assistant held his fruit juice, smiling at Lu Tong: “Doctor Lu, A’Cheng also toasts you. After you and Miss Yin Zheng came, the master has been visibly happier day by day.”

“Since the old master passed away, this servant hasn’t seen the young master this happy in a long time.”

Du Changqing kicked him: “When is your young master not happy?”

A’Cheng rubbed his bottom: “Now you’re even happier!”

Lu Tong picked up her wine bowl and had barely taken a sip when Yin Zheng’s wine bowl was already in front of her.

“Miss,” Yin Zheng leaned close to her ear and whispered: “This servant also thanks you, thanks you for saving my life, and thanks you for letting me follow you, giving me a place to stay here.”

She was grateful to Lu Tong. Without Lu Tong, she would have long become dust in the mass graves of Sunan. She never expected to have such a stable life now, guarding a small medical hall, listening to neighbors’ daily gossip, with days passing peacefully like this.

“What are you two whispering about?” Du Changqing frowned. “What words can’t this master hear?”

Yin Zheng looked disdainful: “Women’s whispered conversations—what business does a grown man have listening?”

Du Changqing scoffed, “Who cares?” Then seeing Miao Liangfang sitting motionless as a mountain, he said: “Why aren’t you toasting?”

“What should I toast?” Miao Liangfang swept his sleeve, very proudly: “Now I’m teaching Little Lu, so I’m half her teacher. Only students toast teachers—where have you seen teachers actively toasting students?”

Today he wore a brand-new brown round-collar jacket that Du Changqing had paid for at the neighboring Tailor Ge’s shop. He had also trimmed his beard and combed his messy hair into a neat topknot. Setting aside everything else, paired with his deeply lined old face, this appearance of a seasoned physician looked more convincing to patients than Lu Tong’s beautiful young lady appearance.

“Stop trying to claim credit.” Du Changqing sneered. “Our Doctor Lu has medical skills comparable to Hanlin Medical Academy physicians, created medicines that caused a sensation in Shengjing, clearly trained by a master. She has a proper teacher—what need does she have for a washed-up old medical officer like you to teach her?”

Miao Liangfang choked, glaring angrily at Du Changqing.

Though very angry, this statement was irrefutable.

After spending these days with Lu Tong, Miao Liangfang could see that Lu Tong possessed real skills. Her diagnostic talents, the prescriptions she casually wrote, the precision of her acupuncture techniques—each would be worthy of amazing those old fellows at the Imperial Medical Bureau, though her methods were somewhat unorthodox.

She must have had a highly skilled teacher whose medical arts far surpassed the current palace physicians. Except for telling everyone that this teacher had passed away, Lu Tong never revealed a single clue about this teacher from beginning to end, perhaps to protect her teacher—masters always had their temperaments.

Miao Liangfang sighed: “Little Lu, your teacher was really good, teaching you so well.”

With so many prescriptions and so much pharmacological knowledge, Lu Tong’s medical skills at such a young age far exceeded many old physicians, which could only mean her teacher had taught her everything without reservation. In all honesty, Miao Liangfang himself couldn’t achieve such complete selflessness, showing the teacher’s high character and wholehearted love for the disciple.

Lu Tong said nothing. After a while, she lowered her head, took a sip of tusu wine from her bowl, and said: “Yes.”

“She was very good to me.”

Her voice was very soft, like a wisp of cool breeze, broken in the next moment by Du Changqing’s loud voice.

“Let us toast this good teacher, thanking her for carefully instructing our Doctor Lu, for teaching us West Street a female divine physician—”

“Thank the good teacher!” A’Cheng cheered and clapped.

“Thank the good teacher—”

The cheering and clapping almost drowned out the sound of firecrackers from other courtyards on West Street.

A’Cheng jumped down from his stool, bent down and dragged out a large copper plate from under the table. The plate contained several red oranges and persimmons, with some cypress branches nestled beside them. He broke the cypress branches and split open the persimmons and oranges, shouting: “May all things be auspicious!”

Lu Tong froze.

The copper plate before her reflected hazy light under the courtyard’s candlelight.

The woman sitting at the table stared at the large plate full of persimmons and oranges at her feet, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Many years ago, when she was still a little girl, every New Year’s Eve night, her mother would also set out such a large plate, having the children in the house take turns breaking the cypress branches.

“Cypress, persimmons, oranges”—symbolizing “may all things be auspicious.”

She was young then and always fussed about being first to break a persimmon, but being small and weak, she often couldn’t break them well, getting juice all over her hands and staining her new dress.

When she pouted to cry, her mother would sternly stop her: “Today is New Year’s Eve—crying brings bad luck!”

Lu Rou would then lean over and quietly move the dumpling with a coin from her own bowl to Lu Tong’s bowl.

Before Lu Tong could smile, the dumpling was swiftly snatched from her bowl by Lu Qian, who made a face at her: “Thanks!”

“Waaah—”

The tears she had held back for so long finally flowed.

Lu Tong’s memories of New Year’s Eve were always lively, until after leaving Changwu County.

Besides testing medicines and feeding her antidotes on schedule, Yunniang was absent from the mountain most of the time. Lu Tong spent seven years on Plum Drop Peak, and during those seven years, she spent every New Year’s Eve alone.

In the first few years after arriving at Plum Drop Peak, Lu Tong secretly hoped each year wouldn’t be spent alone. Sometimes, she would rather have Yunniang stay on the mountain to test medicines on her than spend New Year’s Eve alone on the mountain.

The pain of testing medicines was better than the loneliness of keeping vigil alone.

During such festive times, one’s loneliness was infinitely magnified.

But in the end, she could only arrange the dead branches she had gathered with some unripe wild fruits, placing them in an iron basin, breaking them apart by herself, softly saying to herself—

May all things be auspicious.

“May all things be auspicious—” laughter filled the courtyard.

An inexplicable emotion flashed in Lu Tong’s eyes.

For many years, for the first time, she wasn’t saying “may all things be auspicious” to herself alone.

Yin Zheng raised her wine bowl and came over. She was truly happy, having drunk quite a bit, her cheeks flushed red, eyes bright as she looked at Lu Tong.

“Miss,” she asked, “is it too noisy?”

Lu Tong shook her head.

Yin Zheng sighed in relief: “That’s good. I was worried you prefer quiet, and with so many people making noise, you’d be unhappy.”

Lu Tong lowered her eyelashes, her voice very soft: “I won’t be.”

She had stayed on Plum Drop Peak for too many years, had said “Happy New Year” to herself too many times, so much that she had almost forgotten—she actually loved liveliness.

She was originally very afraid of loneliness.

Du Changqing was still shouting over there: “Let us wish Doctor Lu early success in the spring examinations, outshining all others!”

Miao Liangfang threw cold water: “With so many Imperial Medical Bureau descendants, still talking about outshining? Such boastful talk.”

“Why not? As the saying goes, misfortune in love brings fortune in exams. Our Doctor Lu has had a troubled romantic path—that useless fiancé and Young Master Dong, one more unreliable than the other. Maybe she’ll succeed in the exams!”

“What? Doctor Lu has a fiancé? When did this happen?”

“Hah, that’s not important anyway. How can men compare to one’s future prospects?”

“That’s true too.”

A’Cheng stared at the sky above the small courtyard, murmuring: “Tonight at midnight, Dechun Stage will set off fireworks. We can see them from our courtyard.”

“Great,” Du Changqing said with drunken eyes, pointing at the sky jokingly, “Rich people spend money, common people enjoy it. Not taking advantage would be foolish—tonight we must keep vigil until midnight!”

This New Year’s Eve dinner didn’t last until midnight.

Du Changqing got drunk.

The young master had put on airs of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but before finishing one jar of tusu wine, he had slipped under the table.

This alone would have been fine, but he was also a bad drunk. Once intoxicated, he caused chaos throughout the courtyard and vomited filth everywhere.

Miao Liangfang couldn’t stand it anymore and said to Lu Tong: “Having a young man sleep drunkenly in your courtyard would be inappropriate and cause gossip if others knew.”

With that, he called A’Cheng, and together they carried the completely drunk Du Changqing home first.

After the three left, the small courtyard immediately became much quieter. Yin Zheng swayed as she stood up: “I’ll clean up the room,” but was stopped by Lu Tong.

Yin Zheng had also drunk quite a bit today, probably from happiness. Since following Lu Tong, she had always been anxious, but New Year’s Eve could make anyone cast aside everything and immerse themselves in this temporary joy.

Lu Tong helped Yin Zheng into the room, removed her shoes and socks, wiped her face clean, tucked her under the covers, left the room, and gently closed the door.

The night was cold and quiet, with occasional firecracker sounds in the distance. The small courtyard was a mess of cups and plates after the feast, reflecting the awkwardness after the songs ended and people departed.

There are no banquets under heaven that don’t end. Next New Year’s Eve, she probably wouldn’t spend it with them anymore.

Lu Tong crouched down, picking up the overturned wine jars and cups from the ground, dumping the leftover food into the slop bucket along with them, carefully wiping the wooden table clean and moving it back to its original position.

She returned to the kitchen to clean the stove and wash the day’s dishes.

She washed very slowly, as if this could make the New Year pass more slowly. Finally, she brought clean water and by candlelight, splashed it over the courtyard’s stone slabs.

The stone slabs, after being washed, were clean and shining, reflecting the moon in the sky like flowing water.

The moonlight gazed at her tenderly. The small courtyard returned to its original tidiness, all traces of the feast completely erased. Those laughs, noisy chatter, off-key singing, straightforward and nearly crude toasts, along with the shadows of those people, all disappeared.

Only the plum tree’s flowering branches swayed.

Lu Tong held the large copper plate, placing it on the stone platform under the eaves by the courtyard edge.

In the copper plate, broken cypress branches clustered around split red oranges and ripe persimmons, looking especially festive and lively.

She didn’t dump the contents of this copper plate into the waste slop bucket, perhaps out of reluctance to waste it, or perhaps out of reluctance to part with it.

The winter night was cold and clear, the moonlight also cool. She stopped in front of the stone platform, reached out, took the split honey orange from the copper plate, peeled off the orange skin, and put a section of honey orange in her mouth.

The orange section was very cold, like sweet snow, sliding down her throat. Because it was overripe, it was so sweet it was bitter.

She stood in the courtyard, silently eating an entire honey orange.

The night wind gradually picked up, scraping across her face until her cheeks hurt from the cold. After finishing the orange, Lu Tong softly said to the lively copper plate: “May all things be auspicious.”

May all things be auspicious.

She remembered Du Changqing standing on the table swearing to learn how to kill fish, Miao Liangfang poking his face with his walking stick from under the table, A’Cheng begging Yin Zheng to make him a rabbit-shaped colored ribbon, and Yin Zheng frantically gesturing the rabbit’s shape with her hands…

The courtyard was quiet and lonely. Lu Tong smiled slightly.

She didn’t know if the future would bring good fortune in all things—that sounded too extravagant—but tonight, at least tonight, she gained brief comfort from this blessing…

And warmth.

Lu Tong returned to the front of her bedroom. The door still had the large red tasseled knot A’Cheng had woven, an auspicious tassel that could ward off evil and bring good fortune.

She pushed the door and walked in.

She hadn’t blown out the lamp when leaving, so the oil lamp on the desk was still lit. Lu Tong closed the door, walked two steps inside, the smile still lingering on her lips, when suddenly her hair stood on end and she sharply looked toward the window.

In the dim candlelight, someone was standing there at some unknown time.

That person leaned against the desk corner, looking down at a thin sheet of paper in his hands. Hearing the movement, he looked up, revealing a familiar face.

Pei Yunying.

Lu Tong’s expression turned cold.

Pei Yunying stared into Lu Tong’s eyes.

The young man’s delicate features appeared unusually gentle in the hazy lamplight. His knife-wielding hand had distinct knuckles, long and beautiful, loosely holding that thin sheet of paper.

Clearly smiling, yet his eyes were as cold as snow.

“Is this your revenge list?” He flicked the paper roll in his hand casually: “Why is my name on it too?”

Lu Tong’s pupils contracted.

On that thin paper roll, densely packed with names, some crossed out, some appearing newly added, looking like black worms painted on or curses pierced into skin under the candlelight, emanating coldness and eeriness.

Lu Tong’s whole body tensed as she coldly stared at the person before her.

The young man smiled, looking at Lu Tong, walking toward her step by step against the light and shadow.

“Let’s talk.”

“Third Miss Lu, Lu Min,” he said flatly.