After two consecutive days of rain, the sky finally cleared on the morning of the third day. The gardenia fragrance beneath the leaves at the alley entrance was gone, leaving only scattered broken branches on the ground. Duan Xiaoxian got up early, specially changing into a new peacock-green cross-collared brocade robe, with a pouch decorated with playing ducks hanging at his waist, and happily went to find Pei Yunying.
Today was the day of Benevolent Heart Medical Clinic’s fiftieth anniversary celebration.
The clinic had only sent an invitation to Pei Yunying, not considering others, so Duan Xiaoxian had sneaked over to the clinic himself and shamelessly asked Yinzheng for one.
Arriving at the Pei mansion, Duan Xiaoxian greeted Qingfeng, and upon entering, saw Pei Yunying walking out of his room.
He wore a vermillion swallow-patterned round-collared wide-sleeved brocade robe with a black rhinoceros belt at his waist, which accentuated his fair complexion, making him look strikingly handsome and dignified.
But Duan Xiaoxian frowned.
“Brother, this outfit looks too much like your official uniform. People might think you’re going on duty, about to raid the clinic again.”
Seemingly reminded of the unpleasant memory of raiding Benevolent Heart Medical Clinic that autumn night, Pei Yunying’s expression briefly faltered. After a moment, he glanced at him and turned back toward his room.
Duan Xiaoxian hurriedly followed him in.
Pei Yunying entered the room, walked to the dark rosewood eight-immortals wardrobe behind the screen, opened the cabinet doors, and reached in to take out a black hawk-patterned narrow-sleeved brocade robe.
Duan Xiaoxian’s head peered forward, shaking in critique: “Not good. Doctor Lu usually likes to wear white, if you wear black, won’t you two look like the Black and White Impermanence?”
Pei Yunying: “…”
He picked up a tea-white flowing robe, but was stopped by Duan Xiaoxian’s alarmed intervention: “It’s a celebration, wearing white would be so inauspicious, no good, no good!”
With a “swoosh.”
Pei Yunying dropped the clothes in his hand and spoke calmly: “Duan Xiaoxian.”
“Yes!”
The youth was startled, quickly defending himself: “I’m telling the truth, if you don’t believe me, ask Qingfeng.”
Qingfeng, who was passing by the door, quickly turned his head to look at the sky.
Duan Xiaoxian looked at him earnestly, “Brother, I’m helping you. Today at the clinic’s celebration, Young Master Ji from the Medical Academy will be there too.”
“That young master is quite handsome too. When the banquet starts and the men begin their subtle competition, whoever looks worse will be embarrassed. If Young Master Ji dresses up splendidly and wins Doctor Lu’s heart in one fell swoop, the taste of jealousy would be quite bitter.”
Pei Yunying gave a slight cold laugh: “Ridiculous, why would I be jealous?”
“Because Deputy Commander Xiao said women value their first husbands…”
The remaining words gradually died in Pei Yunying’s icy gaze.
Duan Xiaoxian coughed lightly, voluntarily turning toward Pei Yunying’s wardrobe: “Brother, don’t worry, with me here, I won’t let our Palace Guard lose face to others. I’ll help you dress up—”
He opened the wardrobe.
Pei Yunying had many clothes, most made for him by Pei Yunshu’s arrangements. Being naturally good-looking, he wasn’t particular about clothes, looking imposingly handsome even in his official uniform. Therefore, the wardrobe was mostly filled with black, white, and the vermillion of official uniforms, though there were other colors, just rarely worn.
Duan Xiaoxian looked through them critically, finally pulling out a brocade robe from the furthest corner of the wardrobe.
It was a new palace brocade flowing robe, in a clean light blue color, embroidered with fine snow-white cloud patterns, appearing clean and cool at first glance.
“This one’s good!” Duan Xiaoxian praised.
Pei Yunying glanced at it, his brow slightly furrowing.
This was made for him at Pei Yunshu’s order.
He had never liked wearing such gentle, light colors, so although it had been made long ago, it had been left in the wardrobe, never worn, until Duan Xiaoxian found it.
“This color is excellent!” Duan Xiaoxian held up the robe enthusiastically, “Brother, think about it, besides white clothes, blue is what Doctor Lu loves to wear most.”
“If you wear blue today, and she wears blue too, your unplanned matching would show great chemistry. When Young Master Ji sees that, won’t he know to back off? Right, Qingfeng?”
Qingfeng, standing at the door, earnestly looked into the distance, pretending not to hear Duan Xiaoxian’s words.
Pei Yunying looked at the robe.
The light blue robe resembled the sky after rain, or the pale waters of a lake, its cool tone indeed similar to another person’s temperament.
The youth at his side was still asking: “Brother, how about wearing this one?”
He turned his eyes away and snorted.
“No.”
…
“Pop-pop-crack!”
In front of Benevolent Heart Medical Clinic, the atmosphere was lively.
Bright red firecrackers hung on the plum tree branches and exploded festively, their scattered paper fragments decorating the branches, adding spots of crimson to the deep green.
Du Changqing piled woven grass containers on the long table at the entrance, containing cooling medicinal tea that patients coming to buy medicine could take for free.
Acheng and Yinzheng stood outside the clinic, distributing some brewed medicinal tea to passersby. Though they couldn’t give away expensive items like the grand restaurants on Qinghe Street did for their openings, it wouldn’t do to just say “welcome back” and give out red papers with “strong body, long life like the divine parasol tree” written by Yinzheng.
Lin Danqing also received a red paper.
Lin Danqing had come early. The Medical Academy was on break, so she didn’t need to ask for leave and had planned her time to come help first thing in the morning.
While Du Changqing and Acheng were busy outside, Lin Danqing followed Lu Tong into the inner shop. The shops had been connected, two rooms made into one, with all the old wall surfaces carefully repaired, and new medicine cabinets clean and shining, looking completely renewed at first glance.
Under the medical texts on the table were several book volumes. Sharp-eyed Lin Danqing pulled one out, exclaiming in surprise: “‘Double Love Story’… Little Sister Lu, you like reading these too?”
Lu Tong was startled for a moment: “No.”
“I read them,” Yinzheng smiled, taking the book from Lin Danqing’s hand. “Earlier when I went to Yasi Book House to buy firecrackers and paintings, Shopkeeper Luo threw these in as extras. Sometimes when the clinic is quiet, I read these novels to pass the time.”
“Novels?” Lu Tong was puzzled.
She was usually busy attending to patients and helping the clinic prepare medicines, not knowing when Yinzheng had become interested in these.
“Yes,” Yinzheng explained with a smile, “It’s about true and false young ladies in a noble household – true and false young ladies, love after marriage, siblings in love, fake death to escape, and finally reuniting broken mirrors, everyone happy in the end, it’s quite interesting.”
Lu Tong was bewildered.
This sounded a bit far-fetched.
Lin Danqing blinked: “I read this one before, but stopped halfway through.”
Yinzheng was confused: “Why? Did it go off track?”
“Not really, just later when I got to the part where the female character was injured and bedridden, and the prince yelled at the Imperial Physicians: ‘If you can’t cure her, you’ll all die with her,’ I couldn’t read anymore.”
Lin Danqing shuddered: “Who could keep reading that? Doctors aren’t scapegoats.”
Lu Tong: “…”
Seeing Lu Tong’s expression of speechlessness, Lin Danqing sighed: “Actually, I used to love reading these. But later, firstly, preparing for the spring examination was quite busy. Secondly, some novels are written too fantastically.”
“The one demanding Imperial Physicians die with the patient, at most shows poor character. Some novels are even more excessive, writing about newlyweds going thirteen times in one night…” she leaned close to Lu Tong and lowered her voice, “We’re both medical practitioners, isn’t that ridiculous?”
Yinzheng couldn’t help but burst out laughing with a “pfft,” and seeing Lin Danqing look over, quickly explained: “Maybe, maybe the novel writers are just making things up…”
“Easy to say,” Lin Danqing seriously refuted, “but if female readers believe it to be true, thinking all men in the world are like that. Then when they get married and find it’s completely different from what’s written in the novels, they might think something’s wrong with the man, wouldn’t that ruin marriages?”
“My ancestors said, it better to tear down a temple than ruin a marriage, that would be a great sin.”
Her far-reaching concerns left Lu Tong and Yinzheng momentarily speechless.
As they fell silent, suddenly the sound of hoofbeats came from outside, and the young apprentice’s excited voice rang out: “Guests have arrived, please come in quickly!”
Lu Tong turned to look.
Under the plum tree at the entrance, a carriage had stopped. A green-clothed youth jumped down from the carriage, deftly lifting the curtain, followed by a blue-clothed young man.
This young man wore a light blue robe, his long hair tied up with a jade hairpin, with dark hair and bright eyes, handsome and refined, very proper and courteous. As he descended from the carriage, his robes swayed slightly in the wind like ripples on a lake’s surface.
In the scorching summer sun, when this young man alighted, it was as if a cool breeze from a bamboo grove swept through, dispelling the stuffy heat, and making people feel particularly refreshed and calm.
Widow Sun and Sister Song were using bamboo tubes to get some of the free medicinal tea Du Changqing was distributing at the entrance. Seeing this, they both froze for a moment. Widow Sun nudged Du Changqing’s arm, quietly asking: “Manager Du, who is this delicate handsome man?”
Du Changqing’s hand paused while scooping the medicinal soup, and he replied irritably: “A quack.”
Lin Danqing rubbed her chin, whispering in Lu Tong’s ear: “Doctor Ji looks quite handsome when not wearing his Medical Academy robes, doesn’t he?”
Lu Tong remained silent, put down the medicine pot in her hand, and turned to walk toward the entrance.
Seeing Du Changqing’s expression, he wasn’t planning to welcome the guests.
Just as she reached the entrance before she could speak to Ji Xun, suddenly another sound of hoofbeats was heard.
These hoofbeats were more urgent than the previous ones, and as they drew closer, another vermillion-wheeled carriage stopped in front of Benevolent Heart Medical Clinic, pulling up next to Ji Xun’s carriage under the plum tree.
“Doctor Lu—”
Before the person arrived, the voice came first. A green-clothed youth jumped down from the carriage, his voice cheerful. Behind him, someone lifted the carriage curtain and bent down to exit.
Everyone looked forward.
A young man wearing a light blue palace brocade flowing robe stepped down from the carriage.
This young man was also handsome.
His features weren’t like the previous one’s cool and faint like ink paintings, but rather sharp and striking, captivating. Yet when he raised the corner of his lips, a dimple appeared faintly.
Thus the sharpness turned to warmth, and the cool wind from the vast bamboo grove was suddenly illuminated by the warm sun.
In front of the clinic, amid the bustling crowd, the noise gradually faded, as attention was drawn to the two men standing by the carriages.
The same light blue robes, the same outstanding handsomeness, yet the same color worn by different people appeared entirely different.
One was cool and otherworldly, like a mountain breeze, like serene lake waters, always veiled in a light mist; the other was striking and dazzling, distinguished and imposing, like the sky after rain, like a clear summer night, clean and bright.
The swaying tree shadows fell on the stone steps, and the two men at the clinic entrance made even West Street’s narrow dirt road seem more elegant.
Sister Song clutched her chest, then looked at Du Changqing waving his ladle before her, suddenly feeling that this usually handsome young owner looked somewhat dimmer today.
When the two blue-robed young men’s gazes met, they both froze for a moment, as the colors were indeed too similar.
At the entrance, Old Miao Liangfang, who had been lowering his head to arrange the red characters, widened his bleary old eyes and looked at Lin Danqing: “Doctor Lin, are these new official robes from the Imperial Medical Academy?” Then puzzled, “Why did they give Commander Pei one too?”
Du Changqing threw down his ladle and folded his arms, sneering: “This is truly astounding.”
Lu Tong: “…”
On the other side, Pei Yunying had also noticed Ji Xun’s robe, his expression faltering, and his gaze toward Duan Xiaoxian instantly turned cold.
Duan Xiaoxian choked.
“A miscalculation.” The youth was devastated, whispering: “Who knew this Young Master Ji would be so calculating, now it looks like you two are matching unintentionally… Brother, you have better looks, enough to outshine everyone.”
“Besides, why care about him? Young Master Ji is an accident, as long as we match Doctor Lu’s color…”
The youth’s voice suddenly disappeared when he saw Lu Tong.
Pei Yunying looked ahead.
Standing at the clinic entrance was a woman wearing a yellow dress – a light yellow thin top with a turmeric-dyed embroidered silk skirt, her black hair pinned with a moss-green silk flower. Her beauty was radiant, her figure graceful, the colors perfectly balanced like a charming spring painting from Jiangnan.
It was Lu Tong.
Pei Yunying gave Duan Xiaoxian a flat look.
Duan Xiaoxian was speechless.
“She… she’s wearing yellow.”
After carefully plotting to wear blue, who knew she would wear yellow, yet accidentally matching the other man’s color – truly a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on one’s own feet, man’s plans falling short of heaven’s will.
Lu Tong was unaware of the thoughts turning in the minds of those under the tree, only slightly puzzled that Pei Yunying had worn a color he rarely wore. Her yellow dress had been tailored by Yinzheng at Ge’s tailor shop, who said it was the best-selling silk color in the shop, perfect for making dresses.
The fierce sun still blazed outside, and Yinzheng stepped forward with a smile, breaking the subtle awkwardness: “Doctor Ji and Young Master Pei have both arrived, please come in quickly, Acheng has already prepared tea.”
The two men exchanged glances, nodding slightly to acknowledge each other, and entered the inner shop one after the other.
Ji Xun’s apprentice Zhuling was carrying a large-bellied glass jar with a slender neck, struggling to place it on the tea table inside, then looked up and said in a crisp voice: “This is my master’s congratulatory gift, ‘Green Bamboo Extract.'”
Miao Liangfang: “Green Bamboo Extract?”
“For those with internal heat causing dizziness. In the summer heat, it’s easy to develop phlegm symptoms. My master made this Green Bamboo Extract himself, you can’t buy it outside.”
Zhuling spoke proudly, while behind him Du Changqing rolled his eyes dramatically, silently mouthing to Miao Liangfang: “Not worth much.”
Lu Tong accepted the glass jar, saying to Ji Xun: “Thank you.”
Ji Xun nodded: “It can be used at today’s celebration.”
Seeing this, Duan Xiaoxian, unwilling to be outdone, squeezed forward from behind, casually pushing Ji Xun aside, and smilingly placed his bamboo basket on the table: “My master also has a congratulatory gift, Doctor Lu, please look—”
Lu Tong lowered her eyes to look, and Ji Xun also started.
When the silk cloth covering the woven bamboo basket was lifted, inside were uneven black lumps and some dried twigs and grass.
Lin Danqing blinked: “Is this… medicinal herbs?”
“Correct!”
Duan Xiaoxian said solemnly: “After all, this is a medical clinic. Master felt that rather than sending flashy things, it’s better to send something more practical. Doctor Lu isn’t someone who covets money, so he had people find some rare medicinal herbs that are hard to obtain. This way, Doctor Lu can conveniently use them when making new medicines or developing new prescriptions.”
Rare medicinal herbs being hard to find wasn’t about their price, but rather that some herbs were difficult to obtain in Shenjing due to regional or environmental reasons. She briefly looked through them, and some were even herbs that the Imperial Pharmacy rarely had, causing her to glance at Pei Yunying.
This gift was very thoughtful.
Seeing her look, Pei Yunying curved his lips, saying leisurely: “Doctor Lu won’t return this gift, will she?”
These words carried deep meaning, and everyone around looked at the two of them.
Lu Tong closed the bamboo basket lid: “I won’t. Thank you, Commander Pei.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he smiled.
“Ahem—”
Du Changqing squeezed in from the entrance, his gaze sweeping between the two of them, saying with a forced smile: “I see it’s getting late, and everyone has arrived, so let’s not all crowd here at the entrance. Let’s go to the courtyard for the meal.”
“Acheng, set the table—”
Acheng responded, moving the medicine barrel inside, then locking the front door, cheering as he ran inside.
Only Duan Xiaoxian scratched his head, speaking in confusion: “Wasn’t this supposed to be a grand gathering of distinguished friends… is it just these few people?”
Of course, no one answered this question.
Yinzheng lifted the felt curtain, and everyone walked in successively.
The small courtyard had been cleaned once in advance, making it even more neat and refreshing. A canopy had been set up in the courtyard to block the fierce sun overhead, and with trees surrounding the courtyard, it wasn’t very hot. When an occasional breeze came, it even felt somewhat cool.
Everyone else had been to the courtyard several times before, only Ji Xun and Zhuling were here for the first time, walking more slowly.
“Master—” Zhuling tugged at Ji Xun’s sleeve, “There’s a plum tree by the window!”
Ji Xun didn’t care for most flowers, only loving plum blossoms and bamboo. Now he had a cluster of green bamboo growing outside his window, and in his childhood at the Ji family home, he had planted a white plum tree outside his window, but later became absorbed in making medicines, and being young then, sometimes dumped medicinal dregs under the plum tree, gradually causing it to wither and die.
Seeing him lost in thought, Yinzheng smiled and said: “This is Miss’s room. In winter when the flowers bloom, plum blossoms drift in when you open the window, it’s quite beautiful.”
She turned her head and saw that under the courtyard canopy, everyone had already gone to sit at the stone table in twos and threes, so she called out: “Doctor Ji, Acheng is setting the table, please take your seats.”
Ji Xun nodded in response.
He walked to the stone table, where Miao Liangfang and Duan Xiaoxian had already sat down. Lu Tong was arranging the bowls and chopsticks, while Acheng moved very efficiently, soon filling the entire table with dishes, placing those that wouldn’t fit on small wooden chairs in front of the stone table.
White-fried spring goose, clear-stewed quail, lychee kidney braised duck, mountain-boiled lamb, honey-preserved tofu, snow-mist soup, wine-braised conch…
Although some of the restaurant’s oily paper bags hadn’t been completely removed, still stuck slightly to the dishes.
But…
It was quite abundant.
Zhuling sat next to Acheng, Miao Liangfang and Yinzheng sat together, and Du Changqing took the “Green Bamboo Extract” that Zhuling had just brought, and told Lu Tong to sit down as well.
Ji Xun watched as Lu Tong sat down under the canopy, noticed the space beside her, hesitated slightly, and walked toward Lu Tong.
He still had some things he wanted to ask Lu Tong.
Lu Tong saw his movement and also started. Ji Xun walked to Lu Tong’s side, slightly lifting his robe hem, just about to sit down.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side.
“Excuse me—”
Ji Xun looked up.
Pei Yunying had walked over at some point.
The wind stirred the plum tree branches, and the opened Green Bamboo Extract gradually released its fresh fragrance. The young man stood before the two of them, his features bright and smiling, but his tone carried quite a bit of innocence.
“May I sit here?”
[Welcome to Season One of Liang Dynasty Shenjing’s Heart-Fluttering Signals Battle Arena (Not Really)]