It rained for two consecutive days, and on the morning of the third day, the sky finally cleared.

At the lane entrance, there was no longer any gardenia fragrance beneath the leaves, only fallen branches scattered on the ground. Duan Xiaoyan got up early in the morning and specially changed into a brand-new peacock green cross-collar brocade robe, with a pouch embroidered with water-playing ducks hanging at his waist, and happily went to find Pei Yunying.

Today was the day of Renxin Medical Clinic’s fiftieth anniversary celebration.

The clinic had only sent an invitation to Pei Yunying without considering anyone else, so Duan Xiaoyan had secretly gone to Renxin Medical Clinic himself and shamelessly asked Yin Zheng for one.

When he arrived at the Pei Manor, Duan Xiaoyan greeted Qing Feng. Upon entering the room, he saw Pei Yunying walking out from inside.

He wore a vermillion swallow-patterned round-collar wide-sleeved brocade robe with a black rhinoceros horn belt, which made his lips appear red and teeth white, handsome and distinguished—quite eye-catching at first glance.

However, Duan Xiaoyan frowned.

“Brother, this outfit looks too much like official court dress. Those who don’t know might think you’re going on duty and planning to raid the clinic again.”

As if recalling the unpleasant memory of raiding Renxin Medical Clinic that autumn night, Pei Yunying’s expression paused slightly. After a moment, he glanced at him and turned to go back inside.

Duan Xiaoyan quickly followed.

Pei Yunying entered the room and walked to the rosewood Eight Immortals cabinet behind the screen. He opened the cabinet doors and reached for a black eagle-patterned narrow-sleeved brocade robe.

Duan Xiaoyan leaned his head forward and shook it disapprovingly: “No good. Medical Officer Lu usually likes to wear white. If you wear black, wouldn’t you two really look like Black and White Impermanence?”

Pei Yunying: “…”

He then picked up a tea-white robe, but was urgently stopped by Duan Xiaoyan’s alarm: “This is a celebration banquet—if you wear white, how inauspicious! Not appropriate, not appropriate!”

“Swish.”

Pei Yunying dropped the clothing in his hands and spoke calmly: “Duan Xiaoyan.”

“Present!”

The young man shivered and quickly defended himself: “I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, ask Qing Feng.”

Qing Feng, who was passing by the door, quickly turned his head to look at the sky.

Duan Xiaoyan looked at him earnestly: “Brother, I’m helping you. Today at the clinic celebration, that Young Master Ji from the Medical Officers’ Academy will also be there.”

“That young master is also quite handsome. When the banquet begins and the men compete openly and secretly, whoever is uglier will be embarrassed. What if Young Master Ji dresses magnificently and wins Medical Officer Lu’s heart? The taste of jealousy is quite unpleasant.”

Pei Yunying sneered slightly: “Ridiculous. Why would I be jealous?”

“Because Deputy Commander Xiao said women value their former husbands…”

The rest of his words gradually faded under Pei Yunying’s cold gaze.

Duan Xiaoyan coughed lightly and proactively turned toward Pei Yunying’s wardrobe: “Brother, don’t worry. With me here, I absolutely won’t let the Palace Guard’s dignity fall behind others. I’ll help you dress up—”

He opened the wardrobe.

Pei Yunying had many clothes, mostly made for him by Pei Yunshu. He looked good and wasn’t picky about clothing—even casual official dress looked devastatingly handsome on him. Therefore, his wardrobe mostly contained black, white, and the vermillion of official dress. There were other colors too, but he rarely wore them.

Duan Xiaoyan looked through them critically, finally selecting a brocade robe from the very corner of the wardrobe.

This was a brand-new palace brocade robe in a clean, light blue color with fine snow-white cloud patterns embroidered on it. At first glance, it looked clean and cool.

“This one is good!” Duan Xiaoyan praised.

Pei Yunying glanced at it and frowned slightly.

This was tailored for him by Pei Yunshu’s orders.

He had never liked wearing such gentle, light colors, so it had been sitting in the wardrobe for a long time without being worn once, yet Duan Xiaoyan had found it.

“This color is great!” Duan Xiaoyan held up the robe enthusiastically. “Brother, think about it—aside from white clothes, Medical Officer Lu’s favorite color to wear is blue.”

“If you wear blue today and she also wears blue, you two will coincidentally match, showing perfect harmony. When Young Master Ji sees this, won’t he know to retreat? Right, Qing Feng?”

Qing Feng, standing at the door, seriously looked into the distance, pretending not to hear Duan Xiaoyan’s words.

Pei Yunying looked at the robe.

The light blue robe resembled the sky after rain, or pale lake water—its cool color quite similar to another person’s temperament.

The young man beside him continued asking: “Brother, how about wearing this one?”

He looked away and snorted.

“No.”

…

“Crack-pop—”

In front of Renxin Medical Clinic, it was bustling with activity.

Bright red firecrackers hanging from the plum tree branches exploded festively, and the scattered paper fragments adorned the branches and leaves, adding splashes of crimson to the dense green.

Du Changqing stacked woven grass jars on the long table at the entrance—these contained summer heat-relieving medicinal tea that patients coming to buy medicine could take for free.

A’Cheng and Yin Zheng stood outside the clinic, distributing prepared medicinal tea to passersby. Since the celebration was beginning, they needed some auspicious touches. Renxin Medical Clinic couldn’t give away expensive items like the grand restaurants on Qinghe Street did for their openings, but they also couldn’t just say “Welcome back” to passersby, so they gave out red papers written by Yin Zheng with “Strong and Healthy, Long Life Like Sacred Trees.”

Lin Danqing also received a red paper.

Lin Danqing had come early in the morning. Since the Medical Officers’ Academy had a rest day, she didn’t need to request leave, so she calculated the time and came early to help.

Du Changqing and A’Cheng were busy outside while Lin Danqing followed Lu Tong into the inner shop. The shop had been connected through—two rooms made into one. The previously worn walls had been carefully repaired, the new medicine cabinets were clean and shining, and at first glance, everything looked completely renewed.

There were also several scrolls under the medical texts on the table. Lin Danqing’s sharp eyes spotted them and pulled one out, saying in surprise: “《Double Love Story》… Sister Lu, you like reading this too?”

Lu Tong was stunned: “No.”

“I’m the one reading it.” Yin Zheng smiled and took the scroll from Lin Danqing’s hands. “Earlier when I went to Yasi Book Studio to buy firecrackers and paintings, Boss Luo gave it as a bonus. Sometimes when the clinic is quiet, I read these stories to pass the time.”

“Story books?” Lu Tong asked in confusion.

She was usually busy with consultations and helping the clinic prepare medicines, not knowing when Yin Zheng had become fascinated with this.

“Yes,” Yin Zheng explained with a smile. “It’s about true and false daughters in a noble household—true and false daughters, marriage first then love, sibling romance, feigning death to escape, and finally reconciliation with a happy ending. It’s quite interesting.”

Lu Tong was bewildered.

This sounded somewhat absurd.

Lin Danqing blinked: “I’ve read this one before, but I didn’t finish it.”

Yin Zheng was puzzled: “Why? Did the later part go off track?”

“Not really. It’s just that later when the female character was injured and couldn’t get up, the prince shouted at the imperial physicians: ‘If you can’t cure her, you’ll all be buried with her!’ I couldn’t continue reading.”

Lin Danqing shuddered: “Who could keep reading that? Medical officers aren’t scapegoats.”

Lu Tong: “…”

Seeing Lu Tong’s indescribable expression, Lin Danqing sighed: “Actually, I used to love reading these stories. But later, first I was busy preparing for the spring imperial examination. Second, some story books are really written too bizarrely.”

“That demand for imperial physicians to be buried alive was relatively mild. Some story books are even more excessive, writing about male and female characters on their wedding night, thirteen times in one night…” She leaned close to Lu Tong and lowered her voice: “You and I both study medicine—isn’t this absurd?”

Yin Zheng couldn’t help but laugh with a “puchi” sound. Seeing Lin Danqing looking at her, she quickly explained: “Maybe, maybe the story writers are just making things up…”

“Easier said than done,” Lin Danqing seriously refuted. “But if women who read these stories believe them to be true, thinking all men in the world are like this, and later when they marry, discover it’s completely different from what the stories recorded, thinking there’s something wrong with the man—wouldn’t this ruin marriages?”

“My ancestors said: ‘Better to tear down a temple than ruin a marriage.’ The sin would be great.”

Her long-term consideration left both Lu Tong and Yin Zheng speechless.

Just as they were silent, suddenly the sound of horse hooves came from outside, and the young clerk’s happy voice rang out: “Guests are here! Please come in quickly!”

Lu Tong turned to look.

She saw a carriage stop under the plum tree at the entrance. A green-clothed young servant jumped down from the carriage and nimbly lifted the carriage curtain. Then, a blue-robed young man descended from the carriage.

This young man wore a light blue robe with his long hair crowned with a jade hairpin. His dark hair and bright eyes, refined demeanor, and extremely proper and courteous manner made his robe flutter slightly in the wind like ripples on a lake surface as he got down from the carriage.

In the blazing summer sun, the moment this young man descended from the carriage, it was as if a cool breeze from a bamboo forest had drifted over, covering the sultry heat and making people feel particularly relaxed and calm.

Widow Sun and Aunt Song were using bamboo tubes to collect the free medicinal tea Du Changqing was distributing at the entrance. Seeing this, they both stared blankly. Widow Sun nudged Du Changqing’s arm and whispered: “Shopkeeper Du, who is this delicate handsome man?”

Du Changqing’s hand ladling medicinal soup paused, and he said irritably: “Dog-skin plaster.”

Lin Danqing touched her chin and whispered in Lu Tong’s ear: “Medical Officer Ji looks quite attractive when not wearing his medical officer robe, doesn’t he?”

Lu Tong remained silent, put down the medicine jar in her hands, and turned to walk toward the entrance.

From Du Changqing’s appearance, he wasn’t planning to welcome guests.

Just as she reached the entrance and before she could speak to Ji Xun, she suddenly heard another series of horse hooves.

These hoofbeats were more urgent than the previous ones. As the sound approached, another vermillion-wheeled carriage stopped in front of Renxin Medical Clinic, parking alongside Ji Xun’s carriage under the plum tree.

“Medical Officer Lu—”

Before the person arrived, the voice came first. A green-clothed young man jumped down from the carriage with a cheerful voice. Behind him, someone lifted the carriage curtain and bent down to get out.

Everyone looked forward.

A young man in a light blue palace brocade robe descended from the carriage.

This young man was also handsome.

His eyebrows and eyes weren’t as cool and indifferent as water ink like the previous one, but sharper and more captivating. Yet when he lifted the corners of his lips, faint dimples appeared.

Thus sharpness became warmth, and the clear, vast wind of bamboo forests was suddenly illuminated by gentle sunlight.

In front of the clinic, the bustling noise gradually faded as people’s attention was drawn to the two men standing by the carriages.

The same light blue robes, the same outstanding handsomeness, yet the same color looked completely different on different people.

One was cool and otherworldly like mountain winds, clear lake water always shrouded in faint mist; the other was outstanding and dazzling, handsome and imposing like clear sky after rain, cool summer night, clean and bright.

Swaying tree shadows fell on the stone steps, but the two men in front of the clinic made the entire narrow dirt road of West Street seem radiant.

Aunt Song covered her heart, then looked at Du Changqing waving his ladle, suddenly feeling that this usually clear-eyed and handsome young shopkeeper looked quite dim today.

The two blue-robed young men’s gazes collided, both stunned for a moment—after all, the color was truly too similar.

Miao Liangfang, who was arranging red characters at the entrance, widened his dim old eyes and looked at Lin Danqing: “Medical Officer Lin, are these new medical officer robes issued by the Hanlin Medical Officers’ Academy?” He wondered: “Why did they also send one to Commander Pei?”

Du Changqing threw down his ladle, crossed his arms, and sneered: “Truly amazing to behold.”

Lu Tong: “…”

On the other side, Pei Yunying also noticed Ji Xun’s robe. His expression paused, and his gaze toward Duan Xiaoyan immediately turned cold.

Duan Xiaoyan choked.

“Miscalculation.” The young man said with heartfelt regret, lowering his voice: “I didn’t expect this Young Master Ji to be so scheming. Now it looks like you two are matching, but it’s nothing… Brother, you have good foundation and can outshine everyone.”

“Besides, what does it matter? Young Master Ji is an accident. As long as we match Medical Officer Lu’s color…”

The young man’s voice suddenly disappeared when he saw Lu Tong.

Pei Yunying looked forward.

Standing at the clinic entrance was a woman in yellow shirt and skirt—a light yellow thin shirt with a turmeric-colored embroidered skirt. In her dark hair was pinned a moss-green silk flower. Her beautiful face was radiant, her figure graceful, with perfect balance of rich and light colors like a charming spring painting from Jiangnan.

It was Lu Tong.

Pei Yunying glanced lightly at Duan Xiaoyan.

Duan Xiaoyan was speechless.

“She, she’s wearing yellow.”

All the scheming to wear blue, who knew the other party would wear yellow, while he ended up matching another man’s color. This was truly lifting a rock to smash one’s own foot—human calculations couldn’t match heaven’s plans.

Lu Tong didn’t know the thoughts turning in the minds of the several people under the tree. She was only slightly puzzled that Pei Yunying had worn a color he rarely wore.

The yellow dress she wore was tailored by Yin Zheng at Tailor Ge’s shop, who said it was the best-selling satin color at the shop, perfect for making dresses.

Outside, the blazing sun continued. Yin Zheng smiled and stepped forward, breaking the subtle awkwardness: “Medical Officer Ji and Young Master Pei have both arrived. Please come in quickly—A’Cheng has prepared tea.”

The two men looked at each other, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and entered the inner shop one after the other.

Ji Xun’s medicine boy Zhu Ling held a glazed narrow-necked large-bellied jar, struggled to place it on the tea table in the inner shop, and announced crisply: “This is a congratulatory gift from my young master—’Green Bamboo Sap.'”

Miao Liangfang: “Green Bamboo Sap?”

“For those with fluid retention in the heart who suffer from dizziness. In hot summer weather, phlegm symptoms easily develop. This Green Bamboo Sap was personally made by my young master—you can’t buy it outside.”

Zhu Ling spoke proudly while Du Changqing behind him rolled his eyes dramatically and silently mouthed to Miao Liangfang: “Worthless.”

Lu Tong accepted the glazed jar and said to Ji Xun: “Thank you.”

Ji Xun nodded: “It can be used at today’s celebration banquet.”

Seeing this, Duan Xiaoyan unwilling to be outdone, squeezed forward from behind, casually pushing Ji Xun aside, and placed the bamboo basket in his hands on the table with a smile: “My master also has a congratulatory gift. Please look, Medical Officer Lu—”

Lu Tong lowered her eyes to look, and Ji Xun was also startled.

When the silk cloth covering the woven bamboo basket was lifted, inside were bumpy, pitch-black objects and some dried branches and grass.

Lin Danqing blinked: “These are… medicinal materials?”

“Exactly!”

Duan Xiaoyan said seriously: “Since it’s a medical clinic, my master thought rather than sending flashy things, it would be better to send more practical items. Medical Officer Lu isn’t someone who covets money, so he had people find some rare and precious medicinal materials that are hard to find. This will be convenient if Medical Officer Lu wants to make new medicines or develop new prescriptions in the future.”

Rare medicinal materials were hard to find—not because they were expensive, but because some materials were difficult to locate in Shengjing due to regional or environmental factors. She casually flipped through a few items, some even difficult to obtain at the Imperial Pharmacy, and couldn’t help but glance at Pei Yunying.

This congratulatory gift was very precious.

Seeing her look over, Pei Yunying curved his lips and said 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: “No, thank you, Commander Pei.”

“As it should be.” He smiled.

“Cough cough—”

Du Changqing at the entrance squeezed in, his gaze circling between the two of them, and said with a false smile: “I see it’s getting late and everyone’s here. Don’t all crowd at the entrance—let’s go to the courtyard for the meal.”

“A’Cheng, serve the food—”

A’Cheng responded, moved the medicine buckets from the entrance into the house, locked the main door, and ran inside cheering.

Only Duan Xiaoyan scratched his head in confusion: “Didn’t you say you were widely inviting distinguished friends… just these few people?”

Of course, no one answered him.

Yin Zheng lifted the felt curtain, and everyone filed in one after another.

The small courtyard had been cleaned in advance and looked even more tidy and refreshing. A cloth canopy had been set up in the courtyard to shield from the blazing sun overhead. Since there were trees around the courtyard, it wasn’t very hot inside. When there was an occasional breeze, it even felt quite refreshing.

The others had all been to the courtyard several times before, but Ji Xun and Zhu Ling were visiting for the first time, so they walked more slowly.

“Young Master—” Zhu Ling tugged at Ji Xun’s sleeve. “There’s actually a plum tree by this window!”

Ji Xun didn’t like various flowers, only loving plum and bamboo. Now he had a cluster of green bamboo by his own window. In his childhood at the Ji family home, he had planted a white plum tree by his window, but later when he was absorbed in making medicines, being young at the time, he sometimes poured leftover medicine residue under the plum tree, and gradually the plum tree died.

Seeing him looking absorbed, Yin Zheng smiled: “This is Miss’s room. When flowers bloom in winter, opening the window lets plum blossoms drift in—it’s beautiful.”

She turned and saw that under the courtyard’s canopy, everyone had already walked over to sit at the stone table in groups of two or three, so she called out: “Medical Officer Ji, A’Cheng is setting out the food. Please take your seats first.”

Ji Xun nodded in acknowledgment.

He walked to the stone table where Miao Liangfang and Duan Xiaoyan had already sat down. Lu Tong was arranging bowls and chopsticks one by one. A’Cheng moved very efficiently, soon filling the entire table with dishes, with those that didn’t fit placed on small wooden stools in front of the stone table.

White-fried spring goose, clear quail, lychee kidney braised duck, mountain-cooked mutton, honey-soaked tofu, snow cloud soup, wine-braised fragrant snails…

Although some restaurant oil paper bags hadn’t been completely removed and still stuck to some dishes.

But…

It was quite abundant.

Zhu Ling sat down next to A’Cheng. Miao Liangfang and Yin Zheng sat together. Du Changqing took the “Green Bamboo Sap” that Zhu Ling had brought earlier and told Lu Tong to sit down too.

Ji Xun watched Lu Tong sit down under the canopy. Seeing there was still an empty seat beside her, he hesitated slightly, then walked toward Lu Tong.

He still had some things he wanted to ask Lu Tong.

Lu Tong noticed his movement and was also startled. Ji Xun walked to Lu Tong’s side, slightly lifted his robe hem, and was about to sit down.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the side.

“Excuse me—”

Ji Xun looked up.

Pei Yunying had somehow walked over.

The breeze stirred the plum tree branches, and the opened Green Bamboo Sap gradually released its clear fragrance. The young man stood before the two of them, his eyes bright and smiling, but his tone carried several degrees of innocence.

“May I sit here?”

Welcome to the first season of Heartbeat Signals Liang Dynasty Shengjing Shura Field (not really)