It always rained at night in the capital.

After one night passed, the river under Luo Yueqiao bridge was full of floating willow catkins.

The swallows were busy, the orioles lazy, and the fragrant flowers were fading. On the embankment, willow catkins drifted down – this was always spring’s most beautiful scenery.

Yin Zheng went downstairs to fetch hot water and happened to encounter the innkeeper. She was pretty and sweet-tongued, so the people at the inn were happy to look after her a bit. The innkeeper smiled and said: “Miss Yin Zheng is up so early?”

Yin Zheng smiled: “Yes.”

The innkeeper glanced upstairs: “Your miss was busy in the back kitchen until the third watch again last night. You should advise her a bit – it’s not good to exhaust her body like this.”

In the past few days, Lu Tong had sent Yin Zheng to buy some medicinal herbs nearby, and had borrowed the inn’s kitchen to process the medicines, working until late into the night. The innkeeper didn’t say anything outright, but in his heart he disapproved. Processing medicinal materials was skilled work – even the doctors at the medical halls in the city sometimes made mistakes. How could Lu Tong, a young girl, manage it? It seemed too presumptuous.

Pretending not to notice the contempt in the innkeeper’s eyes, Yin Zheng exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before going upstairs and entering the room.

Inside the room, Lu Tong sat at the table, wrapping the cloth bags containing medicinal tea in white paper, carefully tying them with thick red thread, and placing them in a box.

“Miss?”

Lu Tong stood up: “Let’s go.”

After leaving the inn, the weather outside was excellent. The morning sun wasn’t too hot, casting a soft layer of warmth on their bodies that brought a slight itchy sensation.

Tea stalls were everywhere. The people of the capital loved drinking tea, and tea houses could be seen all over the streets, with tea drinkers visible everywhere. The sound of opera drifted from the distance, decorating the capital with lively bustle.

“The capital is good, it’s good,” Yin Zheng said quietly, “it’s just that everything is too expensive.”

Lu Tong remained silent.

Before Yunniang died, she had asked her to burn all the medical books in the chest along with her body, leaving all the remaining silver to her. But over the years, Yunniang had spent money lavishly, and the silver she earned was immediately spent on new medicinal materials. After Lu Tong finished handling Yunniang’s funeral affairs, very little silver remained in her hands.

The expenses for the journey back to Changwu County and then to the capital were also considerable. Yin Zheng had calculated a few days ago that after deducting the cost of buying herbs, the remaining silver could let them stay in the capital for at most another half month.

At most half a month later, they would truly have nothing left.

While thinking, the two of them passed through several small alleys, walked along a bustling street, turned a corner, and a medical hall appeared before them.

This medical hall stood out particularly among the row of well-maintained shops. The storefront was very small, the signboard was quite old, with four large characters written in flowing script: “Renxin Medical Hall.” Though it was in an excellent location, because its furnishings were very unremarkable, passersby could hardly notice this place.

Lu Tong walked toward the medical hall.

When they got closer, they discovered that this medical hall was even more desolate inside. Right in front was a table, very long, almost blocking the shop entrance. Sitting at the table was a young man wearing a yellow-green gauze robe, with one leg crossed, dozing off. Behind him was an entire wall of red wood cabinets with wooden plaques pasted on them – these were medicine cabinets.

The windows in this medical hall were very small, and the storefront wasn’t large, so the lighting appeared quite dim. With no lamps lit, it was all gray and hazy, looking somewhat eerie.

Yin Zheng cleared her throat and was about to speak when a young assistant in a short shirt emerged from the inner room, about eleven or twelve years old, with some pock marks on his nose bridge. Seeing Lu Tong and her companion, the young assistant was also startled for a moment, then walked to the dozing young man’s side and shouted loudly: “Boss, customers have arrived!”

The young man was suddenly startled and nearly fell over. He scrambled up from his chair in a fluster and put on a false smile for Lu Tong and her companion: “Ah, what would the customers like to buy?”

Yin Zheng looked at him strangely. The way he spoke didn’t sound like someone running a medical hall, but like someone doing business.

Lu Tong spoke up: “I wonder if your esteemed medical hall accepts processed medicinal materials?”

Seeing they weren’t here to pick up medicine, the young man immediately reverted to his previous lackadaisical manner. He just looked her over once and asked with little interest: “What medicinal materials do you have?”

Yin Zheng quickly opened the bundle and pulled out a large paper package from inside.

The other party opened the paper package, skillfully pinched a bit and smelled it under his nose, then rubbed it between his fingers. Looking at Lu Tong with a hint of surprise in his eyes, he said: “Pollen typhae carbonisata. The processing is quite good.”

Medical halls used pollen typhae carbonisata frequently, and raw pollen typhae wasn’t expensive either. Lu Tong had borrowed the inn’s back kitchen to process these.

Yin Zheng had been worried earlier that the medical hall wouldn’t accept the medicinal materials Lu Tong had processed. Hearing this, her heart was half relieved, and she smiled: “My miss’s pollen typhae carbonisata has always been good. The shopkeeper, look…”

This time her smile wasn’t as universally effective as usual. The young man held up three fingers and waved them: “Three qian of silver.”

Lu Tong frowned slightly.

Just buying the raw pollen typhae had cost her three qian of silver, not to mention the several days she’d spent working in the inn’s kitchen. This price was much lower than the market rate.

“What?” Yin Zheng jumped up. “Just this much? Even raw pollen typhae costs more than this!”

The boss closed the paper package, still looking listless, pointed toward the door, and said without courtesy: “That’s it. If you think it’s too little, turn left when you exit – there’s an Apricot Grove Hall there. They’re big and established, you can try there, maybe they’ll give you more.”

His broken-pot-broken-lid attitude was infuriating to look at. Yin Zheng was about to argue with him when Lu Tong pushed the paper package toward him: “Three qian it is.”

Seeing this, the young man’s smile became somewhat more genuine, and he instructed the assistant behind him: “A’Cheng, get the silver!”

The assistant called A’Cheng quickly brought over a piece of silver. Lu Tong took the money and pulled out two other items wrapped in oil paper from her bundle.

The boss frowned: “What are these?”

Lu Tong: “Medicinal tea.”

The boss pushed the medicinal tea back, smiling without sincerity: “Sorry, miss, the medical hall doesn’t accept medicinal tea.”

“No charge, consider it a bonus.” Lu Tong placed the medicinal tea on the table. “When decocted and taken, it can reduce nasal congestion and sinusitis. I’m giving the boss two doses first. If you’re satisfied, I can send more.” She said: “I’m staying at Laiyi Inn under Luo Yueqiao bridge.”

The boss looked at Lu Tong. Lu Tong calmly met his gaze. After a while, the young man pursed his lips, put away the two packages of medicinal tea, and just waved his hand: “Well then, thank you, miss.”

Lu Tong said nothing more and left with Yin Zheng.

After the two left, the young assistant came forward, puzzled: “Boss, we usually charge five qian of silver for pollen typhae carbonisata. Why did you suddenly change the price today? And three qian of silver is the price for raw pollen typhae – there’s no profit. Why were they still willing to sell?”

The boss pushed A’Cheng’s head away and walked into the shop carrying the pollen typhae carbonisata: “How do you know they didn’t make a profit? Didn’t they give two packages of medicinal tea?”

The young assistant looked down at the medicinal tea on the table. The paper packages of medicinal tea were only palm-sized, carefully tied with red thread, and looked quite exquisite at first glance.

A’Cheng suddenly understood: “They want to consign medicinal tea?”

“What else?” The boss scolded: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Do you really think they’re fools? Why else would they not go to Apricot Grove Hall right in front and come sell medicine to us instead? Do you think they were attracted by my handsome face?”

The young assistant looked at the medicinal tea on the table: “So boss, do we sell this medicinal tea or not?”

“Sell my ass!” The boss lifted the curtain and walked into the inner room irritably. “Who knows if these things of unknown origin are poisonous! If someone dies from them, who are we going to settle accounts with? I still need to test this pollen typhae carbonisata. There are many swindlers in the capital, and plenty of female swindlers too. If you don’t grow a few extra eyes, you’ll be sold and still help count the money.”

He chattered as he went into the inner room, leaving behind one sentence: “Throw them away later, don’t mix them with other medicines.”

A’Cheng responded and looked at the medicinal tea in front of him again, shaking his head.

What a pity.

…

Outside, Lu Tong and Yin Zheng were walking forward.

Yin Zheng was still thinking about what had just happened, saying indignantly: “All along our journey these past few days, pollen typhae carbonisata has been five qian of silver, but this place only gave three qian. And what ‘Renxin Medical Hall’ – I think ‘Black Heart Medical Hall’ would be more accurate! Miss,” she looked at Lu Tong in confusion, “we only made a few packages of medicinal tea in total. Why didn’t you give more packages to Apricot Grove Hall for consignment instead of giving them to this place?”

She didn’t understand. The shopkeeper at Apricot Grove Hall had been very generous when purchasing medicinal materials, much more straightforward than that “boss” just now. That medical hall also looked to have a large storefront, bright and well-maintained, with people coming and going – it looked much better than Renxin Medical Hall in every way.

Lu Tong shook her head and said softly: “Renxin Medical Hall has no resident physician.”

Along their journey, they had seen many medical halls, and the resident physicians were mostly elderly, experienced doctors. But in this Renxin Medical Hall, apart from the “boss” and the young assistant called A’Cheng, they hadn’t seen anyone else.

Renxin Medical Hall was short-staffed.

Yin Zheng was surprised: “Miss wants to be a resident physician.”

Lu Tong was silent for a moment, then nodded.

In the capital, apart from Yin Zheng and a medical chest, she had nothing. But the Ke family’s business was thriving like the rising sun.

Renxin Medical Hall was short-staffed and located on West Street, at a distance from the Ke residence that was neither too close nor too far.

She needed an identity.

An identity that would allow her to approach the Ke family inconspicuously yet legitimately.

Being a resident physician at a medical hall would be perfect.

“But…” Yin Zheng hesitated a bit. In this world, there were already very few women practicing medicine, let alone serving as resident physicians.

“Let’s continue walking,” Lu Tong collected her thoughts. “Let’s finish selling the remaining pollen typhae carbonisata.”