Just when Madam Yan was certain Yan Qing would agree without hesitation, Yan Qing let out a cold laugh. “Madam, you worry too much. Father is not only not going to die — he will live a long and prosperous life. You had best put away these unnecessary thoughts, tend to him properly, and wait for him to recover. When he does, you will still be Madam Yan.”

“What do you mean by that?” Madam Yan was furious. “Yan Qing, don’t be ungrateful. Two-tenths is already being offered to you, and you still think it’s too little? Don’t be greedy — be careful your appetite doesn’t grow so large it chokes you to death.”

“Two-tenths?” Yan Qing smiled. “Madam, are you trying to give alms to a beggar? If I wanted, how much do you think Father would give me?”

With that, Yan Qing paid no further attention to Madam Yan — whose fury made her tremble like a branch in the wind — and walked directly into Master Yan’s room.

When Yan Qing entered, she caught a glimpse of a figure swiftly darting away from beside the door. She pushed the door open, and Master Yan quickly retreated to the bed, affecting the look of someone who had just been woken from sleep.

She shook her head helplessly. He had clearly overheard her conversation with Madam Yan just now. Master Yan was ill, not paralyzed — so long as he wished to, he could still move about.

“Father, you are not allowed to sneak out of bed again. This illness of yours requires rest and quiet.” Yan Qing walked over and tucked the covers around him. “If you keep wandering off, I’m going to be cross.”

“Alright, alright, alright. I’ll listen to my daughter,” Master Yan said with a laugh.

Yan Qing brought Master Yan some hot water. He took a sip and said, “I heard everything she said just now.”

“Father, don’t take it to heart. You will certainly live a long and prosperous life.”

“Foolish girl — who lives to a hundred? Everyone must die eventually.” Master Yan sighed. “I’ve thought it all through. If I do truly pass, this family will still be handed to your eldest brother. Your second and third brothers are both my sons — I cannot turn them out, but with Jin Shi around, they’re unlikely to have an easy time of it. So I will give each of them a portion of the assets. Even if Jin Shi drives them away afterward, they’ll be able to live in wealth and comfort for the rest of their lives. As for their children and grandchildren, those children will have their own fortune — once I close my eyes for good, there’s only so much I can manage.”

Yan Qing listened to his words, and her eyes immediately reddened.

“Yan Qin and Yan Ling haven’t married yet. I’ve already had someone arrange their dowries. Our Yan Family’s daughters will be sent off in fine and proper fashion. And as for you.” Master Yan gazed at Yan Qing with deep affection. “I hear you’ve been managing those pharmacy shops with great skill — even established a headquarters. Though you’re not a son, you are sharper than any son, and with a uniquely perceptive mind, skilled at identifying talent and putting it to good use. Your future holds boundless promise. So Father won’t leave you money. Instead, Father will leave you the twenty-some shops under my name. Money runs out eventually, but shops — managed well — will never stop generating wealth. Qingqing, not only do you have ability yourself, you also have Shi Ting to protect you. Father can rest in peace.”

“Father, you’re not allowed to say ‘rest in peace’ again. I will definitely cure you — I will not let you die.”

“Foolish child. Father has already made his peace with it all. It’s nothing.” Master Yan let out a soft sigh. “Yesterday Father already drafted the division of assets, and affixed his seal. It’s inside a hidden box under the bed. When Father is gone, take it out — that way Jin Shi won’t be able to stir up trouble and throw the entire Yan Family into chaos.”

Yan Qing knew this was Master Yan’s careful long-term planning, and she could only nod. “Father, rest assured. Without at least a few dozen years passing, that hidden box will not be opened.”

Master Yan laughed. “You, always knowing how to make me happy.”

“Father, my trip to Hu Town this time was quite full of twists and turns. Shall I tell you about it?”

“Yes.” Master Yan said happily. “I love listening to Qingqing’s stories most of all.”

Master Yan listened to Yan Qing tell of her experiences — coughing all the while. But before she had even finished, Master Yan had already drifted off to sleep from exhaustion.

Yan Qing glanced out the window. Night had already fallen.

She returned to the courtyard she had once lived in, changed her clothes, washed her hands, and then picked up a pen and began writing and sketching on paper.

To treat Master Yan’s illness, she would need to obtain streptomycin. The process of extracting streptomycin was something Yan Qing had committed to memory — but to actually carry it out would require repeated experimentation.

Shun Cheng’s First Hospital had the most advanced equipment, but she still had to care for Master Yan in the meantime, so she could only begin by organizing the theoretical components first.

Yan Qing was writing furiously when Murong suddenly spoke from outside: “Miss, Second Concubine is here.”

“Please invite her in.”

When Guo Yanrong came in, she caught sight of all the things Yan Qing had been writing — none of it legible to her — and asked with curiosity, “What is Sixth Miss writing here? I know very few characters and can’t make sense of it.”

“Just scribbling.”

Murong quietly gathered the papers and set them aside, then brought out tea and light refreshments.

“Second Concubine, have you come to find me for something?”

Yan Qing knew that Guo Yanrong never came without reason. She was likely well aware of her own current situation — once Master Yan was gone, there would probably be no place for their branch in the Yan Family anymore.

What Yan Qing did not know was that when Yan Qing and Madam Yan had been speaking, it happened to be overheard by Yan Ling, who had come to check on Master Yan. Yan Ling, seeing them talking inside the room, had stood outside the window and listened in. Every word Madam Yan had said — she heard it all. Afterward, she went back and told everything to Guo Yanrong.

“Sixth Miss, there is actually something that has been weighing on my mind for a long time. I have never found the right moment to tell you.” Guo Yanrong wrung the handkerchief in her hands, her expression conflicted — even a little fearful.

“Second Concubine, just say whatever you’d like to say.” Yan Qing handed her a cup of tea. “Is it something that concerns me?”

“To be more precise, it concerns your mother.”

When Guo Yanrong mentioned Wen Wan, Yan Qing’s heart gave a start. Her instincts told her this would not be good news — it might even be connected to the secret that had long been troubling her.

Some time ago, a fortune-teller had said that the ancestral graves of the Yan Family held a person who had died unjustly. She had asked Master Yan about it, and he had told her that her mother Wen Wan had died by hanging. As to whether she had died with a grievance — that was something Yan Qing had always wanted to understand.

“Please speak, Second Concubine.” Yan Qing looked at her with full attention, her expression grave, her lips pressed into a firm, thin line.

Guo Yanrong drank a sip of tea before continuing. “Back then, your mother was someone the Master had brought back from outside. After returning, he married her as a concubine — but for her sake, the Master gave her a proper wedding even as a concubine, with ten miles of a grand dowry procession. At the time, so many people were envious. After Third Concubine married in, the Master favored her and her alone. The two of them were deeply in love — inseparable.”

“I know this.” Yan Qing frowned. Master Yan and Wen Wan had truly loved each other — a genuine and devoted love — so much so that after Wen Wan passed, Master Yan had continued to miss her deeply and remained sorrowful even to this day.

“What came afterward, I don’t know whether you’ve heard the Master speak of it. Third Concubine once went to visit at someone’s home and was noticed by a warlord who was also present on that occasion. At the time, the northern factions were not yet under the control of the Great Marshal — multiple warlords were vying for power, and all manner of warlords ran rampant through Shun Cheng. The warlord who noticed your mother was the second son of the Min Faction warlord, Min Tianyuan. This Min Tianyuan fell head over heels in love with your mother at first sight and began pursuing her relentlessly. But your mother was already married. She turned a blind eye to his pursuit — even had people drive him away directly. Yet Min Tianyuan was a scoundrel. Having set his sights on something, he would not easily give it up. Seeing that your mother was completely unmoved by both soft and hard approaches, he began making trouble for the Master instead. During that period, the Master’s shops were repeatedly smashed and looted, and goods in transit were also robbed. The Master knew perfectly well who was responsible, yet could do nothing about it.”

Yan Qing could well imagine the fury and helplessness Master Yan must have felt back then, facing such a wealthy and powerful scoundrel of a warlord.

The strong prey upon the weak — that was the defining feature of that era. Merchants especially had to tread carefully and could barely take a step without difficulty.

“Min Tianyuan kept making trouble for the Master relentlessly, bringing almost constant chaos to the Yan Family. Madam was ill, and the Old Madam was ill too. The children cried without end — and still Min Tianyuan kept showing up at the door to pressure the Master, going so far as to threaten that if the Master didn’t hand over your mother, he would burn the Yan Family to the ground.” Guo Yanrong set down her teacup, her voice dropping to something low and distant. “It was also on that very night that your mother hanged herself.”

Though Yan Qing had few memories of Wen Wan, she was still her own mother. Imagining the despair Wen Wan must have felt in those final moments, she couldn’t help feeling a deep and quiet sorrow.

“Everyone said your mother didn’t want to go on bringing trouble to the Master and the Yan Family, and so she ended her own life with a rope. And from that point on, Min Tianyuan calmed down — I heard he had set his sights on the daughter of another family.” Guo Yanrong’s tone became low and heavy with suppressed feeling. “But on the night your mother died, I witnessed something strange.”