After Old Master Yan’s health improved somewhat, he had Yan Qing accompany him to the hospital.

During his stay there, he had come to know several fellow patients who were also suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. These few individuals, however, came from ordinary backgrounds and had already been unable to afford the enormous medical bills after a period of hospitalization.

Old Master Yan had spent some time with them and had come to understand their temperament fairly well. He knew that if he offered to fund their treatment directly, they would certainly refuse. So he quietly approached the hospital and arranged for it to provide them with free treatment under the pretext of an experimental medical sponsorship, while he would quietly cover all the costs himself.

These few men believed what the hospital told them, and while continuing to receive treatment, they came around every two or three days to ask when they would be used for the experiments.

Yan Qing had met these men at the hospital. Their condition was somewhat better than Old Master Yan’s, and their outlook on life was open and optimistic.

When she entered the ward, they were all playing cards together, their hearty laughter ringing out from time to time.

“Old Yan, Old Yan, you’re finally here.” One of them spotted Old Master Yan and immediately waved him over. “Come on, come join us — now we’ve got four people for the game.”

These men clearly had no idea of Old Master Yan’s identity, which made their interactions with him entirely natural and easy.

Old Master Yan chuckled warmly, looking far more cheerful than he did at home.

“I’m not playing cards with you lot — every time we play, you’re the ones who lose, and then you wriggle out of paying up,” Old Master Yan said, walking over and trading a few jokes and jabs with them before letting the smile fade from his face, replacing it with a grave expression.

“Old Yan, what’s with that face?” someone teased. “You look like someone owes you eight hundred coins.”

“Gentlemen, I’ve come to discuss the matter of the medical trials with everyone.” Yan Qing helped Old Master Yan sit down, and he cleared his throat.

Only then did the others notice that Old Master Yan had brought someone along.

Yan Qing had frequently accompanied him to keep vigil, and had grown familiar enough with these men that they recognized her face.

“Right, Old Yan, we’ve been meaning to ask — the hospital said they’d give us free treatment as long as we cooperated with the experiments, but we’ve been waiting so long now. When are these experiments going to start?”

“Exactly — we can’t just take what’s given to us for nothing. These medicines cost no small amount.”

“I went to look for the dean yesterday, but he talked for a long time without actually saying anything.”

Old Master Yan raised his hand to ask everyone to be patient. “Don’t rush, everyone. I’ve come precisely to tell you — this experiment is being led by my daughter. As for the specific details, I’ll let her explain them to you.”

Every pair of eyes turned in unison toward Yan Qing.

Yan Qing said, “This medication was developed jointly by myself and Section Chief Gu of the Military and Police Bureau. Because of time constraints, animal trials have not yet been conducted. Animal trials typically require more than six months to complete — but given the state of everyone’s health, six months is clearly far too long. To proceed with human trials without first completing animal trials carries substantial risk. It is possible that after taking this medication, each of you could lose your life very quickly.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” one of the men said. “Every morning I wake up and can still see the sun, I count it as a blessing — as one more day earned.”

“That’s right. The doctor said before that I wouldn’t survive the month, and my family has already made all the arrangements for my funeral.”

“Young lady, there’s no need to worry on our account. We’re all half-buried in the ground and ready to meet the King of Hell at any moment. What do we care about dying a few days sooner?” He rolled up his sleeve and thrust out his arm. “Whatever the medicine is, bring it on. Die sooner, reincarnate sooner.”

Yan Qing looked at each of them, moved, and said warmly, “You see — I told you all along that everyone here is unafraid of death. We’ve been tormented by this illness for so long, we’ve long since seen through the matter of life and death. What does it matter whether we die sooner or later? Brothers, I tell you — what we are doing here is a great endeavor that will benefit all of humanity. If this medication succeeds, pulmonary tuberculosis — this death sentence of a disease — will finally have a cure. People need never again live in terror of this illness. When you think of it that way, we are all great contributors to the world — we may even go down in history.”

“Old Yan is right — perhaps we really will be remembered by posterity.” Everyone joined in with laughter.

Yan Qing was moved by the spirit of these men, who faced death without flinching. They had been worn down by illness until their hearts had grown resilient. For them, each extra day was a day gained.

Yan Qing said, “The trial period may be quite long, and later stages will require trials of additional medications as well.”

Some patients developed drug resistance to streptomycin in the later stages of treatment, so streptomycin needed to be used in conjunction with aminosalicylic acid to address this. Aminosalicylic acid was her and Gu Zhen’s next research topic.

“Young lady, don’t you worry. As long as our bodies can hold out, no matter how long it takes, we will cooperate fully.”

“That’s right, that’s right — full cooperation.”

Old Master Yan patted his chest with a touch of pride. “You see? These old brothers of mine — every one of them is a fearless hero. Even in death, we will die for a purpose, die for something worth dying for.”

Perhaps influenced by these men, Old Master Yan’s outlook had grown considerably brighter.

“I will do everything in my power to cure all of you.” Their resilience had moved her too, like an invisible force lending her courage.

“When does the trial begin?” someone asked eagerly.

“I’ll go speak with the dean first and find a suitable time and location. The hospital has promised to provide full cooperation in terms of resources and funding.”

“Good, off you go then.” Old Master Yan smiled and waved her off.

After Yan Qing left, one of the patients could not help but say, “Old Yan, we all actually know — our medical fees were never paid by the hospital. You’ve been the one supporting us all along. Just from looking at how you dress, anyone can tell your family has considerable wealth. But we can’t accept something for nothing. We refuse to take charity for no reason.”

Old Master Yan was about to speak when the man waved his hand to stop him. “Old Yan, you don’t need to say a word. These experiments — we are doing them of our own free will. Even without your financial support, we would still participate.”

“I am truly grateful to all of you.” Old Master Yan was so moved that his eyes welled with hot tears. “Please trust in my daughter. She will do everything in her power to cure all of you.”

After Yan Qing had finished her discussions with the hospital, it prepared a dedicated sterile ward specifically for these six patients, and assigned two tuberculosis specialist physicians along with nurses to provide dedicated monitoring.

Once the ward was properly arranged, Yan Qing moved her laboratory to the hospital. The medical facilities here were superior to those at the Military and Police Bureau’s technical department, and working here would be more convenient for her — while also allowing her to look after Old Master Yan’s daily needs at a moment’s notice.

One day, Yan Qing returned to the Yan Mansion to pack some daily necessities for Old Master Yan. She had just finished packing when Jing Zhi knocked on her door, followed by a voice from outside: “Miss, Fifth Miss is looking for you.”

Hearing that Yan Qin was looking for her, Yan Qing couldn’t help but turn the matter over in her mind.

After Yan Qin was brought back by Yan Qi that last time, she had shut herself inside her room to recover from her injuries. By now, judging by the days that had passed, her wounds should be just about healed.

As for that so-called “literary youth” Zhang Qingjun — after he was sent to the public security office, an investigation revealed that he was no man of letters at all. He had never even attended school.

He had heard that certain wealthy young ladies and noble wives liked to frequent dance halls in search of a prosperous match. So he disguised himself as an educated young man — specifically, an educated young man of great talent who had gone unrecognized by the world. He had fabricated a pitiful personal history for himself, and the verses he could quote fluently on demand were simply a month’s worth of memorized foreign poetry anthologies. These could hardly fool a genuine intellectual — but they were more than enough to deceive sheltered young ladies and noble wives from great households.

Zhang Qingjun had not only deceived Yan Qin. Before her, he had tricked two other women as well — but those women, upon realizing they had been swindled, had been too afraid of public humiliation to speak out. This, in turn, had only made Zhang Qingjun more brazen and reckless.

In the meantime, Zhang Qingjun had developed an opium addiction — but feeding such a habit required enormous sums of money. When he could no longer sustain it on his own, he reverted to his old tricks. This time, he encountered the easy target that was Yan Qin.

Yan Qin had set her heart on finding a dashing and talented young man to her liking, and Zhang Qingjun — cultured and refined in manner, supposedly overflowing with literary talent — had naturally caught her eye.

Under Zhang Qingjun’s honeyed words and elaborate romantic offensive, Yan Qin had easily fallen headlong into the trap he had so carefully woven. Blinded by love, she had poured out both her money and her efforts to fund Zhang Qingjun’s extravagant lifestyle — only to discover in the end that she had been thoroughly deceived. Zhang Qingjun walked away with both her wealth and her affections, while Yan Qin was left with nothing but an infamous reputation spread across the city.

“What does she want?” Yan Qing furrowed her brow. “Is she alone?”

“Alone,” Jing Zhi replied. “Fifth Miss is wrapped up tightly, wearing a dark-colored cloak. She kept looking over her shoulder when she was speaking — as if someone were following her. Perhaps, Miss, you’d rather not see her. She’s acting so secretively — who knows what she’s plotting.”

“This is the Yan Mansion, and Big Brother is here. What trouble could she possibly stir up? Never mind — let her in.”

Jing Zhi went and opened the door, saying respectfully to someone in the courtyard: “Fifth Miss, please come in.”

When Yan Qin entered, she still looked around in every direction, just as Jing Zhi had described — as if a ghost were chasing her.

Once inside, Yan Qin did not immediately sit down but looked toward Jing Zhi.

Jing Zhi was afraid Yan Qin might try to harm Yan Qing and had remained firmly planted at her side, unwilling to leave.

“Jing Zhi, you may step out for a moment.” Yan Qing gave her a slight nod.

“But, Miss…”

“It’s fine. Go on.”

Though Jing Zhi was still worried, Yan Qing had spoken, and she could only comply. She withdrew and pulled the door shut, though her eyes remained full of wariness — after all, this Fifth Miss had consistently crossed swords with their own young lady and had set numerous schemes against her.

Seeing that Jing Zhi had gone, Yan Qin finally removed the hood of her cloak. She looked around the room once more, and only after confirming that no one else was present did she speak. “Sixth Sister, the things I did before were wrong of me. I am here to apologize and beg your forgiveness. You are the bigger person here — please don’t lower yourself to my level.”

As she spoke, she bowed toward Yan Qing.

Yan Qing said with a calm, measured gaze, “Fifth Sister, there is no need for such formalities. Whatever it is you have come for, please say it plainly. What happened before is in the past. I do not intend to hold it against you, nor do I wish to.”