“In that case, I’m a court official. You can speak to me directly.”
Luo Yuan walked out from the crowd with a gentle demeanor and clear speech, causing the man to hesitate for a moment before quickly regaining his angry composure. He pointed at Yuan Xi and Doctor Li, shouting, “It’s them! They killed my wife and child!”
Luo Yuan frowned slightly and continued, “But I heard that your wife had complications during childbirth and came to Doctor Li for treatment. How did it become their fault that she died?”
The man glared at Yuan Xi and said viciously, “They watched her die! I heard this young fellow say that gold needles could save her, but Doctor Li refused to use them, which caused my wife to die. Your Honor, tell me, isn’t it their fault for not saving her?”
Luo Yuan gave a reassuring look to the terrified Yuan Xi, then turned to Doctor Li and asked, “Doctor Li, is this young man an official doctor at your clinic?”
Doctor Li, with a stern face, shook his head and replied, “He’s a new apprentice, only here to help with chores. He has never officially treated patients.”
Luo Yuan nodded and asked again, “So, is the gold needle treatment truly capable of saving her life?”
Doctor Li stroked his beard and sighed, shaking his head, “The gold needle method is only effective at the initial stage of bleeding. This woman was brought here too late; she had lost too much blood, making it impossible to save her. Forcing the treatment would have only caused her more pain.” He then glared at Yuan Xi and said, “Reading a bit from books and speaking out of turn has now caused a big problem.”
Yuan Xi kept her head down, repeatedly apologizing to both Doctor Li and the man. The man, seeing Luo Yuan trying to resolve the situation with a few words, felt indignant and wanted to persist. Luo Yuan turned to the surrounding onlookers and asked, “May I ask the people here, what was the condition of this woman when she arrived at the clinic?”
The crowd fell silent for a moment until a young man stepped forward and said, “She was bleeding heavily and looked like she wouldn’t make it.” Afterward, a few more people stood up, agreeing with him. These were people who had previously benefited from Doctor Li’s help. The man, seeing the crowd now siding with Doctor Li, realized that pursuing the matter further was futile. He dropped his arms helplessly and lowered his head, biting his lip and crying.
At this point, Luo Yuan took out a silver ingot and handed it to the man, gently comforting him, “Take this silver and go home to give your wife a proper burial. Even if you destroyed this clinic’s reputation, it wouldn’t bring her back. Let her rest in peace.” The man wiped his tears, gratefully glanced at Luo Yuan, and then pushed the cart carrying his wife’s cold body, hunched over as he walked away.
Seeing the man leave, the crowd gradually dispersed. Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked over to Luo Yuan, bowing in gratitude, “Thank you so much, Young Master!”
Luo Yuan smiled faintly and was about to say something when he saw Doctor Li approaching and held back his words.
Doctor Li, with a smile on his face, bowed to Luo Yuan and said, “Thank you, sir, for your assistance today. Do you and Yuan Xi know each other?” From a distance, he had noticed the familiarity between Yuan Xi and Luo Yuan, wondering how this seemingly ordinary girl could know such an official.
Luo Yuan hesitated slightly, but before he could speak, Yuan Xi quickly said, “This is my distant cousin.”
Luo Yuan smiled and nodded, hiding a trace of disappointment on his face. Doctor Li, suspiciously glancing between them, didn’t ask further and invited Luo Yuan into the clinic. As Yuan Xi was about to follow, Doctor Li whispered to her, “Actually, your method was correct.”
Yuan Xi paused in shock and looked back at Doctor Li in confusion: if it was right, why not try it? That was a life at stake.
Doctor Li sighed deeply and whispered, “But this method requires an extremely experienced doctor, with at most a twenty percent success rate. If I don’t try, her life or death has nothing to do with me. If I tried and failed, you saw what happened. I want to do my best to save lives, but I also need to survive. I can’t afford any mistakes with this small clinic.”
He shook his head in resignation and walked back to the clinic. Yuan Xi watched his somewhat weathered back, feeling a mix of emotions. It turned out that ordinary people were also had their helplessness. Trapped in the daily grind, they couldn’t afford to pursue lofty ideals.
After the turmoil, more patients came to the clinic. Seeing Yuan Xi busy, Luo Yuan waited patiently without interrupting. Fortunately, it was soon time for lunch, and after finishing her tasks, Yuan Xi walked to Luo Yuan and smiled, “Young Master, you’ve helped me so much today, and I don’t know how to thank you. Why don’t you stay for a meal?”
Luo Yuan smiled and nodded, he wanted to have a good chat with her. Usually, Yuan Xi lived in a small room in the clinic’s backyard, eating with the other two helpers. Today, Doctor Li, seeing that they had things to discuss, took the two helpers away to give them some privacy.
Yuan Xi invited Luo Yuan to the backyard, somewhat apologetically rubbing her hands, “The kitchen isn’t prepared with much, I hope you don’t mind.” She was too embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t received any wages yet, usually eating whatever the helpers had, so she couldn’t offer anything fancy.
Luo Yuan nonchalantly moved a stool under an elm tree in the courtyard and sat down. “Anything is fine. I didn’t know you could cook.”
Yuan Xi’s gaze dimmed. She had learned to cook for Xiao Du, but the kitchen setup at the Marquis’ Mansion was different from here, and she had the cook guiding her. Now, she still wasn’t very skilled, mostly assisting others. She quickly shook her head to dismiss those thoughts and smiled, “Well, today you’ll get to taste my cooking.”
She turned and went into the kitchen. Luo Yuan sat for a while, his eyes following her departure. Suddenly, he saw black smoke billowing from the kitchen and hurried to the door. Inside, Yuan Xi was struggling to light the fire. She had never done it herself before, and after many attempts, the smoke made her cough.
Luo Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. He went over to help her get the fire going and prepared the half-picked vegetables. When the oil was hot, he let her handle the stir-frying. After some time, they finally managed to get a few dishes on the table. Yuan Xi wiped the sweat from her face and, looking embarrassed, said, “I said I’d treat you to a meal, but you ended up helping me. I’m useless.”
Luo Yuan looked at her, her face flushed from the heat and covered in oil stains, wearing simple clothes. She no longer resembled the delicate daughter of the Prime Minister’s household or the Marquis’ wife; instead, she had a homely charm. His thoughts drifted. He had never imagined Yuan Xi living like this and finding contentment in it. Long ago, he had thought if he could marry her, he would ensure she never had to deal with household chores, even if he had to cook for her himself.
Yuan Xi, seeing his silence, called out to him anxiously. Luo Yuan snapped back to reality, looking at the dishes, and said, “It’s alright. You’ve done well. Let’s see how your cooking tastes.”
Yuan Xi quickly washed some bowls and chopsticks and set the table. Luo Yuan picked up a piece of food and put it in his mouth. Though it was just simple home-cooked food and Yuan Xi’s cooking skills weren’t advanced, it tasted unexpectedly sweet and satisfying. He couldn’t help but savor it. Yuan Xi, seeing he didn’t show any dislike, relaxed and started eating herself. Then she remembered to ask, “How did you know I was here?”
Luo Yuan continued eating and replied, “I remembered you once said if you could leave the Prime Minister’s residence, you wanted to travel with me, study medicine, and open a renowned clinic to save lives. You didn’t know, but after recalling your words, I took leave and searched nearly all the clinics in the capital before finally finding you today.”
Yuan Xi felt a sense of nostalgia at her youthful dreams, now seeming distant. She lowered her head and smiled, “I was quite naive back then, dreaming in my little boudoir. Becoming a renowned doctor isn’t that simple. Now, I just want to learn a skill to support myself. Living a simple life is pretty good.”
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on her face, highlighting even the fine hairs. Luo Yuan felt a sense of disorientation, recalling a phrase: “Plainclothes and simple food, yet a joyful life.” If he could share meals with her every day, living a simple life, wouldn’t that be the dream he had envisioned countless times? He put down his chopsticks and impulsively asked, “Have you decided not to go back?”
Yuan Xi’s smile faded, her eyes showing a hint of sadness before she firmly shook her head, “I’m not going back. He should marry and have children. He has his duties to fulfill, and I have mine. This is better for both of us.”
Luo Yuan gazed at her for a long time, and a spark of hope rekindled in his heart. At that moment, he made a selfish decision. He didn’t tell her that Xiao Du had asked him to find her, nor did he inform Xiao Du about their encounter. Perhaps those missed opportunities and unresolved feelings could still be salvaged…