“I am unworthy, but happen to be a court official. You may tell me whatever the matter is.”
Luo Yuan emerged from the crowd with a humble demeanor and eloquent speech, causing the man to be momentarily stunned. Soon he recovered his gnashing expression and pointed at Yuanxi and Dr. Li, shouting: “It’s them! They killed my wife and child!”
Luo Yuan frowned and continued asking: “But I heard clearly just now that your wife clearly died from difficult labor complications when you came seeking Dr. Li’s treatment. How has this become them killing her?”
The man pointed viciously at Yuanxi: “They refused to save her! I heard this young man say golden needles could be used for rescue, but Dr. Li wouldn’t apply the needles, causing my wife to die. Sir, tell me—isn’t refusing to save someone the same as them killing my wife?”
Luo Yuan cast a reassuring glance at the panicked Yuanxi, then asked Dr. Li: “May I ask Dr. Li, is this young man a physician at your clinic?”
Dr. Li shook his head with a dark expression: “He’s a newly arrived apprentice, only doing odd jobs at our clinic. He has never formally treated patients.”
Luo Yuan nodded and asked again: “Then may I ask, could that golden needle rescue method truly save this woman’s life?”
Dr. Li stroked his beard and sighed, shaking his head: “The golden needle method only works when bleeding first begins. But this woman was brought too late—she had lost too much blood and there was no possibility of treatment. Forcing the needles would only make her death more painful.” He glared fiercely at Yuanxi again: “Learning just some superficial knowledge from books and then speaking out of turn—now look what trouble you’ve caused.”
Yuanxi kept her head down apologizing repeatedly, both to Dr. Li and to the man. Seeing that Luo Yuan was about to resolve the matter with just a few words, the man felt indignant and wanted to continue pursuing the issue relentlessly. But Luo Yuan addressed the crowd of onlookers: “May I ask the elders and neighbors here—what condition was this woman in when she was brought to Spring Return Hall?”
The crowd fell silent for a moment. After a while, a young man stepped forward: “She had bled all over the ground and looked beyond help.” Then several more people came forward to agree—these were all people who had previously received Dr. Li’s kindness. Seeing that the crowd who had sympathized with him moments before were now all siding with Dr. Li, the man knew further pursuit was impossible. He helplessly dropped his arms, bowing his head in frustration and continuously weeping through gritted teeth.
At this point, Luo Yuan took out a silver ingot and placed it in his hands, consoling him gently: “Take this silver and go back to properly bury your wife. Even if you destroyed this clinic’s reputation, your wife couldn’t return. Better to let her rest in peace.” The man wiped his tears and looked gratefully at Luo Yuan before walking away hunched over, pushing the wooden cart with his wife’s cold corpse, his face full of grief.
Seeing the man leave, the crowd dispersed. Yuanxi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked to Luo Yuan to bow gratefully: “Young Master, thank you so much for today!” But Luo Yuan only smiled faintly. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he saw Dr. Li approaching and stopped.
Dr. Li’s face was full of smiles as he bowed to Luo Yuan: “Official sir, thank you so much for resolving this today. Do you and Xiao Xi know each other?” Seeing Yuanxi and Luo Yuan conversing from afar, he knew they must be acquainted and couldn’t help wondering how this seemingly simple girl could know such a government official.
Luo Yuan hesitated slightly. Before he could speak, Yuanxi quickly introduced: “This is a distant cousin of mine.”
Luo Yuan smiled and nodded, concealing the flash of disappointment on his face. Dr. Li’s suspicious gaze shifted between their faces, but he didn’t ask further questions and invited Luo Yuan into the clinic. Just as Yuanxi was also walking back, Dr. Li suddenly said in a very small voice beside her: “Actually, the method you mentioned earlier was correct.”
Yuanxi was so startled she stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Dr. Li with confused eyes: If it was correct, why not try with all effort? That was a human life.
Dr. Li sighed deeply and said softly: “It’s just that this method requires a very experienced renowned physician to perform it, and would at most have a twenty percent chance of success. If I don’t try, whether that woman lives or dies has nothing to do with me. But if I try and fail, you saw the outcome just now. I also want to save people to the greatest extent possible, but I still need to make a living. This is my small clinic—I can’t afford any mistakes.”
After speaking, he shook his head helplessly and walked back into the clinic with hands behind his back. Yuanxi watched his slightly weathered figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions. So ordinary people had their own helplessness too—trapped in daily life of basic necessities, they had no right to speak of lofty ideals.
After the commotion, many more patients came to the clinic. Seeing Yuanxi so busy her feet barely touched the ground, Luo Yuan didn’t want to disturb her further and patiently sat aside waiting. Fortunately, it was soon lunch time. Yuanxi finished her tasks and walked to Luo Yuan with a smile: “Young Master helped me so much today—I don’t know how to thank you. Why don’t you stay for a meal?”
Luo Yuan smiled and nodded—he also wanted to have a good chat with her. Normally Yuanxi lived in a cleared storage room in the clinic’s back courtyard, eating with the other two workers. Today, seeing that the two had things to discuss, Dr. Li deliberately took the two workers elsewhere to give them space.
Yuanxi invited Luo Yuan to the back courtyard, rubbing her hands somewhat apologetically: “The kitchen doesn’t have much prepared. Young Master won’t mind, will he?” She was embarrassed to say that she hadn’t received wages yet and normally just ate simple meals with the other workers, so she couldn’t treat him to anything good.
But Luo Yuan casually moved a stool to sit under an elm tree in the courtyard: “Anything is fine to eat. But I didn’t know you could cook.”
Yuanxi’s gaze dimmed. She had learned to cook for Xiao Du, but the stove here was different from the one at the Marquis residence, and she’d had kitchen maids teaching her there. So she still wasn’t very good at cooking and mostly just assisted others. She quickly shook her head, dispelling those inappropriate thoughts, and smiled: “Then today you can try my cooking.”
After speaking, she turned and entered the kitchen. Luo Yuan sat for a while, his gaze constantly directed toward where she had gone. Suddenly he saw black smoke pouring from the kitchen and quickly went to the doorway to look. He saw Yuanxi frantically trying to start a fire—previously others had always done this task, and after struggling for a long time she still couldn’t get it right, choking and coughing from the smoke.
Luo Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, quickly going over to help her get the fire started and finishing the vegetable preparation she’d only half completed. When she heated the oil in the pan, he threw the vegetables in and just let her stir-fry. After the two of them worked for a long time, several small dishes were finally on the table. Yuanxi wiped the sweat from her face, showing an embarrassed expression: “I said I’d treat you to a meal, but you had to help—I’m really useless.”
Luo Yuan looked at her covered in cooking oil, her face flushed and rosy, wearing coarse cloth clothes with no trace of the delicate nature of a Chancellor’s daughter or Marquis’s wife—instead taking on much more of a homely quality. His thoughts suddenly drifted far. He had never imagined Yuanxi would live such a life, yet seem so content with it. Long ago he had thought that if he were fortunate enough to marry her, he would never let her be touched by any cooking smoke—even if he couldn’t afford kitchen help, he would cook for her himself.
Seeing him not respond, Yuanxi called his name somewhat anxiously. Only then did Luo Yuan react, his gaze falling on those dishes: “It’s fine, you’ve done very well. Let’s taste your cooking.”
Yuanxi quickly washed bowls and chopsticks, serving him rice and setting everything out. Luo Yuan picked up a dish and put it in his mouth—just the simplest home-style cooking, and Yuanxi’s technique wasn’t particularly skillful, but eating it he felt an indescribable sweet taste that made him want to savor it again and again. Seeing he showed no expression of distaste, Yuanxi also relaxed and began eating her own food, then remembered to ask: “How did Young Master know I was here?”
Luo Yuan said while eating: “I just remembered you once said that if you could leave the Chancellor’s residence, you wanted to travel everywhere with me and properly study medicine. You also said you wanted to open a renowned clinic and become a famous physician who saves lives.” He didn’t tell her that when he remembered these words, he had taken leave and searched almost every clinic in the capital before happening to “encounter” her today.
Yuanxi recalled her naive words from that day, feeling as if it were a lifetime ago. She smiled down at her food: “I was really quite foolish then, just dreaming wildly while sitting in my small chamber. Actually, becoming a famous physician isn’t that simple. Now I just want to learn a skill to support myself. Actually, living simply like this is quite good too.”
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her face where even the finest downy hairs were clearly visible. Luo Yuan was momentarily dazed, suddenly thinking of a phrase: “Simple clothes and vegetable meals can bring a lifetime of joy…” If he could dine with her daily, eating home-cooked meals made by their own hands—wasn’t this the scene he had dreamed of countless times? He set down his chopsticks and couldn’t help blurting out: “Have you really decided? You won’t go back?”
Yuanxi’s smile faded, a touch of sorrow gathering in her eyes, but she still firmly shook her head: “I won’t go back. He should marry and have children. He has things he must do, and I have things I must do. This is better for both of us.”
Luo Yuan quietly watched her for a long time, some long-dormant hopes in his heart rekindling. In that moment he made a selfish decision—he didn’t tell her he had come looking for her at Xiao Du’s request, nor would he tell Xiao Du about today’s encounter. Perhaps those helpless missed opportunities and displaced longings truly still had a chance to be salvaged…