So this person was Wang Qian.

So this was what sharing drinks and joy looked like.

When he turned around the tree, he suddenly saw this scene of harmonious family bliss – like a family of three – and watched that woman and that man exchange smiles with each other. His mind went blank with a thunderous roar.

So she really was that happy.

So she really could live this happily…

So actually seeing it was even more than he had imagined…

Unbearable.

Qi Yue threw down the barbecue in her hands and came over in a few steps. Wang Qian also stood up, while Wang Qiao’er took the opportunity to pull all the grilled food from the plate in front of herself, tasting each piece one by one.

The man before them looked travel-worn and had lost more than just a bit of weight. Even so, though it felt like a long time since they’d last met, seeing him again felt very familiar at first glance.

“Chang Yuncheng, you… how did you come back?” Qi Yue was both surprised and delighted. Thinking of something, she looked him up and down again. “You… are you alright? Were you injured?”

Watching the woman before him rush over in an instant, her face still bright with that familiar smile, Chang Yuncheng felt the buzzing in his ears gradually subside.

Had he been injured?

He stared blankly at this woman – she was the first person to ask him this since his return.

It was she who asked, the very first thing she said.

Chang Yuncheng felt his throat burning with pain.

He remembered what she had said: “Chang Yuncheng, I like you.”

“I’m fine,” he said, even managing a slight smile on his face.

He hadn’t expected he could still smile, but somehow, smiling felt like the most natural thing.

As if nothing had happened, as if he were her husband returning from campaign, and she were his wife rushing over to greet him first.

“Fine?” Qi Yue frowned. “So you were injured?”

Chang Yuncheng looked at her and smiled.

“Really, I’m fine,” he said.

“Lord.”

A male voice interjected, breaking the illusion and bringing Chang Yuncheng back to reality.

“Lord has returned.” Wang Qian came over to bow in greeting.

Chang Yuncheng said nothing. He didn’t return the courtesy either.

He was a man – he couldn’t and didn’t want to act as if nothing had happened with such magnanimity.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

“We were barbecuing,” Qi Yue said, trying to break the stifling atmosphere, pointing to the grill nearby. “Lord, would you like to eat together?”

We?

Chang Yuncheng felt his ears buzzing again.

Wang Qian slightly averted his gaze, showing some discomfort.

Already “we”?

The atmosphere seemed to worsen.

Qi Yue also calmed down from her initial delight at seeing Chang Yuncheng. Right – why had he come? What was he here for? Looking like he was catching someone in adultery…

Catching adultery? Qi Yue laughed. Who are you?

This laugh also brought Chang Yuncheng back to his senses. In the blink of an eye, though it was still a smile, this smile was completely different from that first joyful smile upon seeing him.

This woman was about to explode again…

It seemed he had provoked her.

Chang Yuncheng laughed self-deprecatingly. From beginning to end, this was all he could give her – never making her smile, but always making her angry.

“Lord, weren’t you going to ask my mistress for medical treatment?” A’Ru couldn’t bear to watch anymore and quickly spoke up.

Qi Yue made a sound of understanding.

“I wonder which hostage Lord has captured this time to test my skills?” she said with a half-smile.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her and smiled, saying nothing.

Seeing him like this, Qi Yue felt rather bored and thought her own behavior was somewhat meaningless, so she reached up to touch her nose.

Chang Yuncheng bowed deeply to her.

“Please save my mother, Miss Qi,” he said in a deep voice.

Madam Xie was ill?

Qi Yue was stunned for a moment.

“Is it depression or mania? Mental health isn’t really my specialty,” she asked with a laugh.

Given what she knew about Madam Xie, that woman very likely had mental problems.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t understand what she was talking about, so he wouldn’t have the reaction of a modern person feeling insulted – he simply maintained his bowing position without moving.

Looking at the bent figure of Chang Yuncheng, Qi Yue sighed.

“Actually, I’m not necessarily able to help, but if you insist, then bring her to Qianjin Hall,” she said.

Chang Yuncheng still didn’t straighten up.

“My mother is no longer able to be moved. Please trouble yourself to make a house call,” he said quietly.

She could no longer be moved? That serious?

“What?” Qi Yue asked with concern. “Have you consulted other physicians?”

Hearing her ask this way, Chang Yuncheng felt his nose sting with emotion.

Yes, what illness could be this serious?

He had rushed home frantically, only to find Madam Xie gravely ill and learn that they had barely consulted any physicians.

“Madam said it was nothing serious,” several serving women said.

Chang Yuncheng swept his gaze across the people in the room. Besides Nanny Su and A’Luan, most were unfamiliar faces.

In less than a few months, how had all of Madam Xie’s servants been replaced?

Hearing these women speak, though their faces showed respect, the few traces of perfunctory attitude in their expressions couldn’t escape Chang Yuncheng’s notice.

Without saying a word, he lifted his foot.

The room filled with the women’s wails.

“What use are such incompetent servants?” he said coldly.

“Lord, have mercy!” The women who had been kicked down and nearly lost half their lives begged for forgiveness through their tears.

Footsteps clattered outside the door.

“Yuncheng, how did you come back?” Marquis Dingxi rushed in, both surprised and worried. “Did you get approval from the War Ministry? You didn’t desert and come back, did you? That would be a capital offense involving the whole family!”

“Mother is this sick – why didn’t you tell me!” Chang Yuncheng turned and shouted.

Marquis Dingxi was suddenly startled.

“Unfilial son! How dare you speak to me like that!” he also shouted angrily.

“Marquis, don’t be angry. Lord is worried about Madam,” a soft female voice said.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng notice the woman who had followed Marquis Dingxi in.

“You?” He looked coldly at Concubine Zhou. “What are you doing here?”

Concubine Zhou bowed to him, her expression respectful but tinged with shame, as if she were very frightened by this questioning.

Having his woman scolded by his son was too much for Marquis Dingxi’s pride.

“This is her home. She hasn’t been divorced, so naturally she can come back,” he said angrily.

These words hit Chang Yuncheng’s sore spot.

Yes, the woman who shouldn’t be here had returned, while the woman who should have been here could never return.

Chang Yuncheng clenched his fists, his knuckles crackling.

“Lord, please don’t blame the Marquis. Madam has been ill for quite some time. She kept saying it was nothing serious, and we found people to examine her who also said there was no serious problem. But somehow she didn’t improve, so we’ve been giving her medicine while she rests. We truly didn’t deliberately avoid telling you, Lord,” Concubine Zhou quickly said.

“Who did you consult?” Chang Yuncheng asked coldly without looking at her.

“We consulted everyone we should have,” Marquis Dingxi answered irritably. “She’s your mother, but she’s also my wife. What kind of person do you take me for!”

“If she’s not getting better, why didn’t you ask Qi Yueniang to examine her?” Chang Yuncheng said word by word.

Marquis Dingxi shot to his feet.

“Lord, naturally we wanted to ask her – she’s become the miracle doctor here. But our family and she… after all, this… wouldn’t be quite appropriate, would it?” Concubine Zhou quickly grabbed Marquis Dingxi’s arm, signaling him not to get angry, while speaking.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her.

“Of course. With you here, it’s indeed inappropriate,” he said coldly.

Concubine Zhou’s face turned pale as she lowered her head and wiped away tears.

“Lord, that matter truly had nothing to do with me,” she said miserably.

“Enough! It’s not because she’s inappropriate, but because of you. And you.” Marquis Dingxi shouted, pointing at Chang Yuncheng, then at Madam Xie lying unconscious on the bed in the inner room. “You two… you drove Yueniang away, and you still have the face to ask her to come treat someone? Besides, even if we asked, how could she possibly care?”

He would never do such a shameful thing!

Chang Yuncheng looked at Marquis Dingxi.

“She’s not that kind of person,” he said.

What kind of person? Marquis Dingxi was confused.

Chang Yuncheng no longer looked at Marquis Dingxi and stopped talking to him.

“Please have Imperial Physician Zhou come in,” he said flatly toward the door.

That he had even summoned an imperial physician surprised Marquis Dingxi, but also relieved him.

“Troubling an imperial physician over such a small matter – don’t let people say we’re abusing our imperial favor,” he said, his tone much gentler now, taking on the attitude of an elder instructing a junior.

“She is my mother,” Chang Yuncheng said without looking at Marquis Dingxi, walking step by step to Madam Xie’s bedside and kneeling down. “Nothing could be excessive.”

“Lord’s filial piety will surely be rewarded by the court – how could they criticize?” Concubine Zhou quickly said, with a face full of gratification.

Marquis Dingxi nodded, not bothering to argue with Chang Yuncheng’s attitude – this boy had never had a good attitude anyway.

The imperial physician had already entered – a man around fifty with a peaceful demeanor.

“Initially, half a month ago, she had a cold with blocked nasal passages and difficulty breathing,” Marquis Dingxi described the condition from the side. “We consulted Old Physician An from Shanning…”

“Do you mean Physician An the Court Judge?” Imperial Physician Zhou quickly stood up and asked respectfully.

Marquis Dingxi nodded.

Chang Yuncheng’s expression toward Marquis Dingxi softened slightly as he lowered his head to look at Madam Xie.

Madam Xie’s face was sallow, and she was in a deep sleep, occasionally making snoring sounds due to breathing difficulties.

“Old Physician An said it was nothing serious, just some phlegm confusing the mind. He prescribed heart-clearing and lung-moistening medicine,” Marquis Dingxi continued. “Originally there was improvement, but later…”

He stopped here, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“What happened later?” Imperial Physician Zhou asked, not letting the matter drop.

“She has a bad temper,” Marquis Dingxi said, glancing at Madam Xie and frowning. “She flew into a rage and stirred up her liver fire, making her condition worse that very day.”

Concubine Zhou wiped away tears at the side.

“It’s all this concubine’s fault…” she sobbed.

“I told you it wasn’t your fault,” Marquis Dingxi immediately comforted her.

Imperial Physician Zhou understood the affairs of wealthy households all too well. Hearing this, he asked no more questions and proceeded with examining, listening, inquiring, and taking her pulse. After a moment, he stood up solemnly.

“Imperial Physician, how is she?” Marquis Dingxi immediately asked.

Chang Yuncheng said nothing, watching Imperial Physician Zhou.

“I’m afraid Madam is not in good condition,” he said quietly.

At these words, Concubine Zhou was the first to cry out in grief.

Marquis Dingxi’s face darkened as he collapsed into a chair. Chang Yuncheng prostrated himself over the bed, his whole body trembling.

It was actually this serious!

Thinking of this, Chang Yuncheng’s whole body trembled again.

“It’s said to be phlegm confusing the mind, with swollen throat and blocked qi and blood,” he said in a trembling voice, word by word. Having said this, he prostrated himself again in a bow. “Please… Miss Qi… save her life.”

“You don’t need to be so formal – please get up,” Qi Yue said. “I’m a physician. Since someone has requested a consultation, I’ll naturally go take a look.”

“Thank you,” he said with his head lowered, slowly rising and walking away step by step without raising his head.

Qi Yue watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh.

“I’m sorry,” she turned to Wang Qian. “I can only invite you to eat another time.”

“Life and death are at stake – please go quickly, Miss,” Wang Qian said hurriedly.

Qi Yue nodded and left quickly with A’Ru.

Wang Qian watched their master and servant disappear before withdrawing his gaze. Turning around, he saw that the plate in front of Wang Qiao’er was completely empty.

“You ate it all?” Wang Qian asked, somewhat losing his composure as he stared.

Wang Qiao’er elegantly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and stood up.

“To prevent that bad woman’s food from harming Father, your daughter took the disaster upon herself,” she said in gentle, refined tones with graceful, dignified bearing. But the next moment, she lifted her skirt and ran off with pattering steps, her ladylike demeanor completely abandoned.

Wang Qian watched his daughter run away and shook his head helplessly. The charcoal fire was still burning brightly, and the skewer of meat Qi Yue had placed on it had turned to charcoal.

Wang Qian reached out to remove it, replacing it with a fresh skewer, slowly rotating it as the oil sizzled.

“What you can’t have is what you miss most,” he said to himself, then paused. “But what you do have might be even more unforgettable?”

He smiled at this thought, shook his head, and continued focusing on grilling the meat.

After leaving there, Qi Yue returned to Qianjin Hall, told Liu Pucheng about the house call, took her medicine box, and came out.

Chang Yuncheng was waiting outside the door. Watching this woman emerge without so much as a glance at him, she went straight to the carriage.

Compared to the Marquis’s residence carriage beside it, Qianjin Hall’s carriage looked small and simple.

The carriage headed toward the Marquis Dingxi’s residence with Chang Yuncheng riding alongside.

He dimly remembered a scene similar to this moment.

That woman had emerged from Qianjin Hall with a certain coldness, completely ignoring him as she got into the carriage.

“Hey, let’s go see the liveliest marketplace in your area…”

A clear female voice rang in his ears.

Chang Yuncheng suddenly turned to look.

The small azure carriage creaked along, its cloth covering swaying and concealing the interior, so quiet it seemed empty.

Chang Yuncheng withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.

When they arrived at the gates of the Marquis Dingxi’s residence, it was already afternoon.

Qi Yue looked at the mansion gates – everything was as before.

She never imagined she would step through these doors again, and so soon after leaving.

Fate was truly unpredictable.

Qi Yue smiled slightly. The gates on both sides opened, and the steward was the first to emerge. Seeing Qi Yue, his expression was excited, and behind him crowded many servants, each with equally excited expressions.

Every person’s eyes were greeting her, but they didn’t know how to speak.

“Miss Qi, please,” Chang Yuncheng said in a deep voice from the side.

Yes, the Qi Yueniang who had left would never return – the one entering now was Qi Yue.

One departure, one return – things remained the same but people had changed.

Qi Yue gently lifted her skirt and stepped forward.