An He Zhuan: Act Five – Chapter 1
Grain Rain marks the surge of spring waters, each moment worth its weight in gold…
In Qiantang City, the rain fell in a gentle, continuous drizzle.
A handsome young man walked slowly along the street, holding an oil-paper umbrella. He cradled an oil-paper package in his right arm that he seemed to guard with particular care. As he made his way, he carefully avoided the hurrying passersby, ensuring no raindrops splashed onto the package. When a carriage suddenly rushed past him, stirring up muddy water, the young man waved his sleeve lightly, deflecting the dirty spray.
A window opened in the red pavilion alongside the street. A woman waving a crimson handkerchief gazed down at the passing man, her voice dripping with allure: “Young sir, the wind is strong and the rain is cold. Why not come up and rest awhile?”
The man lifted his oil-paper umbrella slightly, looking up, and shook his head with a smile. “No need. I must hurry home, or I’ll be scolded again.”
Upon seeing the man’s face, the woman froze for a moment. Hearing his polite yet distant tone, she inexplicably blushed, her heart quickening.
Here was a man more beautiful than herself.
Her earlier invitation now felt less like seduction and more like she had taken advantage of someone.
“Sister Mudan, why are you blushing?” Another woman in red clothing poked her head out, curiously examining the man below. “What kind of young gentleman could render our Sister Mudan speechless?”
But the man had already lowered his umbrella. Though his steps were unhurried, his figure moved remarkably swiftly, and in moments, he had reached the end of the long street.
The woman in red sighed softly, “What an unsentimental fellow.”
The one called Sister Mudan touched her burning cheeks. “But just his presence alone was romance itself.”
“I’m home,” the young man announced, stopping before an enormous mansion and pushing open the main gate.
As the door opened, a mixture of medicinal herbs and spring rain fragrance wafted out. The young man squinted slightly, taking in a deep breath.
But his moment of appreciation was brief—the oil-paper package in his right arm was suddenly snatched away.
“Finally back! Did anything get wet?” asked a woman in white medical robes, anxiously.
The handsome young man nodded. “Don’t worry, I protected these herbs carefully.”
But the herbs, along with their wrapping, were promptly tossed back to him. The woman didn’t care about them at all. Instead, she pulled out the warm osmanthus cakes from the package, munching happily as she spoke, “Not bad, not bad! Still warm this time. Delicious, absolutely delicious!”
The handsome young man smiled helplessly and walked past her, intending to enter the main hall. But looking up, he paused in surprise. “Why are there even more people today?”
“Spring rain during Grain Rain, when the wind stirs the heart—easy to fall ill?” the woman in white said offhandedly between bites of osmanthus cake.
“What illness?” the young man asked.
“Spring fever!” the woman in white snapped, swallowing the last of the cake impatiently.
These two were none other than Su Muyu, formerly known as the Umbrella Ghost of the Su family, and Bai Hehuai, the successor of the Medicine King Valley. After that night, Su Muyu came to Qiantang City with Bai Hehuai, moving into the large mansion that Su Changhe had prepared for them. Bai Hehuai opened a medicine shop here and immediately gained fame by curing the strange illness of Li, a wealthy local landlord. Since then, patients have been streaming in continuously. Su Muyu served as Bai Hehuai’s assistant, helping with various tasks like buying and decocting medicines. When people saw them together, they naturally praised them as a perfect match. However, Bai Hehuai and Su Muyu quickly denied such claims: they were merely friends who had come to Qiantang City to make a living together.
One who heard this denial was Li Chuanhua, the youngest daughter of Landlord Li.
She soon spread this news throughout Qiantang City.
As a result, the medicine shop became occupied by half of Qiantang City’s unmarried young ladies.
“What illness indeed.” Bai Hehuai sat down wearily on the hall’s long bench, casually taking the pulse of the woman beside her. The woman’s complexion was rosy, her gaze intense, appearing perfectly healthy—though her pulse did beat notably faster than normal.
Ah… that was because she kept staring at Su Muyu.
“What illness indeed!” Bai Hehuai repeated, raising her voice.
The woman snapped back to attention, laughing awkwardly. “Well, I came for a diagnosis because I don’t know what illness it is…”
“Ten taels of silver, and I’ll have him decoct your medicine. How about that?” Bai Hehuai winked at the woman, speaking in a low voice.
The woman started. “What… what medicine would that be?”
“One tael of Isatis root. Su Muyu, please decoct this for the young lady,” Bai Hehuai prescribed with flourishing strokes, then handed it to the woman. “Ten taels of silver.”
“One tael of Isatis root for ten taels of silver?” the woman clicked her tongue.
“At Spring View Tower, chatting with a pretty boy would cost you thirty taels. Can any of them compare to even half his beauty?” Bai Hehuai withdrew the prescription. “If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else.”
“I want it, I want it!” The woman snatched back the prescription and rushed excitedly to the corner. “Pretty b—no, Master Su, please decoct my medicine.”
Su Muyu smiled faintly at her and nodded. “Please wait a moment.”
Bai Hehuai yawned. “Next!”
“I’ll pay a hundred taels to sleep with him!” A robust woman sat down, slapping a silver note on the table.
“We don’t offer that service!” Bai Hehuai angrily slammed the table. “At most, he can feed you medicine—two hundred taels!”
“Deal!” the woman agreed heartily.
“Isn’t this Qiantang City? How did someone from Zhongzhou end up here…” Bai Hehuai covered her face. “Heavens above.”
Only at sunset did the stream of patients finally disperse. Bai Hehuai collapsed exhausted onto the long bench, while Su Muyu, despite working all day, tirelessly sorted through the remaining herbs.
“I’m exhausted. Won’t you rest a bit?” Bai Hehuai asked Su Muyu.
Su Muyu smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine. Just decocting medicine is much easier than what we used to do.”
“I’ve noticed you seem to enjoy it. How does it feel being surrounded by admirers?” Bai Hehuai teased. “Who would have thought that in Qiantang City, we’d make money not from my medical skills but from your good looks? Tsk tsk tsk.”
“I do enjoy it,” Su Muyu nodded.
“Oh?” Bai Hehuai exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were that type!”
“I enjoy this peaceful, ordinary life,” Su Muyu smiled, wiping sweat from his brow. “It feels like every day is filled with these simple tasks and conversations, but I truly feel alive.”
Bai Hehuai paused, turning away. “If you say so.”
As they spoke, a white pigeon landed on the eaves.
Su Muyu set down the herbs. “You must be hungry. I’ll make dinner.”
Bai Hehuai’s whole body shuddered as she slid off the long bench. “No… no need… I’m… not hungry!”
“How could you not be hungry after working all day? Today I asked Sister Wang next door—my dish yesterday was missing one seasoning. It’ll be better with that adjustment.” Su Muyu headed straight for the kitchen.
“Ah!” Bai Hehuai let out a wail of despair.