Zeng Lanzhi stood in a daze for a moment, then hurried after him. “Yue Jianhua, what do you mean by this?”

“You can’t treat me this way. You — stop right there! Stop right there!”

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Both the Tang family’s Old Master and the Yue family’s Old Master were showing improvement with each passing day.

The Tang family’s Old Master in particular — word had it that he was already able to stand and take a few steps with the help of a walking stick.

Longying, too, had made a name for itself throughout the entire city of Yue, thanks to its divine physician, Feng Jiu’er.

The longer the days apart from the Ninth Imperial Uncle stretched on, the harder it was for Feng Jiu’er to find any enthusiasm even for seeing patients.

She generally only made house calls in the afternoon; in the mornings, she still held down the apothecary.

Money was coming in steadily enough, but her longing for Di Wu Ya only grew deeper with each passing day.

The night before, a certain young woman had had a dream. And so she spent the entire morning after that in a state of listless distraction.

The apothecary was busy with visitors. Xiao Yingtao had been out front helping all morning, and Qiao Mu had gone out with the brothers to handle the matter of recruiting new hands.

Feng Jiu’er sat alone at her consultation table, unable to read, unable to write, her mood restless and unsettled.

When Xiao Yingtao came inside, she found Feng Jiu’er slumped facedown on the table, staring into nothing.

“Jiu’er, what’s the matter with you?” Xiao Yingtao walked in.

Her gaze swept over Feng Jiu’er only briefly before she continued on toward the inner room.

A moment later, she returned carrying a pot of tea and a single cup.

Xiao Yingtao sat down beside Feng Jiu’er and poured herself a cup.

“I’m exhausted! I wonder if Qiao Mu and the others have managed to recruit anyone yet. At this rate, I’m going to collapse from overwork before long.”

The words had barely left her mouth before she raised her cup and gulped down the tea in one long swallow.

She set the cup down and glanced at Feng Jiu’er again.

“What on earth is wrong with you? You’re not seeing patients today, not even showing your face — when people ask me whether Dr. Long is in, I don’t even know what to tell them.”

“What’s going on? Are you ill? You don’t look unwell.”

Xiao Yingtao shook her head and poured herself another cup of tea, which she also drained.

“I am ill.” The prone Feng Jiu’er hadn’t stirred even slightly since Xiao Yingtao had come in.

“Ill?” Xiao Yingtao frowned and leaned in closer.

When she reached out to touch her, Feng Jiu’er turned her head aside, evading her hand.

“Lovesickness — and a serious case of it.” She pursed her lips slightly as she spoke.

Xiao Yingtao heard her and let out a quiet sigh. “Ah. That kind of illness.”

“There’s no cure for that. You might as well wait to die.”

Feng Jiu’er looked up and fixed Xiao Yingtao with a blank stare. “You’re the one who should wait to die. Go and bring the Ninth Imperial Uncle back, and I’ll be fine, won’t I?”

“Xiao Yingtao, are you going to just stand there and watch me suffer? How can you be so heartless?”

“Your Ninth Imperial Uncle — even you can’t find him. How could I possibly find him?” Xiao Yingtao raised an eyebrow. “Hasn’t he written to you? Did he not say when he’d be back?”

Feng Jiu’er pursed her lips and looked away.

“He only told me to wait here for word. I can’t go, but I can’t bring myself to stay either. And last night I dreamed that Feng Qiongcang had captured him. It’s unbearable.”

Xiao Yingtao pressed her lips together and murmured, “That’s true enough. Feng Qiongcang’s martial skill is formidable. I wonder who is stronger — him or the Prince?”

“Xiao Yingtao.” Feng Jiu’er turned to glare at her. “Do you have any idea how to comfort a person?”

Xiao Yingtao met her gaze, and after a moment, she smiled and shook her head. “Clearly not.”

She tossed out those words and immediately got to her feet.

But before she could go anywhere, the small pouch Feng Jiu’er casually snatched up came sailing at her head.

Xiao Yingtao yelped, caught the little patient-cushion pouch, and set it back on the table.

“You can be ill all you like, but don’t go committing assault. You should know that without me, Longying would very likely grind to a halt.”

“Do you know how many large and small matters I handle for Longying? From top to bottom, everything is—”

“Do you want a raise?” Feng Jiu’er shot Xiao Yingtao a sideways look, slumped facedown on the table again, and cut her off.

“Petty things like a raise aren’t my department. You’ve found the wrong person.”

Xiao Yingtao stared at the back of Feng Jiu’er’s head and drew a slow breath.

“The raise is already a given. I have another request.”

“Go find Steward Qian.” Feng Jiu’er waved a hand without looking up.

Xiao Yingtao drew another deep breath, knitted her brows, and extended both hands toward Feng Jiu’er.

“Finding Steward Qian won’t do. What I want is to give you a good beating. One beating, and I’ll have the energy to get back to work. Just the one — that’s all I ask.”

Before Feng Jiu’er could react, Xiao Yingtao launched into tickling her.

Unable to bear it, Feng Jiu’er immediately sat bolt upright and scooted backward.

“No! Xiao Yingtao, stop it!”

Xiao Yingtao, undeterred, kept going for her neck.

“Xiao Yingtao, all right, that’s enough — or I won’t hold back!” Feng Jiu’er was still pleading.

“I’m waiting for you to stop holding back!” Xiao Yingtao had nearly draped herself entirely over Feng Jiu’er.

“Xiao Yingtao!” Though Feng Jiu’er was laughing, she was clearly in distress. “Don’t make me use force — or you’ll — stop it, stop it this instant!”

The commotion was considerable — enough that the physicians on either side and the patients waiting to be seen could all hear it.

Everyone’s lips carried faint smiles. No one showed disdain, and no one thought to disturb them.

Unable to endure the tickling, Feng Jiu’er soon turned the tables and pinned Xiao Yingtao down into her own chair.

When it was Xiao Yingtao’s turn to be tickled, her laughter rang out even louder than Feng Jiu’er’s had.

“Jiu’er, stop — ha ha — I was wrong, I was wrong! Jiu’er, please — ha ha ha—”

“And now you know you were wrong? Too late!” Feng Jiu’er declared, and continued tormenting her captive.

The chair was not particularly large, but both young women were slight and slender, and it held them easily enough.

The two of them had been playing for a little while when, suddenly, a man’s voice came from outside.

“Miss Jiu’er, something has happened.”

The brother’s voice was not loud, but it was laced with urgency.

Feng Jiu’er heard it and glanced back, her brow furrowing slightly.

The hall fell quiet. The brother continued, “Miss Jiu’er, I’m coming in.”

“Come in.” Feng Jiu’er tossed out the single word and rose from where she sat atop Xiao Yingtao.

The brother walked briskly past the dividing screen and appeared before Feng Jiu’er and Xiao Yingtao.

“What is it?” Feng Jiu’er asked, her brow still creased.

The brother’s heavy brows furrowed. He stepped forward and leaned in close to Feng Jiu’er.

He spoke a few words directly into her ear, and Feng Jiu’er’s expression shifted at once, turning grave.

“What happened exactly?” Xiao Yingtao rose to her feet, her voice low and serious.

“Let’s go.” Feng Jiu’er drew a deep breath. “We’ll see the situation for ourselves first before we say anything.”

“Yes.” The brother gave a nod and turned to leave.

The shift in Feng Jiu’er’s expression was enough to unsettle Xiao Yingtao. She reacted quickly and went after her.

When Feng Jiu’er followed the brother out, Jian Yi had appeared at some point in front of the screen — no one had noticed when.

He and Feng Jiu’er exchanged a glance. Neither said a word. Together, they walked out.