Father Huo’s family did not know Doctor Cui’s reputation.
Old Lady Huo was advanced in age. She would have headaches and minor illnesses a couple of times every year.
Every time she went to the city, she would seek out Doctor Cui.
Doctor Cui was gentle and steady, refined and detached, like an immortal who had descended to the mortal world.
Of course, rural people were not well educated, and they could not think of good words to describe him, but it did not affect their belief that Doctor Cui was not an ordinary person.
He had not accepted any disciples for more than ten years. Old Lady Huo had even thought of sending her two grandsons to him, but even long-time patients were ruthlessly rejected.
Old Lady Huo had even been willing to offer five hundred taels of silver.
How could Eldest Aunt Huo possibly believe that Ning Yuchan and Taohua, two little girls, could pass any test and be accepted as disciples by Doctor Cui?
They must have been sold because the second branch lacked money.
Eldest Uncle Huo did not quite believe it.
“Second Brother wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Eldest Aunt Huo scoffed, “He wouldn’t, but what about Tian Fengying? Changsheng isn’t coming back. They can’t make ends meet. Five mouths to feed, how can they survive?
If you ask me, even if they weren’t sold, they were probably sent off to be someone’s concubine.”
Old Lady Huo had regarded Tian Fengying as a thorn in her side for more than twenty years. Even if no one else believed Eldest Aunt Huo, she believed her.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, hurry and go to the Liang family. Find Scholar Liang’s wife and go to Old Man Ning’s house to inform them.
Our Huo family must not do something that will make people point fingers behind our backs. Mingqian still has to take the provincial level examination in autumn and the palace examination next spring. If someone reports this, wouldn’t it ruin our family’s future?”
Eldest Aunt Huo moved quickly. After putting on her clothes, she ran all the way and soon arrived at the Liang family.
“Scholar Liang’s wife, something terrible has happened. Your younger sister has been sold.”
Ning Yuqiao was busy feeding the chickens and did not hear clearly what was being shouted outside.
Mother Liang, however, heard it clearly but did not dare to believe it. “Sister-in-law, what did you say?”
Eldest Aunt Huo walked straight into the courtyard. “Where is your daughter-in-law? Her younger sister has been sold.”
“Mother, what happened to my younger sister?” Ning Yuqiao came out holding a bamboo tray as she asked.
Eldest Aunt Huo repeated it again, “Your younger sister has been sold.”
Ning Yuqiao was shocked. “What did you say?”
Eldest Aunt Huo slapped her thighs forcefully twice. “This is truly heartless. The second branch is so poor that they can barely afford to eat, and yet they’ve done something so cruel. This morning, Tian Fengying took Changsheng’s wife and Taohua out. In the afternoon, she came back alone, saying she had sent them to the city to become apprentices. How could that be possible? She clearly sold them…”
After all, they were sisters who had grown up together. Ning Yuqiao still felt some concern for her younger sister.
“Where were they sold? I’ll go inform my father and bring them back.”
Mother Liang was worried about her daughter-in-law and called Father Liang along. “We’ll go with you.”
How could Eldest Aunt Huo let such an opportunity pass? “Just the two of you won’t be enough. I’ll go back and gather more people, and we’ll bring Tian Fengying along too. Only she knows where they were sold. No matter what, we must take her with us.”
…
Ning Yuchan finished washing up and lay on the bed with Taohua.
After a long day, both of them were tired.
Ning Yuchan had at least slept in other places before, but Taohua had never stayed anywhere outside Huojia Village.
It was her first time leaving her parents, and she felt uneasy.
“Sister-in-law, I’m a little scared.”
Ning Yuchan held her small hand and comforted her, “We’re together, so don’t be afraid. Besides, Master is a good person. He’s downstairs. It’s fine.”
Taohua nodded.
After all, she was still a child, and she soon fell asleep.
Ning Yuchan tucked Taohua in, and in the darkness, she lay on her back staring at the ceiling. Disjointed fragments of thoughts surfaced in her mind.
Liang Yunxian did not acknowledge this marriage.
Right now, he was busy studying and preparing for the provincial examination in the autumn, so he had no energy to deal with this matter.
But after the examination, he would certainly make a scene.
They had already bowed to Heaven and Earth. There was no turning back.
If he really caused trouble, what would she do?
And the person in Master’s room who called himself Changsheng, who exactly was he?
Could it be Huo Changsheng?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. In the end, she simply stopped thinking.
Ning Yuchan closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep quickly.
On her first night staying at Cui Shantang after becoming a disciple, Ning Yuchan actually slept quite well.
Aside from those chaotic thoughts before falling asleep.
But someone did not sleep well.
No, it was two villages that did not sleep well.
Early the next morning, Liang Yunxian and the others were preparing to return to the academy. Liang Yunxian originally wanted to say a few more words to Ning Yuchan, but before he could even leave the room, he was interrupted by thunderous shouting outside.
Cui Qingcheng opened the door.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
Dozens of people had gathered at the entrance. Some were holding axes, some were wielding sickles, and others were carrying hoes. Their faces were filled with anger, and their emotions were running high, as if they were about to tear down Cui Shantang.
“Fellow villagers, what is the meaning of this…?”
Old Man Ning grabbed Tian Fengying by the arm and pushed her forward.
“She sold my daughter and lied, saying she had apprenticed her to Doctor Cui. Call Doctor Cui out and let us confront her face-to-face, so she can take me to find my daughter.”
“This is utterly heartless, utterly heartless!”
“She sold a perfectly good girl just a few days after she got married.”
“Is she even human? Who would do such a thing!”
…
Cui Qingcheng listened for quite a while before he understood what everyone meant.
He only asked Tian Fengying, “You knew that Yuchan and Taohua became disciples, didn’t you?”
Tian Fengying said helplessly, “Don’t even mention it. I’ve talked until my lips are worn out, but they just won’t believe me. They came last night, and since the city gate was closed, we stayed outside the city all night.”
Cui Qingcheng felt his head buzzing from the noise. “Wait here. I’ll go find Master.”
Liang Yunxian’s parents and Ning Yuqiao were among the crowd.
When they unexpectedly saw Liang Yunxian, they squeezed forward and stopped him. “Yunxian, it’s good you’re here. Tian Fengying sold your younger sister-in-law. Hurry and seek justice for her.”
Younger sister-in-law?
Li Yanbin was not far from Liang Yunxian and cast a meaningful glance at him.
Hearing the words “sister-in-law,” Liang Yunxian’s heart skipped a beat.
Especially when he noticed Li Yanbin’s probing gaze. Yesterday, he had clearly said that he was not familiar with Ning Yuchan.
Yet after only one night, it was exposed.
No matter how thick-skinned he was, he still felt ashamed.
However, he was unfamiliar with Cui Shantang and could not find the back entrance.
At this moment, he forced a serious expression and said sternly, “How can you believe rumors so easily? Yuchan and Taohua have apprenticed under Doctor Cui and are staying here to study.”
Mother Liang was stunned. “Really?”
Liang Yunxian’s gaze swept over Ning Yuqiao’s face, and he said somewhat impatiently, “You know what kind of person Second Aunt is. How could she possibly sell them?”
Old Man Ning was anxious. He rushed to Liang Yunxian, grabbed his arm, and asked, “Yunxian, tell me the truth. Did Yuchan really become Doctor Cui’s disciple?”
At that moment, Cui Shitou came out.
Cui Shitou had been present the entire time when Ning Yuchan and Taohua became disciples.
Facing the crowd, he vividly recounted everything that had happened the day before, from beginning to end.
By the time he had almost finished speaking, Doctor Cui walked out, refined and gentle.
“Fellow villagers,” Ning Yuchan and Taohua stood behind him, “Cui has been fortunate to accept three disciples yesterday. One is Cui Shitou, who has long been helping at Cui Shantang. The other two are Yuchan and Taohua. You have misunderstood Sister-in-law Huo.”
Last night, a large crowd had gathered, including villagers from both Huojia Village and Dayang Village.
Some had genuinely come to bring the girls back.
But others had joined simply to watch the commotion.
Eldest Aunt Huo had even alerted the village head, who had stormed into the Huo household and dragged Tian Fengying out. No matter how she explained, no one believed her.
After all, Eldest Aunt Huo was the one who had reported it first, and they were family.
Now that Doctor Cui had come out to clarify, and Ning Yuchan and Taohua were standing before everyone to confirm that they had indeed become disciples, the villagers had no choice but to believe it.
At this moment, Tian Fengying regained her spirit.
“I have been married into Huojia Village for more than twenty years. I have always acted fairly and kept my word. I never expected that in everyone’s eyes, I would be someone who sells children.”
After such a huge misunderstanding, most people felt embarrassed. They quickly slipped away.
Old Man Ning, however, could not escape.
With an awkward expression, he apologized to Tian Fengying. “In-law, it’s all my fault for worrying too much about my daughter. As soon as someone said it, I believed it without checking carefully. Don’t take it to heart.”
Tian Fengying was not angry at Old Man Ning.
She was angry at the instigator, Eldest Aunt Huo.
If Old Lady Huo had not had difficulty walking, she would have come as well.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, now that the matter has been clarified, you should at least give an explanation.”
Eldest Aunt Huo’s face alternated between pale and flushed.
She had indeed not verified the matter clearly, but there was no way she would apologize to Tian Fengying.
“Hmph, who knows what intentions you have. The man is already dead, yet you marry in a young maiden to keep watch over him. Isn’t that heartless?”
Tian Fengying pointed at Eldest Aunt Huo’s nose and demanded, “Who are you scolding? You just can’t stand seeing our second branch do well. I sent them out to become apprentices, and you spread rumors everywhere that I sold them. How can you be so shameless?”
“Hah, you make it sound nice,” Eldest Aunt Huo jumped up and argued back, “Your son is already dead. How do you even have the nerve?”
Huo Changsheng had not returned for five years and had long become Tian Fengying’s deepest pain.
Even a cat or dog raised by hand would leave a lifelong ache, let alone her own flesh and blood.
Eldest Aunt Huo repeatedly mentioned that Huo Changsheng was dead, touching Tian Fengying’s bottom line. She suddenly rushed forward like a madwoman.
“Today I will beat you to death, you shameless gossiping woman…”
Tian Fengying was serious. Fortunately, there were many people in the medical hall, and they firmly held her back before she could reach Eldest Aunt Huo.
Ning Yuchan was not Tian Fengying, but she understood the place a son held in a mother’s heart.
She pressed her lips together, then stepped forward to Tian Fengying’s side and said to Eldest Aunt Huo calmly and without arrogance or servility, “Aunt, this matter is not my mother-in-law’s fault. I was the one who wanted to marry Brother Huo, and I was also the one who wanted to remain faithful to him. All of this was my own willing choice.”
Liang Yunxian’s expression changed abruptly.
He stared fixedly at Ning Yuchan’s delicate and beautiful face. His emotions surged violently, and the sudden overwhelming anger nearly drowned him.
She wanted to remain faithful to Huo Changsheng.
She wanted to marry Huo Changsheng.
She was willing.
Then what did he, who had been her fiancé for five years, count for in her heart?
Li Yanbin sorted out the relationships among the people from their quarrel.
Ning Yuchan turned out to be Liang Yunxian’s sister-in-law.
And her husband was already dead.
At this moment, noticing Liang Yunxian’s expression, he lightly nudged his elbow. “Your sister-in-law is quite…”
He could not find the right word for a moment. “Quite special.”
Liang Yunxian forcibly suppressed the anger and disappointment in his chest and said stubbornly, “She is not my sister-in-law.”
She was his fiancée.
She should have been his wife by now.
Li Yanbin suspected that Liang Yunxian had quarreled with his wife.
So, refusing to acknowledge his wife’s younger sister was not unusual.
Eldest Aunt Huo, having been scolded harshly by Tian Fengying, left in a miserable state.
Most of the villagers had already dispersed. Seeing that Eldest Aunt Huo had gone, there was no reason for the others to stay, and they hurriedly left Cui Shantang.
Only Tian Fengying, Old Man Ning, and the Liang family members remained.
Only then did Mother Liang turn her attention to her son. “Yunxian, didn’t you go to the academy? Why are you at the medical hall?”
Liang Yunxian took a deep breath and withdrew his gaze from Ning Yuchan. “A classmate got injured. A few of us brought him here. Mother, we still need to return to the academy, so we’ll leave first.”
He turned and gestured for his three classmates to follow.
Li Yanbin and another classmate supported Yao Jiaming as they passed by the Liang family.
Ning Yuqiao naturally noticed Yao Jiaming’s injured leg, but she did not believe that Liang Yunxian had encountered Ning Yuchan by chance.
Especially the way Liang Yunxian looked at Ning Yuchan, full of unwillingness and desire.
After hesitating for a moment, she chased after him and grabbed his arm.
“Husband, you really didn’t come for Yuchan?”
Her eyes were filled with suspicion. Liang Yunxian felt irritated and forcefully shook off her hand. “This has nothing to do with you.”
His attitude was far from gentle, even somewhat rough.
Ning Yuqiao watched his departing figure, her eyes gradually filling with tears.
Then she turned to look at Ning Yuchan, her gaze filled with malice.
Old Man Ning, seeing that his daughter was safe and had even become Doctor Cui’s disciple, was overjoyed.
He kept praising his daughter to Doctor Cui. “Yuchan has been clever since childhood. You won’t regret accepting her as a disciple. This child is also filial. She will surely treat you like her own father.”
Doctor Cui’s expression remained calm, but he believed Old Man Ning’s words.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
Ning Yuqiao had never met Doctor Cui before, but she had heard much about him from the Liang family recently.
She knew he was a highly esteemed and aloof master of medicine.
She had not expected that her younger sister would become his disciple.
For no reason, a strong sense of disgust arose in her heart.
Tian Fengying and Old Man Ning had not slept the previous night. They had only rested briefly outside the city.
After confirming that Ning Yuchan and Taohua had not been sold, the two quickly returned to the village.
On just the first day after becoming disciples, such an absurd incident had already occurred.
Ning Yuchan and Taohua both felt uneasy and apologized to Doctor Cui several times.
Doctor Cui did not take it to heart. “You two can put your minds at ease and study under me. I only care whether you are diligent.”
Ning Yuchan and Taohua finally relaxed.
That day, they mainly followed their master to learn to identify medicinal herbs.
Doctor Cui discovered something quite unusual.
Taohua actually recognized more medicinal herbs than Ning Yuchan.
Ning Yuchan felt somewhat embarrassed and explained to Doctor Cui, “Yesterday, I memorized your actions. As for the herbs themselves, I do not have a photographic memory for them yet.”
Doctor Cui was astonished. There could actually be such a peculiar situation in this world.
Taohua had a good memory, so in the afternoon, Doctor Cui took her out to observe medicinal herbs.
Ning Yuchan stayed behind and studied with Cui Qingcheng.
Cui Qingcheng suddenly remembered that his master had a book called Compendium of Materia Medica, which recorded more than three hundred kinds of herbs, including their names, properties, and uses.
It was perfect for beginners.
However, the book was in the inner residence, so he told Ning Yuchan to go get it herself.
After memorizing all the dozen or so herbs in the courtyard, Ning Yuchan also wanted to broaden her knowledge. Hearing her senior brother’s suggestion, she went to the inner residence.
Strangely enough, the moment she stepped into the building, she heard a very unusual sound from upstairs.
It sounded as if someone was walking.
She was certain that her master had gone out with Taohua, so there should not be anyone in the building.
A sense of fear rose in her heart. What if there was a bad person? As a weak woman with no strength, how could she protect herself?
Noticing a shoulder pole in the corner, she quickly picked it up and held it tightly in her arms.
At the same time, she called upstairs, “Who’s there?”
There was no response. Ning Yuchan gathered her courage and went upstairs, but as soon as she turned the corner, a large hand suddenly reached from behind and tightly covered her mouth.
Then a low voice, deep like the tolling of a bell, sounded by her ear. “Don’t make a sound.”
Ning Yuchan had never felt so frightened and helpless before. Her heart tightened, her breathing became difficult, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
At that moment, the voice above her sounded again.
“Don’t be afraid. I am your Brother Huo.”