Li Yingtang linked her arm with his. “Let’s go sell them over there.”
Qin Xian gently pulled away. “We’re in public. People are watching.”
Li Yingtang said, “We’re wrapped up so tightly—who would recognize us? Hah! Aren’t there people doing the same over there? Why can’t we? Are you disgusted with me?”
Qin Xian took a closer look. It really was… the world was going downhill!
They arrived in a residential area.
Li Yingtang selected the best-looking persimmons and placed them on top while organizing her words: “Sell—”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Qin Xian standing there doing nothing. If he stayed beside her, wouldn’t he know exactly how much she earned?
That wouldn’t do!
Her thoughts shifted quickly as she carefully chose her words. “Ah Xian, is there a chance your patients might be nearby? What if someone recognizes you and greets you, and even gets interested in buying persimmons to get closer to you? It would be a bit awkward if I were talking about money. Why don’t you stand a little farther away? Come back after I finish selling the persimmons, okay?”
Qin Xian immediately walked away.
Li Yingtang raised her voice brightly. “Frozen persimmons for sale! Sweet and delicious, nutritious frozen persimmons! Don’t miss out if you pass by! Big ones—one dime each, buy five get one free. Small ones—one dime for two, buy ten get four free! Hey, auntie, take a look at my freshly picked frozen persimmons!”
She pushed the cart forward.
An older woman picked up a persimmon and squeezed it. “Looks pretty good. Can I pick them myself?”
“Of course, pick whatever you like,” Li Yingtang said enthusiastically. “Buy big ones, get big ones free; buy small ones, get small ones free.”
The woman selected twelve large ones and paid.
Li Yingtang took the money, thrilled. She had made one yuan on her first sale—what a good omen!
She continued shouting. Her clear, pleasant voice and attractive appearance drew attention from passersby.
Anyone who made eye contact with her was immediately approached. “Sister, want some persimmons? They generate saliva, relieve thirst, reduce phlegm and coughing, and nourish the lungs and spleen—lots of benefits!” She had learned all this from Qin Xian.
“Really?”
“If I’m lying, I’m a puppy. Want to try two?” She eagerly wiped a persimmon clean with a handkerchief and handed it over.
“I’ll do it myself…”
Before long, half the cart was sold.
Behind the wind, Li Yingtang calculated her earnings: 4.35 yuan. The remaining persimmons were of poorer quality and wouldn’t sell well at the original price.
She halved the price and continued selling along the main road. In just half an hour, everything was sold, earning another 1.6 yuan.
Given local prices, this should be enough to buy a cotton coat.
She carefully stored the money and returned the same way—but Qin Xian was nowhere to be seen.
Where was he?
Had he left her behind?
“Ah Xian! Ah Xian!” Panicking, she abandoned the cart and shouted in all directions like a headless fly.
The next second, a cold voice sounded beside her ear.
“Here.”
Li Yingtang turned around. The young man stood under a pine tree, holding a white cloth bag, his figure upright and elegant like jade, standing against the wind.
Buying flour, it seemed.
She sighed in relief and ran toward him like the wind, smiling brightly. “You scared me to death—I thought you’d left me behind.”
Qin Xian said directly, “Or were you afraid I’d leave you?”
Li Yingtang blinked. Did he have to say it so bluntly?
“The persimmons are sold out! I made four yuan. I’m freezing to death. Where can I buy cotton clothes? Could you take me? If it’s not enough money, you can lend me some—I’ll pay you back after selling hawthorn later.” She shivered slightly on purpose to gain sympathy. “Actually, I don’t have to buy it… I can endure it. If it gets too cold, I’ll just hug you to keep warm. You don’t object to me being your wife, right? A hug shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Qin Xian: “…Buy it.”
Inside the supply store, Li Yingtang bought new clothes from head to toe and also two new cotton quilts, spending 32 yuan.
Daily necessities only cost 1.2 yuan, while the rest were items she specifically requested—such as menstrual supplies, undergarments, bathing curtains, and bamboo skewers for making hawthorn snacks.
Watching the money flow out like water, she promised, “I’m sorry for making you spend so much today. When I make it big, I’ll definitely give you a good life.”
Qin Xian glanced at her.
Li Yingtang felt awkward. A fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken. She once thought she could do anything, but now, without her parents’ support, even promises sounded empty.
She coughed lightly to ease the mood. “Shall we go home?”
“Or what?” he replied.
She choked.
By noon, they returned to the clinic.
Qin Xian pushed the cart into the storage room. Li Yingtang packed the borrowed clothes from Aunt Liu into a bag, took an egg, and asked for Liu’s house location before heading over.
“Oh, you even brought an egg? That’s too polite,” Aunt Liu said, secretly swallowing her saliva.
Xiao Qin’s family really was generous—such a big duck egg just given away.
Luckily she lent the clothes, otherwise she wouldn’t have benefited at all.
“I saw you coming from the village entrance with Dr. Qin earlier. Went out shopping today?” she asked.
Li Yingtang, knowing little about the situation, feared jealousy if she explained the egg’s origin, so she simply replied, “Yes.”
“What else did you buy?”
“A bathing curtain and toilet paper.”
“Come sit and chat.”
“No, I still have things to do at home.”
She hurried back to prepare hawthorn. Near the clinic she heard screams—someone had fallen and broken a leg. Qin Xian was fixing it with wooden splints.
“After you go back, rest in bed, keep warm, and take medicine on time.”
“Alright.”
Li Yingtang watched with admiration. As expected of the man she had fallen for at first sight—he could even set bones.
After sending the patient away, Qin Xian washed his hands and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Did you return the clothes?”
“Ah? Yes. Someone came, I won’t disturb you.”
She went to the kitchen to wash the hawthorn and spread them out to drain.
After finishing, her hands were numb from the cold, so she returned to the medical room to warm herself by the fire.
The previously lively room was now empty.
“Ah Xian~ Ah Xian~~” she called.
His voice came from the next room. “Next door.”
She stepped over the threshold, then pulled back. “Are you tired? Then rest, my dear. I’ll watch the clinic.”
On the other side of the wall, Qin Xian sat at his desk, pinching his burning red ear. He had had enough of her—just a single sentence from her was enough to disturb his mind.
“The bed is full of your things. Where would I even rest?”
The bed was a mess, items thrown everywhere.
Only then did Li Yingtang remember she hadn’t folded the bedding or organized the purchases. She hurried back in, smiling brightly. “It is a bit messy. Teach me how to organize it?”
Qin Xian was shocked. “You need to be taught how to do basic chores? You—”
Li Yingtang raised her head to meet his gaze. “What about me?! Can’t I just not know how to do it before?”
Qin Xian: “…”
She had a point.
What kind of girl doesn’t even know how to fold a quilt? Probably just lazy.
But then he saw her rubbing her frostbitten red hands.
His heart tightened instantly. Yesterday they had been as delicate as scallion-white jade fingers, yet in just one day they had been worn down like this.
She must have been pampered all her life, only starting to suffer hardship after coming here.
He was just a poor rural doctor with no real prospects. What did she see in him?
With her looks and way of speaking, she could easily land herself a high-status match.
“You shouldn’t waste your youth here,” he said quietly.