The two did not take the final step. Although Pei Jinrong felt uncomfortable, he still firmly suppressed his own desires; he wanted to give Song Wenqing the best possible experience. These past few days, he had been busy weaving bamboo baskets and had no time to visit the town to purchase a few storybooks to study, nor did he feel comfortable directly asking his friends back in the capital.
Seeing him come to a halt, Song Wenqing licked his lips. The youth then buried his head into the crook of Song Wenqing’s neck to catch his breath, calming his rapid heartbeat.
Once he recovered his senses, realizing what the two of them had just been doing on the bed, he finally became shy a beat too late.
After tossing and turning for quite a while, both of them grew drowsy. Pei Jinrong wrapped his arms around Song Wenqing, and accompanied by the chirping of the cicadas outside, the two drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Song Wenqing was the first to wake up. Seeing the youth’s sleeping face so close at hand, he curled his lips slightly into a smile. Outside the house, Gray Ball woke up earlier than the two of them, whimpering and calling out at the door. Song Wenqing released Pei Jinrong’s hand to get up and put on his shoes, only to notice the youth’s body instantly stiffen.
He laughed even more happily, choosing not to expose Pei Jinrong’s little trick, and even closed the door for him in a highly friendly manner.
Song Wenqing released the chickens confined in the coop so they could forage for food themselves. Gray Ball was quite well-behaved; seeing the little chicks come out, he did not rush forward to pounce on them, insteadaaaa dutifully circling around Song Wenqing’s feet. Dogs in the village were easy to raise; Gray Ball simply ate whatever they ate.
He finished his own meal first, then gave instructions to Pei Jinrong, who was lowering his head with reddened ears, not daring to meet his gaze. “Wash the dishes in a moment. I am heading out to conduct a free clinic.”
Pei Jinrong nodded. Seeing that he was about to leave, he reached out to tug at the corner of his garment. “You, you wait a moment. Let me see if there are any red marks on your neck.” As he spoke, he feigned a couple of coughs to conceal his nervousness.
The two had played quite wildly yesterday, and he was afraid he might have left marks on Song Wenqing’s neck.
Hearing this, Song Wenqing nodded and sat down beside him.
Pei Jinrong had been far too inexperienced last night. Looking at the red mark on Song Wenqing’s neck, he said in a low voice, “Ah Wen, there is a small one here.”
Gazing into his large, watery eyes, Song Wenqing let out a soft laugh. “It is fine. This position is not noticeable. I will just change into a long-sleeved gown before I head out in a moment.”
Deciding to change immediately, Song Wenqing rose and entered the inner room, returning after just a short while. Since he was going to hold a free clinic today, he selected a gown that made him look a bit more like a physician. He spun around once in front of Pei Jinrong and asked, “How does this one look?”
Seeing that the red mark was completely concealed, Pei Jinrong said, “You look very much like a physician from the capital.”
A physician?
Song Wenqing found this form of address highly novel. The villagers here generally used the term “langzhong,” so he had not expected the term “physician” to be used in the capital as well. This also made him more certain that his affordable husband was someone from the capital.
Receiving Pei Jinrong’s affirmation, Song Wenqing packed up his things and headed out.
Because the free clinic required a table and a chair, which they did have at home, they were simply a bit heavy. He decided to find Zhao Lin and the others to borrow a handcart, planning to transport the table and chair over first.
Initially, he had thought that since Pei Jinrong’s house was right at the entrance of the village, he might as well just set up right outside their front door. But after giving it some thought later, he still decided to head over toward the official road.
This way, if people from the neighboring villages suffered from any difficult or complicated illnesses, they could find their way over as well.
Zhao Lin agreed very readily. After pulling the handcart out from the woodshed, he smiled and said, “Is Brother Wen planning to go up the mountain to hunt on his own?”
Yesterday, several of those rough men had gone to Physician Li’s place to fill the prescription Song Wenqing had written. Physician Li chanced to be missing a few ingredients, so Zhao Lin instructed the men to recite the portions they were responsible for remembering, allowing Physician Li to write them down. He himself then took the prescription and rushed toward the county seat in a burning hurry.
Fortunately, he made it in time, filling the prescription and bringing it back to brew so Lu Hui could drink it. He also drank a bowl himself, just in case there were any small wounds inside his own mouth.
As he had been busy rushing back at the time, the county seat physician, after filling the prescription based on his paper, had repeatedly and earnestly instructed him to make another trip back in the evening. It was only upon that second visit that he learned several ingredients within this prescription were opened brilliantly. The county seat physician had pulled him aside to ask who the person responsible for writing this prescription was. Fearing that good intentions might lead to trouble and bring unnecessary bother to Song Wenqing, Zhao Lin only stated that he would ask upon his return before providing an answer.
In his heart, his opinion of Song Wenqing had shifted once again. Fortunately, Song Wenqing did not hold a grudge against them for the gossip they had spoken previously.
Song Wenqing took the handcart from his hands and said, “I am going over to the official road to hold a free clinic in a moment. I am taking the handcart over to haul a table and a chair.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lin hurriedly said, “A trivial matter like this is something we brothers can handle.”
Fearing that Song Wenqing might overthink, he added, “Rest assured, just consider it repayment for saving Lu Hui’s life yesterday. Besides, if any of us fall ill in the future, we will likely still need to seek you out.”
Meeting Zhao Lin’s gaze, Song Wenqing nodded, seeing that he had truly let the past go.
“Then I shall trouble you all.”
Zhao Lin smiled and patted his chest. “It is no trouble at all.” After speaking, he called out toward the inner room, “Brothers, come out to work!”
Within a few minutes, the individuals who had gone hunting together previously poked their heads out from Zhao Lin’s kitchen, setting down the bowls in their hands. “Coming, coming.”
The men still scratched their heads with a bit of embarrassment. “Brother Wen, we are sorry for what happened before.”
Song Wenqing was not small-minded either. He waved his hand and said, “It is fine. Did you all not help me bring the bayberries down the mountain afterward anyway?”
Pei Jinrong was sitting in the courtyard weaving a bamboo basket. Watching Song Wenqing enter with a group of people, before he could speak, Song Wenqing spoke first to explain, “I brought them to fetch the table and the chair.”
Pei Jinrong nodded, and Song Wenqing then led the group toward the inner room.
Back when Zhao Lin first learned that Song Wenqing was forced to marry Pei Jinrong, he did not harbor a good impression of Pei Jinrong in his heart. Coupled with the fact that the villagers previously stated his personality was cold, Zhao Lin instinctively assumed that Song Wenqing’s future days would likely be difficult.
Seeing him today, however, he felt that the rumors were mistaken. The moment Pei Jinrong looked at Song Wenqing, his eyes were completely filled with tenderness.
Gray Ball lay beside him, wagging his tail from time to time. Seeing Song Wenqing emerge, the dog joyfully circled around him.
Before long, the men finished arranging the items Song Wenqing needed onto the handcart and headed toward the official road.
“Brother Lin, Young Lord Jin truly knows how to put on an act.”
Song Wenqing walked slowly, leaving the group of men ahead. A man beside Zhao Lin muttered in a low voice.
Zhao Lin was puzzled, so the man continued, “The way he smiled just now gave me the shivers.” The man even shook his body slightly as he spoke. “Did I not tell you all before that my father went to the village chief’s house and discovered a few beautifully woven bamboo baskets there? After finding out who made them, he dragged me to visit the very next day. My father and I sat right beside him watching him weave, and he did not utter more than a few words the entire morning. His face was cold enough to freeze someone to death.”
“Furthermore, just now when you all went inside to carry the table, Haoyan and I stayed outside to guard the handcart. The look he gave Haoyan and me was completely different from the way he looks at Brother Wen.” The man patted the person beside him. “If you do not believe me, ask Haoyan.”
Hearing this, Zhao Lin turned his head to look at Chen Haoyan.
Chen Haoyan first checked the distance between Song Wenqing and themselves. Seeing that he was far behind, he said, “Yes, it truly is as though he is two entirely different people.”
“Then why did you not say so earlier, causing me to think that Brother Wen would have to live a miserable life after marrying Pei Jinrong?” Zhao Lin’s focus was clearly not on the latter part. He recalled how he used to talk nonsense in front of these brothers when he was drunk, saying things like how Brother Wen marrying a cripple like Pei Jinrong was inferior to marrying him, as he could at least provide security for his future life.
Looking at it now, did the man not possess a fine craft? The moment he recalled those words, his face burned with embarrassment.
The man rubbed his forehead, which throbbed from being tapped by Zhao Lin, and said aggrievedly, “I did not pay close attention when my father mentioned his name before. Furthermore, did my father and I not forget to take an item afterward? When I went back to look, he was actually standing up. Who could possibly connect the two of them? I was even wondering to myself at the time when our village had acquired such a figure.”
“Standing up?” Zhao Lin frowned slightly.
Chen Haoyan pondered for a moment and spoke up, “Brother Lin, do you think we ought to mention this to Brother Wen?”
Zhao Lin gave him a kick. “What is the relationship between the two of them? Do you truly believe Brother Wen is as foolish as you are?”
The two of them were completely a case of one willing to strike and the other willing to bear it.
Hearing this, the men dropped the matter. It was true; Brother Wen understood everything in his heart as clearly as a bright mirror, so did he really need them to speak up?
After helping Song Wenqing set up the table and chair, Zhao Lin led the men back.
Song Wenqing pulled out paper and a brush, feeling somewhat gloomy. Previously when he conducted free clinics, he had at the very least possessed a stethoscope. Now, let alone a stethoscope, he did not even have a scalpel on his person.
备份 Fortunately, influenced by his grandmother, he was highly interested in traditional Chinese medicine and had even minored in it during university. At the time, he never expected to combine Chinese and Western medicine, assuming there would never be an opportunity. Now, however, everything fell into place naturally.
Song Wenqing wrote the words “Free Clinic” and placed the sign to the side, sitting idly as he waited for people to arrive.
Instead of waiting for a patient, he encountered a child on the road who called him a traveling charlatan.
Song Wenqing remained silent.
Forget it, the first step is always the hardest. He had no money to open a medical clinic, nor did he possess a reputation, so who would dare seek him out for medical treatment?
As noon approached, many passersby traveled the road, yet no one stopped. Several gers from the village who had just returned from purchasing vegetables at the market approached to watch the excitement.
Upon hearing that Song Wenqing was holding a free clinic here, they picked up their bamboo baskets and headed home, evidently not believing that Song Wenqing truly knew how to treat illnesses.
Having sat for the entire morning, he did not manage to wait for a single person. His stomach rumbled with hunger, so Song Wenqing thought it over and decided to head home first to have a meal.
Pei Jinrong was at home, and the food had long since been prepared. Song Wenqing casually ate a few bites before heading back to sit again.
This session lasted the entire afternoon. Quite a few people did stop to inquire. Furthermore, being on the official road, people from neighboring villages would ask a question or two as well. However, the expressions on their faces clearly revealed that they did not believe him.
He did not lose heart either. This was only the first day; sitting on a cold bench for a few more days in the future was perfectly normal.
As evening approached, Song Wenqing recalled that the feed for the chickens was almost depleted, so he decided to try again in a few days. Today served to spread the news that such a figure existed, and over time, someone would eventually come to test the waters.
Seeing that several people selling vegetables nearby had not moved their stalls back home yet, Song Wenqing decided to be lazy too. It was just a single table and a chair anyway; surely no one would steal them.
When he returned home, Pei Jinrong had already finished weaving all the bamboo baskets. Noticing that a few bamboo strips remained, Song Wenqing asked in bewilderment, “Ah Jin, these bamboo strips are likely insufficient to weave another basket.”
Hearing this, Pei Jinrong raised his head and said with a smile, “I am not making a basket. I am using them to make a flower lantern for Ah Wen.”