More than three months later, in the capital.
Ye Yunmian led a donkey into the city in a dusty, weary state.
Compared to when she had first left, there were now two large bundles tied onto the donkey’s back.
Along the way, she had survived by using her medical skills and never gone hungry, but life on the road made it impossible to remain polished and elegant. She had gained a somewhat unrestrained, rough-edged air.
After leaving that village, she discovered something was off about her own age and body. After talking with travelers along the way, she finally confirmed it—she had actually lost three years of memory.
She should have come to the capital three years ago. Now that so much time had passed, she had no idea how far the plot in the book had progressed.
Could it be…
Had the grass on her elder brother and younger brother’s graves already grown three feet tall?!
Ye Yunmian felt uneasy and decided she needed to return to the Ye family as soon as possible.
The capital was vast, but fortunately she had been transmigrated into this world as a child and had once lived in the capital. After being jolted awake (metaphorically) by a donkey kick, she still clearly remembered everything except the three lost years of recovery. Finding her way back home would not be difficult.
The Ye family was a prestigious noble house in the capital—the renowned Dingguo Duke’s Mansion.
Her great-grandfather had earned his title through military merit on battlefields across the realm. Her grandfather continued that legacy by guarding the frontier and repelling countless enemies. Although the Ye family was glorious, it did not have many heirs, since the family forbade concubinage, meaning there were only legitimate children and no concubine-born branches.
However, her grandfather, after losing his first wife early on, had remarried twice. Her father was the legitimate eldest son from the first wife.
After her father died in battle, the ducal title passed to her elder brother.
Still, because this dynasty emphasized filial piety, the person truly in charge of the household should be her step-grandmother.
Ye Yunmian did not have a good impression of this step-grandmother. Back when she fell into the water, her eldest brother was only eight years old and unable to take charge. Under the step-grandmother’s authority, the blame for the incident was pinned on her instead.
They said she bullied Lin Mianmian out of jealousy because she was unhappy after losing her parents, but since she had been ill and very young at the time, she could not defend herself and ended up silently bearing the injustice.
That was also why her uncle insisted on taking her away from the capital.
Moreover, less than half a year after she left, her second brother disappeared and was never found even after all these years.
The donkey’s hooves clattered rhythmically—“tap, tap”—as she unknowingly passed two streets.
She had entered the city early in the morning and had only eaten a single flatbread all day, so she was extremely hungry. But she urgently needed to return to the estate, so she forced herself to endure the hunger and headed toward the Duke’s Mansion.
“Ye Weiqing! That White Essence Medicine Pagoda was originally meant to be sold to Miss Lin, but your eldest brother not only seized it, he even claimed it would be used as a betrothal gift for his future marriage. How ridiculous! Does he really think Miss Lin would marry such a despicable man just for a mere object?”
As Ye Yunmian walked, she suddenly heard an angry voice from nearby.
She turned toward the sound and saw, beside a carriage in front of a teahouse, three men and one woman.
Among them, the one looking the most submissive and downcast should be the person being accused—Ye Weiqing.
Coincidentally, her third brother also had that name.
Although she had awakened to the plot of the book, the early part of the story was detailed, while everything after the male and female leads got engaged was mostly summarized in passing.
However, she did know a bit about this medicine pagoda.
On the surface, it looked like a decorative artifact, but inside it was hidden a life-saving pill. To obtain it, one had to break the pagoda.
In the story, the female lead’s relative was harmed and in critical condition, urgently needing the pill inside the jade pagoda to survive.
Her eldest brother spent ten thousand taels of silver to snatch the pagoda, purely to spite the female lead. Unfortunately, the female lead was fortunate: even without the pagoda, she later obtained a divine pill left by an eccentric old doctor in a Taoist temple. After personally seeking it out, she saved her family member.
Her antagonist elder brother not only wasted money, but the male lead also bribed a servant of the Ye household to destroy the pagoda.
Not long after, Ye Weiqing was injured and on the brink of death. Without the pill, her eldest brother could only watch helplessly as her younger brother died…
It seemed that after three years, the plot had indeed reached its ending phase.
At that moment, after being accused, Ye Weiqing did not resist. Instead, he gave an awkward smile.
“Big brother has always been like that. I can’t stop him… But today, I’ll cover all your expenses. Think of it as my apology… Miss Lin, I’m sorry, please don’t be angry with me!”
Lin Mianmian frowned slightly at his shameless attitude.
“If there’s no medicine pagoda, I’ll leave first. My fourth brother isn’t in good condition, I’m worried about him.”
With that, she turned and boarded the carriage.
If not for her critically ill fourth brother needing the pagoda, she would never have come to see Ye Weiqing in the first place.
Seeing Lin Mianmian leave so decisively, the other two men initially followed suit. But once the carriage disappeared from sight, they immediately turned back to Ye Weiqing with displeased expressions.
Lin Mianmian rarely came out to meet them—if not for Ye Weiqing’s incompetence, she would not have left in such a hurry.
One of them suddenly said coldly, “Ye Weiqing, if you were sensible, you should find a way to get it back. If you can’t use force, you can always fake illness, right? If you were dying, would your brother still refuse to hand it over?”
“I… my brother can tell…” Ye Weiqing trembled and said quickly.
“Then make it real!” the man snapped.
“EE—AH—”
Just then, a donkey suddenly brayed loudly nearby, sharp and piercing.
Startled, the man turned around—and met a pair of wide donkey eyes.
The donkey bared its oddly yellowish teeth and, while braying, sprayed saliva directly onto his face. The stench was overwhelming, nauseating enough that he could almost taste the foul breath.
“You beast!” He Ji Jingqiang shouted in rage, stepping back.
His gaze then shifted toward Ye Yunmian standing nearby.
The donkey’s owner stood dusty and travel-worn. Her eyes were calm and unreadable, faint strands of hair disheveled with a few unnoticed blades of grass stuck in them. A gentle breeze passed, carrying a faint medicinal scent.
Her striking appearance contrasted oddly with her rough state, making all three of them pause for a moment.
“What a rude beast,” Ye Yunmian said slowly, patting the donkey’s head.
Her voice was pleasant, but her words made He Ji Jingqiang uncomfortable.
Somehow, he felt she might not actually be talking about the donkey…
But he dismissed the thought. She was just a commoner—how could she have the courage to imply anything else?
“Move along. Can’t you see we are discussing important matters? Why are you interfering?” he said, suppressing his anger.
“Your important matters… are discussing how to make a perfectly healthy man appear critically ill, just to steal a life-saving medicine pill?”
Ye Yunmian lifted her gaze, her expression cold.
“You were eavesdropping?!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“Under broad daylight, why would I need to eavesdrop? And besides…” her eyes turned sharp, “you’re trying to take my brother’s life. Did you ask me first?”