Except for Father, Mother, and Fifth Brother, the others dispersed. Lin Menggang inquired briefly about Lin Fang’s health before being called away by Qi Biao, seemingly to discuss some matter. Eldest Brother and Li Cuimei escorted Lin Fang back to her courtyard, reminding her to take her medicine on time and insisting she return home for the New Year no matter what, then left to attend to their own busy schedules.
As the year drew to a close, the weather grew increasingly cold. Although the stationed troops and sufficient supplies from the court had largely settled the displaced refugees, there was always more work to be done. As the town chief, Eldest Brother remained swamped from dawn till dusk.
After the reopening of Lin’s Cui Ji, its quality had improved significantly compared to before. All of the Lin family’s clothing businesses resumed operations, and the former workers from the original Lin’s Cui Ji workshop in Liangping Town had nearly all become instructors, training newly recruited workers. Guo Siniang, however, due to her advanced age and failing eyesight for sewing and embroidery, was retired by Li Cuimei, who arranged for her care while promoting two elderly women from Liangping Town to oversee operations.
Eldest Brother was too preoccupied with town affairs to manage the family business. After Tong Shi and Lin Zhongsi brought the pregnant Yuan Li to Eldest Brother’s home, Second Brother had to take over the Liangping Town enterprises. Over two years, the seemingly dull Second Brother had surprisingly learned the ropes of business. With Tong Shi’s guidance, he was now able to assist, and Sixth Brother, prodded by Lin Zhongsi, also pitched in under Second Brother’s supervision.
As for the woolen sweater workshop, it remained under the management of Qi Biao’s wet nurse, Liang Shi. Upon its reopening, Qi Biao placed a large order: every soldier under his command, from top to bottom, was to receive a woolen sweater. Naturally, officers and ordinary soldiers were treated differently—officers received theirs first, with variations in quality and style.
With such a massive order, relying solely on Lin Cuili for supplies was insufficient, and the workshop’s resources became strained. Among the refugees, several capable individuals stepped forward to source wool, and some succeeded. The workshop was soon bustling with activity. With Li Cuimei’s approval, Liang Shi allowed those with mobility issues but eager to earn wages to take weighed wool home to knit, paying them per piece based on quality.
This differentiation in ability wasn’t limited to sourcing wool. As Lin Town expanded, its industries diversified, and its population grew, disparities in wealth among the refugees began to emerge based on talent and capability.
After Father and Mother left, Lin Wu finally asked, “Sister, what’s the difference between the medicine from the ritual and the usual medicine you take?”
“Not much,” Lin Fang replied. If there was any difference, it was the inexplicable metallic taste and the more complex herbal flavor.
“Oh, so there’s no real difference,” Lin Wu said, his tone dripping with disappointment, which amused Lin Fang. She resisted the urge to pinch his round cheeks but stayed put as her attention was drawn to Nanny Liu, who entered the room lifting the curtain.
Setting aside Lin Wu, Lin Fang asked Nanny Liu, “Nanny, where have you been? I didn’t see you when I woke up.”
Nanny Liu smiled wearily. “Oh, this old servant was preparing Sixth Miss’s medicine. There were so many herbs—I couldn’t even count them all. Some required high heat, others low. Some were added at the start, some midway, and others only after the decoction was done. It took two full hours. Even after finishing, I was still confused. Master Shen scolded me for being too slow and said he wouldn’t let me prepare your medicine anymore.”
Lin Fang nodded in understanding. “No wonder the medicine tasted so strange. It had so many ingredients and such a complicated brewing process.”
Nanny Liu added, “After the medicine was ready, I was supposed to deliver it to the temple entrance, but Young Master Qi insisted on taking it himself and forbade me from following. I rested for a while before returning to attend to you.”
Lin Wu quickly fetched a stool for Nanny Liu and playfully pushed her onto it. “Nanny, you’ve worked hard. Let me give you a massage,” he said, his chubby hands already kneading her shoulders.
“Oh no, Fifth Young Master, you mustn’t! You’re the master—how can you massage this old servant?” Nanny Liu struggled to stand, but her strength was no match for Lin Wu’s. After a few futile wriggles, she remained seated.
Lin Fang patted Nanny Liu’s hand reassuringly. “Nanny, you’ve been with the Lin family the longest. To Fifth Brother and me, you’re like a second grandmother. We see you as family, so don’t stand on ceremony. Fifth Brother’s gesture is only natural. Once I recover, I’ll massage you every day too.”
“Good, good. As long as Sixth Miss takes her medicine on time, this old servant will wait for you to recover and massage me daily,” Nanny Liu said, wiping away tears. Lin Fang felt a pang of sorrow. Though Nanny Liu never asked questions and simply tended to her diligently, she spent nearly every waking hour by Lin Fang’s side. No matter how well Lin Fang masked her condition, Nanny Liu couldn’t have missed the signs.
“Why are you crying, Nanny?” Lin Wu, who had only returned home the previous day and just seen Lin Fang, noticed his sister seemed weaker but assumed it was her usual frailty. Nanny Liu’s tears puzzled him.
Nanny Liu forced a smile. “This old servant is just useless. The older I get, the more sentimental I become. Pay me no mind, Fifth Young Master.”
“Oh, is that so?” Lin Wu was skeptical but let it drop.
The day before, when he visited his aunt and uncle, as well as Yuan Li’s grandparents, he’d noticed his aunt and Yuan’s grandmother similarly prone to tears. Yet his second grandmother remained cheerful. Lin Wu couldn’t make sense of it. While sharp in crafts and studies, he was slower in understanding human emotions compared to the shrewd Lin Wen or the precocious Lin Fang.
After chatting with Lin Fang a while longer, Lin Wu was summoned by someone sent by Eldest Brother. Watching Lin Wu’s reluctant, sulky expression, Lin Fang and Nanny Liu shared a laugh. Eldest Brother was serious about enrolling Lin Wu in the constable corps—plump Lin Wu was in for a tough time.
When Lin Fang woke at midnight as usual, she found herself once again in Qi Biao’s warm embrace. Repeating his earlier tactic, Qi Biao coaxed her to eat the pastries, but Lin Fang refused. “Brother Yi, were these pastries made by the old monk today?”
“Yes, as I said last night, he’ll be preparing them from now on.”
“But why do today’s pastries smell like yesterday’s?”
“Same ingredients, same taste.”
“Were the same ingredients used in today’s medicine?”
“You noticed?”
“Yes.”
Qi Biao chuckled. “I knew I couldn’t fool you, but Master Shen insisted. It’s not that the medicine used pastry ingredients—it’s the pastries that contained medicine. We thought masking the taste with delicious pastries would work, but you saw right through it.”
“Why hide the taste?”
“This medicine must be taken twice daily, six hours apart. Daytime doses are manageable, but the metallic taste intensifies at night. Your senses are sharper than most, so we feared you’d refuse it. The old monk suggested blending the medicine into pastries to mask the flavor.”
“Why is this medicine so metallic?”
“Master Shen said the prescription contains over seventy herbs. Though I’ve studied some medicine under him, such a complex formula is beyond me.”
Seventy herbs? Lin Fang was stunned, envisioning a cauldron bubbling with assorted roots, barks, and perhaps even scorpions, centipedes, or snakes surfacing occasionally. The mental image made her shudder, curling into a ball.
“Cold?” Qi Biao tightened his embrace, though they were already pressed together with no space left.
“No, I just can’t imagine seventy herbs boiled down to a single bowl of soup.”
Lin Fang instinctively tried to wriggle free, but Qi Biao held her firmly. “Don’t move—you’ll catch a chill. You’ve only just started the medicine. It’ll take half a month to take effect, and you can’t miss a dose, or we’ll have to start over.”
“If I stop struggling, will you loosen your grip? I can’t breathe.” Lin Fang’s small hands pried at Qi Biao’s arms, which felt like steel bars, forcing her to plead.
Relaxing his hold, Qi Biao offered the pastry again. This time, Lin Fang obediently ate two, drank water, and let Qi Biao massage her head, neck, and back until she drifted off.
Gazing at her sleeping face, Qi Biao’s heart churned with conflicting emotions. This little girl, once covered in blood tumors yet eyeing him—a prince—with disdain, had become someone he couldn’t let go of. His worry for her safety was constant. Recalling how he’d rushed back upon hearing from Steward Qi that only he could save her, disregarding everything else, he still couldn’t fathom his own actions—nor the complicated look in his elder brother’s eyes.
The metallic taste Lin Fang detected was Qi Biao’s blood—he was the “poisoned person” Master Shen had spoken of.
In truth, the daytime decoction Nanny Liu prepared neutralized the other toxins in Qi Biao’s blood to prevent harm to Lin Fang. The formula’s complexity and Master Shen’s deliberate concoction masked the blood’s scent. Qi Biao alone carried the bowl to avoid Nanny Liu witnessing him adding his blood. The nighttime pastries contained a different blend, including Qi Biao’s blood, and even the tea for rinsing was medicinal—brewed secretly by Master Shen.
From the next day onward, the pre-medication chanting moved to Lin Fang’s room, performed solely by the old monk. The Lin family no longer observed, as the monk emphasized the need for “tranquility.” Lin Fang grew to cherish the serene state it induced.
Thus, each day, Nanny Liu—under Master Shen’s verbose guidance—brewed the decoction, which Qi Biao personally delivered, barring Nanny Liu from accompanying him. At night, Qi Biao fed Lin Fang medicated pastries followed by tea. Half a month later, Lin Fang’s complexion improved, the sallowness fading. By the Lantern Festival, her body was cleansed of all toxins.
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