Though they had said they were going to the Song household for a meal, in the end, that meal never happened.
After treating Old Man Duan’s leg, the sun was already slanting westward. The old man refused to stay at the estate. Since he had not told his family he would be spending the night away, he hurried back to the village before sunset.
By the time Duan Yan escorted Song Fengsui home, it was already getting dark. Summer days were long, and night fell late, but at this hour it was no longer appropriate to prepare dishes to entertain a guest. Duan Yan apologized profusely to the Song family. Song Wushen did not blame him; instead, he even asked after Old Man Duan’s health.
Song Fengsui had a body that tired easily. The moment Duan Yan left, he returned to his room and collapsed onto the low bed his second uncle had newly made for him.
Nothing else had been lost, but the money for buying meat and vegetables to entertain guests would have to be saved up again. That was the only thought left in his mind before he fell asleep.
Over the next few days, Duan Yan went to Little Wild Goose Village. First, he wanted to visit Old Man Duan and Old Madam Duan; second, he wanted to discuss planting medicinal herbs with Old Man Duan.
Since Song Fengsui had to treat Old Man Duan’s lame leg, Duan Yan naturally brought him along every time he went.
Medicine was only one part of treating Old Man Duan’s leg. More important was training.
Song Fengsui had Old Man Duan walk in the stream near the village, using the resistance of the water to restore sensation to his atrophied muscles. At first, the water reached his waist; gradually, they moved on to having it reach his knees, then his ankles...
To provide external support, Song Fengsui designed a dynamic brace to stabilize the lame leg. Once he had drawn up the plans, Duan Yan used his tools and spent half a day making it.
After Old Man Duan put on the brace and began wading regularly in the stream, the village farmers all asked what had happened. He would pat his leg and tell everyone he met:
“That boy Duan Yan found me a remarkable physician who specializes in treating lame legs.”
“Take a look at this brace. He tinkered away at it for half a day and made it with his own hands...”
The villagers humored him with a few polite words, but they did not really believe Duan Yan was capable of such things. Everyone in the village knew that father and son had never gotten along.
Who would have thought that recently, Duan Yan was indeed often seen at the Duan family’s farmstead?
A man was in high spirits when things went his way. After losing his position as village head, Old Man Duan’s face had been gloomy all day long. Now, however, he walked through the village with a ruddy complexion, even humming little tunes as he went.
Whenever he passed the Qian household, he hummed especially loudly.
While he was injured, the Qian family had taken advantage of Old Third Qian’s connections with the supervisory official to seize his position as village head. In private, they had also mocked the Duan family, saying that not only had their daughter-in-law been snatched away, but the village headman’s position had slipped right through their fingers as well.
Old Man Duan had been furious. He could hardly bring himself to exchange a word with anyone from the Qian family.
“Oh, Old Duan! Such a fine mood today. Has a matchmaker come to your house to arrange a marriage?”
As it happened, Old Man Qian was home that day. He had heard the tune drifting from the bluestone road outside, so he pushed open the window and poked his head out. Seeing Old Man Duan limping along, he called out mockingly.
Old Man Duan stopped and narrowed his eyes at Old Man Qian. He knew perfectly well that the man was once again referring to Ji He marrying into their family.
“Now that my boy’s recovered, of course there’s no shortage of matchmakers willing to come calling. But my stinking son won’t have time to discuss such things for the foreseeable future. He’s busy, you see. Didn’t he just earn the favor of the county inspector and get assigned some official business to handle?”
Old Man Qian gave a cold snort. “The county inspector’s business isn’t easy to handle. Eldest Boy is too hotheaded; he’d better keep his temper in check. Otherwise, if he causes trouble, no one will be able to clean up after him.”
“Don’t blame me for speaking so bluntly. I’m only worried about him, as his uncle and the village headman.”
“He’s only just started working at the yamen, so naturally he isn’t as cautious in his work as our Old Third. He’ll have to rely on Old Third to guide him.”
As he spoke, Old Man Duan suddenly slapped his forehead. “Ah, look at me, forgetting that Old Third is the Tax Interceptor. If the Tax Interceptor were to guide a patrol inspector, wouldn’t that put things upside down?”
Old Man Qian’s face immediately became difficult to hold together.
“I won’t trouble you with any more of this. That boy came home today and insisted on making me a couple of dishes to go with my liquor. What kind of dishes could he possibly make? I’d better go back and see for myself.”
With that, Old Man Duan hummed another tune and walked away.
Old Man Qian slammed the window shut with a resounding bang.
“Father, is what Uncle Duan said true? Has Duan Yan become a patrol inspector?”
A young figure emerged from inside the house. Ji He, who had a cloth apron tied around his waist while he cooked, had heard the conversation outside and came over to ask.
“What’s it to you? Go cook and nurse the baby.”
Old Man Qian was already upset that Duan Yan had obtained the position of patrol inspector. During the epidemic, their Old Third had worked tirelessly, taking on all the dirty and exhausting tasks, yet he had gotten nothing in return. Instead, that brat Duan Yan had reaped all the benefits. How could he not be angry?
Now that Ji He had come over asking questions, his temper worsened further.
“You married into someone else’s household, so you ought to know your place. Stop asking about men who have nothing to do with you.”
Ji He’s eyes instantly reddened. In a hesitant voice, he said, “We’re all from the same village. I only asked one question. Why are you making me sound like that sort of person, Father?”
With that, he turned and went back inside.
Old Man Qian gave a heavy snort.
That evening, when Old Third Qian returned home, Ji He had a good cry and reported every word Old Man Qian had said.
Meanwhile, back at the farmstead, Old Man Duan found that Duan Yan was indeed cooking in the rear kitchen.
“When using a cleaver, the hand holding the meat and vegetables should curl its fingers slightly inward. That way, the blade is less likely to cut your fingers...”
Duan Yan demonstrated once, gently guiding Song Fengsui’s long, slender fingers into the proper position.
Song Fengsui’s fingers were pressing down on a piece of fresh pork tenderloin. Its soft, limp texture made him somewhat uncomfortable when he first touched it, but once he focused on learning how to slice the meat, he soon forgot the sensation.
“If you want the pork to fry up tender and fresh, knife skills are only one part of it. Before cooking, marinate it with egg white. Then it won’t turn tough.”
Song Fengsui took an egg and tapped it against the edge of the bowl. He had intended to let only the egg white fall into the basin of sliced meat, but with a splatter, the yolk slipped in as well.
He stared wide-eyed at the egg that had spread over the meat, then lifted his head to look at Duan Yan and blinked.
“Eggshells are brittle. If you crack one too hard, everything will slide out together. Until you’ve learned to control your strength, use a bowl to catch the egg first. Even if you make a mistake, you can still scoop the yolk back out.”
Song Fengsui gave a quiet hum. “Why does marinating meat require only the egg white and not the yolk?”
“The egg white seals in the meat’s juices. The yolk does precisely the opposite. If you put yolk in the marinade, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?”
Hearing this, Song Fengsui raised his long brows and hurriedly scooped out the yolk before it could spread any farther.
Old Man Duan peeked in through the doorway. He withdrew the head he had been about to poke inside, then spotted Old Madam Duan approaching from behind and pulled her away with him.
“What are you doing? I was just going to help tend the fire!”
“What fire? The fire in the stove is already burning hot.”
Old Man Duan glanced meaningfully toward the sight of Song Fengsui cutting vegetables while Duan Yan helped guide his hands, lifting his chin toward them.
“Have you no sense at all? Can’t you see how well those two young men are getting along? Why go in and make yourself a third wheel?”
Old Madam Duan kept pressing Old Man Duan for an answer. “You mean our eldest and that young doctor…”
She did not finish the sentence, but a smile had already spread across her face. “That young man seems like a fine one to me. We just don’t know which family he belongs to yet~”
Old Man Duan said, “I’ll discreetly ask around.”
At noon, after they had eaten, Duan Yan noticed that Old Man Duan was in a good mood, so he brought up his plan to use some of the land at the estate to grow medicinal herbs.
“Why the sudden interest in growing herbs? That business isn’t easy. Our family’s never had any experience with it. If you don’t manage it properly, not only will you fail to make money, you’ll lose money too.”
Duan Yan patiently explained, “It’s not entirely for the sake of making money. Since we already have the land, I thought we could grow some commonly used medicinal herbs and keep them in reserve for our own use. It would be convenient.”
Old Man Duan held his bowl of rice but did not answer him at once.
There were only a few people in the family. Where would they need to set aside land solely to grow herbs for their own use? True, if they encountered another epidemic like the one before, the price of medicinal herbs would skyrocket, but who would spend their days hoping for illness and disaster?
“If you need medicine, just buy it. Wouldn’t buying it from outside be faster than growing it ourselves? The fields at our estate have all been carefully tended by the tenant farmers under my supervision. They’re excellent for growing crops.”
Duan Yan knew that Old Man Duan was not deliberately trying to stop him. He was simply speaking from practical experience. If Duan Yan had not known that wars and famines lay ahead, he might not have had such foresight either.
Thus, he patiently persuaded him. “Buying them may be easy, but doesn’t that cost money too? What our family has in abundance is land and grain. Since we have the land, why not try growing something else as well? Besides, we’ll only set aside part of it to experiment with for now.
“I’ve already asked Herbalist Ye to help with the work. He knows how to grow medicinal herbs. This isn’t some layman rushing into things on a whim.”
Old Man Duan fell silent for a moment. Secretly, he glanced at Song Fengsui, who was sitting beside Madam Duan and eating with refined manners.
So it was this boy. Stockpiling medicinal herbs was probably just an excuse. What he really wanted was to please someone.
He still didn’t know what a stubborn fool his son was~
Though Old Man Duan was not entirely in favor of the idea, his relationship with Duan Yan had only recently begun to improve, and he did not want them to quarrel again over such matters.
Whether the young man wanted to do it for practical reasons or merely to please his husband, wasn’t either one a respectable reason? Thinking of it that way, Old Man Duan found the idea somewhat easier to accept.
“Fine. If you want to do it, then do it. The estate belongs to you, after all. But let me make this clear: once you’ve made up your mind to do something, you’d better do it properly. Plan carefully and make all the necessary arrangements. Don’t rush in on a burst of enthusiasm, only to lose interest halfway through and abandon it.”
Seeing that Old Man Duan had relented, Duan Yan quickly said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll put my heart into growing the herbs this time.”
Only then did Old Man Duan cheerfully pick up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. He had to admit, the boy’s cooking really was excellent. It seemed that only when women or young men were involved would he be willing to put in so much effort. He had even gone to learn how to cook. Not only had his temperament become much calmer and steadier, he had also learned to consider other people’s feelings.
He had never possessed any of these virtues before. Old Man Duan privately felt that Song Fengsui deserved much of the credit.
After noon, the sun outside grew fierce.
Song Fengsui examined Old Man Duan’s leg once more. Thanks to consistently following his treatment, the improvement was visible even to the naked eye. Old Man Duan walked much more steadily than before, and his limp was far less severe.
Old Man Duan and Old Madam Duan were overjoyed. They kept saying that they had to properly repay Song Fengsui for his kindness.
“If you truly want to thank me, then the next time someone you know feels unwell and the doctors they’ve hired can’t treat them, you can recommend them to me. If I can relieve some of their suffering, I’ll also earn a little money from the consultation.
“That will be more than enough thanks.”
Old Man Duan and Old Madam Duan readily agreed. “Young Doctor Song, with medical skills as good as yours, there’ll surely be plenty of people asking for your help. Without some personal connection, they might not even be able to persuade you to make a house call. If you’re willing to treat them, there’ll be no shortage of people for us to recommend.”
Song Fengsui smiled. “Then it’s settled. Old Man Duan and Madam, you must introduce them to me. When the time comes, I’ll certainly go.”
The three of them chatted for a while. Then Duan Yan returned from outside wearing a straw hat, his body carrying the heat of the sun.
“The sun is terribly strong. Why don’t you rest in the guest room for a while? Once the sun has weakened and it’s not so high in the sky, I’ll take you home.”
Song Fengsui nodded.
Old Madam Duan hurriedly said, “Eldest, go fish some fruit out of the well. I chilled a watermelon, some grapes, and peaches in there first thing this morning. Bring some for Young Doctor Song to eat. When you take him home, pack two baskets for his family to enjoy as well.”
Duan Yan answered and went off.
Song Fengsui entered the guest room and propped open the window. Just then, a breeze swept through the room, bringing a brief touch of coolness amid the boiling chorus of cicadas.
He sat by the window with his sleeves rolled up. When he looked up and saw Duan Yan approaching with a new peach-blossom-patterned plate, his heart felt as refreshed as if that passing breeze had blown straight through it.
“I cut open the sweetest, crispest watermelon. It hardly has any seeds. Try some.”
Duan Yan placed the neatly peeled and arranged fruit in front of Song Fengsui. “The peaches are crisp but not very sweet. The grapes are a little sour.”
Song Fengsui used a small fork to put a piece of watermelon into his mouth. It was indeed sweet, and after being chilled in well water, it was refreshingly cool without being too cold.
He ate three pieces in a row before glancing at Duan Yan across from him. Perhaps Duan Yan had wiped his face with water from the well while retrieving the fruit, because a few stray strands of hair at his temples were damp.
The fourth piece of red, juicy watermelon was lifted to another mouth.
Duan Yan stared at the piece hovering by his lips, stunned for a moment. He turned to look at Song Fengsui and met his bright, shining eyes. As though bewitched, he leaned forward slightly and bit down on the watermelon.
“Sweet?”
Duan Yan’s lips paused. “Mm.”
A smile appeared in Song Fengsui’s lowered eyes. After that, neither of them spoke. They simply sat by the window, enjoying the passing breeze as they quietly finished most of the plate of fruit together.
Perhaps he had eaten too much rice at noon. With the cool breeze and his relaxed body, Song Fengsui began to grow drowsy. Duan Yan therefore rose and left the room, going to find Old Man Duan to discuss the plans for the herb fields in greater detail.
As he walked toward the place where the breeze was coming through, he could not tell whether it was merely his imagination, but he felt that the tip of his nose still carried that faint, cool fragrance found only on Song Fengsui.
Duan Yan realized that something was not quite right. He desperately tried to suppress the other man’s voice and scent filling his mind… He hurriedly darted into Old Man Duan’s room.
“Father, about the land for growing medicinal herbs, we’ll need to…”
Old Man Duan had been reclining in a bamboo lounge chair, resting. When he saw Duan Yan enter alone, he immediately sat up cross-legged.
“Eldest, you came at just the right time. Your mother wants to ask which family Young Doctor Song belongs to.”
Duan Yan looked puzzled. “Whose family he belongs to shouldn’t affect his ability to treat your leg.”
“Of course. As long as a doctor has good medical skills, the rest is none of our concern. But if he’s not merely a doctor, then we ought to ask a few more questions.”
Old Man Duan said, “Your mother and I both saw that Young Doctor Song is not only skilled in medicine, but also learned and well-mannered. At a glance, it’s clear he didn’t come from an ordinary household.”
Although Duan Yan did not understand why Old Man Duan was asking about this, he figured that he would be dealing with Song Fengsui for a long time. Letting his family know Song Fengsui’s identity sooner would save them trouble later.
“He… he was sent down here from the capital. His whole family used to be part of the official class.”
“What kind of officials were they?”
Old Man Duan was not particularly surprised. Their region was poor and remote, considered little more than a place of hardship and exile compared with the capital and the wealthy lands south of the Yangtze. Quite a few disgraced officials had been exiled here in the past.
Looking at Song Fengsui’s striking appearance and refined manner, and knowing that he lived over by Durian Village and had become involved with his own son, Old Man Duan had guessed that he was very likely from an official family sent down here.
“A number of official households were exiled here one after another some time ago. I heard a little about it, but they were raising their families near the foot of the mountains, right across from your Uncle Qian’s house, so I never asked too closely.”
“His grandfather was a Grand Secretary, and his father and second uncle both held posts in the Six Ministries. They offended the Emperor, so the whole family was sentenced to exile.”
Old Man Duan’s eyes widened. “Such powerful officials!”
In the past, he had seen exiled officials before, but the highest-ranking among them had been no more than a prefect. This family, however, was extraordinary. It was no wonder their children were so outstanding—how could a household of such pedigree raise anything less?
His heart began to pound. To the people of these remote mountains, the greatest official they might ever see in their entire lives was the town’s military overseer. In truth, even if some much higher-ranking official came down here, they would not necessarily be intimidated.
But Old Man Duan had once lived somewhat comfortably and had studied for several years under an old scholar. He had received enough education to understand that beyond Rock Town lay a world far broader than this.
All at once, Old Man Duan became especially cautious. He took Duan Yan by the hand and said, “Your old man’s telling you this: when you deal with Brother Song, don’t look down on him just because he’s fallen on hard times and think you can do whatever you please, disregarding his wishes.”
“I’ve weathered plenty of storms in my life. Let me tell you this: those high-ranking officials sent down here may look like they’ve fallen, but that doesn’t mean they’re truly finished. As long as they’re alive, there’s a very good chance they’ll rise again.
“His whole family may have fallen into misfortune and been sent here, but that doesn’t mean they have no connections elsewhere. Who knows? One day someone might smooth things over and bring them out. Or perhaps the Emperor will change his mind and grant a general amnesty!”
“Years ago, wasn’t there a prefect who was exiled here, to Bright Moon Village? Pu Daniu thought that being the village head gave him the right to bully the man, and he even forced himself on the man’s daughter. Later, that official was pardoned and left. Do you still hear anyone in Bright Moon Village bearing the surname Pu?”
Duan Yan’s brows twitched. He would never do anything disrespectful to Song Fengsui, of course. Still, seeing how earnestly Old Man Duan was explaining all this to him made warmth spread through his heart.
“Don’t worry, Father. I would never do anything so vile. Besides, Little Song has helped me so much. If he hadn’t given me the prescription that cured my epidemic illness and treated my poisoning, I wouldn’t be where I am today. There’s no way I could repay his kindness with treachery.”
Seeing how clear-headed Duan Yan was, Old Man Duan let out a long sigh of relief.
But then he began to worry again. His son had never had the best judgment before. He had fallen for that fickle Ji He and had done plenty of foolish things that earned him nothing but hardship. Now his judgment had improved—but it had improved far too much.
“Your old man can see that Little Song is a fine child, too. He’s clever and open-minded, and there’s nothing bad to say about him. It’s just that his family’s status used to be far too lofty. Let me put it this way: if the Song family were to spend the rest of their lives in Rock Town, then marrying him would naturally be a good thing for you.”
Old Man Duan gave a slow sigh. “But what if their family returns to its former position? The difference between your families is so great—what would you do then? What if he refused to acknowledge the hardships he endured here? When he saw you again, wouldn’t he only resent you even more?”
Duan Yan’s eyes flew wide, and his spine stiffened. “W-What do you mean, marry him? Father! Don’t go making up such nonsense!”
“How am I making anything up?”
Looking at the expression on Duan Yan’s face—as if someone had just exposed a secret he was desperate to hide—Old Man Duan said, “You don’t have to be shy with your old man. Before, you were always shouting to the whole family that you wanted to marry He-ge. Now that it’s Little Song, you’re too embarrassed to say it?”
“I don’t!”
Duan Yan hurriedly said, “I’ve never even thought about anything like that!”
“If you haven’t, then why are you so attentive to him? Do you think your old man is blind?”
Old Man Duan continued, “You pick him up and see him home, teach him how to cook—if you don’t have those feelings, why do you do all that? Could it be that you’ve already told him, ‘Once the Song family restores its former glory, I’ll go be your bodyguard. For now, I’m learning how to serve you’?”
Duan Yan’s head buzzed. Under Old Man Duan’s string of outrageous remarks, his heart pounded like a drum.
“His family has fallen into misfortune, and he’s still young. We met by chance, and at first I only felt sorry for what had happened to his family. But after spending time with him, I realized that he has a good character… Besides, he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters, and neither do I…”
Outside the door, Song Fengsui suddenly stopped with his hand raised to knock. His feet felt as though they had been filled with lead.
“You mean you regard him as a brother or sister in the family?”
Old Man Duan tilted his head. “You truly don’t have any other feelings?”
“…”
Whenever Duan Yan merely considered the possibility that he might harbor romantic feelings for Song Fengsui, his mind jolted and a strange sense of guilt swept through him.
Yet if he were to say he felt nothing of the sort, he found that the words were surprisingly difficult to speak.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! You take longer to answer this than you would to sit the imperial examination! It’s only one sentence. You never used to hem and haw over this sort of thing.”
Provoked by his father, Duan Yan blurted out, “No.”
Old Man Duan froze.
Silence settled over the room. Only after a long while did Duan Yan’s voice sound again.
“Father, you must never say things like that again. What would Little Song think if he heard you?”
Little Song already felt that he…
If even his father had misunderstood, then what kind of image did he present in Song Fengsui’s eyes?
Duan Yan’s thoughts were a tangled mess, like a skein of thread pulled into knots.
“Since you say that isn’t what you mean, then that saves me the trouble of worrying about your future together.”
Old Man Duan waved a hand, looking as though he could not make his son see reason. “If you want to acknowledge him as your younger brother, then so be it. In any case, he doesn’t seem to have you in his heart. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll spare yourself a second heartbreak.”
After saying this, he suddenly remembered something. “What was it you came in to tell me just now?”
Duan Yan felt as though his mind had been thrown into chaos. He exhaled a breath of stale air. “The matter of growing medicinal herbs.”
“Then talk about the medicinal herbs. How did we end up discussing all this?”
“…”
Song Fengsui silently withdrew. The draft blowing through the passageway suddenly made him feel cold.
He raised a hand to support his injured arm and returned to his room, his thoughts drifting far away.
