Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

Willow catkins are floating in the capital city in late spring, and the peonies in the backyard of Huimin Medical Clinic are in full bloom.

Meng Qiqi stood on tiptoe to turn over the newly dried medicinal herbs, and suddenly her nose was filled with the unfamiliar fragrance of agarwood.

Turning around, he saw a man in a moon-white robe standing in front of the moon-shaped cave door. The mutton-fat jade pendant on his waist swayed slightly with his movements. On his jade-like face, a pair of dark eyes were looking intently in the direction of the clinic - there, Meng Yuyu was patiently explaining the contraindications of taking medicine to the old woman who was getting the medicine.

"Sir, please come to the front yard of the clinic for a consultation." Meng Qiqi deliberately placed the bamboo plaque heavily on the stone table, startling the sparrows that were perched on the medicine shelf.

Lin Xiaoyan came back to his senses at this point. When he bowed to her, his sleeves slipped down, revealing the light green silk ribbon wrapped around his wrist. It was the one that Meng Yuyu had left in his study the day before.

"My name is Lin Xiaoyan, and I've come to thank Doctor Meng for saving my life." The man spoke in a clear voice, pulling out a sandalwood box from his sleeve. "This is the Hundred Flowers Ointment my mother made. It's quite effective for burns."

Before he could finish his words, the door of the clinic creaked open. Meng Yuyu looked up and saw the person coming in, and the tip of her ear instantly turned a light red.

Meng Qiqi's heart skipped a beat when she saw her sister frantically fixing her hair.

Since the day when Lin Xiaoyan fainted due to high fever and was carried into the clinic, Meng Yuyu personally stayed with him all night. Since then, this top scholar has often visited her in the name of "thank you".

She would either bring a rare medical book or help copy prescriptions. Sometimes she would even bring pen and ink and quietly paint behind the screen in the clinic. The protagonist in the painting was always Meng Yuyu who was concentrating on acupuncture.

"It's just a routine diagnosis and treatment, Mr. Lin, don't worry about it." Meng Yuyu took the wooden box, her fingertips accidentally brushed against the other person's palm, and then quickly retracted as if burned.

This subtle movement did not escape Meng Qiqi's eyes. She suddenly coughed twice and said, "Sister, Aunt Zhang's grandson on West Street has a fever again. Go and see him."

Lin Xiaoyan looked at Meng Yuyu's hurriedly leaving back, with a smile on his face. He turned to Meng Qiqi and said, "Your sister is kind-hearted and kind-hearted, she is really..."

"Is he really that easy to fool?" Meng Qiqi picked up the medicine basket and said sharply, "The scholar who won the imperial examination has to go to the clinic every day. The handkerchiefs of the noble ladies in the capital must be piled up like a mountain, right?"

She deliberately poured the herbs from the basket, making a loud noise. "I advise Mr. Lin not to use my sister as a joke!"

Instead of being annoyed, Lin Xiaoyan took out a scroll from his sleeve and unfolded it.

On the rice paper, Meng Yuyu was half-kneeling on the edge of the field picking herbs, her skirt was stained with mud, her hair was blown by the wind, but her smile was more charming than the spring flowers.

"The first time I met Dr. Meng was at a free clinic in the suburbs." His eyes were so gentle they could drip with tears. "She was squatting in the mud bandaging a child's wound, completely ignoring the hem of her skirt..."

These words made Meng Qiqi's breathing stop, and her memories suddenly flooded back.

A sudden rainstorm came that day. Meng Yuyu was afraid that the sick child would get wet in the rain, so she wrapped the child in her cloak. As a result, she herself had a high fever for three days.

But she never mentioned this to anyone.

In the following days, Lin Xiaoyan's offensive became more and more fierce.

In the early morning, he brought her dew-covered white jasmine flowers, at noon he quietly left cooked lotus seed soup in the kitchen, and in the evening he brought her a newly published collection of medical records and talked with Meng Yuyu in the clinic for two hours.

Every time Meng Qiqi pushed the door open, she could always see her sister's cheeks flushed, and on the desk were some sugar-roasted chestnuts that had appeared out of nowhere - that was her favorite snack.

"Sister, you haven't taught me how to recognize medicinal herbs recently." That night, Meng Qiqi crawled into Meng Yuyu's bed with a pillow in her arms, "Have you forgotten your sister now that you have a new love?" She deliberately emphasized the word "new love," and her tone was so sour that you could squeeze juice out of it.

Meng Yuyu smiled and scratched her nose: "Little jealous girl, I'll take you to the outskirts of the city to pick herbs tomorrow." Her eyes suddenly softened, "Actually, Mr. Lin..."

"He has ulterior motives!" Meng Qiqi turned her back to her sister and said in a muffled voice, "Last time he said he would take you to Jiangnan to see fireflies. How far is it from Beijing to Jiangnan? He was just kidding!"

In the darkness, she quietly clutched the corner of the quilt - her sister only had eyes for her before, but now her eyes are completely occupied by that third place winner.

The accident happened on a rainy night after the beginning of summer.

When the thunder exploded, Meng Qiqi was awakened by the rapid knocking on the door.

Lin Xiaoyan, soaking wet, stood at the door holding an oil-paper umbrella, a swaddled baby in his arms. "The refugees from the suburbs have been infected with the plague. The child's parents..." His voice choked with sobs. "Doctor Meng, please save him."

Meng Yuyu put on her coat without saying a word, but was stopped by Meng Qiqi.

The girl held the oil lamp close to the cradle. In the dim light, the baby's face was burning red and his neck was covered with red rashes.

"It's scarlet fever." Her face was serious as she turned to Lin Xiaoyan and said, "Since you've been in contact with a patient, you must be isolated immediately!"

Lin Xiaoyan did not retreat: "I will accompany you."

His eyes were as firm as iron. "I have already settled the refugees in the dilapidated temple outside the city. These days, I will be responsible for delivering the medicinal herbs and food."

For the next half month, the three of them set up a temporary isolation shed in the backyard of the clinic.

Meng Qiqi was responsible for boiling the medicine, Lin Xiaoyan ran back and forth in the heavy rain, and Meng Yuyu stayed by the patient's side all day.

One time, Meng Qiqi woke up in the middle of the night and saw that the light in the clinic was still on. Through the window paper, she vaguely saw Lin Xiaoyan helping Meng Yuyu grind herbs. His movements were so gentle as if he was treating a rare treasure.

On the day the epidemic subsided, Lin Xiaoyan collapsed at the door of the clinic with a high fever.

Meng Yuyu took care of him for three days without taking off her clothes. When the scholar woke up, his first question was: "Are those children...all okay?"

Meng Qiqi stood at the threshold, looking at her sister's red eyes and Lin Xiaoyan's pale but gentle smile, and suddenly felt her throat tighten.

"I'm sorry." That night, she found Lin Xiaoyan with a food box full of osmanthus cakes, "I shouldn't have..."

"I'm the one who should apologize." Lin Xiaoyan took the lunch box and pulled out a piece of letter from his sleeve. "This is a memorial I wrote to His Majesty, urging you to establish a public health clinic in each state."

He looked towards the clinic with a determined look in his eyes. "I want to help her realize her wish so that more people can afford medical treatment."

Meng Qiqi opened the letter, and saw beautiful small characters densely written on it: "Enter the government as a doctor and benefit the people..." These were clearly the words her sister often said.

She suddenly remembered the days when Lin Xiaoyan braved the rain to deliver the medicinal herbs, the medical records he secretly compiled for his sister, and the eyes that were brighter than the stars every time he looked at Meng Yuyu.

"Actually, I should have understood this long ago." She whispered, pushing the osmanthus cake over. "But if you dare to bully my sister, I will..."

"Just use the pestle to smash my head, right?" Lin Xiaoyan replied with a smile. The moonlight outside the window shone on him, and gradually overlapped with the figure in his memory who was delivering medicine in the rain.

In the early autumn evening, Meng Qiqi squatted in the backyard of the clinic to water the newly planted herbs.

A familiar sound of horse hooves came from the distance. She turned around and saw Lin Xiaoyan riding a horse towards her. There was an exquisite birdcage hanging on the saddle. A sunbird chirped in the cage, and the red silk ribbon tied to the edge of the cage fluttered in the wind.

"Little matchmaker," he smiled and shook the food box in his hand, "I brought some preserves from Jiangnan. Can you help me call your sister out?"

Meng Qiqi rolled her eyes at him, but still trotted to the clinic.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, she heard a soft laugh behind her, and the words that were blown away by the wind: "Thank you."

Perhaps some feelings, like the herbs in the backyard, quietly take root and sprout as we get along day after day.

And she finally understood that the person who could make her sister's eyes light up deserved to be blessed.

In the golden autumn of Beijing, ginkgo leaves cover Suzaku Street in golden color.

In front of Huimin Medical Clinic, Shen Qingyu adjusted his clothes for the umpteenth time. The glass hairpin imported from the Western Regions hidden in his arms was hurting his chest.

He looked at Meng Qiqi's busy figure in the window on the second floor, gritted his teeth and pushed the door open, but was confronted by a joyous red notice posted - the marriage news of Lin Xiaoyan and Meng Yuyu, the ink was not yet dry.

"Mr. Shen, are you here to bring me flowers again today?" Xiao Fuzi, the medicine boy, suppressed a smile and pointed to the pile of peonies and magnolias in the corner. "The girl said that the fragrance of medicine mixed with the fragrance of flowers is easy to mix."

Shen Qingyu pulled the corner of his mouth and casually threw the white chrysanthemum in his arms over: "Tell her that this is a medicinal herb for clearing the liver and improving eyesight."

Suddenly, the crisp sound of an abacus came from upstairs, and Shen Qingyu rushed up in two steps.

Meng Qiqi was leaning over the counter counting accounts, her drooping hair brushing across the account book, and the morning light cast a golden edge on her profile.

"What are you doing here again?" Without even looking up, she ran her pen over the column for "Lin Mansion Dowry List," "My sister didn't prepare any wedding candy for you."

Shen Qingyu suddenly reached out and pressed the account book, the warmth of his palm coming through the paper: "Meng Qiqi, I've been chasing you for half a year, how long are you going to hide?"

His voice was filled with suppressed urgency, "What Lin Xiaoyan can give Meng Yuyu, I, Shen Qingyu, will only give more!"

The abacus beads suddenly clattered, and Meng Qiqi looked up abruptly, her almond-shaped eyes filled with stubbornness: "Your Highness Prince Yu is busy with all sorts of things, why waste your time with me?"

She grabbed the account book and stood up, her skirt brushing Shen Qingyu's boots. "I'm just a medicine bottle, not like those beautiful women of yours who can recite poems and write couplets with you."

These words were like a blunt knife, cutting Shen Qingyu's heart and causing pain.

He thought of everything that had happened in the past few days - he brought her an umbrella on a rainstorm, but she hid behind the medicine cabinet to avoid suspicion; she gave the snacks she made to her apprentices; he even stayed up all night last night to cut the brocade shipped from Jiangnan into her favorite pomegranate red skirt, which was still hidden in the carriage.

"Do you hate me so much?" His voice suddenly dropped, and a rare fragility appeared in his eyes.

Meng Qiqi's hands were shaking slightly as she held the account book. She saw that Shen Qingyu still had the mugwort sachet she had given him last year tied around his waist. The fabric had faded long ago, but the edges had been carefully mended.

Before she could answer, there was a sudden noise downstairs.

Shen Qingyu frowned and looked over, only to see several elegantly dressed young men blocking the entrance to the clinic. The dandy young man in the lead was waving a folding fan and said, "I heard that the second young lady of the Meng family is an expert in pharmacology. Why don't you show me how to treat this lovesickness?"

Meng Qiqi's face suddenly changed. Just as she was about to go downstairs, Shen Qingyu had already strode ahead.

His dark brocade robe fluttered in the wind. He casually took off the jade pendant from his waist and threw it on the ground. The sound of the jade shattering startled everyone and made them step back. "Get out!"

His eyes were so cold that they could freeze. "How dare you act so wildly in Huimin Medical Clinic? Do you think my palace is just a decoration?"

The dandy young man recognized his identity, turned pale with fright, and fled with his men.

When Shen Qingyu turned around, he saw Meng Qiqi standing on the stairs. The setting sun stretched her shadow very long, and the emotions in her eyes were complicated and difficult to discern.

"Why do you have to..." Her words were interrupted by the sudden sound of horse hooves.

Lin Xiaoyan hurried over on horseback, holding the unconscious child in his arms: "Dysentery broke out in the west of the city, Yuyu..."

Before he could finish his words, Shen Qingyu had already grabbed the reins: "There is an isolation shed in the backyard of the clinic. I'll take the child there!"

He turned to Meng Qiqi and shouted, "Go get the silver needles and coptis root!"

The three of them were busy in the clinic until late at night.

Shen Qingyu looked at Meng Qiqi's back as she stood on tiptoe to boil medicine. The firelight cast a tiny shadow on her eyelashes.

Occasionally she turned around and gave instructions to her apprentices, her voice tired but firm, completely different from the stubborn girl she was during the day.

"Why don't you give up?" Lin Xiaoyan suddenly spoke. He was feeding the child medicine, but his eyes fell on Shen Qingyu, "Qiqi..."

"Because she deserves it." Shen Qingyu added a piece of charcoal to the brazier, and the flames suddenly jumped up. "I have seen her stay awake for three consecutive days to save refugees, I have seen her give her last bowl of rice porridge to beggars, and I have also seen..."

He paused, his voice lowered. "She was clearly afraid of thunder, yet during the plague, she stayed outside the isolation shed all night to take care of the patients."

Lin Xiaoyan looked at him with a sudden bit of understanding.

At this time, Meng Qiqi came in with freshly boiled medicine and glanced at the two of them: "What are you talking about?"

She handed the medicine bowl to Shen Qingyu, "You go and rest. You still have to help me go to the medicine market tomorrow..." Realizing that she had said something wrong, she hurriedly shut up, and her ears flushed.

Shen Qingyu's lips curled up into a smile, and when he took the medicine bowl, he deliberately brushed past her fingertips: "As you command, the future Princess Yu."

Meng Qiqi glared at him but didn't refute. She turned around and went to check on the sick child.

In the following days, Shen Qingyu's offensive became more and more fierce.

He no longer sent flashy jewels, but rare medicinal herbs from all over the place; he no longer used his power to oppress others, but quietly helped the clinic expand its warehouse; he even cooked himself, following the recipes Meng Qiqi casually mentioned, and made the palace kitchen a smoky mess.

Late that night, after Meng Qiqi finished sorting out the medicinal herbs, she found Shen Qingyu asleep leaning against the medicine shelf.

Moonlight shone on him through the window lattice. His dark robe was stained with medicinal powder. In his hand was a well-read copy of the Compendium of Materia Medica, with her hairband that had fallen off the day before tucked between the pages.

She tiptoed over and tried to pull out the hairband, but woke up Shen Qingyu.

The man suddenly grabbed her wrist, sleepiness still lingering in his eyes: "Don't go..."

His voice was hoarse and a little fragile. "I'm so overwhelmed by learning to identify medicinal herbs. Can you teach me..."

Meng Qiqi looked at the dark circles under his eyes and suddenly remembered how busy he had been these days.

As if possessed by some mysterious force, she sat down beside him and picked up the medicine box: "This is Gastrodia elata, sweet in taste and neutral in nature..."

Her voice gradually lowered because Shen Qingyu's burning gaze remained on her face.

"Qiqi," he suddenly said, his voice filled with desperate courage, "I know what you're afraid of."

He held her hand, his palm burning hot. "You're worried that I'm just acting on impulse, that I can't give you peace of mind. But I, Shen Qingyu, swear here that I will only marry you in this life."

Meng Qiqi wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.

She heard her own violent heartbeat and saw the burning heat in Shen Qingyu's eyes, in which only her figure was reflected.

"I..." Her words were interrupted by the sudden sound of drums.

Shen Qingyu let go of her hand, but tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear: "Don't worry."

A gentle smile appeared on his lips. "I will wait until the day you are willing to believe me."

The next morning, everyone in the clinic was surprised to find that His Royal Highness Prince Yu had two dark circles under his eyes, but he was in high spirits and helping to sort medicinal materials in the pharmacy.

Meng Qiqi hid behind the counter to count the money, and from time to time she would steal a glance at the busy figure, her ears so red that blood could drip out.

When the ginkgo leaves began to fall, the story of Prince Yu seeking to marry the girl from the medical clinic spread throughout the capital.

Some people laughed at his infatuation, some people sighed at his persistence, but no one knew how a true heart broke through layers of defense and quietly settled into another person's heart on that moonlit night.

This pursuit that has lasted for more than half a year is finally about to usher in a warm turn as the cold wind begins to rise.