Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, Ye Chen and his group set off for Nancheng to celebrate the New Year.

The car had seven seats. Ye Chen was driving, Jiang Ruoxi was in the passenger seat, and Su Qinghan, Ayiguli, and Guipu were in the back.

Dahuang was picked up by He Jianping, who said to Ye Chen, "You guys go celebrate the New Year, I'll help you look after the dogs."

Before leaving, Ye Chen handed the villa key to He Jianping, who patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll take it for a walk three times a day, and I guarantee Da Huang will be a lot fatter when I come back."

Ye Chen said, "Don't let it get fat, it needs to lose weight."

After driving for most of the day, we arrived in Nancheng in the evening.

The alleyway was busier than usual, and several strings of red lanterns were hung on the locust tree at the entrance of the alley, which Shen Jingqiu had hung in advance.

A new couplet was posted at the entrance of Anhetang. The first line read, "May all people in the world be free from illness," and the second line read, "Why worry about the medicine on the shelf gathering dust?" It was the same couplet that Ye Chen wrote last year, only the red paper had been changed.

Shen Bo'an stood at the door waiting, wearing a new dark gray cotton-padded coat, and looked much better than last year.

He saw Su Qinghan get out of the car, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Qinghan, we've been waiting for you this year."

Su Qinghan returned the greeting and said, "Old Shen, you look better than last year."

Shen Bo'an smiled and ushered everyone into the courtyard.

Two round tables were set up in the courtyard, covered with blue-printed cloth, and bowls and chopsticks were already laid out.

Shen Jingqiu was so busy in the kitchen that she barely had time to breathe. Soup was simmering on the stove, and steam was rising from the steamer.

Jiang Ruoxi put down her luggage and went to help in the kitchen, but Shen Jingqiu pushed her out, saying, "You're a guest, just sit down."

Jiang Ruoxi said, "What guest? I'm just here to freeload a meal."

After much back and forth, Jiang Ruoxi finally took charge of chopping vegetables while Shen Jingqiu took charge of cooking, and they worked together quite well.

Ye Chen took a walk around the courtyard.

Anhetang has added a lot of things since my last visit.

Next to the medicine cabinet, there was a row of glass jars filled with various medicinal wines and teas.

A new scroll written by Shen Bo'an hangs on the wall; the characters are much more stable than last year's.

In the innermost consultation room, there was a pulse pillow and a copper seal on the table, and a stack of new medicine books next to it, each page neatly written.

Shen Bo'an followed and stood at the door, saying, "This year, there are more young people practicing medicine. They came from several nearby towns. They heard that Anhetang had reopened and came to learn from me. I picked three to stay, and Jingqiu will manage them."

Ye Chen said, "Then you feel much more relaxed?"

Shen Bo'an said, "What do you mean 'relaxed'? Teaching apprentices is more tiring than seeing patients, but it's worth it."

Dinner was a lively affair.

Shen Jingqiu prepared a table full of Nancheng dishes, including braised pork that Ye Chen loved and stir-fried bamboo shoots that Su Qinghan liked.

Shen Bo'an opened a jar of yellow wine, poured a small cup for each person, and said, "Anhetang has been open for a year now. Although we haven't made much money, the old folks in the alley all say that it's more convenient to see a doctor now, and that's enough."

Su Qinghan picked up her wine glass, clinked it against his, and said, "Making things convenient for others is the biggest profit."

Shen Bo'an laughed and downed the wine in one gulp.

After the meal, everyone sat in the courtyard drinking tea.

Winters in the southern part of the city are warmer than in the river city; the night breeze carries the damp scent of grass and trees, and it's not cold.

Shen Bo'an brewed a pot of magnolia tea, which was sun-dried this summer and had a stronger aroma than the one Ye Chen drank in Meixi last time.

He poured a cup for everyone: "This tea was sun-dried by Jingqiu; her skills are better than mine."

Shen Jingqiu smiled shyly beside her and lowered her head to fiddle with the teapot.

Aygul sat in the corner, holding a cup of tea, listening to everyone talk.

She didn't interrupt much, but her eyes were always on the move. She watched Shen Jingqiu pour tea, watched Shen Bo'an talk to Su Qinghan, watched Jiang Ruoxi yawn while leaning on Ye Chen's shoulder, and watched the ghost servant sit in his usual spot by the door with his eyes closed, resting.

She watched for a while, then suddenly stood up and squatted down next to the small tree in the corner of the yard.

Ye Chen followed her and saw that she was looking at a small clump of grass next to the tree roots. The grass had narrow and long leaves with fine hairs, and looked a lot like moonflowers.

Aygul said, "This grass can be found here too."

Ye Chen squatted down to take a look, and it did look very similar, but he wasn't sure if it was the same kind.

He said, "We'll bring the seeds from over there in the spring to compare."

Aygul nodded, stood up, and patted the dirt off her hands.

She said, "I'll come back next spring to see my cousin and also to see if it's possible to plant here."

Ye Chen said, "Okay, I'll go with you then."

Aygul glanced at him, said nothing, but her lips twitched slightly.

At night, Ye Chen and Jiang Ruoxi stayed in a small house in the backyard of Anhetang.

The house wasn't big, but it was kept very clean.

On the windowsill were several pots of herbs that Shen Jingqiu had placed there: a pot of mint, a pot of perilla, and a pot of angelica that had just sprouted.

Jiang Ruoxi lay on the bed, listening to the occasional barking of dogs in the alley and the faint sound of firecrackers in the distance, and said, "The New Year is almost here."

Ye Chen hummed in agreement.

Jiang Ruoxi added, "This year has gone by so fast."

Ye Chen rolled over, looked at the ceiling, thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, this time last year I was busy with renovations in Jiangcheng, but this year I'm here in Nancheng eating out."

Jiang Ruoxi chuckled: "What about next year?"

Ye Chen said, "I don't know about next year. It might be in Nancheng, it might be in Baizhi Valley, it might be anywhere. I'll just follow you."

Jiang Ruoxi leaned her head on his shoulder and didn't say anything more.

The next morning, Ye Chen was awakened by the sound of voices in the courtyard.

He pushed open the window and saw that Shen Bo'an was already sitting in the consultation room, with three young apprentices around the table watching him write prescriptions.

Shen Jingqiu grabbed medicine from the medicine cabinet with quick and steady movements.

Aygul squatted down next to a clump of grass in the corner of the yard, gently loosening the soil with a small shovel.

Su Qinghan and Jiang Ruoxi sat on the veranda drinking tea, talking about something. Jiang Ruoxi smiled.

Ye Chen leaned against the window frame, looking at the scene, and felt very content.

He stretched and went downstairs to help.

There's still a lot to do today.

I need to accompany Shen Bo'an on his house call, go with Shen Jingqiu to check on the small herb garden in the back, and go to town to buy New Year's goods.

Trivial, ordinary.

But he didn't want to miss any of them.

After breakfast, Ye Chen followed Shen Jingqiu to the small herb garden in the back.

The small plot of land was a bit bigger than last year. Shen Jingqiu also cleared out a small piece of wasteland next to it and planted mint and perilla.

She squatted down at the edge of the field and pointed to the plants for Ye Chen: "This is angelica, planted last autumn. It will be ready for harvest in the spring. Over there are newly grown angelica seedlings, which will be transplanted when the weather gets warmer."

Looking at the lush green seedlings, Ye Chen said, "Can you manage all this by yourself?"

Shen Jingqiu said, "I can manage. I get medicine in the morning and farm in the afternoon. It's better than working in the city."

Ye Chen smiled and said, "Don't let Jiang Ruoxi hear you say that, she'll think you're not ambitious enough."

Shen Jingqiu said with a smile, "Sister Jiang isn't that kind of person."

Just then, a commotion arose at the entrance of the alley.

Ye Chen and Shen Jingqiu went over and saw a woman in her fifties pulling on Shen Bo'an's sleeve, crying and saying something.

Shen Bo'an's expression wasn't good, but he still listened patiently.

Ye Chen quickly stepped forward and asked what was wrong.

Shen Bo'an sighed and said, "This lady's husband fell a few days ago and his leg swelled up badly. He went to a big hospital, and the doctor said he needed surgery, but her family couldn't afford that much money. They heard that Anhetang Hospital was cheap, so they came here."

Ye Chen looked at the woman, then at Shen Bo'an. Shen Bo'an said, "I've examined her. The bones aren't broken; it's just blocked meridians, which can be treated. But my legs are weak, so I can't make house calls."

Ye Chen said, "I'll go. Tell me the place, and I'll go take a look."

Shen Bo'an glanced at him, nodded, turned around and went back to the clinic to write down the address, then handed the silver needle kit to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen accepted the call and said to the woman, "Come on, take me to your house."

That afternoon, Ye Chen gave the woman's husband acupuncture in a low-rise house in the south of the city, and left two packets of Anhetang medicine.

The woman offered him money, but he refused, saying only, "Anhetang has a rule: if the patient is cured, a silk banner will suffice; if not, no money will be accepted."

The woman was stunned, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

When Ye Chen returned to Anhetang, it was already dusk.

That night, Ye Chen sat in the courtyard, wiping the package of silver needles clean one by one.

Jiang Ruoxi walked over and sat down beside her.

She asked, "How was your day?"

Ye Chen said, "It's good, better than being a security guard."

Jiang Ruoxi smiled and leaned on his shoulder.

The magnolia tea in the courtyard was still warm, and the red lantern at the alley entrance swayed gently in the wind.

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year is getting stronger.