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

On the day the second snow fell after the start of winter, Gu Nian came to Baizhi Valley again.

This time, she didn't let her father send her off.

She took the high-speed train to Jiangcheng, then transferred to a bus, and finally hitched a ride on a farm vehicle that was going the same way to the valley entrance.

Ye Chen was warming himself by the fire in the security department when he received the call, while He Jianping was eating sunflower seeds next to him.

Ye Chen asked, "Where are you?"

Gu Nian said, "I saw Big Yellow at the valley entrance."

Ye Chen quickly put on a coat and went out.

When they arrived at the valley entrance, they indeed saw Gu Nian standing under the old locust tree, carrying a travel bag in her hand and a bulging canvas bag on her shoulder.

Big Yellow circled around her, its tail swishing loudly. Gu Nian had lost some weight, but her complexion was rosy, and she seemed much better than when she last visited.

She saw Ye Chen, smiled, and said, "Dr. Ye, I'm here again."

Ye Chen led her into the medicine hut.

Su Qinghan was preparing the medicine. She looked up at him but didn't say anything.

Gu Nian placed the canvas bag on the table, opened it, and took something out of it.

It is a pot of moonflowers.

The flowerpot has been changed; it's a size bigger than the last one. The seedlings are growing vigorously, with glossy green leaves and a few small white flowers blooming on the branches.

Gu Nian said, "I've been watering and loosening the soil just as Sister Guli told me, and it's growing really well. It bloomed a few days ago, and I thought I should bring it back to show you all."

Su Qinghan put down the medicine in her hand and walked over to look at the potted flower.

She reached out and touched the leaves, then leaned closer to smell them and said, "They're well-cared for; they're even stronger than those in the greenhouse."

Gu Nian's eyes crinkled when she heard this.

Ye Chen took Gu Nian's pulse.

The pulse was steady, unlike the thin and irregular pulse it had last time.

He asked her to stick out her tongue so he could see that it had a thin white coating and was no longer red.

Ye Chen asked, "Have you finished your medicine?"

Gu Nian said, "We finished eating it last month and stopped. We haven't cooked it since."

Gu Nian hummed in agreement and lowered her sleeves. She stood in the medicine shed, looking around, no longer as timid as last time.

She suddenly pointed to a porcelain bottle on the medicine shelf and asked, "What's this?"

Ye Chen said, "He'an Ointment, the kind you drink."

Gu Nian said, "I find it better than cough syrup. It's not as sweet, but it works."

Su Qinghan, who was overheard this, unusually chimed in, "As long as it works, it doesn't matter if it's sweet or not."

Ayiguli rushed back from the greenhouse when she heard that Gu Nian had arrived.

When she pushed the door open, Gu Nian was squatting at the entrance of the medicine shop looking at the pot of moonflowers.

The two looked at each other.

Aygul said, "They've arrived."

Gu Nian said, "They're here."

And then that was it.

Gu Nian squatted there, and Ayiguli squatted down as well, the two of them looking at the pot of flowers together.

Aygul reached out and brushed aside the leaves, saying, "It's time to repot them; the roots have grown too long."

Gu Nian said, "I won't break it up."

Aygul stood up and said, "I'll teach you."

The two then went to the greenhouse one after the other.

Watching their retreating figures, Ye Chen felt that Gu Nian's visit this time didn't seem to be for medical treatment.

She came to return something.

Bringing that potted plant back is like returning a borrowed item to its rightful owner.

But the way Aygul taught her to divide the pots looked like she was handing something over.

Ye Chen couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he thought it was pretty good.

During dinner, Gu Nian mentioned something at the table.

She said she wants to apply to a university specializing in traditional Chinese medicine next year.

Ye Chen asked her why she suddenly wanted to learn this.

Gu Nian lowered her head, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and said, "When I was sick, I couldn't do anything but lie down. Later, I came here and planted flowers and divided seedlings with Sister Guli every day. I felt at ease. Then, after drinking He'an ointment, I slowly got better. I thought that if I could make my own medicine in the future, I could help others."

Jiang Ruoxi placed a piece of pork rib on her plate and asked, "Which school do you want to apply to?"

Gu Nian said, "When Professor Fang came to Baizhi Valley last time, I attended his classes for two days. His lectures on medicinal herbs were different from what I learned at school."

Ye Chen smiled and said, "Professor Fang would be overjoyed if he knew that you wanted to apply to a university of traditional Chinese medicine because of him."

Gu Nian said, "It's not because of him, it's because of the flowers that Sister Guli planted, the prescription that Doctor Ye wrote, and the cup of hot water that Sister Jiang poured for me. You didn't look down on me."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and continued eating.

No one at the table responded, but everyone paused for a moment while eating.

Su Qinghan added a spoonful of soup to Gu Nian's bowl without saying anything.

Gu Nian stayed in Baizhi Valley for three days.

During the day, I helped Ayiguli in the greenhouse to divide seedlings, repot them, and record their growth. In the evenings, I helped Shen Jingqiu, who had come from Nancheng a couple of days ago to check on the medicinal herb fields and organize the herb registers.

She writes quickly; Shen Jingqiu reads the prescription, and she writes it down. The two work together quite well.

One evening, Ye Chen passed by the medicine shop and saw Gu Nian and Shen Jingqiu sitting head to head, one reading and the other writing.

The light shone on their faces, warm and comforting.

He stood there for a while, not going in to disturb them.

On the morning Gu Nian left, Ayiguli gave her a pot of new seedlings from the greenhouse.

The flowerpot was white porcelain, even prettier than the last one. Gu Nian took it and hugged it to her chest.

Aygul said, "This pot has even stronger roots than the last one. You can take it back and care for it as before. If you need to divide it into several pots next spring, you can divide it into several more."

Gu Nian nodded. She waved to the crowd and turned to walk towards the valley entrance.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and shouted, "I'll come back after I get into university!"

The sound echoed through the valley.

Aygul didn't respond, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Ye Chen gave her a thumbs up.

Jiang Ruoxi called out, "Be careful on the road."

Gu Nian smiled, turned around and left.

Big Yellow chased after her for a few steps, but she patted his head and he came back.

That night, Ye Chen sat in the courtyard polishing his sword.

Aygul returned from the greenhouse, carrying a pot of newly divided moonflowers, which she placed on the steps.

Ye Chen said, "You gave Gu Nian a potted plant today, and kept one for yourself?"

Aygul said, "I put this pot at the entrance of the medicine shop so that everyone who comes can see it."

Ye Chen sheathed his sword and looked at the potted flower.

The tiny white flowers shimmered with a faint silver light under the moonlight, like snowflakes falling on leaves.

He said, "Tell me, where did this flower come from?"

Aygul thought for a moment and said, "It came from my adoptive father. He brought it back from Central Asia. I don't know anything about his ancestors."

Ye Chen said, "It doesn't matter if you don't know. Anyway, it was passed down from you, and Gu Nian took it away. People will continue to plant it in the future."

Aygul didn't speak, but sat down on the steps and leaned against the pillar.

The moon hangs in the sky, more than half full.

The wind blew in from the mouth of the valley, rustling the withered leaves in the medicinal herb field.

Neither of them spoke again.

But the moonflower in the yard blooms quietly.

Like a small lamp, it's lit.