Chapter 173: Chapter 174: I liked you since that time.

The next day, Qi Yue got up early and practiced a set of saber techniques in her own courtyard before dawn had fully broken.

After taking a bath and changing clothes, she came out feeling relaxed and happened to run into Zhao Xiyan as he was coming out of the neighboring courtyard.

“Yueyue, you’re up really early today.”

The man greeted her with a smile, fresh as a stem of emerald bamboo in the brisk morning breeze.

Qi Yue’s heart fluttered, but she quickly looked at Zhao Xiyan composedly.

“Hmm. You’re early too. Shall we have breakfast together?”

“Sure.”

The two shared a smile and walked side by side towards the dining hall.

Halfway there, they bumped into Qu Wei, who, fanning himself, looked them up and down and remarked with a clicking of the tongue, “You two, looks like you had a date last night, there’s something different about you.”

With that, he shook his head repeatedly.

“You don’t look like it, tell me, what exactly did you two do?”

Qi Yue gave him a disdainful glance.

“Don’t you have something serious to do?”

“Of course, I do.” Qu Wei slapped his fan down hard, “I’m acting as your elder brother, isn’t that serious enough?”

Qi Yue couldn’t be bothered to respond and was the first to step into the dining hall.

The three of them had breakfast together at one table, in a harmonious atmosphere.

Qu Wei never stopped chattering, and Zhao Xiyan, deviating from his usual indifference, chimed in from time to time, displaying the lively spirit of an immortal gracing the mortal world.

Qi Yue stopped trying to guess what Zhao Xiyan was thinking; she found their brief time together quite pleasant.

After breakfast, Zhao Xiyan offered to walk her to the pharmacy, and Qi Yue did not decline.

The two walked along the long corridor, and suddenly Zhao Xiyan stopped.

“Yueyue…”

Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Qi Yue also stopped and looked at him with a smile.

“What is it?”

“Yueyue, I will protect you in the future.”

“You’ve already protected me,” Qi Yue said with a smile, skirting the subject, “That night, you really gave Hu Chengxuan a hard time. I truly didn’t expect you to be so cunning.”

“For you, I can do anything.”

Zhao Xiyan earnestly looked at her, his deep eyes filled with determination.

At that moment, Qi Yue felt she saw the shape of love, but then the image of the white peony hairpin popped into her mind.

She really wanted to ask him about Lady Bai Shao. Had he also said the same words to her?

In the end, she kept silent.

The moment was too perfect, his affection in his eyes too intense, and she couldn’t bear to spoil it.

She hadn’t expected that when Zhao Xiyan said he would protect her, he really never left her side again.

Before long, a month had passed, and Qu Wei had already left.

But Zhao Xiyan showed no intentions of leaving.

Every morning, when Qi Yue practiced with her saber, he would accompany her, have breakfast with her afterward, and then escort her to the pharmacy.

In the afternoon, he would come early to her room to remind her not to sleep too long or she’d have trouble falling asleep at night.

Whenever they were free, they would talk, play chess, or feed the fish together.

On rainy days, they would stand together under the eaves to watch the rain, sharing stories from the time of their exile.

It was a life completely different from the past.

Even though Zhao Xiyan hadn’t held her again or taken her hand, Qi Yue genuinely felt that he was learning to love her, and he was very earnest about it.

The only thing that weighed on Qi Yue’s heart was the white peony hairpin.

Every time she saw the limitless love flowing in his eyes, Qi Yue wondered if she was mistaken.

Perhaps there was no such person as Lady Bai Shao at all.

Or maybe the hairpin was meant for her?

However, for over a month now, Zhao Xiyan had occasionally brought her gifts.

Sometimes it was a box of fine fabrics, or other times, it was a precious ornament.

One day, he brought a makeup box with great excitement, saying it was for her.

At that moment, she felt a surge of excitement, thinking that Zhao Xiyan might finally give her the white peony hairpin.

But upon opening it, the makeup box was filled with various kinds of jewelry including hairpins, but the white peony one was still absent.

He didn’t speak, and she didn’t feel it was her place to ask; thus, they interacted in this odd manner.

It was unclear what kind of relationship they had.

After the winter, the medicinal business had started to take off.

Not only had the number of finished medicines increased to 26, but they also gained a certain reputation among patients and other pharmacies.

In just a few months, Qi Yue had established cooperative relationships with all the major pharmacies on Longnan Ridge.

The staff from these pharmacies not only came to the factory to learn but also actively promoted Qi Yue’s finished medicines.

Soon, these medicines were distributed throughout Beiyuan through various channels.

Those half-baked doctors, with access to these finished medicines, could now diagnose and prescribe with confidence.

Because the effects of Qi Yue’s medicines were so good, the doctors only needed to diagnose the cause of illness and prescribe the right medicine accordingly.

For instance, for the common cold and cough, doctors only needed to prescribe the right dosage of cold remedy and Cough Relief based on the patient’s age and physical condition, perhaps with an added anti-inflammatory.

The illness would then be cured with the medicine.

Some literate folks, with a bit of experience, would take the medicine home and get well on their own.

Over time, Qi Yue’s finished medicines were exaggerated to almost mythical proportions, luring many herb traders and pharmacies from neighboring regions to seek a long-term partnership with her.

But this was practically impossible.

Because the factory could only produce so much, and although Qi Yue had already hired a third batch of apprentices, they still could not meet the demand for pharmaceuticals.

That day, just as Qi Yue had finished seeing patients and had barely returned home, someone came chasing after her.

At that moment, Qi Yue was having lunch with Zhao Xiyan when Zhang Mama came to report.

“Miss, there’s a guest outside. He says he is Shen Zikuang and wishes to discuss a collaboration in the medicine business with you.”

“Shen Zikuang?”

Qi Yue frowned, wondering why that name sounded so familiar.

“The Shen Family from Dongjiang, the most prestigious medical family in Beiyuan,” Zhao Xiyan reminded her from the side.

“Right, now I remember why it sounded so familiar; indeed a high-profile figure.”

Zhao Xiyan looked at her and smiled.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yueyue is becoming quite the high-profile figure too, it’s rare for someone like Shen Zikuang to make a personal visit.”

Qi Yue felt somewhat embarrassed under his gaze.

“Not really, maybe he just happened to be passing by.”

“From Dongjiang to Longnan, unless Shen Zikuang plans to cross the border to Donggao?” Zhao Xiyan looked at her teasingly, his eyes filled with drowning affection.

Unable to resist, Qi Yue’s face turned red, and she hastily averted her gaze to ease the tension, only to see Zhang Mama covering her mouth and chuckling.

Feeling even more embarrassed, she almost couldn’t speak.

Fortunately, Zhang Mama knew what she was thinking, and quickly said while bowing, “Miss, I will let them know that you will be there shortly.”

With those words, she left giddily.

A maidservant had brought over a basin of water to help her wash up, which helped Qi Yue cool her burning face.

Once she calmed down, she inwardly scolded herself for her lack of self-control.

Previously, she had told herself there were so many men in the world, and she should pick and choose more, but after several months, she had made no progress.

Every single time, she would lose to Zhao Xiyan’s gaze.

This man, why did he have to have such a handsome face? What was it for?

Caught up in her thoughts, she heard Zhao Xiyan’s gentle reminder, “Yueyue, what are you thinking about? Your hands are going to be red from all that washing.”

Qi Yue snapped back to reality and realized she had already lathered up with soap twice.

She quickly rinsed off the bubbles and, feigning calm, said, “I was just thinking about the collaboration. I really want to visit Dongjiang sometime; I heard they have the most complete range of medicinal herbs in all of Beiyuan.”

“Sure, I’ll accompany you when you go,” Zhao Xiyan said, then naturally took a towel and held her hand, wiping it with serious care.

The maidservant watching the two of them had long since fled the scene.

Qi Yue’s face began to burn again.

“Yueyue.”

“Hmm?”

“I remember the time I wiped your face.”

Qi Yue immediately recalled the first time she saw Zhao Xiyan’s face.

At that time, she had just cleaned the dried blood off his face, even a trace beside his ear.

The sight of his jade-colored face and that spot of blood jumped out at her vividly, the red shockingly distinct, the beauty striking.

She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch his eyebrows and eyes…

“Were you… pretending to sleep that time?”

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

“Because your hand was warm,” Zhao Xiyan said, his voice filled with deep nostalgia and a hint of longing.

“Yueyue, does that mean I liked you from back then?”