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Chapter 44: Improper Thoughts

Xue Dongting suddenly thought of something. “Did you find any gastrodia root?”

Song Yuming laughed. “What did that woman say to you to make you just now ask me that?”

“Nothing, just something unimportant… So did you find any?”

“Mm, I put it in the cellar.”

Xue Dongting smiled. “I didn’t think you’d find any.”

“I didn’t at first, but I ran into an old mountain recluse and he had some he gave me.”

Xue Dongting was curious. “There are old hermits in the mountains? How come I didn’t know?”

“How long have you been here? Of course you wouldn’t know. Even I’ve only seen him a couple times. Old Zhang told me he’s a highly-skilled doctor with miraculous healing powers.”

“Oh,” she said curiously. In her previous life at the third prince’s manor she had studied medicine from a visiting guest. Now that she’d heard of this wonder doctor, she wanted to go see him some day.

“What’s the doctor’s name?”

A look flashed through Song Yuming’s eyes and was gone. “Xu Xingnong.”

Xue Dongting was surprised. Xu Xingnong? She’d heard that name before. Xu Xingnong was a famous doctor known far and wide. The guest she had learned medicine from at the third prince’s place was highly-skilled in medicine and poisons, but even he said that he was nothing more than a good-for-nothing student of Xu Xingnong, so the latter must be something special indeed, an extraordinary physician.

But why was Xu Xingnong here? She remembered from her previous life that at that time, Xu Xingnong had already passed away.

Song Yuming noticed her uncertain expression and said, “You know him?”

Xue Dongting snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. “No… I don’t know him.”

Yes, she had never met him, but the name Xu Xingnong resounded in her ears sure enough.

Song Yuming seemed to have something on his mind. He stood and said, “I’m going to the river. There’s someone from the town on the other side who wants to go back home, but there aren’t enough boats so he’s hired me to take him.”

Xue Dongting nodded. “Hurry back.”

He lit a fishing lamp and headed out. Xue Dongting sat inside, thoughts turning over in her mind. She was somewhat uneasy. The mention of Xu Xingnong’s name had brought to mind some improper thoughts. The thoughts frightened her. She held her hands out to the brazier, warm, pale yellow light slipping between her fingers. She mumbled to herself, “I’m… I’m a reborn person… Those ten years were just a bad dream… Xue Dongting, why can’t you forget it. Why must you keep thinking of revenge?”

The ocean waves rose and fell, just like the tidal waves in her heart. She clenched her fist as if she might grasp something, but there was nothing to grasp.

Song Yuming went to the riverbank and saw Old Zhang on his boat squinting at him. Torchlight blazed in twos and threes on the far shore.

“So fella, you came after all. Little wife find it hard to let you go?” Old Zhang seemed to be frozen stiff and his speech was slurred.

Song Yuming boarded his own boat and said, “Today I saw Doctor Xu up in the mountains.”

“Oh!” Old Zhang said. “So you saw him. I bet he scolded you good, didn’t he?”

Song Yuming ignored his question. “Dongting seems… to know Dr. Xu.”

Old Zhang frowned, his brow wrinkling up into a knot on his forehead. He was silent.

Song Yuming said, “Have there been any people coming here recently that shouldn’t be?”

“Yeah, but just those sent from the imperial throne, that old flame of yours from the palace in the capital…”

Song Yuming’s face froze. “Sent by the consort?” he said icily. “To deal with Dongting?”

Old Zhang said calmly, “Whatever the objective, they shouldn’t have come. I’m not keen to get involved in capital affairs, but since they’re fool enough to come to Clearcreek Village, I’ll have to do something.”

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