Chapter 31: Reciprocating Kindness

Within the Xue family mansion, every Xue family disciple and female relative cast sidelong glances.

A girl in a pale yellow long skirt walked ahead, accompanied by a boy of similar age, his stature gradually stretching tall, his brow noble and martial, clad in blue robes, a leather belt with hooks holding a heavy saber with a dark-patterned sheath inlaid with copper, and a battle bow behind his back, its strings woven with gold thread, radiating martial grandeur.

None of them knew when such a boy had come to the Xue family.

They had intended to approach and make acquaintance, but seeing him walking with Xue Shuangtao, they abandoned the idea.

Xue Shuangtao said: "Bow and heavy saber—then come with me to the pharmacy."

"Armor is impossible to issue you; Grandfather says the Xue family has no armor."

"Armor violates Chen Kingdom's laws."

Li Guanyi nodded.

Yet in his mind he recalled the old man's bold demeanor, and for some reason, he believed only half of the girl's words.

He believed Xue Shuangtao truly thought so.

As for Grandfather Xue Daoyong's words—

He wouldn't believe a single punctuation mark.

Thanks to a lifetime of historical education—from childhood through at least nine years of compulsory schooling—Li Guanyi held an extremely concise historical view: when the world fell into chaos, powerful clans like the Xue family would surely possess private armed forces and armor; whenever the realm changed, local magnates always rose to become Wang Hou, generals, and ministers.

The Xue family pharmacy was much larger than Huichun Hall.

Huichun Hall was the largest pharmacy in southern Yicheng, and previously, it had annually delivered specific herbs to the Xue family; upon pushing open the door, a wave of herbal fragrance washed over Li Guanyi, filling him with comfort and ease, and his gaze swept across, recognizing many herbs.

Dragon bone, Master Yuan Zhi, Shouwu vine—all calming herbs.

Danggui, He Shouwu, Shu Di Huang—all blood-tonifying herbs.

Ginseng, Bai Zhu, Jing Tian—all qi-tonifying herbs, and…

The young pharmacist's eyes swept casually, then slightly narrowed—he saw on a cabinet labeled "For Pharmacist's Personal Use" some herbs with no names marked; ordinary people would miss them, but Li Guanyi, who had dealt with herbs since age five and studied medicine for eight years, recognized them at a glance.

Ba Ji Tian, Xian Mao, Xu Duan, Tu Si Zi, Suo Yang, Bu Gu Zhi, Tian Dong, Mo Han Lian.

Yin-nourishing, yang-boosting aphrodisiacs? With this potency and formula—

Tonify kidney yang, enrich essence and blood.

Strengthen sinews and bones, stop abnormal bleeding? Judging by this…

The old physician with the goatee noticed the boy's gaze, cleared his throat, moved his steps without changing expression, blocking Li Guanyi's view, and smiled warmly: "Ah, Young Lady, and this young master—what brings you here?"

Xue Shuangtao smiled gently, her tone as usual: "Thank you, Elder Zhang—please fetch a set of cultivation materials."

The old man retrieved them with a speed exceeding his usual limits and placed them on the table.

"Thirty portions of Danshen decoction—assists qi circulation, can temporarily relieve angina."

"Ten portions of Shengmai Lianhua Pills—tonify both qi and blood."

"Five portions of hemostatic herbs; thirty herbal packs for bathing—promote blood and qi flow after training, relieve soreness; thirty more packs for daily morning baths to ensure your primordial qi is complete; nighttime use of the second type ensures no hidden injuries remain."

"Additionally, I've taken a liking to this young brother—I personally add one-tenth as a gift."

The man, notoriously stingy, known as someone who could squeeze urine from a toad, placed a small package on the table; the boy's expression was shy, and he smiled faintly: "Thank you, Elder. Your medical skill is profound, but with so many herbs unlabeled, they're hard to identify—I'm nearly blinded."

"Perhaps organizing them would be better?"

The old man's face relaxed into a warm smile: "Young master is right."

"I'll organize them properly next time!"

The old man and the boy understood each other without words.

The elder added a few more pills to the package.

Then he escorted Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao out, sighed with relief, and wiped his forehead.

"How did the Xue family get such a beautiful little fox? And she understands medicine and prescriptions?"

Xue Shuangtao said: "Elder Zhang has always been… frugal, yet today he's been unusually generous to you."

Li Guanyi said: "Perhaps because I once worked as a pharmacist myself."

Xue Shuangtao frowned skeptically but did not press further: "Medicines and weapons differ from armor—you may collect your monthly allotment each month; though medicines aid cultivation, Grandfather forbids taking more than the allotted amount—cultivation must come from within."

"Hmm, that's enough—let's go to the tailor's shop."

Qu Guan Shi was handling miscellaneous tasks when she saw Xue Shuangtao and Li Guanyi arrive; she was startled, then noticed the badge on Li Guanyi's waist, her soft eyes widening, and she stammered: "Th-this… Little Brother Li Xiao…"

Xue Shuangtao said: "I'm accompanying Guest Minister Li to collect his guest minister's attire."

Qu Guan Shi murmured: "Guest Minister…?"

She stared at the boy, momentarily dazed, then her face immediately softened into a deferential humility: "Yes, Young Lady, Guest Minister—please wait a moment."

Li Guanyi bowed slightly, his voice gentle: "Thank you, Sister Qu."

Qu Guan Shi froze, then seeing Li Guanyi's expression, her smile deepened into genuine warmth:

"Guest Minister, you still have such a sweet tongue—good, good, leave it to Sister."

"I'll prepare the finest robes for you."

She swayed away gracefully; Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao sat drinking tea in the tailor's reception area, where maidens served pastries; Li Guanyi's internal qi from Po Zhen Qu strengthened his body, making him hungry, so he slowly ate some.

Xue Shuangtao, curious, scrutinized Li Guanyi from head to toe: "Did you know Qu Guan Shi before?"

"Mm, I met her yesterday when collecting clothes."

Xue Shuangtao grew more puzzled: "Then why call her 'sister'?"

Li Guanyi wiped a crumb from his lip, put it in his mouth, thought a moment, then said: "Because she's older than me."

"That's it?"

"Politeness never offends."

The conversation ended briefly.

Li Guanyi ate pastries; between the redwood chairs sat a small table, and across from him sat Xue Shuangtao; the pastries were small and adorable, soft and chewy, filled with red bean paste, when the girl suddenly asked: "How old is the Guest Minister?"

Li Guanyi said: "Thirteen, a bit over—about two months until my birthday."

Xue Shuangtao looked ahead and said, "Mm, I just passed my fourteenth birthday."

Li Guanyi nodded.

Xue Shuangtao said, "I'm older than you."

She paused, her gaze falling on Li Guanyi's face, and said, "I'm also older than you."

Li Guanyi seemed to understand — this young girl also wanted him to call her 'elder sister'?

He laughed softly, thinking what a cute girl she was, and at that moment footsteps came; Xue Shuangtao immediately sat back, her skirt falling, both hands resting quietly on her knees, her bearing gentle — an elegant young lady whose manners could not be faulted in the slightest.

Steward Qu said with a smile, "You say, how could today's matter be such a coincidence? In my tailoring workshop, I happen to have a garment similar in size to the Guest Minister's, and just happen to have a leather belt inlaid with jade. Young Mr., come try it on?"

Li Guanyi set down the pastries and followed Steward Qu to change clothes.

It was still a clear blue robe, but the material was entirely different — there were subtle patterns woven through it, not appearing overly gaudy or frivolous, yet carrying a dignified air befitting a great noble clan. A fragrant sachet hung at his waist, the leather belt was of finer make as well, with a round, smooth Bai Yu set in the middle as ornament.

The Southern Chen Dynasty — its decorative arts were splendid and refined.

Even belts came in all manner of styles: immortal blossoms, lychees, Shiman, playing children; the materials ranged from leather, to gold and iron, jade, rhinoceros horn — entirely different. In the past these marked one's status, but now such controls had gradually loosened; decorating a leather belt with precious jade, the court paid it no mind.

Steward Qu clapped his hands and laughed, "What fine looks, what fine bearing."

"What a fine young gentleman."

Xue Shuangtao glanced over and had to admit — even among the Xue clan and the great families they were allied with, there might be those more handsome than the youth before her, but that composed bearing had never been seen. A blade at his waist, a bow in one hand, brows lifted — it was the youthful spirit that matched spring willows and a galloping horse with flying whip.

Steward Qu sent the two young people off with a smile. Leaning against the door, a maid beside him said, "Steward, wasn't that garment the one that young master ordered earlier?"

"Giving it to this Guest Minister first — wouldn't that be improper?"

Steward Qu said lazily, "In the tailoring workshop, naturally they listen to me. That young master came in all high and mighty, bossing everyone about — a little later is a little later, as long as it's handed over before the deadline, that's fine."

The maid said, "After all, that young master's status is higher."

She said with a slight smile, "If we're talking status, of course that young master is higher."

"But that one call of 'elder sister' made me comfortable, and his eyes held no contempt for us — so I'm willing to give him a bit more convenience. Living in this world, one must have some peculiar temper."

"I simply hope that those who make me comfortable, live the most comfortably."

………………

"Pills, bow and arrows, weapons, clothing — all have been changed."

"The place where the books are stored — tomorrow I'll take you there."

"Also, a Guest Minister may be assigned a Xue clan carriage, and two maids can be arranged to help with matters in your courtyard and to look after the ladies. Remember to come early tomorrow."

The driver Zhao Da Bing had heard a Guest Minister needed a carriage, so he drove over. When he saw the clothes on Li Guanyi, it took him quite a while to come back to himself. He said, "Little brother… no, Guest Minister, didn't you say yesterday that being a Guest Minister was something far off?"

How is it that in just one day he's become a Guest Minister? I've been at it ten years and there's still no sign of it for me.

Did I get drunk on one cup of wine yesterday and sleep through ten years? Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "Brother Zhao, because the old saying goes just like that."

"A day feels like a year."

Zhao Da Bing opened his mouth. That envy and self-reproach, once he caught the little joke hidden in those words, instead turned into a rueful laugh; the envy, even the jealousy, dissolved and eased away. He shook his head helplessly and laughed enviously, "Guest Minister, you really do have talent."

"Please get on the carriage!"

The young man paused, then asked:

"Does Brother Zhao still have those salt-baked peanuts? I've never eaten such good snacks before."

"I'm a bit craving them."

Zhao Da Bing was slightly stunned, then a touch proud, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, of course I do!"

"If you want to eat them, I'll definitely have them ready for you here."

Xue Shuangtao watched the thirteen-year-old boy's conduct and bearing with others, and reminded him, "Guest Minister, remember to come early tomorrow."

"Mm."

Li Guanyi had already set one foot on the carriage, but suddenly thought of something and stepped back down.

Xue Shuangtao: "Mm???"

Li Guanyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but still did not speak; he only said, "Wait a moment."

For some reason, Li Guanyi also seemed a bit unable to say it. He turned around, patted his own cheeks, adjusted his bearing, then turned back. The sunlight was warm, Xue clan people came and went, and on the handsome young man's face was a shy, clean, simple smile.

"Thank you very much for today."

He paused:

"Elder Sister of the Xue clan."

(End of chapter)