Flower Festival

The next day.

Early in the morning, after washing up, Li Mo stood before the bronze mirror in splendid silk clothes and tied up his hair according to his master's teachings. Looking at his handsome reflection, he immediately felt refreshed. He then went to the bed, picked up the breakfast, lunch, and gift he had prepared for Xiao Man the night before, and was about to leave when he felt something was amiss.

Thinking that he would soon be on the broad riverbank by the River God Temple, dressed so extravagantly while Xiao Man wore tattered clothes, made him feel rather awkward.

After a brief consideration, he brought along his old coarse-cloth clothes as well.

He planned to part ways with Wang Pan's family once he saw Xiao Man.

"Haha, Li Mo, get up here!"

Wang Pan's family had actually come in a horse carriage, though Li Mo had no idea whether it belonged to them.

Though the carriage had no canopy and no decorations, it was still beyond what an ordinary family could afford. Including the horse, it probably cost at least a hundred taels of silver, and the daily feed was no small expense either.

Fortunately, Li Mo and Wang Pan were friends. He had visited Wang Pan's home before and was well acquainted with his family, so he did not feel restrained. With a leap, he climbed onto the carriage.

The carriage continued onward amid Wang Pan's father's calls.

After greeting Wang Pan's mother, younger brother, and younger sister, Li Mo noticed an unfamiliar young woman on the carriage. She was about Wang Pan's age, and he had never seen her before, so he could not help but pause in surprise.

"Li Mo, where did you buy those clothes? They look so good!"

Wang Pan first praised Li Mo's clothes. Then, noticing Li Mo's puzzled gaze, he realized what was going on and introduced her with a smile. "This is my cousin, Wang Qi. She lives in Sanxigou. She came up two days ago to buy rouge and powder, and my mother kept her here to celebrate the Flower Festival with us. She said you two are about the same age... Ow!"

After pinching Wang Pan, Mother Wang smiled at Li Mo. "Wang Qi is two months older than Pan'er. You two are close in age, so young people should get to know each other better."

Li Mo nodded stiffly at her words.

Yet Wang Pan's cousin took the initiative, smiling brightly as she greeted him. "Hello, I'm Wang Qi. Wang Pan said you're his good friend, a once-in-a-century genius at Jimin Hall, and that you'll definitely become Jimin Hall's attending physician someday. Is that true?"

From the moment Li Mo got onto the carriage, Wang Qi had been studying him continuously, her face full of smiles.

Hearing this, Li Mo secretly studied Wang Qi in return.

Her voice was very pleasant. She wore a floral ruqun, her black hair arranged in a bun with hairpins, and light powder makeup adorned her lovely face. She looked cheerful and full of vitality. She seemed almost as tall as he was, with abundant blood and qi, bright spirit, and a healthy body. She did not seem like an ordinary farming family's daughter.

"Hello, I'm Li Mo. But I'm no genius. My master merely took pity on me and thought well of me."

Facing Wang Qi, Li Mo felt an instinctive inferiority born from his father's early death. Following his habit of saying less to make fewer mistakes, he said nothing further.

Wang Qi was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly. She looked into the distance and did not say anything more.

Gradually, the road began to grow bumpy.

Wang Qi cried out and nearly fell over. She could not help complaining, "Second Uncle, do we really have to go to the River God Temple? I heard everyone in town goes to Bai'an Dam for an outing."

Father Wang smiled as he drove the carriage. "The River God Temple is a little farther away, but there are fewer people, and the scenery is better."

Wang Qi had no choice but to endure the jolting.

Li Mo, meanwhile, sighed over how nice it was to have a carriage. Their travel speed was clearly much faster.

At last, they arrived near the River God Temple. From afar, they could see quite a few people already strolling along the riverbank. After Father Wang stopped the carriage, everyone took the food they had prepared and headed toward the riverbank.

After Evening Moon, the weather had warmed.

The sky was clear, the breeze mild and pleasant, and all things were growing. It was the perfect season for a spring outing.

Li Mo, Wang Pan, Wang Qi, Father Wang, Mother Wang, and Wang Pan's younger brother and sister sat on the grass, basking in the sun in perfect leisure.

After resting for a while.

Li Mo still had not caught sight of Zhao Siman, and anxiety rose in his heart. He stood and said, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang, I'd like to take a walk."

Mother Wang was startled at first, then smiled. "Young people should walk around more. Wang Qi hasn't been here before, so how about you take her around nearby? Come back for breakfast in a while."

"This?"

Seeing that Wang Qi had already risen, Li Mo could only say awkwardly, "All right."

He considered whether he should bring Zhao Siman here later. Fortunately, he had prepared two portions of breakfast, along with fried beans and malt sugar.

After bidding farewell to Wang Pan and the others, Li Mo left with Wang Qi and searched for Zhao Siman along the riverbank.

Only then did Li Mo realize that he had apparently underestimated her height earlier. She was actually a little taller than he was. Coupled with her youthful makeup, she drew quite a few sidelong glances.

Wang Qi seemed long accustomed to this and merely kept studying the nearby mountains and rocks.

"The mountains here are much steeper than those in our Sanxigou."

Sanxigou was a well-known prosperous village in the area. Li Mo replied, "Yes. I've been to your place once. It really is much gentler than here."

Wang Qi probed, "By the way, what specialties does Shanbei Village have?"

Li Mo shook his head. "We can barely grow enough food to eat. What specialties could we possibly have?"

At this, Wang Qi gently opened her folding fan, and a fragrant breeze drifted out. As she walked, she said, "I heard you've already become a Traveling Doctor at Jimin Hall. Do you earn a lot in consultation fees?"

"One String of Coins a month."

"Ah?"

Wang Qi stopped slightly, her face full of astonishment.

"Isn't practicing medicine supposed to make a lot of money?"

Li Mo did not know how to answer. He was already quite satisfied with it, but Wang Qi seemed somewhat disappointed.

"Then do you have any other plans? How long will it take before you become an attending physician? My mother said that in Hua'an Town, it takes at least fifty taels of silver a year to maintain a respectable life. Once there are children, or if you move to the county seat, it will definitely take even more..."

Listening to Wang Qi, Li Mo was left dumbfounded.

After searching all around, Li Mo still did not see Zhao Siman. Disappointed, he could only bring the already weary Wang Qi back to the campsite, where Father Wang and Mother Wang had prepared a lavish breakfast.

Li Mo looked at the neatly arranged smoked meat, dried fish, ham, rice balls, green vegetables, pickled vegetables, peanuts, hawthorn cakes, and a box of exquisite flaky pastries and desserts spread over the grass. They had also brought out many porcelain bowls and bamboo chopsticks, with a tea set beside them. He could not help feeling somewhat restrained.

By comparison, he had prepared only some steamed cakes, pickled vegetables, fried beans, and malt sugar. It truly looked shabby.

"Come, Li Mo, have some hot tea."

Li Mo accepted the hot tea Father Wang handed him and nodded in praise.

Wang Pan laughed. "I like malt sugar best!"

"Let's all eat."

With that, Mother Wang led everyone in happily enjoying breakfast. Yet from that point onward, Wang Qi never spoke to Li Mo again.

Time swiftly reached Weishi in the afternoon.

Everyone packed their belongings and prepared to drive back to town.

Because Li Mo had never seen Zhao Siman and still had gifts to give her, he planned to return to Shanbei Village while it was not yet too late.

Father Wang and Mother Wang clearly understood that the arrangement they had made today had failed, so they did not try to stop him. They replied with smiles, "All right, then. Be careful on the road."

Li Mo ran in great strides toward Shanbei Village. The road was full of people returning home after their spring outings. At last, before Xushi ended, he made it back to Shanbei Village. After standing at the eastern end of the village and catching his breath for a while, he saw that familiar, slender figure.

"Xiao Man!"

"Brother Xiao Mo!"

Zhao Siman, who had been about to chop pig fodder, saw Li Mo and immediately could no longer hold back her tears. She began to cry in grievance.

Li Mo was not angry over her broken promise. He came to her side and asked softly, "Was it your Third Uncle and Third Aunt who wouldn't let you go out?"

Zhao Siman lowered her head and nodded gently.

Then Li Mo noticed the wounds on the back of Zhao Siman's hand. He abruptly pulled up her sleeve. Amid Zhao Siman's instinctive cry, Li Mo discovered bruises and injuries all over her body, and an unconcealable fury immediately appeared on his face.

"They hit you too?"

Zhao Siman did not speak. Li Mo hated himself for lacking the ability to protect her, for having no way to change any of this. The two looked at one another in silence for a long while.

Zhao Siman gently bit her lip, then tentatively stepped forward and leaned against Li Mo's shoulder.

Her body was slender, and she only reached Li Mo's chest.

Li Mo's body stiffened slightly. Only after quite a while did he gently wrap an arm around Zhao Siman's waist.

"Xiao Man, once I've saved enough bride price, I'll definitely marry you and bring your mother over too. Then you won't have to suffer your Third Uncle and Third Aunt's bullying anymore."

"Mhm!"

Tears streamed down Zhao Siman's face.

After quite some time, Li Mo personally handed Zhao Siman the gifts he had prepared before finally bidding her farewell.

Holding the clothes, wooden hairpin, fried beans, and malt sugar that Li Mo had prepared for her, Zhao Siman bade Li Mo farewell through tear-filled eyes.

After returning home and doing a little cleaning, Li Mo traveled through the night to his mother's grave.

Though night had already fallen, he did not feel afraid. After bending down to place the wooden hairpin properly, he gently leaned against the grave. Under the moonlight, he smiled as he told his mother about himself and Xiao Man, and it seemed as though he heard his mother's laughter too.

And so.

The days passed one by one.

Doctor Zhang left after the Dragon Boat Festival. Many prominent people in town came to visit him, praising Doctor Zhang for hanging a gourd to save the world. Afterward, Zhang Limin was taken away by his father as well, apparently to secure him a bookkeeping job at the Constables' Office.

Wang Pan and Jiang Ming continued studying under Doctor Feng.

Ever since privately pledging themselves to each other that day, Li Mo had become ever more diligent and hardworking at Jimin Hall. Every day, he followed his senior brothers, bustling about as they traveled to various villages on medical rounds. His knowledge and experience kept growing. After Zhang Dongliang left, he secretly took his silk clothes and leather boots to Chengxin Pavilion pawnshop east of Jimin Hall to ask their price.

"Moth-eaten and rat-bitten, one ragged old garment. Stale as last year's moon, one sour, stinking pair of leather boots. Two taels of silver for the lot. Does the customer agree?"

Li Mo was angered by this and refused on the spot.

Time gradually reached the seventh month. Though Li Mo's days of going out to study with his senior brothers were dull, they were also fulfilling.

That day.

Amid the pattering rain, occasionally mixed with crackling flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, Li Mo returned to Jimin Hall with Senior Brother Cai.

"How is Luoya Village?"

Cai Tong sighed.

"It is already the fourth household. They all suddenly bleed from their mouths and noses at night and die. In less than two days, they let go of this world. And with this year's flooding of the Tan River showing no sign of stopping, many families don't even know how they're supposed to get by. Sigh."

Li Mo felt the same.

The Tan River flooded once every few years. This year's flood season had come more than half a month earlier than usual, followed by unending torrential rain. From his birth until now, Li Mo had never seen rain this heavy. He had not returned to Shanbei Village for over a month, and he wondered how Xiao Man was doing.

Yet Jimin Hall was simply too busy. Patients from nearby villages waited for treatment every day, and he truly could not get away. He planned to go back and see her once the rain stopped.

Fortunately, Shanbei Village stood on relatively high ground, so there was no need to worry too much even if there was flooding.

At this moment.

Doctor Nie, one of Jimin Hall's three attending physicians, walked over with a grave expression. He slowly set the teacup in his hand onto the table and looked at Li Mo nearby.

"Over the past half year, you have learned much from the senior brothers at the clinic. You are hardworking, diligent, and dependable, and you have built some goodwill among the villages. Now is a time when we need people. Starting tomorrow, you may practice medicine independently. You must always keep the teachings of medical ethics firmly in mind."

Li Mo's face lit up with delight. He immediately answered solemnly, "Yes!"