For adding extra hours, whether I add them or not, I feel truly remiss; I’ve been utterly unsatisfactory this month. My apologies, my apologies—once I get into a slump, it’s addictive. Auntie was only joking, never imagining the other party would actually agree to take her up on it; now she didn't know what to say.

What kind of profession is a doctor for women? A midwife, perhaps. Besides, even if some woman had some medical knowledge, she wouldn’t state so plainly, “I am a doctor.” At most, she might say she knows a little. This woman… but then again, what can one expect from an orphan beggar?

“Indeed, Yue-niang’s medical skills are superb; she is quite famous in our Yongqing Prefecture,” Chang Yuncheng added from the side.

This time, it wasn't just Auntie; everyone else present was stunned into silence.

Qi Yue, ignoring their reactions, carefully examined the child hidden within the small swaddling cloth, her brow gradually furrowing.

Diarrhea? It bore some resemblance… yet it didn't quite fit…

“Perhaps we should step inside; it’s too windy out here to see clearly,” she said, looking up.

Auntie and the others finally snapped back to attention.

“No need, no need,” she said with a light laugh. “We’ve already seen the doctor and are taking medicine. Don’t trouble yourself further; please hurry home.”

Qi Yue made an 'oh' sound. Since the patient's family wasn't requesting her help, she couldn't insist on an examination.

“What did the doctor say?” she still couldn't help but ask.

“He diagnosed it as vomiting and flux, said to keep the baby’s belly warm, and gave us some herbal decoction,” Zhao Ge’s wife replied somewhat distractedly, then quickly glanced at her mother-in-law, only to see her mother-in-law shoot her a sharp glare.

“You’ve been taking the medicine for several days now, haven’t you? Has the vomiting and diarrhea occurred more than three times a day?” Qi Yue inquired, looking down again at the child in the bundle.

“We’ve taken the medicine; he’s almost better. It’s only about twice a day now, no vomiting, everything’s fine, fine. You all should go quickly,” Auntie interrupted Qi Yue, smiling.

As they spoke, the child stopped crying and closed its eyes, drifting off to sleep.

“He cried for half the day, now he’s asleep. Hurry and take the child inside,” Auntie instructed.

Zhao Ge’s wife dared not disobey and quickly assented before stepping inside.

“Let’s go,” Chang Yuncheng said.

Qi Yue gave another soft acknowledgement and glanced one last time at the woman carrying the child disappearing through the doorway.

She felt that the child’s symptoms were strangely familiar, as if she had encountered them somewhere before. But then again, she had treated so many illnesses; it was natural that many would look familiar.

“If taking the medicine for a few more days doesn’t help, suggest the doctor investigate other causes. I don't think it’s necessarily just diarrhea,” Qi Yue advised, withdrawing her gaze.

Auntie smiled, polite yet distant.

The carriage swayed as it moved away, and the people gathered at the Xie family gate dispersed.

“Husband.” Zhao Ge’s wife reappeared beside him, startling Zhao Ge.

“Why haven’t you gone back yet? Didn’t Mother say? Take Hao Ge’er inside to sleep properly,” Zhao Ge said, his face darkening, as he glanced ahead where his father and mother, surrounded by servants, were walking inside, chatting and laughing.

“I feel uneasy,” Zhao Ge’s wife confessed, looking down at the child in her arms. “He’s been taking medicine for days, and there’s no improvement…”

Hearing this, Zhao Ge frowned too, looking down at the child his wife held. This child’s arrival had been hard-won…

“Didn’t Little Doctor An say the child’s constitution is weak? Let him rest and recover some more,” he suggested.

“Since the Young Master said so, is the Young Madam truly a doctor?” Zhao Ge’s wife suddenly asked.

Zhao Ge’s expression became conflicted.

Logically, Chang Yuncheng was not the type to speak falsehoods, but still…

“Truly laughable,” Auntie remarked to those beside her as she walked away. “Children without mothers are precious, but children with mothers aren’t? Using our child to curry favor is simply bullying. And telling the Old Madam about a divine doctor? She spat right back at them, and now they come to me, thinking I won't dare spit back…”

On the carriage, Chang Yuncheng watched Qi Yue, who was knitting her brow.

“Don’t overthink it,” he began hesitantly, his tone a little stiff. “Auntie has never taken a liking to me, so naturally, she won’t like you either.”

Qi Yue laughed at his words, tinged with a bit of curiosity.

“She doesn’t like you? I thought you were the darling of your maternal grandparents’ family,” she teased.

Chang Yuncheng let out a dry scoff, leaning back against the carriage wall, but offered no words.

Though silent, Qi Yue could sense his low, melancholic mood. The song, A Child Without a Mother is Like a Blade of Grass, involuntarily drifted through her mind.

“That’s not what I was thinking about,” she said with a smile. “You know me, whether others like me or not—what does that have to do with me?”

Chang Yuncheng looked at her, his mouth forming a slight pout. Saying it so confidently, you know… How would I know? I couldn't care less if you know or not…

“I was thinking that the child truly doesn’t seem to have a simple case of diarrhea,” Qi Yue continued, her brow furrowing again, then she laughed at herself. “But I’m probably overthinking things. Your local doctors must be better than me…”

Chang Yuncheng looked at her.

“‘Your’ local doctors?” he suddenly queried.

Qi Yue shivered, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

“Yes, your Shan Ning Prefecture,” she replied smoothly, meeting Chang Yuncheng’s gaze directly without the slightest flicker of evasion.

Chang Yuncheng snorted and turned away, ignoring her.

“Oh, right,” Qi Yue said, remembering something else.

Chang Yuncheng turned his head to see the woman looking at him with bright eyes.

“Why are you in the carriage again? Didn’t you say you couldn’t stand to see me?” Qi Yue quipped. They had argued over that accidental encounter the other night, hadn’t they? When did this young man climb back into the carriage?

“It’s my carriage,” Chang Yuncheng stated blandly, tapping the carriage wall.

“Then I’ll go ride a horse,” Qi Yue chuckled, indeed rising and starting to move towards the exit.

This woman always dared to say and dare to do…

“What nonsense!” Chang Yuncheng exclaimed, unable to stop himself from rising as well, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

One was just posturing, the other took it seriously; with one sharp tug, she stumbled forward, leaning against him.

“I was just joking, I’m not that foolish,” Qi Yue quickly laughed, busy pulling away to sit apart. Since that night, any intimate contact with Chang Yuncheng made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

But Chang Yuncheng didn't let go; instead, he tightened his grip, pulling Qi Yue firmly against him.

“Hey, propriety dictates restraint,” Qi Yue warned, trying again to pull away.

“Foolish woman,” Chang Yuncheng muttered thickly, securely encircling her. “What kind of impropriety is this?”

That was true enough. Qi Yueniang was his wife, and he was Qi Yueniang’s husband; embracing was perfectly normal.

Qi Yue forced a couple of dry laughs.

“If it is against my will, it is improper,” she stated, pushing Chang Yuncheng with her elbow. “Let go.”

Not only did Chang Yuncheng not release her, but he leaned closer again. Hot breath feathered against her neck, making Qi Yue shudder involuntarily. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or the carriage's jarring, but the man behind her seemed to tremble slightly, the large hand gripping her arm bulging with veins.

“Then… how can I make it what you wish…” a low voice whispered near her ear.

Dead!

Qi Yue instantly went rigid, her mind blank for a second!

A… a confession? At her age, a woman who had been in love before, if things reached this point and it still wasn't clear, she’d truly be playing dumb. But at this juncture, perhaps only playing dumb was her only path to survival…

Qi Yue managed a couple of strained laughs.

“Don’t play dumb,” Chang Yuncheng’s voice came from behind. Perhaps because he had finally said what he needed to say, he was no longer nervous, and his body relaxed.

The words Qi Yue intended to say about the weather got stuck in her throat.

“Um, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to discuss this now? The letter of separation has already been written…” she said, taking a deep breath.

“There is no letter of separation!” Chang Yuncheng answered, gripping her arm tighter again.

“I’m not blind,” Qi Yue laughed. “Your father wrote it down in black and white…”

“That was written by my father, it has nothing to do with me,” Chang Yuncheng retorted.

Qi Yue was choked speechless again.

“Then… then didn’t you also wish for it?” she questioned.

“No,” Chang Yuncheng replied, simple and direct. “Never.”

“Liar,” Qi Yue huffed, startled by his response, she turned her head to glare. “Are you trying to fool a child?”

In turning, their faces nearly touched. Looking at the beautiful face so close, her delicate brows slightly arched, her expression alive and vibrant, Chang Yuncheng could only yield to primal instinct. He clamped one hand around the nape of her neck and kissed her fiercely.

To silence that mouth that said too many nonsense words…

To stop her from saying those stinging words ever again…

Qi Yue’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to cry out, but this only allowed the man’s kiss to deepen. Lips and tongues tangled, sucking, biting—the man’s actions grew increasingly uncontrollably rough. Rapid breaths echoed in the carriage, adding to the stimulation. Perhaps due to oxygen deprivation, Qi Yue felt hazy, unaware of when she had been pressed beneath him, until a pair of hands seized the soft fullness of her chest. The slightly rough palms kneaded hard, the stimulus bringing a faint pain.

Qi Yue jolted awake, pushing with all her limbs against the man still writhing and biting above her.

“Chang Yuncheng!” she shrieked, the sound piercing through the carriage walls. It seemed even the horses were startled, as the carriage lurched violently a few times. Taking advantage of this, Qi Yue, kicking and hitting wildly, managed to shove Chang Yuncheng off.

“Are you insane!” he roared, his face flushed, breathing ragged, reaching out to clamp a hand over Qi Yue’s mouth before she could scream again.

Qi Yue shook her head, violently flinging his hand away.

“You’re the one who’s insane!” she yelled, equally agitated, her face scarlet. She frantically pulled at her nearly undone clothes, covering the partially exposed skin, and raised a furious foot to kick Chang Yuncheng. “Pervert, pervert, scoundrel, bastard…”

Chang Yuncheng endured her wild kicks, his face tight with frustration.

“What is it now!” he growled, grasping Qi Yue’s legs. “What are you doing! What do you want!”

“You… you… you’re shameless!” Qi Yue cried out, fiercely wrenching herself free from his hold.

Chang Yuncheng yanked her back towards him.

“How am I shameless?” he roared back fiercely. “It’s my right to sleep with my woman! How is that shameless? You wicked woman, what are you making a fuss about? I’m not a monk! Are you trying to suffocate me!”

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