A Hao beside her hurried to pat her back in comfort.

Madam Yang watched with a hint of concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Qi Yue waved her hand to reassure them, turning to Madam Yang. “Madam, what were you saying? Who are you introducing me to?”

“It’s an acquaintance,” Madam Yang smiled. “It’s the eldest grandson of Elder Wang Tongye, Wang Qian.”

Qi Yue’s expression shifted dramatically.

Madam Yang couldn't help it. Logically, one shouldn't discuss such matters directly with the person involved, but this Madame Qi was alone, and her closest contacts were the physicians at Qian Jin Tang.

Young women were extremely shy about discussing marriages; one couldn't expect them to handle it smoothly. It would take at least three or four attempts to make anything clear.

Qi Yue laughed.

“Well, thank you both, Madam and Master Wang, for your kindness,” she said with a smile. “But I really don't intend to marry right now.”

After all, she had only just secured the heli (divorce); she hadn't quite gotten over it yet.

Madam Yang nodded with understanding.

“It’s alright, no rush,” she said with a gentle smile, adding with a hint of earnest advice, “Madame Qi, I am a few years older than you, so forgive my presumption, but a woman must always look forward.”

Qi Yue responded with a knowing smile.

“Yes, everyone must look forward,” she said.

“Exactly, Madame Qi is a very perceptive person,” Madam Yang chuckled, pausing. “How old is Madame Qi this year?”

In all her years acting as a matchmaker, Madam Yang had never had to ask the principal party her age; previously, everything was always perfectly prepared beforehand.

However, with Madame Qi, there was simply nowhere to gather any background information.

“Twenty-eight,” Qi Yue answered casually.

Twenty-eight?!

Madam Yang stared at her, eyes wide.

“Ha, ha,” Qi Yue realized her mistake and let out two dry laughs.

But how old was Qi Yueniang?

She couldn't help but turn to look at A Hao.

It was such a pity A Ru wasn't present; she and Hu San had gone out to order a batch of medical equipment.

“My mistress will turn twenty this May,” A Hao stated.

Qi Yue let out a breath of relief, regarding Madam Yang with an air of deep mystery, as if questioning why she would ask her age, showing no sign that she herself didn't know her own.

“Young Master Wang is seven years older than Madam. His first wife passed away from illness, and Young Master Wang voluntarily observed the mourning period for three years; he is quite devoted,” Madam Yang said with a smile.

Seeing the conversation moving towards the introduction, Qi Yue quickly interrupted her.

“Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but this isn't about a few years older or younger,” she smiled. “I truly do not wish to marry, and I am not just being polite with you. Just like when I spoke of the heli, I do not utter falsehoods in such matters.”

Hearing Madam Yang say this, Wang Tongye leaned back in his chair.

“See? I told you it wouldn't work, but you insisted on going,” Old Madam Wang grumbled. “Do you think women are as heartless as you men, ready to become a groom right after losing a wife…”

Wang Tongye snorted.

“That’s completely out of line,” he retorted, glaring.

Madam Yang was amused by their exchange.

“The old lady has a point. I truly sense Madame Qi does not wish to marry, at least not right now,” she said, smiling. “But rest assured, I will keep this in mind. I’ll check in every so often. If it’s not settled in six months, then a year, and if not a year…”

She stopped abruptly, feeling a bit awkward. To continue would imply expecting Young Master Wang to wait for Madame Qi. How ridiculous! Madame Qi was hardly some heavenly fairy or noble lady; she wasn't the prize catch. Young Master Wang was the sought-after one; for years, countless people had begged her to make introductions for him, but they were all unmarried daughters from respectable families, well-read and born of the main wife. Very few were even daughters of concubines. How could a woman whose origins were among beggars and who had been divorced by a Marquisate household expect him to wait?

“If it’s not settled in a year, then wait two or three,” Wang Tongye decided firmly.

Madam Yang was stunned.

What? Are they really intent on pinning all their hopes on this one possibility?

Madam Yang was even more astonished.

“Then we must trouble Madam with this matter,” Old Madam Wang said.

Madam Yang snapped back to attention and quickly replied that she dared not presume.

Old Madam Wang had her daughter-in-law personally escort Madam Yang out. The two walked and talked along the way.

“What do you think of this marriage match?” Madam Yang couldn't help but ask.

Frankly, this match was quite poor. A person like Wang Qian... it was truly like fine jade being defiled by a pig...

Wang Qian's mother, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang family, Madam Ning, aged forty-five, was as tranquil and placid as her surname suggested.

“Father and Mother’s choice must be excellent,” she replied with a gentle smile.

She likely dares not defy her in-laws, Madam Yang thought, not believing such empty platitudes exchanged between women.

As they walked and talked, Madam Yang suddenly tripped over something and cried out, nearly falling, but Ning Shi quickly grabbed her arm.

“What was that?” Madam Yang exclaimed, looking down.

A thin red string zipped away and was yanked behind a large potted tree. A person behind the tree immediately took off running.

They fled so fast, disappearing around a corner in just a few strides. Madam Yang only managed to glimpse the back of a girl aged about seven or eight.

“Qiaojie!” Ning Shi frowned and called out. “Where is the servant assigned to follow Qiaojie?”

Her maid quickly went to look.

“I am terribly sorry,” Ning Shi immediately apologized to Madam Yang. “This child... this child is truly unruly…”

Qiaojie was Wang Qian’s daughter. Since her mother passed away, she had been raised by Ning Shi. Ning Shi was so mild-mannered, yet her granddaughter was her complete opposite.

“It’s nothing, nothing, a bit of youthful energy is good for a child...” Madam Yang quickly laughed it off.

“It’s not so good when a girl is too willful,” Ning Shi sighed. “I don't know who she takes after with this temperament.”

“It certainly isn't you,” Madam Yang said, taking her hand and smiling.

Ning Shi smiled, held her hand, and personally escorted her to the carriage, also ordering heavy thank-you gifts to be prepared.

Meanwhile, regarding the matter Madam Yang raised, Qi Yue felt that Wang Tongye intended to help her. For an elder like Wang Tongye, helping meant giving her a home. The bond forged through their past conflict must have been truly deep.

Qi Yue smiled, unsure how to categorize her feelings, and dismissed the thought. After seeing Madam Yang off, she returned to her usual business.

That day, because there had been a patient with a broken leg the day before, Qi Yue rushed out before dawn to relieve Liu Pucheng on duty.

Few pedestrians were on the street; occasionally, someone pushing a cart would move along the empty road, leaving behind a faint creaking sound.

Qi Yue walked at a steady pace with A Ru.

“It feels like walking through an ancient town in Jiangnan,” she said to A Ru, then laughed at herself.

Of course, it was an ancient town—a genuine one at that!

“Huh?” Qi Yue stopped and looked towards a small roadside tea stall by the river.

The small, simple stall had a thin, elderly woman busy working. The steam rising from the stove mingled with the lingering morning mist.

There was only one customer in the stall, sitting with his back to the road, facing the river, eating something.

Granny Wang noticed someone approaching and looked up. Seeing a pretty young woman, she grew a little nervous. Her stall was currently occupied by someone everyone avoided. Of course, she didn't mind losing the young woman’s business; she was more worried that the poor child inside would feel an added layer of guilt, perhaps never returning to eat there again.

Before she could say anything, the young woman made a shushing gesture to her, offering a slight smile.

This smile made Granny Wang’s world instantly brighter, as if the morning mist had instantly dissipated.

Before she could recover, the young woman stepped past her and walked toward the figure in the stall, then called out softly to the person eating—Coffin Boy.

Granny Wang and Coffin Boy were both startled.

“Little Coffin, long time no see,” Qi Yue said with a smile, sitting down beside him.

Coffin Boy was startled and stood up abruptly.

“Y-you, why are you here?” he asked.

“Morning exercise, and catching an early shift,” Qi Yue smiled, looking at the plate and bowl in front of Coffin Boy. “What are you eating? Do they have any breakfast here? A Ru and I haven't eaten either.”

Coffin Boy’s expression was complicated.

A Ru, having heard this, went to ask Granny Wang and ordered two bowls of tea soup and two vegetable cakes.

“You, don’t eat here,” Coffin Boy said in a low voice.

“What’s wrong?” Qi Yue looked at him, perplexed.

Because I’m bad luck, stay away from me...

Coffin Boy said nothing.

“Oh, right, the money for the surgery assistant last time, did Hu San give it to you?” Qi Yue asked, watching Granny Wang carefully bring over the tea soup. She happily picked up chopsticks from the holder on the table. “It smells delicious.”

Granny Wang looked at her.

“It’s good that the young lady doesn't mind,” she said, unable to help but glance at Coffin Boy. “This is the first time I’ve seen Little Coffin run into an acquaintance…”

Acquaintances. Everyone in Yongqing Prefecture was her acquaintance, but no one would ever run into him...

Except for this woman...

Coffin Boy couldn't quite place the feeling in his heart.

“Little Coffin, you have to treat her,” Granny Wang added, then quickly moved away.

Qi Yue smiled.

“Right, you have to treat,” she said, picking up a vegetable cake and starting to eat.

A Ru sat down and began eating as well.

Coffin Boy remained standing. Qi Yue didn't say anything, pretending not to notice he was standing. After a moment, he sat down too.

“Hu San gave me the money,” he said.

Qi Yue hummed in acknowledgement.

“That’s good. That brat is careless; I was afraid he’d forget,” she remarked.

Coffin Boy lowered his head to eat.

In the small tea stall, aside from the sounds from the stove, there was no other noise.

Soon, the three finished eating, and Coffin Boy did indeed pay the bill.

“Next time, I’ll treat you,” Qi Yue said cheerfully.

Coffin Boy didn't reply, bowed in farewell, and turned to leave.

“Hey, Yuan Ziqing!” Qi Yue suddenly called out.

Yuan Ziqing was Coffin Boy’s real name, though few used it, so much so that Coffin Boy himself sometimes forgot it.

His steps halted momentarily.

“You’re really timid,” Qi Yue shook her head. “That scared you off? You don’t even dare step into Qian Jin Tang anymore?”

Coffin Boy turned around.

“I wasn't scared away by that. I’m a...” he glared, saying.

“Bad luck person, right?” Qi Yue raised an eyebrow, shaking her head with her arms crossed. “Really. You’re not even as brave as Yan’er.”

Following Qi Yue’s promotion for free cleft lip and palate surgery, Yan’er became widely recognized as the advertising model.

At first, Qi Yue worried the Liu family wouldn't agree, as even now, children with cleft palates were often kept hidden from public view. But unexpectedly, not long after returning to the Liu residence, Yan’er happily came back. She was reportedly quite proactive there, even encouraging people to look at her mouth. With Old Madam Liu acting as her protector, not a single member of the Liu household dared utter a negative word. In fact, for any slight expression toward Yan’er, Old Madam Liu would scold the entire household, perhaps unleashing decades of pent-up frustration. This was especially true after Old Madam Liu finally returned to her maiden home and wept almost to the point of death at the graves of her long-deceased parents.

“You say you’re brave, but in reality, dead people bring no harm. They can’t speak, they can’t do anything. There’s nothing to fear. Not fearing them isn’t true bravery,” Qi Yue continued. “Not fearing the living, not fearing the worldly conventions—that is real courage.”

Coffin Boy started to walk again.

Granny Wang, gripping her spoon with extreme tension, couldn't help but stomp her foot.

Coffin Boy stopped once more.

“Remember to treat next time,” he called back. “For a woman, you eat so much; you ate more than me. I lost out.”

With that, he waved his hand and strode away.

Qi Yue pursed her lips into a smile.

“Stingy fellow,” she scoffed, gesturing to A Ru with her chin. “Let’s go, time for work.”

A Ru laughed and followed her.

The morning mist dissipated, and the streets filled with people. The air was thick with the calls of various breakfast vendors, but Granny Wang’s stall remained empty. She stood by the stove, wiping her eyes with her apron.

“Granny Wang, what’s wrong? Did someone hit you, scold you, or rob you?” a familiar neighbor asked. “Why are you crying so hard so early in the morning?”

“Go away, you don't understand. I just feel like crying,” Granny Wang said, waving the person off, then began to weep again, covering her face with her apron.

Yuan Zi’s mother, did you see? Are you at peace now?

“Thank you, Guanyin Bodhisattva,” Granny Wang slowly brought her hands together in prayer before her face, bowing devoutly, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Forgive this old woman for the sin of greed and causing a death back then.”