The sound of firecrackers in Huangtian County rattled from east to west, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

A troop of constables cleared the way, bearing placards proclaiming congratulations.

“What’s happening?”

The neighbors all inquired.

“…The son of Widow Wang from the east side of the town has finally passed the Xiu Cai examination…”

This news spread quickly, and immediately, the street erupted in shouts of congratulation.

“The Wang family has finally seen the light of day…”

The firecrackers popped incessantly. Children chased after the congratulatory procession, running back and forth. When they reached a certain gate, it suddenly burst open, and a swarm of servants rushed out, brandishing brooms without preamble, immediately kicking up clouds of dust in front of the entrance.

It was only because the constables were quick on their feet that they managed to dodge in time, though even so, they were choked into coughing fits, and the gathered crowd scrambled to avoid the deluge.

That wasn't all; before the dust had even settled, buckets of water began to splash down.

This was clearly deliberate!

One constable, bristling with anger, prepared to shout them down, but upon seeing the residence before him, he hastily swallowed the words forming on his lips.

This was the estate of the former County Registrar, Old Master Liu.

“Go around, go around,” the lead constable quickly whispered, urging them on.

Ordinarily, turning back during a celebratory parade was considered unlucky, but at this moment, propriety was forgotten. No one objected; they swiftly turned and retreated.

This avoidance wasn't out of deference to the Liu family’s official status, but rather out of fear of Old Master Liu’s infamous tongue.

Old Master Liu’s venomous mouth was notorious throughout the entire prefectural city.

“How did Widow Wang’s family manage to offend the Lius?” people whispered to one another, though no one knew the reason.

Whether the day remained auspicious or not was the Wang family’s concern; provoking Old Master Liu was their own problem.

The crowd dispersed in a rush, and they dared not light another firecracker until they had turned the corner.

Quiet returned to the area before the gate, the dust finally settling.

From within the main door, an old woman leaning on a cane gave a snort before turning away.

“Close the gates!” she commanded.

The Liu family gate swung shut. If not for the stream of water still flowing in front of the threshold, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened.

Old Madam Liu stepped into the inner courtyard, her imposing demeanor instantly vanishing, replaced by a sigh.

Footsteps sounded from the front hall. Old Madam Liu immediately roused herself, turning with a smile as she looked towards the sound.

A girl of about twelve or thirteen emerged, dressed in pale yellow robes, her hair pulled into maid-like buns. Though still young, her figure was already graceful—a pity that her face was obscured by that white cloth…

“Grandmother,” Liu Yan ran over, taking Old Madam Liu’s hand, affection overflowing between them.

“Going out?” Old Madam Liu asked, smiling as she placed a hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Liu Yan replied cheerfully.

“If you aren’t too busy, perhaps you could copy some sutras for me,” Old Madam Liu suggested.

Liu Yan smiled, her large eyes curving sweetly.

“Grandmother, I’m fine,” she said. “I never liked that family anyway. I only kept quiet because I didn’t want you to worry. Now that they’ve stopped making trouble, it’s perfect.”

Old Madam Liu tutted twice.

“I never said anything, never said anything. What ‘stopping trouble’ are you talking about? Don’t listen to gossip. Your grandmother absolutely did not arrange a match between you and Widow Wang’s son!” she insisted, her expression hardening.

Liu Yan nodded.

“Then I’ll be off. A few gravely ill patients arrived at the Hall of a Thousand Treasures the day before yesterday, and Doctor Liu is away. Sister A’ru is already pregnant, so I’m going to help out,” she explained.

Old Madam Liu nodded.

“Good, good, then go on,” she said, instructing the maids to attend to her carefully. A moment later, a retinue surrounded Liu Yan, and they swept out.

Turning back, Old Madam Liu found Old Master Liu standing in the room.

“Talking a good game, saying you could cure her, but look at her now—still not fixed…” Old Master Liu grumbled.

Before he could finish, Old Madam Liu hurled the cane she held across the room.

“Don’t use that foul mouth on your own kin! Go and demand justice for my Yan’er! Let that ungrateful Widow Wang’s family, who climbed the social ladder the moment they got ahead, be ruined and disgraced!” she shrieked.

The angry and heartbroken Yan’er, now departing in the carriage, could neither see nor hear, but Old Madam Liu could sense it.

Alone in the luxuriously appointed carriage, everything she needed was within easy reach.

Yan’er pulled open a small drawer and took out a compact mirror. She removed the cloth covering her face and looked at her reflection.

Tears began to fall, one by one, onto the mirror surface, quickly turning the reflection of her strange-looking mouth and nose into a hazy mist.

“Liar… liar… They said they could cure me, but why did they leave if I’m still not healed…” she murmured softly, not allowing herself to cry out loud, simply weeping silently.

The carriage swayed gently towards the prefectural city, stopping outside the Hall of a Thousand Treasures just after noon.

Seeing the familiar carriage, several disciples from the Hall greeted them enthusiastically.

“Big Sister Liu has arrived.”

Liu Yan, supported by a maid, alighted from the carriage. The exposed parts around her eyes showed no trace of recent tears. She smiled and greeted everyone, then moved smoothly toward the changing room, quickly emerging in a nurse’s uniform.

“Big Sister, you’ve come at the perfect time! We have a woman admitted who needs an injection,” a disciple called out happily upon seeing her.

Liu Yan nodded, took the tray he held, verified the medications for the ward, and headed toward the inpatient section on the left.

“Big Sister, thank you so much. Though the sick don’t refuse medicine, I’m truly terrified of having these men give me a shot… but I have no choice, you all have the best healing methods here…” a woman in her thirties droned on in the female ward.

Liu Yan listened with a faint smile.

“…This place is wonderful, the food is good, the lodging is excellent—it’s almost like an inn…”

“It would be even better if you hired some women here.”

The patient added.

“We are preparing to hire, but there are relatively few women who study medicine…” Liu Yan replied.

“Oh, it would be wonderful to study medicine here, I’d jump at the chance! I heard you have a female doctor here that the Wang Residence begged to take in—that’s incredible fortune! The wealthy families don’t lack food, but the poor do. Big Sister, my maid is ten; can she come here?”

The woman grew increasingly animated, seeming ready to grab Liu Yan’s hand.

“You’d have to ask Head Steward Hu about that,” Liu Yan smiled. “I don’t know the details.”

“Head Steward Hu? Heavens, Head Steward Hu is hard to see. Even the County Magistrate has to wait in line to see him,” the patient muttered.

A crisp female voice drifted from the courtyard.

“Liu Yan, Liu Yan.”

Hearing this voice, Liu Yan frowned.

She walked out and indeed saw a girl of about her age standing beneath the opposite covered walkway, dressed in a fine silk skirt and jacket, possessing willow brows, phoenix eyes, and delicately painted lips—an air of noble refinement.

“Liu Yan,” she called out with a slight smile.

The voice was sharp and loud, carrying a hint of boldness. If one hadn't seen her face, no one would guess such sounds came from such a delicate girl.

Liu Yan ignored her and turned toward the dispensary.

Wang Qiao’er leisurely followed behind.

“Why are you here?” she said, smiling brightly. “What a coincidence; the moment I arrive at the Hall of a Thousand Treasures, I run into you.”

Liu Yan pretended not to hear.

“Hey, I heard you had an engagement broken off? Is it true?” Wang Qiao’er teased. “But don’t be sad, you should have some self-awareness with how ugly you are…”

Liu Yan raised her hand and threw the medical tray toward Wang Qiao’er.

Wang Qiao’er was prepared and leaped aside.

“Why are you hitting people again!”

“You were asking for a beating!”

“What are you doing, what are you doing?”

“You! Control your young mistress!”

“You control yours first!”

The sounds of women arguing erupted from the back courtyard of the Hall of a Thousand Treasures. The disciples in the front hall remained composed, continuing their tasks without pause. Even the patrons waiting for medicine or consultations showed no reaction.

After seven years, the most startling events eventually become commonplace.

Not just within the Hall, but throughout Yongqing Prefecture, everyone was used to it. Whether it was new jewelry, a new play at the opera house, or even reserving prime spots for spring or autumn outings—wherever these two were present, a confrontation was inevitable. The usual routine involved the two young ladies arguing first, followed by their maids and servants joining the fray. No one needed to intervene; when they tired themselves out, they would simply clap their hands and disperse.

A few days later, a loud burst of laughter suddenly echoed in the room of Old Madam Liu, who had been gloomy for days, startling the maids and servants outside.

“It truly is retribution! Who would want someone from such an ungrateful family? No one wants him, even if they offered him as a son-in-law for marriage!” Old Madam Liu roared with laughter, feeling as if the gloom of the last half-month had completely lifted.

“That’s not retribution, it’s clearly man-made disaster,” Old Master Liu grumbled. “Everyone knows that the Guo family, who were preparing the match, had dinner with the Wang family’s eldest master, and came back to cancel the engagement. Why now, and not later or earlier… For a dignified official like the Wang family’s eldest to sabotage someone’s marriage, it’s truly uncivilized…”

Before he finished speaking, Old Madam Liu smashed the teacup in front of her across the room.

“Civilized, my foot! Everyone else is fighting for Yan’er’s honor, and you, her own grandfather, are you even her biological kin?” she shouted.

The old woman was so furious she was speaking nonsense…

The maid attending Liu Yan couldn't help but laugh, quickly covering her mouth.

Liu Yan, however, did not laugh; she stood stunned.

The Wang family…

This time, as Wang Qiao’er stepped into the Hall of a Thousand Treasures and called out, she saw Liu Yan standing nearby, waiting.

“You’re here again?” she said, lifting her delicate chin slightly.

“There’s no need for you to vent my anger,” Liu Yan stated, her expression somewhat subdued.

“Who’s venting your anger? I’m just enjoying the show,” Wang Qiao’er replied, sitting down nearby.

Liu Yan lowered her head and said nothing.

“Them breaking the engagement isn’t entirely wrong. Really, a virtuous maiden attracts a gentleman—I was so ugly, relying on my family’s wealth to arrange a match was inherently unfair. People strive for a better position; they passed the official exams and now want something better, which is not wrong either,” she mused, smiling at her own hands. “In the end, it seems our two families were the ones bullying others.”

“If she were here, the Widow Wang family’s house would have been torn down by now…” Wang Qiao suddenly remarked, sitting in the small, herb-scented resting room and looking through the small door into the main hall. Disciples bustled within, orderly and busy, but the figure of that woman was nowhere to be seen.

Liu Yan kept her head down; a tear splashed onto the back of her hand. She quickly raised her hand to wipe it away.

Silence filled the room, then there was some commotion outside.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Qiao’er looked up, seeing the disciples rush toward the entrance as if welcoming someone important.

“Is that Hu San returning? Why such a fuss…” she scoffed.

Before she could finish speaking, Liu Yan was already standing and running outside.

“Master Liu!” she called out loudly, her eyes shining with pure joy.

Liu Pucheng, covered in road dust, looked over with a smile as he stood at the gate.

“Master Liu, why were you gone so long this time? Did you find anything good?” Liu Yan said happily.

Liu Pucheng unloaded his medicine chest, basket, sacks, and other items one by one, handing them to the disciples, all the while smiling at Liu Yan.

“Big Sister, I found something good this time,” he said. “I can perform the second stage of your reconstructive surgery now.”

Liu Yan froze for a moment.

What?

“Big Sister, Madam Qi once said that yours would require several repair stages to complete,” Liu Pucheng repeated, looking at her with a smile. “I can perform the second repair now, but I don't know what the result will be. Big Sister, do you dare let me try?”

Liu Yan looked at Liu Pucheng, feeling her nose prickle, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“Master Liu, you… you’ve been doing this for me all along…” she said, her voice trembling, finally choking up until she couldn't speak.

She looked towards Liu Yan.

“However, Big Sister, are you afraid of the pain?” he asked.

Tears blurred Liu Yan’s vision.

“Is Yan’er afraid of pain?” that woman bent down and smiled at her. “Because Auntie needs to use a knife to cut your mouth open and then stitch it back up.”

“Good child, Auntie will definitely cure you. Our Yan’er will definitely become beautiful, so beautiful that others will be consumed by jealousy when they look at you.”

Liu Yan raised her hand to wipe her tears and nodded firmly at Liu Pucheng.

“Yan’er is not afraid,” she said, looking at Liu Pucheng. “Thank you, Master Liu.”

She lowered her head and bowed.

Thank you.

Thank you, Auntie…

Yan’er is not afraid, Yan’er will definitely become beautiful.

Rest assured.

I have nothing to repay you with but more writing.

Last hour now, please vote!!! RS