Green Mountain
Chapter 111 - 85. Healing Solitude

Chapter 111: 85. Healing Solitude

In the small courtyard of Taiping Medical Hall, a group of people crowded around a tiny Eight Immortals table, packed tightly together. With just a slight lift of his arm, Liang Mao’er nearly pushed Liu Quxing to the ground.

The table was piled high with steaming baskets, each full of buns. As the lids were lifted, hands reached from the left and right, and in the blink of an eye, a whole basket of buns vanished as if snatched in haste.

Just as Old Yao reached out to grab a bun, Liang Mao’er’s hand flashed by, and the buns in the basket had already disappeared.

As he was about to grab another bun, it had already ended up in the Princely Heir’s hands.

Old Yao, holding a bowl of millet porridge with a subdued expression, sipped it slowly. He had been accustomed to the quiet and cold days of the past, and now, the bustling scene of the Taiping Medical Hall was something he was still getting used to...

The chatter during the meal was too noisy.

"Master, why aren’t you eating?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

Old Yao said indifferently, "I’m calculating fortunes for you all."

"Ah? You don’t know their birth dates, how can you calculate?"

Old Yao scoffed, "I don’t need to see birth dates to know you all exhaust me. Hurry up and eat, then scram."

At that moment, the street outside became lively. Countless townsfolk gathered along Anxi Street, some holding fruits, others carrying baskets of eggs.

The air on Anxi Street seemed to boil over with excitement. The last time it had been this lively was when the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess had just returned.

Suddenly, the parade of black standard bearers, significant and imposing, passed in front of the gate. The townsfolk, carrying various items, followed alongside, insisting on stuffing them into the hands of the soldiers next to the parade.

According to the laws of the Ning Dynasty, the Emperor of Daning could use ochre-colored standards, while the Vassal Princes used black standards.

It was Prince Jing returning.

"This is bad, this is bad," the Princely Heir suddenly stood up, stuffing half a bun into his mouth in a panic and mumbled, "Didn’t General Wang say that my grandfather just arrived in Gongyi County last night? How did he rush back overnight?! Bai Li, hurry back to the mansion, if he catches you, your monthly salary might be cut!"

Bai Li also panicked, lifting her skirt and clattering up the ladder to vanish over the other side of the courtyard wall.

The usually carefree Princely Heir now seemed like a mouse that had seen a cat.

Chen Ji and the others walked to the gate and watched from afar as the impressive procession entered Prince Jing Mansion. Curious, Chen Ji looked at Old Yao, "Master, why do the people love Prince Jing so much? They’re all competing to give him gifts."

Old Yao pursed his lips, "Over the years, many people in Henan Province have survived thanks to him; naturally, they respect him."

At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared at the gate, "Doctor Yao! Doctor Yao! My father has had a fall, and I can’t wake him no matter how I call. Please come and have a look."

"Did you bring the consultation fee?"

"Yes, yes!"

Old Yao gestured to She Dengke, "Bring my acupuncture box over, and hurry up, his father won’t last long."

After Old Yao and the middle-aged man boarded the carriage, Liang Mao’er got up to clear up the dishes.

...

...

As Old Yao left, Chen Ji was about to head back to clear up the dishes when a gentle voice called out at the entrance of the Medical Hall.

"Chen Ji?"

Chen Ji’s body tensed up at the Medical Hall, remembering how Manager Yuan had similarly approached last time in the middle of the night. Was it the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department again? But Gui had said those who knew his identity had all been dealt with.

He slowly turned around, but instead of Manager Yuan’s imposing figure, he saw a middle-aged man in a worn dark blue robe. The collar was newly sewn, and the elbows of the sleeves were patched, his hair adorned with a simple wooden hairpin, looking tired.

Who was this?

He had never seen him before.

The middle-aged man examined Chen Ji and after a moment asked, "So, you don’t remember me?"

Chen Ji hesitated.

The middle-aged man smiled, "It seems you don’t recognize me. Back in the Imperial Capital when you were a child, I used to carry you. Your eyebrows haven’t changed much; you look a lot like your mother."

A shock ran through Chen Ji’s heart... Uncle?

Could it be his own uncle, a high official of the Jing Dynasty, hiding in the Ning Dynasty to escape political enemies? From his appearance, full of trials, with mud on his pants and boots as if he’d been traveling in stormy weather, it did seem so.

But what about the patches on his clothes? His uncle surely couldn’t have fallen on such hard times.

The most crucial point was, Chen Ji had just freed himself from being a Jing Dynasty spy and had been planning to live a quiet life. Why did his uncle choose this moment to show up?

He hadn’t taken him back to the Jing Dynasty during his prosperous times, so what was he doing here now? Surely, he wasn’t planning to regain power in the Ning Dynasty? That would mean Chen Ji might again be forced to risk his life in servitude.

After a moment of thought, Chen Ji said gruffly, "What brings you here?"

The middle-aged man faltered, then, undisturbed, teased, "Don’t you have a single respectful word for your elder? Where’s your master?"

Hearing the word ’elder,’ Chen Ji’s tone grew even more rigid, "Master is out. If you have business, you can tell me."

The middle-aged man lifted his robe and stepped over the threshold, "Then I’ll wait here for your master to return. Can you play Go? Let’s have a game to pass the time. Your mother was good at it; you must be pretty good too."

Chen Ji said, "The Medical Hall doesn’t have Go sets."

The middle-aged man chuckled, "How can it not? It’s right in the second drawer of the main house’s cabinet. Go get it, I’ll wait for you."

Chen Ji narrowed his eyes slightly, perceiving the remark almost as a threat, similar to when Yun Yang first laid a silver ingot beside his pillow.