Extra: Everyday Life

At the end of July in the second year of Xiyou, a drizzle suddenly came.

"Miss Ni, isn't your clinic busy? Why did you come up the mountain to pick up cicada shells by yourself?"

The herbal farmer, who didn't bring an umbrella and was too lazy to hide from the rain, met a young woman on the mountain path. When she saw her appearance, the gray-haired old woman smiled with her eyes curved.

"I have the help of medical workers, so I took a day off and came to the mountain to pick up some cicada shells for fun." Ni Su was carrying a medicine basket, and there were not many cicada shells in it.

"The rain is not heavy, just like thin threads. It is not a problem." This was not the first time the herbalist had seen her. In the past, Ni Su often followed them to identify herbs in this area. She was considered a child who grew up in the care of these villagers. Naturally, he treated her very warmly at this moment. He walked with her and shared the dry food he brought with her.

Ni Su couldn't refuse, so he asked for half a piece of cake and ate it with pickles under the shade of a tree with the old herbal farmer.

"When your father was alive, he often came to our village for free medical consultations. He was a living bodhisattva. We herbal farmers were willing to hand over all the herbs to your herbal medicine shop. But your second uncle is a piece of shit. It would have been fine if he didn't provide free medical consultations, but he charged a high fee for the consultations and kept the price of the medicine in the herbal medicine shop low. If you hadn't come back, he would have ruined your family's reputation..." The old woman kept nagging, and when she got excited, she even spat, "Now he's in jail. It's really his retribution!"

When Ni Su returned to Que County a year ago, the plaque with the words "Skillful Hands and Kind Heart" bestowed by the saint himself arrived a few days later. Ni Su brought up the old matter again and went to court with his second uncle Ni Zong. In the end, the county magistrate sentenced Ni Zong to three years in prison on the grounds that Ni Zong had bribed bandits to attempt to harm his own niece.

"Please rest assured that our family's medicine shop will keep the same prices as when my father was here. We will buy your medicinal materials and will never lower the price."

Ni Su said with a smile.

The old woman held her hand and said, "Who doesn't know how good Miss Ni is now? I know a few people in our village who got sick after giving birth but are too embarrassed to tell others about it. I wonder if you..."

Ni Su used her sleeves to shield her from the rain. When she heard this, she said seriously, "Just ask them. If they have trouble with money, don't worry. Most people in your village collect herbs. The herbs they collect can be used to pay for the consultation. Please persuade them to come for treatment. Don't bear it. The disease will only get worse and worse, and it won't get better."

The old woman smiled and said, "I understand. I will tell them when I get back."

Ni Su was afraid that if it rained again, the old woman would slip if she wasn't careful, so she joined her. The two of them picked up cicada shells in the woods for a while. Their backpacks were not full, but they didn't plan to stay in the mountain.

Ni Su helped the old woman walk down the mountain path. She used her sleeves to shield the old woman from the rain, which made the old woman feel a little embarrassed. "Miss Ni, I am from the mountains and I am used to the rough weather. You don't have to take care of me like this."

"I'm still young. Even if you're from the mountains, you still have to take care of yourself and don't get sick."

Ni Su said.

The drizzle continued, occasionally making crisp sounds when it fell on the bushes beside the road. The sky was blue-gray and the fog stretched in the distance, like a landscape in ink painting.

She paused for a moment while walking.

"Miss Ni, what's wrong?"

The old woman turned and asked her.

"nothing."

Ni Su shook her head, "Let's go."

The old woman did not suspect anything. She walked forward with one hand on her bamboo stick and the other holding Ni Su's arm. She did not notice a tall figure as faint as mist beside Ni Su.

He was wearing a light blue round-necked robe, his hair was neatly combed into a bun, and he had a white jade bamboo hairpin. His face was pale and his eyebrows were cold.

His bony hands grasped his sleeves, silently blocking Ni Su's head.

Ni Su quietly turned her head and looked into his eyes, but said nothing, just raised the corners of her lips.

After going down the mountain, Ni Su parted ways with the old woman and took out Shuang Ge, who was temporarily placed in a farmer's house. Ni Su took the hand of the person next to him and said, "I wanted to play with you in the mountains today, but it's raining so I can't."

"It will be the same next time."

On the deserted and wide mountain road, Xu Hexue helped Ni Su onto the horse's back, stepped on the stirrup, climbed on, and grabbed the reins.

"Don't cover it, it's just a little rain, I won't get sick."

Seeing him untying the bamboo hat beside the saddle, Ni Su grabbed his wrist and said, "Let's go home like this."

Xu Hexue had no choice but to withdraw his hand and squeeze the horse's belly. Shuang Ge immediately moved forward with a brisk pace.

"It looks like Shuang Ge is going to take a bath."

Ni Su touched the mud-stained mane of Shuang Ge. She raised her head and saw a bush of reeds not far away, and at the end of the bush was a lake.

The drizzle fell lightly and swirled on the surface of the lake.

"Xu Ziling, why don't we wash it there?" Ni Su said on impulse, pointing to the lake.

Xu Hexue said "hmm" and pulled the reins to make Shuang Ge run. Raindrops blew diagonally across his face in such a cool wind. Ni Su raised her head and saw his jaw.

When Shuang Ge's horse hooves stopped beating, Xu Hexue said, "Ah Xi..."

Suddenly, she kissed his chin. Xu Hexue's eyelashes moved slightly, and his voice stopped for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at her moist, white smiling face.

Xu Hexue couldn't help but bend his eyes slightly as she smiled.

He really enjoyed her closeness.

"Come down."

He kissed her damp hair, dismounted, and stretched out his arms to her from below.

Ni Su threw herself into his arms and was held steadily by him. The two of them led Shuang Ge to the lakeside where the water was shallower. Shuang Ge's horse hooves stepped on the water, making a ringing sound.

Ni Su didn't care about his shoes and socks, he stepped into the water, scooped up water and splashed it on Shuang Ge, and then washed its silver-gray mane very carefully.

Shuang Ge was probably very happy, breathing heavily. Ni Su heard Xu Hexue say, "Ah Xi, stand back a little."

But it was too late. Frost Spear shook his wet mane, and drops of water hit her, splashing all over her face and body.

Ni Su wiped her face and raised her head. Xu Hexue stepped on the water and came to her. He wiped her face with his sleeve. "It's like Xuanxing. It likes to play tricks on people when taking a bath."

This was the first time that Ni Su gave Shuang Ge a bath, so she naturally didn't know all this.

Shuang Ge was shaking his wet ponytail behind Xu Hexue. His body was wet amid the rippling water, and he was looking at them with his head tilted.

Ni Su immediately scooped up some water and poured it at Shuang Ge.

Frost Ge shook his wet head and let out a happy cry.

Ni Su smiled, forgetting her own mess, and pulled Xu Hexue to help wash the mud off its body.

Shuang Ge's hair turned snow-white and clean, and his silver-gray mane shone with a soft luster under the sunlight. Xu Hexue and Ni Su's clothes were soaked. He held the horse with one hand and pulled Ni Su to the shore with the other.

The air was filled with rain and fog, and the reeds made a rustling sound.

Two people and a horse, watching the rain in the bushes.

"It's raining today, so I'm afraid the construction of the school will have to be stopped."

Ni Su said.

"Qingqiong is still watching over there. Let's go back and take advantage of the rain to invite the craftsmen to dinner at night." Xu Hexue turned his head to look at her.

Ni Su touched Shuang Ge's head and met his gaze when she heard the voice, "You did it?"

"Yes, I do."

He said.

"Okay, Qingqiong and I will help you."

Ni Su pulled his hand and shook him.

"Go back quickly. If you don't change your wet clothes, you will definitely get sick."

As he spoke, Xu Hexue helped her onto the horse's back, but he didn't expect her to look down on him. She suddenly held up his face with both hands and asked, "Are you the medical worker or am I the medical worker?"

The wind rustled the reeds, and Xu Hexue's eyes were clear: "You are."

He suddenly grasped her wrist, and the cold temperature enveloped her. Ni Su was only slightly distracted, and he had already grasped the reins behind her. He still did not let her go, "But you have never taken good care of yourself."

"Don't do anything when you get home. Just take a shower, change clothes, and then sleep for a while in your room."

He explained in a gentle voice.

"What about you? What do you do?"

Ni Su leaned in his arms.

"I haven't had time to organize your medical records from yesterday's free clinic. I thought of a formation diagram last night and I have to write it down when I go back." Xu Hexue's voice was cold.

It is not easy to practice medicine, and it is even more difficult for women to practice medicine. Ni Su has long been prepared to spend her life fulfilling this ambition and write a book on gynecology in her lifetime. As for the lonely soul accompanying her, since the matter of the 30,000 heroic souls has been resolved, even if he only uses force, Youdu will not allow him to kill people in the world of the living.

He could not return to the battlefield and could not recapture the thirteen states personally.

But after putting down the sword, he picked up the pen again.

She wrote medical books and he wrote military books. This was what they agreed upon for the rest of their lives.

She cures diseases and saves lives, he brings peace.

When she gained a wrinkle, he gained one too.

"In order to successfully take back the clinic from my second uncle, I swore in court to protect the Ni family business and never marry," Ni Su raised her face, "but I only said that I would not marry, but I did not say that I would not take a son-in-law. In another year, when the period of my chastity for Master Ni is over, I will invite you to my home in front of everyone."

"Xu Ziling, are you willing to marry into my family?"

"Yes, I do ."

"Cooking for me, writing medical records, and never finding me annoying for the rest of your life?"

"Won't."

"Is there enough rice paper? Should we buy some more when we go home?"

"I went out and bought it yesterday."

There is a rustling sound of rain and thick fog in the mountains.

Ni Su nestled in his arms and suddenly whispered, "That's great, Xu Ziling."

He didn't hear clearly, so he lowered his head and approached her, "What?"

"I said, you can go out by yourself, you can go anywhere you want, without any restrictions, and I am no longer a shackle that imprisons you."

Everyone in the world who has heard the words "There is snow on the green cliffs, but I carry it on my back" is his soul-caller.

He can feel at ease wherever there are people.