Chapter 51: Meeting the Young Master

At this moment, An Chunfeng was waiting outside the pharmacy, completely unaware that her illness had been diagnosed in such an absurd fashion by the three physicians, yet by pure coincidence, she was being prescribed the right remedies.

She lacked a sense of security. It was not that she was longing for a man, but rather that she was yearning for something illusory—the warmth of a family.

She had once craved the care and embraces of her parents, but the cold reality was like a razor-sharp blade. Every time she reminisced, it pierced her a thousand times over, leaving her battered and bleeding.

Over time, she had transformed into a strange person who both feared the darkness yet could not leave it, who dreaded loneliness yet was deeply mired in it—someone who slept with the lights on and lived alone in the bustling city.

As the sun gradually climbed higher, Little Lin finally emerged carrying a large bundle of medicinal herbs.

Since it was the work of a miraculous physician, the cost of the medicine was certainly not cheap. The consultation fee combined with the medicine came to one tael and eight qian of silver, and a follow-up visit would be required in ten days.

For an ordinary household, such medicine expenses would be unaffordable, but fortunately, An Chunfeng was no longer in the straightened circumstances of when she was first driven out of her home; she did not take the cost of the medicine to heart.

Amidst the crowds of patients anxiously waiting for the renowned Doctor Shen to see them, An Chunfeng returned to Pear Blossom Alley with her parcels of medicine, determined to conscientiously recuperate her body.

In the days that followed, An Chunfeng would still go to the Qiushui Cloth Shop in the mornings to "clock in," usually staying for about an hour.

During this time, once Little Lin finished cleaning the courtyard, he would set up the medicine stove to brew the decoction for An Chunfeng so that it would be ready for her to drink as soon as she returned.

And every day when An Chunfeng returned, she would conveniently bring back their lunch in a food box.

Little Lin felt quite puzzled about buying meals outside—wondering why they didn't just cook for themselves to save money—yet he did not dare to voice his thoughts.

He was not a cook, and if he were to cook, it would mean expecting Mistress An to cook for him, a mere servant, which he felt would give him indigestion.

What Little Lin also failed to understand was why Mistress An appeared to be a wealthy person, able to rent such an impractical and flashy house, yet still wore old clothes to this day?

Her food and lodging were of the finest quality, but she was entirely indifferent to using secondhand furniture. She did not behave like those rich people who insisted on everything being of the highest grade, nor did she harbor any thoughts of saving money to buy a house, purchase servants, or acquire carriages and sedan chairs.

This contradiction left him utterly baffled.

If An Chunfeng knew what was on his mind, she would surely have lectured him on the hedonistic philosophy of modern youth: eat the simplest meals, sleep the laziest sleep, wear the most comfortable clothes, and live the most effortless life!

In the afternoon, Little Lin would run errands outside to purchase daily necessities for the courtyard.

The small gatehouse by the courtyard entrance had already been tidied up, and a small cot was laid out inside for Little Lin to sleep on.

Mistress An had instructed him to order new cotton padding and straw mats from the cotton goods shop.

Aside from the main rooms, even the small bed in the gatehouse was furnished with brand-new mats and padding, which once again moved Little Lin deeply.

Back at the employment agency, he had shared crowded communal platform beds and had never once used new bedding.

Mistress An was generous with her money, but Little Lin was reluctant to spend it, wanting to save money for his employer.

These past few days, he had compared prices at three different shops, scouring the markets in the North and East Cities without minding the trouble, carefully picking out each and every item.

On his way back, he would drop by home to check on his younger siblings. While he was busy outside, An Chunfeng would just happen to be behind closed doors catching up on sleep.

Five days passed, and Little Lin finally bought the cotton quilt and straw mat. An Chunfeng also retrieved the custom-made quilt covers from the Qiushui Cloth Shop, meaning they would no longer need needle and thread to sew quilts together.

Little Lin also brought An Chunfeng some new news: he had caught sight of the young master of the Tang family!

Over the past few days, Little Lin had not gone to Shun'an Ward in person, but had left his younger brother to keep watch instead.

The Tang family had kept their doors tightly shut for several days with no news leaking out, but yesterday afternoon, a matchmaker had visited the house.

Qin Mu happened to appear right behind the matchmaker.

Little Lin reported: "The young master's clothes were clean and neat, and he had a smiling face on him. He was affectionately following right beside a concubine, stood by the doorway for a moment before entering the courtyard, and I didn't get a chance to speak with him."

"Oh! As long as he's living well, there's no need to keep watch every day from now on."

An Chunfeng had no idea that Little Lin had a helper, and assumed that Little Lin had simply happened to see him because he had gone to Shun'an Ward every afternoon.

It seemed that Tang Mu was indeed living well in the Tang family, and she could finally set her mind at ease.

Little Lin glanced cautiously at An Chunfeng's expression. Seeing that she showed neither joy nor sorrow, he tentatively asked, "Mistress An, that young master is your..."

An Chunfeng replied indifferently, "My son!"

"Ah!" Little Lin was stunned for a moment. He had thought the Tang family only had some distant relation to Mistress An, but he never expected him to be her stepfamily's son. Furthermore, hearing about her own son and yet showing no particular reaction seemed rather unusual.

An Chunfeng glanced at him: "The Tang family doesn't know I'm here, and I don't want them to know in the future."

Thinking of how Tang Mu had forbidden her from looking for him, An Chunfeng let out a sorrowful sigh: "Mainly because the Tang family won't let me see my son!"

Little Lin rubbed his hands together, looking uneasy as he asked, "Mistress An, then... does the young master know you're here?"

"He doesn't know either. Besides, he doesn't want to see me," An Chunfeng sighed once more.

"Impossible! There's no child in the world who doesn't want his mother!" Little Lin burst out with agitation. He missed his own mother dearly; after all these years, although he had never voiced it in front of others, he always dreamed of her at night.

"You don't understand. Whether we meet or not doesn't matter; as long as I know he is living well, that is enough for me."

The original owner's feelings toward that child were a tangled mix of love and hate, and An Chunfeng was not his biological mother anyway.

Before, when she was in the dark, she still felt a lingering worry and concern, but now knowing that the boy was well-fed and well-clothed, and had so quickly recognized a foster mother, she felt no more heartache.

Yet, remembering the harsh and dismissive words Tang Mu had spoken to her, an inexplicable sourness welled up in her heart.

Realizing the atmosphere had turned somewhat heavy, Little Lin pressed his lips together and said no more.

Ten days passed quickly. Physician Shen's medicine was finished, and while it had an effect, it wasn't a complete cure by any measure.

Over the past two nights, An Chunfeng had been able to work on her crochet craft until midnight. When drowsiness gradually overtook her, she could sleep for an hour without dreaming—and that in itself was a good sign.

As the saying goes, illnesses arrive like a collapsing mountain and depart like drawing silk; the treatment of psychological ailments was even slower. An Chunfeng decided to continue her visits to the medical clinic.

This time, for the follow-up visit, there was no need to be excessively early. When she set out, the sky was already fully bright.

Half a month had passed since the Qixi Festival, and the morning breeze carried a chill, prompting people to put on lined garments.

An Chunfeng changed into the new clothes retrieved from the cloth shop, and Little Lin had hired a donkey cart waiting for her at the alley entrance.

As soon as she stepped outside, An Chunfeng caught sight of a dark figure lurking in the corner of the alley not far away, and her brows immediately furrowed.

Ever since returning from the Jingzhao Prefecture prison, Madam Qiu had closed her doors at home to tend to her injuries. An Chunfeng kept her promise and did not broadcast the matter; the residents of Pear Blossom Alley knew nothing of Madam Qiu's punishment.

Liao Junhan had taken her back to care for her for three days before returning to his post at the barracks, and lately, it was Qiu Rong who had been waiting on Madam Qiu.

There was no telling what was going on in that man's mind. Madam Qiu had taken a beating for him and promised to stop harassing An Chunfeng, yet Qiu Rong had instead become even more relentless.

At first, he tried carrying water to their door, but after being blocked by Little Lin and then kicked over by An Chunfeng, he stopped coming to the door directly, switching instead to lingering in the alley corner day after day like a statue gazing at a wife.

He neither approached nor spoke, and this bizarre behavior set the tongues of Pear Blossom Alley wagging.

However, while everyone mocked Qiu Rong's delusional infatuation, most felt sympathy for An Chunfeng. For a widow to be targeted by such a spineless fool was always a troublesome affair.

They even had Madam Qiu to thank for this: wanting to righteously marry her "sister-in-law Madam An," she had deliberately avoided tarnishing An Chunfeng's reputation, instead praising Madam An's strict adherence to propriety all over Pear Blossom Alley.

It was precisely because Madam Qiu still retained that shred of conscience that An Chunfeng had agreed to go to the Jingzhao Prefecture and fish her out.

Yet... judging by Qiu Rong's infatuated appearance, he had not taken her words to heart at all.

An Chunfeng sighed inwardly, wondering what wrong Liao Junhan had committed in his past life. Such a reasonable and sensible man was nonetheless devoted body and soul to a parasite like Madam Qiu, allowing himself to be dragged down by Qiu Rong.

Standing in the corner and gazing longingly, Qiu Rong saw An Chunfeng look toward him, and he was so startled that he hurriedly hid behind a tree, though his eyes kept darting out: today, Mistress An in her new clothes looked even more breathtaking than before, yet somehow even more intimidating.