Chapter 157: The Persistent Old Man

Qi Ruyuan cried, her sobs full of sorrow and extreme grievance.

Xiang Xinyao shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t start trouble, but if someone wrongs me, I’ll repay it double.”

“You like Mo Jinnan? Go ahead and compete for him openly. Don’t come here trying to grab attention in front of me.”

“If you can honestly take him from me, you won’t have to come and waste my time with your nonsense. I’ll even voluntarily annul the engagement.”

After saying that, Xiang Xinyao grabbed her sister, Xiang Xinyu, and left Qi Ruyuan.

Once they were gone, Qi Ruyuan’s haughty and domineering nature returned.

“Get lost, all of you! What’s so interesting?!”

With a swipe of her hand, Qi Ruyuan wiped away her tears and turned to leave without a second glance.

Her heart seethed with hatred. Xiang Xinyao, you’d better watch out! Mo Jinnan will be mine, and no one can take him!

—

At the Gardenia Hall

The old man with white hair had set up a small stool beside a flowerpot. He leaned on his knees, hands supporting his chin, watching the pot closely.

In the middle of the night, as the old man was struggling to stay awake, the faint light of the oil lamp revealed that the soil in the middle of the pot had moved slightly.

He instantly became alert, his eyes widening as he fixed his gaze on the soil.

It moved again… and again…

A tiny sprout slowly emerged from the earth.

The old man stared in disbelief, his mouth agape. He held his breath as if afraid that even a slight movement would scare the sprout back into the soil.

Finally, unable to hold his breath any longer, he turned his head and exhaled deeply.

“It’s really growing, it’s actually growing!” he muttered, his face full of astonishment. “What kind of child is this? How amazing!”

After thinking for a moment, the old man made a decision.

He was going to follow the child and learn how to grow medicinal herbs from her. Even if she refused, he was determined to stay and keep bothering her.

He would cling to her, shamelessly.

With his mind made up, the old man sat back down on his small stool and resumed watching the flowerpot intently.

—

The next morning, Xiang Xinyao eagerly dragged her sister, Xiang Xinyu, to the Garden of Fragrant Blossoms.

The old man had stayed up all night, but his face was filled with excitement. He had already brought the flowerpot to the counter and was waiting for Xiang Xinyao.

As soon as he saw her, he rushed over.

“Little girl, it’s sprouted, it’s really sprouted! You’re amazing!”

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow and smiled. “So, can you sell me the medicinal herb seeds now?”

The old man froze, his expression changing. “No, I told you yesterday. You have to agree to my condition first.”

“Are you playing with me?” Xiang Xinyao exploded. “I’ve already made it clear, I will never take you as a disciple.”

The old man pouted, looking at her with a face full of grievance.

“Can’t you reconsider?”

“No, reconsider,” Xiang Xinyao said firmly, each word clear and deliberate. “What a waste of effort. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have given you that Sichuan Fritillaria seed.”

She then grabbed her sister and turned to leave without a second glance.

The old man panicked. “Little girl, don’t go! We can discuss it further!”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I can’t take you as a disciple; you’re old enough to be my grandfather!”

“Well, I might not be your disciple, but I do want to follow you and learn how to grow medicinal herbs. How about it?”

Xiang Xinyao stopped, turned to face the old man, and asked, “Why do you want to follow me?”

The old man pouted, his face full of helplessness. “I studied medicine in my youth, but my skills aren’t very good. What I really enjoy is handling medicinal herbs.

What I dream of is having my own medicinal herb field, where I can tend to the plants every day.

Later, I opened this herbal shop, and I often went into the mountains to collect all sorts of herb seeds to try planting.

But for some reason, every time I plant the seeds, they either don’t sprout, or they sprout only to wither and die shortly after.

After wasting so many seeds, I’ve come to cherish the ones I have left.

The seed you planted yesterday sprouted this morning, and I want to learn too!”

The old man paused, his expression filled with pleading. “Little girl, you don’t have to accept me as your disciple, but please, let me follow you and learn from you.”

Over the years, the old man had almost gone crazy from studying herb cultivation.

He dreamt of walking through medicinal herb fields, but sadly, despite all his efforts, only the easier-to-grow herbs survived.

And those that were more difficult to grow? He’d never succeeded with any of them.

Now that he saw Xiang Xinyao manage to make herb seeds sprout overnight, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Even if the herb field wasn’t his, as long as he could stay and care for the plants, he would be content.

After all, he had no children, no family, and nothing to hold him back.

Seeing the old man adopt such a pitiful expression, Xiang Xinyao’s heart softened.

She sighed and said, “Find a quiet place, let’s sit and talk.”

The old man’s eyes sparkled. “Good, let’s go to the back yard. Follow me!”

Xiang Xinyao and her sister followed the old man to the back yard.

The back yard was where the old man lived.

Though he was a lone old man, his home was tidy and well-kept.

In reality, it wasn’t him who cleaned it—it was the shop assistant from the herbal shop.

Once inside, Xiang Xinyao closed the door and said seriously, “Grandpa, to be honest, I’m going to leave Bianjing soon, and it might not be convenient for you to follow me.”

The old man jumped up immediately. “Convenient? Absolutely! It’s really no problem!”

“Don’t you need to discuss it with your family?” she asked.

The old man waved his hand. “I’m a solitary old man, no wife, no children—who would I talk to?”

“Huh?” This time, it was Xiang Xinyao’s turn to be shocked. This old man seemed so optimistic and lively; he didn’t seem like someone without family at all!

“Are you really willing to leave Bianjing?” she asked.

Without hesitation, the old man nodded. “Of course! As long as you let me follow you, as long as you let me care for your herb field, I’ll go wherever you go.”

Xiang Xinyao nodded. “Then what will happen to your herbal shop?”

“I can transfer it.”

Xiang Xinyao thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, then handle your assets, and let me know once everything is sorted. I’ll let you know when to come.”

“Alright! I’ll start handling it today!” After thinking for a moment, the old man added, “Child, I’ll give you all the medicinal herb seeds today.”

“Okay, bring them out.”

The old man hurried into the inner room and returned with all the medicinal herb seeds.

There were quite a lot of them.

And many different types.

Xiang Xinyao marveled at the quantity and variety. How long must it have taken this old man to gather all these?

Looking at the well-organized seeds, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

This was even more exciting than the treasure she had previously found.

“Thank you, Grandpa. Handle your assets as soon as possible. Once you’re done, come to the Xiang Mansion to find me.”

“No problem. Oh, by the way, my name is Sun Huai’an.”