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As the morning light penetrated the paper windows, it cast a warm glow on Wei Lan’s face, waking her from her slumber.
She squinted slightly and looked around. In the middle of the room was a round table accompanied by two wooden stools. Against the wall stood two wooden chests, and at the foot of the bed sat a dressing table. Other than these, the room was empty, cold, and lonely—resembling a woman’s boudoir that had not been lived in for a long time.
Wei Lan looked down at herself. She was now wearing a clean and comfortable linen dress, and her previous clothes had been neatly folded on top of a camphorwood chest.
Last night, she had fallen asleep on Liu Mingyi’s back. Someone must have changed her clothes while she was completely unaware, which made her scalp tingle at the thought.
She got out of bed and gently stroked the original owner’s clothing, hoping to recall any memories associated with it. But nothing came. If she could find the original owner’s family, she wouldn’t have to be homeless. But now… what should she do? She had nowhere to go.
Her fingers brushed against a bulge inside her inner pocket. A jade pendant slipped into her palm. She held it up to the sunlight for a closer look—it was a curved, teardrop-shaped jade pendant, translucent and of excellent quality. The thicker end had a drilled hole, its edges worn down from years of use.
Faintly engraved on the inner side were two characters: You Rong.
“You Rong?” she murmured. What did it mean?
This was the only possession left by the original owner, hidden so carefully. Perhaps it was a token of identity that could be used in the future to trace her origins. Or maybe, it held great sentimental value to the original owner.
Just as she was about to put the jade pendant back, she heard a hushed argument coming from the courtyard. She quietly pushed open the window and peeked through a gap.
Standing in the courtyard were three people—Liu Mingyi, a middle-aged man with graying hair, and a young woman dressed in a peach-colored blouse and skirt.
The middle-aged man spoke sternly:
“Go to the county office and register her case. Let the authorities help her find her family. If she has nowhere to go, she can stay at the charitable relief house for now. The officials will make arrangements—she cannot stay here for long.”
The young woman pleaded anxiously:
“Father! Miss Wei is still recovering. At least wait until her vitality is restored.”
The man snorted coldly:
“She is of unknown origin. Keeping her here makes me uneasy. She must leave as soon as possible.”
Liu Mingyi lowered his voice, a hint of tension in his tone:
“Father, are you worried she was sent by… that person?”
“That person?” Who was that?
Just as they were getting to a crucial point, the three suddenly fell silent.
A donkey had arrived at the gate. Before its rider dismounted, a Chinese rural dog with a tail curled into a spiral jumped down. It panted happily and ran towards the three people, sniffing around each of their feet.
Liu Mingyi patted the dog’s head.
“Jia Bao is here.”
Then, the dog’s owner strode into the courtyard. He was a burly man with a full beard, carrying a bow and arrows, draped in a tiger-skin cloak, and holding a brightly feathered pheasant in one hand.
The young woman’s eyes lit up.
“Perfect! We can make chicken soup for Miss Wei!”
She eagerly took the pheasant and rushed into the house.
Wei Lan quickly lay back down and pretended to be asleep. Soon, the door creaked open.
The young woman entered with a basin of hot water, soaked a towel, and gently wiped Wei Lan’s face and hands while mumbling to herself:
“Such fair, smooth skin—just like lard ointment!”
Wei Lan barely held back her laughter, but she didn’t dare to show it. Instead, she pretended to have just woken up.
“Sister, hello.”
The woman was delighted.
“Sister, you’re awake? Are you hungry? I’ll get you some porridge!”
She turned and left, soon returning with a bowl of scallion-infused white porridge.
Wei Lan was indeed hungry, but the plain porridge, though fragrant, looked unappetizing. She hesitantly asked:
“Is there any meat?”
She was a true carnivore—going a day without meat was torture. Earlier, she had overheard this sister mentioning chicken soup, and she couldn’t help but look forward to it.
The woman chuckled.
“You have a sharp nose. There is meat, but Mingyi said it’s not good to eat too much rich food after an illness. Drink this porridge first, then we’ll slowly introduce meat, so your stomach won’t suffer.”
She scooped a spoonful, blew on it gently, and brought it to Wei Lan’s lips.
Wei Lan sighed inwardly and obediently drank the porridge, finishing it in a few gulps.
Afterward, the woman brought over a bowl of dark, murky herbal medicine.
Wei Lan frowned. As a modern surgeon, she was skeptical about the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine. She had seen too many cases where improper use led to severe side effects. But she also understood that in this era, it was the primary form of treatment.
Not wanting to offend Liu Yao, she blinked playfully.
“Sister, I’m scared of bitter medicine…”
Liu Yao chuckled and patted her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you some candied fruit to chase away the bitterness.”
As soon as Liu Yao left, Wei Lan swiftly dumped the medicine out the window and placed the bowl back in its original position.
Liu Yao returned moments later with candied fruit. Seeing the empty bowl, she nodded in satisfaction.
“Good girl. Now have some sweets.”
Wei Lan popped one into her mouth, beaming.
“Sister, this is so sweet! The medicine wasn’t bitter at all.”
Liu Yao smiled and then asked,
“Do you remember anything? Any relatives or friends?”
Wei Lan had overheard their earlier conversation and knew they intended to send her away. She completely understood—it was only natural to hand an unknown girl over to the authorities.
But she wasn’t actually suffering from amnesia. She had just arrived in this unfamiliar era, knowing no one except Liu Yao and Liu Mingyi.
She decided to act cute.
“Sister~ I really don’t remember… But I’ll try my best! In the meantime, can I learn medicine from Dr. Liu?”
Liu Yao sniffled.
“Poor thing… maybe she stayed in water too long, and it got into her brain.”
Wei Lan almost choked at the absurd explanation.
Liu Mingyi, who was preparing to leave, looked at her and asked,
“You claim to know medicine. How skilled are you? Do you deserve to be called a physician?”
Wei Lan hesitated, then modestly replied,
“I’d say… I’m decent.”
Liu Mingyi proceeded to quiz her with a series of complex questions about traditional Chinese medicine.
Wei Lan broke into a cold sweat. If only she had studied integrative medicine instead of clinical surgery, she might have been able to answer!
She awkwardly admitted,
“I don’t know these… but I can learn! My medical knowledge is different from yours, but it can also save lives.”
Liu Mingyi smirked.
“A female physician is rare.”
Wei Lan resisted rolling her eyes.
“Patients are both men and women—shouldn’t doctors be, too?”
In the end, Liu Yao decided,
“She can stay as our little sister for now. That way, there won’t be gossip.”
And just like that, Wei Lan found herself with a new family in an unfamiliar time.