Fei Mao Mao Has Even Shared a Bed With Him… 

Chen Miansheng carried Fei Yan through several winding alleys before finally stopping outside a store named Tong Yao Hall. 

A strong medicinal scent wafted out, making Fei Yan wrinkle her nose. When she saw the typical layout of a traditional apothecary inside, she sighed quietly to herself. 

She had thought that crossing over into this world would let her escape the hair-pulling life of medicine—but clearly, she was too naive. 

She ran, medicine chased. There was no escape. 

But at least, with Chen Miansheng running an apothecary, she wouldn’t have to worry about the source of herbs for treating his illness. That was… a small win. 

Fei Yan tried to comfort herself with that thought and began observing the medicine hall more closely. 

She had to admit, this place was just as grand as those portrayed in period dramas set in provincial towns. 

Especially the plaque above the door—three powerful characters, 同藥堂 (Tong Yao Hall), were written in bold, flowing calligraphy. It gave the place a distinct presence that set it apart from ordinary shops. 

Fei Yan stole a glance at Chen Miansheng, then turned to compare this shop to the neighboring ones. The difference was obvious. Just like how Chen Miansheng stood apart from the rest of the townspeople, this apothecary didn’t quite fit in either. 

She pushed aside her sense of unease just as a figure hurriedly stepped out from the shop. 

Gu Wu walked quickly over to Chen Miansheng, bowed respectfully, and signed in the air: “Young Master.” 

He turned his gaze toward the small orange cat in Chen Miansheng’s arms. Although the little thing looked much cleaner than when they first met yesterday—like a completely different cat—his expression remained complicated. 

“Young Master… seems to really like this cat.” 

Not only had he brought it to the medicine hall, but from the looks of it, he’d carried it the entire way. 

Fei Yan couldn’t understand Gu Wu’s hand signs, nor was she particularly interested in their cryptic exchange. So she simply leapt down from Chen Miansheng’s arms and strutted confidently into the shop. 

To her slight surprise, despite how grand and polished the medicine hall looked, business was quite slow compared to the nearby shops. 

There were only two customers inside, and a young apprentice was preparing prescriptions for them. 

Fei Yan turned her gaze away and took in the whole hall. 

Rows upon rows of labeled herb drawers filled the space. Even rare ingredients like He Shou Wu, Saffron, and Gastrodia were present. 

Her eyes lit up instantly. She trotted over eagerly and carefully pawed open a few drawers. 

The quality of every herb was top-notch, some even better than what she’d seen back at medical school. And they weren’t in short supply either. 

Excited, she leaned in to sniff them—but just as she was about to do so, a shadow loomed overhead, followed by a blunt voice: 

“Shoo, shoo! Where did this stray cat come from? These herbs aren’t for you to touch. Even if you ruin just one, selling you off wouldn’t cover the cost.” 

Fei Yan looked up. It was the same apprentice from earlier, now holding a pestle and clearly trying to drive her away. 

Ha. A stray cat, he says? 

What a joke. She had even shared a bed with Chen Miansheng… 

Fei Yan hadn’t even finished seething internally before a familiar hand gently lifted her by the scruff and cradled her back into a warm embrace. 

The apprentice blinked at the man before him, clearly confused. “Shopkeeper?” 

Chen Miansheng glanced indifferently at the pestle in the apprentice’s hand, his voice calm: “Ah Chu, what are you doing?” 

Ah Chu answered honestly, “Shopkeeper, I was afraid the stray cat would ruin your herbs.” 

But Chen Miansheng could only see his lips move—he couldn’t hear a word of it. He sighed silently and turned to look at Gu Wu. 

Gu Wu quickly signed the explanation to him, then took the pestle from Ah Chu’s hands and said, “This is the Shopkeeper’s new cat. He brought it home. Not a stray.” 

Fei Yan lifted her cat head high, tail swishing proudly. Chen Miansheng could even see a hint of smugness on her little cat face. 

He chuckled and lightly tapped her forehead. “Stay here in the shop. Don’t run off.” 

Then he carefully set her back on the floor. 

Fei Yan tilted her head, then tapped one of the herb drawers with her paw, as if asking whether she was allowed to be near them. 

She didn’t want to get chased off by Ah Chu’s pestle again. 

Chen Miansheng’s lips pressed together subtly, a hint of confusion in his tone: “You’re interested in these herbs?” 

The little orange cat blinked. Was she… acting a little too un-catlike? 

“You really are an unusual little cat,” Chen Miansheng chuckled softly. “You can play, just don’t ruin anything.” 

Fei Yan: Heck yes! 

She immediately turned to look at Ah Chu, practically spelling out the phrase “backed by the boss” across her forehead. 

With Chen Miansheng’s approval, Ah Chu didn’t dare say anything more. He obediently returned to preparing medicine for the patients—though his wary gaze kept drifting toward Fei Yan, afraid she’d tear the place apart the second he looked away. 

To be fair, if this had been any other cat, Ah Chu’s worries would’ve been justified. 
But inside this orange cat was Fei Yan’s soul. 

Though she outwardly complained about medicine all the time, she’d spent years studying it. And when faced with these precious herbs, she felt the same familiar joy that a photographer feels when holding a camera or a writer holding a pen. 

She leaned over and carefully sniffed the scent of those rare medicinal herbs, sighing to herself that if she were still in a human body, she would’ve stuffed them all into her waistband. 

Too bad. 

Reluctantly, Fei Yan pushed the herb drawer back and was about to check out the others when she suddenly caught a glimpse of Chen Miansheng out of the corner of her eye. 

Honestly, with how quiet the business here was, to put it bluntly, Chen Miansheng’s presence didn’t make much of a difference. Just having Ah Chu manage things alone was more than enough. 

He was sitting quietly in a corner, holding a classic text in his hands. One hand rested near his temple, long lashes slightly lowered, eyes focused intently on the pages as if completely unaffected by his surroundings. 

He was reading something like the Book of Rites or the Analects. Fei Yan could tell he wasn’t just putting on a show, Chen Miansheng was genuinely interested in these kinds of books. 

Fei Yan flicked her tail and gave a silent hmph in her heart. 

No wonder he said the place he was going to would be boring. He was just changing locations to read books — of course it was boring! 

After complaining inwardly, Fei Yan turned her gaze toward Ah Chu. 

She’d stayed here for about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, and she had more or less figured out how Chen Miansheng’s Tong Yao Hall made a living. 

This place didn’t offer medical consultations. Patients had to bring prescriptions from other doctors to get their herbs here, and they only charged for the ingredients. 

Most of the patients who came in didn’t seem well-off, which matched what that woman had said back at the market — that the stuff sold at Chen Miansheng’s shop was cheap. 

Maybe because of Chen Miansheng himself, customers were already scarce to begin with. If he set the prices any higher, there’d probably be no one coming to buy herbs at all. 

Fei Yan licked around her lips and glanced back at Chen Miansheng, suddenly feeling a strange heaviness in her chest. 

She wasn’t blind or stupid. At the very least, she could tell—Chen Miansheng didn’t belong here. 

From the way he dressed and carried himself, he looked more like a refined young master from a wealthy household. And with how much he loved reading, she figured if he went to take the imperial exams, he probably wouldn’t do badly at all. 

At the very least, that’d be better than staying in this remote and backward little town, enduring strange looks from others, and clinging to a barely-visited medicine shop. 

But why was he so determined to stay here? Was it because of his illness and his hearing condition? 

Just as she was thinking this, a sudden male voice broke her train of thought. 

“Can I wait another half a month?” 

Fei Yan turned her head at the sound and saw a young farmer-like man receiving a medicine packet from Ah Chu. 

Ah Chu waved him off. “Sure.” 

The man looked genuinely grateful. “Thank you, thank you!” 

Fei Yan was stunned. Wait another half a month? What did that mean? 

Before she could make sense of it, the man had already picked up his medicine and turned to leave the shop. 

Without thinking, Fei Yan leapt straight down from the counter and bolted toward the man like lightning, biting down hard on the corner of his robe and refusing to let go. 

“Meow aow aow!” 

Who cares what he meant. You haven’t paid yet!