When Did She Establish That Kind of Image? 

For nearly half a month straight, Tong Yao Hall’s good business remained steady. And just like in the modern times, wherever people gather, idle chatter naturally follows. 

While waiting for their medicine, people didn’t sit around in silence—they were animatedly discussing various topics of interest. 

Chen Miansheng noticed this scene. Casually, he handed the selected herbs to the patient in front of him, then glanced sideways at Gu Wu and asked with rare curiosity, “What are they talking about?” 

Gu Wu hesitated for a moment but still honestly signed in reply, “The townspeople are saying that there’s been foreign aggression recently, and the court is engaged in battles. Life on the border has become unbearable. They just hope that if war is truly unavoidable, it takes a long time to reach here.” 

Dongfeng Town sat at the junction between Dongluan and Yunqing Prefectures. On the other side of Dongluan lay the hotspot where the Great Yin Dynasty often clashed with border forces. 

After signing, Gu Wu carefully observed his young master’s expression. 

Just as he expected, the previously relaxed expression on Chen Miansheng’s face tensed slightly. He slowly repeated the word, as if confirming it or muttering to himself. 

“War?” 

Gu Wu nodded, and his signing grew even more cautious. “Young Master, don’t worry. His Majesty is wise and will surely resolve it soon. Peace will return to the land.” 

Chen Miansheng narrowed his eyes slightly and looked away with a composed smile. “Why would I be worried?” 

Fei Yan had been napping on a wooden chair, and even in her half-asleep state, she keenly picked up on the word “war” from Chen Miansheng’s words. 

Perhaps it was because she had lived in a peaceful era before she came here and had never experienced war, so the concept felt distant. Or perhaps life in Dongfeng Town over the past few months had been so peaceful that hearing that word caught her off guard. Only then did she slowly realize—just like in so many television dramas, war could happen in this world too. 

War meant casualties. It meant today’s peace might not last. 

She snapped fully awake and glanced at Chen Miansheng. Although he looked indifferent while talking to Gu Wu, from her angle behind him—where Gu Wu couldn’t see—his brows were faintly furrowed. 

Fei Yan licked her lips. Without much hesitation, she quickly rushed over to Chen Miansheng and leapt into his arms with a strong push from her hind legs. 

After all this time, the movement had become almost reflexive for Chen Miansheng. So when the warm little orange cat snuggled against his chest, he didn’t react at first. 

Only when her soft paws rested against his neck and her fluffy little head rubbed under his chin did Chen Miansheng finally come to his senses and realize—his little cat was trying to comfort him. 

That realization warmed his heart. 

The warmth in his arms felt like it could melt glaciers. 

Chen Miansheng’s eyes softened, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips as he held the little cat a bit tighter. 

Now that Qu Lin was no longer causing trouble, those who had struggled with chronic illness were finally receiving the correct prescriptions. After a while, the medicine hall began to quiet down. 

Chen Miansheng returned to his usual idle routine, leaving Gu Wu and Ah Chu to handle the storefront. 

One day— 

Gu Wu was preparing a prescription. When the next person in line stepped forward, he absentmindedly reached out while writing on his paper. “Hand me your prescription.” 

The visitor turned out to be a young man, no more than twenty. To Gu Wu’s surprise, the man pulled out a thick stack of red paper from his sleeve and gave a simple, honest smile. “You’ve misunderstood. I came to ask Brother Chen to help me write something.” 

Gu Wu looked up and recognized him as an apprentice carpenter from town. He wasn’t very surprised and simply replied, “Alright.” Then he turned to where Chen Miansheng was reading and relayed the message. 

The overly kind Chen Miansheng immediately set down the book in his hands, lifted his eyes slightly, and said, “Alright, there’s space in the back courtyard. Follow me.” 

Naturally, the sleeping Fei Yan in his arms was carried along to the pavilion in the rear courtyard. 

When she was gently placed on the stone table, she found herself staring blankly at the calligraphy brush and rice paper laid out before her. 

She shook her head and let out a lazy yawn. Her sleepy eyes still held a misty glaze of drowsiness, and her tail swished back and forth across the ink brush and paper restlessly. 

Writing was one thing—but why go out of the way to ask Chen Miansheng? 

Noticing the little orange cat’s behavior, Chen Miansheng tilted his head. “What’s wrong?” 

Fei Yan looked up at him, then lowered her head again, patting the brush and paper with her soft pink paw. 

Chen Miansheng paused for a moment, thinking about what his little cat meant. “Are you wondering why they asked me to write?” 

The little cat flicked her tail. 

Before Chen Miansheng could answer, Gu Wu spoke up, “Why else? Of course, it’s because the shopkeeper’s handwriting is beautiful.” 

Then he added just in time, “The plaque for Tong Yao Hall was written by the shopkeeper himself.” 

Fei Yan froze. 

She had already noticed how exquisite the plaque was when she first saw it, but she hadn’t expected it to be Chen Miansheng’s own calligraphy. 

Still stunned by this revelation, she didn’t expect Gu Wu to sigh to himself a second later. “Never mind, it’s not like a little thing like you can understand anyway.” 

Fei Yan immediately became annoyed and swiped her paw at him in protest. 

Chen Miansheng glanced at the little cat, then turned to Gu Wu. “What did you say to her?” 

Gu Wu was halfway through signing when he suddenly remembered how fond Chen Miansheng was of the orange cat, so he left out the last part. 

But after spending so many days together, Chen Miansheng could tell that those two sentences alone wouldn’t have provoked such a strong reaction from his cat. He raised his eyes slightly. “What else?” 

Gu Wu hesitated, then reluctantly added the last sentence. Worried that Chen Miansheng might be offended, he quickly added, “Young Master, please don’t misunderstand—I didn’t mean anything by it.” 

Chen Miansheng gave a lukewarm “Mm.” His tone gave nothing away, but his gaze lingered deeply on the orange cat, and his hand holding the brush still hadn’t moved. 

Worried he had upset his young master, Gu Wu froze mid-motion and tentatively signed, “Young Master, is something wrong?” 

Even the little orange cat lifted her head to stare at him, her pitch-black eyes were bright and clear. Her fluffy big tail gently flicked and brushed against his wrist like a dragonfly skimming water— as if to bring him back to his senses. 

“It’s nothing,” Chen Miansheng calmly withdrew his gaze, though he subtly pressed his tongue against his back teeth. 

Even though the cat had only brushed against his wrist, the sensation felt like it had touched the very core of his heart, leaving a faint tickle. 

It was an unfamiliar feeling to Chen Miansheng, yet somehow, if it was because of this little orange cat, it all felt strangely natural. 

After all, it wasn’t until he saw the hand signs from Gu Wu that he suddenly realized: whether it was the orange cat to him or him to the orange cat, what they were to each other was utterly different from everyone else. 

Only he knew how intelligent his little cat was—that she understood his words, cared for him, protected him—and that only his little cat would ever do so. 

With that thought, Chen Miansheng picked up the brush. The moment the tip touched the paper, a faint smile curled on his lips. 

The man had asked Chen Miansheng to write a pair of Spring Festival couplets. With New Year’s Eve approaching, most townsfolk either bought ready-made ones or asked someone to write them—this man clearly belonged to the latter group. 

After the ink dried and the man had left, Fei Yan recalled the couplets—ordinary festive wishes written on red paper: “A timely snow promises a good harvest, and the coming year will bring prosperity.” The horizontal scroll read: “Abundance year after year.” 

The calligraphy, however, was anything but ordinary. Bold and flamboyant, the strokes danced wildly across the red paper. 

People say calligraphy reflects its writer, but the spirit in Chen Miansheng’s writing felt entirely unlike the impression he usually gave others. 

Fei Yan smacked her lips, involuntarily linking it to her suspicions about Chen Miansheng’s true identity—only to suddenly be scooped up by a pair of strong arms. She let out a surprised “meow” and turned her head in confusion to look at him. 

Chen Miansheng lightly tapped the tip of her nose with a finger, seemingly lost in thought. “Now that I think of it, with the new year coming, we should get ready too.” 

Hearing this, Gu Wu’s expression shifted slightly. He hesitated, then signed, “This year… does Young Master plan to buy New Year’s goods?” 

Chen Miansheng looked up at him and smiled. “Why not?” 

Gu Wu quickly signed, “Of course not, everything is up to you.” 

It was just that Chen Miansheng had lived in Dongfeng Town for several years now, and every year when the New Year came around, he seemed to forget all about it. Even on New Year’s Eve, he treated it no different from any other day. 

So the sudden desire to buy New Year’s goods this year naturally struck Gu Wu as strange. 

He glanced down, catching sight of the orange cat in Chen Miansheng’s arms, and a bold thought suddenly crossed his mind. 

Could it be because of the orange cat’s presence that his master wanted to properly celebrate the New Year this time? 

The moment this idea surfaced, Gu Wu shook his head vigorously and dismissed it completely. 

No way that could be the reason. 

It’s just a cat—how could it possibly have that kind of influence over his master? 

Fei Yan didn’t feel particularly excited about the New Year. What she remembered most was the lively family dinner her elders used to make. But now that she’d somehow ended up in this world, there was no sign of a festive meal ahead. 

So when Chen Miansheng mentioned preparing for the New Year, Fei Yan merely flicked her tail half-heartedly as a response. 

But as the day approached and they actually arrived at the market, Fei Yan was instantly excited by the sea of festive red. 

Because of the upcoming New Year, the shops along East Street stayed open longer than usual. Every store hung bright red lanterns, and stalls overflowed with New Year’s goods, their vendors shouting out and hawking their wares. 

What grabbed Fei Yan’s attention most, unsurprisingly, was the stall loaded with goods for the New Year… or more precisely, the meat stall next to it. 

Without thinking, she tugged on Chen Miansheng’s collar and motioned in that direction. 

Of course, Chen Miansheng knew exactly what his little cat was thinking. He shook his head helplessly, thinking that if he kept feeding her like this, she’d soon go from “little orange cat” to “big fat orange cat.” 

But the moment he met her watery, pleading eyes, all his thoughts evaporated completely. 

Oh well, he thought. If she gets chubby, she gets chubby. A little extra softness makes her even nicer to hold. 

Let’s feed her first. 

He walked over to Butcher Wu’s meat stall. 

By then, many townsfolk had already gathered around the stall—it was a lively crowd. 

Butcher Wu looked up and spotted Chen Miansheng. Even knowing that he couldn’t hear, he still greeted him warmly, “Hey, Shopkeeper Chen, back for more meat?” 

Then he smiled at the orange cat in his arms. “Here to get something for your little one again?” 

Fei Yan flicked her tail at Butcher Wu in greeting. 

After everything that had happened, most people in the town no longer avoided Chen Miansheng, but only a few actually greeted him on their own. 

Chen Miansheng didn’t mind. He gave Butcher Wu a polite nod, then looked down at the orange cat in his arms and gently pinched her ear. “What would you like to eat?” he asked softly. 

Fei Yan’s gaze drifted back and forth across the spread of meat. 

Hmm, definitely need pork belly. But the ribs Chen Miansheng made were also really good… 

The leg meat looked tasty too… but would that be too much? 

Seeing his little orange cat hesitate over the selection, Chen Miansheng suddenly chuckled and said to Butcher Wu, “I’ll take a pound of everything—and two pounds of pork belly, please.” 

Butcher Wu looked at him suspiciously. “Can you even finish that much meat?” 

Even Fei Yan looked at Chen Miansheng in shock. 

Seriously? Did this sickly man really think he could finish all that meat by himself? 

But then, after Butcher Wu handed over the meat, Chen Miansheng lightly patted Fei Yan on the head and said in all seriousness, “That should be enough for you, right, Little Orange?” 

Fei Yan: “?” 

Wait!  

So all of this… was for her? 

Fei Yan stared in disbelief at the huge bundles of meat in his hands, which weighed more than she did. The whole cat was suddenly overwhelmed with confusion. 

Hold on. 

When exactly did she give Chen Miansheng the impression that she was this kind of cat?