I’m really good at this.

After finishing breakfast, it was time to head to the medicine hall.

Fei Yan had finally managed to dig out a robe from Chen Miansheng’s wardrobe that was decent enough to wear outside. She quickly adjusted the collar in front of the bronze mirror and hurried to catch up with Chen Miansheng, who was just about to leave, clearly intending to go with him.

But just as she was about to step into the small courtyard, Chen Miansheng raised his hand to stop her.

His hand was lifted right at the level of her forehead—Fei Yan nearly bumped straight into his palm. She quickly halted in her tracks and looked up in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Chen Miansheng said, “You’d better not go to the medicine hall today.”

Fei Yan frowned, puzzled. “Didn’t we agree that I’m supposed to be your distant relative to outsiders?”

Why the sudden change now?

Chen Miansheng chuckled softly and shook his head. “That’s not what I’m concerned about.”

Fei Yan asked, “Then what is it?”

He pointed at the clothes she was wearing.

Following his finger, Fei Yan looked down and saw the oversized, loose robe hanging off her frame.

Chen Miansheng’s eyes only lingered on her clothes for a second before quickly looking away. His Adam’s apple moved with slight discomfort, and his tone softened—just like when he used to coax the little orange cat. Gently, he said:

“I’ll stop by the tailor today and get you some proper clothes. You can come out with me tomorrow, alright?”

Fei Yan instantly understood what he meant.

Even with the cover story of being a distant relative, wearing Chen Miansheng’s clothes was clearly inappropriate. If others saw it, who knew what they’d assume about him.

Realizing this, Fei Yan nodded obediently. “Then I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Her nodding was so obedient it looked like a little bird pecking rice. Chen Miansheng’s fingers twitched slightly at his side as he barely resisted the urge to reach out and ruffle her hair. After giving her a few quick instructions, he finally stepped out.

There were only two tailoring shops in Dongfeng Town. One of them was on East Street, called Lin’s Garment Shop.

The shopkeeper, Madam Lin, was unlike most people in Dongfeng Town. Rather than looking down on Chen Miansheng, she mostly felt sympathy and pity for him.

After all, someone like Chen Miansheng—with such outstanding looks and demeanor—was rare not only in Dongfeng Town, but even in Yun Prefecture, which she had visited before. She had never seen a man who could surpass him in appearance and bearing.

If he weren’t deaf and frail, she would’ve been eager to bring her daughter to the Chen household and arrange a match with him.

Especially since he owned a medicine hall—if her daughter really married into that family, she wouldn’t have to worry about poverty.

Whether they were a good match, however, was another matter entirely.

When Chen Miansheng entered the shop, Madam Lin’s eyes lit up. She gave two surprised exclamations and quickly put on a friendly smile. “Why, Shopkeeper Chen! What brings you to my little shop today?”

She craned her neck to glance behind him, saw no sign of Gu Wu or the others, and muttered curiously to herself, “Still coming alone, huh…”

Since he couldn’t communicate with her directly, Chen Miansheng simply stated his request outright:

“Shopkeeper Lin, I’d like to buy a set of women’s clothing. The material must be your finest. I don’t have a preference for color, but if you have orange, that would be best.”

“As for the size…” He paused, recalling the girl’s height, and raised a hand to gesture at about chest level.

“Roughly this tall. Very slim. Do you have anything that would fit her?”

Madam Lin was briefly stunned to find that Chen Miansheng had actually come to her shop to buy women’s clothing. Her ready-to-wear shop had been open in Dongfeng Town for five years now—and she herself had lived in the town for just as long.

But in all that time, she had never once heard of Chen Miansheng being close to any woman in town, let alone doing something as intimate as buying clothes for one.

Still, after so many years in business, Madam Lin knew well that gossip mattered far less than money.

She quickly nodded and led Chen Miansheng toward the corner of the shop, where she pulled a garment from one of the racks.

It was an orange ruqun (a traditional dress)—a high-waisted, cross-collared garment with a long, flowing skirt. The hem was embroidered with delicate gold thread, making it quite refined.

For customers like Chen Miansheng, Madam Lin knew there was no use in saying much. She simply handed the dress over, motioning for him to inspect it himself.

Chen Miansheng gently rubbed the fabric between his fingers to assess the quality.

With just one touch, he could tell it didn’t measure up to the quality of the clothing in his own wardrobe. But for a remote place like Dongfeng Town, this was already considered top-tier material.

The color was also a perfect shade of orange—almost exactly like that of his little orange cat’s fur. It met all his requirements.

Without changing expression, Chen Miansheng pressed his lips together and looked away. “This one will do,” he said, placing a small piece of silver on the counter.

Madam Lin lit up, then gestured toward the other garments on display, asking if he might want to pick out more.

Chen Miansheng quickly understood what she meant. “Thank you for your kindness, Shopkeeper Lin. But I don’t really know what young ladies like. This one is enough. I’ll bring her personally to choose next time”

Madam Lin immediately caught the key words: “next time” and “bring her personally.” Clearly, his relationship with this mystery woman was no ordinary one.

As curious as she was, she didn’t delay the transaction. She quickly handed him the change with a smile, and watched him leave the shop.

The moment Chen Miansheng stepped out with the dress in hand, two women passed by him.

Their eyes widened in shock as they stared repeatedly at the unmistakably feminine garment in his hands. They exchanged glances and rushed straight into the shop, grabbing hold of Madam Lin.

“Sister Lin, what’s going on? Why did Shopkeeper Chen just buy a woman’s dress from you?”

Still thinking about how her daughter’s chances of marrying well might now be dashed, Madam Lin shook her head and casually replied, “I’m not sure either. He just said he was buying a dress for a woman, and that he might bring her here himself next time.”

The two women gasped again. Even as they left the store, their faces remained frozen in disbelief.

In a small town like Dongfeng, gossip was as common as air.

Others who passed by noticed their strange expressions and quickly asked what was going on.

One of the women answered solemnly, “You know that Shopkeeper Chen from the medicine hall? He just bought a woman’s dress from Sister Lin’s shop!”

The person who asked was also stunned and immediately turned to share the news with someone else. “You know Chen Miansheng, right? I just heard he bought women’s clothing.”

“What? Chen Miansheng likes wearing women’s clothes?!”

__

Back at the medicine hall, Chen Miansheng had no idea just how wild the rumors had already gotten.

He sat with one hand propping up his chin, a book of scriptures in the other, and a cup of mild tea by his side. His appearance was calm and composed, but his mind had wandered. All he could think about was whether the little cat was feeling lonely at home by herself.

So when Wu Gang came rushing in, Chen Miansheng didn’t even notice.

But Gu Wu and Ah Chu immediately turned their heads, drawn by the commotion.

Wu Gang burst in, shouting:

“Shopkeeper Chen—are you… are you actually a woman?!”

The entire Tong Yao Hall fell silent in an instant.

Gu Wu was the first to lose composure. His expression became unreadable, and his voice stuttered, “Brother Wu Gang, where… where did you hear something like that?”

Even someone as slow as Wu Gang realized something was off the moment he spoke, noticing the odd atmosphere his words had created.

He scratched the back of his head and answered honestly, “That’s just what everyone in town’s been saying.”

Gu Wu: “…”

Ah Chu: “…”

As for the person in question, Chen Miansheng, he had finally noticed the commotion.

He withdrew from his thoughts and slowly looked up, his gaze lingering briefly on Wu Gang before shifting to Gu Wu. He asked quietly, “What happened?”

Gu Wu looked hesitant and, after a long pause, simply gestured: “Young Master, don’t worry. It’s nothing serious.”

Chen Miansheng didn’t buy it. “Speak.”

Although Chen Miansheng was usually refined and gentle, when he narrowed his eyes, there was an unspoken authority in his demeanor.

Under that gaze, Gu Wu could only obediently relay everything Wu Gang had just said through hand signs.

Chen Miansheng remained uncharacteristically silent for several seconds after watching, then turned his gaze to Wu Gang and lightly raised a brow. His voice was calm and even.

“Tell me, Brother Wu—what about me makes you think I look like a woman?”

Only then did Wu Gang realize he’d been led astray by other people’s gossip.

He waved his hands in embarrassment, wishing he could crawl into a hole. “No, no, not at all. Shopkeeper Chen is a fine, upstanding man—there’s nothing feminine about you!”

Gu Wu asked, “You said the townspeople were all saying this?”

Wu Gang nodded and recounted everything he had heard.

Chen Miansheng glanced thoughtfully at the orange ruqun sitting nearby and shook his head helplessly.

He had only meant to buy a dress for the little cat, yet somehow it had turned into such a misunderstanding.

Wu Gang, now realizing how ridiculous the rumor was, offered sincerely, “Shopkeeper Chen, do you want me to go explain to everyone? Tell them you didn’t buy any women’s clothing—or that you’re definitely not a woman?”

Chen Miansheng replied, “No need. I did buy the clothes.”

Wu Gang’s expression shifted again.

Seeing this, Chen Miansheng knew exactly what misunderstanding was forming and explained with a light smile:

“Don’t misunderstand, Brother Wu. I bought it for a distant relative. She just arrived in Dongfeng Town and is temporarily staying at my place. She lost her luggage near the entrance of town and didn’t have any clean clothes to change into, so I picked one up for her.”

There was logic in Chen Miansheng explaining it to Wu Gang specifically. Wu Gang often sold fish at the market and interacted with more townspeople than he did. Since Wu Gang had already misunderstood him, and knowing he was a simple and honest man, it was better to let him spread the truth than to have to explain to everyone one by one later.

Wu Gang suddenly understood. “Ah, that makes sense! I knew it—Shopkeeper Chen didn’t seem like someone who’d buy women’s clothes out of the blue.”

After saying that, he glanced around and suddenly asked, “By the way, Brother Gu—have you found Shopkeeper Chen’s precious little orange cat yet?”

Chen Miansheng and Gu Wu had already agreed on a story the day before.

Hearing Wu Gang ask, Gu Wu nodded and repeated the prepared lines: “We’ve searched all her usual hiding spots, but no luck so far. Brother Wu, please help our shopkeeper keep an eye out.”

“Of course! I really liked that little orange cat. Strange how she just disappeared. Don’t worry—if I hear anything, I’ll let you know right away.”

Gu Wu nodded naturally. “That would be much appreciated.”

—

As soon as Chen Miansheng returned to the courtyard, he saw a fluffy orange head cautiously peeking out from behind the inner room’s door.

He chuckled and walked over to Fei Yan, habitually bending down to rub her head. “Why’d you change back again?”

But the little orange cat nimbly dodged backward and smacked his arm with her tail. A soft, girlish voice followed right after: “Keep your hands to yourself.”

The sudden female voice made Chen Miansheng freeze slightly, then he laughed and teased, “How sad. You didn’t used to be like this.”

His words immediately brought back memories for Fei Yan—of how she used to be petted until she lay on her back, belly exposed. She flushed with embarrassment.

She awkwardly scratched her ear with her back paw and mumbled, “Give me the clothes.”

Still smiling, Chen Miansheng placed the ruqun on the bed in the inner room and was promptly shooed out by the kitten.

When Fei Yan reappeared in front of him, she had transformed into a young woman wearing the orange-yellow ruqun.

She wasn’t quite used to clothing from this era. The outfit felt strange on her body.

But the size was a perfect fit, and the orange color complemented her fair skin and bright eyes.

Perhaps it was for the same reason Chen Miansheng had chosen that color in the first place, but Fei Yan’s cheeks were flushed. As she walked, she kept fiddling with her sleeves and glancing down at herself, clearly worried she hadn’t put it on properly.

Chen Miansheng’s eyes darkened slightly. After a pause, his voice came out a little hoarse: “It suits you.”

Fei Yan blinked and gave a short “Oh,” then, two seconds later, stiffly added, “Thank you.”

Chen Miansheng casually looked away and turned to set dinner on the table. He then repeated the question he had asked when he’d just gotten home: “Why did you suddenly turn back into a cat earlier?”

Fei Yan replied, “I asked Thirteen. As long as I spend just three hours a day in cat form, it probably won’t happen unexpectedly anymore. I didn’t have much to do at home today, so I turned into a cat to pass the time.”

Chen Miansheng’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He caught two key words in her reply: “at home” and “Thirteen.”

The girl now considered his courtyard her home.

That realization filled him with a faint sense of joy. But the name “Thirteen” stuck in his mind.

“Thirteen is…?” he asked.

“It’s the system.”

“System?” Chen Miansheng vaguely remembered hearing that term from Fei Yan before. “Is it the one that’s always been in your mind… the one who’s been keeping you company?”

He deliberately emphasized the word “company,” but Fei Yan’s attention landed on the word “person.” “No, no, it’s just a system, not a person.”

“Not a person?” Even Chen Miansheng didn’t realize his tone had lightened a little. He asked tentatively, “Then… do you like it?”

“Like it?” Fei Yan’s eyes widened like she’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

She could barely stop herself from wanting to punch Thirteen—how could she possibly like the system? “That’s something that could never happen in this lifetime.”

Chen Miansheng almost blurted out, “Then what about me?”

He shut his eyes and forcibly swallowed the flood of thoughts. In a hoarse voice, he only said, “Let’s eat.”

__

The next day.

Fei Yan, for once, woke up early. After breakfast, she followed Chen Miansheng out the door.

This was the first time she had walked through Dongfeng Town in human form.

Noticing the curious stares from passersby, Fei Yan pressed her lips together, instinctively lowered her head, and moved to hide slightly behind Chen Miansheng.

Of course, Chen Miansheng could pick up on these subtle movements.

Quietly, he thought to himself, “The little cat’s afraid of people,” and naturally adjusted his pace so that he was half a step ahead of her. He lowered his voice. “Don’t be afraid.”

For some reason, those simple two words truly calmed Fei Yan.

She responded obediently and, like a little cat, peeked her head out curiously, blinking as she looked around.

Normally, Chen Miansheng was always seen with a cat by his side. Now that he was accompanied by an unfamiliar young woman, it didn’t take long for someone to approach with curiosity.

“Young lady, are you related to Shopkeeper Chen?”

Fei Yan nervously licked her lips. She knew Chen Miansheng couldn’t answer, and she didn’t want him to lose face in public, so she quickly replied, “Hello, I’m a distant relative of his—my name is Fei Yan.”

The person looked suddenly enlightened. “Ah, so you’re family. But I’ve never heard of Shopkeeper Chen having any relatives before.”

Fei Yan’s eyes flicked as she was just about to say, “I’m his cou—”

Before she could finish the word “cousin (sister)”, Chen Miansheng casually interrupted, “Brother Liu, this is my younger cousin.”

Fei Yan’s face froze. She swallowed the rest of the sentence and awkwardly muttered, “…cousin.”

After the man left, Fei Yan deliberately shot a glare at Chen Miansheng and said, annoyed, “Why cousin?”

Chen Miansheng gave her a mischievous smile, the corners of his lips curling up. “You wanted to be my older cousin?”

Fei Yan shot back with confidence, “Why not?”

Chen Miansheng gave her a once-over, then stroked his chin as if seriously considering it. “I mean, it’s not impossible.”

Then he changed his tone, raising his brows playfully. “But with how obviously older I look, would people really believe you?”

Fei Yan: “…”

See? she thought. Chen Miansheng is seriously the most annoying person ever.

__

When the two of them arrived one after the other at the medicine hall, it was clear that Gu Wu had already coordinated with Chen Miansheng and acted as if he didn’t recognize Fei Yan at all. He stepped forward and said politely:

“Miss Fei, you must be tired from your journey. I’m an assistant hired by the shopkeeper. You can call me Gu Wu. That over there is Ah Chu.”

Ah Chu was visibly stunned when he saw Fei Yan. It took a few seconds before he followed Gu Wu’s lead and said, “Hello, Miss Fei.”

Fei Yan raised an eyebrow. She thought to herself, Gu Wu’s acting is actually pretty good.

When she felt Chen Miansheng’s gaze, she cleared her throat and spoke seriously:

“Hello. Just call me Fei Yan. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

After a brief pause, Chen Miansheng added at the right moment, “Alright. Everyone, back to work.”

Fei Yan turned to him and blinked a few times before asking in a small voice, “What about me?”

Chen Miansheng smiled. “What do you think?”

Fei Yan immediately understood—he meant for her to act just as she had when she was still a cat in the medicine hall. So she pointed at the rows of medicine drawers. “I can take herbs from there, right?”

Chen Miansheng raised a brow: “When did you ever hold back before?”

Fei Yan beamed and happily ran toward the drawers.

Back when she was still in her cat body, she had explored those herbs often, but the limitations of her cat form had been frustrating. Now that she was back in human form, everything felt completely different.

Fei Yan restrained her restless hands and only opened the drawers gently, waving her hand lightly above them to catch the scent. She couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes.

Ah Chu saw her heading straight toward the rare and expensive medicinal herbs, and was immediately reminded of the time the orange cat first arrived and did the exact same thing.

He hesitated, wanting to say something, but was stopped by a glance from Chen Miansheng.

Since even the shopkeeper had signaled as much, Ah Chu turned away and went back to grinding herbs, pretending not to see anything.

Chen Miansheng walked slowly over to Fei Yan, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched her delight.

No wonder the little cat ran straight for the drawers that first day, he thought. She really does love these herbs.

He lowered his voice and asked gently, “Were you a doctor before?”

Fei Yan nodded, pointing to the herb drawers. “Something like that. I’m really good at this, so you don’t need to worry.”

Before she came to this world, she had been her mentor’s most prized student, had participated in numerous projects, and in the meritocratic world of medicine, many people older than her had no choice but to respectfully call her senior.

Right now, Fei Yan lifted her chin slightly, wearing a dead-serious expression. Chen Miansheng just thought she looked incredibly adorable, so he chuckled and played along:

“Mm. Little Orange is very good at what she does.”

To his surprise, Fei Yan’s face became even more serious. She didn’t even react to him calling her “Little Orange.” Instead, she stared at him and repeated firmly:

“I really am very good at it.”

Chen Miansheng was momentarily stunned.

In that moment, he understood what she hadn’t said out loud—I can cure you.

So he lowered his gaze, his expression softening, and echoed:

“Mm. I know Little Orange is very good.”

That’s why I believe you can heal me.

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