I’m Going Back to Become Human Again

Given Chen Miansheng’s current physical condition, Fei Yan prescribed him a new set of medicine.

She asked Ah Chu for mulberry paper and a steelyard scale, then carefully packaged several doses of medicine.

Ah Chu, watching from the side, was stunned. He leaned toward Gu Wu, gave him a nudge with his elbow, and whispered:

“Brother Gu, turns out the shopkeeper’s cousin from the main family is this impressive? She even knows medicine?”

Chen Miansheng had never mentioned Fei Yan’s medical knowledge to Gu Wu.

But thinking back to the little orange cat’s past behavior in the medicine hall, along with how patients and Chen Miansheng himself inexplicably got better after visiting, it wasn’t hard for Gu Wu to put two and two together.

Still, at the end of the day, Ah Chu was just a hired assistant Chen Miansheng had randomly picked up in Dongfeng Town. There was no need for him to know too much:

“She’s the shopkeeper’s kin. How would I know? If you’re really that curious, why don’t you go ask her yourself?”

Of course, Ah Chu didn’t have the guts. He shrank back and quietly returned to grinding the herbs.

Meanwhile, after Fei Yan finished preparing the medicine, she found herself with nothing to do.

Bored, she wandered around the medicine hall, peering here and there until her attention landed on the reeds hanging on the wall.

She hadn’t forgotten the experience from that night in the side street. The words that old woman had said still lingered in her heart.

She couldn’t help wondering how the old woman and the sickly elder she’d mentioned were doing now.

Back then, limited by her cat form, Fei Yan hadn’t been able to go herself.

Nor did she know how to explain things to Chen Miansheng in a way that would convince him to help the family.

Now that she finally had free time, and still worried about the illness the old woman had mentioned, Fei Yan decided she might as well act. She walked over to Chen Miansheng, lightly poked the corner of his sleeve with her pale fingertip, and spoke softly:

“Chen Miansheng, can I discuss something with you?”

She hadn’t used any strength—her little poke was like a kitten tickling someone. Chen Miansheng smiled and looked up from his book: “Hm?”

Fei Yan said, “Do you still remember that old woman from the side street? The one selling reeds?”

Chen Miansheng paused, then quickly recalled the person in question. “I remember.”

Fei Yan continued, “That day I heard her mention there’s someone sick in her household. I was thinking, since we have some free time today, maybe we could go ask around for her address and pay a visit.”

To her surprise, Chen Miansheng smiled after hearing this, his lips curving in amusement.

Fei Yan blinked. “What are you smiling at?”

“Nothing,” he said, propping his chin in one hand and lifting his eyes to hers. “I just didn’t expect Little Orange to remember something from so long ago.”

Fei Yan was just about to respond when he added, “You don’t need to worry about the old woman. After that day, I asked Xiao Wu to make arrangements for them.”

Fei Yan froze. “Huh?”

So Chen Miansheng explained what he had done that evening.

After a short pause, he added:

“It turned out the situation wasn’t so simple. After getting the old woman’s consent, Xiao Wu had them taken to a better medical clinic in Yun County. The illness has mostly been treated now.”

He had assumed Fei Yan would be happy to hear the truth. But strangely, the more he spoke, the more her brows drew together in a tight frown.

Sensing something was off, Chen Miansheng fell silent for a moment and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

Fei Yan pressed her lips together. Her hands at her sides clenched slightly. After a long hesitation, she finally voiced the question that had weighed on her heart for a long, long time.

“Chen Miansheng… have I ever asked you who you really are?”

You’re supposedly just the shopkeeper of a small-town medicine hall in the middle of nowhere— 

But your bearing and speech don’t match the people here at all.

Your living conditions, your food and clothing, everything is completely out of step with the townsfolk.

There were also the rare and expensive herbs in this pharmacy…

The jade pendant engraved with the character Sheng you once gave to Gu Wu…

And that woman, Chen Bingwan, who came all the way to Dongfeng Town looking for you…

There were simply too many suspicious points—so many that Fei Yan found it hard not to question who Chen Miansheng truly was.

Chen Miansheng was momentarily taken aback.

Fei Yan had asked her question very casually. She didn’t even look at him as she spoke, her gaze just wandering around the medicine hall, as if it were an offhanded remark.

But Chen Miansheng knew all too well that this wasn’t something he could brush off with a simple “I’m Chen Miansheng.”

He opened his mouth but said nothing. After a moment of silence, he gave a quiet chuckle and only said, “What made you suddenly ask that?”

“Because I told you who I am, where I’m from, what my identity is,” Fei Yan replied, pausing for two seconds before finally lifting her eyes to look at him. “But it feels like you’ve never given me the same chance—to learn about you.”

Hearing that, Chen Miansheng’s eyes darkened slightly.

All around them, other people’s voices still rose and fell in conversation, yet a strange stillness seemed to settle between them—as if time itself had frozen the moment Fei Yan’s words left her mouth.

After what felt like a long while, Fei Yan finally looked away and straightened her posture as if nothing had happened.

“Sorry, that was thoughtless of me. I guess I don’t really have the right to ask you that…”

If this were the modern times, after all, she and Chen Miansheng were just landlord and tenant. Not to mention, she hadn’t even paid rent.

Thinking of it that way, she realized she really had no business asking such a personal question so directly.

Just as she was about to finish the last syllable of her sentence, Chen Miansheng softly spoke.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just that…” he paused, then seemed to remember something and let out a wry chuckle, his tone tinged with helplessness.

“Fei Yan, just like you, I have… certain things I can’t control. So for now, I might not be able to tell you the things you want to know.”

“But I can promise you this: if the opportunity ever comes, and I’m able to tell you—I’ll tell you everything, without holding anything back. Okay?”

For some reason, as Chen Miansheng said those words, Fei Yan was reminded of the day she was still the little orange cat, the day she first found his prescription notes in the study.

That day, he’d stood behind her, and the expression on his face had been exactly the same as now.

It was that same mysterious, hard-to-decipher look.

Fei Yan suddenly felt a wave of irritation, though she knew she shouldn’t be feeling this way.

Chen Miansheng’s gaze was still fixed on her face. Fei Yan exhaled and mumbled a dull “Oh”—“Then I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll head back first.”

She turned to leave, but just as she was about to step away, she felt a gentle tug on her sleeve.

Fei Yan turned her head.

She saw Chen Miansheng with slightly softened eyes, the corners of his lips faintly curved. His warm and elegant face held the barest trace of a coaxing expression.

She heard him ask softly, “Fei Yan, would you like to go out for a walk?”

Chen Miansheng ended up taking Fei Yan to the only bookstore in Dongfeng Town.

But it wasn’t for himself—he led her straight to the shelf of medical books as soon as they walked in.

Fei Yan’s moods always came and went quickly.

Sure enough, the moment she saw the medical books, she couldn’t tear herself away.

True, she had already read many medical books in the modern times.

But being able to access and study texts from this particular era was far more valuable to her right now.

She picked out several volumes right away. If not for the fact that the money being spent was Chen Miansheng’s—and that books in this time period were much thicker and heavier than modern ones—she might have emptied the entire shelf.

Chen Miansheng followed behind her the whole time. Seeing that she hadn’t picked out that many, he raised his brows in mild surprise. “That’s all?”

Fei Yan nodded, replying quietly, “Any more and I won’t be able to carry them.”

Glancing at the few volumes in her hands, Chen Miansheng gave a gentle smile. “It’s only a few. I can carry them.”

To his surprise, Fei Yan widened her eyes and stared at him like he’d just said something outrageous. “How could I let you carry them?”

She had no interest in bossing around a sickly person.

Even if that “sickly” body had improved almost to the level of a normal person under her care.

Chen Miansheng’s brow lifted slightly. After a few seconds, he finally understood what she meant.

He quickly caught up to her and chuckled in a low voice. “I really can carry them.”

Fei Yan blurted out without thinking: “You can’t.”

Silence fell instantly.

The moment the words left her mouth, both of them froze.

Several seconds passed before Fei Yan swallowed hard and cautiously glanced up at him.

What had she just said?

She said—Chen Miansheng… can’t?

Chen Miansheng’s gentle gaze still lingered on her face, the long corners of his eyes lifting slightly.

His lips moved as if he were about to speak, the words right on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing this, Fei Yan had a sudden impulse—without thinking, she shoved the books she was holding into his hands and turned on her heel to walk out of the bookstore.

“I was wrong. You’re totally capable. Just take them if you want.”

When the books were first handed to him, Chen Miansheng didn’t quite react right away.

Holding the books, a flicker of surprise flashed in his dark eyes.

After a moment of silence, Chen Miansheng tilted his head to look at Fei Yan’s retreating figure, who didn’t look back once.

Recalling her reaction and the things she had just said, he suddenly raised his free hand to press against his forehead—and let out a quiet laugh.

After returning from the bookstore to the Tong Yao Hall, it wasn’t long before closing time arrived.

As usual, Gu Wu intended to accompany Chen Miansheng back to the courtyard, and he casually picked up the medical books they’d just bought.

But before he could even step out of the medicine hall, Chen Miansheng took the books from his arms.

“Xiao Wu, just head straight home. From now on, you don’t need to come with me anymore.”

Gu Wu froze for a moment upon hearing this. His confused gaze lingered on Fei Yan—who had no idea what was going on—before he realized that now that Chen Miansheng had Fei Yan, he didn’t need him anymore.

Back when they first arrived in Dongfeng Town, Chen Miansheng’s condition had been far worse than it was now.

But he’d been incredibly stubborn, insisting he wouldn’t live with Gu Wu no matter what.

On the way back from the medicine hall to the courtyard,  it wasn’t unusual for Chen Miansheng to collapse from coughing fits and lose consciousness. That’s why Gu Wu started escorting him back each time.

Now that Chen Miansheng had mostly recovered, and with Fei Yan around, there was no longer any worry about something happening on the way home.

Besides, since it was Chen Miansheng himself who made the request, Gu Wu had no choice but to accept.

He stared longingly at the books for a moment, then slowly and respectfully gave a bow.

“Very well. Take care, young master. I’ll take my leave.”

The medicine hall closed early that day, and on their way back to the courtyard, they saw that Butcher Wu still hadn’t packed up his stall.

Chen Miansheng glanced over and lowered his voice. “We’re running low on meat at home. Let’s buy some and stock up.”

Fei Yan didn’t realize just how subtle and ambiguous that word “home” had become now that she was human again.

She was no longer feeling awkward or embarrassed and simply nodded in response.

Dongfeng Town wasn’t big, and the locals loved to gossip over meals and tea.

So the news that the sick and deaf Shopkeeper Chen had a beautiful distant relative staying with him spread across town within half a day.

When the two approached, Butcher Wu’s eyes lit up. He broke into a simple, hearty smile: “This must be Shopkeeper Chen’s relative, right?”

Fei Yan nodded, her expression calm and composed, as though it were truly her first time meeting Butcher Wu. “Hello.”

Butcher Wu grinned. “Oh, any relative of Shopkeeper Chen is a friend of mine! No need to be so formal, miss. So—you’re here to buy meat today, right?”

Fei Yan responded with a soft “Mm” and pointed to the pork belly, spare ribs, and lamb chops. “Half a jin of each, please.”

“Got it.” Butcher Wu responded casually as he expertly cut the meat.

“I remember back when Shopkeeper Chen used to bring that little orange cat here, he’d often buy the same cuts. Such a well-behaved little thing. It’s a shame she’s just gone missing.”

Fei Yan’s expression froze momentarily before she quickly collected herself and played along.

“Yeah, my cousin told me about that cat. Obedient and clever—truly a rare one. It’s a real shame it suddenly went missing.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Miansheng, standing behind her, couldn’t hold back a quiet chuckle.

Fei Yan’s ears instantly turned red.

How could she have forgotten that Chen Miansheng could hear now?

To boast about herself like that in front of him… she really was asking for shame.

Unaware that Chen Miansheng was no longer deaf, Butcher Wu shot him a puzzled look when he heard the laugh. Thinking he’d just remembered something funny, he handed the meat to Fei Yan.

“But cats know their way home. And your cousin’s cat was so smart—who knows, maybe one day it’ll find its way back.”

Then he quickly calculated the price in his head. “That’ll be fifty-two wen.”

Fei Yan didn’t have any money on her, so she turned to Chen Miansheng and blinked a few times, making a hand gesture for “fifty-two.”

Chen Miansheng understood, paid the butcher, and naturally took the meat from Fei Yan’s hands, thanking the butcher as he did.

Worried that he might not be able to manage carrying both the books and the meat, Fei Yan quickly stepped forward, hoping to help lighten the load.

But Chen Miansheng seemed to guess what she was thinking. He leaned slightly toward her, coming a little closer.

With a teasing glint in his eyes, he said softly, “Let me carry it. We’re outside right now—how about letting me save some face, Little Orange?”

Oh. Chen Miansheng was a man, and men had their pride.

If she took things out of his hands in front of so many people, even if he looked frail and sickly, who knew how others would perceive him?

Still…

Fei Yan lowered her head, nervously pressed her lips together, and felt her heart skip a beat.

There was just something… off about the way he said that.

In the end, she didn’t argue and obediently followed behind him, though her mind drifted to another matter.

Back when she was still a cat, she had no way to make money and had to rely on Chen Miansheng for everything.

But now that she was human again, even if she could stay at his house unconditionally, she’d need money for daily expenses. She couldn’t possibly keep asking him for it every time, right?

No—she needed to find a way to earn her own money.

But for now, she couldn’t think of a good method. With a sigh, she pushed the issue to the back of her mind.

After returning to the courtyard, she set up a pot and tossed in the freshly picked herbs to begin decocting the medicine.

She had to admit, ever since turning back into a human, life had become much more convenient in every way.

Soon, she handed the prepared medicine to Chen Miansheng, and after a moment’s thought, added a bowl of cold water.

Seeing the unfamiliar combo, Chen Miansheng raised an eyebrow. “I’m supposed to drink the water too?”

Fei Yan replied, “Not necessarily. I changed your prescription—this one might taste a bit bitter. If you can’t take it, drink some water with it. It might help.”

Chen Miansheng suddenly understood. He curved his eyes slightly and chuckled. “It’s fine. In the past, I’ve taken far more bitter medicine for this illness.”

With that, he downed the bowl in one go without even flinching.

Yet somehow, those words, paired with Chen Miansheng’s calm and composed expression, left Fei Yan with a strange tightness in her chest.

Silently, she took the bowl back. When she saw that he was about to start preparing dinner, she quickly stopped him. “It’s fine. Go rest. I’ll cook.”

Chen Miansheng looked a little surprised. “You know how to cook?”

Fei Yan shot him a look. “Better than you, at least.”

Back in the day, aside from studying medicine, one of her favorite pastimes had been learning how to cook.

Though she wasn’t a professional chef, compared to Chen Miansheng—whose culinary skills were barely enough to make sure food was edible—she certainly had the right to say that.

Thinking of his own cooking, Chen Miansheng gave a small laugh and didn’t argue. “Then I’ll trouble you.”

Fei Yan “shooed” him out of the kitchen and stood before the meat she’d just bought, thinking for a moment before deciding on twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots and a lettuce-pork soup.

Both dishes were relatively simple, and Fei Yan didn’t take long to finish them.

She had been a bit too confident earlier, and it wasn’t until Chen Miansheng picked up a piece of meat that she began to feel nervous.

Fei Yan stared intently as he put a piece of twice-cooked pork in his mouth. Then she quickly averted her eyes, trying to sound casual as she asked, “So? How’s the taste?”

Chen Miansheng’s eyes curved slightly with a smile, and he didn’t hesitate to praise her. “Delicious.”

Fei Yan let out a silent breath of relief, though she still said awkwardly, “You don’t have to spare my feelings. I haven’t cooked in a while. It’d be normal if it didn’t turn out well.”

But Chen Miansheng could easily hear what she really meant. The corners of his eyes lifted further as he smiled. “I’m not lying. It’s really good.”

Watching him pick up several more bites in quick succession, clearly enjoying himself, Fei Yan finally relaxed completely.

“…Well, as long as it tastes good.”

After eating, they moved on to the usual silver needle procedure.

Once she finished everything, they said their goodnights as usual. Fei Yan carried the silver needles back into the inner room, transformed back into her cat form, and settled in to let Thirteen recharge its energy.

The next morning.

Warm sunlight spilled over Fei Yan. She instinctively rubbed her eyes and caught the familiar scent of cool pinewood in the air. It was so pleasant that she unconsciously leaned in and sniffed again.

Hm? Why was the scent so strong today?

Just as she was wondering about it, Fei Yan slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at Chen Miansheng’s peaceful sleeping face. She blinked a few times in confusion.

No wonder. He was right next to her. It’d be weird not to smell like him.

Wait a minute.

Chen Miansheng was… sleeping next to her?!

Realizing what was happening, Fei Yan quickly looked down and, seeing her familiar orange cat paws, breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Thank goodness—she hadn’t turned back into a human.

No—wait. Thank goodness, what?!

She had gone to bed in the inner room last night. So why had she woken up in the study?

Just then, Chen Miansheng’s thick lashes fluttered slightly.

Fei Yan’s heart jumped in alarm. Before she could make a run for it, her gaze suddenly met his deep black eyes.

When he saw the orange cat in front of him, a flicker of surprise crossed Chen Miansheng’s eyes. He frowned slightly.  “Little Orange?”

Fei Yan: “…”

She instinctively tried to back away, but the edge of the bed was right behind her. The moment she stepped back, her paw slipped, and she almost tumbled to the floor.

Luckily, Chen Miansheng was quick to react. He reached out, grabbed her scruff, and lifted her back up before she could fall. Only then was she “spared from disaster.”

Before she could even sigh in relief, his voice came gently from above. “Why are you sleeping over here with me?”

Fei Yan: “…”

She would’ve rather not been rescued by him.

Perhaps he sensed her intent to flee again, because he didn’t let go of her scruff. Instead, with his other hand, he lightly touched her ear and asked softly:

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

There was something disarmingly fatal about having one’s scruff held like that.

Fei Yan nearly melted on the spot. If she hadn’t remembered that Chen Miansheng could now hear her, she might’ve let out a few helpless little whimpers.

She subconsciously twitched her big, fluffy tail and whispered a weak defense. “I wasn’t trying to run.”

Even as she said that, her hind legs scooted back another two steps.

Chen Miansheng didn’t call her out on it. Instead, he found her behavior even more adorable. “So how’d you end up in the study?”

Fei Yan was just as confused. She didn’t know—who else could she ask?

“Sleepwalking, maybe.” She wrinkled her nose awkwardly, then raised her tail high and reached toward his hand. “Let go. I need to go change back.”

Chen Miansheng froze for a moment.

The little cat was going to turn back into a human.

He clearly remembered the sight of her lying on the bed the first time she transformed. A certain image flashed unbidden through his mind.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and his grip loosened without realizing it.

Fei Yan seized the opportunity and darted out of his hand.

Just before making her escape, she made sure to flick her tail lightly across the back of his hand.

Stupid pervert.

He knew she was a human, and he still kept grabbing her by the scruff.

She gave a silent “ptui” in her head.

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