"Young master, someone from the Pei family sent this to you, inviting you to the theater tomorrow morning." Lianxin handed over an invitation card and a theater ticket.

It detailed the time, location, and the play to be performed.

It’s the recently popular "Baochai Chronicles" in Dongshan, telling the story of a former dynasty princess who falls on hard times among commoners and is saved by a scholar.

Ultimately, it’s a tale of the princess’s misplaced affections and the scholar’s ingratitude.

A precious hairpin serves as their token of love but also as the instrument of doom.

This play is imbued with a strong sense of fatalism. The former dynasty princess, inevitably ending in tragedy, with the scholar meeting a similarly miserable fate.

It’s a good story, but such stories don’t hold much appeal for Lin Miao because he’s heard and seen too many.

But for the people of this world, with limited entertainment options, once it was staged, it was nearly always a full house.

Tickets were hard to come by.

He might not be interested, but he seemed to have forgotten about the women at home; they usually didn’t have a good place for recreation.

Following him, they had no worries about food or drink, but the mental and cultural needs couldn’t be ignored either.

When it’s time to relax, one must relax.

"Lianxin, can you still get tickets for tomorrow’s play? Help me get a few more. The price doesn’t matter. Tomorrow I’ll take you all to the theater."

"Young master, are you serious?" Lianxin’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Of course, also, you don’t always have to be by my side. If there’s something you want to do, go ahead. You are my women, not my dependents. In these decades ahead, I hope you can find something you enjoy doing and live happily," Lin Miao said seriously.

"Thank you, young master." Lianxin couldn’t help but feel joyous at his words. In the Yue, men typically treated women as their possessions, vassals. No matter how capable a woman was, she had to obey her husband.

In Da Li, though there weren’t such strict rules, men’s status was far above women’s, especially within the family.

Therefore, although they had all reached the Meridian Passage Realm, the sisters naturally treated themselves as concubines when the Snow Mountain Sect sent them to Lin Miao, serving him wholeheartedly, and sometimes even trying to please him.

In Lin Miao’s eyes, apart from the senior sister, the other women were the same, only with different roles in the household.

Since they became bedfellows, they were lovers, family, and future mothers of children. He wouldn’t lack any of the care and affection they deserved.

...

In the evening, Sun Youwei brought a late-night snack.

This task, as long as Sun Youwei wanted to do it, no one could overstep.

"Junior brother, I heard you’re taking a few of us to the theater tomorrow?" Sun Youwei set down the tray and placed the white porcelain cup in front of Lin Miao.

"What’s for tonight?"

"Goji berry, longan, and red date soup," Sun Youwei replied with a sweet smile. "Drink it while it’s hot. I’ve simmered it for nearly two hours."

"Does my body really need this much nourishment?" Lin Miao smiled, "Tomorrow, just make me a bowl of wontons or sesame dumplings."

"If junior brother wants sesame dumplings, I’ll make them for you tomorrow."

"Are you very free these days, senior sister?"

"Not at all, Yongning Hall is packed with patients every day. Even with Xia Zhu and me, it’s still not enough, so we’ve had to limit numbers."

"Is Miss Xu Qixi from the Xu Family helping every day?"

"You know, Xu Qixi’s feelings for you. Can’t you see it?" Sun Youwei shot Lin Miao a glance. How did her junior brother attract so many women? He already had quite a few around him.

Lin Miao gave a wry smile, "Senior sister, I haven’t led her on, nor said anything inappropriate to her."

"I know, but how do you plan to handle it? You can’t let Xu Qixi keep helping at Yongning Hall indefinitely. This girl has already qualified as a pharmacist, and in the pharmacy, her skills surpass Xia Zhu’s in every aspect – prescribing, identifying herbs, she’s spot-on every time."

"Are you paying her a salary?"

"She’s not there every day, and even the consultations don’t bring much money. Now that she’s basically there every day at Yongning Hall, I wanted to set a pay standard, but she’s from the Xu Family. If she’s working at our Yongning Hall and still getting paid, if word gets out..." This was also Sun Youwei’s dilemma. She’s the owner of Yongning Hall now, so she had to consider it.

"I need to find an opportunity to discuss it with Xu An."

"How will you discuss it? Have you thought it through?" Sun Youwei asked.

"Senior sister, do you have any good suggestions?" Lin Miao was also troubled. He could guess some of the Xu Family’s intentions.

But some things, pretending not to know, muddling through, could continue. Once made clear, you’d have to address it definitively.

Although the Xu Family is a reputable family in medicine locally in Dongshan, they currently don’t have anyone in the officialdom.

That’s where the Xu Family falls short compared to the Ye Family; the Xu Family doesn’t have strong connections in politics, even if they once did have some glory, times have changed.

The decline of the Xu Family is an undeniable fact, and if the Ye Family were to encounter Lin Miao, their momentum would be cut in half.

Now, the Ye Family is probably the foremost family in Dongshan Prefecture’s medical community.

The Ye Family may have lost a genius, Ye Xizhao, but their foundation remains, thanks to the relationship between Ye Shengyuan and Marquis Lingyang’s Mansion.

The progress of the Ye Family has only slowed down.

As long as the Ye Family doesn’t target him, Lin Miao is also too lazy to trouble them; otherwise, it would make him seem less generous.

After all, it’s difficult to establish a reputation, but easy to destroy.

If the Ye Family comes openly, he’ll respond openly; if they come covertly, he isn’t afraid, adhering to this principle.

In Dongshan, the Xu Family has the closest relationship with him; from the beginning, when he settled in Dongshan, they helped him immensely—one should consider gratitude.

Of course, he does his best to repay the Xu Family.

For instance, Xu Qixi can attend his small lectures anytime, and he doesn’t stop her from taking notes back home; not to mention Mr. Xu An.

The Xu Family’s Baoan Hall pharmacy also sells some patented medicines developed by Lin Miao’s side. He even gifts them some formulas and manufacturing methods directly.

Collaborating with the Xu Family to produce patented medicines, the Xu Family can make and sell these themselves without even collecting patent fees.

Some popular medicines in the market are only available at Yongning Hall and the Xu Family’s Baoan Hall.

"Is there a possibility that the Xu Family might be willing to have Qixi become your concubine?" Sun Youwei asked, blinking her beautiful eyes.

Lin Miao shook his head, "Xu Qixi has high talent and has received the true teachings of Mr. An; the Xu Family never intended for her to marry from the start. Such a situation is impossible."

"Nothing is impossible. Xu Qixi is so outstanding; the person suitable for her must be equally excellent. And such an outstanding man would only agree to be a son-in-law out of true love for Xu Qixi," Sun Youwei said.

"Am I not one?" Lin Miao replied.

"My father is gone, and you as the son-in-law are still considered his disciple. Moreover, when we get married later, I’ll be your wife in the Lin Family, rather than you as a son-in-law in the Sun Family."

Lin Miao knew that Sun Youwei’s situation was incomparable to Xu Qixi’s, and besides, he had already turned the relationship around now.

The relationship between him and Sun Youwei, it could be said that he took her as a wife, which is perfectly reasonable, yet saying he married into the Sun Family isn’t out of line either.

After all, the current family name is "Lin" and not "Sun."

Of course, Lin Miao promised Sun Youwei that the firstborn male child she has would carry the Sun surname to inherit the Sun Family’s lineage.

"Well, let’s hear what the Xu Family thinks first," Lin Miao pondered.

"Junior Brother, does the court have any regulations about officials taking concubines?"

"There are such regulations, but these are just overt ones. In reality, as long as one has the wealth and skills, no one abides by these regulations."

"However, concubines recognized by the court can receive official titles. If they are bestowed, their children have preference," Sun Youwei said, "You are currently ranked sixth. According to court regulations, you can take one wife and one concubine."

"Senior Sister, are you planning to find me a concubine?"

"Qixi can help you, and she admires you. The Xu Family might find it awkward to bring this up, so this matter must be proposed by us."

"Senior Sister, where’s your mind going? I don’t have such thoughts for Xu Qixi, besides, she’s still young," Lin Miao hurriedly explained.

"Shi Yin is also young, yet you set her status early on."

"Shi Yin is different, and besides, I won’t take her as a concubine now; I’ll wait at least two more years. And if she finds someone she likes, I don’t mind letting her go free," Lin Miao said.

"Junior Brother, is that how you think?"

"Yes, I already have you all. One shouldn’t be too greedy as a person. Even if I like someone more, I must exercise restraint. Aren’t you always worried about my health?" When it comes to women, Lin Miao felt he had enough—each of his senior sisters is beautiful and captivating; what more could he desire?

Of course, he isn’t the kind of man to stick to old-fashioned ideas. If he meets someone he truly likes who also favors him, he would have no stress accepting them.

He liked Xu Qixi, but it was more from an admiration perspective, not yet reaching the level of affection between men and women. As for young ladies, although she is an embryonic beauty, she’s not fully mature yet. Even if he truly accepted her, he would wait two more years.

"Actually, having Xu Qixi join our family wouldn’t be bad. At least, there’d be someone to share common interests with me, and we’d have many things to talk about. She always calls me Youwei, and I’d like to have such a sister," Sun Youwei said.

"Senior Sister, are you serious?"

"If not, then how will you resolve it? Will you directly tell Xu Jiaming to let Xu Qixi not come here anymore and stop helping at Yongning Hall?" Sun Youwei said, "If you really don’t have such intentions, then why has she been coming here to help? If she is suddenly made to leave, I’m afraid that you’ll be known as an ungrateful person."

Lin Miao was a bit stunned, realizing he didn’t know Sun Youwei as well anymore. Has Senior Sister matured, or has she changed?

"Qixi can help me, in case I’m unable to handle things alone with you..." Sun Youwei’s cheeks reddened like blood as she spoke.

Lin Miao froze; how did this proper conversation suddenly turn improper?