That wasn’t even the most important thing. The most crucial part was the other medicine Yun Ying was holding—the one that could save her life. If Juhua had known this, she probably would have rallied the entire village to chase after her, to capture that jealous, wretched girl even if it killed them.

But in this world, there are no "what ifs."

Juhua’s heart felt heavy, as if she had missed something crucial. She sighed quietly, then washed and steamed a few sausages.

Qingmu had called Zhang Huai over to taste the sausages so they could then go negotiate a price with the Chen Family.

By the time she finished cooking, Qingmu and Zhang Huai had returned. Unsurprisingly, they hadn’t seen the girl on horseback; she had long since vanished without a trace. When they asked the villagers, they said her horse had bolted out of the village like a gust of wind. By the time they gave chase, all they saw was a cloud of dust.

As they were talking, Mother Yang and Zheng Changhe returned from the wheat fields.

When they asked about what had just happened, Juhua recounted the entire story in detail: how Yun Ying had shown up, how strangely she had behaved, and how she had stormed off in a rage.

She figured that two heads were better than one. With another person to analyze the situation, they might be able to spot a problem she had missed.

Mother Yang asked in bewilderment, "We’re just a family of farmers. What could we possibly have that she’d want?" Her mind just couldn’t wrap around such convoluted matters.

Zheng Changhe was even more baffled. He didn’t see the big deal; the girl hadn’t done anything wrong. Juhua herself had said she was a young woman, so it was only natural for her to be a little nervous.

Juhua was speechless. She gave up on getting any useful insight from them and turned her gaze to Zhang Huai and Qingmu.

Qingmu pondered for a moment before saying, "There’s definitely something wrong. She came to visit you on someone’s behalf, which should have been a simple task. But her flustered and strange behavior makes it not so simple. However, she didn’t do anything here at our house. I think the problem probably lies with Doctor Qin."

Juhua said sullenly, "I thought so too. That’s why I didn’t even dare to send him the scorched rice. Still, I can’t shake this awful feeling."

Seeing Juhua frown, Zhang Huai’s heart twisted into a knot. Perhaps because he cared for her so deeply, he could feel her heavy heart and sense of loss as if they were his own, as if this matter affected him personally.

He thought about it carefully, then said to Juhua, "I don’t think it’s about Doctor Qin. If it were about him, why would she come all this way to our home? I think Doctor Qin must have asked her to bring you something, and she kept it for herself. That’s why she was so flustered and scared when she saw you."

Hearing this, a flash of insight struck Juhua. She remembered how she had tried to bluff the girl, asking if Qin Feng had entrusted her with anything to bring. The girl had immediately flown into a rage, shouting, "What would he bring you? What do you want him to bring you? If you want something, go find him yourself!"

She shot to her feet and said in alarm, "That must be it! Oh! I’m so stupid! When I asked her if Doctor Qin had sent anything, she got angry. She flew into a rage."

Seeing her panic, Mother Yang quickly asked, "What would Doctor Qin have sent with her? It couldn’t have been silver, could it? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten so greedy."

Before Juhua could answer, Qingmu also shot to his feet, his expression turning grim. "It’s not money. Why would Doctor Qin send us money? It must be the medicine to treat Juhua’s face. Madam Qin is a good person, and he’s always been concerned about this."

Now even Mother Yang and Zheng Changhe thought it made sense. They were instantly filled with shock and fury—to them, that medicine was far more important than any money.

But Juhua shook her head. "I don’t think it’s the medicine for my face. You didn’t see that girl. She’s stunningly beautiful, even more so than Liu’er. What would she want with that medicine?"

Her reasoning was sound, but she and her family had failed to account for one thing: the cause of this whole affair was a matter of the heart.

From time immemorial, whenever that emotion becomes involved, the impossible can become possible, and the rational can become absurd. It is something that can never be measured by common sense. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Since they couldn’t guess Yun Ying’s motive for taking the item, they couldn’t figure out what Qin Feng had sent with her, either. After a few more wild guesses, the family dropped the subject for the time being.

Zhang Huai kept mulling it over. As they sat down to eat, he said to Qingmu, "Why don’t we make a trip to Xiatang Market this afternoon? For one, we can see if that girl has left the market yet. For another, we can take the opportunity to talk business with Qinghui Restaurant."

He could sense Juhua’s unease and couldn’t let the matter rest.

Qingmu nodded. "Alright. We have to go to the market to talk business anyway. We can just be upfront with our teacher and ask for leave. He’ll only be supportive."

Juhua tried her best to shake off her bad feelings and brought the food to the table. There were three flavors of sausage alone, along with some newly pickled spicy cabbage for everyone to taste.

Yes, to taste!

These sausages were a new recipe, and the spicy cabbage had also been seasoned differently for a new flavor profile. Both were meticulously crafted by Juhua to be sold at Qinghui Restaurant. She was counting on them to pave her family’s path to wealth, a far cry from the everyday meals made simply to fill their stomachs.

The family sat down at the table. They didn’t wolf down their food as usual, because Juhua had asked them to describe how the dishes tasted. To do that, they had to chew carefully and savor the flavors, didn’t they?

But Juhua was doomed to be disappointed. It was simply too much to ask her parents to describe the characteristics of the food. Apart from "savory," "spicy," and "sweet," they had no other words—and since those were precisely the three flavors of sausage, their comments were hardly necessary.

Qingmu and Zhang Huai, having read a few books, had a slightly better vocabulary for their reviews.

Qingmu picked up a piece of the savory sausage, chewed it thoughtfully, and said, "Compared to braised pork belly or steamed pork with rice flour, this cured sausage is more flavorful and goes well with rice. Rich people would definitely love this. But for people like us, who don’t get to eat meat often, we prefer heavier dishes like braised pork belly and steamed pork. If meat is just cured and eaten like this, it doesn’t quite satisfy a real craving."

Juhua nodded with a smile. She could tell her brother had really thought about his words and had hit the nail on the head.