TMBIABHL: Chapter 53

 Glossary

·Ye Chutang (叶初棠): Female protagonist. Heir to an ancient medical family.

·Little Five / Xiao Wu (小五): The youngest Ye sister, approximately 4 years old.

·Lady Gao (高氏): Ye Heng's wife.

·Ye Shixian (叶诗娴): Ye Heng's daughter.

·Ye Heng (叶恆): Ye Chutang's second uncle. Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

·Xu Fengchi (徐凤池): The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief in the capital. A close friend of Ye Chutang's father.

·Xu Rongqing (徐容卿): Xu Fengchi's son. A childhood friend of the Ye siblings.

·Ye Jingyan (叶璟言): Third Brother. Also called A-Yan.

·Ye Yunfeng (叶云风): Fourth Brother. Also called A-Feng.

·Physician Zhang (张太医): An imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital.

·Shen Yanchuan (沈延川): The Marquis of Dingbei.

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Chapter 53: Country Bumpkins

Little Five curiously craned her neck to look. The bowl of Sichuan fritillary bulb and snow pear soup was clear and sweet-smelling, appearing completely fine.

Ye Chutang tapped her little head.

"If you drink this, you'll have a stomachache later."

Little Five immediately took a step back, covered her little belly, and shook her head vigorously.

—No, no! Every time she felt unwell, Big Sister had to take care of her. She didn't want to get sick!

Ye Chutang stood up and poured the contents into a potted plant by the window.

It seemed someone thought tonight's spectacle wasn't exciting enough and wanted to perform personally.

Hmm… She wasn't opposed to obliging.

...

Guests arrived one after another. Ye Shixian, now fully dressed and made up, entered the banquet hall with Lady Gao.

Seeing her arrival, many eyes turned her way.

Ye Shixian wore a light jade-green skirt embroidered with silver, complementing the jade hairpin in her hair, making her slender figure and bright, beautiful features stand out even more.

Some whispered amongst themselves.

"Is that Ye Heng's eldest daughter?"

"Rumors have long circulated in the capital that his daughter is a great beauty. Seeing her today, it's true!"

"I heard she's quite talented too, skilled in poetry and painting."

Catching snippets of this praise, Lady Gao smiled, her heart swelling with pride.

Her daughter was among the best, even in the entire capital!

Ye Shixian greeted the guests, every movement proper and measured, a faint, graceful smile on her lips, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a noble young lady.

Seeing this, a look of satisfaction appeared in Ye Heng's eyes.

His son might be useless, but this daughter truly did him credit.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

"Lord Ye, may I ask when Chutang and the others will arrive?"

The previously lively banquet hall quieted as everyone looked in one direction.

The speaker was none other than Xu Fengchi.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Ever since stepping into the Ye Residence, he had wanted to see Ye Chutang and her siblings as soon as possible. After waiting a while with no sign of them, he simply asked directly.

Ye Heng also seemed somewhat surprised and immediately called Yu Hong over. "Go see why Chutang and the others haven't arrived yet. With distinguished guests here today, they cannot be late and appear discourteous."

Yu Hong acknowledged. "Yes, sir."

Ye Heng turned back to Xu Fengchi with an apologetic smile. "Lord Xu, my sincerest apologies. Chutang and the others are perhaps still adjusting after just returning to the capital."

Many exchanged subtle glances.

Even with a lack of etiquette, one shouldn't arrive later than the guests, should they? This…

The conversation thus turned to Ye Chutang and her siblings.

When Ye Zheng's incident happened back then, everyone thought that whole family had died. Who could have guessed that three years later, Ye Zheng's second daughter would return with three younger siblings in tow!

Who wasn't curious about how they had survived these past three years?

Ye Shixian lowered her eyelids and took a small sip of tea.

This was essentially Ye Chutang's first formal appearance since returning to the capital. Any lapse would inevitably invite criticism.

Another quarter of an hour passed.

"The Second Young Miss is here!"

The announcement instantly drew everyone's attention. Looking up, they saw a young woman in a crabapple-red dress walking in slowly.

The banquet hall suddenly fell silent.

Upon seeing Ye Shixian earlier, everyone had thought her sufficiently beautiful. Yet no one had expected Ye Chutang to surpass her.

She wore no excessive ornaments. Her oval face was impeccably clean, and as she moved, she seemed enveloped in an invisible, distinctive aura.

Especially her eyes—dark, warm, pure, and gentle.

She truly resembled a crabapple flower swaying softly in the breeze.

She arrived at the banquet and bowed her head in greeting.

"My apologies to everyone. I felt unwell just now and was delayed. I am late."

Only then did everyone notice that behind Ye Chutang were two youths—one refined and handsome, the other spirited and unrestrained—and a little milk bun, looking only three or four years old, well-behaved and obedient, her large, dark grape-like eyes full of curiosity.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

—So these were Ye Zheng's surviving children?

For a moment, everyone was astonished.

Weren't these the ones said to have been adrift for three years, only recently found? By all accounts, they should have been rather wretched and poor. Yet looking at them now, though not dressed in finery, their innate bearing wasn't much inferior to that of young masters and ladies raised in the capital.

Ye Heng immediately said, "Chutang, don't worry. No one is blaming you. It's just that Lord Xu has been wanting to see you and has waited quite a while, so—"

"Chutang?"

Xu Fengchi had already stood up and was striding towards Ye Chutang and the others.

He struggled to contain the turbulent emotions in his chest. Countless words choked his throat, ultimately condensing into just one phrase: "…It's good you're back! It's good you're back!"

Ye Chutang gave him a proper, respectful bow.

"Uncle Xu, it's been a long time. I trust you have been well."

That single sentence made Xu Fengchi's eyes sting.

The last time they met was three years ago.

Everyone said Ye Chutang and the others were dead. He refused to believe it and persisted in searching, determined to find them alive or dead. Even if they had truly met with misfortune, he had to bring them back, to give an account to the deceased Ye Zheng.

He searched continuously for half a year, never expecting Ye Chutang to seek him out herself.

He still remembered the Ye Chutang of that time—slender, her still-youthful face carrying a maturity and calmness beyond her years.

Her first words were: "Uncle Xu, I need to ask for your help."

For over two years after that, although they maintained correspondence, for various reasons, he did not go to see them again.

Meeting now, how could he not be deeply moved?

"A-Yan and A-Feng have grown so tall!" He let out a breath. When his gaze fell on Little Five, his expression softened considerably. "This must be Little Five? She really resembles you when you were little."

Ye Chutang looked apologetic. "We really should have paid you a visit first—"

Xu Fengchi immediately shook his head. "You've had a long, tiring journey. You should rest properly! It's you—you've been frail since childhood. Are you feeling unwell again?"

Ye Chutang smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Xu. It's just a minor ailment, nothing serious."

Xu Fengchi, however, remained uneasy. "One mustn't be careless about health. Should we still call a physician to have a look?"

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Lady Gao finally couldn't hold back any longer and interjected with a smile. "Lord Xu, there's no need to worry. Chutang is a physician herself. She even ran a clinic before. Why would she need someone else to examine her?"

Upon hearing this, many showed surprise.

Ran a clinic? Ye Chutang?

Xu Rongqing could no longer restrain himself and asked in astonishment, "Chutang, is this true?"

Before Ye Chutang could answer, they heard Lady Gao let out a long sigh, seeming both gratified and pained. "It's true! It was precisely by relying on this that Chutang managed to raise her younger siblings. This child has suffered who knows how many hardships these past three years!"

The atmosphere became delicate. Everyone's expressions when looking at Ye Chutang grew somewhat complex.

If that were the case, then these past three years, she must have been working publicly…

Lady Gao added, "But speaking of which, we'll still have to trouble Physician Zhang today to take a look at Little Five."

Suddenly singled out, Physician Zhang was also taken aback. "What? But just now, didn't you say she understands medicine? Then—"

Lady Gao said breezily, "In those small, remote places, one usually just treats common ailments for country bumpkins. But Little Five's condition is special. Even Chutang couldn't manage, so we had no choice but to ask for your help, Physician Zhang."

Outside the moon gate, Shen Yanchuan's steps faltered.

(End of Chapter)

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