Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Zhang Huai said with a smile, "Relying on just yourself to gather herbs won’t do. I think you should open an apothecary in town to buy all kinds of herbs and just hire someone to manage it. Our family has a shop space; we can clear out a room for you to use."

"Yes, that’s what you should do," Juhua chimed in, nodding eagerly. "That way, when you write prescriptions, you won’t have to go to another person’s shop if you’re short on herbs. Doctor Qin, please let me help you set up this apothecary. Consider it my contribution."

’That was a bit of a stretch. The Clear Condensing Dew alone came from the Imperial Palace; the other medicines must be just as priceless. I made it sound good, but how could I possibly afford them? Besides, his junior sister already lost all that medicine. No matter how expensive tomorrow’s prescription is, I’ll just have to do my best to help him more in the future to make up for it.’

Qin Feng looked at them, a smile on his face as he nodded. "Alright! We’ll do it your way. We can discuss the details later. You two don’t know much about medicine, and there are a lot of details we’ll need to pay attention to."

Just then, Qingmu came over to fetch Qin Feng, who then departed with him.

Qin Feng had returned and even said he would be staying for the time being, which put Huai Zi’s mind at ease. That night, he leaned against the headboard, holding Juhua close and stroking her round belly. "Now I can finally relax," he chuckled softly.

Juhua sensed his newfound ease and joy, a departure from his usual tension. She smiled knowingly, leaned against his chest, and let herself drift off to sleep.

The next day, the villagers learned that Doctor Qin had returned, and a constant stream of people came to visit. Li Gengtian also hurried over, beaming from ear to ear, helping to plan and arrange his accommodations, but Qin Feng said he would temporarily stay with the Zheng Family.

Everyone was very happy—having such a doctor in the village was a true blessing.

Qin Feng received the visitors with the warmth of a spring breeze, then went to give Liu’er acupuncture. He was busy nonstop. When he returned to the Zhang family’s home around Noon, intending to check Juhua’s pulse carefully again before starting her on some preliminary medicine, he found that his junior sister, Yun Ying, had also arrived. She was sitting with Juhua in the Zhang family’s main hall, the two of them locked in a silent stare-down.

His heart dropped. In a heavy voice, he asked Yun Ying, "What are you doing here?"

Yun Ying was still dressed as a man, and just as beautiful, but her expression was weary and lifeless, tinged with a deep-seated exhaustion and despair. Seeing the wary look on her Senior Brother’s face, she was overcome with grief. She stiffly turned her head away and said, her voice firm, "I’ve come to beg for Juhua’s forgiveness, of course."

After saying this, she saw Juhua staring at her in astonishment—they hadn’t even had a chance to speak yet. Yun Ying forcefully swallowed the tears that threatened to spill, lifted her chin, and said to her bluntly, "I threw away the medicine Senior Brother gave you. I’m the reason you’ll have to face an ordeal in childbirth. Whatever punishment you want to give me, just say the word. I won’t argue."

The moment she spoke, Qin Feng knew this was bad, but it was too late to stop her. He could only close his eyes with a long sigh and wait for Juhua’s outburst.

When Juhua saw Yun Ying, she had actually been quite happy. ’Both the senior brother and junior sister are here now,’ she thought. ’I have to use every ounce of my persuasive power to convince them both to stay.’ Then she recalled how this girl had lost the medicine last time, not only refusing to admit it but covering it up and running away. It was despicable. That was why Juhua remained silent upon seeing her, waiting to see how she would apologize. After all, Yun Ying looked as if her world had ended, possessing the grim determination of someone whose deeds had been exposed and was here to confess. She had to be here to apologize.

When she heard Yun Ying’s words, she could hardly believe her ears. "Threw it away?" she asked in astonishment. "But I thought you *lost* the medicine?" She looked suspiciously at Qin Feng.

Hearing Juhua’s words, Yun Ying could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face. She sniffled hard and said in a hoarse voice, shaking her head, "No. I threw it away."

Juhua saw Qin Feng standing grim and silent, and knew the matter wasn’t so simple. Her expression turning serious, she asked Yun Ying, "Since you’ve come today, I assume you’re willing to tell me why you did it? Even if this answer is several years late. And what did you mean by an ’ordeal in childbirth’?"

’A pang of pain shot through Yun Ying’s numb heart—so Senior Brother hadn’t told her anything. But what did it matter now? They could never go back to how things were. And she could no longer be the person she once was, willing to do anything for the sake of that love.’

’Right now, the only thing she had to do was face Juhua, earn her forgiveness, and help her overcome this crisis. She had no time, and no energy, to care about anything else.’

’It was as if everything had changed overnight. Things she used to care about immensely now seemed completely meaningless. It was like pouring all your effort and paying a huge price to do something, only to find out in the end that the whole thing was a complete joke. Or like throwing a punch at empty air, only to lose your balance and fall flat on your face. That was probably what her heart felt like right now.’