TTLJDFL Chapter 45

Previous | Table of Contents | Next

The maid, having confirmed Lingmei’s intentions, now understood why her mistress had been refusing clients lately.

And it was all for the sake of Li Jin, the man who coldly rejected her.

The maid had served Lingmei for years and knew exactly what she had been through.

Though the rich merchants who visited were generous with money, they had many perverse tastes. Often, when helping Lingmei dress in the morning, the maid couldn’t bear to look at the bruises covering her body.

Patches of purple and blue, shocking to behold.

Thinking about this, the maid’s eyes welled up with tears.

Although Lingmei insisted that Li Jin had rejected the letter only because she hadn’t mentioned her name, the maid felt differently.

She believed that Li Jin simply did not care about Lingmei at all.

The maid voiced her concerns. Although she was young, she had been born in a brothel and had witnessed more women’s tears than she could count.

She knew that she was powerless to change anything, but she could at least warn her mistress early—to keep her from getting lost in a dream of her own making.

But Lingmei refused to listen to her.

She was convinced that the maid was worrying over nothing.

After all, Li Jin had once told her that he did not mind her past and would take her as his wife.

At first, Lingmei had been deeply moved.

But the moment she met Li Jin in person, she realized he was a timid and weak man—one she had looked down upon ever since.

Lingmei had been the top courtesan of Piaoxiang Courtyard for years. She had seen countless men.

And those cowardly types were always the same—they talked sweetly at first, but once they got a woman home, they revealed their true nature.

Many of the older women in the brothel had once joyfully saved up money to redeem themselves, thinking they had found a good man.

Only to realize, after marrying, that they had chosen poorly.

Lingmei remembered that the previous top courtesan had done the same—she redeemed herself, took her savings, and got married.

Two years later, when Lingmei saw her again, she almost didn’t recognize the woman dressed in coarse cloth, with hands full of chilblains and calluses.

Lingmei thought, Li Jin looked like a decent man. He was different from those other men—handsome, composed, and though still young, he carried an undeniable sense of authority.

That day at the medical clinic, Lingmei observed Li Jin for a long time. She could no longer see any traces of cowardice or weakness in him.

What remained was a refined, scholarly air—an aura so rare that even among the people she had met, he was one of the finest.

And later, when Li Jin publicly defended her honor, she had never felt so delighted before.

Beneath her veil, her lips had been curved in a smile the entire time.

When Lingmei saw that her maid was about to continue dampening her spirits, her tone turned colder.

“Help me change into my performance attire. I have to go on stage soon.

I won’t hold it against you for your failure to deliver the message properly today, but do not speak such words again.”

The maid bit her lip and lowered her head in acknowledgment.

Xinglintang (The Medical Hall)

Zhou Gui noticed that as soon as there were no more patients, Doctor Li could no longer sit still—he would get up and head straight for the inner hall.

This was very different from the Li Jin of the past. Before, whenever he had free time, he would practice calligraphy or transcribe passages from The Four Books and The Five Classics.

At most, he would take a break to stretch his shoulders.

Zhou Gui had once admired this about him, thinking that it was no wonder Doctor Li had such profound medical skills at a young age.

As someone who got distracted easily while studying, Zhou Gui felt he could never reach Li Jin’s level.

But today, Zhou Gui realized—it wasn’t that Doctor Li never got distracted; it was just that the person who could occupy his thoughts wasn’t by his side.

The soft murmurs of conversation drifted from the inner hall, but Zhou Gui remained focused on memorizing prescriptions. He had little curiosity about Doctor Li’s personal affairs.

“Are you lonely here by yourself?”

“Not at all. Sitting here, I can always see you.”

Li Jin rarely came to the inner hall before, as the elderly Doctor Wu often rested there between consultations.

Naturally, he wouldn’t take up the space.

As a result, he had never realized the clever positioning of the bamboo curtain.

Sitting in Qin Muwen’s usual seat, he found that he could indeed see everything outside clearly.

Li Jin asked again, “Seeing me, do you feel less afraid?”

“Mm!” The young man, having switched places with Li Jin, nodded sincerely and without hesitation.

Li Jin said, “Wenwen, come here.”

Qin Muwen was slightly puzzled—there were only two chairs in the room, where else could he go?

Still, he obediently stood up, intending to stand beside Ah Jin.

But before he could react, Li Jin reached out and pulled him into his arms. The sudden shift in perspective nearly made Qin Muwen gasp, but before he could, Li Jin sealed his lips with his own.

After two months of farm work and physical training, Li Jin’s strength and physique were no longer what they used to be.

Even if the young man had wanted to resist—which he didn’t—he wouldn’t have been able to break free from the firm grip on his hands and waist.

The chairs in Xinglintang resembled the high-backed chairs popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with no armrests on either side, making it all too convenient for Li Jin’s movements.

Li Jin had never thought of himself as having a strong desire for control. In his past life, his friends described him with just two words—easygoing.

Aside from firmly upholding his principles, he rarely declined invitations to gatherings or outings.

But now, with the young man repeatedly showing such trust and reliance on him, Li Jin found a deeply buried thought taking root and growing wildly in his heart.

Perhaps, he had never fallen for anyone before simply because he hadn’t met the right person.

And now, Li Jin enjoyed the feeling of being needed by the young man.

So, this time, he did not intend to restrain himself.

Following his desires, he held Qin Muwen in his arms and tasted the sweetness of his lips.

It was Qin Muwen’s first kiss in his life.

Li Jin’s embrace was warm, and the arm wrapped around his waist was as unyielding as iron. Qin Muwen felt as if he were suffocating.

Yet, he did not resist in the slightest—not even in broad daylight, not even in the medical clinic.

Noticing the boy struggling to breathe, Li Jin pulled back slightly, but his arms did not loosen their hold.

It took Qin Muwen a long moment to process what had just happened. His mouth opened slightly in disbelief—was this a dream?

Li Jin chuckled, “It’s not a dream.”

Then, he added, “This is the inner hall, a place for rest. We simply ‘rested’ for a moment. Nothing improper.”

Qin Muwen thought to himself, So a kiss is considered resting? Maybe he was just too uneducated to know better.

If Li Jin knew what was going through his mind, he might have reconsidered whether the boy was subtly mocking him.

But with such a soft and obedient personality, Qin Muwen hardly seemed like the type to be sarcastic.

Qin Muwen remained in Li Jin’s embrace, not struggling at all. On the contrary, because of his absolute trust, he even adjusted himself to find a more comfortable position in Li Jin’s arms.

By now, Li Jin’s physique had improved significantly since his arrival in this world, and resting against his chest provided an immense sense of security.

Just then, Zhou Gui called out from outside, “Doctor Li, it’s the hour of You (5 PM), you can take a break now.”

Li Jin responded calmly, “Alright.”

Qin Muwen, who had just managed to steady his emotions, felt his face flush red again at the word "rest."

He doubted he could ever hear that word the same way again.

Li Jin tidied up his back basket but decided not to take it with him immediately, leaving it in the clinic for now.

With the temple fair happening that evening, the streets would be crowded, full of pickpockets. The contents of his basket weren’t valuable, but if it got stolen, he would lose his notes on the couplet exercises he had been studying today.

Thus, he chose to leave it in the clinic for safekeeping.

After all, the shopkeeper had given him a key—he could come back to retrieve it once the fair was over.

"Wishing you both a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. May you have this day every year and this moment every age."

Li Jin smiled and said, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. You have the day off today, no need to copy prescriptions."

Zhou Gui immediately put down his brush and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Doctor Li."

It seemed like he had been waiting for those words for a long time.

Li Jin shook his head with a chuckle. It was rare for the town to have such a lively Mid-Autumn Festival—no one could really sit still.

It was better to just enjoy the celebration properly.

Li Jin took Qin Muwen’s hand and said, "Hold onto me and don’t let go, understand?"

Qin Muwen tightened his grip on Li Jin’s hand and nodded. "Mm."

After passing through the street where the medical clinic was located, they turned right onto the main street. The temple fair started from there and stretched all the way to the other end of the town, where a small river ran. Along the riverbank, many vendors were selling lanterns.

Li Jin wasn’t in a hurry and moved slowly with the crowd.

Someone nearby had their shoe stepped on and let out a loud wail.

Li Jin simply pulled Qin Muwen into his arms and led him along the roadside.

Even though they had already ‘rested’ in the clinic’s inner hall earlier, being held protectively by Li Jin in such a crowded place still made Qin Muwen blush.

Behind them, someone remarked, "Those two brothers seem very close. The elder one takes great care of the younger."

Then the man turned to educate his own children, "Oldest, you are the big brother, so you must take care of your younger sibling, understand?"

Qin Muwen turned around and saw a burly man carrying two children—one looked about five or six years old, the other three or four.

Suddenly, the older child said, "Dad, you're wrong! That older brother is actually a 'ge'er' (a male who can bear children). Ge'er are the ones who get protected. Men have to protect themselves!"

Finally, the child came to a conclusion: "I don’t want to take care of my younger brother."

For a moment, the father was stunned and looked a little embarrassed.

He had never considered that someone would specifically take a ge'er out to a temple fair. Moreover, the two in front of him were clearly not blood-related, yet they behaved so intimately—they must be a married couple.

In poor families, many men couldn’t afford to marry wives and had to marry ge'ers instead, since ge'ers could also bear children.

But to see a husband pampering his ge'er like this, constantly protecting him while walking—it was truly rare.

In society, ge'ers generally had a lower status, which was an undeniable fact.

Even though the burly man thought the ge'er in front of him seemed happy, he still didn’t want his own son to take after this man and marry a ge'er.

So, he held his two children tightly and planned to walk ahead.

As they were about to pass Li Jin and Qin Muwen, his child suddenly recognized him. "Dad, that’s Doctor Li!"

The burly man turned back and, sure enough, the man protectively holding his ge'er was the young doctor from Xinglintang Clinic, who had a cold demeanor but exceptional medical skills!

Hearing his name, Li Jin turned his head and met the gaze of the family of three.

He nodded in greeting but kept his arm firmly around his husband's shoulders, appearing calm and composed—completely unashamed.

It was as if he didn’t even consider marrying a ge'er something to be embarrassed about.

The burly man, carrying his two children, was soon pushed ahead by the crowd.

Before he was out of sight, he turned back one last time and saw that the usually expressionless Doctor Li was now smiling—a soft and gentle smile—as he listened to something the ge'er beside him said.

"Come on, let’s go get sugar figurines."

Author’s Note:

Li Jin: Let's go rest for a bit.

Qin Muwen (blushing, undressing, lying down):

Li Jin: ???

Qin Muwen: Isn't this what "resting" means? If we’re not working or studying, isn’t it considered rest?

Announcement:

Advance chapters of TTLJFL is on my kofi page...

Tl Notes:

Please support my ko-fi page...

Thank youuu❤️❤️❤️

Previous | Table of Contents | Next