Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 202: Your Young Master and I Are, at Most...
Zhong Shimin was gone, and of course, Song Lianhe didn’t remain idle.
He had given her a falcon named Chun Hua. It was a plain-looking bird with mottled feathers. Whenever it looked around, it gave off a shifty, sneaky impression.
’Yes, a shifty-eyed falcon...’
But Zhong Shimin had told her not to underestimate the falcon. It could travel five hundred kilometers in a single day!
Song Lianhe had been stunned. What did that even mean? Even a powerful eagle, an expert flier, could manage three hundred and fifty kilometers at most!
Zhong Shimin had said that Chun Hua was a treasure of Sui Bei. He gave the falcon to Song Lianhe so she could write to her friends and family in Ling’an City and ease her homesickness.
Song Lianhe sat in her room, watching the falcon perched on the windowsill. It tilted its head, staring at her. She decided to put it to the test, taking out a piece of paper and writing a few words.
"Since you’re supposed to be so amazing, let’s put it to the test."
She tied the small bamboo tube to Chun Hua’s leg. Surprisingly, the falcon was very cooperative. It kept tilting its head to look at her, its round eyes holding not a trace of a predator’s intensity, but rather the makings of a comedian.
"Hey, can you find Zhou Cangyan? Zhou Cangyan, Zhou Biwu, Prince Qing... you know, your Young Master..."
It was impossible to tell if Chun Hua understood. After a final look at Song Lianhe, it suddenly spread its wings, gave two powerful flaps, and soared into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, it was already a speck high above.
Song Lianhe shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting as she looked up.
Just then, Da Xi pushed the door open and came in.
Song Lianhe turned to face her. "Come shopping with me."
"Again?"
Da Xi couldn’t believe it. "Don’t you ever get tired?"
"What woman gets tired from shopping?"
Song Lianhe walked over, linked her arm through Da Xi’s, and pulled her along. "I saw something interesting at one of your apothecaries..."
Not long after the two of them left, the door opened again.
Someone tiptoed inside, then gently closed the door behind them...
Their haul for the day was bountiful.
Both Song Lianhe’s and Da Xi’s back-baskets were filled to the brim. Da Xi was exhausted, but when she glanced back at a staggering Song Lianhe, she let out a resigned sigh, walked over, and took the other woman’s basket to carry in her arms.
"No, you can’t! You’re already carrying so much!"
Song Lianhe tried to take it back, but Da Xi deliberately quickened her pace. Her tone was full of mock disdain. "You’re so slow. At this rate, we won’t get back before sunset, and I still have to help Sister Mi with the cooking fire."
Hearing this, Song Lianhe said guiltily, "Oh, I’m sorry, that completely slipped my mind. Next time, I’ll just come by myself."
Da Xi froze, then turned her head away, muttering awkwardly, "That’s not what I meant..."
Even without a basket to carry, Song Lianhe still slowed them down, constantly trying to catch up to Da Xi.
Looking at Da Xi’s long, nimble legs, she could only feel a pang of envy.
They continued through the streets, one in front of the other.
Upstairs in a tavern, a man in white robes stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the slender, graceful figure trailing behind.
"My Prince, I do not understand. Why did we have to come to Sui Ning City?"
Beside him, Gu Ha’s words were tinged with resentment. "Is it worth it... for that Song Lianhe?"
Only when her figure was out of sight did Zhou Junlin close the window. He slowly returned to the table and sat down. He lifted his cup, took a sip of tea, and his brows twitched instinctively. He set the cup down and didn’t touch it again.
Gu Ha saw this and said with disdain, "Your Highness is of noble birth. Why must you come to this godforsaken place to suffer?"
"Do you truly believe Zhou Cangyan is out of options just because he’s being attacked from all sides?"
"What do you mean, my Prince?" Gu Ha asked, confused. "Didn’t the Holy Emperor order you to reach an agreement with Prince Yongdong..."
Zhou Junlin shot him a sideways glance, his eyes like ice.
Gu Ha knew he had overstepped and lowered his voice. "Forgive me, my Prince."
Zhou Junlin rose and walked toward the door.
"Have the other arrangements been made?"
"My Prince, everything has been arranged. Your current identity is Yu Yuanwai from Sishui City, here on business in the horse trade."
—
Outside the kitchen, Da Tao and Da Mei were peering through the window, watching Song Lianhe roll pills one by one.
"Witch Doctor, what are those?"
"Oh, this? This is the good stuff!"
Song Lianhe picked up a black pill. "These are my ’Seven Dragon Balls’!"
"Er... what are Seven Dragon Balls?"
Song Lianhe pointed to the row of colorful pills on the table. "This black one is for treating a persistent high fever. Just one pill, and I guarantee the fever will break within one hour! The red ones are iodine oil pills, specifically for treating goiter. The white ones are for miasma poisoning and severe malaria. Then there’s the strengthening heart pill for patients with angina, Awakening Brain Pills for cerebral hemorrhage and stroke-induced comas, and Clear Heat Pills, an emergency medicine for heatstroke and seizures... And these smaller ones are for coughs, pain, and diarrhea..."
She finished with a mysterious smile at the two girls. "Indispensable for an army on the march."
Da Tao and Da Mei didn’t understand the deeper meaning of her words, but someone else did.
Da Xi looked up. "You... you’re making these pills for..."
Knowing what she was about to ask, Song Lianhe sat down and began grinding herbs, saying with a sigh of resignation, "Everyone is against Zhou Cangyan right now. He’s in a pitiful enough state as it is. If the worst should happen, these things can at least help him a little."
She paused, her eyes gazing toward the ceiling as she began to calculate aloud.
"My Medical Clinic has made a name for itself now. Even without me there to oversee it, the initial franchise fees we collected should be enough to cover the expenses for his Sui Bei army for a good while. Oh, I hope Sister Cao did what I asked and deposited the silver into the draft bank..."
As she muttered to herself, she didn’t notice the color drain from Da Tao and Da Mei’s faces. They hurriedly bowed to a newcomer before lowering their heads and scurrying away.
Inside the kitchen, Sister Mi, who was washing vegetables, had heard everything. She said with genuine admiration, "Miss Song, you are so good to our Young Master!"
Da Xi silently averted her gaze. Though a hint of reluctance remained on her face, even she had to admit it: for a sheltered young lady, Song Lianhe’s foresight was incredible. From the medical supplies an army would need to the silver taels required to fund it, everything she did was for the sake of their Young Master.
’Her own sister could never have done any of this.’
"Good to him?"
Hearing Sister Mi’s words, Song Lianhe didn’t seem to agree. "Compared to what he’s done for me, this is nothing."
Sister Mi smiled at that. "Miss Song, you and the Young Master are so perfectly in tune with each other. It’s enough to make anyone envious."
Song Lianhe froze, her cheeks flushing crimson for no reason. She ducked her head and busied herself with grinding the herbs.
"Ah, Sister Mi! Y-You can’t just say things like that! That idiom isn’t used that way! Your Young Master and I... we’re, at most... we’re..."
"You’re what?"
A deep, hoarse male voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
Song Lianhe froze completely. Her heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer. She sat there, eyes wide, not daring to move.
