The Eldest Brother is Handsome but Sick. - Chapter 10

“I never got the chance to ask, but it seems you and Eldest Senior Brother have been on much better terms lately.” Xia Qingyan arranged rows of dumplings onto a tray and smiled at Su Huai. “The anger you held for the last six months, has it finally dissipated?”

A month had flown by. Since the incident at the Qi Manor, Xia Qingyan had become much more comfortable around the others. In front of Yan Jin, she was like a different person; she often initiated conversation, and though her voice remained pitifully soft, she had gained a newfound liveliness.

“He wasn’t truly angry; he was just sulking. And our Senior Brother is a wooden block who doesn’t know the first thing about coaxing people,” Lin Jiebai added, tossing a candied pill into his mouth and speaking with a muffled grin. “But I’m curious too what did that wooden block do to make you give in?”

Su Huai spread another layer of flour onto the cutting board. He took the rolling pin and continued flattening dumpling skins, his expression neutral. “Nothing special. I just figured things out.”

How had he figured it out? Truthfully, Su Huai didn’t quite know himself. It was as if ever since the night Yan Jin had drunkenly asked that question, the rigid barrier that had kept them apart for six months had finally cracked. Through that crack, the wind had begun to blow toward him. It blew when Yan Jin cried, it blew when Yan Jin smiled at him, and it blew when Yan Jin fell ill from working himself to the bone for the clinic and the common folk.

The wind carried shards of ice that blew straight into his heart and eyes, stinging with a dull ache.

If he had to name a reason, it was probably heartache. Years ago, at the Su family clinic, Yan Jin’s body had been even weaker; Su Huai had always been loath to let him do any work. Now, he frequently saw the man struggling with insomnia, falling ill every other day without any chance to rest.

Suddenly, Su Huai had let go of his resentment.

The world is fickle; those who are close one day may part ways the next. If he could walk the same path as Yan Jin in this life, then regardless of their titles, they would be the closest of companions. That way, Yan Jin would never have to be alone and helpless again.

“Hahahaha! I knew it!” Lin Jiebai laughed so hard he fell backward onto the table. “You can’t stay mad at someone like Eldest Senior Brother. In the end, you’re the only one who ends up hurting.”

Xia Qingyan nodded in agreement.

Su Huai handed the finished dumpling skins to Xia Qingyan. He grabbed a fish from a bucket in the corner, knocked it unconscious with the back of a knife, and began scaling it with expert precision. Yan Jin loved fish, so they made it every few days. Sometimes, Master Yan’s “Eldest Senior Brother” temper would flare up and he’d become a picky eater, forcing Su Huai to constantly invent new ways to cook it.

“Tonight is New Year’s Eve. Where did Yan Jin go?” Su Huai removed the fish entrails and tossed them to Little White Plum. He knit his brows. “He only just recovered from that last bout of fever. He has no house calls today, yet he’s been gone since morning.”

Yan Jin didn’t like eating out during the New Year, nor did he like ordering food from restaurants. He preferred to buy ingredients and have everyone cook a grand feast together. This way, once a year, all distances and coldness would melt away.

The three of them had been preparing since breakfast, yet the star of the show was nowhere to be found.

“He said he was going to pick some oranges for us,” Lin Jiebai noted.

At that moment, in front of the “Sishi Clinic” in the eastern part of Jingning Town, Yan Jin wrapped up like a giant white zongzi stood with two pharmacy assistants, staring up at the shop sign.

This clinic had opened suddenly half a month ago. Normally, such a remote location during the New Year wouldn’t garner much attention, but news of it had spread through the entire town.

It turned out the owner was using the recent incident involving Xia Qingyan as a gimmick. By slandering and ostracizing Sansheng Hall to praise his own practice, he had made the Sishi Clinic famous.

It was a despicable tactic. The rumors about Xia Qingyan had finally settled, but this man’s antics had stirred them up again. Yan Jin had tried to negotiate, but as expected, he was unceremoniously kicked out.

Not only that, the so-called Sishi Clinic had even hung white funeral silk in front of Sansheng Hall’s doors in the dead of night.

Hanging funeral silk in front of a medical clinic what an absolute beast!

If this could be tolerated, nothing could.

Taking advantage of the empty streets on New Year’s Eve, Yan Jin signaled his assistants. “Grab your tools! We’re stripping those two ‘Money Trees’ at his door of every single orange they have! I’ll see how much ‘money’ he makes now!”

“You got it!” The assistants swarmed the trees, plucking them clean in a matter of minutes.

[What a quaint and useless form of revenge,] the System remarked.

“So what? He’s allowed to look for trouble, but I’m not allowed to strike back?” Yan Jin held a basket under the tree to catch the fruit. “And who says it’s useless? I bet he’ll be out of business by spring due to a lack of funds. I have faith in the supernatural ‘bad luck’ I just gave him.”

Yan Jin swapped for a new basket. “Besides, we’re taking these home for the New Year. It saves us money.”

Oranges cascaded down, and a gleeful Yan Jin caught them all. Finally, the three of them each shouldered a heavy basket and headed home.

Back at the clinic, Su Huai had just finished stewing the chicken soup when he saw a pile of round oranges on the stone table in the courtyard.

“Whoa! Senior Brother, where did you get so many!” Lin Jiebai circled the fruit.

“Hmph.” Yan Jin tilted his head back with pride. “A master always has his ways.”

“Senior Brother, I love you!” Lin Jiebai clutched his heart dramatically.

“Hahahahaha!” Yan Jin laughed.

Su Huai: “…………” He had a fair idea where the oranges came from. Only Yan Jin would come up with such a ridiculous scheme.

There was no snow today. The “Fu” (Blessing) characters on the doors were perfectly straight, and the courtyard was adorned with lanterns. Bright red lanterns hung high from the eaves, bathing the ground in a festive, joyous glow.

The delicious aroma of chicken soup drifted from the kitchen. Outside, the townspeople were busy tying colorful ribbons to tree branches, their laughter and greetings echoing into the yard.

The group sat around the table, drinking tea and eating snacks in the cozy atmosphere.

Yan Jin grew a bit full from the sweets, so he peeled an orange and popped a slice into his mouth without thinking.

The moment he bit down, his eyes squeezed shut into tiny slits. He suppressed a twitch at the corner of his mouth and, with perfect composure, handed the rest to Xia Qingyan.

Xia Qingyan took it immediately. She sensed something slightly off about Yan Jin’s expression, but didn’t dwell on it. She ate a slice and then silently handed the fruit to Su Huai.

Su Huai was more observant than Xia Qingyan. He looked at Yan Jin’s hand, which was currently sneaking toward the sweet pastries, stared at the orange for a moment, and then handed it directly to Lin Jiebai.

Lin Jiebai, whose throat was parched from talking, accepted it without a word and shoved a handful into his mouth.

“…………”

And then, the suave, handsome, elegant, and beautiful Third Young Master Lin made the most hideous facial expression of his life. “You bunch of liars! I’m taking this to the capital! I’ll sue you all in the capital!”

In an instant, the other three burst into laughter and scrambled away to avoid being force-fed the sour fruit by a distorted, vengeful Lin Jiebai.

“Junior Brother, you saw it coming, didn’t you! You didn’t even warn me, I’m heartbroken!” Lin Jiebai beat his chest in mock agony.

“There are so many! So many! And they’re so sour!” He was literally crying from the acidity. “I am not eating a second one. You lot deal with the rest yourselves.”

The group erupted into laughter once more.

“If you won’t eat them, then forget it. Let’s go set off the firecrackers!” Yan Jin took the lead, running off while waving his hands for them to follow.

“It’s the New Year! Congratulations to us all for safely surviving another year.”

The other three fell silent for a beat.

Lin Jiebai shouted toward the sky, “What kind of a cursed blessing is that?!”

“I want to become famous in the capital next year!”

“Can’t it just be about getting rich?”

“That works too.”