The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 11

Maomao.” She heard Jinshi from the other side of the curtain. “I think things are going to get tiring. I need a charge.” His hand poked through the drapes.

“A charge?” Maomao asked.

She studied the shelf Chue had indicated. She took a mooncake wrapped in paper from a basket on the shelf and pressed it into Jinshi’s hand.

“Huh?!”

The mooncake dropped to the ground. The paper came off and, sadly, it touched the floor. Maomao moved to pick it up, but her right hand was caught by Jinshi’s. She felt his fingers slide between hers as if to make sure she was there. The fact they were both using their right hands made it oddly awkward.

Jinshi’s long fingers pressed into the back of Maomao’s hand, while his palm pressed against hers. She could

There was one reason, and one reason only, that Rikuson wanted to destroy the family register—and that was because he felt a duty to Gyokuen

A high wall, however, appeared in front of Maomao. Thoom. Jinshi had risen from his seat and was standing smack in front of her.

“Yes, sir?” she asked. Jinshi continued to look less than pleased.

“It has come to my attention that this man with whom you claim not to be especially close recently proposed marriage to you.”

At least he was to the point.

“Should that happen, I want you to eliminate that child. And then you must protect the western capital.”

“You’re right. Yes, you’re right. But it’s not just Ou. None of my other children are mine by blood.”

One of the men who had left the Yi clan often visited Rikuson’s house. He was a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man with a gentle smile. His name was Gyokuen. In the western capital, he was sometimes called “the new You.”

Rikuson’s mother and sister never did teach him how to handle the birds, but they taught him how to ward off the insects, and told him about how things worked in the farming villages that continued to dot the area. If another plague broke out, the Yi men who lived around the province would be better prepared than anyone.

“Yeah, and one of these days I’ll go back. I’ve got to.” Lakan c

“Um, the old fart hasn’t answered yet,” Lihaku said, not hesitating to use the name “old fart” right in front of the old fart.

The old fart, however, seemed unperturbed.

Jinshi replied easily, but his hand remained wrapped around Maomao’s.
Is he going to hold the whole conversation this way?