The end of the street was filled with martial artists, yet it remained quiet. Few dared to cause trouble, so Lin Yue settled in with peace of mind.
She clicked the light-blue button, which then dimmed. The sign-in was complete.
System Name: Sign In and Receive Life System
Host: Lin Yue
Lifespan: 61/14086
At sixty-one years old, her total lifespan was fourteen thousand and eighty-six years.
She decided to pause her sign-ins for a few days. Checking in every single day without a break felt like a life of endless toil; she needed to give herself a vacation. A five-day week with two days off seemed like a standard to aim for.
Lin Yue lay on her bed with her eyes open, waiting. A moment later, Qingyuan Temple tolled its ancient bell.
Hearing the bell, worries vanish, wisdom increases, Bodhi is born, departing from hell, escaping the fiery pit...
One hundred and eight tolls of the bell, sometimes continuous and sometimes intermittent, echoed melodiously. They awakened all living things from their slumber, and people pulled back their quilts to rise and dress. A day—whether busy or leisurely—had begun once more.
The fifth-watch morning bell rang at what would be nearly five in the morning in her previous life.
Lin Yue rose and washed. She first practiced Tai Chi amidst the falling snow. One repetition to remember, two to become familiar, and three or four times to build mastery. If she practiced ten times every morning and evening, perhaps she would see five times the benefit?
After practicing for a shichen, Lin Yue began to meditate and cultivate her internal breath. At the end of the Chen hour, she cooked; by the middle of the Si hour, she opened her shop for business.
With a creak, the doors opened. Other shops at the end of the street followed suit, and then the shopkeepers took to their reclining chairs, drinking tea and watching the snow fall.
The shops at the end of the street opened half a shichen later than those at the head or middle of the street, and they closed half a shichen earlier. The goods in the shops were mostly for their own use; they didn't run businesses for profit, but just for the fun of it.
As the New Year approached, heavy snow fell for several days. The wind was strong and the snow swirled, so Lin Yue kept her door half-closed to prevent the snow from drifting inside.
That day, Lin Yue was lying down watching the snow as usual, reading a book out of boredom. Opposite her was a blacksmith shop; the uncle there would work for a few days and then slack off for many more, taking half a month just to forge a single sickle.
After being open for nearly two months, the medicine shop finally welcomed its first customer.
A mother, appearing to be about eighteen, hurried through the door clutching her child. She didn't even have time to brush the snow from her head and shoulders before scanning the shop and rushing toward Lin Yue on the reclining chair. She held out the two or three-year-old child in her arms for her to see, her voice thick with emotion.
"Doctor! Are you the doctor? Please, look at my child—he has a fever! He’s been sleeping and won't wake up no matter how I call him..."
As she spoke, the woman broke down in tears.
Glancing at the child's flushed face, Lin Yue rubbed her hands together and felt the child's limbs. The body was burning hot. After an examination, she determined it was a high fever causing the coma. She had the mother sit the child down, then pricked the tips of the child's ears to draw blood and performed massage therapy for emergency heat reduction.
After a moment of massage, the child's forehead felt noticeably cooler, and they regained consciousness. The mother cried again, repeatedly uttering words of gratitude.
Lin Yue offered a few words of comfort, then picked up her brush to write a prescription and gathered the herbs for the child.
During the interval, she asked a few questions. Because of the heavy wind and snow, there was a mass outbreak of colds and fevers. The nearby clinics were packed, and the child couldn't wait, so the mother had run all over the back streets looking for a doctor until she spotted this neglected little medicine shop.
When Lin Yue first opened her shop, she hadn't done any promotion. She had simply set off two firecrackers and then started reclining in the shop, being quite passive.
When the water is full, it overflows; the overflowing water needs a direction.
Lin Yue grabbed two men from the street who looked like scammers and stuffed a few copper coins into their hands. She told them to go to the clinics and medicine shops up ahead and offer "warmth" to the patients waiting anxiously. She would pay them one wen per person, settling the bill afterward.
In this era where medical care and clothing were scarce, she was serious about poaching customers.
Lin Yue opened her doors wide, organized her herbs and diagnostic tools, and sat waiting. Before she could even settle in, a man rushed in clutching a child and sat down heavily in front of her. Before he could catch his breath, hurried and heavy footsteps followed, and a line formed in short order.
Ignoring the deep look of doubt in the man's eyes, Lin Yue diagnosed the child in his arms, administered acupuncture, and prepared the medicine.
"Little doctor, are you the only one here?" a person waiting in line asked, peeking their head over.
"Yes, just me."
"That damn liar! That man told me it was a white-haired old doctor..."
"He told me the doctor had over thirty years of medical experience!" someone near the front huffed.
"Mine was even more ridiculous! That guy told me it was a hundred-year-old divine doctor in a Cloud Crane Daoist robe, with hair like silver and the face of a youth, and a cinnabar mark between the eyebrows! He said he could cure any disease!" someone in the back shouted.
"You actually believed something that fake?"
"I didn't believe it at first, but when I saw everyone else running this way..."
Lin Yue coughed and said with a serious expression, "Everyone, do not believe or spread rumors. Seeing is believing! Seeing is believing!"
That day, the shop was packed with patients. Lin Yue sat for consultations until dark. As she was closing the doors, the two scammers showed up, saying their performance was excellent and she should give them extra money.
Lin Yue gave them a beating, telling them that promotion didn't mean making things up—a hundred-year-old divine doctor who could cure anything! If she couldn't treat something, how was she supposed to stay in business?
In the end, she gave them a little bit of hush money and a few bags of medicine to send them on their way.
After that, patients came to Lin Yue from time to time. Most were returning customers who found her medical skills acceptable and her fees reasonable, so they were willing to travel the extra distance.
However, thinking about it rationally, it was likely because the clinics up ahead were too crowded.
Gradually, the end of the street gained a bit of popularity, but not much. The goods sold in other shops were generally one or two wen more expensive than those at the head of the street, so few people bought from them. It was mostly the residents of the end of the street buying from each other, visiting, and chatting.
As the New Year approached, everyone prepared their goods. On New Year's Eve, Lin Yue pasted couplets on her shop doors. The charming boss lady of the pastry shop two doors down sent over dumplings and invited her to eat there. Lin Yue didn't go, but the blacksmith uncle from across the street did, and he didn't return all night.
The dumplings from the pastry shop boss lady were pork-filled, seasoned with green onions, salt, sauce, and wine. They weren't poisoned, and the taste was quite good.
"Happy New Year, Boss! May your business be prosperous, Boss! Please, give us something to eat."
"Boss, may every year bring you abundance! Gong Xi Fa Cai!"
A family of five beggars in tattered clothes suddenly appeared at the door, holding out broken bowls and reciting auspicious greetings.
Seeing that it was the New Year, Lin Yue gave them each two mantou. The beggars were moved to tears at the sight of such a hearty meal.
"Thank you, Boss! Thank you!"
"Where are you all from?" Lin Yue asked.
Seeing Lin Yue's kind tone, the father replied, "Huaming County to the north. There was a great drought this year and no harvest. We’ve been walking for a month to get here."
"How many people are coming?"
"We’re the earliest. There are over a dozen villages behind us, and people from other places too. Probably over a thousand people."
"Boss, do you need any help? Look at my son—he's a good boy. Let him work for you just for a bite to eat. As long as he has a place to stay!" The man pushed forward his youngest son, who was about ten years old.
"I already have help. Go find someone else," Lin Yue refused coldly.
If she accepted, it was highly likely the whole family would try to lean on her. Moreover, in the countryside, families didn't separate while the parents were alive; there were likely brothers and sisters beyond these five. She was just one person; keeping someone during a famine could easily lead to trouble.
In chaotic times, do not play the saint.
"Boss, please have mercy, this child doesn't eat much..."
Lin Yue closed the shop door. The family lingered outside for a moment before leaving.
On the third day of the New Year, it was traditional to visit friends and family. She didn't have many, but the New Year felt incomplete without giving and receiving gifts. As a medicine shop owner, it wasn't good to gift medicine, so Lin Yue sent pastries to the nearby shops. Most of them returned the favor by giving her items from their own shops of roughly the same value as the date cakes.
The pastry shop boss lady came by, bringing her best-selling peach crisps and osmanthus cakes, and invited Lin Yue to visit more often. Lin Yue forced a smile and accepted, giving some tea leaves she had received from others in return.
The blacksmith shop across the street still hadn't opened.
Snow and ice filled the sky, blanketing the county town. While Lin Yue was sweeping the snow in her courtyard, she found a five-month-old tabby cat in a corner. It was like a statue, nothing but a layer of skin over its ribs, terribly emaciated.
There were many stray cats and dogs that froze or starved to death in the county town. Born in spring, dying in winter—that was their fate.
This cat must have starved. Because Lin Yue kept a fire pit burning for warmth, the walls held a lingering heat that melted the snow at their base. At night, many tabby cats came to her house for warmth.
The fragility of life was sigh-inducing. Lin Yue lamented for a moment, then checked for a pulse. There was no heartbeat. She brought it to the fire pit and began massaging it and performing CPR to promote blood circulation.
A cat has nine lives; if it had only died recently, there might still be hope.
After fifteen minutes of work, the dead cat didn't move, but its body had softened somewhat. After another fifteen minutes, the dead cat had a faint breath. Lin Yue continued for a while, and seeing it could breathe on its own, she poured some warm water down its throat.
"Meow..."
After drinking the warm water, the tabby's body warmed from the inside. It curled up, its body rising and falling weakly and slowly, and gave a faint cry toward Lin Yue.
It was alive. Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the satisfaction of a life restored. She placed a small bowl of porridge beside the tabby, and the cat lay on the ground, eating slowly and with great effort.
Lin Yue tapped the cat's head with her fingertip. The tabby was focused on eating and didn't resist her touch.
While snow fell outside the window, the tabby cat took up residence in her home. With food and drink, it regained its spirit after a few days. It would hold its tail high in front of her, then lie down to show its belly, rubbing its head against her foot and letting out soft cries.
Lin Yue simply stroked it and then ignored it. The tabby was too thin and its fur was messy, making it look rather unappealing; she was actually a bit disgusted by its appearance.
The number of refugees on the street grew. One night, while Lin Yue was practicing her internal energy, the angry shout of a woman and the scream of a man suddenly erupted from a nearby courtyard.
Hearing that it was the voice of the pastry shop boss lady, Lin Yue immediately stopped her practice, grabbed a ladder, and climbed the courtyard wall to look out.
Outside the back gate of the pastry shop, the boss lady was aggressively grabbing a refugee's messy hair with one hand while holding a stick in the other. Completely ignoring the man's screams, she flung him directly into the street and then cursed loudly.
"Bah! You dead man, you dared to climb my wall! A toad like you wanting to eat swan meat? You're dreaming! Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection—looking like a donkey's testicle..."
Lin Yue watched the pastry shop owner berate the pervert with great interest, but she also sighed inwardly. This was actually why she cross-dressed to run her shop.
A woman running a shop alone faced too much harassment. The pastry shop boss lady was an example; almost every time Lin Yue went to buy pastries, she saw men making lewd jokes with her, though the boss lady herself played a part in that.
Another reason was the current situation. A woman living alone could easily be targeted by those with ill intentions. In this era where a woman's reputation was everything, most who were bullied would endure in silence or commit suicide for the sake of their name.
If one reported it to the authorities, there were no cameras or forensic technology. Most of the time, the culprit couldn't be caught, and it was hard to prove what had been done. In the end, the woman would still be the one to suffer.
Especially during a winter famine, when refugees didn't have enough to eat or wear and were on the verge of starving to death, why would they care about the constraints of the law? Refugees frequently climbed walls to steal.
Even in her previous life with universal education, there were cases of people bullying widows, let alone here with the threat of starvation and a lack of etiquette education.
Trouble always finds a widow's door—that's what people said. Even if she didn't provoke others, others would instinctively prey on the weak.
To be an independent female householder, one had to be like the pastry shop boss—strong, fierce, and powerful.
Lin Yue didn't think she was powerful enough yet and didn't feel like dealing with such things, so she simply presented herself as a man to reduce trouble.
"I was wrong! Spare me! Ah!"
The boss lady struck the filthy man's back hard with her stick. The man let out a miserable scream, and the pastry shop owner spat on him with a look of severe disdain.
"What a piece of trash!"
The pastry shop owner slammed the door shut. The man crawled along the snow for a distance before standing up and limping away.
"Sigh, the show's over. Break it up, break it up."
Many neighbors in the alley had come out to watch the excitement, and seeing that the drama was over, they went home to go back to sleep.
Lin Yue scanned her surroundings. On a wall not far away, a figure actually leaped down from a roof. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, but she wordlessly climbed down her ladder and went back to sleep.
After ten days or half a month, once the tabby cat's condition had stabilized, Lin Yue finally caught the cat to give it a bath. The basin was filled with yellow, turbid water, and there seemed to be bugs. She added some medicine and washed it again before calling it a day.
Lin Yue gave it a name. Because the tabby had nearly died in the snow, she called it Eight.
Eight spent a winter in her courtyard with plenty to eat and drink. Its body grew plumper by the day, and the cat became clingy, huddling with her around the fire and watching the shop in the front yard.
The weather remained freezing, and more refugees began to arrive. The government took control of the city gates and forbid refugees from entering the city.
A large number of refugees gathered outside the city. Wealthy families in the county set up porridge stalls outside the city to feed and treat the victims. During those several months of bitter winter, it was only a drop in the bucket. The County Magistrate organized the wealthy to donate money and grain, and Lin Yue also donated a few silver taels and a bag of coarse grain.
When spring arrived and the temperature rose, the refugees began to return home. Eight leaped over the courtyard wall and only returned late at night. Later, it returned less and less frequently, leaving as soon as it ate, and eventually, it would only give her a cold look from atop the wall before hurrying away. She hadn't seen a sign of it for a month or two.
Lin Yue understood that Eight had run off.
Tabby cats were hard to keep tame; she hadn't held much expectation in the first place.
The weather was still chilly. Finally, an old man who lived near the end of the street came into the medicine shop. He had pain in his waist and knees and a tightness in his chest—chronic injuries left over from practicing martial arts in his youth. Whenever it rained, snowed, or the weather changed significantly, his ailments would flare up. He finally couldn't bear it and came to seek some pain relief.
Those who practiced martial arts usually had some physical issues or another.
Lin Yue administered acupuncture to the old man to provide relief and then prescribed a few doses of medicine for him.
A few days later, that old man brought an old partner and a few old brothers over, saying the treatment had some effect and asking Lin Yue to take a look at them.
Just like that, Lin Yue's reputation for being somewhat effective at treating injuries and illnesses spread. Quite a few people with severe pain also came to see her and found that she indeed had some skill.
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