A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

After Old Master Chen's case, Yang's reputation in the east of the city was truly established.

People seeking medical help lined up from morning till night, waiting at the door for Yang Hu to see them. People from far and near, from inside and outside the city, all came to treat his illness and ask for medicine. Yang Hu was busy until dark every day. Lu Yan helped him identify and dispense medicine, Lu Rou helped with the accounting, Liu Ye ran up and down inside, and even Qin Ying pretended to be a female doctor to help keep order.

With a good reputation comes more money, but the money in the courtyard flows away like water; the more that comes in, the more goes out.

"There are quite a few people freezing and starving this winter," Yang Hu said to Lu Rou one day while doing accounts. "Give them some silver, set up a shed at the door, and cook some ginger soup and hot porridge to ward off the cold. Whoever comes, they can have a hot meal. Also, buy some over-the-counter medicine for frostbite and typhoid fever and give it to everyone for the New Year."

Lu Rou agreed, her eyes filled with warmth. Now that she was the family's accountant, she was no longer the little maid who only knew how to judge a book by its cover.

The tent was set up, and a long queue formed in the alley. People drinking medicine and holding hot porridge bowed to Yang's shop to express their gratitude. A porter whose leg had been healed held up a bowl of hot porridge and said to others, "This doctor is a miracle worker. His medical skills are excellent, and his heart is kind. In his eyes, we poor folks are no different from wealthy families."

The shed would stand for days on end. Even as the weather grew colder, the hot soup in the pot would never run out. Those who came to drink included porters rubbing their hands in the cold, elderly women carrying babies, and begging old people. The people of Yang's would pour bowl after bowl and hand out servings, without asking who you were or what your status was.

Some people who had received porridge and medicine felt bad and tried to give money and firewood, but Liu Ye pushed them back, saying with a smile, "Dr. Yang said that if we get through this year, next year will be good." Upon hearing this, the person almost burst into tears and bowed deeply towards the depths of the courtyard.

When Yang Hu heard this, he simply smiled faintly.

He knew better than anyone that medical skills could save lives temporarily, but the foundation for establishing oneself in this city lay in the countless bowls of ginger soup and doses of medicine. This "dead man" hiding in the courtyard, carrying a massive subway box, would have to win people's hearts through these small acts of kindness to survive in this dangerous city.

In the backyard at night, the family sat together around the stove.

"Has that hand been moving recently?" Yang Hu asked.

Liu Ye shook her head: "They've probably given up. They searched the entire city for days but found nothing unusual. The steward of the prefectural magistrate's mansion is said to be ill and has returned home, staying indoors."

"Can't it find solid evidence? So what if we don't have any real proof? Let's hide back for now! But it definitely won't let us off so easily!" Qin Ying swung her knife. "But it wants to see what loopholes we have, and we're waiting for the right time to uproot it."

"That's right." Yang Hu stroked his chin. "The real force behind it is the hand hidden in the capital! This box of ironclad evidence is enough to implicate the prefectural governor's office! If we are impatient and alert the enemy, that hand in the capital will immediately withdraw, erase all testimonies, and cut off all connections! This game cannot be rushed. It needs to be played slowly, slowly dragging out this hand, until the ironclad evidence in our hands can overturn the entire table one day."

"That military report, that abandoned manor, those three cartloads of stolen evidence..." Qin Ying muttered, her fingers tightening until they turned white. "Step by step, we've forced it out of the shadows, but the deeper we go, the more I realize how deep the waters run. The person who could turn the entire Qin family into traitors and manage to deceive us with that military report couldn't possibly be a minor official like the Prefectural Magistrate!"

"So we can't rush things, and nobody can rush things!" Yang Hu held her hand, his voice deep and resonant. "This time, we've got its tail! Next time, we have to wait for it to show its whole body! Until then, nobody can rush things, nobody can show themselves."

Qin Ying looked at him, and her perpetually cold eyes slowly softened a little.

This path of revenge has taken so long, and for the first time, she feels that the person beside her is more reassuring than the knife in her hand.

The charcoal fire crackled, and everyone in the room fell silent.

Lu Yan served them tea: "Don't be afraid, life goes on day by day. Young Master has won the hearts of the whole city by healing the sick and saving the people. Let's stay here and protect our family in this courtyard. One day, we will reach that point."

These simple words brought a warm and comforting feeling to everyone in the room.

Yang Hu looked at the faces of these people—the well-educated and reasonable Lu Yan, the capable and virtuous Lu Rou, the valiant and righteous Liu Ye, and Qin Ying, who had shed the sharp edge of a general's daughter but treated this courtyard as her home.

For the past six months or so, from a small village on the border to the small brick courtyard in this city, as a soul transmigrator, he actually has a home that he is willing to fight to the death to protect.

Moreover, we must protect this family, avenge the Qin family and clear their name of all crimes, and cut off the root of the country's calamity!

This road has only just begun!

The coldest days of winter will eventually pass.

Outside the alley, steam was rising from the ginger soup stall. A travel-worn merchant, seemingly from out of town, ate a mouthful of porridge while surveying the courtyard with its blue brick walls. His gaze lingered on the "Yang's" shop.

At the entrance of the hospital, there was a very long line of people waiting to see a doctor.

He wasn't in a hurry. He simply found a spot to stand and watched the people coming and going. He also listened intently to those who had come to see the doctor, praising the young miracle doctor in incredible terms.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

After a long time, he put down his bowl, straightened his clothes, and then took out a small booklet wrapped in sealing wax from his pocket and carefully put it away... Then, he walked slowly towards the gate of this courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Yang Hu was examining an elderly woman, oblivious to Qin Ying, who, disguised, stood at the entrance for a moment. Her gaze inadvertently fell upon the merchant entering and she paused slightly—this man's steps were so steady, his eyes so calm; he was definitely not an ordinary tourist seeking medical advice! So, she subtly moved closer to him.

The renowned doctors are admired not only by those who treat illnesses and prescribe medicine.

Yang Hu and the young miracle doctor, who had finally established themselves in this border town, were about to be caught in a storm far greater than healing and saving lives...

Just outside the courtyard gate, a visitor from out of town, who had arrived not far away, had already joined the very back of the waiting line. He looked up at the simple, unadorned signboard, then at the young doctor who was intently treating his patients, and a faint, indescribable smile flickered across his lips.

The small booklet wrapped in layers of sealing wax was pressed tightly against his heart.

Whether this storm is good or bad, friend or foe, nobody knows yet...

The coldest days of winter are almost over, and spring is just around the corner. The snow and ice on the mountain will eventually melt away, and inside and outside Yang's courtyard in this border town, all the grass stems and branches hidden beneath the ice will gradually be revealed along with the melting mountain spring water, and they can no longer hide any secrets...