Chapter 5: A Wise Man Doesn’t Fall in Love—Unless He Meets a Rich Lady

After seeing the doctor out, Su Mingyue patiently reminded, “Shen Lang, make sure you don’t forget to drink the tonic once you get home.”

Shen Xiuyan said hesitantly, “That’s not right… It’s so expensive… I won’t be able to repay you anytime soon.”

This was Su Mingyue’s kindness. A love-struck Shen Xiuyan certainly wouldn’t outright reject her offer, but if she actually did buy it, he didn’t have the silver to pay her back…

He had glanced at the prescription earlier—filled with rare herbs, even a fifty-year-old wild ginseng was on the list.

He was honestly impressed with that doctor. The man really dared to write whatever he wanted, without even asking if he was worth the price of that ginseng…

With only fifty coins left on him, Shen Xiuyan silently shed a bitter tear.

Su Mingyue smiled lightly at his words and waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. You don’t need to repay it.”

Shen Xiuyan: !!!

So domineering!

He was in love.

No wonder the original host had desperately clung to this powerful backer.

He wanted a taste of this sweet deal too!

As the saying goes: a wise man doesn’t fall in love—unless he meets a rich lady!

And he just had!

Faced with such temptation, it was really hard not to be swayed. But as a decent man, living off a woman wasn’t right!

He was a good young man of the new era—he should rely on his own hands and hard work to give his wife a better life. How could he allow himself to sink into such depravity?

He shook off the impractical thoughts in his head and firmly resolved to repay the money little by little in the future.

Shen Xiuyan continued, “How about this—just treat the cost of this tonic as a loan. I’ll definitely repay you one day.”

He had no idea how much willpower it took to say that. That was a lot of silver! He really, really wanted to eat that soft rice!

Su Mingyue: “I really don’t want it.”

Shen Xiuyan said seriously, “That won’t do. My money can be yours, but your money must remain yours.”

Su Mingyue felt a warm glow in her heart. He said his money is my money!

Hehe, Shen Lang really loves me!

He’s even afraid I might get scammed, but how could Shen Lang possibly lie to her—he likes her so much!

As for those things she didn’t like hearing, she just chose to pretend she didn’t hear them.

Why should there be such clear lines between two people in love? She lacked many things, but money definitely wasn’t one of them.

This little bit of money—Shen Lang was unwilling to take advantage of her, which only proved how pure and upright he was.

Su Mingyue stared, infatuated, at Shen Xiuyan’s handsome face.

Sigh, her taste really was excellent. Whether it was looks or character, he was top tier.

In the future, when her father found out about them, he definitely wouldn’t be able to say a word.

Just thinking about it made Su Mingyue start rubbing her face and giggling like a fool.

Shen Xiuyan, sitting to the side and watching her smiling face, shook his head.

Be more careful, please. Good thing she ran into him—if it had still been that scumbag original host, there wouldn’t even be a bone left.

After chatting a bit more, Shen Xiuyan and Su Mingyue headed outside.

He turned to the shopkeeper and asked, “Shopkeeper, are you still looking for someone to copy texts?”

The shopkeeper looked troubled. If he said yes, he didn’t know how good Shen Xiuyan’s handwriting was. If he let him copy books and they turned out unreadable, not only would they not sell, but he’d also waste good paper—and if the master found out, he’d be in big trouble.

But if he said no, Miss was standing right here watching—he’d be in for it either way.

He was starting to suspect Shen Xiuyan was doing this on purpose…

Shen Xiuyan noticed the shopkeeper’s dilemma. Internally, he sighed—he really didn’t mean to make things difficult. It was just one of those days.

Feeling a little softhearted, he smiled gently and said, “If you have any concerns, Shopkeeper, feel free to speak openly.”

The shopkeeper was moved to tears. No wonder this was the man Miss had set her sights on—so understanding toward lowly servants like them.

He had actually doubted him earlier—what a crime!

“It’s like this, Young Master Shen. According to our process, we need to first evaluate your handwriting. Only if it passes can you start copying books.”

The shopkeeper thought Shen Xiuyan would be offended by this—after all, it was a form of doubt—but he still maintained a polite tone.

“That’s fine. We should follow the rules. Otherwise, the shop would fall into disorder.”

The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of whether this man was truly learned or not, just his character alone earned his approval.

Shen Xiuyan began writing on the paper the shopkeeper brought over. His brush strokes were relaxed yet bold, and his clearly jointed hand, paired with a focused gaze, made for an aesthetically pleasing scene.

The shopkeeper had no time to admire Shen Xiuyan’s elegance; he was intently watching the writing itself.

As soon as Shen Xiuyan had written a few characters, the shopkeeper immediately called out, “That’s enough, no need to continue. I was blind not to recognize true talent—Young Master Shen, your calligraphy is top-tier!”

As he spoke, he even excitedly gave a thumbs-up.

This kind of writing couldn’t be achieved without more than ten years of dedicated practice. Though not quite at the level of contemporary masters, it already possessed spirit and refinement—something rarely seen. Having him copy books was truly a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

From that moment on, the way the shopkeeper looked at Shen Xiuyan completely changed—his respect and admiration came from the heart.