Chapter 1754: These Two Girls Are So Fierce

 Chapter 1753: Shu Yu Visits the Dungeon

 Chapter 938: Tooth for a Tooth, Identity Exposed (3)  

By the time breakfast rolled around, Cui Ping’an had barely managed to chop a few logs. Worried that his frail body might collapse from hunger, Li Yan, with Mo Yan’s silent approval, brought him a bowl of porridge and some steamed buns.  

However, Cui Ping’an refused, declaring that he wouldn’t eat until he finished chopping the firewood. He insisted that as a man, he had to follow through on his word.  

Li Yan tried to persuade him for a long time, but it was no use. Left with no choice, she brought the food back.  

Mo Yan said nothing, merely instructing Mao Tuan to keep an eye on him. If he collapsed, it was to drag him back into the house.  

Mao Tuan, having enjoyed its rewards from the previous night, readily agreed. Once it had eaten its fill, it sprawled under the eaves, keeping a close watch.  

Cui Ping’an mistakenly assumed that Mao Tuan was there to monitor his work, and frustration welled up in his chest—he felt like Mo Yan didn’t trust him. Fueled by indignation, he put even more force into his swings, increasing his efficiency.  

Unfortunately, the young master’s delicate body wasn’t built for this kind of labor. Not only did his soft, pampered hands quickly develop large blisters, but after chopping just twenty logs, he was completely spent. In the end, he couldn’t even hold onto the axe, collapsing onto the ground, his face pale as paper, drenched in cold sweat.  

Bored out of its mind, Mao Tuan perked up at the sight and immediately rushed over, dragging him back into the house. It also called out to Mo Yan, who was in the courtyard drying medicinal herbs.  

Mo Yan took one look at Cui Ping’an’s pitiful state and checked his pulse. Seeing that it was still steady, she knew he was simply exhausted from unfamiliar labor rather than suffering from any serious ailment.  

Sure enough, before long, Cui Ping’an recovered on his own. However, having skipped breakfast, his body remained weak and sluggish.  

When Mo Yan brought over porridge and steamed buns this time, he didn’t refuse. Instead, he sincerely thanked her before devouring the food ravenously.  

Seeing that he was fine, Mo Yan returned to handling the medicinal herbs in the courtyard. The sun wasn’t too harsh yet, and the air was dry—perfect conditions for drying the herbs before the midday heat set in.  

These herbs were fairly common—some harvested from her medicine field, while others were discreetly taken from her space under the guise of gathering wild herbs in the mountains.  

The ones from her medicine field were watered with diluted spiritual spring water, making them more potent than ordinary herbs but still inferior to those from her space. She always dried them separately and sold them at two different price points to Du’s Medical Clinic.  

Initially, Mo Yan hadn’t planned on accepting payment for the herbs, but Old Physician Du refused to take them for free. He insisted on paying and even offered a rate 30% higher than the market price because the herbs’ effectiveness was well worth the cost.  

Every ten days, Mo Yan delivered a batch of medicinal herbs, earning her household an additional two hundred taels of silver per month. With the superior medicinal effects, more and more patients were successfully treated, drawing in even more people. As a result, Du’s Medical Clinic’s reputation soared, gradually becoming the most renowned clinic in the capital.  

Aside from occasionally helping out at the clinic to hone her skills under Old Physician Du’s guidance, the clinic had also hired two more physicians to keep up with the workload. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to manage.  

In Mo Yan’s original plan to accumulate merit, the medical clinic played a crucial role. However, running a clinic could easily lead to disputes. Without a strong backing to deter malicious individuals, she hadn’t dared to act rashly.  

After the Chongyang Festival, once she had settled the three hundred soldiers at the border, she intended to shift the credit to Chu Heng. If he was willing to accept it, then the clinic would be secure. At that point, she could discuss with her master the possibility of leveraging Du’s Medical Clinic’s growing reputation to expand into nearby towns—or perhaps, if the timing was right, even establish clinics across the entire Da Chu.  

(End of Chapter)

 Chapter 937: Tooth for a Tooth, Identity Exposed (2)  

With the birds keeping watch, Mo Yan could monitor the movements of that master and servant pair at any time. The reason there had been no action in the past few days was simple—Fan Meijiao, as a pampered young lady of the inner courtyard, was lazy and indulgent. She lacked capable subordinates, and for the time being, she couldn't find a reliable person to carry out her schemes.  

Still, to be safe, Mo Yan had six of her beasts take turns keeping watch at night. That way, if anything suspicious happened near the Mo residence, she would be the first to know.  

After a restful night’s sleep, Mo Yan woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. However, her mood soured the moment she saw Cui Ping’an lounging like a young master, casually ordering Li Yan to bring him water for washing. She nearly grabbed the washbasin and dumped it over his head.  

“I told you, you can stay at my house, but you have to take care of yourself. Don’t expect anyone to serve you. If you keep acting like some privileged young master here, you can pack up and leave.”  

Seeing Cui Ping’an stiffen at her words, Mo Yan didn’t bother being polite. This guy truly had no sense of shame. If she didn’t already know this was just how he was, she would have had Mao Tuan throw him out long ago.  

Cui Ping’an had been used to a life where everything was done for him. Even something as simple as washing his face had always been handled by maids. Now, being expected to do it himself felt unnatural, so he instinctively ordered Li Yan around—only to get caught before he even started.  

Worried that Mo Yan might throw him out on a whim, Cui Ping’an swallowed his grievances and quickly apologized. “I was wrong, I was wrong! I’ll change, I swear! Just don’t kick me out.”  

After all, he was still counting on this noble lady to be kind enough to send him to Yuan City.  

Mo Yan snorted and pointed to the pile of round logs stacked in the corner. “If you chop all of these today, I won’t kick you out. Otherwise, you either leave or go without food until you finish.”  

Cui Ping’an’s eyes widened in horror at the sight of the small mountain of logs. He shouted in protest, “No way! I don’t know how to chop wood! And even if I did, there’s no way I could finish all that! You can’t just set me up like this to force me out!”  

Mo Yan didn’t argue. Instead, she walked over to the logs, placed one as thick as a child’s waist upright on a flat stone, picked up an axe, and swung it down with precision. With a sharp crack, the log split cleanly in half and tumbled to the ground.  

Casting a glance at the dumbfounded Cui Ping’an, she continued chopping. The rhythmic crack, crack of splitting wood echoed through the air, growing faster and faster. In no time, a sizable pile of firewood had formed, enough to last the Mo family three to five days.  

Tossing the axe aside, Mo Yan dusted off her hands and gave Cui Ping’an a final look—one that hit him harder than any scolding. Without saying another word, she turned and walked past him.  

But Cui Ping’an felt as if that gaze had physically slapped him across the face. It stung.  

A girl younger than him had just chopped all that wood in one go, yet he—a grown man—was making excuses?  

Fueled by wounded pride, Cui Ping’an’s fighting spirit ignited. He picked up the heavy axe, gathered all his strength, and swung it down at the log on the flat stone—only for the axe to miss entirely and slam into the ground. He nearly tumbled forward from the force.  

Watching through the kitchen window, Mo Yan saw everything clearly. As she noticed the stubborn young man pick up the axe again, refusing to give up and repeatedly trying to split the log, a faint smile crossed her lips.  

The others might not have understood why Mo Yan was making him do this, but they had always trusted that she had her reasons. Now, seeing Cui Ping’an’s determined struggle, they finally understood.  

Suddenly, he didn’t seem so insufferable anymore.  

(End of Chapter)