Two days later, on Cheng Mo's birthday, apart from Uncle Zhong rushing up from the foothills, only the members of the Tong family and Prince Rong celebrated joyfully together. Nonetheless, it was the warmest and happiest birthday Cheng Mo had experienced in years.
XiangBei didn't mention the secret birthday gift she had prepared in advance for Cheng Mo, which ultimately didn't arrive on time. Instead, she thoughtfully left behind several jugs of fine wine, allowing the two brothers to chat into the late hours of the night.
Rongzhi moved down the mountain with the large group of Tong family members, opting not to stay at the Eastern Binh Palace but to reside in the medicinal courtyard of the new estate. Apart from the two shadow guards, several plainclothes household guards of Cheng were also stationed around, discreetly infiltrating the workshop surrounding the medicinal courtyard to participate in daily production labor.
Due to the terrain, XiangBei's small building was the tallest structure in the new estate. Its layout remained the same as the third floor of FuHai Pavilion, with the main room facing the mountains and the side rooms overlooking the medicinal courtyard. Rongzhi could easily catch sight of Cheng Mo's frequent presence there, yet he concealed the stirrings of his heart deep inside.
It was a busy and fulfilling period. XiangBei's greatest joy came with the opening of the large oil mill, which spurred locals to flock to the mountain to pick tea tree seeds and harvest walnuts. The abundant production of vegetable oil not only introduced a variety of cooking styles but also brought significant improvements to people's lives.
Capitalizing on this enthusiasm, XiangBei and Qiao Ziqiu began editing and publishing their first commercial newsletter, "North and South Community Talk," with two issues per month released fortnightly. Besides covering business trends, market prices, and labor information, the newsletter's most unique sections were dedicated to interviewing entrepreneurs or solo traders who had prospered through their small crafts, one or few delicious food dishes, as well as a column showcasing new technologies from the Same City Roadside Lodge. Each issue of this column featured detailed explanations of one or two popular crafts, along with production manuals.
This issue of the newspaper specifically featured the oil pressing process and various types of vegetable oils, with an additional section containing recipes for several fried delicacies. Just like the previous editions promoting coal stoves and lotus-like holes coal workshops, this issue of the newspaper, printed in three thousand copies, was sold out on the day of release. The secondary market saw prices soar from one hundred copper coins per copy to ten taels of silver coins, increased a hundredfold, as they were traded among merchants traveling by land and water to various destinations.
The Same City Roadside Lodge's large cafeteria was bustling with customers, all gathering to inquire about and exchange information on new techniques.
Behind the bustling scenes, there was an unnoticed ingredient preparation room. The person on duty today was Cui, one of the first batch of recruits. Normally humble and respectful, his appearance, except for a plate-like hair bun visible during bows, was unremarkable to XiangBei. However, at this moment, he stood tall, his youthful and bold face illuminated by the dim candlelight, his hawk-like eyes gleaming with fierceness as he stared at the two individuals kneeling before him, issuing orders in a menacing tone, "Trash, I don't care what methods you use, but you must submit the method of extracting marsh gas, along with the recent issues of the Gazette, to the coastal defense city, Haifang City within five days. If you miss the master's shipping schedule, you will have to disembowel yourselves as punishment."
"Disembowelment? Disembowel? No, No, oh No—!, I can't listen to this!" Rongzhi, who was on his way to the traveler's inn, the Same City Roadside Lodge to find XiangBei, happened to pass by the small house. Curious, he peered through the window paper, but upon hearing the words "disembowel yourselves," he was struck with a splitting headache and rushed back towards the mansion. Halfway there, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.
The shadow guards found him nearly unconscious and brought him back to the medicinal courtyard. When XiangBei and Cheng Mo arrived, old royal chief physician Dr. Li's acupuncture technique was unable to stabilize him.
"We can only take the risk and try. Dr. Li, I need to use that miraculous elixir to cleanse my brother's meridians and marrow to strengthen his spirit energy. Please prepare a calming potion for him to take later." It wasn't until Dr. Li withdrew that Cheng Mo said to XiangBei, "XiangBei, this medicine comes from your spiritual realm. It's risky to use it extensively, but given the circumstances, we have no choice. What will happen afterward is uncertain, but based on my previous experience, I feel a comforting force from you stabilizing my inner breath. So, I hope you can accompany me this time to treat my brother. Based on my previous experience, that's going to be very painful,but no matter how much he screams, you don't need to pay attention."
"I understand. Let's start now, Ah Mo."
Cheng Mo and XiangBei exchanged serious and solemn glances, seeing complete trust and determination in each other's eyes. Cheng Mo fed the miraculous elixir provided by XiangBei to Rongzhi and helped him sit up, crossing legs to face each other. Pressed their palms against each other. Slowly, he guided his inner energy into Rongzhi's meridians.
XiangBei opened her inner Qi air sea, focusing on her lower abdomen, quietly sitting aside in meditation. However, this time, the process of adjusting her energy made her feel as if she had experienced multiple seasons, with the space becoming unstable multiple times and the hanging air vortex spinning wildly, as if it wanted to break free from the space. She exerted all her mental strength to guide her breath into her Qi sea, gradually calming the turbulent air vortex and settling it back onto the dry pit which under the vortex of the snow jade cave. When she opened her eyes again, Rongzhi had already been fed the calming potion and fallen into a deep sleep, with Cheng Mo watching over him.