The Apothecary Diaries Book 9

Epilogue

Maomao looked out the small window. She could see more and more ships come into view. Their fleet seemed to grow larger with every port they called at. Most of the additions were merchant vessels, also going to the western capital and presumably joining them to help protect themselves from pirates.

"Funny. This trip has felt so long, but we can finally see the destination!"

"What are you talking about, Miss Chue?" the quack asked. Chue was lounging in the medical office like she belonged there, as she so often did.

"Oh, nothing. It just seemed like the right sentiment, so I said it."

"You say the strangest things. I just don't follow," said the quack. Maomao agreed that Chue's pronouncements could be obscure, but there were a handful of creatures like her in the world.

Maomao stepped away from the window, intent on taking inventory of their remaining stock of medicine. As Chue's helpful exposition indicated, they would soon be arriving in the western capital. They would have to think about restocking their supplies, but the quack—ostensibly the key to the functioning of the medical office—spent all his time chatting, as he always did.

Chue now spent as much time in the medical office as Lihaku did. She insisted that it was "for work." Maybe she mispronounced "cutting work."

"Master Physician, if you could at least take some notes as to our quantities of medicine," Maomao said, pressing a notebook and brush into the quack's hands. It wasn't a big job, and she could easily have done it by herself, but she thought it was important not to spoil the doctor.

"Want me to help?" Chue offered.

"No, thank you. We'll never hear the end of it if we let nonmedical staff touch the medicine."

"That's too bad. Miss Chue knows a lot about poisons, you know!"

She also never missed a chance to promote herself. Trying to justify her continued presence in the medical office (and absence from real work), Maomao supposed.

"Enough to do food tasting, at least, I see," Maomao said. She thought back to the banquet in Anan. The banquet, then the case of the missing quack, then slapping Jinshi...

That last one was a real problem for her. Maomao put a hand to her lips. Why'd I do that? She knew perfectly well that children's charms didn't have any medicinal effect. She'd treated Jinshi like a child who could be deluded by a little charm.

The one silver lining was that the people in the room hadn't appeared to have heard anything—maybe the balcony had been built specifically for such secret conferences. Maomao had been worried what would happen if Suiren, Taomei, or Gaoshun had heard them. Yet only Chue had displayed any interest.

As for Jinshi's request that she slap "the other side too," he'd just needed something to wake him up. It definitely wasn't a masochist thing, he'd explained.

What else was I supposed to think, with that look on his face?

His story for the red mark on his face was that he had given himself a good, hard slap on the cheek just before coming back into the room. Suiren and the others were aghast, but he'd simply chuckled and explained that "I just needed to make sure I was good and alert."

Maomao had remained absolutely silent. It was all she could do.

She was so very, very tired.

"Ooh, I had such a good time in Anan! I can't wait to see how much fun we have in the western capital," said Chue, her small eyes sparkling. She produced little flowers, flags, and even, for some reason, doves out of her hands, but Lihaku and the quack had already handled the witty comebacks on those subjects. No need for Maomao to get involved in that game now. She did have a question, though.