Someone Unexpected | Jinshi x Reader The Apothecary Diaries

Episode 1: The Incident

Y/n pov:

I've been living with my best friend Maomao and our adoptive father, Loumen, since I was a young age. I can't really say I remember much about my parents or anything really since I was so young. All I knew was they had met an unfortunate fate, with them losing their lives, and I ended up passing out near a doctor's house, by some odd miracle. I awoke the next day being treated and cared for by the doctor, Loumen and his daughter, Maomao. They took me in and I've been with them ever since.

Maomao and I were outside tending to the garden when father called out to us.

"Maomao, Y/n. Could you two deliver some medicine to the Verdigris House for me?" He said.

"Sure dad. We'll get on it." Maomao responded as I nodded along.

As we were getting ready to leave with our baskets, he spoke up again from his grinding wheel.

"Try to be careful out there you two. They say abductions are on the rise."

"I know, I know. We'll stop by the herb plot on our way back." Maomao said as she pulled her basket onto her back, looking back at father.

"Thank you. Don't be long."

"We won't!" I yelled back to him as we jogged away from the old house, down the dirt path.

As we went down the road, we eventually came out of a dark side street into the bright and decorated streets of the Pleasure District. With lots of tall buildings lining the streets and lanterns strung between them. The streets were full of people everywhere, even above on several balconies there were beautiful women adorned with beautiful flashy outfits and perfectly done makeup.

We soon get to the Verdigris House where I see Granny, the Madam who owns and runs the place, milking a man for more money to get into the brothel.

Once inside, me and Maomao put down our baskets and moved over to a platform area with a counter, taking off our shoes before stepping up on the platform and sitting down behind the counter. Maomao was testing another herbal medicine on her wounded arm again while I was watching from the side with curiosity.

Growing up with Maomao and her constant experiments, not only did I get use to her doing them, but I also started doing them on myself with her. I always wondered why she do it and although i don't do this as much as her to the excessive degree, I do see the appeal of testing and experimenting with different poisons and making medicines for said poisons.

She groaned as she looked at her blotchy red arm while writing down notes. "It's taking too long to heal. Recipe's not right."

"I told you." I commented, leaning on the counter. She then glared at me before we both heard a light voice calling our names through the archway, making us both look up.

"Oh, Maomao! Y/n!" We then see Pairin, a high-ranking courtesans and one of three princesses of the Verdigris House, walk into the room.

"Oh hi Pairin-" "Have you been wounding yourself again, Maomao? " She interrupted before I could finish greeting her, taking quick notice of Maomao's arm.

"Well yeah. I needed something to experiment on." Maomao said as she continued examining her arm.

"Dear Y/n, please tell me you aren't as well?" She turned to me with worry.

"No, not today." I answered as she came around the counter and hugged us both from behind. Making us yelp with surprise as her oversized breasts pressed up behind our heads, with how small we were compared to her.

"Oh, you're both so thin. Are you two eating enough? Have you been taking care of yourself Y/n?"

"Yes, Pairin, I'm doing just fine!" I exclaim out of embarrassment as I looked up at her. Her and the other princesses were like older sisters. They've always been concerned for me ever since they learned how I was found in such a horrible state as a child.