Now that LN16's pre-pub run is finished, I wanted to revisit The Other Canon Ships, a reference list and appreciation post for all the canon ships in the light novel series other than the big juggernaut one (Jinmao, which is amazing and super well-written but already gets a lot of love elsewhere so I don't feel the need to track and cover it).

I am the kind of person who gravitates to the underrated romantic and platonic (especially platonic, as you will see) ships in fandoms and this series is chock-full of well-written characters and relationships I feel deserve more love in general.

While reading LN16, I kept an eye on every significant relationship I could and took notes. This entire post serves as a reference list for all the other relationships that have developed, the relevant chapters for each one, and quick recounts of what occurred.

It's also an appreciation post, though this time the "appreciation" part is placed in a separate section after everything (only in the Tumblr post because if I included it here, this post would exceed the character limit lol) because if I didn't do that, the reference list would just be me gushing about how much I love all the friendships and how incredibly happy I was to see the Medical Gang develop, Maomao & Chue, etc. The main part of this list is meant to be more like a report. It's not fully analytical (if it were then this post would be way too long), though there are some flashes of mini-analysis from time to time.

Major light novel spoilers for LN16, of course.

This whole post (including this intro) is around 7000 words btw, but feel free to skim because this is largely meant to be a reference list, after all.

Setup Notes

All romantic relationships are listed as "Character X/Character Y" and platonic ones are "Character X & Character Y," same convention as AO3.

In the previous post, I separated things by "Romances, Friendships, Family, and Other" but I've decided this one is just "Romances" and "Platonic Ships" with "Platonic Ships" being subdivided into "Maomao's Platonic Ships" and "Other Platonic Ships."

Obnoxiously, Tumblr does not allow sub-bullet points to be displayed in the main site so I can't use those. So each section is going to be formatted something like:

Ship - Chapter #, #, ... [list of relevant chapters]

[bullet points explaining stuff]

Also, if there was no interaction in the chapter but simply a mention or allusion, it will say (no int.) beside it

Just like the Other Canon Ships, I didn't include solely hate-based relationships like Maomao & Hulan and stuff, just focused on ships with some degree of positive affection on at least one side. So no Kokuyou & Village Chief or the loveless Hao/Suetsumuhana (Hao's Wife).

Romances

Basen/Lishu - Ch. 3, 21, 22, 23

Ch. 3 - Basen and Lishu awkwardly talk to each other at Red Plum Village about banal things. As Chue says, "They're talking, but they're not saying anything! How long can two people possibly talk about the weather?"
Chue reminds Maomao the "bigwigs" can't just order them to get together immediately and it has to be a steady process, suggesting that Basen just needs to do some worthy deeds to give him enough self-confidence and courage to ask Lishu for her hand. She enlists Maomao's help in finding something for Basen to do
Ch. 21 - Basen walks up to Lishu, she smiles shyly and he returns a "slightly stiff but earnest grin."
Ch. 22 - Basen and Lishu were still chatting by the time Maomao and co. got back to them outside the duck shed
"'I've taken you away from your work. I'm sorry. I'll be going,' Basen said, but in fact he showed no sign of moving; he only lingered longingly."
"Everyone was looking antsily at the two youngsters. They were like a pair of open books; they couldn't have hidden the romantic tension between them if they'd wanted to. In Maomao's opinion, the smell of roses was so thick in the air that the simple thing to do would have been to hurry up and get engaged. Then Maamei and Chue would be spared having to play matchmakers any longer."
After Basen defended against the Village Chief's attack, Lishu offers him her handkerchief for his injury. Then, wanting to speed things along with Basen and Lishu, Maomao offers the idea for Lishu to stay with Basen during his quarantine, but she declines saying she'd only be a nuisance to Master Basen and "There's the ducks to take care of..."
Ch. 23 - Basen receives a letter from Lishu in quarantine (which excites him), though the audience doesn't get to read it

(One-Sided) Yao/Lahan - Ch. 7 (no int.), 16 (no int.), 17 (no int.)

Ch. 7 - Openly discussed by Maomao & Changsha while eating together. Changsha demolishes the viability of it, pointing out that Lahan has no interest in her and considers her an intrusive nuisance even though she's attractive and from a good family. She says Yao either needs to let it go or tell him and finally get rejected. The idea of a third route (Lahan falling in love with Yao) is soundly rejected by Maomao
Ch. 16 - Changsha tells Yao and En'en outright "what a bad plan it is for her [Yao] to stick around just because she can't get over him [Lahan]!" And then, through interrogative questions, she makes Yao really think about how she truly feels about Lahan
Ch. 17 - Yao and En'en and Changsha are mentioned to have continued their "love chat from hell," which certainly must've included talking about Lahan

(One-Sided) Yao/En'en - Ch. 7 (no int.), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

This relationship is making significant progress (towards being broken up)
Ch. 7 - Openly discussed by Maomao & Changsha while eating together. Changsha easily notices that "En'en only has eyes for Yao" and that she mercilessly rejects any men wanting to pursue Yao
Ch. 13-14 - Just general interactions, nothing big
Ch. 15 - Yao still wants to take En'en with her to wherever she goes despite ostensibly wanting to be on her own, which mystifies Maomao. But of course, this is challenged in the next chapter
Ch. 16 - En'en is possessive and wants to be the one to give Yao her portions of food
Changsha criticizes En'en to her face. Changsha invokes her great-aunt, who was much like her and ended up spending her whole life unmarried. "Is that how you want Yao to feel about you, En'en?" she asks. Later, Changsha also makes it clear Yao needs to live on her own without En'en doing everything for her
As Changsha says, "Conclusion: As long as you're [En'en's] around, no one will ever have an admiring word for Yao." En'en is shook, to say the least
Ch. 17 - Changsha follows Yao and En'en around and scolds En'en for helping Yao too much, with Yao saying "En'en, I can get ready by myself."
"A rather twisted ecosystem had developed," as Maomao put it

(One-Sided) Lahan's Brother/En'en- Ch. 13

Lahan's Brother continues to fail miserably at this
Lahan's Brother gives vegetable recommendations to En'en. Vegetable recommendations.
En'en continues to keep the secret of Lahan's Brother's name from Junjie

(Proposed) Lahan's Brother/Yao - Ch. 13

Observed by Junjie that Lahan's Brother and Yao have a lot more natural conversation

(One-Sided) Lahan/Sanfan - Ch. 17, 18

Ch. 17 - Sanfan remains devoted to Lahan and deeply concerned for his safety, to the point of putting on a brave front going into what's basically a lion's den
Ch. 18 - Sanfan is devastated by Lakan being nonchalant about Lahan's apparent kidnapping
Maomao notes that Sanfan is "perceptive about everything except matters relating to Lahan," which echoes her thoughts of En'en (who is reasonable in everything unless Yao is involved)

Baryou/Chue - Ch. 17 (no int.)

Maomao touches Chue while sleeping, to which she says "Nooo, hubby! Not theeere!" and pucks her lips and leans towards Maomao until she finally wakes her up.
Speaks to Chue's domestic life with Baryou

Platonic Ships

Maomao's Platonic Ships (Friendships, Family, etc.)

Just like the original 'The Other Canon Ships' post, Maomao gets a section all to herself since she is the main character.

Maomao & Chue - Ch. 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (no int.), 15, 16, 17, 20 (no int.), 21 (no int.), 23, 24, Epilogue (no int.)

Ch. 3 - Chue takes Maomao to Red Plum Village to spy on Basen and Lishu and as always, they have playful banter and exchanges. Chue knows Maomao enough to drag her away from trying to pick herbs. As Maomao watches Basen and Lishu awkwardly talk to each other, Chue reads her mind ("You're thinking, 'Couldn't the bigwigs just order them to get together and then, boom it's done?'") and teases her that "a lot of us think the same thing about you, Miss Maomao!"
Chue asks for Maomao's help in finding some heroic acts for Basen to do. She also gives Maomao century eggs (that she stole)
"The day concluded with a meal, over which Maomao and Chue exchanged their share of ribald chatter"
Ch. 7-8 - Chue takes her to see Jinshi for a new case (end of 7, start of 8)
Ch. 9 - Chue lowkey stands up for Maomao like "Don't tell me you don't approve!" when Maomao is questioned ("You mean this woman?")
Ch. 10 - Narration points out that Maomao didn't know anything about Chue's family. "She never said, and Maomao, as was her habit, never asked"
Maomao & Chue are fully aligned in the investigation. They both noticed the mother and daughter didn't look close (unlike Maamei) and Chue's info network + Maomao's knowledge of courtesan stuff leads to easy synergy
Ch. 11 - "Here ya go, Miss Maomao!" + "Thank you, Miss Chue." Also Chue's like "What do you think?" which Maomao interprets as her wanting to see her get jealous
Ch. 12 - No interaction but Chue knows Maomao well enough to not tell her about something so she wouldn't be obliged to help. "Once speculation turns to certainty, then your back's to the wall. But while the outcome is in a gray area, Miss Maomao can still cut them loose."
Ch. 15 - Chue sends a playful letter with illustrations of the dresses she used to land her husband. Maomao immediately tears that shit up
Ch. 16 - Chue reminds Maomao not to jump into Yao & En'en & Changsha's love chat from hell or else Changsha will 100% grill her too
Ch. 17 - Maomao tries to get Chue to wake up. Maomao smacks her on the head as Chue (with her eyes closed, thinking it's Baryou) leans in for a kiss
Ch. 20 - Chue isn't around, but "Maomao silently cheered for her fellow Hulan hater." Unity in hatred!
Ch. 21 - After Maomao teases Basen about Lishu, she thinks "If Miss Chue were here, she would be smirking her head off right now."
Later in the chapter, after Basen walks up to Lishu, she thinks "I can't express how glad I am that Miss Chue isn't here right now" because she's sure Chue will just spy on them
Ch. 23 - Maomao instantly recognizes the unserious way Chue speaks before seeing her. She's also not surprised by Chue knowing where everything in the clinic is despite her seemingly never being in the clinic before (as far as Maomao knew).
When Maomao quickly deduces Chue wanted Yo to leave quickly, Chue says "Life is so easy with you, Miss Maomao! I never have to explain myself!"
Ch. 24 - Chue takes Maomao to Dr. Lao's house where Kokuyou is staying, coming up with an excuse for Maomao to be there by saying she was there on the Moon Prince's orders. Chue doesn't come in with her, aware of what Maomao might talk to Kokuyou about, but she tells her to call her if anything happens and she'll "race to Miss Maomao's rescue!" Maomao says she appreciates that.
Epilogue - Maomao raises the possibility in her mind that Chue knew everything and shared the same concerns she had regarding what might happen if she told Jinshi about Kokuyou's old crimes

Maomao & Kokuyou - Ch. 6, 7, 15, 19 (no int.), 20 (no int.), 21, 22, 23 (no int.), 24

Ch. 6 - Maomao and Yo take notes on Kokuyou's interview
Ch. 7 - Maomao asks Kokuyou if she can see the records he gave to the physicians to copy, and he asks for fifty silver pieces. Maomao asks "Maybe I could get the friends-and-family rate?"
Ch. 15 - Kokuyou sends a letter to Maomao telling her about the village he's working in. He tells her to look after Yo for him if and when she comes home
Ch. 19 - When Dr. Liu asks if Maomao knows if Kokuyou is a malicious person, she says she doesn't and "I think he regards me as an equal." Her subjective opinion is he doesn't seem too bad, but narration emphasizes it is just opinion.
Ch. 20 - Jinshi asks Maomao if Kokuyou is the culprit who started the smallpox outbreak, and Maomao once again says he has no reason to do it. At his request, she informs him the kind of person the suspect would have to be and contrasts them with Kokuyou. Later, Maomao points out he's good-looking, and soon she has to calm Jinshi down by telling him he's just "an excellent work colleague. And that's all." Unambiguous declaration of platonicness
Ch. 21 - They meet again and talk. Maomao's excitement about the smallpox experiments clearly shows in her exchange with Kokuyou, which is enough to make Jinshi angry behind her. Maomao listens intently to Kokuyou talking about the cows and horses and the smallpox theory
Ch. 22 - Still eager. "...she asked as if this were a class and Kokuyou were the teacher."
Ch. 23 - After Chue tells Maomao about the village chief committing suicide, she deemed it important to learn what kind of person the chief thought Kokuyou was (evidently curious what he meant when he shouted "penghou" at him). She asks her if she can see Kokuyou
Ch. 24 - Maomao visits Kokuyou at Dr. Lao's mansion to figure out what kind of person the village chief saw him as. At the start, she continued affirming that she "didn't think he was a bad person" as she remembered all their encounters up to this point.
She asks him about the village chief and villagers who disliked and harassed him, at which point he gets uncomfortable. "Do I have to answer this question? I really liked being friends with you, Maomao."
Maomao asks if he spread smallpox in Yo's village, which he denies. She realizes, in fact, that he didn't do anything, which was enough to kill his enemies. It becomes clear to her that the term "penghou" refers to how he was like a mirror: "He had neither goodwill nor ill, but only reflected back what each person did to him." She begins to see him in a new, darker light
She acknowledges Kokuyou may have committed a crime, but that he's now proven to be indispensable to the medical staff. She also didn't feel like she was in a position to judge him
She says she prays he only ever has decent folk around him, to which he replies "Praying? That's not like you, Maomao!" (which, amusingly enough, is similar to what Loulan told her before she left for good). She leaves the conversation deeply rattled.

Maomao & Yao - Ch. 14, 16

Ch. 14 - Maomao gives Yao an unfiltered compliment: "You've done an excellent job tending to your patient."
At Maomao's own request, Yao confides in her about her conflicted feelings with Lahan
Maomao continues to feel guilty about having to keep the secret of the Shaoh maiden still being alive ("a betrayal of Yao, but also the only way to keep her safe")
Maomao says "I think you're doing things right" and tells Yao she should get out a little more
Narrator: "At the moment, Yao didn't seem to appreciate just how capable she was. Maomao honestly believed that if she went to some other department, she would find herself indispensable almost immediately."
Ch. 16 - Maomao is amazed at Yao's maturity when advising Yo to take a rest and informing her that Dr. Liu cares for his workers.

Maomao & En'en - Ch. 15, 16

Ch. 15 - En'en sends letters to Maomao and tells her she'll let her know where she's going next
Ch. 16 - Maomao is reminded by En'en's advice to Yo she can be very reasonable as long as Yao wasn't involved, and Maomao "wished she would work on attentuating that fixation a bit"

Maomao & Yo - Ch. 5, 6, 7, 16, 19, 23

Ch. 5 - Yo is relieved to see Maomao as something close to a peer (even if Maomao's her senior) in the meeting
Ch. 6 - Maomao and Yo take notes together for Kokuyou's interview
Ch. 7 - Yo shows her resolve and pride to Maomao that she wants to help out with the smallpox mission, to which she responds "If that's how you feel, fine." Echoes Yao's similar determination and genuine displayed resolve to Maomao
Ch. 16 - Maomao tries to answer when Yo wonders if she should even be enjoying herself while the others are hard at work, but En'en beats her to the punch. Yao and Changsha quickly follow, and Maomao doesn't even have to say anything
Ch. 19 - Scenes with Maomao teaching/guiding Yo as her senior, plus Maomao tries to repel the men interested in Yo now that she's in the medical office near the soldiers (see the Medical Gang section lower down)
Ch. 23 - The two get to talk in the clinic where Basen is being quarantined, with Yo looking after him and doing Maomao's work for her. Maomao also checks in on Yo's technique while making medicine

Maomao & Changsha - Ch. 4, 7, 16

Ch. 4 - Maomao and Changsha eat together in the dorm. Narration assesses that "In terms of knowledge of medicines, at least, she was probably doing better even than Yao." She gives her one of the century eggs Chue gave her. She doesn't tell Changsha about Yo's history having smallpox out of respect for Yo, since they're both peers.
Ch. 7 - Maomao allowed Changsha to have a glimpse of the notes she copied from Kokuyou. Changsha tells Maomao about Yao and En'en, who are currently arguing. Changsha feels comfortable enough to mouth off to Maomao about her assessments of her seniors (outright saying "I'm not sure Yao is as smart as she thinks, either")
Ch. 16 - At the dinner, Maomao is sure to leave herself out of Changsha's love chat from hell as much as possible so she doesn't get grilled

Maomao & Zhizi - Ch. 9, 10, 11, 14, 18 (no int.)

New character!
General - Maomao meets former concubine Zhizi as part of the Cursed Jar case. She deduces Zhizi, in her bedridden state, is being poisoned by her mother. Jinshi manages to get Zhizi to occupy the La clan estates with Yao taking care of her, and Maomao shows concern for the child every step of the way
Ch. 9 - Upon discovering Zhizi's name, she's immediately impressed by it and what it meant. It ends up sticking in her mind easily, to the great surprise of Jinshi. "Maomao... remembered someone's name. The first time!"
Ch. 18 - "It's fine. Most of all, I'm just glad to know that Zhizi is doing so well"

Maomao & Maamei + Maomao & Maamei & Chue - Ch. 10, 11, 12

Ch. 10 - Maomao and Maamei's intellectual rapport continues from LN14, and Maomao recognizes Maamei's blind spots in her judgment due to her growing up privileged. Including her taking a "dim view of concubines"
Both Maomao and Chue could tell the mother and daughter didn't look too close, which makes Maamei stutter: "Wh-what do you mean?"
Ch. 11 - More working on the case together
Ch. 12 - Just Maamei & Chue but they discuss Maomao, too

Maomao & Basen - Ch. 21, 22, 23

Ch. 21 - Regarding Lishu, Maomao teases Basen to the point of making him blush. She also thinks "If Miss Chue were here, she would be smirking her head off right now."
Ch. 22 - Maomao continues to be frustrated with Basen's inability to just spit it out (that he's in love with Lishu)
Ch. 23 - Maomao communicates with Basen as he's in quarantine. She internally sympathizes with him wanting to get out since he's most likely fine. But externally, she harshly reminds him people at the smallpox infection site have also been feeling the same way and causing trouble as a result, and asks "Are you going to do the same thing?"
When Yo tells Maomao about Basen constantly trying to get out, Maomao says "That's Master Basen. He is what he is. He's a soldier—his body must be wasting away in there." Yo also mentions him requesting "the biggest rocks" she could find, and Maomao "smiled wanly" at the thought of Basen's messy makeshift exercises with rafters and rocks.
On the last day of Basen's quarantine, she comes over despite not even having any work mostly just to gawk at post-isolation Basen

Maomao & Lishu - Ch. 3, 21, 22

Ch. 3 - Maomao sees Lishu for the first time in a while and notes that she's grown
Ch. 21 - Maomao notes to Jinshi that Lishu "looks so healthy you would hardly recognize her" and that she's "gotten much stronger"
She offers the possibility Lishu might be strong enough to not be bothered by Jinshi seeing her as she looks now (a simple farm girl), but can't say for sure
Ch. 22 - First interaction between Maomao & Lishu in ages. Lishu has trouble greeting her properly. "I-It's been a long time." Maomao compliments her pallor. She asks her to show them the way to the stables
Maomao says "If I may be honest, I never expected to see you in such rude health," being "genuinely impressed." Maomao asks her if she could take a look at Red Plum Village's ointment sometimes, interested in the medical research they're doing.
Wanting to speed things along with Basen and Lishu, Maomao offers the idea for Lishu to stay with Basen during his quarantine. Maomao insists and ends by saying "Lady Lishu, there are more people hoping for your happiness than I think you realize."

Maomao & Luomen - Ch. 15 (no int.), 16 (no int.)

Ch. 15 - Luomen sends a letter to Maomao asking if she's eating properly, also makes it certain Maomao should not try going to that village or getting smallpox
Ch. 16 - Maomao admits "I would have tried it [smallpox], if it hadn't been for that letter from Pops"

Maomao & Xiaolan - Ch. 15 (no int.), Ch. 20 (no int.)

Ch. 15 - Xiaolan is confirmed to still be sending letters despite never getting a response. Xiaolan points out how Maomao is a celebrity in the pleasure district
Maomao wonders how Xiaolan's current employer would feel if it turned out she was corresponding with a brothel.
Ch. 20 - When Jinshi offers to look into Xiaolan's address so Maomao can answer back, Maomao turns it down, saying all she'd do is write back to not contact the pleasure district because it might start rumors. She knows it's cruel, but she worries that if Xiaolan gets involved with her, she might end up under surveillance. She also enjoys her letters as a nostalgic reminder of the days in the rear palace.
"At the same time, though, she was aware that she was being very cruel to Xiaolan. It was precisely because she wanted to keep hearing about Xiaolan's innocent, ordinary days that she didn't respond. At least until Xiaolan gave up writing to her..."
"I like that she makes me feel like I'm talking to her. The letters allowed her to go back to those days in the rear palace when they sat by the laundry area together, eating snacks and reviewing the latest gossip."

Maomao & Sazen - Ch. 7 (no int.), Ch. 15

Ch. 7 - Maomao's assessment of Sazen: "Sazen didn't have a very high opinion of himself, but he was a decent medicine man. His problem was that he didn't believe failure was an option. But medicine varied from person to person—what worked for one might not work for another."
Ch. 15 - Sazen sends a letter to Maomao that's basically like "Holy shit please tell me when Kokuyou is coming back please please please"

Maomao & Suiren - Ch. 20, Epilogue

Ch. 20 -"[Suiren], of course, had a meal laid out like she was Maomao's own aunt"
Thinking Jinshi might force Suiren to learn to make noodles really quickly, Maomao requests "Please don't work her too hard"
Epilogue - Suiren offers Maomao food despite her lack of appetite. Maomao muses that she's blessed to have someone who was so caring towards her

(One-Sided) Maomao & Lahan - Ch. 15, 16 (no int.), 17, 18

Ch. 15 - Lahan sends a letter with a request to hook up with a wheat farmer after facing some issues, to which Maomao emphatically replies with a simple "NO."
Ch. 16 - While Changsha mouths off to En'en and says "I don't care if you are living at Maomao's family's house," Maomao instinctively butts in just to say "They're not my family"
Ch. 17 - Maomao admits Lahan is generally a good judge of character. She also recognizes he seems too calm for the seemingly tense situation he's in
Ch. 18 - Maomao recognizes Lahan's "see everything in numbers" ability as being able to allow him to take the precise measurements of a woman's body at a glance.
Maomao is willing to say Lahan deserves some of the blame for running his mouth instead of thinking (right in front of his biggest devotee, Sanfan, though she takes it fairly well - "Forgive me. I was too impulsive")
"She hated having to speak up for Lahan, but..."

(One-Sided) Maomao & Lakan - Ch. 18, 21 (no int.)

Making very small progress
Ch. 18 - Lakan's desire to rescue Maomao is played for comedy
Maomao eats a meal with Lakan, albeit with a white rope between them she orders him not to cross. Given this is an improvement over her not even wanting to be in the same room as him, she thinks to herself I've gotten better.
She still refuses to give a word of encouragement to Lakan (despite being meekly requested by Onsou)
Ch. 21 - Maomao acknowledges the possibility that she's softer on Lakan now because the bulk of her hatred now lies with Hulan

Other Platonic Ships (Friendships, Family, etc.)

The Medical Gang - Ch. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23

This group includes Maomao, Yao, En'en, Yo, Changsha, Luomen, Dr. Liu, Dr. Li, Dr. Wan-wan, Tianyu, Guen (despite his lack of actual medical skills), etc. Kokuyou also ends up entering this gang's orbit and is arguably a part of it by the end. Reminder "Medical Gang" is an unofficial name and just something I use as a shorthand 'cuz it's cute.
Ch. 1 shows that the Medical Gang are all bonded over the surgery thing and also being able to torment Tianyu for being a jackass during the surgery
Maomao's appreciation of Wang Wang (Tall Senior) and willingness to remember his name is emphasized. "If her pronunciation of the name took on a certain affectionate softness, who could blame her?"
Ch. 2 - Maomao knew both Dr. Li and Dr. Wan-wan "to be excellent people," so she tells them early that Yo previously had smallpox
Ch. 4 - The dorm situation in the medical offices is explained as we see Maomao and Changsha eating together (see Maomao & Changsha)
Ch. 5 - Yo trusts everyone enough to reveal her hidden smallpox scars despite apprehension
Ch. 6 - The upper physicians (including Dr. Liu and Luomen) interview Kokuyou as Maomao and Yo watch and take notes
Ch. 7 - Maomao compliments Dr. Liu to Kokuyou, saying he's "a superb physician, even if he is awfully strict"
More relevant to Maomao & Changsha (see above), but it's worth mentioning Changsha's blatant disregard of professional hierarchy by badmouthing her seniors' shortcomings ("I'm not sure Yao is as smart as she thinks, either")
Ch. 15 - Kokuyou compliments Dr. Lao, implying he's a good boss. He notes he's open to sending Yo back home and he gives Kokuyou snacks
Minor Luomen & Guen thing where Guen gives snacks for Luomen and Luomen also says in his letter "I simply can't leave Guen by himself"
Ch. 16 - Maomao, Yao, En'en, Yo, Changsha, and (non-medical professional) Chue all go out to dinner together at a nice place close to the dorm. More details in their respective relationship sections, but to sum it up: Yao, En'en, and Changsha all take turns in assuring Yo it's fine for her to take a break after doing such stressful work at the village. Then they talk about the smallpox outbreak and dead children. And then finally, Changsha takes the time to school Yao and En'en (her work superiors, mind) about how emotionally stunted they are.
Also, they eat food, as you'd expect. It's really good food
Ch. 17 - Changsha watching over Yao and En'en as they work and making sure En'en doesn't coddle Yao too much (see the Yao romance sections and Yao & En'en & Changsha later down)
Ch. 19 - Yo's arrival attracts some unpleasant soldiers to the medical office due to her being a young and pretty woman. Maomao, Dr. Wan-wan, and Dr. Li all try to repel the men.
Tianyu is notably nicknamed "Mister No Salary" by narration, and Dr. Li punches him when he asks if Yo got to autopsy any of the dead people
Dr. Liu calls in Maomao and confides in her about a hunch he has on Kokuyou potentially being the cause of the current smallpox outbreak. He intentionally withholds this from Yo due to her subjective nature and emotional attachment to Kokuyou
Dr. Liu clearly trusts Maomao's judgment a lot, asking her to speak up even if it's just speculation and listening intently. Maomao is familiar enough with Dr. Liu's distaste with people making subjective claims that she doesn't make any factual statements on Kokuyou being malicious.
Ch. 21 - Maomao sees Dr. Wan-wan and greets him quite excitedly ("'Dr. Wan-Wan!' she said.") and says "It's heartening to have you," appreciating his "affable personality."
Maomao and Dr. Wan-wan are both eager to hear Kokuyou talk about the cows and horses, with the latter even saying "I want to hear it again!"
Ch. 22 - More of Maomao, Dr. Wan-wan, and Kokuyou talking about the farm animals (now horses)
Noticing that Maomao is getting a little too excited about Red Plum Village's medical research, Dr. Wan-wan pats her on the shoulder as if to say Give it up.
Ch. 23 - Yo works at the drug trial clinic to look after the quarantined Basen. She does Maomao's work for her and tells Maomao to take a rest and read a book.
Maomao checks in on Yo's technique while making medicine

Yo & Kokuyou - Ch. 6, 7, 16, 19 (no int.), 24 (no int.)

Ch. 6 - Kokuyou is interviewed by the physicians with Yo watching
Ch. 7 - Kokuyou: "What good fortune, getting a chance to take on a job for His Majesty. And I get to be with Yo too!"
Ch. 16 - After coming back with Yo, Kokuyou asks Maomao for a favor, which is to get Yo a "breather." This ends up being a drinking party (see Medical Gang)
Ch. 19 - Brought up by others. Dr. Liu confides in Maomao his hunch about Kokuyou possibly being the cause of the current smallpox outbreak, which he hides from Yo due to her subjective nature and emotional attachment to Kokuyou
Ch. 24 - Kokuyou once again confirms he was on good terms with Yo and her family, hence why he inoculated them so they wouldn't catch smallpox

Yo & Changsha - Ch. 7, 16

Ch. 7 - "Changsha and Yo seemed to be good friends. They frequently found themselves assigned to different tasks when it came to learning about medicine, but Maomao gathered that they had spent several of their days off going out together."
Ch. 16 - Changsha joins in on assuring Yo she can eat, also doing it with more a little more harshness and familiarity since they were peers and already close before. "She obviously felt closer to Yo than to the rest of them"

Maamei & Chue - Ch. 9, 10, 11, 12

Ch. 9 - General interactions as part of the case
Ch. 10 - It's emphasized how Maamei (who has displayed her limits due to growing up privileged and loved) makes a great pair with Chue (who grew up in poverty and is familiar with the darkness of the human heart).
Ch. 11 - General interactions as part of the case
Ch. 12 - "Maamei and Chue had known each other since before Chue's marriage, so when they were alone together, they quickly reverted to the friendly banter they had always shared."
Chue uses Bakin in a hypothetical to Maamei so she understands why the concubine situation isn't ideal.
Chue can make Maamei break out in a cold sweat
Narration from Maamei's perspective calls Chue "her noble minion" ("She was relieved that her noble minion had come up with an alternate plan")

Maamei & Basen - Ch. 8, 10, 11, 12, 21 (no int.), 23 (no int.)

Ch. 8 - Maamei shows off Basen as someone who can do the job of touching the cursed jar, but then Basen breaks it. Maamei hits her brother over and over again as punishment. "My stupid little brother!"
Ch. 10 - Maamei (and specifically Maamei) elects to leave Basen out of the carriage talk 'cuz she knows he can't do shit and will derail the conversation
Ch. 12 - Narrator says "Maamei's moron of a younger brother"
Ch. 21 - Maomao: "Yes. Lady Maamei is very... considerate of her younger brother."
Jinshi: "Maamei seems to have a streak of... Well, let's say she believes love conquers all."
Ch. 23 - Basen receives letters from Maamei and Taomei, though we never find out what they say. He isn't very excited to read them, though

Basen & Chue - Ch. 3, 8, 23

Ch. 3 - Chue is bored by Basen and Lishu's awkwardly skirting around each other in conversation, and she amuses herself by imagining them having a hot, dramatic exchange. She complains that her "little brother-in-law just won't get to the darn point!"
Ch. 8 - Chue laughs at Basen fucking up by breaking the jar
Ch. 23 - Chue comes to "fetch" her brother from quarantine and is sure to tease him in the process

Yao & En'en & Changsha - Ch. 7, 16, 17

Ch. 7 - As mentioned earlier, Changsha criticizes her seniors Yao & En'en directly to Maomao
Ch. 16-17 - As covered far above in Yao/Lahan and Yao/En'en, Changsha schooled Yao and En'en on their emotional issues. Notably, Yao accepts the criticism and asks her to diagnose any other flaws she sees in her. Yao and En'en both sleep in Changsha's room to "continue their love chat from hell," and we watch as Changsha follows the two around and makes sure they behave

Maamei & Taomei + Maamei & Her Children - Ch. 10, 11 (no int./implied for both)

Maamei is consistently shocked by the way Zhizi's mother is treating her own daughter
"In a flash of realization Maomao saw that, whatever else may have happened in her life, Maamei had been raised with love."
Maomao and Chue's observation that the mother and daughter didn't look close makes Maamei stutter: "Wh-what do you mean?"
Overall indicative of her own (relatively) positive relationship with her mother as well as her own children, as well as her worldview being limited by her privileged status in general

Maamei & Jinshi - Ch. 12

Despite exceeding her authority, Maamei is willing to tell it like it is and push back against the Prince, aware she's the only one who could tell him the "unvarnished truth."

Jinshi & Basen - Ch. 21, 22

Ch. 21 - Master-servant relationship continues. Basen is one of Jinshi's bodyguards, but Jinshi is in disguise and has to constantly shoot Basen glances to calm him down so he doesn't blow his cover
Basen is glad that "Jinshi hadn't dismissed Lishu out of hand for the way she looked now."
Ch. 22 - Basen successfully does his job as a bodyguard and defends Jinshi from a man's knife
When it becomes clear Basen contacted a blade with traces of smallpox, Jinshi immediately makes the call to quarantine Basen

Jinshi & Lishu - Ch. 21

Jinshi admits he bears part of the blame for Lishu's current situation due to choosing her as high consort (which he did because he knew Gyokuyou and Lihua were nicer compared to the middle consorts)
Jinshi sees Lishu in a less elegant outfit for perhaps the first time. He says, "I do think her color looks better"
Narrator implies Lishu might be embarrassed to see someone she idolized as much as Jinshi seeing her as she looked now, so Jinshi doesn't take the risk to interact

Sazen & Kokuyou - Prologue, Ch. 6, Ch. 15

Sazen's dependence on Kokuyou is a source of comedy throughout
Prologue - Kokuyou comes to "spy" on Sazen (to make sure he's doing his job right) and sells herbs to him. Sazen buys herbs from him, though Kokuyou teases him about possibly ripping him off and Sazen earnestly begs him not to do that.
Sazen says "Don't abandon me yet, all right" and Kokuyou mirrors him by saying "Ha ha ha! I hope you won't abandon me!"
Ch. 6 - In response to finding out Kokuyou had to leave for the village, Sazen's "tone was something like a wife desperately trying to prevent her husband from being sent to war"
Ch. 15 - Sazen's letter to Maomao has him totally feverish in wondering if Kokuyou is coming back. "Come on. Kokuyou must be coming back soon, right? Right? Right?! He'll be back before the new year, right?!" (and remember, this is in writing)

Sazen & Chou-u - Prologue

Sazen continues looking after Chou-u in the pleasure district. He acts a lot like a caretaker trying to get a petulant kid to eat his food and do his chores.
"At this rate, it was only a matter of time until Chou-u got taller than Sazen. He just hoped the boy wouldn't hit his rebellious phase while they were still living under the same roof."

Kokuyou & Chou-u - Prologue

Chou-u appreciates the meat skewers Kokuyou brought, saying "This is why I love my big bro Kokuyou!"

Junjie & Lahan's Brother - Ch. 13

As always, the young Junjie still admires Lahan's Brother, although he does think he's overdoing it with his work right now
Junjie notices Lahan's Brother's difficulties with talking to En'en naturally, whereas he fares a lot better casually talking to Yao
"He had the impression that Lahan's Brother had made some sort of vow to the gods or Buddhas that prevented him from revealing his name."

Junjie & Sifan + Junjie & La Clan Household Kids/Servants in General - Ch. 13, 14, 18

Ch. 13 - Junjie gets along well with the servants of the La clan house
Sifan confides in Junjie about the web of relationships in the La household because he couldn't talk about Yao in front of the other adults (especially Sanfan)
Ch. 14 - Zhizi joins the household!
Ch. 18 - After Zhizi's joined, it's noted by Sanfan that Sifan and the other kids play with Zhizi all the time, so she's clearly fitting in. Also noted that the other kids are all former orphans.
Sanfan says she's making arrangements for Zhizi's education
Zhizi is attached to Lahan's Brother

Yao & Chue - Ch. 16

Not much of anything here. At dinner, Chue just tells Yao about handing out the food and unspoken social rules. Later, when Yao is in the hot seat, Chue helps with mercilessly needling Yao in the collective effort to get her to her senses.
Chue's relation to Vice Minister Lu (currently the bane of Yao's existence) is also alluded to: "By this point, we need make no smart remarks about how Chue was somehow well-versed in the matters of Yao's family."

Chue & Yo - Ch. 23

Chue is empathetic enough to not let Yo hear about the village chief committing suicide since Yo might feel guilty about it. They also previously interacted a little in the dinner chapter (16) but nothing too significant

Suiren & Jinshi - Ch. 8 (no int.)

Ch. 8 - Suiren's "overprotective streak" is mentioned with all the objects and accessories around Jinshi protecting him from touching the cursed jar

Lakan & Lahan - Ch. 18

Lakan's reaction to Lahan being kidnapped is a flat "Oh, Lahan. He'll come home when he's ready" which devastates Sanfan

Lakan & Onsou - Ch. 18

It is still hell being Lakan's attendant

Original Post

Originally posted on Tumblr two weeks ago with the "Appreciation Post" part at the end, which is all just (very elated) personal thoughts

u/ExtraEater

The Other Canon Ships: LN16 Edition! (Reference List and Appreciation Post)