The night before departure, Miss Liu found Li Huairou and reminded her to be careful around Xiao Lingling.
Li Huairou was puzzled. Miss Liu pondered for a moment, then finally told the truth.
“In truth, I am Princess Baozhu’s maid. In order to protect the princess, we maids each pretended to be the princess and rushed to Yancheng in several directions. I grew up in Yancheng, so I have a better understanding of the prince’s temperament than anyone else—the prince is not such an ungrateful person. Young Master Fang saved the princess and safely escorted her to Yancheng; even if they’d refused to stay in Yancheng, the prince would never return kindness with cruelty and chase after Young Master Fang, unless it was Young Master Fang who did something to anger the prince, such as hurting the princess. But over time, I observed that Young Master Fang was not that kind of person—he worked so hard to escort the princess back to Yancheng, and he definitely would not hurt the princess. But Miss Xiao was not necessarily the same. Miss Xiao is so unpredictable—you can tell from her eyes. Maybe you didn’t notice before you became sworn siblings with Young Master Fang, but at the time, whenever you approached Young Master Fang, she’d look at you with a gaze like poison. Therefore, Huairou, you must be careful of her!” Miss Liu said sincerely.
“So that’s it.” Li Huairou finally understood. “It turns out that you’re one of the princess’s people. So why are you here like this?”
“I… I adore Mr. Li. I want to stay with him, and I don’t want to go back to Yancheng again. When I promised to pretend to be the princess, I was already considered dead. The prince is a kind person, and he’ll treat my parents and brothers well. I have repaid the prince and the princess for their kindness; I’ve also exchanged for the prosperity and wealth of the family. I don’t owe them anything anymore. For the rest of my life, I just want to live for myself,” Miss Liu said softly.
Li Huairou nodded. “It’s good if you can think about it that way. By the way, what’s your real name?”
“The past me is already dead. From today on, my surname is Liu, and my given name is Sike,” Liu Sike whispered.
Liu Sikē, Liu Sikè—Miss Liu’s thoughts were all in this name. Li Huairou patted Liu Sike on the shoulder. “Do your best! I’m on your side!”
[The last character used in each name is different and pronounced differently, despite the fact that it looks the same here. In the first Liu Sike (柳思珂), the si (思) means “thinking” or “considering”, and the ke (珂) means “a jade-like stone”. In the second Liu Sike (柳思恪), the ke (恪) means “scrupulously”]
[The name Miss Liu chose is the first one. Li Huairou is noting that Liu Sike chose a name with a sound similar to the “ke” in “Li Huaike”. Basically, Miss Liu is thinking of Liu Huaike]
Liu Sike was a little excited. “Thank you for your encouragement.”
“It’s useless for me to help you. The key is my brother—he only has medicine and patients in his eyes. But I’ll still keep on cheering!” Li Huairou said with a smile.
Liu Sike’s gaze was gentle. “I’ll like whatever he likes. I like to see him treat illnesses and save people.”
“By the way, you told me the truth, so I’ll also tell you the truth. What I gave you was not poison. It’s an ordinary health pill,” Li Huairou said with a smile.
“I’ve known since a long time ago,” Liu Sike replied, smiling.
“You knew?” Li Huairou asked in surprise.
“I saw Aunt Zhang eat some. The taste is the same.” Liu Sike was actually a very careful person.
Li Huairou grinned.
“By the way, Huairou, there is one more thing.” Liu Sike hesitated to tell her.
“What?”
Liu Sike thought for a bit, then said, “Fang Tianluo and Xiao Lingling know about your uterus injury, and I was the one who told them.”
“How did you know? Did my brother tell you?” Li Huairou was surprised. Her brother had even told Liu Sike about such an important matter?
Liu Sike quickly shook her head. “No, he didn’t say anything. I guessed it from the prescription he gave you, as well as the medicinal dishes Aunt Zhang made for you. I have a little knowledge in medicine too.”
“So that’s how it is. Very good—then you and my brother must have a lot in common to talk about in the future!” Li Huairou said with a smile.
“Aren’t you angry?” Liu Sike asked.
“What’s the use of being angry? It’s the facts, so I don’t care. By the way, since my brother won’t let you say it, then you can treat it as nothing. If you’re this careful and sensitive, I shall leave my brother in your care. You know, my brother is not a popular person. I’m counting on you from now on!” Li Huairou beamed heartily.
“Huairou, you are really the most carefree and easy person I have ever seen,” Liu Sike said sincerely.
“It’s normal. I’ve always been like this, and you’ll understand after spending more time with me.” Li Huairou smiled.
Liu Sike pursed her lips and smiled back.
Early the next morning, Li Huairou and Xiao Lingling set off. Along the way, Xiao Lingling took good care of Li Huairou. When they reached the edge of the cliff, Xiao Lingling said, “Tell me what the herbal medicine looks like and I’ll pick it.”
“That’s a cliff! It’s very dangerous. You—aren’t you afraid?” Li Huairou asked.
Xiao Lingling shook her head. “As long as I can save him, I won’t be afraid of anything. He is such a proud person, and I can’t let him stay a cripple for the rest of his life.”
Li Huairou smiled. She felt that Xiao Lingling’s feelings for Fang Tianlou were actually very complicated. Maybe the old saying was true—when pretense became reality, reality became pretense; she couldn’t tell whether it was real or fake.
Li Huairou stood on the edge of the cliff, looking carefully, and suddenly her eyes lit up. She pointed to a bulge on the opposite cliff. “See that? The one with the small blue flowers under the dead tree, that’s the one. Remember, you must dig out the soil along with the roots, and remember not to break the roots. Once the roots of the herb are cut off, it will wither immediately. Then it’ll be useless.”
Xiao Lingling followed along and looked over. “Alright, I see. Step back, and I’ll go.”
The process of digging herbs was actually very dangerous. Several times, Xiao Lingling almost fell into the chasm. Li Huairou was also shocked when looking at her from the opposite side, and she felt that it was time to take Fang Tianluo up to see it with his own eyes. This situation could definitely be selected as the top ten most beautiful love scenes in the jianghu this year!
Xiao Lingling managed to dig up the whole herb with its roots, carefully put it into the pocket around her waist, and then jumped back to the opposite side. Out of nowhere, her feet slipped, and she leaned back, about to fall.
In an instant, Li Huairou held onto Xiao Lingling with both hands and pulled her back.
Xiao Lingling stood firm and gasped for breath. Just now, she’d thought she was really going to die. Let her never forget that kind of feeling in this lifetime! Was this what it felt like to be near death?
“Ouch,” Li Huairou whispered.
Xiao Lingling reacted. “Are you okay?!”
“It’s fine. I used too much force just now, and my joint seems to be dislocated.” Li Huairou held her right hand. “It’s not a big deal. My brother can just set it back for me.”
“Don’t you know how to do it?” Xiao Lingling asked curiously.
“I can’t do it,” Li Huairou said. “Let’s go back now!”
Xiao Lingling gave an “oh”, and the two hurried back.
When Li Huaike saw Li Huairou in this state, he couldn’t laugh and he couldn’t cry, so he quickly helped her set her joint. Li Huairou just wanted to sit down and take a break when she saw Xiao Lingling looking at her expectantly and asking, “When will you start dispensing the medicine?”
“Okay, okay, we’ll do it right now.” Li Huairou could only take the herb to the pharmacy.
Xiao Lingling wanted to follow up and have a look, but she was stopped by Li Huaike, who said, “You should not go into Huairou’s pharmacy so casually. It contains all the poisons she developed, and some of them are semi-finished products. She doesn’t know their effects and how to reverse them. If you accidentally get poisoned, it’ll be troublesome.”
Xiao Lingling quickly took a step back.
It took a long time for Li Huairou to prepare the antidote. Fang Tianluo and Xiao Lingling looked forward to it, not even bothering to eat.
Li Huaike tried persuading them with a few words, but they didn’t move.
Only when the setting sun went down did the door of the pharmacy creak open. Li Huairou walked out, holding a small turquoise porcelain bottle in her hand. “Finished!”
Xiao Lingling was so happy, covering her mouth for fear that she would burst into tears. She was so moved, but Fang Tianluo, instead, calmed down a lot. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“Aunt Zhang, prepare some hot water,” Li Huairou ordered.
“Does the detoxification need hot water? I’ll go boil it,” Xiao Lingling said quickly.
“It’s for me. I stayed inside for half a day, and the smell of medicine was so bad. Have you eaten? I’m hungry.” Li Huairou blinked and added, “For detoxification, you only need to drink this medicine. It may be a little bit painful after you drink it, but that is a normal reaction. It will be fine after two or three hours of pain.”
Xiao Lingling paused. She thought…
Liu Sike brought over a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and Li Huairou’s eyes lit up. She handed the antidote out and immediately took the soup, eating with big mouthfuls.
Li Huaike looked at the antidote, opened the bottle, and had Fang Tianluo take it.
Not long after taking it, Fang Tianluo felt a terrible pain all over his body. But even if it was painful, he was very pleasantly surprised. It was better than not being able to feel anything, like before.
Xiao Lingling saw the beads of sweat on Fang Tianluo’s forehead. Feeling distressed, she held Fang Tianluo’s hand, silently encouraging him.
Li Huairou filled her stomach, took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and had a chat with Liu Sike in the yard.
Li Huaike felt a little helpless when he saw this. Really now, this temper of Huairou’s. He thought she’d given up her previous grievances, but it turned out she’d been waiting for this. The antidote was not well-matched to the poison, and she had to make Brother Tianluo suffer.
Li Huaike looked inside the house. In conclusion, don’t offend any women, especially small-minded women.
When Li Huaike got up early the next morning, he saw Fang Tianluo and Xiao Lingling standing neatly in the courtyard.
“You’re leaving now? Let me take your pulse!” Li Huaike said with a smile.
Fang Tianluo nodded and replied, “Well, not only has the poison been detoxified, but the internal strength has also been restored.” However, he still stretched out his right hand.
Li Huaike took his pulse and nodded. “The poison has been cleared.”
“Huairou is still asleep; I can’t say goodbye to her face-to-face. When she wakes up, help me give her this letter. When my business is done, I shall come back to see her,” Fang Tianluo said.
“It’s that urgent?” Li Huaike asked.
Fang Tianluo nodded. “This injury and poisoning has already taken too much time. So I have to go.”
“Well, you have your business to attend to, and I won’t delay you. Take care along the way,” Li Huaike said with a smile.
Fang Tianluo and Xiao Lingling left Happy Valley, just like that.
In fact, Xiao Lingling had mentioned to Fang Tianluo that she wanted the Li siblings to go with them, and that it would save them a lot of trouble if the Li siblings were there. Moreover, she also wanted to take the opportunity to subdue Li Huaike and use him for herself.
But Fang Tianluo refused to involve the Li siblings. Xiao Lingling had to dispel this idea.
