Warm medicine emits fragrance

Before lunchtime, news of Li Huai's punishment reached the side courtyard.

At that time, Fan Liuer was squatting in the kitchen, watching the cook make pastries.

Cooked glutinous rice is pounded into balls, filled with sweet red bean paste, and coated with soybean flour.

One bite and it's soft, chewy, and sweet without being cloying—absolutely delicious!

She swallowed hard, just as she was about to ask for one to try, when Lady Wang arrived.

Seeing her craving so much, I felt both amused and helpless. "She's still thinking about food, not even worried about herself."

The cook couldn't bear to see it and gave one to Fan Liuer.

The only master in Beiyuan doesn't like sweets, so these were originally made especially for this wet nurse. She'd eat them anyway, so we might as well give them to her directly and save the trouble of sending them over.

Fan Liuer got her wish and stuffed the food into her mouth. After finishing, she replied to Madam Wang, "I need to be full before I can think about anything else. If I get kicked out, at least I'll have a full meal."

Lady Wang shook her head, then waved to her.

Fan Liuer knew that this person wanted to speak to her alone, so she suppressed her smile and followed Madam Wang to the side.

After finding a secluded spot, Madam Wang finally spoke: "Your case has been investigated and it has been confirmed that you are indeed innocent. Li Huai has also received the punishment he deserved. Second Master took pity on you for suffering an undeserved misfortune and gave you some compensation."

As he spoke, he took out a purse from his bosom and stuffed it into Fan Liuer's hand.

This was another unexpected event for Fan Liuer.

She was already pleasantly surprised to get justice, but she didn't expect to receive compensation as well.

He weighed the purse in his hand; this amount must be at least fifty taels of silver.

Their eyes widened in surprise.

Lady Wang instructed, "Don't tell anyone. There are many people and eyes in the backyard. If someone gets greedy, they might steal it from you."

"Furthermore, the Second Master has also instructed that you should not publicize the fact that you have received compensation, so as to avoid unnecessary controversy."

Fan Liuer understood the meaning behind those words.

Although Master Li is kind-hearted, there are many people in this mansion, and with many people come many criticisms. If some outrageous rumors spread, it could ruin his reputation.

Fan Liuer nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Madam Wang, I promise I won't say a word."

She was even more afraid of rumors than Li Chenbi; as a woman, she couldn't compare to the master of Beiyuan.

If any rumors spread, she will be the one to suffer.

After Lady Wang left, Fan Liuer clutched the purse and returned to her room, closing the door tightly before opening it.

It was so golden that she almost bit her tongue.

Fifty taels is true.

It was gold.

Fifty taels of gold ingots!!

Fan Liuer had never seen so much money in her life. She felt as if she were holding fifty pounds in her hands, and her legs went weak, causing her to sit down on the ground with a thud.

This Mr. Li is far too extravagant!

She made up her mind: she would work for the Li family for the rest of her life!

Getting married? What do you mean by getting married?

Would she be given such a large gold ingot when she gets married?

Fan Liuer, feeling dizzy, carefully hid the money, making sure no one would find it, before leaving the house.

In the days that followed, things seemed to return to normal.

But it's a little different from before.

Fan Liuer was strikingly beautiful, with fair skin and a voluptuous figure. She was gentle and easy to get along with, and many people in the inner quarters were fond of her.

In the past, whenever she went out, many servants and stewards would secretly look at her or strike up a conversation with her.

Now there are none left. With Li Huai's fate as a precedent, Fan Liuer is now like a raging flood, and no one dares to make a move on her.

Fan Liuer was quite satisfied with the current situation and felt much more relaxed.

These men should stay away from her; they shouldn't interfere with her making money.

As for what punishment Li Huai received, no one discussed it, and Fan Liuer didn't ask either. She had been cleared of suspicion and received compensation, so she didn't care about anything else.

Half a month passed in a blur. On this day, Fan Liuer finished her work for the day and was getting dressed when she heard Madam Yang say, "Get ready. This afternoon, you'll go with Second Master to Fei County for ten days."

Fan Liuer was slightly surprised. "Me?"

Unlike Madam Wang, Madam Yang was not patient; her words were even colder than her demeanor. "There are only the two of us in this house. If it's not you, am I talking to a ghost?"

Fan Liuer dared not ask any more questions; she was somewhat afraid of Madam Yang.

I had many questions in my mind, but I could only swallow them back.

As she left the house, she looked up at her head before leaving, her mind heavy with thoughts.

She is carefree, but she is not truly naive to the point of ignorance.

She had been at the Li residence for two months, and had not heard of any young masters or ladies in the North Garden who needed to breastfeed.

As the only master of Beiyuan, it goes without saying who he was keeping as his wet nurse.

At first, she was a little embarrassed when she guessed it, but then she thought that if it really was a young master or lady breastfeeding, she might not have received so much money.

Besides, she doesn't have to breastfeed herself, and she rarely sees that man, so it's not a big deal.

Making money is still the most important thing.

With that thought, she put those things out of her mind again.

Now, upon hearing Madam Yang's instructions, those speculations resurfaced, and even more doubts arose.

Why would Li Chenbi, an adult male, need human breast milk?

We need it every single day.

Could it be... that he has some kind of shady fetish?

Yes, if it's a perfectly legitimate reason, there's no need to hide it.

Thinking of this, Fan Liuer couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Once she leaves the manor, will this man do anything to her?

With this worry in mind, she stepped out of the attic. The morning sunlight shone into the corridor and fell on her, dispelling the chill and warming her up.

She suppressed her worries and anxieties.

If Master Li really wanted to do something to her, he would have done it long ago; why wait until now?

She must be overthinking it.

Feeling much more relaxed, she quickly returned to her room and quickly packed a few changes of clothes.

After packing her clothes, she went to the kitchen and packed some pastries to take with her.

She heard that it takes half a day to travel from Xingzhou Prefecture to Feixian by horse, and it would probably be even slower by carriage. She should prepare some food to pass the time on the road.

With everything prepared, she waited in the side courtyard until late at night. Just as she was drifting off to sleep on the couch, someone knocked on her door.

She opened the door in a daze, and there stood a maidservant beside Madam Yang. When she saw Fan Liuer, she urged, "Please hurry up, Madam Fan, we need to wait outside the mansion first."

Fan Liuer followed her out of the mansion in a daze, only becoming more aware halfway there.

"Why did you only set off after dark?"

The young maid was easier to get along with than Madam Yang. She explained, "Second Master is afraid of the heat, and only the nights are cooler, so he always goes out at night."

This wasn't a secret. Fan Liuer recalled the freezing temperature in Li Chenbi's room last time and thought to herself, "No wonder."

At the time, I was only thinking about my own outcome and had no time to think about anything else. Now, when I think about her, I feel puzzled.

How afraid of heat must one be to make the room so cold?

She couldn't understand it, she really couldn't understand it.