Warm medicine emits fragrance

On the morning of the last day of the medicine's effects, when Li Chenbi woke up, Fan Liuer was already in the kitchen brewing medicine and making breakfast.

He got off the bamboo bed, leaned on his cane, and went to the cupboard to find the clothes he had worn on the day he was picked up.

All the clothes were ruined, so Fan Liuer cut them into strips to use as rags.

He pulled one out and walked to the window.

There was a big tree outside the window, and a branch of it stretched out to the window. He tied the strip of cloth to it.

Li Qiuping will come looking for him no later than the day after tomorrow, so he needs to leave a mark on him.

The effects of the medicine will wear off tomorrow. If he can get there by tomorrow, that would be great. If not, he will have to tough it out.

To his surprise, Li Qiuping appeared that very evening.

Not long after they finished eating, Fan Liuer took a piece of clothing that she couldn't mend no matter what she did to Feng Ji's house to ask Siqing for advice.

With nothing to do, Li Chenbi lay on the bamboo bed and flipped through several medical books.

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from outside the window, a familiar rhythm.

Li Chenbi immediately put down his book and looked out the window.

"Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qiuping flipped over and jumped in through the window, landing silently on the ground.

After regaining his footing, he looked over and saw Li Chenbi sitting unharmed on the bamboo bed, looking quite well. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

"Sir, I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried about you the whole way here."

Li Chenbi glanced at Li Qiuping. Although he was disheveled, his voice was still strong and sounded fine.

Now is not the time for pleasantries. Li Chenbi instructed him, "The effects of the elixir will wear off tomorrow. Go and find the medicinal herbs first."

"Don't worry, sir. I prepared all the medicinal herbs on the way here. I timed it perfectly." As he spoke, he took the bundle off his shoulder, opened it, and inside were seven neatly wrapped medicinal herbs.

"This is enough for seven days." Li Qiuping glanced at Li Chenbi and whispered, "Sir, you may have to stay here a little longer. Qi Weiming came back with me; he went back to Xingzhou City to handle this matter. I was worried he might use this for personal revenge, so I didn't tell him your exact location."

"General Yan won't be back for a while. It would be safer for us to wait until he returns before going back."

Li Chenbi frowned upon hearing Qi Weiming's name. "We absolutely cannot let Qi Weiming know I'm here."

Li Qiuping nodded, "I know, I will definitely not let him know you are here."

He had barely finished speaking when Fan Liuer's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Li Dazhu, are you awake? It's time to eat."

Before Li Qiuping could react to the familiar voice, Li Chenbi raised his hand to signal him to leave, then seemed to remember something and asked him to stay.

Time was of the essence, so he didn't explain, only saying, "I have amnesia."

Li Qiuping exclaimed "Ah!" before his mind could even process what was happening, and the door was pushed open.

When Fan Liuer entered the room and saw a tall, burly man inside, she gasped in fright and took a big step back. After seeing the man's face clearly, she was filled with surprise.

"Manager Li?"

Li Qiuping was still dazed when she suddenly opened her eyes wide upon seeing the familiar face before her.

"Madam Fan! You...you...you..." He looked at Fan Liuer, then turned to look at Li Chenbi.

With a prompting look from Li Chenbi, he finally came to his senses.

Fan Liuer was no less surprised than Li Qiuping. She quickly walked up to Li Qiuping and said, "You're still alive! That's wonderful!"

She could finally entrust Li Chenbi to someone else.

Li Qiuping remembered Li Chenbi's instructions. Pointing at Li Chenbi, her face filled with grief and indignation, she asked, "What happened to Grandpa? Why doesn't he recognize me?"

Fan Liuer glanced at Li Chenbi, who looked bewildered, and sighed, "He has amnesia; he doesn't even remember himself."

"Amnesia?" Li Qiuping looked shocked, plopped down on the bamboo bed, and grasped Li Chenbi's hand. "Master, do you really not remember me? I am Li Qiuping, I've been by your side since I was a child, your most loyal servant!"

Li Chenbi pulled his hand away from Li Qiuping's, his face showing disgust. "Don't touch me."

Li Qiuping clutched his chest, heartbroken, "Sir, you don't even remember me!"

Seeing that Li Qiuping was about to cry, Fan Liuer felt heartbroken and comforted him, "Don't be too sad. As long as he's alright, that's all that matters."

Li Qiuping was comforted by her words, wiped his tearless eyes, and nodded, "Madam Fan, you're right. As long as my husband is alright, nothing else matters."

Fan Liuer nodded quickly, "That's right, that's right, what could be more important than living?"

Then she remembered to ask, "By the way, how did you find me? And what exactly happened between you two?"

As soon as she finished asking the question, Li Chenbi frowned and groaned in pain.

Li Qiuping reacted even faster than Fan Liuer, immediately rushing forward to support him.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Li Chenbi gripped his hand, his expression pained: "It's hot."

"It seems his fever has flared up again. I couldn't gather enough herbs to treat it, so I could only make do with what I could find. The medicine isn't very effective, and he gets a fever every few days," Fan Liuer explained.

Li Qiuping quickly pointed to the medicine packet on the bamboo bed, "I brought the medicine."

Fan Liuer's face lit up with joy. "That's great! I'll go and brew the medicine for him right away." Then she said to Li Qiuping, "Keep an eye on him for a while. If he gets too hot later, put him in the wooden basin next to you and fetch water from the well to soak him in it."

After giving her instructions, Fan Liuer took the medicine packet and rushed to the kitchen.

Li Chenbi's recent episodes left her feeling uneasy. She didn't have time to ask Li Qiuping about it; she was only thinking about quickly preparing the medicine and stabilizing Li Chenbi's fever.

As soon as Fan Liuer left, the pain on Li Chenbi's face disappeared. He lowered his voice and said to Li Qiuping, "When Madam Fan asks you about what happened before, tell her everything truthfully, except for the fact that I have amnesia."

He needed to let Fan Liuer know that he wasn't a penniless pauper anymore, otherwise she would definitely dump him on Li Qiuping and leave him to fend for himself.

He also needed to let her know his current status and position, making it even more impossible for her to run away now.

She could only stay obediently by his side and couldn't go anywhere else.

"Tell her that I can't leave for the time being and I need to stay here with her for a while."

Li Qiuping nodded to indicate that he understood, and immediately asked, "Sir, how come Madam Fan is here? And how did you meet her?"

Li Chenbi also wanted to know how Fan Liuer ended up here, and how she got to Guanshan Town from the city.

His expression darkened, and he said, "Perfect, I haven't had a chance to find out any of this yet. You can ask her about it later, ask her why she ran away!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiuping clenched his fist. "Don't worry, sir, I guarantee I'll find out everything clearly and thoroughly!"