Warm medicine emits fragrance

Someone comforted Fan Liuer, saying, "Since that's the case, you should talk to your husband properly. Anyway, you haven't had a wedding ceremony, so he should be able to understand you."

Fan Liuer covered her face, her voice filled with sorrow, "I told him, and he said he doesn't want to let go, sob... but I like my cousin, I really don't know what to do."

Now everyone only felt sympathy for Fan Liuer.

We're all women, so we can all understand her situation.

"Sigh, if it were me, I wouldn't know what to do either. Why don't you just give up on your cousin? Your husband is an official now, so you'll be an official's wife."

Someone countered her statement, "Then why didn't you marry the man from your family back then, but instead married the boy who owns the grain shop? You would have been the shop owner's wife then. Why didn't you do it then?"

The man looked embarrassed. "Sigh, I was young and didn't know any better back then. I only realized after I got married that you need money."

"No, no, those soldiers only look at the glamour, and who knows when they might not come back. Let's choose my cousin instead; at least he'll be more stable."

The group split into two factions and started arguing back and forth.

Fan Liu'er would cry out every now and then, going along with them.

As darkness fell and the crowd gradually dispersed, only Fan Liuer and Siqing remained in the shop.

Siqing, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Sister Liu'er, your acting is so convincing! How come those tears just come out of nowhere?"

Fan Liuer opened her hand, holding a clove of garlic that she had casually grabbed from the kitchen before leaving the house.

"I guess they're coming to find you soon. Rather than letting them speculate and spread wildly, I'd rather let them spread what I tell them."

"Now in their eyes I'm a pitiful person too. Even if the rumors get more and more outrageous in the future, at least I won't become a bad person."

As she spoke, she blinked, "It's so spicy, my eyelids hurt so much."

Siqing immediately reached out to take her hand, "Stop rubbing it with your hands, go wash it."

The next day, Fan Liuer's eyelids were badly swollen. When Li Chenbi saw this at breakfast, he felt a pang of heartache and asked, "What happened? Did you get bitten by mosquitoes?"

"No, it's the spiciness of the garlic."

Li Chenbi asked in confusion, "How could garlic sting my eyes?"

Fan Liuer told him about what happened yesterday, and Li Chenbi was not very happy after hearing it.

Fan Liuer felt that he was becoming more and more difficult to please. "At least I still said that I like you, so what are you unhappy about?"

Li Chenbi said irritably, "Is it really necessary to use this method? What if you hurt your eyes?"

"No, I know what I'm doing."

Li Chenbi sighed, "I'll have Li Qiuping go and buy some ointment for you."

"No, that won't do. My performance isn't finished yet."

"Still going to act?"

"Of course."

After breakfast, Fan Liuer invited Siqing to stroll around the market, despite Siqing's swollen and red eyes.

In the evening, Siqing came to knock on her door.

"Sister Liu'er, I just went to deliver goods with my brother-in-law. They were all saying you're pitiful, that your husband wants to break you up with Second Master, and that your eyes are swollen from crying at home."

Fan Liuer wanted this effect, and said with satisfaction, "Alright, that's enough acting. If we keep acting, it will look too fake."

She returned to the house satisfied, and just as she entered, Li Chenbi arrived.

It was already dark outside, and Fan Liuer couldn't help but feel a little wary when Li Chenbi came to her room at this hour.

"You yourself said that you couldn't touch me during our bet."

"What I meant was, I won't touch you unless you agree," Li Chenbi corrected her.

Fan Liu'er was too lazy to argue with him over words. "What are you doing here so late?"

Li Chenbi looked at her still swollen eyelids, opened his palm, and there was a small medicine bottle on it.

"I asked Li Qiuping to buy it. Now that the play is over, take it to wipe it and it will heal faster."

"Thanks." Fan Liuer took the medicine bottle from his hand and immediately closed the door.

Li Chenbi: "..."

"Fan Liuer! Aren't you going a bit too far!"

Fan Liuer spoke from inside: "I'm sorry, your credibility isn't very high, I was afraid you'd barge in."

Li Qiuping was making a makeshift bed on the floor when Li Chenbi walked in with a furious expression.

He didn't care that the bed wasn't made yet, and immediately lay down on it pretending to be asleep.

He didn't want to go and invite trouble at a time like this.

Li Chenbi stood in front of the cot, looked down at the person pretending to be asleep, and smiled.

Li Qiuping trembled and didn't dare to open her eyes.

Li Chenbi thought to himself, "As expected, one is influenced by one's company." Li Qiuping has been spending too much time with Fan Liuer and has even learned to be perfunctory with him.

One by one, they all made him angry.

"Li Qiuping".

Upon hearing this, Li Qiuping immediately sat up from the ground, saying, "Yes, sir."

"Go out and sleep."

Li Qiuping was overjoyed and, without saying a word, packed his bedding and ran.

Li Chenbi was even angrier now.

"A bunch of ingrates!"

Fan Liuer thought that life would finally be peaceful, but unexpectedly, an uninvited guest arrived the next evening before dinner.

Looking at Qi Weiming, who was carrying large bags and small packages with a grin on his face, Fan Liuer felt a headache coming on.

"You...what brings you here?"

Qi Weiming carried the things and was about to go inside. "I came to see you and bought some pastries from Xingzhou City for you. These are delicious."

He acted as if he were in his own home, carrying his things to the kitchen and placing the bags on the kitchen table.

It was mealtime, and the food had just been laid out on the table when the servants went to invite Li Chenbi over for dinner.

Seeing the bowls and chopsticks set on the table, Qi Weiming turned to Fan Liuer, his eyes smiling, "I haven't eaten yet either, would you mind if I brought another pair of chopsticks?"

It's said that you can't hit a smiling face, and Fan Liuer really couldn't refuse such a smiling face.

And they didn't come empty-handed.

only...

She turned her head to look at Li Chenbi, who was walking towards her, and her head started to hurt again.

Li Chenbi had just seen Qi Weiming; he wasn't even in a wheelchair, but was walking very fast with his cane.

A few days later, he arrived at the kitchen door and saw the person already sitting at the dining table with a dark expression.

"Who gave you permission to sit down? Get out!"

Qi Weiming ignored him and looked at Fan Liuer, beckoning to her, "Sit down and eat quickly, or the food will get cold."

Since everyone was already seated, Fan Liuer couldn't very well ask them to get up. She could only give Li Chenbi a look, signaling him to be more polite.

The dining table was a square table, and Fan Liuer habitually sat in her usual spot, next to Qi Weiming.

Before he could even sit down, Li Chenbi supported him, saying, "I'll sit here."

Fan Liuer had no choice but to give up her seat to him and sit opposite Qi Weiming.

Li Chenbi sat down, looked at Qi Weiming, and smiled coldly. "Since Lord Qi likes to freeload at other people's homes so much, then you'd better eat your fill before you leave today, don't waste food."

As he spoke, he raised his hand in a gesture.

Li Qiuping immediately fetched a large bowl for soup, scooped a full bowl of rice, and placed it in front of Qi Weiming.

Li Chenbi laughed again, "Liu'er hates people who waste food the most, so Lord Qi must eat it all."

Fan Liuer shuddered.

Liu'er...

Li Chenbi had never called her that before; it sounded really creepy.