Warm medicine emits fragrance

Fan Liuer was terrified by Li Chenbi's words and felt extremely guilty.

Could it be that Li Chenbi saw through her thoughts?

That won't do. If he finds out, given his temper, he might actually break her legs.

Swallowing hard, Fan Liuer buried her face in his chest and whispered, "I won't."

She absolutely wouldn't let Li Chenbi find out!

Li Chenbi gently stroked her back, his mood brightening at that moment. He lowered his head and kissed her hair. "Let's eat."

Fan Liuer ate her meal without tasting it. To hide her true feelings, she diligently served food to Li Chenbi.

Li Chenbi felt comfortable being served by her, and his gaze towards Fan Liuer became increasingly tender.

He appreciated Fan Liuer's care, which gave him a sense of security.

After dinner, Li Chenbi pulled Fan Liuer into his arms again and pressed her for an answer, "You're being so proactive today, are you in love with me?"

Fan Liuer couldn't bring herself to say it at first, feeling extremely guilty.

But the more she refused to speak, the more Li Chenbi tormented her, until finally she had no choice but to nod.

Li Chenbi was in high spirits after receiving her response and ordered someone to bring a lot of jewelry from the storeroom to reward Fan Liuer.

Fan Liuer's eyes lit up when she received the reward.

It seems her idea was right; coaxing Li Chenbi was the right thing to do.

She should do the same to him in the future, and make him completely bewildered!

Considering Fan Liuer's health, Li Chenbi didn't actually do anything to her. However, aside from what he couldn't do, he didn't hold back on what he could do, doing everything he could until she was half full before letting go.

Fan Liuer, exhausted from all the commotion, was now drowsy and nestled in Li Chenbi's arms, unwilling to move an inch.

Half asleep and half awake, she felt Li Chenbi hug her tightly and whisper in her ear.

"Wait a little longer, until everything is settled, then we will get married."

Fan Liuer fell asleep after only hearing half of it.

When he woke up the next day, Li Chenbi was no longer in the room.

Li Chenbi was very busy for the next few days. He would only come back after Fan Liuer fell asleep each day, and by the time she woke up, she was already gone.

Apart from the warmth she vaguely felt at night, Fan Liuer hadn't seen Li Chenbi for several days.

And just like that, the eve of the Lunar New Year arrived quickly.

During this period, although Fan Liuer did not leave the house, she heard some news about the outside world from the servants.

The one in Kyoto has fallen ill and may not survive the winter. Meanwhile, unrest has begun to spread along the border, with foreign enemies invading repeatedly. Prince Rong has volunteered to personally lead the troops to quell the unrest on the border.

In doing so, he earned himself a good reputation.

However, those things seemed to have nothing to do with the people of Xingzhou City. Whether it was the capital or the border, they were far from here, and no matter how chaotic things got, they couldn't reach here. No one was panicked, and everyone continued to live their lives as usual.

Fan Liuer was initially a little apprehensive, but seeing that everyone else didn't seem to care, she gradually relaxed.

Xingzhou is far from the capital and the border, so even if a war breaks out, it won't reach here for a while.

By the time the fighting reaches this area, she will have made enough money.

The chaos outside did not affect Xingzhou, at least not the Li family mansion, which had begun preparations for New Year's Eve well in advance.

The courtyard was decorated with festive lanterns, and even the servants wore new clothes.

Needless to say, Fan Liuer received a lot of clothes and jewelry from Li Chenbi, so much that her wardrobe couldn't hold them all. They even cleared out the next room specifically for her to store her clothes and jewelry.

In addition, Li Chenbi would bring her some new gadgets every day when he came back.

Sometimes they were rare items from overseas, and sometimes they were snacks that Fan Liuer liked.

Every day when Fan Liuer woke up, she would see the things Li Chenbi had brought back the night before on the table.

When Fan Liuer woke up that morning, she still couldn't find Li Chenbi. She was used to it by now, and the first thing she did was look at the table in front of her bed.

On top was a mahogany box, about the size of a plate.

Fan Liuer guessed that it was probably something like rouge, face powder, or jewelry.

After getting dressed and sitting down at the table, she reached out and opened the box.

The contents turned out to be neither cosmetics nor jewelry, but a dessert.

Calling it a snack would be too kind of an understatement; it's a very crudely made pastry with a flaky crust, and crumbs were scattered all over it.

But looking at the cake, Fan Liuer felt a little envious.

This is a specialty of her hometown. It's a pancake that every household makes and eats on New Year's Eve. Eating this pancake symbolizes a peaceful and safe new year.

Fan Liuer didn't get to eat last year because her parents passed away. Her brother and sister-in-law went back to her sister-in-law's parents' home on New Year's Eve without taking Fan Liuer with them.

That day, Fan Liuer couldn't even eat any pancakes. There wasn't enough charcoal in the house, so she didn't dare to burn enough to warm the room. She was so cold that she stayed in bed all day and didn't dare to get up. She didn't even have anything to eat.

At that time, Fan Liuer thought she might not survive that winter.

But fate is fickle. Who would have thought that she not only survived that winter, but also, by a twist of fate, is now living such a good life?

Now she no longer suffers from hunger and cold, has endless fine clothes to wear, countless pieces of jewelry to adorn herself with, and is tired of delicacies. She no longer worries about having enough coal for heating.

All these good days are thanks to that person.

Reaching out of the box, Fan Liuer picked up a piece of cake and took a bite.

It tasted familiar, but it lacked the deliciousness I remembered. Perhaps it was because I was used to delicate pastries, but this cake was far too sweet, oily, and greasy.

Fan Liuer swallowed the first bite, a bitter feeling rising in her heart.

She couldn't explain why she felt so down, as if she felt suffocated.

As soon as Li Chenbi entered the room, he saw Fan Liuer sitting at the table with her head down, holding a pancake. He walked over and smiled, "How is it? Does it taste authentic...?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Fan Liuer raised her head, her eyes red and glistening with tears, which made his heart ache.

"What's wrong?" He sat down next to Fan Liuer and pulled her into his arms. "Missing home?"

Fan Liuer felt the warmth emanating from him and, with a sense of habit and longing, nestled into his arms, facing his chest, responding in a muffled voice.

"Um."

Perhaps she was homesick, which is why she felt sad.

Li Chenbi hugged the person tightly and coaxed them softly, "Your brother and sister-in-law don't treat you well, so why do you still want that home? From now on, your home is wherever I am."

"Alright, stop crying. Once everything is over, I'll take you back to our hometown for a visit."

"We could also buy a house there, go there to escape the summer heat, and come back to escape the winter cold."

The days Li Chenbi described were too beautiful, so beautiful that they made Fan Liuer even more upset.

Will that day ever come for her and him?

She had nothing, and if she agreed to Li Chenbi's request, she would have to rely on him alone from now on.

If her own brother, who is related to her by blood, can't care about her life or death, can she entrust the rest of her life to this man?

Putting all that aside, will Li Chenbi really live to see that day?