Chen Yi hmphed, walking past her to give an order. "Stop with the nonsense. Hurry up and change the Eldest Miss into some dry clothes."

"Yes, yes. I’ll change the Eldest Miss right away."

When he heard the door close behind him, the stone-faced Chen Yi couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

’Thank goodness... Thank goodness I’m a quick thinker.’

’Otherwise, if things had gone wrong, I’d probably be accused of defiling my sister-in-law.’

’If I’d actually done it, I would have accepted the accusation.’

’But the thing is, I didn’t do a single thing!’

With that thought, Chen Yi glanced back before sitting down in a nearby pavilion to wait for Cui’er to return with the medicine.

All that mattered was that Xiao Wan’er was safe.

As for the future...

Who can say what the future holds?

...

After noon, the scorching summer sun beat down, and the sound of cicadas in Jiaxing Garden was endless.

That was the one downside to a courtyard shaded by lush trees.

They chirped day and night. If you didn’t close the windows, the noise was sometimes loud enough to wake a person from a deep sleep.

And it was this chirping of cicadas that woke Xiao Wan’er.

She groggily opened her eyes, her mind dimly aware that she was in her room.

She turned over, propping herself up with her left hand, then switching to her right to support her weight on the bed as she surveyed her surroundings.

Her slightly dehydrated body made her lick her lips subconsciously. "What... what’s wrong with me?"

It had been a long time since Xiao Wan’er had been sick.

Or rather, aside from the chronic chill that afflicted her body, she had almost never suffered any other illness.

So much so that she had to think for a good while before she remembered that she’d caught a cold.

’Am I better already?’

Xiao Wan’er touched her face, feeling a faint warmth. She then looked down at herself, and upon confirming that she was all right, couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

She remembered that when she was a child, the old woman at the Wumeng Mountain Dojo had told her she must never get sick.

Given her constitution, even a minor illness could be fatal.

’Thank goodness...’

Xiao Wan’er patted her chest in lingering fear, a small gesture to reassure herself.

She had known about her body’s condition for a long time and had grown accustomed to it.

As a result, she had a detached view of life and death, hoping only to live each day to the fullest.

She wanted to do what she could without being a burden to others.

Fortunately, she had done a good job of that so far.

At this thought, a small smile graced Xiao Wan’er’s lips. "Thank goodness."

Then, she got out of bed to get dressed.

She didn’t call for Cui’er or Juan’er, instead dressing herself in a long skirt, fleece-lined trousers, and a short jacket.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Wan’er opened her wardrobe. She looked at the several clean, neatly folded cloaks inside, then took one out and draped it over her shoulders.

Once fully dressed, she looked at herself in the Copper Mirror. ’This looks much more like me.’

Framed by the fur-trimmed collar of her cloak, her pale face, with its faint rosy tint, still looked undeniably delicate.

But while she had a delicate air about her, her features were truly beautiful, with eyes as captivating as autumn ripples.

Xiao Wan’er looked at her reflection in the Copper Mirror, but she wasn’t admiring her own beauty. Instead, she was recalling what Chen Yi had said the day before yesterday—to be careful not to catch a cold.

The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. "Jinx."

Her tone was not quite a complaint, nor was it one of pure delight.

All in all, she was in a rather good mood.

Just as Xiao Wan’er was about to leave her room to take a look outside, she heard a surprised cry from the corridor.

"Really?"

"The Young Master really lifted the Eldest Miss’s blanket?"

’The Young Master? Blanket?’

Xiao Wan’er blinked and couldn’t help but move closer to the door, just in time to hear Juan’er explain:

"Don’t get the wrong idea."

"At first, I also thought the Young Master was doing something improper to the Eldest Miss."

"But when I was changing the Eldest Miss’s clothes, I realized the Young Master was right."

"You and I covered the Eldest Miss with such a thick quilt that she ended up soaked in sweat, which was keeping her from getting better."

"If the Young Master hadn’t lifted the blanket, the Miss wouldn’t have recovered."

"Oh, I see. Then I misunderstood the Young Master."

"Still, it wouldn’t be good if word of this got out. Let’s just keep it between us."

"Don’t worry, my lips are sealed..."

After hearing this, Xiao Wan’er felt her chest tighten. Her hands instinctively flew to her chest, as if to keep her wildly pounding heart from leaping out.

Her face flushed pink, and it wasn’t just from embarrassment.

There was also a hint of vexation, and perhaps something else entirely.

Amidst a whirlwind of emotions, a single phrase echoed in her mind: ’My brother-in-law... he lifted my blanket, he lifted my blanket...’

’Doesn’t that mean... I was just in my chemise, and he... he... saw...’

’He saw everything?’

Having been in charge of the Medicine Hall for so long, Xiao Wan’er knew a little about Medical Skill herself.

She had never heard of treating a cold by uncovering someone to dissipate heat. It was always about bundling up tightly to sweat out the fever for a faster recovery.

’My brother-in-law, he... he wouldn’t do something like that.’

Just as she was grappling with her shame and vexation, fragments of memory surfaced in her mind.

It was like a hazy dream where she was lying on the bed and Chen Yi was sitting beside her.

They were talking about something, off and on.

’What did they say?’

’It seemed to be about that poem.’

Vaguely, she seemed to hear her brother-in-law’s gentle voice say, "It was indeed written for you."

"..."

Xiao Wan’er’s mind instantly went blank. The vexation on her face vanished.

Or rather, the vexation was gone, leaving only a deep blush in its place.

’That... that was a dream, right?’

’It had to be a dream, right?’

’Otherwise... otherwise, it would be too mortifying.’

Just then, Cui’er and Juan’er pushed the door open. Seeing her state, they were startled, thinking she hadn’t recovered yet.

"Miss, are... are you all right?"

"Should we summon Doctor Ma?"

Hearing their voices, Xiao Wan’er forced herself back to her senses. She lightly bit her lip and shook her head. "I... I’m fine."

"There’s no need to find a Physician. Just... just get me a cup of water."

Cui’er quickly went out to the main hall to pour some water.

Juan’er helped her back to the bed to sit down. "Miss, you scared me to death. You must rest well and not catch a cold again."

Xiao Wan’er composed herself, looked at the maid, and said quietly, "Indeed. I must rest and not catch another cold."

Juan’er said happily, "It’s a good thing the Young Master knows some Medical Skill. Otherwise, Cui’er and I wouldn’t have known what to do."

’He knows Medical Skill?’

Xiao Wan’er thought for a moment before asking, "Tell me what happened after I fell unconscious."

Not suspecting a thing, Juan’er quickly recounted the earlier events.

Just as she and Cui’er had agreed, she didn’t mention Chen Yi lifting the blanket.

After listening, Xiao Wan’er took a sip of water. "Is that all?"

Juan’er and Cui’er glanced at each other and nodded guiltily.

"Yes, yes. After that, you got better, Miss. And now you’re awake."

Xiao Wan’er gave them a complicated look but didn’t press further.

"My brother-in-law... where is he?"

"He went back. We heard someone from Guiyun Academy came to discuss his teaching post that starts tomorrow."

"Oh. Well, then... go prepare some food. I’m hungry."

After everyone had left, Xiao Wan’er sat in a daze for a moment. Her expression shifted rapidly—from pale to pink to a deep, feverish blush—mirroring the turmoil in her heart.

After a long while, she finally rose and walked to the window. The bright sunlight illuminated her face, making her skin seem as white and translucent as crystal.

She gazed in the direction of the Spring Lotus Garden, only a single thought remaining in her mind:

’My brother-in-law... he had better truly know Medical Skill.’

’Otherwise... otherwise...’