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Xiao Jizi really underestimated her. Why worry about such trifles? She already had a better plan to punish His Majesty, and she certainly would not want His Majesty to suffer through that blackened, half-cooked meal.

So, it goes without saying that Xiao Jizi was worrying over nothing. However, she wouldn’t reveal that, as the young eunuch’s skin was itching for a lesson, which served him right.

Xiao Linzi was suddenly startled and avoided Lian Hua’s gaze, as if she were talking about him.

Xiao Jizi, on the other hand, was relieved. Muttering ’better you than me,’ he decided that if his master enjoyed teasing Xiao Linzi, then so be it.

He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily, "Master is wise. Not to boast, but I excel at this task."

As long as it wasn’t for His Majesty, his hand was quite steady when it came to stirring the pot.

Then, turning to Xiao Linzi, he said, "Fool, if it weren’t for your kind words, the master would not let me off the hook so easily. Rest assured, if you ever make a mistake, I will make sure to prepare the food a little more palatable, so you can swallow it."

Xiao Linzi’s face immediately turned as bitter as a gourd. He had seen the meals prepared by Brother Xiao Ji; they were indescribably bad. Just one glance could make him feel sick for half a day, let alone eating them. Could he even refuse...?

Inside Canglan Court, there was a harmonious atmosphere filled with laughter and joy.

But in the South City Compound, things were quite different.

After Su Ran awoke, the whole compound came to life. No one had slept all night, yet there wasn’t a hint of drowsiness; everyone was both excited and happy.

Inside the main house, Lian Changhe was feeding warm porridge to Su Ran.

After they had spoken for a while, Su Ran was so weak that she fell asleep mid-conversation, which frightened Lian Changhe into thinking she might never wake up again.

His legs went weak, and he stumbled outside, calling out anxiously for Divine Doctor Huang.

This gave everyone a big scare. Divine Doctor Huang came in, took her pulse, checked her breathing—it was steady. He knew that she was thoroughly asleep. After enduring so many days and nights, her spirit had finally relaxed, and she had truly fallen asleep.

Divine Doctor Huang exhaled in relief and signaled Lian Changhe to step outside. Once everyone had left and they were a good distance from the door, he scolded Lian Changhe furiously, leaving him flushed with shame.

However, Lian Changhe had an easy-going nature and quickly forgot grievances.

In no time, he was once again excitedly expressing his gratitude to Divine Doctor Huang.

His tongue was so tied from his eagerness to speak that he could hardly articulate his words, eliciting Divine Doctor Huang’s caustic laughter.

After voicing his endless gratitude to Divine Doctor Huang, Lian Changhe happily bounced back to the main house to stay by Su Ran’s side. Only by seeing her could he be at peace.

Once Lian Changhe was gone, Divine Doctor Huang let a relieved smile creep onto his face. Despite all his faults, this immature lad knew how to cherish others; the Marquis’s Mansion’s orphan girl marrying him would not be a waste.

When his emotions had settled down a bit, Divine Doctor Huang leisurely sat down on a chair, wrote a prescription, and handed it to Lian Bao, instructing him to get the medicine accordingly.

On Lian Wanzhen’s end, with his mother now out of danger, he could finally unleash his martial enthusiasm. He could hardly contain himself and eagerly rushed off to find Qian Chen.

Once in the presence of others, however, he worried his elder brother might burden him with more studying, so he pretended to be occupied by the millstone, circling it and feigning activity.

His eyes kept darting between Qian Chen and his brother, as he idly turned the empty mill, looking very much like a donkey going round and round.

Just then, Lian Musu, accompanied by Wu Sheng intending to prepare breakfast, passed by the millstone. Noticing that Qian Chen, who usually showed little reaction, had opened his eyes and quickened his pace, it seemed he too wanted to go inside.

He gave Lian Wanzhen a meaningful glance, implying that whatever he wanted to do, he should just do it.

He understood his second brother more than anyone else; he was extremely fond of playing with cats and teasing dogs. At the age of fourteen or fifteen, upon encountering people who practiced martial arts, he’d actively seek out a match, beyond anyone’s control.

When their family fell into misfortune, his second brother came back from outside, learned about their arrest, and recklessly stormed the Yamen.

He fought his way through but was ultimately no match for the sheer number of opponents, got injured, and was captured.

He still bore a scar on his face from a blade wound as a result.

Over the years, for the sake of the bigger picture, his second brother had forcefully suppressed his own nature, followed the family’s commands, and always stood in the front during any trouble, shielding the rest behind him, waiting for his order before taking action.

After their family escaped, his second brother endured his restless nature and stayed quietly at home, protecting their parents, which allowed him and Xiao Bao to go out with peace of mind.

These years had indeed treated his second brother unfairly. Qian Chen was not an outsider, and both were aware of their limits. Since his second brother wanted to spar, they might as well let him have that.

Lian Wanzhen immediately caught on, excitedly rushed to Qian Chen and proposed to go outside to have a match, dragging Qian Chen, who wanted to continue making trouble, out with him.

Uncle Ma and the others came from another place, hearing that the young lady was safe, all of them were overjoyed. They sent two people with Lian Bao to collect medicine, while the rest, seeing that the eldest son was preparing breakfast, took over his duties and wouldn’t allow Lian Musu to work.

His mother’s background was not simple, he was aware of that.

Among this group of people led by Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma himself was the leader, and several others were former guards from his mother’s Marquis’s Mansion, who had received his mother’s kindness.

The rest were people whom Uncle Ma had mixed with over the years and had brought along as his brothers.

Uncle Ma and the group had been with the Grain Transport Gang, had mingled with all sorts of people. Had it not been for Uncle Ma and his group, his family wouldn’t have stabilized their foothold so quickly.

He and his brothers treated Uncle Ma as if he were their own uncle.

Lian Musu repeatedly tried to decline, saying he could do it himself, but Uncle Ma and the others firmly refused to let him.

He suddenly found himself with nothing to do, filled with happiness and warmth in his heart. Despite having rushed on the road and stayed up the whole night, he didn’t feel tired at all.

All through their journey, they had faced storms and struggles, but as long as their family was together, his heart felt at peace.

He looked toward Divine Doctor Huang, who was lying on a lounge chair with his eyes closed to recuperate, beside him was Lih Qingshu, staying quietly with a glass of water in hand, looking serene and content.

He had urged Divine Doctor Huang to take a rest, yet he refused; the old man had been busy for so long and must have been tired. Perhaps anxious about his mother, he didn’t wish to rest. Truly a stubborn yet soft-hearted old man.

He went to his room to fetch a blanket and gently draped it over Divine Doctor Huang, not wanting to wake him but inadvertently doing so.

Divine Doctor Huang opened his eyes, glanced at the blanket on him, and knew it was the young man before him who had covered him, feeling a faint warmth in his heart.

Lian Musu apologized and then gave Divine Doctor Huang a deep bow, "Thank you, Divine Doctor Huang, for saving my mother. I am eternally grateful. If there is anything you need from me in the future, please do not hesitate to ask."

Divine Doctor Huang sat up and stared at Lian Musu for a while, then said indifferently, "There’s no need for such empty courtesies.

I didn’t do it for you. But speaking of requests, I do have one—I’ve been away the whole night and need to have someone inform my family that I won’t be returning just yet. "

Sometimes, being out on medical visits overnight was not uncommon; his wife and son were used to it. However, today he needed to stay a while longer to observe and make sure there were no complications, so it was necessary to send word to reassure them of his safety.