“How about this.” Li Ruantang’s gaze swept over the young gentleman beside her who had been silent all along. “Since Young Master Hu gets along well with my husband, when he comes to visit in a few days, those three qian of silver will be included in the account.”

“This…”

Hu Sanniang was both surprised and delighted. She quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times, “Thank you, Lady Li. Thank you, Young Master Li.”

Outside, the clouds were getting thicker.

Back in the room where they were staying temporarily.

The young gentleman had been feeling down the whole time, only showing a slight smile when Hu Youning brought in steamed fish.

“Jiu-jiu, thank you today for your and…”

Hu Youning glanced at Li Ruantang, who was sleeping on the kang bed, and sincerely said, “And Lady Li’s help.”

Although the young gentleman was angry at Hu Sanniang’s shameless intentions, plotting against other men for the sake of her own son, after interacting with Hu Youning, he deeply felt that Youning was a kind-hearted young man. After all, children cannot choose their parents.

Meng Jun sighed, “Youning, for now, you still need to find a family as soon as possible and settle on a marriage. Otherwise, if I can’t successfully matchmake for you, I’m afraid that Fu Lanxian will become even more troublesome when we return to the capital in a few days.”

“Jiu-jiu, to be honest, in Hu Village, there are no longer any ladies who dare to come and propose marriage to me.”

Hu Youning pursed his lips bitterly and lowered his voice, “Before Fu Lanxian caused trouble, I had high aspirations and wanted to find a wife-master I fancied, rejecting many marriage proposals. But now that Fu Lanxian has made such a fuss, those young ladies are all afraid of her, so how would they come to propose marriage again?”

Zhou Fulang had never told him about these things, and Hu Sanniang remained silent.

But Hu Youning was not foolish. How could he not understand the relationship between them?

He was just looking for a soulmate, but fate had played a trick on him.

Meng Jun sighed inwardly upon hearing this and was about to speak to comfort him.

“Mm, Jiu-jiu.”

The woman’s soft voice sounded low. Li Ruantang was not fully awake yet.

Previously, she had dealt with Fu Lanxian effortlessly, but in reality, it had consumed a lot of her energy. In addition to her injuries, they were all aching now, making her call out to the young gentleman with a different kind of intimacy in her tone.

“Jiu-jiu, you… you take care of Lady Li first.” Hu Youning hurriedly turned around to leave. He walked away in such a panic that he didn’t even notice his own handkerchief falling to the ground.

“Youning!”

Meng Jun had just picked up the handkerchief when Hu Youning’s figure was no longer at the door. The young gentleman frowned in puzzlement and glanced at Li Ruantang, who was tightly covered on the kang bed.

Strange, he didn’t bite. Why did Youning run away so quickly?

But now was not the time to investigate this matter.

The young gentleman walked up to the edge of the kang bed and helped the dazed Li Ruantang sit up. “My wife-master.”

He looked carefully at Li Ruantang’s tightly furrowed brows, “Is your head hurting again?”

“…Mm.”

She had only used a little force just now, but now she felt exhausted and weak all over. Even sitting up made her dizzy.

Li Ruantang propped herself up with her hands, her ears buzzing, her face even paler than before. She leaned against the young gentleman’s embrace, her breathing weaker than before.

“Then I’ll blow on it for my wife-master.”

A warm breath brushed over Li Ruantang’s bangs. Meng Jun’s chest felt a little uncomfortable. He had never seen Li Ruantang look so listless.

Even if they were not husband and wife-master, they still had the affection of growing up together since childhood.

The young gentleman held her a little tighter, his phoenix eyes slightly lowered. After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively said, “Tangtang?”

Li Ruantang’s eyelids were heavy. Hearing him call her softly, she wanted to open her eyes, but only her lips moved weakly.

And the blush that should have been expected to color the corners of her eyes and brows was no longer there.

Not long ago, she would still blush because of this.

Meng Jun’s heart sank, and an endless chill rose from the soles of his feet. No, today he must have Hu Sanniang invite a physician no matter what.

The injuries on Li Ruantang’s body were indeed not a big deal, but she had hit her head and lost so much blood.

Before, she just couldn’t remember people, but now it seemed that she couldn’t even wake up.

The young gentleman hurriedly and carefully laid her on the pillow. Before he could take a step, his wide sleeves were tightly gripped by someone.

“Jiu-jiu.”

Li Ruantang tried hard to open her eyes slightly and wanted to smile at him, but after trying to lift the corners of her mouth for a long time, she could only move them slightly. “I’m fine.”

She had suffered serious injuries before and had also escaped death. She was clear in her heart that at this moment, it was just fatigue and weakness caused by a deficiency of qi and blood.

But Jiu-jiu was just a young master raised in the inner courtyard. Where had he seen such a scene?

Seeing those beautiful phoenix eyes brimming with tears and looking worried, Li Ruantang’s heart softened. She slightly tightened her grip on his sleeve and held his wrist through the sleeve.

“You see, I’m really fine.”

“I’m just hungry, that’s why I have no energy.”

With every word she said, the tears in the young gentleman’s eyes fell onto the back of her hand with a plop.

“Jiu-jiu, don’t cry. My body is getting better.”

Li Ruantang had never seen such a scene. She hurriedly held the young gentleman’s hand and placed it on her chest. Through a layer of inner clothing, the warmth was just right.

She pursed her lips and smiled, gently comforting, “Look, is it beating very vigorously?”

Thump, thump—, thump, thump—

The strong heartbeat seemed to penetrate through the skin and into his fingertips. The young gentleman subconsciously retracted his hand, but the back of his hand was tightly pressed by Li Ruantang.

The fingertips that touched trembled slightly and pinched lightly, almost imperceptibly.

In an instant, the young gentleman’s ears were filled with a chaotic drumming sound, as if someone was banging gongs and drums, or as if spring thunder had exploded.

Yet the person who was softly comforting him didn’t notice at all and was still racking her brains to coax him, saying, “Jiu-jiu, don’t worry. My heartbeat is like a little white rabbit leaping in the woods, very strong.”

“I heard that men like cute animals. When my injuries heal in a few days, I’ll catch a little rabbit for you. How about that?”

Huh?

The young gentleman was stunned, his tear-stained eyes becoming even more enchanting. He looked at his fingers in a daze. Catch, catch what?