The next morning, Yu Luo could not get out of bed.
Her whole body was burning with fever, and she felt utterly weak, without a trace of strength.
Ziming touched Yu Luo’s forehead and was instantly startled. “Why is your fever so high?”
“I want to sleep a little more.” Yu Luo buried her face in the blanket. “Ziming, go tell Madam that I won’t be paying respects today.”
Hearing Ziming’s voice, Bitong also came over and touched Yu Luo’s forehead.
“So hot! Paying respects? Forget it!” Bitong hurriedly went out. “I’ll go tell Madam and get her to send for a doctor right away.”
Madam Yu had already gotten up that morning and was chatting casually with Liu Yanran.
Liu Yanran envied Yu Luo for having received a white fox cloak. She had heard that Madam Yu had a purple fox one and was hoping to get it from her.
As she was talking, Bitong, the head maid from Yu Luo’s side, arrived.
Madam Yu only saw Bitong and not Yu Luo. She felt a bit curious. “Where is Eldest Miss?”
Bitong bowed. “Eldest Miss went for a walk in the courtyard last night. Perhaps she caught a chill. Her forehead is burning today; she is bedridden and cannot get up.”
Liu Yanran said, “Headache and fever are common. A couple doses of medicine should fix it.”
Madam Yu was extremely anxious. While preparing to personally check on Yu Luo, she also instructed Hui Xiang to fetch a doctor.
Liu Yanran gave Hui Xiang a subtle look.
Hui Xiang understood that Liu Yanran had something to say. She waited in an empty place until Liu Yanran approached secretly.
“Biao Xiaojie, what are your instructions?” Hui Xiang asked softly.
Liu Yanran took two gold ingots from her pouch and whispered a few words into her ear.
Hui Xiang nodded. “With this much gold, Doctor Zhao will handle things for us.”
Liu Yanran reminded her a few more times, then handed her a jade hairpin before carefully leaving.
Meanwhile, Madam Yu arrived at Yu Luo’s quarters. Seeing Yu Luo’s flushed cheeks and the sweat soaking her clothes, she felt deeply concerned.
Bitong and Ziming were attending her in the room. Naturally, Madam Yu wanted to scold them for the Eldest Miss falling ill.
She had only scolded them briefly when Yu Luo propped herself up with great effort. “Mother, it’s not their fault.”
Bitong and Ziming were surprised.
Honestly, if a maid failed to care for the young mistress, being scolded was justified. Both felt intensely guilty.
Yu Luo was coughing and panting lightly. Seeing this, Madam Yu hurriedly held her by the shoulders. “My Luo’er, lie down quickly. Don’t use any more strength.”
“It was me who insisted on going out yesterday. How could they dare disobey me?” Yu Luo said. “Ziming and Bitong take very good care of me.”
Hearing Yu Luo say this, Madam Yu took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. No punishment for them.”
The doctor soon arrived.
Madam Yu was a bit surprised to see it was Doctor Zhao and not the usual Doctor Liu.
Hui Xiang explained, “Doctor Zhao often comes to the mansion to see Biao Xiaojie. He is very skilled. Doctor Liu was unavailable today, so they couldn’t get him.”
Madam Yu nodded. “Fine, let him take a look.”
After taking her pulse with his suspended-silk method, Doctor Zhao prescribed some medicine for the household to prepare.
Everyone at Jishui Courtyard busied themselves nonstop.
By noon, the medicine was finally ready and brought to her.
Yu Luo felt a headache just from smelling the herbal medicine.
She had avoided Chinese medicine all her life because of its bitter and sour taste—worse even than undiluted, rancid coffee without sugar or milk.
She tried just a sip and could hardly bear it.
Yu Luo asked Ziming to set it aside, saying she would drink it later. The medicine was too hot. She told everyone to leave the room so she could rest undisturbed.
She dozed off in a drowsy haze. Unconsciously, she heard a sound near the window.
Her body was burning with fever, and her mind was not clear. She mistook the faint sound for a hallucination.
The next moment, a figure climbed through the window.
Li Xiao looked at Yu Luo lying in bed and reached out to touch her forehead.
Yu Luo’s forehead was burning unbearably, and she instinctively wanted something cold to lower her temperature.
She grabbed Li Xiao’s hand and pressed it against her flushed face.
Li Xiao’s expression remained cold. He used the web of his hand to clamp down on Yu Luo’s delicate chin.
Her exquisite face showed pain and struggle. She looked utterly pitiful and fragile.
This expression would never have appeared on the usual Eldest Miss Yu. Even in illness, she was entirely different.
Yu Luo’s fever was so severe that she did not realize her chin was being held.
She only felt that Li Xiao’s hand was cool, and the cold sensation slightly eased her fever. She rubbed her cheek against his palm.
Li Xiao took the nearby medicine bowl.
The medicine had cooled and no longer felt so indifferent.
Just as he was about to make her drink it, he tasted a bit himself.
Then, he poured the medicine out the window and set the empty bowl aside.
Yu Luo lay quietly on the pillow, her black hair dampened by sweat, skin nearly translucent white, cheeks tinged with red, brows and eyes perfectly arched.
Though her features were the same, in Li Xiao’s eyes, Yu Luo now seemed like a tiny, delicate beauty.
Even without much interest in beauty, he had to admit that Yu Luo’s face was strikingly beautiful.
He held her wrist.
Her wrist was so slender, contrasting sharply with his large hand.
After taking her pulse, Li Xiao pricked her fingertip with a silver needle, causing a bead of red blood to emerge.
Yu Luo felt the pain and finally awoke.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw Li Xiao right in front of her.
Li Xiao covered her mouth. “There are maids outside. If you make any sound, they’ll notice.”
Yu Luo wanted to cry but had no tears to shed.
Why was he here while she was sick? Was he here to take advantage of her illness?
Her fingertip throbbed painfully, and she looked down to see it bleeding.
“…”
Yu Luo could no longer hold back, and tears fell.
Seeing her tears, Li Xiao momentarily lost focus.
Outside, Ziming’s voice was heard. “Miss, have you already taken the medicine?”
Yu Luo did not answer.
Ziming pushed the door open, saw the empty medicine bowl, and sighed in relief. “I was worried you wouldn’t take your medicine, Miss.”
The room was empty except for the open window.
For some reason, after a bit of blood had been squeezed from her fingertip, she felt much better, not as heavy as before.