The foreign doctor arrived quickly. Li Juechen instinctively turned to look, and his face instantly darkened to an absolute extreme—he was thoroughly displeased.
A sudden wave of panic hit him. He quickly yanked a gold-threaded quilt from the side to cover the small woman, hiding those fair, slender, and straight legs from view.
“Feng An! Are you fucking tired of living?!” Li Juechen roared in a rage at Feng An, veins bulging on his forehead and fire flashing in his eyes. “Who the hell told you to fetch a male doctor?!”
Startled by the sudden outburst, Feng An hastily lowered his voice to explain, “Third Master, Miss Tang has a physical injury; calling a traditional Chinese physician won’t help! This foreign doctor specializes in bones. We can’t let pride get in the way of proper medical care!”
Li Juechen’s face remained dark as he hollered furiously, “Does your master need you to lecture him?! Go bring back a female doctor!”
Tang Lichu quietly reached out and pulled the quilt up a bit further, trying to hide her small face, which was already flushed deep red. She was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.
As Feng An led the foreign doctor out, Li Juechen yanked the quilt back off her body, his tone thoroughly annoyed. “What are you hiding for? Trying to suffocate yourself?”
Tang Lichu submissively let him pull the quilt away. Her tender, peach-blossom-pink lips parted slightly, her voice soft, gentle, and laced with a sweet, babyish tone. “Third Master, there’s no need to find another doctor. It doesn’t hurt, and my bones definitely aren’t broken. Just have Aunt Cheng bring me a cool towel to compress it later, and I’ll be fine!”
With his hands on his hips, the man stared intently at the beauty on the bed, his eyes filled with heartache. “It’s swollen like this, and you’re still saying it doesn’t hurt? If a cool towel could cure injuries, what would we need hospitals for? Lie still! I don’t know how those old servant women have been attending to you—they can’t even take care of a single person properly. In a moment, I’m kicking every last one of them out!
And that Feng An—I told him days ago to find you a couple of young maidservants, and he still hasn’t gotten it done. I think he’s begging for trouble!”
Tang Lichu’s fair, lotus-root-like little hand tightly grabbed the man’s sleeve. Her clear, water-like eyes were filled with urgency as she explained, “This has nothing to do with Feng An—I was the one who told him not to bother. Third Master, I don’t like dealing with unfamiliar people. I’m already used to Aunt Cheng, and she’s always taken very good care of me. Falling was just an accident; it was my own fault. Please, don’t be angry!”
Seeing the tears swirling frantically in the young woman’s eyes broke Li Juechen’s heart even further. He picked up a silk handkerchief from beside the pillow and clumsily yet gently wiped the corners of her eyes. His voice grew slightly raspy. “What are you feeling wronged for? I’m not angry with you. Be good. Once the doctor gets here and takes a proper look, I’ll be able to rest easy. If you don’t like strangers, we won’t get any young maids.”
Tang Lichu broke into a smile through her tears. Listening to his gentle words and feeling his tender care, her tense nerves gradually relaxed. Her cool fingers reached up to smooth his furrowed brow, and she said submissively, “If you’re not angry, then stop frowning. You’re not even thirty yet—if you keep frowning, you’ll get wrinkles!”
“Are you saying I’m old?” Li Juechen asked.
Tang Lichu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You’re not even thirty, how could you be old? I just don’t want to see you frowning. I live here with no worries about food or clothing, and I have so many old maidservants cleaning up after me. During the day, when I have nothing to do, I embroider, read, write, and paint. A life like this is truly comfortable—you don’t need to worry about me, Third Master!”
Just then, the setting sun outside streamed through the window, casting a warm glow onto the side of Tang Lichu’s face. On her delicate, smooth skin, the fine, soft peach fuzz on her cheek was clearly visible—tender and adorable.
Looking at her, Li Juechen felt the overwhelming joy of seeing a rainbow after a storm, alongside the refreshing serenity of smelling blooming flowers in spring.
In the past twenty-five years of his life, he had never felt anything like this before.
He opened his arms and coaxed softly, “Come here, let me hold you.”
Obediently, Tang Lichu wrapped her arms around his lean, powerful waist, nestling against his chest like a docile little kitten.
When Feng An walked in with the newly found female doctor, this was the exact scene they walked into. Caught off guard, he froze in place, unable to advance or retreat. The awkward atmosphere felt like sitting on a bed of needles, leaving him with no choice but to let out two helpless, dry coughs to alert his Third Master.
Compared to Feng An’s embarrassment, the foreign woman felt nothing out of the ordinary—hugging was simply the most common and basic social etiquette in her country. She walked over graciously and spoke in rough, broken Chinese: “Mr. Li, may I examine this beautiful young lady?”
Li Juechen carefully laid Tang Lichu back onto the bed and stepped aside.
“The bones are not injured. Apply this ointment to the swollen area, and it will be fully healed in seven days!”
Tang Lichu offered a sweet smile and expressed her gratitude to the female doctor in fluent, standard English.
Li Juechen slightly raised his sword-like eyebrows, a playful smile curving at the corner of his lips as he teased, “You can speak English, too?”
With a light blush on her small face, Tang Lichu gave a soft nod. “My adoptive mother once hired a foreign teacher to teach me some Western etiquette. I learned a bit from her. English is actually quite simple—later on, when I was bored, I studied it on my own. With enough practice, I picked it up!”
A trace of admiration flashed through Li Juechen’s eyes. “Smart girl.”
Li Juechen had Feng An show the female doctor out, instructing him to give her double the reward money, and ordered: “Go talk to her. See if she’s willing to stay as a dedicated personal physician—she can set her own pay. If she stays, clear out a consultation room on the first floor, equip it with all necessary medical supplies, and then take a walk down the street to see if you can hire a female Chinese medicine doctor as well.”
Tang Lichu’s small mouth parted slightly in surprise, her beautiful eyes widening into circles. Hiring a foreign doctor specifically to attend to her?
Li Juechen didn’t notice her surprised expression; his entire attention was focused on her long legs. He said softly to Tang Lichu, “Go change your clothes. Lie in bed for the next few days, and I’ll apply the medicine for you.”
Tang Lichu had long prepared herself mentally. She felt calm and unaffected, showing not a hint of shyness or pretense. She picked up her nightwear and was about to step onto the floor when Li Juechen stopped her. “Where are you going?”
Tang Lichu looked up. “Didn’t you tell me to change my clothes, Third Master? Before changing, I’d like to take a bath.”
Li Juechen let out a helpless sigh, pressed Tang Lichu back onto the bed, and said softly, “Don’t move. I’ll call two of the old maidservants in to attend to you.”
Aunt Cheng and Mother Li were called inside. Both were quick-handed; without waiting for Tang Lichu to say a word, they worked together to steadily lift her up and swiftly carried her toward the washroom.
Once inside the washroom, Tang Lichu stood firm and said to the two of them, “Thank you, both. There’s no need to trouble yourselves any further. Please step outside—I can handle this on my own.”
Aunt Cheng was on friendly terms with Tang Lichu. Seeing Mother Li exchanging frantic glances beside her, she attempted to persuade her: “Miss, please let us help. If you fall again, the Third Master will skin us alive!”