Hearing what Sisi said, both Dong'er and her husband were overjoyed, recalling the hardships the illness had brought to their family over the past year, Dong'er couldn't help but raise her sleeve corner to carefully wipe the corner of her eye.

Fan Xian asked Dong'er to prepare a brush and ink. After a moment of thought, he wrote out a prescription, examined it twice, and after confirming there were no problems, he blew it dry and handed it to her, instructing her to take the medicine on time and not be stingy with the money.

Dong'er responded with a slight smile.

Looking at her expression, Fan Xian knew that this elder sister might not listen to him. He couldn't help but feel angry again, and said, "There's no reason to suffer for yourself!"

Dong'er only smiled gratefully, but didn't respond. Fan Xian felt frustrated. The weather was hot today, and he was only wearing a single layer of clothing. Besides, since he was in Danzhou, he wasn't too worried, so he didn't bring his medicine box. He said to Sisi, "Remember to remind me to pick out a few pills when we go back tonight."

He then turned to Dong'er's husband and said gently, "Mai Xin'er, you must take this medicine regularly. However, Danzhou may not have all the ingredients. After a while, when I return to Kyoto, your family should come with me. You are the head of the family after all, so I must first ask for your opinion, to see if there's anything in Danzhou that you can't let go of."

Mai Xin'er opened his mouth wide, unable to speak for a long time. He knew what the young master's words meant. If his family followed the young master to Kyoto, they would no longer have to live a hard life. But... He coughed twice, and looked at Dong'er for her opinion.

Sisi watched coldly from the side, and couldn't help but smile slightly. Her young master was just this kind of person, he could never be tough with the close female servants, nor could he force Dong'er to do anything. He could only start with Brother Mai.

Dong'er naturally knew what Fan Xian meant. She sighed and said, "The young master wrote the prescription, so it must be good... Dong'er promises you that I will never borrow usurious loans again. You've sent more than a hundred taels of silver to our family over the years, and I promise to take it all out to use... In this Danzhou city, a hundred taels of silver can last a lifetime, so don't worry."

Sisi, watching Fan Xian's expression, urged from the side, "Those pills can't be bought with money. Even if the young master finds a pharmacy in Kyoto to prepare them, would he have time to send them back to you from thousands of miles away?"

Dong'er looked at her with embarrassment and said, "What kind of pills require so much effort?"

Fan Xian shook his head from the side and said with a smile, "Do you still remember the tutor at the mansion who was very ugly?"

Hearing this, Dong'er immediately thought of a mess of messy hair and eyes that shone with a green light like a hungry wolf. She shuddered subconsciously, covered her mouth in disgust, and said, "Why mention Mr. Fei? Back then, we were all afraid of him."

"This medicine was prepared by Mr. Fei." Fan Xian laughed and said, "Although the old gentleman is a bit ugly, do you know that he is the famous Fei Jie of our Great Qing Dynasty?"

Dong'er was shocked. She didn't know until today that the tutor who looked like a lecherous thief had such a high status. But when she thought of the young master's background, she found it more acceptable.

Fan Xian turned back to Dong'er's husband and said with a smile, "Prepare for the trip to Kyoto with me."

Dong'er's husband was honest and kind, but he didn't have much of his own opinion. Hearing Fan Xian's decisive words, he subconsciously nodded.

But Dong'er snorted coldly and glared at him, and Mai Xin'er quickly stopped talking.

Seeing this scene, Fan Xian couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that in this family, Dong'er was the one who really had the say.

"Take good care of your illness, why are you worrying about things you shouldn't?" Dong'er said unhappily to her husband. She got up and pulled Fan Xian and Sisi out of the bedroom and sat down in the central hall.

After drinking two cups of tea and chatting idly for a while, no matter how stern Fan Xian was, Dong'er remained stubbornly silent about the suggestion to go to Kyoto, refusing to agree.

Looking at the woman's face, Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh, thinking that such a gentle elder sister also had such a stubborn side.

Coughs came from the bedroom. Fan Xian listened carefully and lowered his voice a little, saying softly, "Sister Dong'er, before you got married, I secretly took you to see Brother Mai. You were the one who took a liking to him, so I didn't interfere... I also asked clearly back then that Brother Mai lost his parents at a young age and is honest and kind. He doesn't have any troublesome relatives in this Danzhou city, so I was sure that he would treat you well after marriage, and that's why I was relieved."

This was the truth. When Sister Dong'er got married, Fan Xian was only eleven years old, but he had secretly observed for a long time before he was relieved to give his maid to the Mai family.

Dong'er nervously rubbed her reddened hands and said with a slight shyness, "He treats me well now too... How could the person you chose, young master, be bad?"

"Since you don't have any relatives in Danzhou, why don't you want to come to Kyoto with me? I made a mistake back then." Fan Xian recalled and said, "Putting you outside, your life isn't necessarily peaceful."

Before Dong'er could speak, he continued, "Don't worry about me supporting you in Kyoto. You can continue to run your tofu shop, but just be near me, so we can take care of each other."

Fan Xian certainly didn't need Dong'er to take care of anything. The meaning of his words was clear.

Sisi also persuaded from the side, "That's right, Sister Dong'er. Did you know that the first business the young master did after going to Kyoto was opening a tofu shop? Now even the princes' mansions in Kyoto are eating our tofu."

Fan Xian's eyebrows twitched, and he smiled bitterly, thinking that the girl's words sounded so awkward.

Sisi continued with a smile, "If you go, wouldn't the tofu sell even better?"

After a moment of hesitation, Dong'er said, "I understand the young master's intentions, and I'm grateful in my heart, but... I really don't want to go to Kyoto."

"Why?" Fan Xian asked with a frown.

Dong'er thought for a while, and a very gentle smile suddenly appeared on her face. She said slowly, "After living in Danzhou for so long, who would want to leave their hometown? Besides, although Kyoto is good, it's too big, and I'm afraid I'll feel flustered... Also, I don't want to trouble the young master to take care of me all the time."

"Kyoto doesn't have any monsters, what's there to be flustered about?" Sisi muttered from the side.

Dong'er covered her mouth and smiled, "Who's like you, a girl who's been so bold since she was a child?"

As they were talking, a child's clear voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard. Dong'er's expression suddenly became even gentler. She got up and walked to the door, looking outside.

At this time, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky. The scorching sunlight brushed the edge of the eaves and shone down, falling on the woman's still beautiful face. The light suddenly became gentle, and the woman's expression seemed so peaceful and content.

The little girl who was playing outside had returned.

Dong'er led her daughter into the house and pointed to Fan Xian sitting in the middle, saying, "Call him young master."

Looking at the little girl held by Dong'er, a sincere smile appeared on Fan Xian's face. In the blink of an eye, it had been more than two years since he had seen her. The girl's features had already developed, inheriting her mother's beauty and beginning to be eye-catching. The childishness between her eyebrows was even more endearing, especially her pair of rolling, incredibly bright eyes, which were curiously looking at him.

"Or call him uncle." Fan Xian reached out and hugged the little girl into his arms. Looking at her somewhat nervous and uneasy expression, he said with a smile, "It's been a few years, why don't you recognize your little uncle?"

The little girl raised her face and looked at Fan Xian's handsome face. She tilted her head and thought for a while, then suddenly giggled and said, "Little uncle, where did you go to play?"

Just as Fan Xian was raised by Dong'er, Fan Xian often lingered at the tofu shop when he was young, and he had held this child countless times. Moreover, he doted on her and loved her very much, often buying her small things, so the little girl had a particularly deep impression of this "little uncle." Although she was still young, she remembered it clearly.

"Nine years old, right?" Fan Xian looked at the little girl's face in his arms and asked Dong'er.

Dong'er smiled gently, "Young master has a good memory. She'll be ten years old in a few months."

Fan Xian looked at the big cloth bag on the little girl's body and lifted her above his head, testing the weight. He said with satisfaction, "She's not weak, but little girls shouldn't be running around outside all day. Dong'er, don't let her do work at such a young age, we'll make our maid suffer."

Dong'er said with a smile from the side, "How could I bear to let her do work? She just came back from school."

Fan Xian turned his eyes and looked at her curiously, then casually put the little girl down.

The little girl obediently greeted Sisi again. Sisi then lovingly pinched her little face and took out the gift that Fan Xian had prepared in advance and stuffed it into her hands.

The little girl looked at her mother, and after receiving permission, she happily took the gift. While rubbing her slightly sore face, she said to her mother, "Mom, I'm going to brew medicine for Dad."

Dong'er looked at her with pity and nodded.

The little girl hopped and skipped, excitedly carrying the gift into the inner room.

Looking at this scene, coupled with the previous sentence, Fan Xian suddenly looked at Sister Dong'er in a different light. To be able to teach such a sensible child, Sister Dong'er was truly not simple. Although many noble ladies in Qing Yu Nian went to clan schools to study when they were young, and there were even special private schools for women in Kyoto, the status of girls in the folk was still extremely low. As for going to school, it was something that no one had ever heard of.

Sister Dong'er was actually able to let her daughter go to school. This kind of courage was not something that ordinary women could compare to.

Fan Xian looked at her and said appreciatively, "You're doing well, this child must continue to study."

Dong'er smiled gently, thought for a while, and said, "But after all, she's a girl. Although I know that it's always good to know more words and understand more principles, I don't know what to do in the future."

"What to do?" Fan Xian laughed and said, "With me, this little uncle, here, she can do whatever she wants in the whole world!"

This was a promise. Dong'er was overjoyed, but knowing that the young master didn't like her bowing, she just looked at him gratefully.

Fan Xian then said seriously, "Don't make any random marriage arrangements. Even if you want to marry her off, you have to let me know first."

Dong'er nodded with a satisfied smile.

They chatted idly until lunchtime. Dong'er said with embarrassment, "Young master, please sit for a while, I'll go prepare something." Fan Xian knew that if he ate at her house, there would definitely be a lot of commotion, and she might even have to borrow some ingredients from the neighbors, so he quickly stopped her, saying, "Of course I'm going to eat at your house, but don't go to so much trouble... Just eat the tofu rice you used to make."

Dong'er suddenly exclaimed, covered her forehead, and said angrily, "I haven't even made any soy milk yet. It's in the shop, so I'm afraid we can't eat it."

Fan Xian said with a smile, "Have you forgotten that I brought two boxes?"

After a busy time, Dong'er's husband was also helped out of the bedroom by the little girl. Although he hadn't taken the medicine that Fan Xian had prescribed yet, Fan Xian had already transferred a strand of natural Qi from the Heavenly Dao during the previous diagnosis, so Mai Miao'er's spirit seemed much better at this time.

The family gathered around the kang and had a lively meal of tofu rice.

Dong'er's family of three couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, but Fan Xian ate with incomparable joy. Seeing Sister Dong'er's loving mother-like appearance earlier, he knew that Sister Dong'er's life would eventually be happy, and she didn't necessarily have to follow him to Kyoto.

"Little uncle, is Kyoto fun?" The little girl stared with her big eyes, holding a big bowl of rice, and while using her long chopsticks to scoop up the soft tofu rice, she asked with incomparable curiosity.

"Kyoto is not fun at all." Fan Xian put down his bowl and looked at the little girl, saying seriously, "It's very not fun... But if you don't go and play, how will you know? Do you want to see your little uncle in the future?"

"Yes!" The little girl said happily.

———————————————————————

Back at the Earl's mansion, he told Wan'er about what happened today. Wan'er couldn't help but tear up as she listened to Fan Xian's description. When she heard that Dong'er insisted on not going to Kyoto, she felt even more respect for her.

Coming out of the door, Fan Xian stretched lazily, rubbed his somewhat full stomach, and gently clapped his palms.

A shadow slowly appeared from the sunlight beside the pillars.

The Tiger Guards now knew Fan Xian's temper and his strength, so they no longer followed him as closely as they used to. Only this one shadow, after driving the ninth-rank swordsmen from Dongyi City back, had become Fan Xian's constant companion again.

Fan Xian turned his head and looked at him, saying, "Aren't you annoyed by following me around like this every day?"

The shadow thought about it seriously for a while and said, "It is indeed very annoying."

Fan Xian said with a smile, "Aren't you annoyed by following the cripple?"

The shadow replied very directly, "There are beautiful women around the cripple."

Fan Xian was speechless and shook his head helplessly. "You saw it today during the day, what do you think about Mai Xin'er's illness?"

"Since there were no signs before and his body was good, he shouldn't have gotten such a serious illness." The shadow said in a low voice, "He should have suffered an external injury and then contracted the disease."

Fan Xian nodded silently. This judgment was very close to what he had found through his own diagnosis. After a long time, he said calmly, "It's not convenient for me to ask them about this in person. With Dong'er's smooth-talking but inwardly firm temper, she probably wouldn't say. There isn't anyone in this Danzhou city who dares not to give me face... so this matter is probably a misunderstanding. Go investigate and give the other party a little lesson."

"Don't kill anyone." Fan Xian set the limit. He said calmly, "If they used their feet to kick him, you use your feet to kick them too, kick them until they can't get out of bed for three years."

The shadow tilted his head and looked at him. After a long time, he said, "You want me to kick someone?"

His tone was a bit strange. Indeed, this person was the leader of the Assassins' Guild of the Overwatch Council, the most powerful assassin in the world. Fan Xian was actually ordering him to... kick someone because of a trivial matter in a remote state?

"You are the best in the world at killing people." Fan Xian smiled gently and patted him on the shoulder. "Your kicking skills must not be bad either. Thank you for your hard work."

The shadow had nothing to say and plunged back into the darkness.

He went to his grandmother's bedroom, performed the traditional etiquette and greetings, and then told her about his visit to Dong'er today. Fan Xian knew that in Danzhou, nothing could be hidden from his grandmother, so he felt... vaguely uncomfortable. His grandmother should know his thoughts, so how could she bear to let his maid suffer such humiliation in the city, and even her husband was bullied into lying in bed.

Looking at Fan Xian's expression, the old lady knew what he was thinking in his heart, and said with a smile, "Are you resenting me in your heart?"

"I wouldn't dare." Fan Xian said, but his tone was a bit stiff.

The old lady looked at her grandson's rare display of anger and couldn't help but laugh. She told the story in detail. It turned out that the son of the former governor, for some reason, had taken a liking to Dong'er. However, that son was not a fool. Of course, he wouldn't use force in Danzhou City, in front of the Earl's Mansion. He just kept pestering her at the tofu shop.

Dong'er was annoyed by his entanglement, but the other party didn't use any overly despicable means, so she had to endure it.

But a woman could endure it, but her husband couldn't. Mai Ge'er finally erupted with his manly spirit and gave the son a good beating.

This matter naturally became a big deal. After all, the son's father was the current governor. Although Dong'er's husband was also physically strong, he couldn't beat the crowd. He was knocked to the ground and thrown into prison. It was only after the old lady spoke up that the governor didn't continue to pursue the matter.

However, because of this, Mai Ge'er was kicked in the chest and suffered from some damp and cold air in prison, which caused him to fall ill and lie in bed.

Listening to his grandmother's narration, Fan Xian's expression was calm. Knowing the cause of the matter, he understood why Dong'er was silent. After all, Mai Ge'er had started the fight first, and... although everyone in Danzhou knew about his relationship with Dong'er's family, in the eyes of the world... and even in the eyes of his grandmother, Dong'er was just a maid who had been kicked out of the house long ago, a servant. And the other party was the governor's son. The difference in class was always there. With such a result, no one in Danzhou would think that the Fan family had done wrong. On the contrary, they would think that the Fan family had helped Dong'er's family a lot.

However, Fan Xian didn't think that way. In his heart, the division of people was never based on class.

Only on closeness.

The old lady looked at his thoughtful expression and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing?" Fan Xian raised his head and said with a smile, "I'll have someone kick that son too."

The old lady was stunned, and then smiled, saying, "Then kick him, whatever makes you happy."

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