Chapter 104: Miss Zhang Has Arrived Too!

“Ahem! Miss Zhang, you flatter me. Lin Li has always been like this.”

Lin Li was putting on an act in front of Li Rui, trying to maintain the demeanor of a disciple of a renowned doctor—no more casual jokes and laughter.

Zhang Xiaolan smiled quietly to herself, thinking he was quite good at pretending. Such a proud and aloof person could only afford this attitude under the tutelage of an esteemed medical sage like Master Fu, though he still paled in comparison to the venerable master himself.

Upon entering, they saw the courtyard filled with drying herbs, and several people busily attending to them. Lin Li led the group briskly, turning left and right through the compound, until they stopped before a door, where he knocked and announced, “Master, distinguished guests have arrived.”

“Mm! Please come in!” a voice called from within, inviting Zhang Xiaolan and the others inside.

“Honored guests, please enter!” Lin Li opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter first before following behind.

Before stepping inside, Zhang Xiaolan had already caught a strong scent of medicinal herbs. At first, she thought it was just the aroma from the drying herbs in the front yard, but once inside, she was surprised to find that the herbs were being decocted in the room itself—an impressive sight that astonished all three of them.

“Master Fu, what medicine are you brewing here? Why use such a large cauldron indoors for this?” Zhang Xiaolan asked, pointing to a large pot set over a blazing fire.

The fierce flames fueled the bubbling liquid inside the pot. Master Fu was holding a winnowing basket filled with herbs, occasionally adding fresh ingredients. Zhang Xiaolan’s question echoed the curiosity in both Li Rui’s and Ling Xiao’s minds.

“Miss Zhang has arrived too!” Master Fu looked up when he heard her voice. He hadn’t expected her to come today, having only asked Li Rui to bring Ling Xiao.

“Heh, yes. I wanted to observe and see the miraculous process of your healing,” Zhang Xiaolan said with interest. She was eager to witness what methods Master Fu would employ to purge the poison—such a scene was rare, in fact, she had never seen anything like it before.

“Miss Zhang, it wouldn’t be proper for you to watch. You will need to remove your clothes and soak in the medicinal bath. Since there are gender distinctions, it would be best for you to wait outside for now.”

Master Fu stopped his work, smiling and stroking his beard. He explained that the treatment required the patient to disrobe and soak in the herbal concoction. It was not appropriate to have a young lady present during this process, which was why he had not invited Zhang Xiaolan earlier.

“That’s fine. Since I’ll be soaking in the herbal bath anyway, I won’t be seeing anything,” Zhang Xiaolan replied nonchalantly.

Her words shocked the men present, who all gaped in disbelief. Such a straightforward remark from a young lady left them at a loss for how to respond.

“Lanlan, you should wait outside for a while. I’ll watch over things here,” Li Rui said firmly, unwilling to accept the idea. Even as siblings, once they were adults, it was improper to witness such things.

Even seeing just the upper body was difficult for Li Rui to accept. But honestly, who among them would agree with Zhang Xiaolan’s carefree attitude?

“What, Brother Li is afraid I’ll sneak a peek at Ling Xiao? Besides, it’s not like I haven’t seen him before. When he was injured and getting his wounds dressed, I was there. He’s just a big boy, after all,” Zhang Xiaolan said without concern.

In modern times, she thought, it was common to see men without shirts, so she wasn’t inexperienced. She didn’t dare admit to having actually seen him undressed, only that she had helped change his dressings. That wouldn’t count as sneaking a peek with any ulterior motive, right?