“Xuan Xixi, let’s buy a pair of tiger-head shoes.” Yan Yunning pulled Xuan Yanyu to a stop at a small stall.

For when Elder Brother Mu and Sister Wen’s baby was born — she’d give them to their little one as a gift.

Xuan Yanyu glanced at the stall. It was covered in tiger-head shoes of every pattern imaginable — tiny little shoes, smaller than the span of his palm. Rather charming.

“Young lady, have you seen anything you like?” The elderly woman smiled warmly at Yan Yunning.

Yan Yunning picked up a red pair of tiger-head shoes. The tiger’s eyebrows were embroidered thick and dark, and each side of the shoe sported embroidered tiger claws. They were adorable — the fabric was soft, and pleasant to the touch.

“Grandma, how many coins for these?”

“Eight copper coins, young lady.” The old woman smiled.

She named the price a little high — if the girl bargained, she could always come down a bit.

Yan Yunning slipped her hand inside one of the tiger-head shoes and waved it in Xuan Yanyu’s direction. “Xuan Xixi, isn’t it very cute?”

Xuan Yanyu raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. “Cute.”

The girl’s fair, lovely face wore a mischievous smile as she looked up at him. Wasn’t that very cute indeed.

Yan Yunning’s smile blossomed like a flower. “If it’s cute, then you pay for it.”

Xuan Yanyu: “…”

The old woman couldn’t help laughing out loud. In all the years she’d sold tiger-head shoes, this was the first time she’d seen a young woman get her husband to foot the bill like this.

Xuan Yanyu resigned himself to handing the old woman ten copper coins.

“Young master, that’s… too much.” The old woman was a little taken aback.

“It’s nothing.”

The old woman chuckled warmly. “Young master is kind-hearted. This old woman wishes the young master and young lady’s child health and peace every year, free from misfortune and illness, and a life of smooth sailing.”

She could see that the young master was strikingly handsome with a distinguished bearing, and the young lady was lovely too. Their child, without even needing to imagine, would certainly be beautiful.

“Thank you, Grandma.” Yan Yunning smiled with her eyes narrowed to crescents.

Xuan Yanyu’s heart gave a quiet tremble. Their child — she’d accepted it.

Fafa couldn’t resist piping up: 【Master, yours and Xuan Yanyu’s baby? Health and peace every year, free from misfortune and illness, and a life of smooth sailing.】

She’d been clamoring to go home, hadn’t she?

【Of course — my baby should naturally have health and peace every year. Xuan Yanyu is a decent person too, so his baby should also be free from misfortune and illness. Both our babies should have a life of smooth sailing.】 Yan Yunning turned the tiger-head shoes over in her hands — the more she looked, the cuter they were.

Fafa: 【…】

It maintained that its master’s way of thinking was not quite like a normal person’s. The old woman had been speaking of her and Xuan Yanyu’s child together — and its master had interpreted it as her child and Xuan Yanyu’s child separately.

Done admiring the tiger-head shoes, Yan Yunning looked up and saw only Ye Jian.

“Where’s A’Chen? Where did he go?” Yan Yunning glanced around. Among the sparse crowds at the market, there was no sign of A’Chen.

“He said he went to buy pastries.” Ye Jian replied.

Once A’Chen returned, Qi Qingchen led the way and the group made their way to the inn where Yan Shiyao was staying.

Inside the inn.

Yan Shiyao was curled up on the sleeping couch, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural color, looking wan and sickly.

“Sister, what happened to her?” Yan Yunning walked to the couch and reached out to feel her forehead.

It was burning hot — had she caught a chill?

“She’s had a fever since last night.” Qi Qingchen said with flat calm. “A female physician has already been seen.”

As he finished speaking, the female physician Nuoxi pushed open the chamber door and came in carrying a bowl of medicinal broth, smiling as she entered. “You’re all here to visit Miss Yan?”

“Yes.” Yan Yunning helped Nuoxi ease Yan Shiyao upright.

After administering the medicine, Yan Yunning wiped the corner of Yan Shiyao’s mouth with a handkerchief and couldn’t help asking, “Is my sister just suffering from a chill?”

How could she not even stir while being fed medicine? What kind of chill was this severe?

Nuoxi pressed her lips together, then looked at Yan Yunning. “You’re Miss Yan’s younger sister?”

Yan Yunning nodded.

Nuoxi let out a quiet sigh. “Miss Yan the Second, this is not my clinic — the conditions here are limited. It might be better to bring your sister to my clinic.”

Yan Yunning’s brow furrowed.

“Agreed — the longer we wait, the worse it could become.” Qi Qingchen pressed his lips together briefly.

A sense of inexplicable unease flickered through Yan Yunning.

“You’ll need to hire a carriage. I’ll head to the clinic ahead of you and wait.” Nuoxi left the address of her clinic and departed first.

Yan Yunning looked at Xuan Yanyu with a soft smile. “Xuan Yanyu.”

Xuan Yanyu had Physician Wen at his disposal — going to a clinic felt like it would lead to something.

Xuan Yanyu slowly turned his head aside. It was abundantly clear that he had no interest in getting involved.

Yan Yunning bit her lip and looked toward Qi Qingchen instead. “Are there any other physicians or clinics in this town?”

“No.”

He’d looked into it already. There was only one clinic in the whole town.

Yan Yunning lowered her eyes. It seemed the plot was about to unfold again.

Otherwise, how could it be such a convenient coincidence that there was only one clinic in the entire town?

There was still some distance between the chamber and the inn’s entrance, and her sister was unconscious and unresponsive. Yan Yunning looked at the sleeping Yan Shiyao, then at the four men standing separately around the room.

Xuan Yanyu, sensing her gaze, smoothed his dark hair and then adjusted the folds of his brocade robe, which had not a single wrinkle to speak of.

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. He looked remarkably busy!

A’Chen kept his head down, also showing no inclination to lend a hand.

Without Xuan Yanyu’s word, Ye Jian didn’t dare help either.

In the end, it was Qi Qingchen who couldn’t stand by any longer. He lifted Yan Shiyao in his arms and carried her to the carriage.

After two days at the clinic, nothing had happened beyond Qi Qingchen’s presence, and Yan Yunning breathed a sigh of relief.

That evening.

Yan Yunning and A’Chen sat on stone stools in the back courtyard of the clinic, secretly eating pastries.

“Little Lemon, you said you’d never share a husband with another woman — does that still hold?” A’Chen took a small square cloth and carefully wiped the pastry crumbs from her hands.

“It holds. It will always hold.” Yan Yunning took the handkerchief from him and wiped her hands casually.

“Mm.” A’Chen curved the corner of his lips.

Until the young master was found, he had to look after her in the young master’s place. As long as it still held, she and Xuan Yanyu had no future — after all, Xuan Yanyu still didn’t know Little Lemon’s true identity, and was dead set on marrying Yan Shiyao.

Yan Yunning gave a light hum. “A’Chen, why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

A’Chen leaned sideways against the wooden table, pinched a piece of pastry and held it out to her. “Little Lemon…”

“The two of you are quite at ease, aren’t you? Sneaking out to eat pastries behind His Highness’s back.” Before A’Chen could finish, Ye Jian’s voice, laden with implication, pierced through to them.

A’Chen curved his lips into a faint smile. “Oh? Not reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince first — does that count as doing it behind his back?”

Ye Jian: “…”

“It’s not just the two of us anymore — now it’s three.” Yan Yunning said languidly.

Ye Jian: “…”

He hadn’t even eaten yet. How was it already three?

“Miss Yan the Second, could you please go and talk some sense into Miss Yan the First?” Ye Jian’s brow was creased with deep concern.

The very night they arrived at the clinic, Miss Yan the First had started to recover. But then the following day Qi Qingchen had fallen into unconsciousness, and Miss Yan the First — before she’d even fully recovered herself — had gone to Qi Qingchen’s chamber to nurse him.

She was set to marry His Highness in the future. His Highness didn’t seem to care in the slightest, and had actually appeared to be in unusually good spirits these past two days. He couldn’t figure it out at all — Miss Yan the First was devoting herself to caring for Qi Qingchen, and yet his Highness was in high spirits about it?