Shi Fa Ke looked at the sky and quickened her pace home, afraid of being criticized for returning late.

Halfway there, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Eh? What exactly had she gone to find Lu Chi for today?

As a result, she had only said half of what she needed to say about the Zhu family matter before being sidetracked, not having the chance to mention Zhu Yanyan at all! Moreover, Master Lu didn’t seem very enthusiastic about this marriage proposal…

Shi Fa Ke felt a bit annoyed, but on second thought, Master Lu’s condition today really wasn’t suitable for discussing Zhu Yanyan’s matter. After all, he was sick and delirious… Even though she was a matchmaker, she couldn’t be so unreasonable as to focus solely on arranging marriages without regard for people’s well-being.

Furthermore, with Master Lu’s body being so frail, could he really be the young man Zhu Yanyan was looking for who had saved her? With his current weak and delicate appearance, it was hard to imagine that ten years ago he could have fought and killed vicious bandits…

Could there be some mistake?

Shi Fa Ke walked while thinking, and after walking for a while, suddenly stopped again.

Hmm, she seemed to have forgotten something else… She seemed to have promised that little fatty from the Zhu family to help plead his case, asking whether Master Lu would be willing to take him as a disciple…

Never mind, since she would definitely be going to see Master Lu tomorrow anyway, she would just bring it up then.

With this thought, Shi Fa Ke returned home with peace of mind.

At the Zhu residence, in Old Master Zhu’s study, Zhu Li was miserably reviewing his books while hopefully thinking, wondering whether that young lady had helped plead his case with the teacher.

He missed his school, he missed his teacher!

He had never missed them so much before!

Just as Shi Fa Ke returned home, she saw her eldest brother who was preparing to go out looking for her. She couldn’t help but secretly feel fortunate – if she had returned even a little later, not only would it have caused a commotion, but Mother would definitely have been angry enough to confine her to her room again!

After all, if it weren’t for that invitation from the Zhu family, she would still be under house arrest right now.

As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she saw Tao-shi’s face looking like a stepmother’s.

“Weren’t you going to the Zhu family? Why are you back so late?” Tao-shi asked sternly with a long face.

“I did go to the Zhu family. Originally, Madam Zhu had a change of heart and wanted to ask through me whether this marriage proposal with Master Lu could still be arranged,” Shi Fa Ke smiled sheepishly. “So I went to find Master Lu, but unexpectedly he had caught wind-heat syndrome and was burning with fever, completely delirious. Seeing him alone in a foreign place with no one to care for him, I felt sorry for him, so I brewed his medicine before coming back, which is why I’m late.”

Tao-shi’s expression softened slightly, “We’ve been waiting for you to eat dinner.”

Only when Tao-shi said this did Shi Fa Ke realize that she had been busy all day, and the few pieces of pastry she had eaten at the Zhu family had long since worn off. She was now ravenously hungry, so she quickly smiled ingratiatingly, went to wash her hands, and helped set out the bowls and dishes.

After the evening meal, Shi Fa Ke cornered Shi Zhonghai.

Shi Zhonghai blinked, looking at his sister who had cornered him with an unfriendly expression, his face full of innocence.

“Third Brother, have you been to Shengxing Restaurant these past few days?” Shi Fa Ke asked with narrowed eyes.

“Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me? I lost all my silver to you in that bet – what would I use to go to Shengxing Restaurant?” At the mention of this, Third Brother Shi was full of resentment. He looked at his sister with grievance – these past few days he had been reduced to gathering with classmates at small street-side taverns!

Thinking of his sister’s bulging purse and then of his own skinny money pouch, Third Brother Shi felt depressed, feeling that his dignity as an older brother had completely vanished.

Shi Fa Ke felt a bit guilty under his gaze, but still felt that her third brother had always been crafty, so she looked at him with continued suspicion, “It really wasn’t you?”

“What wasn’t me?” Third Brother Shi looked completely baffled.

“Today, before I went to find Master Lu, I made a detour to Shengxing Restaurant, planning to bring some wine for Master Lu. But that waiter insisted on lying with his eyes wide open, claiming their wine was sold out, yet other people could buy wine – they just refused to sell to me. Wasn’t this your doing?”

Third Brother Shi stared with wide eyes, looking at his sister with disbelief, as if looking at a heartless person, “You’d rather buy wine for outsiders than for your most doting Third Brother!”

“That’s not the point,” Shi Fa Ke glared at him. “Don’t try to change the subject!”

“Oh,” Third Brother Shi pouted, then said with exaggerated admiration, “What hero did such a good deed and didn’t even leave his name?”

Seeing his exaggerated expression of admiration, Shi Fa Ke twitched the corner of her mouth, “It really wasn’t you?”

“If only it were me,” Third Brother Shi shrugged. “Unfortunately, it really wasn’t.”

Shi Fa Ke narrowed her eyes and looked at him, snorted lightly, and turned to leave.

“If you ever find out which hero did this good deed, remember to tell Third Brother – Third Brother will treat him to drinks!” Looking at his sister’s indignant retreating figure, Third Brother Shi gleefully shouted, fearing the world wasn’t chaotic enough.

Shi Fa Ke angrily turned back to glare at him, then ran away.

Third Brother Shi stood in place laughing until he nearly fell over, but… he was genuinely curious about who would do such a mischievous thing.

Vaguely, Third Brother Shi had a hazy suspicion in his heart, and his smile became somewhat meaningful.

Tsk, there really were quite a few wolf cubs coveting his sister.

He needed to keep a close watch and not let A’Ke accidentally get carried off by a wolf cub.

The next day, Shi Fa Ke got up early, made breakfast, and separately used an earthen pot to simmer minced meat porridge.

“A’Ke, what are you cooking in that earthen pot that smells so good?” At the breakfast table, Third Brother Shi Zhonghai exaggeratedly sniffed and smiled with somewhat ill intent, “Our family doesn’t believe in eating alone.”

Shi Changhui swung his chopsticks and accurately hit Shi Zhonghai on the head, “A’Ke got up early to cook for you and you still can’t keep your mouth shut!”

Shi Zhonghai miserably rubbed his head and muttered quietly, “I’m definitely not your biological son.”

“Isn’t Master Lu sick? He’s all alone in Tongluo Town, which isn’t easy. I plan to go see him again in a while and brought him a pot of minced meat porridge,” Shi Fa Ke explained.

Shi Zhonghai pouted with a dismissive expression, “He’s a grown man who caught a little cold or wind-heat – how can he be so delicate? When you’re away from home, who doesn’t have headaches and fevers? When I went out to study, no one fussed over me with care and concern.”

Shi Fa Ke was stunned and looked at her third brother, “You got sick when you were away?”

Among the three brothers at home, Third Brother was the youngest and most pampered. Shi Fa Ke couldn’t imagine him studying away from home alone, getting sick with no one to care for or ask after him, yet he had never mentioned or complained about it after returning.

Being looked at by his sister with such worry and concern, Shi Zhonghai felt somewhat uncomfortable, but his heart also felt sweet – sisters really were the most adorable and caring!

“Cough… it was alright, everyone has headaches and fevers sometimes,” Shi Zhonghai waved his hand dismissively.

Shi Fa Ke asked with a worried expression, “What did you do then? Did anyone help take care of you?”

At the mention of this, Shi Zhonghai’s expression became somewhat indescribable…

There was someone who wanted to take care of him! But he didn’t want to be taken care of! Thinking of that girl who had very enthusiastically recommended herself as a bedmate to care for him, Shi Zhonghai felt terrible all over.

He had seen many enthusiastic and bold girls in his life, but one enthusiastic and bold enough to drug him with aphrodisiacs and then offer herself as a bedmate… that was truly a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. Later, he had escaped with great difficulty, soaked in cold water all night, and finally had the honor of catching a cold.

Then the culprit who had made him sick still wanted to care for him very enthusiastically, and he was so scared he fled in the night while still sick.

Of course, such a shameful matter was something he would absolutely, absolutely never speak of.

“Cough, a man’s man – how could I be so delicate?” Shi Zhonghai said with great bravado, lifting his chin.

Shi Fa Ke pressed her lips together and said seriously, “But I always hope that when Third Brother encounters difficulties away from home, you’ll meet kind people willing to help you.”

Shi Zhonghai was immediately moved.

Just as he was feeling moved, he heard Shi Fa Ke continue, “…So I will take good care of Master Lu. Today I’m helping to care for Master Lu, hoping that in the future when Third Brother is away from home, others will also help you.”

Shi Zhonghai’s moved expression immediately froze.

Should he be moved or not?

Something felt a bit strange…