[The Lady's Excuse]
Li Furong was restless. She paced her garden, looking for any excuse to see Sang Qi again. When she saw the butler, Uncle Fu, handing a prescription to a servant, her eyes lit up.
"Give that to me! I'll go!" she declared, snatching the basket.
Despite the butler's protests, she hurried away, her heart dancing. Finally, a legitimate reason. At the medical tent, she leaned against the counter with a playful smirk. "Physician Sang, what a coincidence. I'm here on family business."
Sang Qi raised an eyebrow, looking at the prescription she produced. "Whose injury is it this time?"
"None! I'm here to fetch herbs for the estate. But since I'm here, I figured I'd ask the expert to check if the dosage is correct."
Sang Qi sighed but took the paper. As he began to cross out and adjust the ingredients, Furong leaned in close—too close. The scent of her perfume mingled with the bitter herbs, making Sang Qi's hand falter for a split second.
"Can't you be serious for once?" he muttered.
"I am very serious," she whispered, her eyes locked on his. "This is the first time I've ever fetched medicine myself."
[A Maid's Worry]
Watching from the corner, Furong's maid sighed. My lady, you aren't looking for medicine; you're looking for a husband. The maid saw the way her mistress looked at the cold physician—a gaze filled with genuine affection. But she worried: The Master and Mistress expect a match of equal status. A simple physician, no matter how skilled, might not be enough.
Back at the estate, the maid voiced her concerns. Furong paused while removing her hairpins. "My father wants me to marry wealth and status. But we are already rich. Why must I marry more money? I want someone real. I want Sang Qi."
[The Collapse]
Meanwhile, at the Soup Kitchen, Ling Dang was pushing herself to the limit. She worked the stoves by morning and sorted herbs for Sang Qi by afternoon. She barely slept, fueled only by the desire to be "useful" to Luo Ye.
During the lunch rush, as she lifted a heavy bucket of water, the world suddenly went black.
Clang! The bucket hit the floor, and Ling Dang crumpled beside it.
"Ling Dang!" the cooks screamed.
Luo Ye, who happened to be nearby, burst in and scooped her up. He froze. She was so light—frighteningly light.
"You idiot," he hissed, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and fear. "Where does all that food go? Why are you so light?"
He didn't wait for an explanation. He held her close to his chest, shielding her from the heat of the kitchen as he sprinted toward the medical tent. To the onlookers, the fierce Fire-Yao looked as if he were carrying the most fragile treasure in the world.