Hearing the commotion, Lu's mother and younger sister came out of the kitchen and were stunned when they saw Lu Yanzhao.

Lu Xiaomei asked, "Mother, it's not time for the academy to let out for holiday yet, why is brother back?"

Lu's mother was also surprised. Lu Yanzhao's study time was very precious, and he generally wouldn't ask for leave unless it was something important. No one knows a son better than his mother. Thinking of Gu Nanjiao's injury today, Lu's mother quickly had some guesses in her heart and couldn't help but smile to herself.

That little rascal, he's finally figured it out!

Lu Xiaomei, confused, asked, "Mother, what are you laughing at?"

Lu's mother smiled mysteriously: "Good things are coming soon."

"What good news?" Lu Xiaomei pressed for an answer, finding her mother's words increasingly difficult to understand.

Lu's mother bent down and whispered in Lu's younger sister's ear, "Isn't it a good thing that your brother cares about your sister-in-law?"

Lu Xiaomei suddenly realized.

The two sneaked back into the kitchen, leaving the space to themselves.

Gu Nanjiao frowned: "If you come back now, won't it delay your studies? I heard from Lin Ji that your college is very strict and you are not allowed to ask for leave unless it is a major event."

Because of the autumn imperial examination this August, the teachers at the academy have been very strict lately, and the headmaster has been particularly focused on it, not allowing students to ask for leave, be late, or leave early, which has caused the students great distress.

Lu Yanzhao clenched his aching palm and said calmly, "The teacher is easygoing. He granted leave upon hearing that a family member was injured!"

He was worried about Gu Nanjiao's injuries, especially the image of her snow-white skin that kept lingering in his mind, disturbing his peace of mind. He knew clearly that as a poor student without status or background, he could not slack off; the only way out was to study hard and climb higher.

But he couldn't control himself; he just wanted to come back.

He was worried about his injury and wanted to apply ointment to her injured chest!

I want to fall asleep while smelling her scent.

I want to see her even more...

Thinking of this, Lu Yanzhao's ears turned red involuntarily; he felt his thoughts were somewhat perverse. Lowering his eyes, he strode towards the inner room, his voice hoarse as he said, "I'm going to read for a while!"

Gu Nanjiao noticed nothing amiss and nodded: "Go quickly, even if you go home, you can't let your studies be neglected!"

"Um!"

Feeling sorry for Gu Nanjiao's injury, Lu's mother wouldn't let Gu Nanjiao do anything, making her lie in the room. She personally brought over dinner after it was prepared, and even had Lu Yanzhao bring over the hot water she had boiled.

Gu Nanjiao sat quietly on the bed, feeling a warmth in her heart. She felt the warmth of home and her mother's love at Lu's mother's place.

In her previous life, her father neglected her, and she did everything alone. She grew up without a mother, never expecting that someone would care about her so much after she came to ancient times. She absorbed the warmth of her mother and completely forgot about her original father, Gu Qingyan.

Gu Qingyan and Lü Siniang were inseparable. After dealing with Old Lady Wen's matter, Lü Siniang looked at Gu Qingyan with eyes full of admiration, wishing she could marry him immediately.

The father and daughter seemed to have forgotten each other.

Lu Yanzhao brought a basin of water to Gu Nanjiao, put it down, and reached out to tug at Gu Nanjiao's clothes. Gu Nanjiao instinctively slapped his hand away, her voice slightly angry: "Lu Yanzhao, what are you doing?"

Lu Yanzhao said calmly, "I'm cleaning your wound! I'm afraid you won't see it and might touch the affected area."

"It's not on my back, I can wash it myself." Gu Nanjiao took the basin from Lu Yanzhao's hand and walked towards the door.

Watching the departing figure, Lu Yanzhao's eyes darkened.

After washing up, Gu Nanjiao searched everywhere for burn ointment, which she clearly remembered had been placed on the table earlier.

Seeing Gu Nanjiao frantically searching like a headless fly, Lu Yanzhao put down his book, magically produced a medicinal ointment from behind his back, and asked, "Are you looking for this?"

Gu Nanjiao asked in confusion, "How did it end up with you?"

"I just found it too." Lu Yanzhao handed the ointment to Gu Nanjiao and muttered, "The oil lamp is out of oil."

After saying that, he turned and left.

As soon as he left, Gu Nanjiao unbuttoned her clothes and looked at the wound on her chest in the dressing mirror. The burns were above her chest and below her neck. The ancient dressing mirror was blurry, and the room was dimly lit, so she couldn't see clearly in the mirror, but she could still feel that a large area was red. She touched it slightly, and a burning pain came.

"I've come to add some oil..." Lu Yanzhao suddenly pushed the door open and came in. Gu Nanjiao was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly grabbed her clothes to cover herself: "You...why didn't you knock?"

Lu Yanzhao said innocently, "Didn't I say I was going to get the lamp oil?"

Gu Nanjiao frowned. Did Lu Yanzhao say that? She didn't remember. Did she not hear it?

"Let me help you apply the medicine. It's dark at night, and you can't see it clearly," Lu Yanzhao said, placing the lamp oil on the table and looking at Gu Nanjiao.

"No need, I can manage on my own. You can leave now!"

Lu Yanzhao snatched the medicine bottle away, his tone somewhat domineering: "Don't be stubborn. Apply the medicine properly tonight, and it might subside by tomorrow."

Gu Nanjiao was startled and instinctively tried to dodge, but Lu Yanzhao pressed her down on the bed. Her arms were pinned down by Lu Yanzhao, and his warm breath sprayed on her neck, making her feel tingly and numb.

"Don't move!"

Gu Nanjiao blushed awkwardly, feeling the position was a bit ambiguous. Although they were husband and wife, they had no feelings for each other. Being held down by Lu Yanzhao to apply medicine twice in a row—even in modern times, that would be equivalent to being watched by a man, wouldn't it?

Gu Nanjiao's chest was bruised and red. Lu Yanzhao's gaze followed the swelling and moved down, finally settling on the scarlet eye patch...

No, it should be bra/strap.

Feeling Lu Yanzhao's gaze, Gu Nanjiao's body stiffened slightly.

The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous and awkward.

It's unclear what Lu Yanzhao was thinking, but his cheeks flushed, and he quickly looked away, obediently helping Gu Nanjiao straighten her clothes.

As she stood up, her voice was unusually hoarse: "I've already applied the medicine to the areas that needed it. You can apply it yourself to the areas you missed."

"I...I'll go wash up first." After saying that, she turned around and strode away.

Gu Nanjiao slowly sat up and straightened her clothes. Although Lu Yanzhao concealed it well, she still keenly caught the fleeting forbearance in his eyes. Gu Nanjiao raised an eyebrow, smiled, and lowered her eyes.

Young man, you have good self-control and can really endure!

If she didn't want Lu Yanzhao to apply the medicine, she had a hundred ways to refuse.

Looking at Lu Yanzhao's restrained yet reddened eyes, it's thrilling just thinking about it.

Lu Yanzhao felt the gentle breeze outside, the coolness dispelling much of the heat. Thinking of what had just happened, he couldn't help but smile; it was truly exhilarating and exciting.

He deliberately didn't knock before entering. When he saw Gu Nanjiao's fair skin and her panicked expression, he felt extremely pleased.

Besides, they are husband and wife. So what if he saw her naked?