Lin Xihe's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded gently.

He slowly squatted down in front of Lin Xihe, his gaze fixed on her fair face.

Although I had often seen Lin Xihe in the past, this was the first time I had ever looked at her so closely.

Lin Xihe was without makeup at this moment, her face bare. Even though there was a mud mark on her cheek, it could not hide her innate beauty. She was like a lotus in clear water, naturally beautiful without any adornment.

Ye Yunfan then raised his hand and gently wiped the mud off her face with a handkerchief, glancing at Lin Xihe to make sure she was alright.

Seeing Ye Yunfan's appearance, Lin Xihe's heart was also filled with ripples.

The young doctor in front of me always has a warm smile, and exudes a gentle and warm aura. Just looking at him can warm you from the bottom of your heart to the outside.

Although it was just a simple matter of wiping their faces, the close proximity created an atmosphere of ambiguity that enveloped the two of them.

After cleaning the mud off Lin Xihe's face, Ye Yunfan mustered his courage, reached out, gently grasped Lin Xihe's injured hand, picked up a handkerchief, and carefully wiped away the remaining mud from her hand.

Does it hurt?

"Yes, there were some pebbles on the ground. I braced myself when I fell," Lin Xihe replied softly, looking down at his meticulous wiping movements.

"Why did you come to the city today? Is there something you need at home?" Ye Yunfan asked gently as he wiped himself.

Lin Xihe felt a warm glow in her heart. Since she settled here, many people have come and gone, but Ye Yunfan was the only one who had ever truly cared about her.

"Yeah, I didn't prepare any winter clothes or blankets beforehand, and it's been very cold these past two days because of the rain."

"I'll go with you later. My dad's at the shop today, so I can go out," Ye Yunfan immediately suggested.

Lin Xihe glanced at her mud-covered clothes, then thought of her still swollen ankle. After some consideration, she finally decided not to refuse Ye Yunfan's kindness. She nodded gently and gave a grateful smile.

As the two were talking, the boy Ye Yunfan had sent out earlier came skipping in, carrying a bundle in his arms: "Dr. Ye, the clothes you requested have arrived!"

Ye Yunfan stood up, quickly went to meet her, took the bundle, turned around and walked to Lin Xihe's side, handed it to her with a slightly shy expression, and said, "Miss Lin, I noticed that you are still wearing only a single layer of clothing. I was worried that you would catch a cold, so I asked my servant to go to a clothing shop not far away to buy you a cotton-padded coat. I don't know if it will fit, but you should change into it first so that you don't get cold again."

Lin Xihe took the bundle, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. After thanking him, she went into the cubicle to change her clothes.

When she came out, Ye Yunfan's servants had already brought the family carriage to the entrance of the clinic.

In Xinghua Village, the Ye family is the only one that owns a horse-drawn carriage. Most other families are poor and even a donkey is a luxury, let alone such a magnificent carriage.

The two then bought some medicine at the pharmacy to nourish their bodies, reduce swelling and relieve pain. Lin Xihe made an excuse that the bottle of wound medicine she had been carrying had broken, so she bought another bottle. They then went to the street to buy daily necessities.

Every time it was time to pay the bill, Ye Yunfan would insist on paying, but Lin Xihe would always politely decline.

Upon arriving at the clothing store, Lin Xihe began to have some concerns. She still needed to buy two sets of clothes for Ji Zhuo, but it would be inconvenient to have Ye Yunfan by her side.

She made an excuse to send Ye Yunfan away and quickly picked out two sets for Ji Zhuo.

After a while, Lin Xihe was seen carrying a large bundle. Ye Yunfan thought it was normal for a young girl to buy a few more clothes because she loves to dress up. With a smile on his lips, he reached out to help her put the bundle on the carriage.

"Dr. Ye, if I'm not in a hurry, I'd also like a door panel, two long benches, and some wooden strips. I need to repair the window," Lin Xihe said as she packed her bags.

So the two of them went from shop to shop, looking for door panels, choosing stools, and selecting wooden strips. After all that, most of the day had passed.

By the time Lin Xihe had bought everything she needed, the sun was already setting.

Ye Yunfan sat steadily at the front of the carriage, skillfully cracking the whip as they set off home.

Lin Xihe sat in the open carriage, facing the wind, clutching her now-empty money pouch. She frowned with heartache, feeling as if her heart was bleeding.

But then she glanced at Dr. Ye, who was diligently driving ahead, and saw his upright figure and focused expression. She started thinking again: she should buy more things this time so that Ji Zhuo could recover and then send him away as soon as possible.

In the future, if Dr. Ye were to reveal his feelings to me, I would have no reservations and would seriously consider it before starting a new life.

Thinking this, a sense of anticipation welled up in her heart, and even her face, reddened by the cold wind, showed a hint of a smile.

The carriage swayed and rattled back to the village.

Ye Yunfan nimbly jumped off the carriage, reached out to take the reins, and walked ahead.

The village is not big to begin with, so any little thing that happens in any household can attract a lot of attention.

Sure enough, when Ye Yunfan brought Lin Xihe back, the carriage was loaded with a whole load of things, a scene that instantly became a rare sight in the village.

The villagers peeked out of their houses, craning their necks and looking around curiously.

Every now and then, you could hear them whispering in hushed tones, their words filled with surprise, curiosity, and something else that was hard to put into words.

After walking along the familiar village road for a short while, we arrived at Lin Xihe's house.

"Dr. Ye, thank you so much for today. Once my foot injury heals, I'll treat you to a meal to properly express my gratitude," Lin Xihe said sincerely, bowing slightly as she stood at the courtyard gate.

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