"I..." Fu Zhun smelled the scent, and his expression turned awkward for a moment.
He was both amused and exasperated, his brows furrowed slightly, but he finally stroked Su An's hand and drank the bowl of medicine.
Su An glanced at the bowl, which was completely empty, and decisively gave a thumbs up, "I respect you as a hero."
Then he prepared to pour a glass of water to help Fu Zhun wash away the bitterness in his mouth.
Just as she stood up, Li Guihua rushed in. Upon seeing her, she immediately raised her eyebrows and said, "Xiao An, Mother knew you'd be here!"
It was already dawn when Li Guihua got up and found her daughter was not in the room. Her first thought was of the clinic.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the case!
Su An was stunned for a moment, feeling inexplicably guilty, as if she had been caught staying out all night. "Mother—"
"You still remember I'm your mother?" Li Guihua gave her a flick on the forehead with a look of exasperation. "How can an unmarried woman like you stay in a man's house for so long!"
As she spoke, Li Guihua looked at Fu Zhun and Xie Qingfeng inside the room, greeted them politely, but her eyes were full of disapproval.
Seeing this, Su An suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly grabbed his mother to leave, awkwardly chuckling, "Mother is right, let's go back now, I'll definitely be more careful next time!"
Li Guihua remained unmoved, firmly gripping Su An, while frowning and staring at Fu Zhun.
“Young Master Fu, you should also know how important a clean reputation is to a young lady. If you two get too close, my daughter will be the one who suffers in the end.”
It is considered romantic for a man to have three wives and four concubines, but for a woman, a single misstep can ruin her reputation and make her unable to hold her head high again.
Xie Qingfeng stepped aside with a look of amusement on his face.
Fu Zhun listened silently with his head bowed, his Adam's apple bobbing uncomfortably.
"Mother, last night was an unexpected accident, not what you think," Su An explained, tugging at Li Guihua's sleeve, wishing she could cover her mother's mouth.
This is a prince, even the current emperor has to call him Imperial Uncle!
Her silly mother is really carefree!
Su An quickly looked at Zhun apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My mother was just worried about me and spoke a little harshly. She didn't mean anything by it!"
"It's alright, Auntie's reprimand is correct. It was my oversight that I didn't think things through," Fu Zhun replied in a hoarse voice.
Seeing his humble and remorseful demeanor, Li Guihua raised an eyebrow and spoke pointedly:
"I'm glad that you understand my concern for my daughter. If you don't intend to marry her, then please keep your distance in the future so that people won't misunderstand."
These words instantly silenced the room; you could hear a pin drop.
Fu Zhun suddenly looked up and instantly understood the implication.
Su An was also dumbfounded. Was her mother... indirectly pressuring her to get married?!
Oh my god!
She seemed to feel Fu Zhun's burning gaze on her, and her stiff eyelashes trembled.
“I…” Fu Zhun began, his voice growing increasingly deep and hoarse.
He stared intently at Su An, his eyes seemingly swirling with unspoken tension.
Undeniably, he was becoming increasingly concerned about Su An.
The girl's voice, appearance, and smile were imprinted on my heart without me even realizing it, and I would miss her whenever I couldn't see her.
His aunt's words, however, were a wake-up call for him.
Now that there are no worries in Fuyou County, he might as well confess his feelings first. After the court's structure is stabilized in the future, he may be able to get together with Su An naturally.
Thinking of this, his eyes and brows trembled slightly, and his palms clenched.
"Su An, actually I—"
"Oh dear!" Su An abruptly interrupted him before he could speak, looking up at the sky. "It's already so late. I need to hurry back and prepare to open the shop!"
"We'll be going now!"
Su An didn't even dare to meet Fu Zhun's astonished gaze. She grabbed Li Guihua, who was equally stunned, and hurriedly rushed out of the house.
"Xiao An?" Li Guihua reacted, her brows furrowing even deeper. She grasped her hand and said, "What's wrong with you, child? Didn't you see that Young Master Fu was about to confess his feelings to you?"
Li Guihua had clearly seen the deep emotions in Fu Zhun's eyes just now, and she was overjoyed.
I never expected my own daughter to run away first!
Li Guihua was completely baffled. "Xiao An, you clearly like him too, don't you?"
Su An's cheeks flushed with heat.
She stared at her shoes with a complicated expression, walking with her head down while letting out a breath, and muttered a denial: "Mother, you're overthinking it... I don't like him."
"Besides, what does it matter whether I like him or not? Fu Zhun is a dragon among clouds, someone I can't possibly reach."
A look of affection involuntarily appeared on Li Guihua's face. Her daughter always said this, but in her eyes, Fu Zhun, despite his noble status, still treated her daughter with such sincerity, which was already the greatest rareness and sincerity.
Unfortunately, my daughter lacks self-confidence.
Li Guihua said with heartache, "Alright, alright, if you can't afford to marry into such a high-class family, then I'll find you an honest man who can."
Su An was immediately taken aback, then turned her head away, somewhat amused and exasperated, "Then forget it, I won't marry anyone but Fu Zhun!"
From this perspective, using Fu Zhun as a shield to pressure someone into marriage isn't so bad after all.
Li Guihua: "..."
"You little rascal, are you trying to play tricks on your mother?"
Looking at Su An's nonchalant expression, she couldn't quite figure out what her daughter was thinking, so she sighed:
"You have to think things through. Becoming the concubine of a high-ranking official might bring you great wealth and status, but it doesn't necessarily bring happiness. I just want to help you find a good home, but I won't force you to choose. You have to make the decision yourself."
Upon hearing this, Su An's feigned relaxed smile faded, and his heart was filled with worry.
Alas, it was common for men in ancient times to have multiple wives and concubines, but she couldn't bear to share her man.
"Let's not talk about it anymore, I'm focusing on my career!" Su An shrugged, declaring confidently, "Once I have money, what handsome man can't I choose?"
Li Guihua's lips twitched again.
This rebellious kid!
After returning home, Su An did not see Fu Zhun for the rest of the day.
When Xie Qingfeng delivered the food, he said that the medicine was too bitter and Fu Zhun had no appetite, so he was still resting in bed.
Su An rubbed her chin with some concern. "This won't do. If we only drink medicine and don't eat, won't we just become weaker?"
"Pfft." Xie Qingfeng was fiddling with the medicinal herbs when he heard this and laughed heartlessly, "Go ahead and try to persuade me if you dare, it's all because you're in a bad mood anyway."
"..." Su An thought about her audacious act of forcibly interrupting the confession during the day and couldn't imagine what kind of expression the aloof Fu Zhun would have.
She awkwardly touched her nose, staring at him and changing the subject, "Are you... preparing to brew medicine again?"
"Of course." Xie Qingfeng waved the ginseng, roasted astragalus, and other herbs in his hand. "Your Highness's medicine cannot be interrupted."
Su An blinked, then suddenly thought of something.
"By the way, we could research how to make medicinal cuisine!"
"Medicinal cuisine?" Xie Qingfeng was taken aback, his curiosity piqued.
The dynasty didn't yet have a specific concept of medicinal cuisine, so Su An immediately began to explain it to him in detail.
Medicinal cuisine uses food as its main ingredient, but also contains medicinal herbs with specific effects. It tastes good and is highly nutritious, so Fu Zhun is sure he can eat it.
Xie Qingfeng was very interested in this and hit it off with Su An. They decided to do it right away.
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