After Miss Li checked his pulse, Qin Shouye asked with concern, “Miss, how is my younger brother?”

When Qin Shouye asked this, Qin Shoucheng was extremely anxious.

He was genuinely worried that Miss Li would say he was pretending to be sick.

At that moment, he hoped that Miss Li’s medical skills weren’t as good as Doctor Li’s, so he nervously watched her.

Miss Li thought for a moment and said, “The Third Young Master’s condition isn’t serious. It’s likely that the hot weather lately made him catch some heat while going to and from school, which is why he feels a bit unwell. I’ll prescribe some suitable medicine, so Second Young Master doesn’t need to worry.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Shouye felt relieved.

He thought to himself that it was indeed hot in summer, and it was possible for his younger brother to have caught some heat.

At the same time, Qin Shoucheng also breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought, isn’t that just it? It’s hot, and he caught some heat, so he felt a bit faint.

His unease faded, and he felt reassured.

Miss Li had been observing Qin Shouye, and now seeing his expression, she had some suspicions.

She then said to Qin Shouye, “Second Young Master, please accompany me to get the medicine. I’m also feeling a bit unwell, so I won’t be bringing the medicine over later.”

The maid furrowed her brows upon hearing this and said, “Miss, I’ll accompany you to get the medicine.”

Qin Shouye replied, “No need, I can go by myself.”

For some reason, hearing Miss Li say that he should accompany her to get the medicine made him feel a bit pleased.

Especially thinking about being alone with Miss Li made him a little nervous.

The maid, hearing this, respectfully said, “Understood,” but she had other plans in mind.

Seeing this, Miss Li added, “Auntie, you should come along too. Young Masters can be careless; he might not even know how to prepare the medicine. I’ll explain to you, so it’s clear. But Second Young Master is the elder brother of Third Young Master, so I need to discuss some of the medicine with you as well.”

Upon hearing Miss Li say this, the maid felt reassured.

She realized that she had been overthinking things.

Just a moment ago, she thought it was inappropriate for a young lady to invite Second Young Master to go get medicine privately, fearing that Miss Li might have other intentions.

Now, hearing Miss Li say this, she put those thoughts aside.

Qin Shouye said, “What the young lady said is reasonable.”

After Miss Li packed her things, she headed out, followed by Qin Shouye and the maid.

Once outside the courtyard, Miss Li turned to the maid and said, “Auntie, I have something to discuss privately with Second Young Master. Please step back a little.”

The maid looked at Qin Shouye, and after he nodded, she stepped back but kept a watchful eye on them, to prevent any rumors that could damage their reputation.

As a member of the general’s family, she had been taught by Madam Lian when she was bought that if anything happened that could harm the reputation of the general’s family, she had to report it immediately.

After the maid stepped back, Miss Li said, “Second Young Master, I have something to discuss regarding Third Young Master. Actually, he isn’t ill; the suggestion about catching heat was just a casual remark on my part.”

Before saying this, Miss Li had considered whether to inform the lady of the house or Qin Shouye.

After all, the lady was the mistress of the general’s family.

However, considering that she needed to discuss the medicine later and worried that Qin Shoucheng might have other thoughts, she decided to speak with Qin Shouye since the lady wasn’t at home.

Upon hearing Miss Li’s words, all of Qin Shouye’s small joys disappeared, and he immediately asked with concern, “Please, Miss, explain clearly. Is it possible that Shoucheng… No, wait, you just said he isn’t ill. Then why…”

Miss Li explained, “I observed that Third Young Master’s body was fine; everything was normal in his pulse. The only thing was that his pulse was faster than usual, which I thought might be due to anxiety from lying. I wondered if Third Young Master didn’t want to go to school or had something else on his mind, which is why he feigned illness.”

“Hmm…” Qin Shouye recalled that earlier, Shoucheng indeed seemed reluctant to see a doctor.

Miss Li continued, “Of course, this is just my judgment; I might not be skilled enough. When my father returns tonight, it wouldn’t hurt for you to have him check again. But for now, Third Young Master should be fine.”

Qin Shouye understood why she had come to fetch the medicine herself; it was to privately inform him about the matter.

If she had said it in front of Shoucheng, it wouldn’t have been appropriate.

He nodded in understanding, “Thank you for letting me know, and what about the medicine?”

Miss Li replied, “Second Master can just say that there are no suitable medicines for Third Master in the residence. Once the medicine is prepared, it can be delivered to him later.”

Qin Shouye clasped his fists in gratitude, “Thank you, Miss.”

Miss Li returned the gesture, “Then I shall take my leave.”

As Qin Shouye watched her leave, he felt that her condition seemed worse than before.

During their private conversation, her voice had been even more restrained, likely because she was enduring discomfort.

He had been so worried about Shoucheng that he hadn’t noticed this.

As he walked away, Qin Shouye took a few steps forward to catch up with Miss Li: “Miss, are you really alright? How about I escort you back to your courtyard?”

If Qin Shouye were still the same person he was in Baili Village, he would not have dared to interrupt a young lady, especially one from a physician’s family.

However, now he felt bold enough—partly due to his family background, and partly due to his own growth.

He had learned about calculations from Yang Haiyan, gaining a lot of life lessons and experiences from her.

Studying with his teacher had also broadened his horizons.

Ultimately, his mother held the title of a seventh-rank noblewoman, and his elder brother was a fifth-rank general, which also gave him confidence.

Yet, the real source of his courage came from his own transformation.

The support from his family was just a foundation; if he didn’t strive to be better, what use would it be?

In a family with power and influence, there could still be children who were weak-willed.

Therefore, the confidence Qin Shouye had primarily stemmed from his own changes.

If Yang Haiyan were to speak, she would say that Qin Shouye was the one among the Qin family who had changed the fastest.

He had always been a meticulous person, even last year in Baili Village when he wanted to find work outside.

If it hadn’t been for Qin Fang returning home and Shoucheng being taken away, he might have achieved something by now.

Even managing a tavern or handling accounts would be considered a significant achievement for an ordinary villager.

Now that Qin Shouye had found his opportunity, his transformation was the greatest and the fastest.

At the same time, he was pushing himself to grow because he knew that he was the only one who could help his elder brother; the third brother was still young, and Niu Dan was even less capable, so he was quickly trying to develop himself to support his brother.

Unexpectedly, as Qin Shouye quickened his pace, Miss Li walked even faster.

She hurried to the side and said, “Please, Second Master, wait.”

Her hurried steps and slightly trembling voice left Qin Shouye taken aback; he was puzzled about why Miss Li was reacting this way.

He hadn’t done anything wrong! Thinking he had frightened her, he hurriedly explained, “I didn’t mean to startle you, Miss. I was only concerned because you looked unwell and was worried you might faint on the way, so I intended to escort you back.”

Miss Li understood that Qin Shouye had no ill intentions.

Both the township lord and the general were good people who had sheltered her and her father and had never looked at her with strange eyes.

Even when the household received new clothes, the township lord would send some to her.

Since coming to the General’s residence, she had never left; in fact, all the clothes she wore had been prepared by the township lord.

The styles were new, and the fabric comfortable, but they never exposed anything, which made her feel at ease.

Because of this, she trusted the township lord very much.

Her trust in the general stemmed from the fact that he had rescued her and those innocent girls from the bandits.

Thus, when the township lord came to the courtyard, she wouldn’t feel nervous.

Even when the township lord had sent a patient over yesterday, she hadn’t felt as anxious as she did today.

Today’s anxiety was partly due to her unmanageable psychological distress and partly due to the way the Second Master looked at her, which made her uncomfortable.

It made her wonder if there was something wrong with her clothes or if she had exposed something.

In reality, she knew she was being overly sensitive, but she couldn’t control this intense unease. “Thank you, Second Master. I’m just in a hurry to return and have some matters to attend to. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Please excuse me.” With that, Miss Li took off running.

Qin Shouye watched her retreating figure.

Although she claimed to have things to do, he still felt he had frightened her.

He didn’t understand how he had scared her; after all, he was the one who had suggested she come out, and he hadn’t acted rudely.

Coming back to his senses, Qin Shouye told the maid, “You go and see Miss Li off, and check if she needs any help.”

The maid replied, “Yes.”

Qin Shouye adjusted his mood and returned to the courtyard.

Inside, Niu Dan and Shoucheng were chatting and laughing about something.

As soon as they saw Qin Shouye return, they immediately stopped laughing.

They had a sense of respect for Qin Fang, but that respect also carried a sense of unfamiliarity because he had left home to serve in the army when they were still young, making him feel distant.

However, they held a great deal of respect and admiration for Qin Shouye as their elder brother.

Throughout their childhood, they had looked up to him and believed whatever he said.

Seeing Qin Shouye return with a grave expression, they both noticed that something seemed off.

Shoucheng was especially concerned and asked, “Elder Brother, what’s wrong?”

Niu Dan also inquired, “Elder Brother, didn’t you go to get the medicine? Where is it?”

Qin Shouye glanced at Niu Dan and replied, “Miss Li said there’s no medicine suitable for Shoucheng. We’ll wait until the medicine is prepared before going to fetch it.

She mentioned that Shoucheng’s condition isn’t serious and that it’s fine to take the medicine later.”

Hearing this, Shouye quickly interjected, “Elder Brother, I’m perfectly fine! I just had a bit of heat; it’s nothing serious, really. No need for medicine. Besides, look! I feel much better now; it’s nothing at all!”

Upon hearing this, Shoucheng became even more convinced that what Miss Li had said was right—not that her medical skills were lacking, but rather that Shoucheng was pretending to be ill.

The look of relief and urgency on his face suggested otherwise.