“Thank you, Uncle Yang. I have some small change here. Please use it for tea on the way,” Rongrong said, handing over a prepared pouch of money to Uncle Yang.

He accepted it without hesitation and then left.

After sending Uncle Yang off, Rongrong returned to the house.

After a busy morning, she had managed to organize a room for Old Madam Xue, but since the old lady was in such a poor condition now, Rongrong, Chunxing, and Feicui would gradually tidy up the rest.

Rongrong asked Chunxing to go outside and cut three pieces of braised pig’s head meat, bought four steamed buns, and cooked a dish of green vegetables herself.

She placed the food on the stone table in the courtyard and called Xue Xiaoshan to come eat.

“I’ve made some porridge for Grandmother, but it’s not quite ready yet, so let’s eat this first,” Rongrong said. “It’s been a busy day, so let’s make do with this.”

“It’s already very good,” Xue Xiaoshan said with a guilty expression. “Sister, you don’t need to be so polite. I’m ashamed that I cannot protect you or take care of Grandmother.”

“Brother, don’t say that. If it weren’t for you staying at home to protect us, Grandmother might have been driven to death by those two.”

Xue Xiaoshan was actually the only educated person in the Xue family.

In the past, the Xue family was doing well, and Xue Dacheng was sent to a local school.

Xue Dacheng couldn’t sit still, but Xue Xiaoshan studied from Xue Dacheng’s books at home.

Seeing this, Grandma Xue took pity on him and let him study as well.

However, after the family fell into hardship, even their daughter was sold, and Xue Xiaoshan could no longer continue his studies.

Fortunately, the local school teacher saw his potential and waived the tuition fees, allowing him to help with chores while continuing to attend classes.

Unfortunately, not long after, Xue Xiaoshan’s adoptive parents passed away, and Xue Dacheng and Cui He, who were lazy, forced all the farm work onto Grandma Xue.

Xue Xiaoshan had to stop studying and focus on farming to support the family.

Rongrong usually only ate half a steamed bun, so she had Chunxing buy four buns today.

Xue Xiaoshan, who had only eaten one bun, couldn’t get full, even after eating half a dish of pig’s head meat.

Fortunately, Rongrong had made plenty of porridge for Grandma Xue and served Xue Xiaoshan a big bowl of it.

Rongrong personally served a small bowl of porridge to Grandma Xue at her bedside.

Although Grandma Xue was too ill to speak, her eyes were filled with tears.

“Grandmother, you are weak now and need to eat more. This porridge has chicken and chopped mushrooms, and it’s been simmered for two hours, so it’s very fragrant.”

Old Lady Xue was too weak to speak, let alone eat, but she forced herself to open her mouth and let Rongrong feed her a little bit.

After attending to her grandmother, Rongrong felt exhausted.

She rested for a quarter of an hour in her room, feeling somewhat refreshed, and then prepared to go out to find a doctor.

“Second Brother, you stay here and take care of Grandmother,” Rongrong said.

Xue Xiaoshan replied, “You’re a girl; I’m worried someone might take advantage of you. I should go with you.”

Feicui, who was washing dishes, quickly dried her hands and said, “How about I go with Miss Rongrong?”

Chunxing wasn’t happy about this and said, “Trying to slack off again!”

Rongrong waved her hand and said, “There’s no need for anyone to come with me. There are four or five medical clinics on the street next door; it’s lively, so there won’t be any trouble.

Besides, Second Brother and Feicui are new to the city and aren’t familiar with things.

The house is in such a mess that Chunxing and Feicui might not manage to clean it up properly.

If Second Brother wants to help, he can assist Chunxing with organizing the other two rooms.”

“Alright, I won’t trouble you then,” Xue Xiaoshan agreed, and Feicui had no further objections.

Rongrong took some money and went out.

The nearest clinic was Miaochun Hall.

When Rongrong arrived, the attendant said the resident doctor was out on a house call and wouldn’t return until evening.

Rongrong had to go to another clinic. At the second clinic, Bao’an Hall, the doctor was available but was elderly and only saw patients at the clinic, not for house calls.

However, Rongrong took note and asked the doctor for recommendations on the best acupuncturists in the city.

The old doctor recommended Dr. Wang from Jishihall in the west of the city.

Since Wutong Lane was in the east, walking to Jishihall would take too long, so Rongrong hired a sedan chair and rushed over.

She arrived just before the clinic closed.

Unfortunately, Dr. Wang did not do evening consultations, so he only accepted Rongrong’s deposit and agreed to visit Wutong Lane to see Old Lady Xue the next morning.

On the way back, Rongrong didn’t hire a sedan chair and walked leisurely.

She was very hungry, but with the expenses for Old Lady Xue’s illness, she didn’t dare spend too much.

After searching for a while, she found a noodle shop and ordered a bowl of plain noodles.

The cook, a man in his forties, cooked the noodles briefly in boiling water with some bone broth, then placed them in a large bowl, added a couple of pieces of green vegetables, and sprinkled some chopped scallions.

Even without much seasoning, the noodles were very fragrant because of the bone broth.

Rongrong was starving and ate her noodles quickly and messily, just like the other customers in the shop.

Just then, an unexpected, crisp voice rang out, “Aunt Rongrong, isn’t this noodles delicious?”

Rongrong had a mouthful of noodles, and when she looked up, she saw the Crown Prince’s icy face.

She hurriedly looked down, not wanting him to see her embarrassment, and then noticed the small head peeking out from beside his knee.

She quickly swallowed the noodles in her mouth, trying to speak but found herself choked and unable to make a sound.

“Boss, two bowls of Yangchun noodles.”

“Alright, please have a seat.” The boss greeted warmly when he saw the Crown Prince and Yuanbao. “Same as usual, one bowl softer?”

It turned out they were regular customers.

The Crown Prince responded with a simple “Hmm.”

The other tables at the noodle stand were occupied, and the Crown Prince and Yuanbao naturally took a seat at her table.

The Crown Prince sat opposite her, and Yuanbao sat on her left.

“We just came back from Grandmother’s place and were saying how hungry we were and wanted some Yangchun noodles, and then we saw Aunt Rongrong,” Yuanbao said excitedly, chattering away as soon as he sat down.

This street was indeed a main route from the palace to the East Palace.

Such a coincidence.

While Rongrong marveled at the chance encounter, she was also surprised to see the Prince often bringing Yuanbao to eat Yangchun noodles on the street.

Though Rongrong also ate here, Yuanbao was precious, and food outside might not be as clean or delicate as in the palace—she hoped he wouldn’t get a stomach ache from it.

As she thought about it, Rongrong felt she was meddling.

With such a protective father as the Prince, it wasn’t her place to worry.

Yangchun noodles were meant to be quick.

The Prince’s noodles arrived swiftly, and he picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

While others slurped their noodles noisily, the Prince ate with no sound, his posture as graceful as if he were dining in the palace.

As if sensing Rongrong’s gaze, the Crown Prince paused slightly, raising his eyes to look at her.

Rongrong hurriedly looked down again, diving into her noodles.

In her flustered state, a loud “slurp” came from her mouth, drawing the attention of the other two at the table.

She blushed and set her chopsticks down.

Yuanbao hadn’t received his noodles yet, so he was quite relaxed.

As soon as Rongrong put down her chopsticks, he noticed, “Aunt Rongrong, why aren’t you eating anymore?”

“I’m full,” Rongrong had to say.

“But there’s still so much left!” Yuanbao looked disappointed.

Rongrong sat there feeling at a loss for words when Yuanbao’s plain noodles were brought to him.

Yuanbao’s noodles were very soft, so they didn’t look very appealing, but Yuanbao didn’t care about appearances and dug in with gusto.

Despite his young age, Yuanbao used chopsticks skillfully, though he made some noise while eating, just like Rongrong.

The Crown Prince and Yuanbao ate their noodles in silence.

Rongrong felt uneasy, unsure whether to leave or stay, as she found it awkward to be there with the father and son.

In the end, hunger won over her embarrassment.

Since people at noodle stalls always make some noise while eating, it was no big deal for her to make a little noise as well.

So, she picked up her chopsticks and started eating again.

This time, she was more mindful, making much less noise as she slurped the noodles.

The three of them, who valued eating in silence, continued to eat their noodles quietly.

When Yuanbao put down his chopsticks, he turned his attention back to Rongrong.

“Aunt Rongrong, if you eat so many noodles, won’t you feel too full?”

Rongrong blushed a bit and said, “It’s okay.”

Yuanbao smiled widely, “Aunt Rongrong, why did you come out alone?”

“I came out to find a doctor, so I ended up in the west part of the city.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes shifted slightly, and Yuanbao’s eyes widened, “Are you sick? Is it your leg again?”

Seeing Yuanbao’s concern, Rongrong felt even more grateful, knowing her legs weren’t as bad because of Yuanbao’s kindness.

She wiped the noodle soup and scallions from Yuanbao’s face with a handkerchief and smiled, “It’s not me who’s sick; it’s my grandmother.”

“Oh,” Yuanbao nodded and then turned to the Crown Prince, “Father, since the doctors in the palace are the best, why don’t we have Doctor Qin help Aunt Rongrong’s grandmother?”

Before the Crown Prince could answer, Rongrong hurriedly said, “I’ve already found a doctor who is skilled in acupuncture. There’s no need to trouble…”

She quickly thought of the last time the Crown Prince had given her acupuncture at the Marquis’s residence and the undergarments he sent through Liuli.

Her face flushed hotly.

She stood up quickly, “I need to hurry back to take care of my grandmother, so I’ll take my leave.”

Yuanbao nodded with concern, but the Crown Prince simply said, “Fuqian, see her off.”

Fuqian, who had been standing outside the noodle stall, stepped forward with a smile to see Rongrong out.

“It’s not necessary for you to go to such trouble, I can call for a sedan chair myself.”

“Imperial orders are not to be disobeyed,” Fuqian replied succinctly.

The carriage was parked in the alley beside the noodle stall.

Rongrong felt even more uneasy as she saw the carriage. “I live quite far from here. If the carriage takes me, what about the Crown Prince…”

“There’s no need to worry about His Highness. I’ll take care of it,” Fuqian assured her.

Indeed, Rongrong had overthought it.

She quietly boarded the carriage, and Fuqian did not accompany her but instructed the driver before returning to the noodle stall.

As the carriage pulled out of the alley and onto the street, Rongrong lifted the curtain and looked back at the noodle stall.

The Crown Prince and Yuanbao had finished eating and were walking out.

Yuanbao happily waved at her.

Rongrong instinctively wanted to lower the curtain immediately but felt a pang seeing Yuanbao’s cheerful face, so she waved back at him.