"But I can't just run around naked, you have to wait for me to get dressed."
"Hey, why are you, a grown man, so complicated!"
"That's because you didn't recognize me."
"You're dressed up so disgustingly, who could recognize you?"
Is it disgusting? Is it really disgusting?
"Bai Yuxiao, get out of my way!"
Xiao Zhu, who had been listening from the rooftop for a long time, shrank his neck and thought to himself: Next time I must tell the landlord to give this job to Xiao Feng. He would rather go out and run errands every day than be tortured by Qin Xiaoyou's voice, which is comparable to a demonic voice.
Chapter 8: We Need to Take a Long-Term View
After Bai Yuxiao finished dressing at his leisurely pace, Qin Xiaoyou, who had been waiting for him for quite some time, had already packed her things. Seeing that Bai Yuxiao was ready, Qin Xiaoyou stepped forward, took his hand, and headed towards the door. However, Bai Yuxiao was not very cooperative, pulling his hand away from Qin Xiaoyou's and asking, "Miss Qin, where are you planning to go?"
Hearing Bai Yuxiao's question, Qin Xiaoyou bristled. Her eyebrows shot up, and she fiercely approached him, asking, "What, are you planning to back out? Let me tell you, whether you like it or not, you have to take me away today!"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited," Bai Yuxiao said, pulling back a little to reassure Qin Xiaoyou. "It's not that I don't want to take you with me, but I can't just take you like this. That young master Wenren has many experts around him. It would be difficult for me to even get out on my own, let alone take you with me. So, we need to plan this carefully before we leave."
"Take it easy? Take it easy my foot! By the time you come up with a plan, I don't know how many years I'll have been locked up in this house. I don't care what method you come up with, I'm leaving today." Having finally seized a chance to leave, Qin Xiaoyou had no patience to stay in this shabby little house any longer.
Bai Yuxiao said with a troubled expression, "But my current identity is Mr. Fan, who is here to treat your illness. Even if I make an excuse that your illness requires you to go out and walk around more, I am not sure I can shake off the people from Wenren Qi's faction who are watching you."
"Are you brainless? Can't you think of a better way?" Qin Xiaoyou said with a look of disgust.
"You, you, you, humph, since you're so smart, why don't you come up with a good idea?" Bai Yuxiao was so angry at Qin Xiaoyou's "pig brain" that he turned away and ignored her.
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Qin Xiaoyou touched her nose listlessly and muttered under her breath, "A grown man so petty." The two remained silent for a while, neither speaking first. Just then, Xiao Feng's voice rang out from outside the door: "Mr. Fan, my master sent me to ask how your treatment of Miss Qin is going? Is any medicine needed?"
Bai Yuxiao then spoke up, "The diagnosis is starting to look clearer. As for the medicinal herbs, I'll go and tell your master about it later."
Then Xiao Feng respectfully answered "Yes" from outside the door and left.
Bai Yuxiao turned around, sighed, and said to Qin Xiaoyou, "We definitely can't leave today. And now is not the time to discuss these things. Don't go to bed too early tonight. I'll find some time to come and see you, and then we can slowly discuss a way out." After saying that, without caring whether Qin Xiaoyou had listened to a bit of what he said, he opened the door and went out.
When Qin Xiaoyou watched Bai Yuxiao's figure disappear into the courtyard again, she realized that she couldn't leave today. She stomped her foot, threw her bundle on the bed in frustration, and remained angry.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuxiao, disguised as Mr. Fan, didn't return to her room after leaving the courtyard. Instead, she went directly to Wenren Qi's study. Upon seeing her, Wenren Qi simply asked, "Sir, you've arrived?" Inwardly, Bai Yuxiao thought to herself, "Are you blind? I'm standing right in front of you, and you still ask if I've arrived?" But aloud, she still politely replied, "Yes."
Wenren Qi frowned, his face full of worry, and asked, "What are your thoughts on Xiaoyou's illness, sir?"
Bai Yuxiao sighed deeply and said in a pretentious tone, "Young Master Wenren, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I really can't do anything about it."
Upon hearing this, Wenren Qi trembled and looked at Bai Yuxiao in disbelief, asking, "Even you, sir, are helpless against Xiaoyou's illness?"
Bai Yuxiao shook his head and said, "If it's an illness, there's nothing in this world that can stump me, Fan Jian. However, Miss Qin is in good health and has no symptoms whatsoever, so please forgive me for being unable to help."
"Could the gentleman possibly discern the root cause of Xiaoyou's amnesia?" Wenren Qi asked, unwilling to give up.
"As for amnesia," Bai Yuxiao stroked the fake beard stuck to his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "Please forgive my bluntness, Miss Qin has not lost her memory."
"You mean Xiaoyou is faking amnesia?" Wenren Qi's usually calm face was filled with confusion at this matter.
"I don't know whether Miss Qin did it on purpose. I'm just a doctor, and all I can say is about the patient's symptoms. As for other things, they're not within my scope of consideration. If there's nothing else, I'd like to go back to my room first," Bai Yuxiao said expressionlessly.
"Thank you for your trouble, sir." Wenren Qi politely saw the man to the door.
After estimating that the person had gone far away, Wenren Qi changed his previous worried expression and called out Xiao Zhu, who had been waiting quietly in the shadows for a long time, and asked, "Are you sure you heard Xiao You call Mr. Fan Bai Yuxiao?"
"Yes, I could hear it clearly from the rooftop," Xiaozhu replied confidently.
Rubbing his temples, Wenren Qi sighed softly, "What exactly is he trying to do?" Xiao Zhu asked in confusion, "Why didn't you expose him just now, Master?" Wenren Qi didn't answer, but just waved his hand to dismiss the others.
It was past dusk, and a sliver of the setting sun shone through the window onto Wenren Qi, enveloping him in a soft golden light. Dressed in pure white robes, with long, flowing black hair, he appeared otherworldly, unlike anyone from this mortal realm.
Rubbing her slightly full stomach, Qin Xiaoyou let out a few satisfied burps before Bai Yuxiao climbed in through the window. Looking at the figure in blue, Qin Xiaoyou rolled her eyes in annoyance: "You really think you're a thief? Don't you know how to use the front door?"
Bai Yuxiao didn't answer, but walked straight to Qin Xiaoyou, put his arm around her, and sat down on the soft couch next to her. Qin Xiaoyou was about to push him away when Bai Yuxiao whispered in her ear, "There's someone on the roof." This made Qin Xiaoyou stop in her tracks. Qin Xiaoyou nervously leaned closer to Bai Yuxiao's ear and asked, "You mean someone's spying on me and eavesdropping on our conversation?" Bai Yuxiao smiled and said, "Looks like you're not so stupid."
Qin Xiaoyou was furious and wanted to yell at him, but she was worried about the people watching outside, so she could only grit her teeth and whisper, "If you keep talking nonsense and mocking me, I won't give you the perfect way to escape that I came up with today."
"Oh? You have a solution? Tell me about it." Qin Xiaoyou's words piqued Bai Yuxiao's interest. He never expected that this seemingly clueless girl hadn't come up with a solution either. However, after Qin Xiaoyou proudly revealed her brilliant solution, Bai Yuxiao could only sigh and rub his forehead. He must have been out of his mind to even think of listening to Qin Xiaoyou's method.
Seeing that Bai Yuxiao didn't praise her idea with a "Great idea!" after she finished speaking, but instead looked conflicted and depressed, Qin Xiaoyou was unhappy and pouted, asking, "What? You think my method is bad? Let me tell you, the best idea is for the doctor to elope with the patient. Then I'll leave a letter for Wenren Qi saying that we are truly in love and that he doesn't need to look for me anymore. Wouldn't that solve everything?"
Bai Yuxiao looked at Qin Xiaoyou with infinite sympathy. It was truly pitiful for her; with such a brain, how had she managed to survive without starving or being cheated? Seeing Bai Yuxiao remain silent for a while, Qin Xiaoyou grew impatient and pinched his arm hard. Bai Yuxiao finally reacted, but asked with a displeased expression, "Why did you pinch me for no reason?" "If I didn't pinch you, your soul would have flown off somewhere," Qin Xiaoyou replied matter-of-factly.
Although they hadn't known each other long, Bai Yuxiao knew that Qin Xiaoyou was best at twisting logic, so he didn't dwell on the issue and said directly, "Your method won't work. You'd better stay here obediently for two days. I promise, two days. You'll be able to leave after two days." After saying that, Bai Yuxiao planned to pull away from Qin Xiaoyou's arm, which was being held tightly, and leave.
But how could Qin Xiaoyou let him leave before he heard a practical solution? Helpless, Bai Yuxiao had to whisper something in Qin Xiaoyou's ear, which made Qin Xiaoyou beam with joy. After he finished speaking, Qin Xiaoyou patted Bai Yuxiao's shoulder like a close friend and said, "Buddy, I'm counting on you. Once you get me out of here, I'll share my money with you, a third of it."
"Okay, I understand. So behave yourself these next couple of days and don't try anything else. Otherwise, if Wenren Qi notices anything amiss, neither of us will be able to leave," Bai Yuxiao warned worriedly.
"Oh, I know, I know, don't worry. It's getting late, you should go back to your room and sleep." Qin Xiaoyou said, pushing him towards the door. After Bai Yuxiao left, Qin Xiaoyou happily lay on the bed and began to think about how she would have fun after she got out. She had only once in her life, she couldn't let the time go to waste.
Chapter 9, Successful Escape
Qin Xiaoyou has been unusually well-behaved these past two days. She eats quietly and obediently lets Xiaoyun help her with her grooming. Even though there's no one guarding the door anymore, she doesn't complain about going out and just stays in her room doing nothing. And these past two days, Bai Yuxiao has also been busy in his room, not seen leaving the house.
“Master, ever since Mr. Fan examined Miss Qin that day, Miss Qin has stayed quietly in her room every day. In the morning, she sits by the window in a daze, and in the afternoon, she leans against the soft couch and reads.” Inside the room, Xiao Feng stood aside and respectfully reported the results of his surveillance over the past few days to Wenren Qi.
"Oh, reading? What book is Xiaoyou reading?" Hearing that Qin Xiaoyou could actually sit quietly and read a book, Wenren Qi became interested and asked with great curiosity.
"Replying to the host, Miss Qin was reading, reading, reading 'The History of Spring Flowers and Romantic Affairs'," Xiao Feng stammered, her ears already bright red.
Wenren Qi never expected that Qin Xiaoyou would be reading this kind of book. He didn't know what expression to make for a moment. After a while, he said indifferently, "I know. You can go now. Come and tell me if there's any other movement."
"Sigh, this is so boring. How can anyone read this kind of stuff?" Qin Xiaoyou sighed and tossed the book, *The History of Spring Flowers and Romantic Affairs*, aside. When Bai Yuxiao offered to find her a couple of books to cheer her up, she had specifically hinted that she wanted something interesting. Instead, Bai Yuxiao gave her a book about famous courtesans, with such a seductive and suggestive title as *The History of Spring Flowers and Romantic Affairs*. In reality, it was just a description of how beautiful the top courtesan was, how many wealthy men vied for her for a night, and how she later met a heartless and unfaithful lover, and how heartbroken she was. Qin Xiaoyou rubbed her slightly dizzy head, thinking to herself: Back home, I only watched TV dramas adapted from Qiong Yao's novels. I never imagined that after transmigrating, I'd end up reading a novel in Qiong Yao's style. But if I had known that these novels featured protagonists who cried at the drop of a hat, I would have preferred to read something more classical than this. The protagonist in the book didn't get tired of crying, but she, the reader, did.
Looking out the window, Qin Xiaoyou estimated it was almost noon, but the person still hadn't appeared. She felt a little anxious, worried that something might have gone wrong.
Just as she was worrying, Xiaoyun's voice rang out from outside the door: "Miss Qin, I've brought you some pastries. The master specially instructed the new chef from Jiangnan to make them today."
"No need, you can go now. I don't have much of an appetite." Hearing that the person who came wasn't the one she had been hoping for, Qin Xiaoyou replied listlessly.
But Xiaoyun wouldn't give up and insisted on bringing it in for Qin Xiaoyou to try. Worried that it would affect her escape plan later, Qin Xiaoyou decided to get rid of her quickly, so she got up to open the door and told Xiaoyun to put the things down and leave quickly.
But after Xiaoyun entered the room and put down the pastries, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she turned around and mouthed something to Qin Xiaoyou. Qin Xiaoyou was already anxious and had no interest in playing this game. She immediately tried to pull Xiaoyun out. Xiaoyun panicked and whispered something in Qin Xiaoyou's ear. Qin Xiaoyou immediately let go, beaming, and said, "Oh, why didn't you say so sooner? I've been waiting for you for so long. Come on, hurry up and help me change." With that, she closed the door and pulled Xiaoyun towards the bed.
No one knew what the two of them were doing, but after about a quarter of an incense stick's time, Xiaoyun straightened her clothes and touched her temples before coming out, while Qin Xiaoyou lay on the bed covered with a blanket and slept soundly.
Xiaoyun carefully closed the door and stood in the courtyard, saying in a certain direction, "Miss Qin has caught a cold and is resting in the house. I will go and ask Mr. Fan to come and take a look at her."
Unfortunately, just as Mr. Fan was taking Qin Xiaoyou's pulse, his servant came to report that the old lady had suddenly fallen seriously ill and that Mr. Fan needed to return home immediately. Left with no other choice, Mr. Fan left behind a prescription for treating a cold and immediately set off back to Jiangnan.
Meanwhile, the usually peaceful and unassuming Chunfeng Yidu (Spring Breeze Once More) brothel was inexplicably invaded by a group of troublemakers who wouldn't stop until the brothel owner appeared. The scene became incredibly chaotic. By the time Wenren Qi finished dealing with the brothel's affairs, it was already late. After inquiring about Qin Xiaoyou's situation, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to abandon his plan to visit her. "It's not too late to go tomorrow," Wenren Qi muttered to himself, standing by the window. "Maybe Xiaoyou is already asleep."
"Wow, I really didn't expect to escape so easily. But I was still quite nervous when I first stepped out of the room. Oh, and next time I want to play the face-changing game. When I saw myself in the mirror after coming out, I couldn't believe it was me. Whew, the air outside is so much freer, even the moon looks much bigger than it does inside the room." On the official road, a girl in a light yellow dress skipped and chattered incessantly. Behind her, a man in a sapphire blue robe followed with a smile, saying nothing.
Seeing that no one was responding after she had been talking for so long, the girl became unhappy. She stopped and walked back a few steps to the man, asking, "Hey Bai Yuxiao, are you deaf or mute? Why aren't you saying a word?"
Bai Yuxiao smiled helplessly and replied, "Miss Qin, you've said the same thing at least ten times since you left Chunfeng Yidu Tower and met me."
"Nonsense! I just added that line about the moon being round!" Qin Xiaoyou reverted to her tantrum-like behavior.
Bai Yuxiao pressed his slightly throbbing temples, resisting the urge to sew her mouth shut, and said, "Miss Qin, if you don't want to be caught and imprisoned again, let's hurry on our way."
"What's there to be afraid of? You can have someone disguise themselves as me and lie in bed pretending to have a cold. Wenren Qi won't find out for a while. Besides, he'll never guess that Xiaoyun, who left the building today, was actually me in disguise." Qin Xiaoyou tossed her braid and said nonchalantly.
"Alright, alright, even if you're not afraid of being discovered by Wenren Qi, you don't want to spend the night in the wilderness, do you?" Seeing that one plan had failed, Bai Yuxiao had no choice but to change tactics, hoping that this young lady would stop playing around and realize that getting on the road was the important thing.
However, Bai Yuxiao clearly overestimated Qin Xiaoyou's fear of the unknown and underestimated her playfulness. Upon hearing the words "camping in the wilderness," Qin Xiaoyou's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Bai Yuxiao's sleeve, asking, "Really? We're really going to camp in the wilderness? That's amazing! That's so exciting! What kind of game will you hunt to cook for me for dinner?"
Seeing his finely crafted sleeves nearly crumpled into a tattered mess, Bai Yuxiao, unable to contain his anger, raised his hand and delivered a sharp chop to Qin Xiaoyou's nape. The previously incessantly noisy person immediately fell silent. Bai Yuxiao nodded in satisfaction, then swept her up in his arms and, with a few light taps of his toes, slowly disappeared into the night.
Chapter 10, Encountering Honeysuckle
"Hey, when can I finally go out for a stroll?" Having finally caught up with Bai Yuxiao who had been missing for two days, Qin Xiaoyou rushed forward and grabbed him, asking.
"Today, I'll go back to my room to change my clothes and then we'll go out," Bai Yuxiao replied readily.
Qin Xiaoyou had initially thought she'd need to plead and beg or resort to all sorts of tantrums to actually get out of the house, but Bai Yuxiao had agreed so readily. For a moment, Qin Xiaoyou was a little confused, wondering what Bai Yuxiao was up to. When Bai Yuxiao, having changed his clothes, saw Qin Xiaoyou standing there looking dazed, he chuckled and tapped her on the head: "What are you standing there for? Didn't you want to go out and play? Let's go." Qin Xiaoyou looked at Bai Yuxiao blankly, then suddenly realized that Bai Yuxiao really was going to take her out. She immediately beamed and eagerly followed him, who was already almost out the door.
"Hey, why did you agree to take me out today?" As they walked, Qin Xiaoyou looked at the various snacks with dazzled eyes, while also satisfying her curiosity.
"When did I say I didn't want you to come out and have fun?" Bai Yuxiao replied while flirting with passing girls in a flamboyant manner.
"Does your disappearance these past two days mean you don't want me to go out?" Qin Xiaoyou stopped and asked, her eyes wide.
Bai Yuxiao turned around with a puzzled look: "I've had some things to take care of these past two days. When did I say you couldn't go out? Besides, have you encountered anyone stopping you from going here or there while you've been around the Bai residence these past two days?"
"No, not at all." Qin Xiaoyou was filled with regret. It was all that damned Wenren Qi's fault for tricking her into staying in the courtyard. Now, she had a conditioned reflex that staying in someone else's courtyard meant she was being held captive. So this time, without Bai Yuxiao's orders, she obediently stayed in the Bai residence every day, waiting for the young master Bai to be in a good mood and let her go out for a stroll. In the end, she had misunderstood.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's conflicted expression, Bai Yuxiao patted her shoulder, intending to take her to eat the most famous snacks in Youzhou City. However, Qin Xiaoyou saw something, her eyes lit up, and she walked towards a certain place. Bai Yuxiao shook his head and could only follow helplessly.
"Oh, so you're selling yourself to bury your father? But you look rather pathetic."
"That's right, that's right. What can you do with him if you buy him? He's so thin and frail. What if he's sickly? I'll have to spend a lot of money on medicine later."
"Sigh, young lady, you'd better not sell yourself. You won't be able to find anyone."
Qin Xiaoyou had just squeezed into the crowd, and before she could even see what the little girl who had sold herself to bury her father looked like, the whispers of the onlookers reached her ears first. Logically, at this moment, Qin Xiaoyou should have angrily retorted that these people were so openly insulting a delicate young girl, and then, radiating saintly radiance, snatched the money pouch from Bai Yuxiao and gave the girl silver to properly bury her father. Then the little girl would weep and wail, declaring that she was destined to follow Qin Xiaoyou for life.
Well, that's how it usually goes in time-travel dramas, but Qin Xiaoyou has a peculiar sense of humor; she never likes to follow the rules. So, she's really disgraced the Mary Sue-obsessed era of time-travel dramas. Instead of standing up for the girl, she enthusiastically joined the onlookers' discussion, and after a flurry of words, she concluded that buying such a person was just asking for trouble—who would be so foolish as to do that? Having had enough of the spectacle, Qin Xiaoyou pouted in boredom and turned to leave.
It's unclear what the girl saw in Qin Xiaoyou; perhaps she thought Qin Xiaoyou looked slightly more approachable? Anyway, just as Qin Xiaoyou turned to leave, the girl suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her leg with surprising force. Well, after wiping the cold sweat from her nose, Qin Xiaoyou felt a surge of pride: "Haha, so this is the day someone hugs my leg!" However, being hugged like that wasn't very pleasant, as it made walking difficult. So Qin Xiaoyou lowered her head and earnestly explained to the girl how wicked she was, how there would be no good days with her, and that it would be better to let go and find someone better. But the girl was inexplicably stubborn, refusing to look Qin Xiaoyou in the eye or speak, simply clinging on firmly.
Seeing that the girl hadn't reacted at all after all her talking, Qin Xiaoyou decided to use force to escape. She looked up to find Bai Yuxiao and winked at him, signaling him to hurry up and get rid of this trouble. But Bai Yuxiao's eyes darted around, avoiding Qin Xiaoyou's gaze completely. Meanwhile, the onlookers who had been watching the drama unfold began to advise, "Girl, consider how pitiful this little girl is. Why don't you buy her? Besides, she's decided on you; this is a rare fate."
"Fate my foot! This old lady's money is for supporting handsome men, not for wasting like this!" Qin Xiaoyou glared at the person who spoke, inwardly lamenting that she shouldn't have said anything when she joined in the fun; now she was getting her comeuppance. Seeing that Qin Xiaoyou showed no intention of paying for someone, the onlookers began to clamor for her opinion. Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, Qin Xiaoyou reluctantly took out a tael of silver from her purse and handed it to the little girl who had been clinging to her leg. At this moment, the little girl finally looked up at her, gazing at Qin Xiaoyou with her clear, bright eyes, and said, "I knew you were a good person." Those two words, "good person," sent shivers down Qin Xiaoyou's spine. She sighed, thinking how disgusting it felt to be a good person, especially when forced into it.
After the little girl got the address of the Bai residence, she finally released her grip on Qin Xiaoyou's leg, removed the straw from her hair, and went to handle her father's funeral arrangements. Seeing that the matter was resolved satisfactorily, the onlookers left. At this moment, Bai Yuxiao, who had been watching the drama unfold for a long time, finally approached Qin Xiaoyou and asked, "Where do we go next?"
Qin Xiaoyou replied weakly, "We're not going anywhere. We'll just stay here and keep watch."
"Guard them?" Bai Yuxiao raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What are you guarding them for?"
"I spent one or two taels of silver to buy her, so I have to take care of my own things, right?" Qin Xiaoyou said with a pained expression, clutching her purse with one hand and pointing at the girl who had sold herself to bury her father.
Hearing Qin Xiaoyou's words, Bai Yuxiao felt as if a flock of crows must have flown overhead at that moment. Despite this, Qin Xiaoyou and Bai Yuxiao still helped the little girl finish arranging her father's funeral. Of course, several times the little girl tugged at Qin Xiaoyou's sleeve, tears streaming down her face, saying, "Girl, you're such a good person." Looking at her own sleeve, crumpled into a mess, Qin Xiaoyou finally understood why Bai Yuxiao always got angry when she tugged at his sleeve—she was angry herself now; being tugged at by someone's sleeve really was an unpleasant experience.
After finishing her business, Qin Xiaoyou had no desire to go shopping and walked dejectedly towards the Bai residence. However, compared to Qin Xiaoyou's listlessness, Bai Yuxiao and the young girl chatted quite happily along the way, with the girl answering every question. Listening to her conversation intermittently, Qin Xiaoyou gained a general understanding of the girl's background.
The little girl's name was Ren Dong, a name derived from a Chinese medicine, because her father was an itinerant doctor who traveled around. Actually, her father wasn't her biological father; she was just an orphan he found on the road. Although she was five years old when he found her, she had no memory of her family or anything like that. Over the years, traveling with her father, Ren Dong had picked up some medical knowledge through observation and experience. Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxiao turned to Qin Xiaoyou with a knowing smile and said, "Xiaoyou, you've really struck gold this time." Not understanding what Bai Yuxiao meant, Qin Xiaoyou didn't have the energy to ask him right now. After a busy afternoon, her back ached, and all she wanted to do was rush back to her room, take a good shower, and then collapse onto her bed for a good night's sleep.