"How long will it take for these bamboo trees to grow?"
Lin Fan, holding Xia Xue's hand, playfully hooked her finger.
He was still feeling restless from Chu Zi's actions last night, the internal heat not yet extinguished.
Xia Xue quickly pulled her hand away and chided, "Xiao Fan, this is your ancestral home. Aren't you afraid your grandfather will scold you?"
She gazed at the rows of bamboo on the ground, a sense of accomplishment filling her. "It'll take at least three to five years."
"Oh, too slow."
Lin Fan mused, then carried his shovel home.
"Xiao Fan, who was that beautiful woman with you yesterday?" Xia Xue asked casually.
Lin Fan paused, then smiled and retorted, "How do you know I was with a woman yesterday?"
Xia Xue's gaze flickered. "I heard it from the villagers. They said you drove off to town with a beauty."
Lin Fan chuckled sheepishly. "Are you jealous?"
"I am not jealous. You're not anyone to me, why would I be jealous?" Xia Xue said, her words contradicting her feelings.
Seeing Lin Fan just smile without speaking, her heart was in turmoil. She added, "Anyway, I can't control you. With more women to manage you, I'll be happy to have some peace."
"Really?"
"Of course, it's true!"
Xia Xue huffily turned her head away.
Lin Fan looked at the back of her head and chuckled.
He thought to himself, she's clearly jealous, but she's stubbornly denying it.
He wondered if she'd be angry when she saw two beautiful young women join the clinic.
After lunch, Lin Fan arrived at the clinic.
"You scoundrel, you jerk, why are you only back now?"
Luo Qiqi rushed at him, furious.
She was still wearing her previous clothes, but a large section from top to bottom was wet, making her look quite dishevelled.
"Qiqi, what happened to you?"
Lin Fan's eyes widened, and a bad premonition surged through him.
"What kind of dump is your place? Everything in the bathroom is broken. How am I supposed to take a bath?" Luo Qiqi complained.
She had taken a three-hour bus ride and was covered in sweat. The first thing she wanted to do upon arrival was to wash up.
However, the shower in the bathroom wouldn't produce water, and the bathtub was rusted, filled with yellow muck that looked disgusting.
There was only a kettle, a large, dried-up water tank, and a rather vintage enamel basin.
There wasn't even tap water. She had to fetch water from the river herself, only to fall in.
This series of unfortunate events almost drove her to mental breakdown.
As a pampered young lady who had always been waited on hand and foot, she couldn't handle being unceremoniously dumped in a village.
It was like the difference between heaven and hell!
"The river water is clean. You swam for a bit, so consider it a bath," Lin Fan said with a smile. Watching Luo Qiqi's miserable state, he felt immensely pleased.
In fact, before going to the ancestral home, he had deliberately broken all the faucets, intending to prank Luo Qiqi.
"You jerk!"
Luo Qiqi clenched her small fists, tears welling up in her eyes.
She suddenly lunged forward and bit Lin Fan's arm fiercely.
"Ah! Are you a dog? Why are you biting people!"
Lin Fan cried out in pain and pushed her away.
"Serves you right for mocking me!"
Luo Qiqi felt greatly satisfied.
Xia Xue, standing nearby, watched with wide eyes.
"Xiao Fan, who is this?"
"She's Luo Qiqi..."
Lin Fan gave a brief introduction.
"So, you're a young lady from a prominent family. Coming to our countryside for the first time certainly has its inconveniences."
Xia Xue said politely, "Miss Luo, if you don't mind, why don't you come home with me? I have a water heater."
"Okay, sister. Thank you," Luo Qiqi said.
Her mood improved slightly. She went back to her room to get a change of clothes, shot Lin Fan a resentful glare, and then followed Xia Xue home.
Lin Fan shook his head with a smile, glancing at his arm.
A row of neat little teeth marks, cute and charming.
Chu Zi sat quietly on the steps, not causing any trouble.
However, deep hatred shone in her eyes.
It was understandable. Her master had died in childbirth, and her child had vanished.
She had only awoken a month ago, and before she could exact revenge, she had become a prisoner of her enemy.
Such an experience was undoubtedly a devastating blow to a young girl.
"Don't keep treating me like an enemy. It won't do you any good," Lin Fan said, a mix of persuasion and threat.
"Hmph."
Chu Zi snorted, her gaze shifting away, but her expression remained unfriendly.
Lin Fan pondered. Keeping this troublesome person around without purpose wasn't an option.
With a flick of his finger, the restraints on Chu Zi loosened considerably.
Her internal power recovered somewhat, which surprised her greatly.
"I don't keep people who eat for free. When you're free, help me gather some herbs on the mountain," Lin Fan said with a smile.
Chu Zi clenched her fist but said nothing.
—
At the same time, at the Juxian Teahouse in Shimen County.
"Grandpa Luo, what did you say? Qiqi went to the countryside with a country bumpkin!"
A young man's face was filled with astonishment.
He was a young master from the Wang family, who had been fond of Luo Qiqi for nearly two years, yet he hadn't even managed to touch her hand.
Today, he had finally prepared a grand gesture, buying ninety-nine hundred and ninety-nine roses, intending to propose romantically.
But Luo Yuntian had told him that Luo Qiqi had gone to Luofeng Village.
"Yes, after all, her fiancé is a doctor in Luofeng Village. It's good for them to get to know each other earlier," Luo Yuntian said, smiling as he drank his tea.
Beside him sat an old lady, the matriarch of the Luo family.
"Fiancé? Qiqi has a fiancé? How come I didn't know?"
Young Master Wang looked bewildered. She was single yesterday, so how did she get a fiancé today?
This was too fast!
The old matriarch slightly opened her eyes and glanced at Luo Yuntian with a hint of doubt.
Luo Yuntian chuckled, "Don't say you didn't know, Qiqi herself doesn't know either. I just finalized this this morning, hahaha!"
Young Master Wang frowned deeply. Was this old man marrying off his only granddaughter to a country bumpkin just like that?
He couldn't understand it. His family's strength was not much inferior to the Luo family's.
Why would they choose a country bumpkin over him?
"Grandpa Luo, what is this country bumpkin's background?" Young Master Wang asked unwillingly.
Luo Yuntian was displeased. "Country bumpkin? Divine Doctor Lin is this old man's saviour. Wang Long, mind your words!"
"Alas~"
Young Master Wang, Wang Long, sighed. If he upset this old man, his chances would be even slimmer.
He quickly explained, "Grandpa Luo, I was just curious about who defeated me, I didn't mean anything else."
Luo Yuntian's eyes rolled. "Lin Fan from Lin Fan's Clinic in Luofeng Village. If you're not satisfied, feel free to go find him."
"Alright, thank you, Grandpa Luo!"
Wang Long stood up and left, thinking to himself, "What kind of bullshit divine doctor is he? Let's see how I deal with him!"