Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

The car quickly pulled into the town hospital. After parking, the four of them went to the ward number sent by Ma Qiushan.

This was a standard three-person ward, but currently only Hu Youyu was staying there. When they entered, Hu Youyu was leaning against the bed, his face still a little pale, but he seemed much better than his manic state from the previous night. Ma Qiushan was sitting in a chair by the bed, peeling an apple.

"Teacher Hu!" Chen Nanxing greeted her first, then walked over and placed a bag of fruit he had brought on the bedside table: "How are you? Feeling better?"

When Hu Youyu saw them, she gave a weak, slightly shy smile: "Much better... I'm still a little dizzy and have no energy. The doctor said to observe me for another day, and if everything is fine, I can go home tomorrow. Last night... I was so embarrassed."

"Oh, what's so shameful about this?" Chen Nanxing quickly waved his hand, his face full of apology. "To be honest, it's all my fault. I bought the mushrooms and I cooked them, which is why everyone got poisoned. Teacher Hu, I'm so sorry, I should be the one apologizing to you."

Hu Youyu waved his hand dismissively: "It's not your fault, you didn't do it on purpose. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes... By the way," he looked at the others, his eyes probing, "I heard from Lao Ma that you guys were also infected, how are you? Are you alright?"

The group exchanged glances, and Xu Hongdou spoke first, her tone natural: "Us? We just woke up after a nap, and we're perfectly fine."

Chen Nanxing nodded in agreement: "That's right. If Lin Bufan hadn't told us this morning that we were also poisoned last night, we would have thought it was just a weird dream and hadn't even considered the possibility of poisoning."

Da Mai added quietly, "And... I feel a bit lighter than before. My shoulders used to always ache, but now I don't feel them anymore."

As Hu Youyu listened, the expression on her face gradually changed from concern to an indescribable complexity, and finally turned into a trace of resentment. Her gaze slowly shifted to Lin Bufan, who was standing at the foot of the bed peeling and eating an orange.

Lin Bufan naturally knew what Hu Youyu meant, and immediately explained, "Old Hu, don't look at me like that. It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that my treatment method... it's a bit special, it's only suitable for women, not men."

"Only suitable for women?" Hu Youyu and Ma Qiushan exclaimed almost simultaneously, their faces filled with curiosity. Ma Qiushan even forgot to peel his apple, pressing for an answer: "What method is so particular? And it's divided into men and women?"

"You've all seen Snow White, right? My healing method... ah... boohoo..."

Lin Bufan had barely started speaking when the three women, realizing what was happening, quickly "suppressed" him. Xu Hongdou reached out and precisely pinched the soft flesh of Lin Bufan's waist, twisting it forcefully; Chen Nanxing stepped forward and tightly covered Lin Bufan's mouth, preventing him from continuing his "nonsense"; Da Mai, looking flustered, spread his arms and stood between Lin Bufan, Hu Youyu, and Ma Qiushan, trying to block their view and sound.

"Ugh! Ugh!" Lin Bufan's mouth was covered, so he could only make muffled sounds. His eyes were wide open, filled with accusations that "you are violating my freedom of speech."

Hu Youyu and Ma Qiushan were stunned by this sudden scene. They looked at each other, even more curious.

"What exactly is the treatment method? Why can't you tell us yet?" Hu Youyu couldn't help but ask.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ma Qiushan put down his apple, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the people with different expressions: “So mysterious.”

While forcefully covering Lin Bufan's mouth, Chen Nanxing chuckled dryly and explained, "It's nothing, nothing! It's just... just some folk remedies. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so I won't say it! Right, Hongdou?" As she spoke, she winked at Xu Hongdou.

Xu Hongdou received the signal and released her grip on Lin Bufan's hand, but gave him a warning glare. She forced a natural smile and continued, "Yes, they're just some folk remedies. They might work for us, but they might not be suitable for men. Teacher Hu, you should listen to the doctor and get proper observation at the hospital. Scientific treatment is the most reliable."

Da Mai nodded vigorously, stammering in support: "Yes, yes! President Lin... he's just talking nonsense, Teacher Hu, don't believe him!"

Seeing this scene, Hu Youyu felt an itch in his heart, but he knew he wouldn't get anything out of them now, so he could only smile awkwardly: "Alright, alright, it's good that you're all alright. It seems this folk remedy is quite effective..." He made no attempt to hide the envy and slight sourness in his tone.

After staying at the hospital for a while, seeing that Hu Youyu was indeed alright, Lin Bufan and the others said goodbye and left, telling Hu Youyu to get some rest.

On the way back to Yunmiao Village after dinner, Lin Bufan held the steering wheel with one hand, his other hand tapping lightly on it unconsciously, as if lost in thought. After a while, he broke the silence with a casual remark:

"By the way, there's a tasting event at the wood carving workshop tonight. I promised everyone that we'd show you 'Quiet Moon' and 'Flowing Wind.' Do you want to join in the fun? I reckon there will be a lot of people, it'll be quite lively."

Xu Hongdou, who was in the passenger seat, was looking at the scenery rushing past the window. Upon hearing this, she turned her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, her eyes curved slightly, and she looked at Lin Bufan with a sly look:

"If I remember correctly... Master Lin, you seem to have already given those two statues to Nanxing and me, right?"

At this moment, Lin Bufan had not yet realized the seriousness of the problem, and casually replied, "Yeah, so what?"

"What's wrong?" Xu Hongdou's tone rose slightly, and she turned her body a little to the side, looking at Lin Bufan with a leisurely air: "You're using our things for an exhibition, shouldn't you... get our permission first?"

Lin Bufan hadn't expected the two women to disagree, but seeing Xu Hongdou's attitude clearly indicating she was up to something, he immediately became cautious: "Comrade Hongdou... what do you want to do?"

Xu Hongdou leaned back in her chair, placed her hands on her knees, and said in a relaxed tone, but with a hidden meaning in her words: "Don't worry, I won't be like some people who take advantage of others' kindness or make strange demands to make things difficult for them just because they have something on them."

Lin Bufan realized that Xu Hongdou was targeting him.

But who is our Lord Lin?

How could I be fooled by such a petty provocation!

"That's right! Sister Hongdou is a model of beauty, kindness, understanding, intelligence, and empathy! How could you refuse to let me use a mere wood carving? That wouldn't be in line with your usual generous and dignified style!"

Seeing that Lin Bufan was avoiding the main point and starting to sweet-talk her, Xu Hongdou wasn't in a hurry. She just sighed softly, as if she was in a difficult position.

"Since I'm so beautiful, kind-hearted, and understanding... shouldn't you reciprocate in some way? Look, I misunderstood you this morning, it was my fault, and I apologized. Now that you want to use our statue, doesn't that... cancel out the two things? You won't pursue the matter of me wrongly accusing you this morning, and I'll generously lend you the statue for a while. How about that, fair?"

"That won't do!" Lin Bufan retorted without even thinking, "These are two completely different things! They are one thing at a time, how can they be confused? It's unacceptable!"

Xu Hongdou shrugged, her face showing an expression of "there's nothing we can do about it," but her tone remained calm: "Then... I'm afraid your exhibition won't be able to take place. After all, the items belong to us, and we have the right not to lend them out to outsiders."

"Xu Hongdou!" Lin Bufan turned around abruptly, staring at her with wide eyes: "Are you threatening me?"

Xu Hongdou met his gaze without flinching, her eyes bright and slightly smug: "I didn't. I gave you a chance, but you refused to accept this fair solution."

Their eyes met in mid-air, one puffed up with anger, the other seemingly confident of victory. The air in the carriage seemed to freeze, filled with a silent contest.

Sitting in the back seat, Da Mai glanced at the two men in the front, who seemed ready to fight, and then at Chen Nanxing beside him, who had a look of schadenfreude on his face. He weakly raised his hand, his voice barely audible: "Um... Mr. Lin, are you... are you watching the road? When driving... you should be watching where you're going..."

Lin Bufan suddenly snapped out of his daze and quickly turned his head back to face the front, but he didn't stop talking. He snorted coldly, "Fine, don't lend it to me! I'll borrow Nanxing's 'Flowing Wind'!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou's smile deepened. She even relaxed and adjusted her posture, her tone confident: "Oh? Is that so? Then ask Nanxing if she will lend it to you."

"Nanxing will definitely lend it to me!"

"Not always."

Lin Bufan and Xu Hongdou's gazes met in the air for a moment before they simultaneously turned to Chen Nanxing, who was secretly laughing in the back row.

Lin Bufan knew that if Xu Hongdou spoke first, his chances would be even smaller, so he spoke first: "Nanxing, you said, given our relationship, you'd definitely lend it to me, right?"

Xu Hongdou spoke slowly and gently, her voice soft and gentle: "Nanxing, we've known each other since college, we've been best friends for so many years, you know in your heart how to choose, right?"

Chen Nanxing was engrossed in watching the two people in the front row bickering when she was suddenly called upon and froze. She looked at Lin Bufan on her left, then at Xu Hongdou on her right—it was such a difficult choice!

Although she really wanted to choose Lin Bufan, she felt bad for her best friend. Torn between the two, Chen Nanxing made the same choice as Da Mai: "Um... Bufan, you drive carefully and watch the road!"

Lin Bufan reluctantly turned his gaze away, but muttered to himself, "Anyway, Nanxing will definitely be on my side."

Xu Hongdou gave a soft snort and didn't continue the topic. However, the faint smile on her lips made Lin Bufan even more uneasy.

……

The car drove smoothly back to Yunmiao Village. Just as they entered the village, they saw a makeshift shed and display stand erected on an open space not far away, with workers busily setting up tables, chairs, and lights. Xie Heshun stood with his hands behind his back, gesturing to a worker; Xie Zhiyao and Huang Xinxin stood by a temporary table, discussing some blueprints.

Lin Bufan pulled the car over to the side of the road, and the group got out.

"President Xie, Director Huang, are you busy?"

Xie Zhiyao looked up and saw Lin Bufan and the others, a smile spreading across his face: "President Lin, you're back? How is Teacher Hu?"

"It's nothing serious, the doctor said he'll be back tomorrow." Lin Bufan waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the venue that was being set up: "This is... where the tasting event will be held tonight?"

Huang Xinxin chimed in, explaining readily, "Yes, the wood carving workshop is too small; it definitely won't fit. Luckily, this open space is flat and close to the workshop, so the village committee decided to set up a temporary venue here. We'll bring the sculptures out tonight and display them here so everyone can see them more clearly."

Lin Bufan nodded: "That's good, thank you for your hard work."

"Of course," Xie Zhiyao said with a smile. "This is a rare opportunity, so we must cooperate well."

After a brief chat about the evening's events, Lin Bufan prepared to take his leave. Before leaving, he made a point of walking over to Xie Heshun and greeting him, "Old Xie, how was it? Pretty awesome, buddy?"

Xie Heshun turned his head to the side, unwilling to pay any attention to Lin Bufan!

……

When Lin Bufan parked his car and returned to Youfeng Courtyard, Chen Nanxing, who had gotten out of the car a step earlier, had already disappeared with Da Mai.

Xu Hongdou was left alone sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard, slowly peeling an orange in her hand. Hearing footsteps, she raised her eyelids and looked at Lin Bufan who walked into the courtyard, a smug expression on her face.

Clearly, Xu Hongdou was deliberately waiting for Lin Bufan. Chen Nanxing and Da Mai were probably sent out by her. She probably wasn't entirely sure that Chen Nanxing would choose her, or perhaps she didn't want to put Chen Nanxing in a difficult position, which is why she did it this way.

Lin Bufan sat down opposite Xu Hongdou and got straight to the point: "Dou'er, can we talk about something? We really need that statue tonight."

“Okay,” Xu Hongdou said, breaking off a segment of orange and putting it in her mouth. She chewed slowly and deliberately, and only after swallowing did she say, “The conditions remain the same. We’ll call it even about what happened this morning, and you can use the statue as you please.”

"No, Xu Hongdou, that's not being reasonable." Lin Bufan leaned forward, trying to present the facts and reason with me: "You wronged me this morning, and that was a serious offense! Borrowing this statue is for an exhibition, it's a legitimate business! Can you compare these two things? Isn't this just forcing a sale?"

"How did I force you to buy or sell?" Xu Hongdou put down the orange, took out a tissue to wipe her hands, and said in a calm but unyielding tone, "The item is mine, and I decide whether to lend it to you or not. If you don't want to accept my conditions, you don't have to. It's very fair."

"You're taking advantage of my kindness! You said you weren't that kind of person!"

"Say what you want." Xu Hongdou picked up the teacup that was cooling down next to her and blew on it gently. "Anyway, these are the conditions. You decide what to do."

The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Lin Bufan, seeing Xu Hongdou's unyielding attitude, ground his back teeth, then suddenly slumped, like a deflated balloon, and let out a long sigh.

"Fine, fine, you win. We'll do as you say, let's put this morning's matter behind us, and I can borrow the statue. Deal?"

Xu Hongdou didn't hesitate and immediately agreed: "Deal."

“Let’s go then,” Lin Bufan stood up. “First, move the statue out of your room, and then transport it over tonight for decoration.”

In Xu Hongdou's room, the "Quiet Moon" sculpture stood quietly by the window. Lin Bufan walked over, looked it over, and rubbed his hands together: "Wow, it's actually quite heavy. Hongdou, give me a hand, help me lift it."

Xu Hongdou responded and walked to the other side of the statue, reaching out to support the statue's shoulder to help stabilize its center of gravity.

Lin Bufan bent down, his arms reaching under the statue, as if to lift it. Just a second before he could exert force, he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he stared intently at the window behind Xu Hongdou, a look of utter surprise on his face.

"Holy crap! Red Bean, look! What's that?!"