After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

Even though it was the old lady's intention, Fang Xiaoran's tone was firm and left no room for negotiation. In addition, the sound she had just made made Zhou Mama uncomfortable, so she dared not disturb her any further and had no choice but to leave.

Back at Ci'an Hall, Granny Zhou told the old lady the truth about what had happened.

After listening, the old lady frowned slightly. "Did she really say that?"

Granny Zhou nodded. "It's absolutely true. Could it be that Sixth Miss really doesn't know medicine?"

"Her mother, Bai Qiqi, once treated the Empress Dowager's illness. How could she, who left the mansion with Bai Qiqi many years ago, not even know the basics?"

"So you're concluding that Fifth Sister's illness might be related to her?"

"If her mother could poison me, how could she possibly let Qi'er go, given the extent of her resentment towards her?"

"We've consulted so many doctors, but none of them could find anything wrong. To this day, no one has said that Fifth Miss was poisoned. Could it be that we're overthinking it? Sixth Miss was confined by the master and only recently came out, while Fifth Miss has been staying in Ci'an Hall. Logically speaking, Sixth Miss had no chance to poison her."

That's true, but the key is there's no witness. You can't just convict someone based on your own momentary guess. Besides, Fang Xiaoran has been a bit too fiery and unruly lately. She'll cause trouble at the prefectural government office at the drop of a hat. The Wang family's matter was only just suppressed. If she stirs up any more trouble, Fang Xiaoran will probably just give up and do whatever she wants.

The more the old lady thought about it, the more her head ached. She pressed one hand to her temple, her face contorted in pain. "Forget it, let's put this matter aside for now. The problem is we still haven't found a way to save Qi'er. Her condition is getting worse, and I'm afraid she..."

"It's strange, but recently Doctor Qi has also disappeared without a trace, and Danxi Pharmacy is avoiding us. They're obviously annoyed by our people."

Just then, the maid rushed in again, saying hurriedly, "Madam, Fifth Miss has vomited blood again..."

The Fang family was in turmoil all night, and it didn't calm down until dawn. It was said that Fang Xiaoqi was barely clinging to life, and the old lady went to great lengths to buy all sorts of miraculous medicines, snow lotus, and ginseng to prolong her life.

It was clear that the old lady was really anxious. Fortunately, these precious medicinal herbs had some effect, and at least the person was saved. However, it seemed that the medicine would have to be continued.

Fang Xiaoran got up as soon as it was light. She had been disturbed all night and could hardly fall asleep. After asking Ziju to change her dressing, she went out. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Wu Guicheng's busy figure.

The courtyard has been mostly cleared, but the house is too badly damaged. Looking at the entire North Residence, only that one house is left. If people want to live here long-term, it will need to be completely renovated.

Previously, only Fang Xiaoran and two maids lived in the North Residence, but now Wu Guicheng has also joined them. It is impossible for the four of them to repair the North Residence on their own.

As Fang Xiaoran was pondering, a voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Huh, how did it get burned like this? It was fine before!"

Fang Xiaoran recognized the voice all too well. She turned around and saw Xiao Shitou carrying several large boxes of medicinal herbs, climbing over the wall and landing decisively, handing the boxes to her with both hands.

Fang Xiaoran asked in confusion, "Didn't you just deliver it last time?"

Little Stone smiled and said, "Young Master said that the more Spirit-Boosting Pills the better."

As expected of a young master from a noble family, he is indeed generous; these medicinal herbs he provided are not easy to obtain.

"The only one who can use the Spirit-Boosting Pill as food is the second young master of the Marquis's mansion. However, as you can see, the North Residence is in its current state. It will probably need to be repaired before medicine can be made. The young master will have to wait a while longer," Fang Xiaoran said. In any case, she had already made a few Spirit-Boosting Pills and given them to Xiao Shitou last time, so it was estimated that they could last for a while longer.

Originally, I thought that Xiao Shitou would go back and give me a reply, but after tilting his head and thinking for a moment, he said, "The Yi Shen Dan is not urgent, but I hope that the young master will have time to go to the Marquis's residence to take another look for the old lady."

"Of course, I'll go when I have time."

Fang Xiaoran took the medicinal herbs and handed them to Ziju, telling her to keep them safe. She then called Wu Guicheng over and said to him, "Go outside and hire some workers. Price is not a problem. The more the better. I want to repair this place as soon as possible."

Wu Guicheng nodded immediately after hearing this, and was about to turn around and leave when Xiao Shitou reached out a hand to stop him.

Seeing that the boy in front of him was only sixteen or seventeen years old, he looked down on him and prepared to push him away. However, his hand did not budge when he pushed the boy, which surprised him greatly. He couldn't help but take a closer look at the person in front of him.

The boy had rosy lips and white teeth, and his face still had a touch of childishness; he didn't look like someone who knew martial arts at all.

Just as he was wondering, Little Stone flicked his sleeve, and an invisible force sent him staggering back several steps. He was secretly astonished; who was this boy? Such skill at such a young age...

“I do know a very skilled craftsman. He has dozens of apprentices, all of whom are highly skilled. Repairing the North Residence is naturally no problem for him. Would you like me to introduce him to Sixth Miss?” Little Stone tilted his head and smiled slightly.

This was exactly what Fang Xiaoran needed, and she immediately nodded, "Of course I need it. I'll treat you to special meat and vegetable meatballs after it's all done."

Little Stone grinned, "It's a deal!"

However, he had no idea what the special meat and vegetable balls were; he was simply interested because Fang Xiaoran spoke with such confidence.

Through Xiao Shitou's introduction, Fang Xiaoran met Master Lin, who was much younger than she had imagined, looking to be only in his thirties. At this age, he had already become a master craftsman and even had more than a dozen apprentices, which showed how superb his skills were.

However, Master Lin was very busy and didn't pay much attention to Fang Xiaoran, only telling her to go back and wait, saying he would come tomorrow.

Not wanting to disturb her, Fang Xiaoran left first.

Back at the Fang residence, as soon as they entered the gate, they saw people from various pharmacies continuously delivering medicine inside, including those from Danxi Pharmacy. It seemed that the old lady had gone to great lengths to save Fang Xiaoqi's life.

Putting everything else aside, Fang Xiaoran was extremely disappointed by the old lady's differential treatment. However, this was for the best, so she had nothing to hesitate about.

Early the next morning, Master Lin arrived at the Fang family's house with more than a dozen apprentices. As the gate slowly opened, the servants inside peeked out and saw that Master Lin was dressed in coarse linen clothes, covered in dust and stains, and his hair was somewhat disheveled. Seeing his unkempt appearance, they assumed he was a beggar who had come to beg, and quickly waved their hands, "Go away, don't you even know where you are? Get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the apprentice behind him immediately became furious, pointed at the little man, and shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are, daring to speak to our master like that?"

The servants also flew into a rage, cursing and swearing. Neither side would back down, and they almost came to blows. Just then, Granny Wang happened to pass by and saw what was happening, so she came over to ask what was going on.

Granny Wang was a knowledgeable woman. When she saw that although the group of people were dressed in coarse linen clothes, each of their clothes was embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, which was a special mark of Master Lin that only his apprentices could possess, she was so frightened that she quickly calmed the servants down and went to report to the old lady.

Just then, the old lady was drinking her medicine when she saw Granny Wang rushing in anxiously. "Old lady, Master Lin has suddenly come to our mansion for some reason."

"Who?" The old lady was a little confused.

Granny Wang said anxiously, "Who else could it be but Master Lin from Miaopo in the northwest of the city? It is said that Master Lin's craftsmanship is superb. The large garden of the Marquis of Zhenyuan is his masterpiece. However, he has a bad temper and is extremely aloof. Even noble families and the royal family may not be able to persuade him to work."

"Then why did he come to our residence?"

"I reckon he knows the master and came out of respect for him. We dare not neglect him."

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately became anxious and hurriedly said, "Quickly, go and invite them in!"