XH 157
The patient was actually Xiao Hua, who was careless in her sleep and unknowingly scratched at her wound.
"It's itchy." Xiao Hua tried to justify her action but her eyes shifted sideways guiltily when she answered. She had vaguely remembered feeling itchy sometime last night, but too sleepy to think properly and must have rubbed her wound to relieve the itch.
Doctor Bai just chuckled, with no intention to scold the young girl. After all, she was not the first one to do that.
He applied a cooling cream on the newly healed skin to fight against the itch, which also encouraged the healing speed. A thin white cloth was used to bandage her wound to prevent Xiao Hua from accidentally touch or bump it.
All the while, Duan XiYing was staring at Doctor Bai without blinking, as if he would disappear if she blinked her eyes even for a second.
It was not only Xiao Hua's wound was itchy but her heart as well, itching to know what was going on between them!
"Alright, done. Here, this pill will help counter the infection." Xiao Hua had scratched the surrounding of the wound till swollen and red, and it has the beginning signs of infection as well.
Duan XiYing untied Xiao Hua's sleeves and let it fall to cover her slender arm that has formed some muscle from training while Doctor Bai went to clean his hands.
Without hesitation, Xiao Hua tossed the small white pill into her mouth without drinking any water beforehand. She only dared to do so because she had tasted his medicine beforehand. Doctor Bai's medicine never tasted bitter. Plainly, it tasted nothing. Not even the pills Le XiaoTing had eaten in her original world could be tasteless!
After wiping his hands dry, Doctor Bai rubbed Xiao Hua's head. "Come, it's rude to make everyone wait for us."
"Huh? I'm not going." Even if the Empress had treated her as her guest, she was still a maid so it would be inappropriate for her to attend the banquet.
"It would be weird if I hide my daughter in a room, won't it?"
"Eh? Y-You want everyone to know about the adoption?" Xiao Hua thought her adoption will only be revealed to the royal family and those with the 'need to know' basis.
"Why not? I am proud to have you as my daughter."
Eyes filled with doubt, she stared fixedly at her adopted father, but no matter how she searched, there does not have signs of lies she could see from him. If he was indeed lying, his level of deceit was good enough to fool her.
Even if she knew that she could not stop her mouth forming a happy grin accompanied by an embarrassed blush. "How can it be? You are the great doctor Bai."
He just smiled and advised, "You should call me 'father' from now."
"Oh...okay. Father," Xiao Hua called rigidly, very much like a robot.
Doctor Bai laughed warmly. "Good daughter."
Xiao Hua wondered what had caused him to have such a bottomless melancholy behind his gentle yet sorrowful eyes.
Duan XiYing stepped closer to Xiao Hua and smoothly inserted a hairpin into her hair.
"Hmm?" Xiao Hua's hand was stopped before she could touch the hairpin in her hair.
"Right now, Xiao Hua is no longer a maid, but Doctor Bai's daughter~"
"Right!" She was no longer a maid but a legendary doctor's daughter! She has the responsibility not to appear plain to avoid embarrassing Doctor Bai!
Xiao Hua: '...' Wait!!!
"I need to change my dress!" Xiao Hua abruptly stood up.
Doctor Bai tilted his head, unsure why she would want to change her attire. "You look cute with this dress."
Xiao Hua was currently wearing one of Duan XiYing's creations, with cute little yellow chicks embroidered all over her robe with a white cloth as the base. She had worn it with the intention to laze around in her room without greeting the public!
"Thanks... wait, that's not the point! This is childish and not suitable! Please wait for me to change quickly!"
"XiYing knows that Xiao Hua will look cute wearing the dress that the Empress gave~"
Xiao Hua stared at Duan XiYing with a scandalized look. "XiYing! Everyone will mock me if I wear it-"
"The Empress gave it to Xiao Hua."
XiYing, those eyes of yours are challenging me to shock everyone!
Without giving Xiao Hua much time to think, Duan XiYing already steers her into her bedchamber, intending to have her little miss change into the muse dress that gave birth to a new trend!
"I will wait for you outside." Doctor Bai good-humoredly stepped out and found one of his oldest friends in this world waiting for him with a fierce glare.
Long Yuen waited until his friend shut the door behind him before unleashing his pent up frustration. "Why did you not tell me? Aren't I one of your good brothers? Such a big issue yet you dare to keep it to yourself! Do you not know that I would want to witness it?"
"My cute daughter is a shy person, especially towards a stranger."
The indulgence on Bai Chuan's face was painful to Long Yuen's eyes. "Show off!"
One of Long Yuen's desires was actually to have a daughter. Despite having a large number of concubines, he only has two sons. After years of attempt, his endless disappointment had him stop trying.
The first time he met the current Empress, Ling Yi, he was really satisfied with her being his daughter-in-law, hence he insisted his good for nothing son to promote Ling Yi as his Empress.
And look at what happened!
Ling Yi gave birth to a son and daughter, with another child coming, while his useless son's favorite concubine only bore him a son.
Obviously, his choice was the best!
"You had shown off for more than twenty years, surely you would not begrudge me to talk fondly of my daughter?"
"Isn't it only because Long Zhu requests you to adopt her?" Naturally, Long Yuen was able to pry the letter out from Doctor Bai's hands after days of harassment.
"I found Hua' Er to be a good girl, very suitable to be Long Zhu's wife. I have no complaints with a daughter like her."
Long Yuen gave Doctor Bai a stink eye. "It's not even a whole day and you already call her that way. How obnoxious!"
Doctor Bai laughed at his friend's obvious jealousy while his system floating around Long Yuen, supporting his view.
"Yes ah, host! Remember that you are the most gentle, attractive, and gifted man in this world!" Doctor Bai ignored his system, treating it like air.
The door opened and Xiao Hua stepped out wearing the lavender robes with cute monkeys embroidered on it. Her hair was devoid of any ribbons, with a thick braid rolled around the upper half of her hair to form a bun with only the single hairpin holding up her hairdo. Her face was full of unwillingness and her pout made her cheek bulge adorably.
The jealousy in Long Yuen's heart grew and the urge to bite on his sleeve was overwhelming! I also want a cute daughter like this ah!
It was the thought that this cute little girl will be his granddaughter-in-law in the future reduces his jealousy.
His jealousy was forgotten when his eyes took in the person that stepped out of the room after Xiao Hua.
The sight of a middle-aged man choking loudly scared Xiao Hua, who quickly stepped forward with the intention to help. She stopped in her tracks when Doctor Bai tossed a pill right into Long Yuen's open mouth and down his throat, nearly choking the previous Emperor for real.
Holding Xiao Hua back, Duan XiYing just smiled and did not react while Long Yuen, who had survived from the choking, darted his eyes from his old friend and the little snake girl.
"Why is this little thief here?" Long Yuen asked doubtfully.
"Thief?" Xiao Hua mumbled in shock. Since when did I steal things?
"That is my daughter's maid," Doctor Bai explained.
"What a small world!" Long Yuen exclaimed and Xiao Hua's itch in her heart grew. So Duan XiYing stole something from Doctor Bai and he did not forgive her? What did she steal?
The lewd side of Xiao Hua popped up: His virginity? (＾་།＾)
Seeing that his friend did not react and the little thief just smiled as if they were not talking about her, Long Yuen decided not to care about them and focused on his future granddaughter. When he was choking, she was genuinely worried for him, and so his guard towards her dropped drastically.
"You must be Xiao Hua. Long Zhu, that possessive boy, did not tell me about you at all. This grandfather only knew about you from the letter for Bai Chuan! That stinky brat! How heartless he is to his grandfather that took care of him when he's in trouble!"
The joyful grandfather was no longer in sight as if quickly turned to an irate grandfather that was angry at his grandson's heartlessness.
"Greetings to 19th Emperor," Xiao Hua quickly greeted, and much to her relief, the 19th Emperor stopped his tirade.
She was surprised that the Third Prince's grandfather would look this young! It was not that she did not know that everyone in this era would marry young, but this man's appearance could pass as Long Zhu's father!
Not even the 20th Emperor could keep his youth this well!
Long Yuen nodded as his eyes examined the young girl before him. Her figure displayed her lack of self-assurance but her posture was just right. Not arrogance yet not overly submissive that would incur dislike from others. "There's no need for politeness! Just call me Grandpa Yuen! We are like family now!"
"Not yet," Doctor Bai added in two cents and gotten a glare for his effort.
"You are my brother, so your daughter will be my niece! Isn't that family?" Long Yuen insisted with his thick face.
"Then it would be appropriate to call you Uncle Yuen instead of Grandpa. Hua' Er, come and greet your Uncle Yuen," Doctor Bai instructed, ignoring Long Yuen's stony glare.
It was weird to be called that way, but Xiao Hua let it be for now. "Xiao- Er, Bai Hua greets Uncle Yuen." Xiao Hua curtsied with a sweet smile.
Long Yuen: '...' Fine, this Emperor will look past it for now! That brat Long Zhu better marry this cute kid or else I will spank him!
Author's Note:
My mind is singing 'Me & You' by EXID non-stop.
Me and Me and Me and Me and You~