Liang Zhichen carefully inspected everything once more with Dong Huiying to ensure there were no oversights before they both returned to the village. The small farmhouse courtyard still looked the same as ever. There was a small stool placed at the entrance of the courtyard, where Liang Yuening was obediently sitting, gazing eagerly into the distance. Suddenly, hearing the sound of hoofbeats, he sprang up and rushed out like a flash. "Big brother, Baobao!!" He looked at Liang Zhichen and Dong Huiying on the horse, then glanced behind them. "Third Brother isn’t here? Didn’t you find him?" His voice conveyed disappointment, and his face fell. Liang Zhichen felt a pang in his heart, then feigned calmness, "Su Lang made a mistake; Baobao and I have had a wasted trip." Liang Yuening opened his mouth, then hung his head low, his spirit seeming to wilt entirely. Yixuan heard the commotion outside and hurried out of the house, catching his big brother’s comment about the ’wasted trip.’ Seeing his big brother covered in mud and Baobao also dirty, and recalling that it had been raining since the day before, he understood and quickly said to the two, "Big brother, Baobao, let’s go home first. I just boiled a pot of hot water; you can wash up." "Okay," the big brother agreed. Dong Huiying dismounted, then reached out a hand to the big brother. The big brother seemed not quite himself, struggling with something as simple as dismounting, which should not have been a challenge for him, but this time he needed Baobao’s assistance... Yixuan then suddenly noticed that both Baobao’s fingertips and the big brother’s hands had many small cuts. Liang Zhichen paused for a moment, then urged Yixuan, "Little Liu, quickly fetch some medicine for the wounds." Yixuan gave his big brother a deep look and then dashed back into the house. Not long after, Dong Huiying was seated on the kang in the eastern room, with Yixuan bringing over a basin of clean water, tenderly washing her fingertips, then carefully applying the healing ointment to the wounds. The ointment, as always, was very effective, concocted by Dong Huiying before they had set out on their journey. Soon, the wounds began to heal. After tending to Dong Huiying, Yixuan turned to the big brother, "Did big brother’s fingers get hurt too?" He was puzzled by this, and Baobao had been unusually silent since returning home. Moreover, both of them had visibly lost weight; Baobao’s chin had grown sharper, and her petite face, no larger than a palm, also took on a pallid hue. As for the big brother... he was not faring much better. "Yixuan," Dong Huiying suddenly tugged at him gently. Yixuan turned back to see Dong Huiying speaking in a faint voice, "On our way back... your big brother fell ill. We were in the middle of nowhere, and the pills I had brought accidentally got lost. We had no choice but to gather some Thorn Grass nearby, but handling Thorn Grass is particularly troublesome. Check your big brother’s hands later; I’m worried that some thorns might have been left inside the wounds." Realization dawned on Yixuan, "So that’s what happened..." He couldn’t help but inwardly remark on how much thinner he had become. But Liang Zhichen countered, "I’m fine; the thorns have already been removed, and I’ve applied ointment... Yixuan, stay with Baobao. She’s not in good spirits after this fruitless trip." Once Liang Zhichen had left, Yixuan stood by the edge of the kang seeing Dong Huiying looking down, blankly staring at her hands now covered in ointment. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly bent over and cradled her delicate hands in his own palms. "Does it still hurt?"