I am fine. You are the one who is sick.

It took Gu Fei only five days, without a shred of help from Old Master Feng, to complete and refine the four formulas.

The four formulas were extremely ordinary ones, easily available even on the open market. Yet, after being modified by Gu Fei's hands, they became extraordinary.

Take, for instance, an ink pill called Night Stink. The ink ground from this pill was typically left standing for two to three days to mature into aged ink. As everyone knew, while aged ink possessed a unique luster and occasional scholars and literati adored its subtle charm, its odor was truly quite unbearable.

When Gu Fei manufactured this Night Stink ink pill, she deliberately added licorice root powder to the mixture. Once the resulting ink pills were left to sit and become aged ink, that pungent smell was vastly diminished. Moreover, as time passed, the calligraphy and paintings created with this aged ink would even emit a faint, lingering fragrance of precipitated powder.

Gu Fei named it Night Fragrance. Let alone in Zhaojun, even if the formula for Night Fragrance were taken out in Yizhou, it would evoke intense covetousness.

After perfecting the formulas, Gu Fei naturally did not make them public at the chamber of commerce. Instead, she produced a single ink pill for each formula and sent someone to Pine and Cypress Manor, allowing the masters within the guild to ponder them on their own. Meanwhile, news came from the Exquisite Tower that one of the ink envoys from the Zhaojun Ink Chamber of Commerce was already on his way to Yizhou.

Gu Fei finally had some time to rest properly. Matters within the chamber of commerce were now on the right track, and she did not need to worry too much before the people from Zhaojun arrived. As for Fatty Wei, ever since he was ostracized by everyone at Pine and Cypress Manor that day, Gu Fei had further instructed her subordinates at the Flowers and Poetry House to suppress the Wei family's shop.

For a time, Fatty Wei was too overwhelmed with his own troubles to have any spare time to cause trouble for Gu Fei.

Such leisurely days did not last long. One morning, after Gu Fei had just woken up, You Er drooped his head and stood like a towering iron pagoda right outside her doorway. As soon as Gu Fei emerged, he muttered, "Mistress, my big brother is gone."

Gu Fei's expression tightened, her mind blanking for a fleeting second. "Gone?"

"Yeah," You Er looked thoroughly dejected. "I woke up in the middle of the night, and big brother was nowhere to be found."

Hearing this, Gu Fei's gaze drifted into the void. She looked up at the cloudless morning sky and, after a long moment, said indifferently, "I see."

Upon reaching the dining room, she looked at the dishes on the table and instinctively glanced at the seat where You Hu usually sat. That spot was already missing a set of bowl and chopsticks. Even as she picked up her bowl, Gu Fei still felt something was amiss, constantly feeling as though a piece was missing.

After pondering for a good while, she pointed at that seat and said, "Set another bowl and chopsticks over there."

Mother Ku looked startled. Her brows knitted for a moment as she turned away, but she complied and placed the tableware. Only then did Gu Fei earnestly begin her meal.

After finishing, Gu Fei strolled around the courtyard and asked White Egret to fetch a chess board. Beneath the peach tree, she played a game of Go against herself. You Er seemed still trapped in the melancholy of You Hu's departure; the rugged fellow sat on the steps of the veranda and remained motionless for a long while.

Seeing that noon was approaching, Gu Fei called for Mother Ku and leisurely headed over to the Feng residence. Having been busy modifying the formulas these past few days, she hadn't seen Old Master Feng for several days.

When the mistress and servant arrived at the Feng family gates, the elderly steward was already waiting there. Spotting Gu Fei from afar, he beamed and greeted her warmly, "Elder Miss, come right in. This old servant has had the kitchen prepare your absolute favorite rose pastries."

Gu Fei unconsciously curved her lips into a gentle smile. This old steward was surnamed Chang and was said to have grown up alongside Old Master Feng. Though nominally a servant in the household, no one dared to treat him as a mere subordinate. Even when Feng Lizhi was still around, he had always treated Elder Steward Chang with the utmost respect.

"Uncle Chang, you always prepare snacks waiting for Ah Fei. What will happen if I grow too fat in the future and nobody wants to marry me?" Gu Fei teased as she stepped through the threshold.

Elder Steward Chang was immensely fond of Gu Fei's sweet tongue. Unlike Feng Lizhi, who was haughty to a fault and possessed none of the loveliness of a younger generation, he chuckled, "That would only mean all the men in the world are blind, failing to see our Elder Miss's goodness. Pay no heed to that. You haven't come by for several days, and Grandfather has been fretting over you."

A hazy, rippling warmth surfaced in her apricot-shaped eyes. Gu Fei pouted playfully and complained with a hint of spoiled coyness, "Ah Fei feels like it's mostly being severely scolded by Grandfather that I encounter."

Hearing this, Elder Steward Chang burst into hearty laughter. In the end, a look of worry crept onto his face. "Elder Miss, last night this old servant saw Grandfather sitting alone in the study, holding the eldest young master's old trinkets, lost in sorrow as he gazed at the objects to recall the person. He didn't come out for ages. Early this morning, he caught a slight chill. This old servant wanted to fetch a doctor to examine him, but Grandfather stubbornly refused, insisting he was fine. Please help persuade him, and do come by more often. This old servant can tell that while Grandfather never gives you a pleasant look when it comes to ink-making, he truly regards you as his own granddaughter."

"Mistress might not know this, but every time you come, those rose pastries are actually ordered by Grandfather for the kitchen to make. Grandfather had expected that you would come to him while revising the formulas, and he prepared several plates of pastries these past few days, but..."

Before Elder Steward Chang could finish, Gu Fei already knew what the rest of his words would be.

Inevitably, it meant that since she hadn't come, those pastries had naturally gone to waste.

An unfamiliar, stinging soreness suddenly surged in her heart. This was the first time Gu Fei had experienced such a feeling from anyone other than her parents. Previously, she had viewed this kind of grandparental affection as a mere pipe dream; after all, had it not been for Feng Lizhi's parting plea, how could Old Master Feng have ever agreed to let her enter the Feng family?

Though she later tried her utmost to curry favor with Old Master Feng, apart from speaking a bit more during ink-making, Old Master Feng hardly uttered another word to her.

Gu Fei was grateful to Old Master Feng. The moment she expressed her wish to become the president of the Ink Chamber of Commerce, he had backed her up without a second thought. She had carefully and cautiously reined in that shred of yearned-for filial affection, terrified that letting even a hint leak out would invite his disgust.

Yet she had not realized that through the increasingly lengthy days of living together, she was not the only one whose feelings had changed—Old Master Feng simply hadn't voiced it.

"Mistress..." Elder Steward Chang called out softly.

Gu Fei snapped back to her senses and realized the corners of her eyes were slightly damp. Unobtrusively, she dabbed them with a handkerchief. With a faint nasal twang in her voice, she smiled and said, "Uncle Chang, don't worry. I will come over every day from now on."

Hearing this, Elder Steward Chang beamed with joy instantly, his face lighting up. An old man of his advanced years almost broke into a dance of delight.

"Grandfather is in the ink pill drying room. Miss can go take a look," Elder Steward Chang said mysteriously, before turning around and pulling Mother Ku away with him.

Gu Fei wheeled herself toward the ink pill drying room. Thresholds were everywhere in the Feng residence, but everyone knew Gu Fei's status in the household. Thus, usually before she even opened her mouth, servants would rush over to help lift her wheelchair across.

The journey went without a single hitch. As she reached the drying room and was about to knock on the door, she heard a series of coughing fits coming from within.

Her brows knitted slightly. She thought to herself that You Hu really hadn't chosen a good time to leave.

"Grandfather, I heard you caught a chill last night?" Deciding against knocking, she pushed the door open and wheeled herself inside.

Without even turning his head, Old Master Feng was holding an ink mold in his hands, checking the firmness of the ink pill before flipping the mold over. "I am fine."

With that, he finally turned his head to look at Gu Fei. Glancing down at her legs, he pulled a cold, stern face and snapped, "You're the one who's sick."

Gu Fei choked back a retort, suddenly feeling that this stubborn old man was truly unlovable. "Grandfather, your granddaughter heard you coughing."

Old Master Feng let out a huff, turned his back, and simply ignored Gu Fei.

Gu Fei felt helpless. She reached out to massage her brow, wondering if the old man was acting proud and aloof simply because she hadn't visited for the past few days or consulted him about modifying the formulas.

"Grandfather, I've brought the five revised formulas. Would you like to vet them for your granddaughter?" She pulled a stack of papers from her bosom and waved them in the air.

Instantly, Old Master Feng's eyes lit up like a hound catching the scent of blood, and he lunged forward with a stride. "Let me see!"

However, Gu Fei was quicker. She swept her hand backward out of his reach and raised an eyebrow, saying, "That won't do right now. Grandfather must let a doctor examine him, get a prescription, and drink some herbal medicine before my granddaughter will show you the formulas."

Old Master Feng's hand froze mid-air, his bushy eyebrows bristling with anger at her words.

Unfazed, Gu Fei tucked the formulas back into her bosom, reached out to tug at Old Master Feng's sleeve, and patted it soothingly as if coaxing a child. "Grandfather, you must take good care of your health and strive to live a long life, so you can witness the day when Big Brother Lizhi and I both marry, establish our households, and surround you with grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

At the mention of Feng Lizhi, Old Master Feng's expression dimmed instantly. Uncomfortably, he jerked his hand back and walked away with his head bowed.

Wheeling herself forward, Gu Fei hurriedly followed. Observing the dejected figure of Feng Fuyu ahead of her, a glint flickered in her eyes, and she deliberately tipped her body sideways—

"Ugh..." A stifled gasp of pain escaped her lips, neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Old Master Feng to hear.

Sure enough, Old Master Feng whipped his head around. Seeing that the armrest of Gu Fei's wheelchair had jammed into her stomach and her entire body was leaning precariously to one side, on the verge of spilling out of the chair, he rushed forward to catch her in a panic. Glaring at the passing servants nearby, he barked, "Are you all blind? Didn't you see the Elder Miss needs someone to push her wheelchair?!"

The corners of Gu Fei's lips curved upward. She raised two fingers to gently tug at Old Master Feng's sleeve. When he looked at her, she blinked her clear, black-and-white apricot eyes and said with an air of complete innocence, "Grandfather, it was your granddaughter who wasn't paying attention. Please calm your anger; it isn't worth harming your health over."

Old Master Feng was exasperated by her lack of caution. Wanting to scold her a few times but not knowing what to say, he merely flicked his sleeve, walked around to the back of Gu Fei's wheelchair, and began pushing her.

"You said it yourself just now—as soon as I see the doctor, you'll show me the formulas." He still hadn't forgotten the matter.

Gu Fei couldn't help but laugh. They say the elderly revert to children, and those words were undeniably true. She readily promised, "Your granddaughter remembers. How could I forget?"

Only then was Old Master Feng satisfied.

When the two reached the side parlor, Elder Steward Chang had already received word and sent someone to fetch a doctor. Fortunately, the medical clinic was not far, and after a short wait, the doctor arrived puffing and panting.

Taking the pulse and writing a prescription took all of a quarter of an hour.

Gu Fei looked skeptical. Having grown accustomed to You Hu prescribing medicine, she felt uneasy when a different doctor finished the process with such speed.

"Doctor, has my grandfather caught a chill?" she asked the bearded physician.

The doctor blew on the freshly written prescription to dry the ink and replied, "Nothing serious, Miss, rest assured. The Feng Old Master is suffering from a heavy emotional burden, which cannot be cured by mere medicine like mine. It requires a remedy of the heart."

Gu Fei glanced at Old Master Feng. Seeing his nonchalant expression, her delicate brows knitted tightly together. "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

The physician nodded, packed up his medicine chest, and left with Elder Steward Chang.

Gu Fei instructed Mother Ku to go fill the prescription, leaving only the grandfather and granddaughter in the parlor. She sighed softly, "Grandfather, your granddaughter has already entrusted a friend to pay close attention to news of Big Brother Lizhi. Please do not worry."

Old Master Feng glanced at her, lowered his gaze slightly, and after a long while, softly replied, "I know..."