It was almost like for every five things Yang Xiayun and the others said, he would only respond once, and even then, his expression was languid. He just wasn’t the same animated and lively kid as usual.
When he saw her and Ms. Wang coming over, he only lifted his head slightly and said faintly, "Aunt, cousin-in-law," then dropped his head again.
This was indeed extremely unusual for him. Normally, seeing her, he would at least jump up and call her "auntie" twice and would also casually ask after his little cousins.
"Where’s your Brother Shaoling?"
"Inside, preparing the herbs." He said wearily, then lay his head back down on the stone table.
Yang Chuxia couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious seeing him , but then she thought that eye surgery was no minor matter. Could it be that this kid was nervous?
After thinking it over, she said, "Mom, you and Yunyun, Linyu, go back first. I want to talk to Linhao for a moment."
Ms. Wang looked at her and nodded, but still warned, "Then be careful when you go back."
"I know. What could possibly happen at home?" Mom worries too much—it’s not like she’s made of porcelain.
After Ms. Wang and Luo Linyu and Yang Xiayun had left, Yang Chuxia then sat down on a stone bench to the side.
She glanced over at Luo Linhao again and saw he was still lying listlessly on the stone table and asked, "Are you nervous?"
"Nonsense, what’s there for a man like me to be nervous about? How could I, Young Master Luo, possibly be nervous?" As soon as he heard Yang Chuxia’s words, the boy bristled like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way. He quickly sat upright from the stone table, glaring at Yang Chuxia with wide eyes.
Seeing his reaction, Yang Chuxia thought to herself that if this wasn’t nervousness, then what was?
"Indeed, how could Young Master Luo, who fears neither heaven nor earth, possibly be nervous?" Yang Chuxia said with a chuckle that wasn’t quite a chuckle, "So, if you’re not nervous, does that mean you’re scared? Otherwise, why would you be lying here so listlessly? Logically, knowing you’re about to be treated for your eyes, shouldn’t you be happy? Finally, you can be like everyone else."
"Cousin-in-law, auntie, please don’t talk nonsense," he retorted as he got more agitated by her suggesting he was scared, eventually regaining his usual vitality. "How could I, Young Master Luo, possibly be scared? I’m not scared at all. It doesn’t hurt, so what’s there to be afraid of?"
"Right, it doesn’t hurt, and I think you wouldn’t be scared. Brother Shaoling already asked me for Chinese aconite to make the painless medicine, so how could you possibly feel any pain?"
As Yang Chuxia spoke, she casually glanced at Luo Linhao and noticed his eyes lit up when he heard what she said. Realizing she was looking at him, he quickly composed himself.
Then, as if he didn’t care, he asked, "Is that true? Brother Shaoling really made the medicine?"
"Yes!" Yang Chuxia confirmed with a nod. "But hasn’t Brother Shaoling already been cultivating Chinese aconite? Why would he still ask me for some?"
At this point, these doubts, although heard by Luo Linhao, were subconsciously ignored. The only thing he had picked up on was that Brother Shaoling had made a medicine that would not cause any pain.
Luo Linhao’s mouth stretched into a grin reaching almost to his ears. He suddenly stood up from the stone bench and started hopping around the courtyard.
Yang Chuxia smiled knowingly and then teased, "Tsk tsk, so you were afraid of the pain? I was wondering why Young Master Luo was acting so dull today."
Having his fears laid bare by her words, Luo Linhao didn’t try to argue. With a cold huff, he said, "So what if I’m afraid of pain? That’s going to be cutting on my eye. How could I not be afraid?"