After eating at Jin Chao’s place, Gu Jin Xian and Ye Xian walked to the side rooms in the outer courtyard. They were temporarily staying there, planning to go with Gu De Zhao to sweep tombs at West Cui Mountain tomorrow.

Upon reaching the side room, Ye Xian pushed open the study window and gazed thoughtfully at the locust tree outside, full of new leaves.

Gu Jin Xian wandered around for a while before coming over to talk to him.

“Uncle, why do I feel like you’re targeting Elder Cousin Sister?”

Without turning his head, Ye Xian replied, “I’m not targeting her.”

Gu Jin Xian walked to his side, appearing to admonish him: “Although Elder Cousin Sister has a poor reputation outside, I think those are all false rumors. We’ve met Elder Cousin Sister several times and found her to be gentle in nature and knowledgeable. In my opinion, she’s much better than ordinary noble young ladies…”

Ye Xian snorted with laughter: “You’ve only met her twice, and you’re already so certain? Nephew, if you continue to trust others so easily in the future, you’ll be played to death.” He reached out and patted Gu Jin Xian’s shoulder.

Gu Jin Xian stared at Ye Xian for a long time, his lips quivering without uttering a word.

Mother had said that Marquis Chang Xing had his son late in life and doted on Uncle extraordinarily. It had nearly reached the point where if Ye Xian said east, nobody in the household dared to go west. Additionally, he had been born frail and sickly. Only in recent years had his health improved enough for him to be allowed out, making family members even more protective of him. He liked Uncle’s free-spirited nature and had grown closer to him, while others avoided him like a poisonous snake or scorpion… Now he finally understood why others avoided him like that!

He was a venomous creature!

“You… when you were at our house last time, you took her handkerchief to frame her. If it hadn’t been clarified then, Elder Cousin Sister’s reputation would have been ruined. And today, her kitten was sleeping peacefully under the veranda. It’s one thing to tease it, but you even injured it… Thankfully, Elder Cousin Sister had good composure and didn’t get angry. If it had been another young lady, she would have cried endlessly, demanding compensation!” Gu Jin Xian became somewhat agitated and spoke less politely.

Ye Xian explained quite calmly: “I was genuinely helping her that time…”

“Helping my ass! How was that helping?” Gu Jin Xian blurted out.

Ye Xian sighed and added: “Actually, I didn’t intend to hurt the cat so badly, just to discipline it a little. You know I couldn’t control my strength well…”

Hearing his explanation, Gu Jin Xian’s expression finally improved: “Since it wasn’t intentional, you should apologize to her. Elder Cousin Sister’s cat was indeed injured because of you… Even if you don’t apologize, you should at least do something to compensate her.”

Ye Xian continued: “Actually, don’t be fooled by her. Your Elder Cousin’s Sister isn’t as gentle as she appears on the surface. She has deep schemes and knows how to restrain herself—she’s capable of great things…”

Gu Jin Xian said with some exasperation: “Uncle, don’t tell me these things. Just apologize to Cousin Sister!”

Ye Xian looked at him silently, finally nodding reluctantly: “Fine, I understand. You can leave now.”

He drove him out of the study and continued to stand alone by the window, lost in thought.

By evening, Bai Yun brought the cat back.

Bao Pu curled up in its basket, its front paw wrapped in bandages, preventing it from licking its wound. It was both anxious and uncomfortable, continuously meowing softly.

“We applied medicine and wrapped it with bandages. The stable boy said that although the wound didn’t reach the bone and won’t affect its future walking or jumping, it certainly won’t be able to move well for the next few days…” said Bai Yun.

Jin Chao could only sigh. She couldn’t do anything about Ye Xian and could only reach out to pet Bao Pu for comfort. But it was now very wary of people. Sensing Jin Chao’s hand approaching, it immediately retreated into the pile of cotton cloth.

Jin Chao had to ask Bai Yun to take the cat away and change to a softer cushion to prevent it from bumping its wound.

“Young Miss, Madam Tong wishes to see you,” Qing Pu reported from outside the curtain.

Madam Tong came in regarding tomorrow’s Qingming Festival matters. In previous years, the women of the Gu family never went to West Cui Mountain for Qingming; they just knelt and paid respects at the ancestral hall at home. However, this time Father had specifically instructed that since the Zu family had sent Fifth Madam and two cousins, it showed their desire to repair relations, so everyone would go to West Cui Mountain together.

Concubine Song was already preparing wine, food, paper money, and other items. She had sent someone to inform Jin Chao that if she wasn’t busy, she could help prepare the family’s sacrificial matters. These were mostly simple tasks like arranging fruit offerings, cooking food, and inserting willow branches.

Madam Tong found it strange: “Concubine Song always likes to involve you…”

Jin Chao smiled; she wasn’t surprised at all. She instructed Madam Tong to direct the various stewards to prepare everything properly.

Early the next morning, Jin Chao dressed similarly to the day. Several maids carried stools, snacks, fans, and other items, following behind Jin Chao to the screen wall.

Six blue-canopied carriages were parked at the screen wall, with servants holding the reins in front. It was still early; thin sunlight fell on the embossed reliefs of the screen wall. Some people were already standing there. Looking carefully, Jin Chao saw it was Gu Lan, Ye Xian, Gu Jin Xian, and a group of maids and page boys surrounding them.

Gu Jin Xian spotted her first and happily exclaimed: “Elder Cousin Sister is here!” He pulled her over to talk.

Gu Lan was saying to Ye Xian: “I heard Cousin Uncle went to Guangci Temple to see monkeys yesterday…”

Ye Xian replied indifferently: “It was Jin Xian who wanted to go… We didn’t go up the mountain.”

Gu Lan wore an eggplant-colored satin dress with necklace patterns and an eight-panel light green Xiang group skirt, looking radiant. She wasn’t annoyed by Ye Xian’s aloofness and continued smiling: “I often go to Guangci Temple too, but I don’t care to see the monkeys. I heard they’re kept by the temple monks for visitors to see. They’re chubby and stay motionless in their cages unless you feed them…”

Ye Xian didn’t pay much attention, casually grunting in acknowledgment. Then his gaze turned to Gu Jin Chao, and he said to her: “You’re too late.”

Gu Lan also saw Jin Chao approaching. After greeting Jin Chao, she smiled without saying more and boarded her carriage.

Gu Jin Chao looked at her second sister until the fine cloth curtain of the carriage closed. Was she trying to win over the Marquis Chang Xing’s heir? Jin Chao felt that with someone like Ye Xian, ignoring him was the greatest form of flattery.

Ye Xian said to her: “Your sister is truly too talkative.”

Jin Chao smiled: “She just feels a connection with Cousin Uncle.”

Ye Xian laughed once, then said no more.

Gu Jin Xian kept giving him meaningful looks. Yesterday they had agreed on an apology, and he couldn’t forget it after just one night’s sleep!

Ye Xian deliberately played dumb, keeping his mouth shut like a sealed gourd, and turned to look at the cloud-treading qilin carved on the screen wall. Jin Chao didn’t want to stand there; Father and the others would be coming out soon, so she might as well wait in the carriage. Just as she was about to turn and board the carriage, Ye Xian grabbed her sleeve.

A long scroll slid out from his sleeve, and Ye Xian placed it in her hand.

Gu Jin Chao asked him with confusion: “What is this?”

Ye Xian answered simply: “A calligraphy treasure.” After a pause, he added, “My painting, was given to you as an apology.”

Jin Chao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Who apologizes for giving their painting to someone? He wasn’t a master of calligraphy and painting or a famous scholar from Jiangnan. How much could his painting be worth? It would have been better to get her a Persian cat instead!

Gu Jin Xian also laughed.

Ye Xian looked at them strangely and said leisurely: “Giving gold and silver would be too vulgar, jade too affected, and anything else wouldn’t match our cousin’s niece’s status. After much consideration, I thought my calligraphy and painting would be most suitable.”

Gu Jin Xian moved closer to Jin Chao: “Cousin Sister, open it quickly. I want to know what he painted.”

Jin Chao didn’t want to open the painting in front of Ye Xian. If it was ugly, he would lose face and bear a grudge against her. However, since Gu Jin Xian wanted to see, she unrolled the scroll. It depicted two furry ball-like cats playing, pouncing on butterflies under a melon vine.

The cats were shown with their heads tilted, watching the butterflies, vividly realistic. Beside them were three characters: “Cat Fun Picture,” not written in the typical Taige style used by scholars, but in neat and rigorous large seal script. The brushwork was powerful, giving it an ancient, majestic quality.

Ye Xian said: “I’m giving you two cats to keep your cat company.”

Jin Chao didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. She rolled up the painting and casually handed it to Qing Pu beside her. With a curtsy, she said: “Thank you for your kindness, Cousin Uncle. Now that I have your calligraphy treasure and Bao Pu has cat companions, it shouldn’t hold a grudge against you anymore.”

With that, she ignored him and boarded the carriage.

Gu Jin Xian approached him, staring directly at him. Ye Xian glanced at him: “What else do you want?”

Gu Jin Xian scratched his head and asked: “I thought you didn’t study painting with High Scholar… How can you paint so well?” High Scholar referred to the Hanlin Academy’s Chief Scholar, Ye Xian’s maternal grandfather, who was remarkably long-lived, now over seventy. Not only had Ye Xian not studied painting, but the family tutor was the High Scholar’s favorite student, Shi Yuan, who currently held the position of Junior Minister of the Court of Judicature. Even with him, Ye Xian was inconsistent in his studies, attending lessons sporadically.

“Depicting objects—what’s so difficult about that!” Ye Xian stopped talking to him and also boarded the carriage.

Gu Jin Xian thought for a moment, then added: “Forget about the painting issue. Do you call this an apology?”