To tell the other side of the story, after they left Jin Man Tower, Shen Tongyun became more and more troubled the more she thought about it, and returned home in a fury.

She rushed into the room like a whirlwind and saw Yu Qiniang who was stitching shoe soles.

“Mother!” Shen Tongyun called out grievously.

Yu shi looked up at her, “What’s wrong? Why are you in such a rush?”

“Why are you stitching shoe soles here again!” Shen Tongyun angrily stepped forward and snatched the half-finished shoe sole from her mother’s hands, throwing it onto the nearby table, “Let Aunt Wu do it!”

Aunt Wu was a servant woman the family had bought, usually responsible for needlework, but mother was always like this – she’d rather let her be idle than stitch the shoe soles herself!

Yu shi glanced at her and picked up the shoe sole again, “Your father has big feet and isn’t used to shoes made by others. Only the thousand-layer soles I make suit his preference.”

How finicky.

Shen Tongyun rolled her eyes. In her view, whose clothes and shoes weren’t the same to wear? Her father was just being finicky, and mother indulged him.

“No, I almost got sidetracked by you. Mother, I encountered a very strange man at the shop today. He acted on his own authority, throwing a very long list to Uncle Liu, demanding to transfer goods from the shop… and they were all extremely valuable items!”

The needle in Yu shi’s hand went askew, pricking her fingertip. She frowned slightly.

“The key point is, he also had father’s token in his hand!” The more Shen Tongyun spoke, the more wrong it seemed. She narrowed her eyes, “…Could it be that father had a child with another woman outside?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Yu shi suddenly raised her voice sharply.

Yu shi had always been gentle and soft-spoken. Shen Tongyun was startled by her sudden outburst, “Mother…”

“You’re a young lady – how can you speak so crudely? Don’t you know what kind of person your father is? How can you slander him like this!” Yu shi said with a cold face, “Running around outside every day, you’re becoming less and less like a proper girl! Go back to your room and copy the ‘Women’s Instructions’ ten times. You’re not allowed to leave until you finish!”

Shen Tongyun’s face immediately fell, and she said reluctantly, “But… who could that man be…”

“Enough, I understand. I’ll discuss this matter with your father later.” Yu shi waved her hand dismissively, clearly not wanting to hear more.

Shen Tongyun was dejectedly driven out of the room by her mother, her belly full of doubts receiving not a single answer.

In the room, Yu shi sat with an unpleasant expression. After a long while, she let out a deep sigh.

“More than ten years, and they’ve finally come.”

Why did they have to appear again?

The Zhu family’s carriage drove all the way to the entrance of Shi Fa Ke’s home.

“Miss Shi, we’ve arrived,” the coachman called from outside.

Shi Fa Ke looked toward Zhu Yanyan, “Yanyan, I’m truly sorry about today…”

Sorry…

Before she could finish, Zhu Yanyan interrupted her. She sat perfectly straight, looking at Shi Fa Ke with bright, sparkling eyes, “I was very happy today. Thank you, Ake.”

Huh?

Seeing Shi Fa Ke’s mouth agape with a completely bewildered expression, as if saying “Are you kidding me?”, Zhu Yanyan couldn’t help but laugh with a “pfft.”

“I really like that hairpin.” Zhu Yanyan sat perfectly straight, saying seriously, “Miss He is also your friend, yet you still stood up to speak for me. I’m very happy.”

And also, don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble for Miss He.

Because the nanny was sitting right beside them, Zhu Yanyan didn’t say this last sentence aloud, but Shi Fa Ke understood.

Shi Fa Ke scratched her head somewhat uncomfortably, choosing her words carefully: “Perhaps you’ll be angry if I say this, and it might sound like I’m speaking without understanding the pain, but Ketian… actually she’s not bad-hearted, it’s just that her behavior is sometimes inexplicable.” As Shi Fa Ke spoke, she became increasingly tangled up, feeling that however she explained it sounded strange.

Zhu Yanyan’s eyes curved in a smile, “Mm, I know. She’s Ake’s friend, and Ake is so good – how could she be a bad person?”

Eh? So you could prove it this way?

Shi Fa Ke was stunned, then blinked, feeling her paws getting itchy. She finally couldn’t resist and, under the nanny’s shocked gaze… reached out her paw to touch Zhu Yanyan’s smooth little face, murmuring, “Yanyan, you’re truly a lovely, good girl. Whoever becomes your husband will be very fortunate.”

Zhu Yanyan’s face instantly turned red, but she still asked in a small voice full of anticipation, “Is… is that so?”

“Yes!” Shi Fa Ke nodded seriously.

Having received affirmation, Zhu Yanyan’s eyes became even brighter. The two silly girls looked at each other, appearing increasingly foolish.

The nanny watching from the side felt her eyes hurt. Restraint, Miss! Restraint! She always felt that her young miss had been increasingly forgetting what restraint meant lately. Was it really true that grown daughters couldn’t be kept at home…

After bidding farewell to Shi Fa Ke, Zhu Yanyan straightened her waist slightly under the nanny’s conflicted gaze and sat properly.

The nanny watched and watched, her expression gradually becoming both relieved and proud. The young miss she had raised was truly impeccable in manners and etiquette. Miss Shi was right – whoever could marry her young miss would definitely receive tremendous fortune!

But today…

Thinking of the grievances her young miss had suffered today, the nanny’s expression darkened again. The He family and Shen family were merely merchant families, yet they dared to bully her young miss… She absolutely would not hide this matter from the madam.

The perfectly mannered Zhu Yanyan paid no attention to the nanny’s thoughts. At this moment, she was eager to return home. To avoid letting the nanny notice anything suspicious, she dared not show the slightest sign, but the object tucked at her waist made her very concerned. She couldn’t wait to know what it was.

In Zhu Yanyan’s anxiety and anticipation, the carriage finally stopped.

“Oh my, Miss, slow down.” The nanny helped Zhu Yanyan down from the carriage, and seeing her hurried steps, couldn’t help but habitually nag.

Zhu Yanyan was afraid the nanny would become suspicious. She bit her lip and leaned close to the nanny’s ear, whispering, “Nanny, I urgently need to… change clothes.”

The nanny showed a look of sudden understanding, then looked around, coughed lightly, and unobtrusively helped her young miss quicken her pace.

Finally returning to her room, the considerate nanny, afraid her young miss would be embarrassed, took the initiative to withdraw.

Zhu Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief and hid alone behind the screen, impatiently reaching toward her waist to feel around, pulling out a small brocade pouch… Oh my, this must be what they call secret exchange of tokens!

Zhu Yanyan, who had been raised strictly following feminine virtues and propriety since childhood, felt her heart pounding as if harboring a little rabbit.

After covering her face and being shy for a while, Zhu Yanyan solemnly opened the brocade pouch and saw a piece of letter paper inside with the words: “Tonight at the hour of the boar, I wish to visit and pay respects.”

What appeared to be a perfectly proper line of text, with handwriting that was open and clear, as tall and imposing as that person himself – if one ignored the rather improper timing… Speaking so righteously, wasn’t he actually intending to secretly visit her boudoir at night! Zhu Yanyan read this short line over and over again, and thinking of how he had looked when she saw him at Jin Man Tower earlier, her face was covered in red clouds.

Just as her thoughts were flying uncontrollably, footsteps suddenly came from outside. Zhu Yanyan hurriedly stuffed the letter back into the brocade pouch, then hid the pouch close to her body. After carefully checking that nothing was amiss, she came out from behind the screen and washed her hands as if nothing had happened.

The person who entered was her personal maid, Linxia.

Linxia was extremely careful and thoughtful. When Zhu Yanyan pretentiously picked up a book and sat by the window, the small table beside her was already set with tea and several types of pastries she usually enjoyed.

“Miss, be careful not to tire your eyes. Shall this servant read to you?” Linxia asked gently. The young miss was like a glass person, and those serving in the room had grown accustomed to speaking softly.

Zhu Yanyan shook her head, absent-mindedly picking up a piece of red date cake and slowly nibbling it at her lips. Although her eyes were fixed on the book, her mind was entirely on the brocade pouch containing the letter. Thinking of the contents written on that letter, she felt her heart pounding wildly.

The book in front of her hadn’t been turned to the next page for a long time, and she hadn’t noticed that the nanny hadn’t returned yet.

When that wildly pounding heart finally calmed down, Zhu Yanyan suddenly became anxious again. Did he know how to enter the residence? What if he was caught? Speaking of which, ever since grandfather encountered mountain bandits on his way home after retirement, the residence had hired quite a few skilled martial arts guards…

Thinking about this, Zhu Yanyan couldn’t help but bite her finger and become restless.

“Miss, what’s wrong?” Linxia saw the young miss suddenly push the book aside, looking agitated, and hurried forward to inquire.

Zhu Yanyan shook her head, “Nothing, don’t worry about me.”

Having said that, she ignored Linxia.

After all, matters like secret meetings couldn’t be discussed even with Ake, let alone Linxia. Linxia was someone mother had arranged… If Linxia knew, mother would know too!

How could Linxia truly not care about her? Moreover, seeing the young miss looking so restless clearly didn’t seem like nothing was wrong. Just as Linxia was at a loss for what to do, the nanny finally returned.