Watching that scene, it felt both warm and comical.

Wei Fu asked, “Young Master, why does your complexion not look so good? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Uncle Fu, I’m fine.”

“That’s good.” Wei Fu stared at him again. “Young Master, I see you seem more spirited than before. Our young master appears to have truly grown up.”

As he spoke, he patted his head.

Wei Yi smiled warmly and said, “Uncle Fu, I’ve long since grown up. From now on, I’ll protect all of you.”

He puffed out his chest!

“Good, Young Master has truly grown up!”

The Wei family members surrounded Wei Yi, all wanting to hear about the interesting things that happened to him in the capital.

Ji Yunshu quietly watched from the side.

But Tang Si wrinkled his nose, looked around, and muttered to himself, “Who would have thought the fool was actually a young master from a noble family?”

You wouldn’t understand other people’s worlds!

At this moment, Jingrong’s secret guard suddenly ran in from outside and spoke a few words in his ear.

His expression changed, and he quickly pulled Ji Yunshu aside.

With a serious expression, he said, “It seems that Jinjiang hasn’t been very peaceful these past few months.”

These words were meaningful!

Hmm?

Ji Yunshu didn’t understand!

Yet she vaguely sensed something.

…

The Liu Residence!

The pavilion in the back courtyard and its surroundings were hung densely with birdcages. From inside the cages came the calls of many different types of birds, chirping and chattering.

If one passed by and heard it occasionally, it was rather pleasant, but after listening for a long time, it became noisy.

Madam Liu had been listening to bird calls for several months now. Hearing them every day made her heart itch with the desire to hit someone. Add to that the heavy rains of recent days that hadn’t let up, and her mood became even more irritable.

She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a large ladle, and furiously charged toward the pavilion in the back courtyard.

At this moment, Liu Qingping was in the pavilion playing with the birds.

His chubby body ducked and weaved beneath the birdcages, holding a thin bamboo stick and constantly poking it into each birdcage.

The birds were provoked into chirping and chattering!

But he was so delighted that both his canine teeth showed. While teasing the birds, his mouth kept making “tsk tsk tsk” sounds. How leisurely and carefree! These past few months, aside from teasing birds every day, he just ate and drank, going nowhere. He had become so idle that his whole person displayed a lazy, leisurely appearance. Even his figure had gained a full circle of fat.

“Liu Qingping!”

An angry roar came from far and drew near!

Startled, the thin bamboo stick in his hand dropped to the ground. With a look of impending disaster on his face, he quickly grabbed his robe and dove under the table.

While complaining, “That wretched woman is here again.”

Just as he was about to bend down and crawl under the table, his ear was suddenly grabbed.

“Ah!” He cried out in pain. “Let go, let go…”

“Let go? Liu Qingping, how many times have I told you? These damned birds are so noisy, yet you keep buying more birds. Are you trying to anger me to death?”

“Madam, please let go first.”

“Let go my ass! If you don’t send these birds away today, I’ll throw you and your precious birds out together.”

Madam Liu grabbed Liu Qingping’s ear with one hand while wielding a huge ladle with the other.

Liu Qingping’s entire body leaned to one side, his face twisted in pain. He vigorously flicked his wide sleeve, breaking free of his ear, and quickly rubbed his reddened ear that had been pinched.

While speaking in a stern voice, “Woman, can’t you be more gentle?”

“Gentle? If I don’t kill you, it’s because your ancestors accumulated virtue for eight generations. Liu Qingping, look at yourself! Raising birds, raising birds—you’ve made yourself as fat as these beasts! Where does all the grain come from to feed you all?”

A look of disdain!

However, Liu Qingping squinted his eyes, looked her up and down a few times, then with a wronged and fearful expression in his little eyes, his body leaned to one side.

He muttered in a low voice, “Aren’t you the same?”

Although the sound of rain outside was loud, Madam Liu still heard it.

She immediately flew into a rage, rolling up her sleeves and puffing out her fat body. “How am I the same as you?”

“The same in every way!”

“You… Liu Qingping, I’m warning you one last time. Hurry up and release these birds for me, or else I’ll braise them all.”

Madam Liu was burning with anger, hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at him.

Liu Qingping looked distressed, hunching his body. Since the hard approach didn’t work, he decided to soften. “Madam, I’m no longer an official now. Every day I’m bored to death. I only have raising birds to pass the time. If you don’t let me raise them, wouldn’t I suffocate to death?”

Playing the victim!

“Don’t give me that! Every time I tell you to release the birds, don’t you always say the same thing? If I sympathize with you again, then I’m the fool.”

Bang!

The ladle in her hand struck the stone table forcefully.

Startled, Liu Qingping’s body shrank. “Madam, look how fun it is to keep these birds in the courtyard. Listening to bird calls every day improves one’s mood. Wouldn’t it be a shame to throw them away?”

“Chirping and chattering every day—stop with the nonsense. You won’t release them, right? Fine, then I’ll do it myself.”

As she spoke, she reached out to open the birdcage.

“Madam, you mustn’t! My birds, my birds…”

As she opened them, Liu Qingping closed them.

They made a commotion for quite a while!

Until—

A young servant hurriedly ran over. Seeing this scene in the pavilion, he was stunned for a moment.

Then he called out, “Mas… Master, someone is looking for you.”

Liu Qingping couldn’t care less about this—he was too busy blocking his wife to manage anything else.

The servant called out again, “Master, there’s someone at the gate calling himself Master Ji looking for you.”

Master Ji?

Hearing this, Liu Qingping’s body stiffened. He quickly asked the servant, “Master Ji?”

“Someone calling himself Master Ji, and quite refined-looking.”

Liu Qingping’s small eyes seemed to carry a ray of light.

He suddenly smiled.

Without another word, he ran toward the front courtyard.

Not forgetting to shout loudly, “Yunshu, my Yunshu has returned!”

Madam Liu stared at that fat body running farther and farther away, thinking: Ji Yunshu has returned? That artist from the yamen?

The servant stood rooted to the spot, then actually courted death by stepping forward to ask, “Madam, are you still opening these birdcages?”

“Opening what? These birds are all the master’s treasures. If you dare lose even one, I’ll stew you.”

“Madam? This…”

The corner of the servant’s mouth twitched!

The main hall in the front courtyard!

Liu Qingping ran over. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Ji Yunshu sitting inside drinking tea.

At that moment, his eyes were full of excitement, seemingly brimming with tears.

“Yunshu, you’ve finally returned.”

He rushed over!

Ji Yunshu stood up and immediately dodged to the side.

Letting him lunge at empty air!

He could only give an awkward smile, unable to conceal his excited feelings. Shamelessly sidling up next to Ji Yunshu, he said thickly, “Yunshu, we haven’t seen each other for several months, almost half a year. I’ve really missed you terribly, day and night, every moment thinking of you. What about you? Did you miss me? Did you miss me?”

His chubby body kept rubbing against her.

Like a wolf or tiger!

Ji Yunshu held back a smile.

She threw out, “I didn’t!”

How awkward!

Liu Qingping didn’t care. He looked her up and down again, furrowed his brow, with a trace of heartache. “Yunshu, how is it that after going to the capital, you look thinner than before?”

“…”

“By the way, why did you come back? Could it be that you came specifically to see me?”

“No!”

“Then… did the prince not want you anymore?” He tensed up.

Ji Yunshu still held back a smile, thinking: this muddle-headed fool is still the same as before!

Liu Qingping sighed again and said, “Yunshu, you don’t know—after you went to the capital for so long, all of Jinjiang became deathly quiet. And without you here, these days have been truly uncomfortable.”

Ji Yunshu’s expression suddenly turned cold.

“Alright, I won’t waste words with you. Tell me honestly—how was your official position revoked?”