Xu Fang came back to her senses and chased forward two steps, but how could she possibly catch up? She could only watch helplessly as Xu Xi’s figure disappeared around the corner.

The cold wind blew mercilessly upon her, lifting her half-worn badger fur cloak and revealing the young lady’s slender, thin frame.

Xu Fang didn’t have a delicate, frail appearance—rather, she was strikingly beautiful with an imposing air. Yet these days she had grown much thinner and actually appeared somewhat fragile.

There were few pedestrians on the street. Looking at the empty space ahead, Xu Fang felt a bone-deep cold.

She drew together the cloak fluttering in the wind and suddenly felt there was nowhere to go.

The maid who had been standing at a distance due to the siblings’ dispute came forward and carefully urged, “Miss, please return to your room. It’s too cold outside.”

Xu Fang looked back, gazing from afar at the tightly closed vermillion-lacquered gates of Marquis Changchun’s manor.

The stone lions crouched before the gate were cold and silent, just like her mood at this moment.

She didn’t want to stay in this household for even a moment.

No—since Mother passed away, she no longer had a home.

She thought she still had her brother to depend on, but if her brother continued this way, he would become a scoundrel who disowned his own family. By then, she wouldn’t even have her brother.

What would she have left?

Xu Fang raised both hands and covered her face, silently crying.

All she had was a heart full of hatred, yet she was powerless.

The young lady standing in the cold wind was pale and trembling.

The maid couldn’t help urging again, “Miss, please go back. If you catch cold, you’re the one who will suffer…”

Xu Fang lowered her hands and looked at the maid advising her.

In the maid’s eyes was genuine concern.

The corner of Xu Fang’s mouth twitched, pulling into a self-mocking smile.

Speaking of which, her personal maid Hong Yue had been bestowed by Cousin, the Duchess of Ningguo.

Those people under her stepmother were restrained from going too far because Hong Yue came from Duke Ningguo’s manor, and her indenture contract was still held at Duke Ningguo’s manor.

Her brother only blamed her for clinging to Cousin, but he didn’t know that when she went to Duke Ningguo’s manor, she was politely addressed as Young Cousin Miss, and when she returned to Marquis Changchun’s manor, she suffered less mistreatment and exploitation and could even help her brother—all this was gained through her closeness with Cousin.

Apart from blood relatives, in this world who would treat someone well for no reason?

Mother and Cousin had a good relationship. After Mother passed, even if Cousin remembered their bond and showed some care for them as young children, once the high gates of Marquis Changchun’s manor closed, how much could she care for them?

One day, two days, one year, two years—without Mother present, even the closest relationships would gradually drift apart.

She had the audacity to stay by Cousin’s side constantly. Though she harbored thoughts of borrowing her influence, her respect for Cousin was genuine.

All hearts are made of flesh—this was why Cousin treated her as half a daughter, why she had the freedom to come and go from Marquis Changchun’s manor.

But in her brother’s eyes, this elder sister had become a despicable social climber.

“Miss—”

Xu Fang blinked and shook her head with a bitter smile. “I don’t want to go back.”

Hearing this, Hong Yue’s heart ached.

A single phrase “don’t want to go back”—no one understood the young lady’s difficulties better than she did.

Unable to bear urging her further, she said softly, “Then let this servant accompany you for a walk.”

“Alright.” Xu Fang answered lightly and walked forward aimlessly.

It began snowing again.

Under the gloomy gray sky, snow pellets fell in a rustling shower, causing pedestrians on the street to quicken their pace.

In such bone-freezing weather, no one wanted to waste time on the road.

Xu Fang stepped onto Qingxing Street and walked slowly. When she came back to her senses, she was already standing before the tavern.

It was just past noon, still quite some time before the tavern opened. Even the green wine flag fluttering in the cold wind seemed somewhat listless.

Yet the entrance to the tavern was lively.

A little maid in a red vest was shouting toward the door, “Shi Sanhu, what are you dawdling about in there? Come out and catch sparrows.”

Before long, a young man with an upright posture emerged, wearing a lazy smile. “It just started snowing—the sparrows have all hidden away. Better to go inside and eat roasted sweet potatoes.”

What was the point of catching sparrows when they couldn’t even eat them?

Thinking of last time when they had excitedly caught a string of sparrows only to have them all end up in the master’s stomach, and he’d been chased around the courtyard dozens of times by Hong Dou brandishing a fire poker, he felt catching sparrows was just asking for trouble.

With that spare time, wouldn’t sitting in the warm hall eating roasted sweet potatoes be better?

Hearing “roasted sweet potatoes,” Hong Dou immediately forgot all about catching sparrows. “Has Xiu Gu roasted sweet potatoes?”

Shi Yan quickly nodded. “Miss Luo and Xiu Gu are roasting them together, right in the main hall.”

Hong Dou’s eyes lit up, and she lifted her foot to run inside.

Just then, Shi Yan noticed Xu Fang standing quietly not far away and instinctively tugged at Hong Dou.

“What?” Hong Dou glared at Shi Yan in confusion.

Shi Yan jerked his chin in Xu Fang’s direction.

Hong Dou turned her head and blinked. “Young Lady Xu?”

She had quite a deep impression of Young Lady Xu.

During those days when the Grand Commander was in trouble and the tavern was cold and deserted, though Young Lady Xu hadn’t come to dine, she had sent her maid with a box of silk flowers.

She remembered clearly—those silk flowers looked so lifelike one could even smell their fragrance.

Miss said it was because perfume had been sprinkled on them, and said Young Lady Xu was a person of refined sensibility.

If that was the case, Young Lady Xu as a sidekick for their miss would barely suffice.

Hong Dou immediately put on a smiling face. “Is Young Lady Xu here to dine?”

Xu Fang awoke as if from a dream and shook her head awkwardly. “No, not to dine.”

How could she have the mood to dine?

Hong Dou tilted her head, studying Xu Fang, and asked bluntly, “Young Lady Xu is in a bad mood?”

Xu Fang’s lips trembled, and she instinctively wanted to deny it.

Hong Dou said cheerfully, “Then all the more reason to dine! Don’t they say drinking to drown sorrows makes them worse—”

Beside her, Shi Yan quickly tugged at her and quietly reminded, “Wrong!”

These close guards following the master focused on martial arts training and already read few books—he hadn’t expected Big Sister Hong Dou to have even less learning.

“Uh, it’s ‘wine can dissolve a thousand sorrows’!” Hong Dou racked her brains and finally got the phrase right.

“Thank you, but there’s no need.” Xu Fang smiled and turned to leave.

Even now, she couldn’t understand why she had ended up wandering here in such confusion.

“Young Lady Xu?” Behind her came a young lady’s voice, clear and transparent as water.

Xu Fang’s steps halted, and she turned around.

A young lady in plain clothing stood outside the door, looking at her calmly.

“Miss Luo—” Xu Fang opened her mouth, somehow unable to move her feet.

Luo Sheng walked over and took Xu Fang’s hand.

Perhaps from being outside too long, that hand was ice cold, even colder than the falling snow pellets.

Luo Sheng sighed inwardly and said warmly, “Come inside. There are roasted sweet potatoes to eat.”

Xu Fang bit her lip and asked softly, “Are the roasted sweet potatoes sweet?”

Luo Sheng’s lips curved in a smile. “Very sweet. Young Lady Xu will know once you try them.”

Xu Fang stood still for a moment before nodding slightly.

The two walked hand in hand into the tavern.

In the main hall, people crowded around a roasting stove that had been brought from somewhere, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes.

Hong Dou urged incessantly, “Xiu Gu, are they ready yet?”

“They’re ready.” Xiu Yue raised her eyes and glanced at Xu Fang who had entered.