Shi Fa Ke opened the door with a pout, and when she saw who was standing outside, her heart suddenly jumped. By conditioned reflex, she slammed the door shut.

“…” Lu Chi, who had just stepped forward and put on a smile to greet her, was caught off guard and got a face full of dust.

Touching his nose that had almost been flattened, Lu Chi stepped forward and knocked on the door again.

The door didn’t budge.

But Lu Chi knew Shi Fa Ke was definitely standing right behind the door.

“A’Ke, open the door. I can see you through the crack.” Lu Chi knocked again.

Shi Fa Ke was almost amused by her anger. She yanked the door open, expecting to see Lu Chi lewdly pressed against the door peering inside through the crack, but instead he stood outside gracefully like a jade tree in the wind, not the least bit lewd but rather quite elegant.

Seeing that she was about to slam the door again, Lu Chi quickly stepped forward and braced the door with his hand.

Shi Fa Ke was caught off guard and he pressed close to her. The position made it seem as if he had her encircled in his arms. She quickly stepped back, suddenly remembering that utterly absurd dream from last night, remembering how he had whispered “A’Ke…” in her ear, and her face immediately burned like fire.

“You you you… why are you suddenly getting so close?!” Shi Fa Ke said loudly.

“I was afraid you’d slam the door again.” Lu Chi said very innocently.

Shi Fa Ke paused, then snorted, “What business do you have coming to my house?”

This furiously angry attitude… even if Lu Chi were slow, he could see something was wrong, and Lu Chi was not a slow person. But their last meeting had been quite friendly – what exactly had gone wrong?

Lu Chi looked at her carefully and probed, “A’Ke, are you angry? Are you mad that I left for the prefectural capital a few days ago without saying goodbye?”

At this moment, Lu Chi still didn’t know that his student Zhu Keji and his rival He Kexian, whether intentionally or not, had both silently stabbed him in the back one after another. With these knife wounds, he had now become a scholar who had gone astray, a rake who frequented brothels…

The words “prefectural capital” successfully ignited Shi Fa Ke’s anger.

“You went to the prefectural capital?”

Seeing her unfriendly expression, Lu Chi was somewhat confused but still said quite cautiously, “Yes, I was entrusted by a friend to handle something in the prefectural capital. I thought I’d return quickly, but some unexpected things happened, which delayed me for several days.”

“Some unexpected things happened?” Shi Fa Ke asked again.

“Mm.” Lu Chi nodded.

“What things? Was it because of that Miss Yun Ge whose beauty is not of this world and whose singing voice surpasses heavenly music?” Shi Fa Ke said with a cold face.

He Kexian had said that Miss Yun Ge was quite popular among scholars, and there were many poems and paintings about her circulating in the streets. Just thinking of Lu Chi writing poems and painting for that Miss Yun Ge made Shi Fa Ke furious.

“How do you know about Yun Ge?” Lu Chi’s expression changed.

Seeing his reaction was so intense, Shi Fa Ke became even angrier, “If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it!”

Lu Chi looked at her and suddenly realized something. He actually laughed, “You’re unhappy?”

Seeing him actually dare to laugh with a spring-like expression on his face, Shi Fa Ke became even more unhappy. She said emphatically, “Yes, I’m unhappy!”

To emphasize her unhappiness, she deliberately stressed her tone.

Lu Chi suddenly felt his heart bloom with joy. She was jealous, wasn’t she? Since she would be jealous, did that mean…

Meeting his inexplicably smiling face, somehow Shi Fa Ke suddenly remembered that unspeakable dream from last night. Her heart panicked and she immediately said, “If you ruin your reputation like this, you won’t be able to marry a good wife in the future!”

Lu Chi’s blooming heart immediately wilted.

Shi Fa Ke was silent for a moment, then said, “Chu Yizhi came to see me a few days ago.”

“What did he want with you?” Lu Chi’s heart suddenly tightened. He knew that Chu Yizhi – the groom he had seen when he first arrived in Bronze Gong Town. Even though he was already married, he still seemed to harbor feelings for A’Ke. A very annoying person.

“He came to say goodbye, saying he was going to the provincial capital to prepare for the autumn examinations in advance.” Shi Fa Ke glanced at him, “The autumn examinations are approaching. You should take care of yourself.”

Lu Chi was stunned.

When had he ever said he was going to take the autumn examinations? Then he immediately realized… on the day he first arrived in Bronze Gong Town, he had made up a story about being out traveling for study, passing through Bronze Gong Town and finding it a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, so he wanted to stay for a while and would leave at most before the autumn examinations… So she had misunderstood that he would take the autumn examinations?

Seeing Lu Chi just remain silent, Shi Fa Ke felt an inexplicable sense of grievance rise in her heart. She bit her lip, “I’m busy playing mahjong. Mother and my sisters-in-law are all waiting. You should go back.”

Lu Chi came to his senses, feeling somewhat reluctant. He had rushed to the Shi family immediately after returning dusty from the prefectural capital because he really missed seeing A’Ke. The previous trip back to Feiqiong Stronghold had taken too long, and this time after returning, he had only briefly seen her twice before rushing off to the prefectural capital again. He had truly experienced the feeling of every day feeling like three autumns.

But seeing her looking very impatient now, he finally left.

Shi Fa Ke drove Lu Chi away and turned back to continue playing mahjong.

But when she returned, there wasn’t a single person there. Had Mother and her sisters-in-law all slipped away while she was gone? She really had been excluded!

That night, afraid of having strange dreams again, Shi Fa Ke forced herself to stay awake, only falling asleep near dawn. When she got up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

When she went to the kitchen looking for food, she saw her two sisters-in-law working with the cook on new pastries. They were busy while seeming to chat about something. Shi Fa Ke was about to go forward to try their new pastries when she suddenly heard the phrase “Scholar Lu has lost his mind…” and immediately stopped.

“Scholar Lu has lost his mind… The autumn examinations are almost here and he’s not worried at all. He’s actually become infatuated with a brothel courtesan.” This was the cook’s incredulous voice.

“He hasn’t lost his mind. That’s no ordinary courtesan – that’s the courtesan of Fengyue House in the prefectural capital.” He Ketian added, sighing with feeling, “So many talented scholars and wealthy merchants have offered gold and silver trying to make her happy, and she doesn’t even blink, but she shows special favor only to Scholar Lu. I don’t know how many people are green with envy of that Scholar Lu.”

Though she said this, there was a hint of disdain in her words, as if lamenting her former blind self.

“But no matter how much she likes him, she’s still a plaything. That Scholar Lu actually went and redeemed her freedom and brought her back to Willow Leaf Lane… That courtesan’s price couldn’t have been cheap. Who would have thought that Scholar Lu was quite wealthy.” Jiao Jiao snorted disapprovingly, “Men are all no good, except for our Qianqian.”

“My husband is also a good one.” He Ketian was not to be outdone in clearing her husband’s name.

“But… that Scholar Lu is really too good-looking. I used to think he was a good one, but it turns out you really can’t judge people by appearances.” Jiao Jiao sighed. During the spring outing last time, she had indeed seen that Scholar Lu – he was truly very handsome, and at the time her sister-in-law had cried terribly over that Scholar Lu. Who would believe there was nothing between them?

Anyway, Jiao Jiao didn’t believe it.

Just as she was thinking this, she turned around and saw Shi Fa Ke standing outside the window, which startled her.

“A’Ke, you’re up.” Jiao Jiao smiled awkwardly, wondering in her heart how much she had heard.

“What are you chatting about?” Shi Fa Ke blinked and walked into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

“It’s nothing much…” Jiao Jiao stammered.

“They’re saying that Scholar Lu from Willow Leaf Lane became infatuated with the courtesan from Fengyue House in the prefectural capital and even redeemed her freedom.” He Ketian’s eyes flickered as she spoke.

“Sister-in-law, why are you telling A’Ke about such sordid matters? It’ll just pollute her ears.” Jiao Jiao was somewhat annoyed. She knew this sister-in-law was enthusiastic about matching A’Ke with her natal family’s eldest brother, but this wasn’t the way to do it.

“This matter has long been known by everyone. A’Ke would find out sooner or later.” He Ketian blinked innocently.

“Are there fresh pastries to eat now? I’m hungry.” Shi Fa Ke interrupted them, rubbing her stomach.

The cook nearby quickly brought over a plate of freshly made pastries – red bean rolls, each as big as a child’s fist, still steaming hot and looking very appetizing.

Shi Fa Ke ate eight in a row, making He Ketian and Jiao Jiao watch in alarm – she mustn’t eat herself sick!

Fortunately, when she got to the ninth one, she finally stopped, “I’m stuffed. I’ll go for a walk.”

With that, Shi Fa Ke supported herself against the wall as she left.

In the kitchen, He Ketian and Jiao Jiao looked at each other.

“Do you think we should tell A’Ke that Scholar Lu came looking for her this morning?” After a while, Jiao Jiao said somewhat hesitantly.

“No need. A person of such character shouldn’t be allowed to see A’Ke anymore, lest he ruin A’Ke’s reputation.” He Ketian waved her small hand decisively.

Jiao Jiao’s look at He Ketian became somewhat meaningful.

He Ketian coughed lightly, feeling uncomfortable, “I admit I have selfish motives, but you have to admit that Scholar Lu isn’t a good match, right?”

Jiao Jiao thought about it and agreed, so she said nothing more.

Outside, Shi Fa Ke slowly walked along supporting herself against the wall. Her stomach felt heavy, and so did her heart.

So Lu Chi had not only become infatuated with the courtesan from Fengyue House in the prefectural capital, but had also redeemed her freedom and brought her back to Willow Leaf Lane. Yet when he came to see her yesterday, he hadn’t said a single word about it.