When night fell and they had finished their simple meal, A’Ru and A’Hao cleaned up.

“A’Hao, listen,” A’Ru suddenly said in a low voice.

A’Hao made a sound of acknowledgment and pricked up her ears to listen.

In the night wind came the faint sound of stringed instruments and singing.

“Oh, they’re holding a banquet up front…” A’Hao said, her eyes sparkling with some longing. “Tonight must be very lively. Sister, what do you think the Prince looks like now? He’s been away for three years, I’ve forgotten…”

A’Ru looked toward the courtyard gate and smiled.

“The Prince must have grown even more handsome,” she said, pushing A’Hao who was still tilting her head in thought. “Let’s go quickly. Finish cleaning up early, heat some water, and let Young Madam wash up.”

A’Hao nodded and the two went into the kitchen chatting and laughing. In the room, Qi Yue lowered her ears that had been pricked up and rubbed her face with some headache.

Oh heavens, it’s been so long, why won’t you let me go back? I’ve never even been in love, and now I’m directly someone’s wife. This is really too much of a joke on me.

That whole night, accompanied by the intermittent sounds of stringed music, singing, and laughter in the night wind, Qi Yue slept with continuous nightmares. In her dreams, a man like a terracotta warrior clung to her tightly, either hitting or scolding her, and even trying to assault her.

The next day, seeing Qi Yue’s obviously sleep-deprived appearance, A’Ru sighed with a somewhat gloomy expression. How could she not care when she said she didn’t care? Her long-separated husband had returned, yet his wife couldn’t see him.

In the evening, festivities continued to be heard. According to A’Ru’s analysis, relatives and friends must have all come to visit. No one came to their place that day, as if the three people in Qiu Tong Courtyard had been completely forgotten.

Qi Yue had a habit of taking afternoon naps. At this time, A’Ru and A’Hao would sit in their own room doing needlework. Although the household had sewing women, things for their Qiu Tong Courtyard were always delayed, and work sent over was always put last. Sometimes the work wasn’t done and things could even get lost, so A’Ru and A’Hao simply did it themselves. These embroidery and mending skills were mandatory training they had mastered, so it wasn’t difficult to do.

“Young Madam’s shoes seem to be worn at the edges,” A’Hao said while embroidering a handkerchief, remembering something and telling A’Ru. “I put them in the shoe cabinet in the side room.”

“I’ll go get them to repair,” A’Ru said, putting down her work and standing up.

The July midday was somewhat hot, with the sound of autumn cicadas calling from inside and outside the courtyard. The household’s rough-work maids would normally catch cicadas and chase birds, but no one paid attention to their Qiu Tong Courtyard. A’Ru was afraid of disturbing Qi Yue’s sleep.

“Young Madam didn’t sleep well last night. Go outside to catch cicadas so you don’t disturb Young Madam’s afternoon rest…” A’Ru said.

A’Hao agreed, came out to the courtyard to get a bamboo pole, then opened the door and went out.

A’Ru gently walked to the door of Qi Yue’s room. Before lifting the curtain, through the gauze curtain she saw Qi Yue standing on a stool in the main hall, holding a sheet in her hands, which frightened her into a sharp scream.

“Young Madam, you… you…” A’Ru rushed in, hugged Qi Yue’s legs, and began crying loudly.

Qi Yue, holding a bed sheet as a rope, was very embarrassed. Because this body’s legal husband had returned, she was restless, wishing she could wake up and return to modern times, but couldn’t have her wish. She thought over and over that this body’s original owner had been possessed by her while hanging herself, so perhaps hanging herself again would allow her to travel back. The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Since there was no other way to think of, she was possessed by this idea to try it, but was caught by A’Ru just as she stood up.

“No, it’s not what you think,” she had to explain with mixed laughter and tears, reaching out to comfort A’Ru.

A’Ru’s emotions that had been accumulating for many days burst out with this cry, completely uncontrollable. After crying for a while and with Qi Yue’s coaxing, her emotions finally calmed down.

“This is not something to play with…” A’Ru said through tears after hearing Qi Yue’s stammering explanation, kneeling down to hug Qi Yue’s legs and looking up crying. “This cannot be played with…”

“Yes, yes, I was wrong. I won’t play anymore,” Qi Yue smiled, repeatedly reaching out to pull her up, taking a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

“Young Madam, if you’re feeling sad, cry and tell me about it. It’s been so long, don’t treat this servant as an outsider…” A’Ru sobbed.

“I’m really not sad…” Qi Yue smiled.

“The Prince will definitely come to see you. If not, let this servant go see the Prince…” A’Ru said.

“Absolutely not,” Qi Yue was frightened and hurriedly grabbed her hand. “No one has notified us, so obviously they don’t want us to appear. If you go at this time, you’ll probably anger them and won’t come to any good. Let’s wait. Anyway, he’s back now, so it’s impossible he’ll never see us.”

A’Ru nodded, wiped her tears, and looked at Qi Yue.

“Then Young Madam must not do foolish things again,” she said.

Qi Yue nodded repeatedly and promised again and again.

“Where’s A’Hao?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I was afraid of disturbing Madam’s sleep, so I had her go out to catch cicadas,” A’Ru said.

Catching cicadas – this was something Qi Yue had never played.

“Is it fun?” she asked with a smile.

Whether catching cicadas was fun or not, A’Hao didn’t really notice. Compared to that, she wanted to quickly finish embroidering the handkerchief for Young Madam. In this hot weather, there weren’t enough handkerchiefs for washing and changing, so doing this felt like a waste of time and made her frustrated.

“Let you call, let you call, hmph, lazy hooves, hooves who treat people differently based on their status, dog-eyed hooves who don’t care about the cicadas here…” she circled around trees one by one while muttering. “Go, go, leave here, all go call in places with more people…”

“A’Hao.”

Suddenly a voice called her.

A’Hao raised her pole to look and saw a maid in purple clothes waving at her from the road not far away. The bright midday sun dazzled her so she could barely open her eyes.

“Who is it?” she asked. “Are you calling me?”

“A’Hao, come here quickly,” the maid waved and called.

“What is it?” A’Hao walked over with her bamboo pole. When she got closer, she saw it was an unfamiliar maid. After looking carefully for a while, she recognized her. “It’s Yin Huan from Madam’s courtyard. You’re looking for me?”

“I’m now assigned to the Prince’s courtyard,” she smiled. “The Prince is distributing things to each courtyard. We’re very busy there and really can’t manage to deliver to each room. If you’re free, go get yours.”

When family members returned from trips, they would indeed bring gifts for each room – nothing too valuable. For men it would be brush, ink, paper, and inkstones; for women it would be fans and other small trinkets. But this was the first time from the Prince.

A’Hao’s face lit up with surprise.

“Really?” she asked, somewhat disbelieving. The Prince would actually bring them something? In three years he hadn’t even said a word…

“Don’t believe it?” Yin Huan smiled and waved her hand. “Then forget it. Actually, the Prince didn’t specifically mention giving to you either. I’m just passing word from courtyard to courtyard. I happened to pass by here and see you, sister, so I mentioned it. Sister, please just pretend I never said anything…”

She turned to leave as she spoke.

Hearing her say this, A’Hao believed it more than half. The Prince indeed hadn’t specifically named them, but he also hadn’t said they didn’t have any. Since every courtyard had some, and Qiu Tong Courtyard was a courtyard, going wouldn’t be wrong. Besides, if she went over, she might see the Prince, and if she was lucky enough, she could get close and say a word…

“Sister, wait for me,” A’Hao threw down her bamboo pole and hurried to catch up. “Has Madam assigned you to the Prince’s courtyard? How many has Madam added to the Prince’s courtyard this time?”

Chatting as they walked, they gradually went far away.