Qiao Zhao turned her head.

In the sunlight, the man with his rare beauty seemed to glow, becoming the center of attention with every gesture.

But Qiao Zhao calmly stood up and greeted him: “Big Brother Chi.”

Chi Can strode over, but when he was almost near, he seemed to remember something and stopped abruptly: “Shao Mingyuan isn’t at the residence. Why are you here?”

Young Master Chi felt dejected just thinking about the scene he’d witnessed.

The young lady tending the fire and conversing with the respectfully standing guards looked like a mistress of the house managing affairs while waiting for her husband’s return.

Did she think this was her own home? This thick-skinned girl!

“I’m brewing medicine for General Shao.” Qiao Zhao said openly.

Chi Can sniffed lightly—the air was full of medicinal fragrance.

He raised an eyebrow and sneered: “Does the vast Marquis Guanjun residence not even have servants to brew medicine, requiring you to come here to do it?”

Qiao Zhao lifted the pot lid to check, then sat back on the small stool with a calm expression: “Others don’t brew it as well as I do.”

“How devoted you are!” Chi Can was furious, wanting to grab this stubborn girl and teach her a lesson, but couldn’t bear to. He sat on the steps nearby with a dark expression.

Qiao Zhao’s mind was entirely focused on her brother’s trip to the yamen. She had no mood to bicker with Chi Can. Hearing his mockery only made her feel irritated, so she said flatly: “I’m always devoted when treating patients.”

“So you treat all your other patients this way, too?”

If so, he’d look for this girl the next time he got sick.

“Of course not. Only for my patients do I put in this much care.” Qiao Zhao seemed to guess Chi Can’s thoughts and smiled: “But I generally don’t treat people.”

Chi Can: “…” This stubborn girl was doing this on purpose!

“Since General Shao isn’t at the residence, Big Brother Chi—” Why aren’t you leaving yet?

“I knew he was going out today, just didn’t expect it to be this early.” Meeting the young lady’s slightly surprised gaze, Chi Can explained flatly: “The Vice Minister of Justice has returned with the results of the Qiao family fire investigation. Tingquan would accompany his uncle to the yamen to inquire about the situation.”

After speaking, he frowned: “What’s with that look in your eyes?” Did she think he spent his days idly running over to fight crickets with Shao Mingyuan out of boredom?

“Oh, I see.” Qiao Zhao felt somewhat emotional.

Perhaps because Chi Can was too handsome and had an unpredictable temperament, she always forgot that this man with features as delicate as a painting was half-royal. Living in the most complex place in the world, how could he be completely without cunning?

Chi Can propped one hand against the corridor pillar and asked Qiao Zhao with raised eyebrows: “You come here every day—doesn’t your family mind?”

Shouldn’t young ladies stay home properly to do embroidery? What was this about running to Marquis Guanjun’s residence every day?

“My family is very open-minded.” Qiao Zhao replied.

For Lady He, as long as her daughter was happy; for Li Guangwen, as long as his daughter could play chess with him; for Old Madam Deng, her granddaughter was clever and reliable, and since she couldn’t marry out anyway, going out to broaden her horizons was fine—so her granddaughter’s happiness was what mattered; for Second Madam Liu, whoever provoked Third Miss would be unlucky, and there might even be innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, so naturally Third Miss’s happiness was what mattered.

Thus, with her reputation in ruins and her maiden virtue completely gone, Miss Qiao had become completely free.

Chi Can snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Qiao Zhao was happy for the peace and sat by the small stove with her chin in her hand, lost in thought.

Time passed slowly. When the guards came to change the ice basins for the seventh time, Chi Can finally couldn’t stand it: “Come sit over here!”

“Hmm?”

Chi Can frowned: “I said, come sit over here. Why are you guarding a fire stove in this blazing heat? Aren’t you afraid of getting heat rash?”

“There are ice basins, so it’s not that hot.”

“Was all that ice blown here by the wind? Doesn’t it cost money?”

This wasteful girl, watching basin after basin of ice being replaced like this, didn’t she know to feel sorry for the expense?

Weren’t young ladies supposed to be good at managing households? Who could afford to support her with habits like this?

Young Master Chi felt angry while silently thinking: Perhaps he should find some work to do.

Qiao Zhao got up to check that the medicine was almost ready, instructed Chen Guang to carry the medicine into the room, then left the small stove to sit not far from Chi Can.

Seeing his consistently dark expression, Qiao Zhao asked uncertainly: “Is Big Brother Chi feeling sorry for General Shao’s money?”

Was this person being too meddlesome? She had even been Shao Mingyuan’s wife before and hadn’t been this concerned.

Besides, it was just a few basins of ice. If she didn’t use them, who knew who would benefit later?

“What do I care about—it’s not my money!”

Qiao Zhao smiled: “That’s exactly what I think, too.”

Chi Can: “…” Shao Mingyuan, come back quickly and hear how shameless this girl is—she’s treating you like a complete sucker!

Just as he was thinking this, there was movement ahead.

“General—”

Qiao Zhao quickly stood up and saw Shao Mingyuan and Qiao Mo walking over side by side.

Her gaze first fell on Qiao Mo’s face.

Qiao Mo’s expression was unreadable, his demeanor grave.

Qiao Zhao then looked at Shao Mingyuan.

Shao Mingyuan’s face similarly showed little expression.

Qiao Zhao secretly clenched her fists.

Whatever the results were, she couldn’t guess anything from Big Brother and Shao Mingyuan’s expressions.

Shao Mingyuan and Qiao Mo soon approached.

Seeing that Chi Can was also there, Shao Mingyuan smiled slightly: “Shixi, you came.”

“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you for ages.” Chi Can glanced at Qiao Mo.

Qiao Mo nodded lightly at Chi Can, his gaze falling on Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao pressed her lips together.

After Big Brother had said those things yesterday, seeing her here again today would certainly make him even more wary.

Indeed, Qiao Mo only nodded slightly at Qiao Zhao, then said to Shao Mingyuan: “I’ll go back to my room for some tea first.”

Qiao Zhao watched longingly as Qiao Mo walked away without turning back even once. Her heart felt as if it had been whipped several times with a salt-soaked lash—the pain was indescribable.

Fortunately, after experiencing a sleepless night, she could now suppress this pain without showing it.

She looked up and smiled at Shao Mingyuan: “General Shao, the medicine is ready. I’ll go get it.”

“Thank you, Miss Li.”

Qiao Zhao turned and went into the room to get the medicine. As she came out, she heard Chi Can asking: “What exactly did the investigation into the Qiao family fire discover?”

She stopped in her tracks, holding her breath, standing there with the medicine bowl.

The wind blew, but Qiao Zhao felt the air around her was frozen, as if time had stopped at this moment.

“According to the investigation, the fire started in the kitchen of the Qiao residence. That’s where it burned most severely. The current conclusion is that it was an accident.”

An accident?

For some reason, after hearing the word “accident,” Qiao Zhao didn’t feel any sense of closure. Instead, she felt disbelief.

How could it be an accident? Her parents and family members had all perished because of such an accident as a kitchen fire?

Tears fell without her knowing when, splashing into the medicine bowl and creating small ripples.

Shao Mingyuan seemed to sense something and looked up.

Qiao Zhao quickly suppressed the moisture in her eyes, carried the medicine bowl over, and said calmly: “General Shao, please drink your medicine first.”