Yu Jin placed both hands on his knees, appearing sincere. He wanted to put on an honest and simple demeanor, but his appearance didn’t lend itself to that, making such a pretense too difficult.
“My family is considered prestigious, but in my generation, there are many siblings. I’m the seventh, not particularly valued,” Yu Jin smiled candidly. “In other words, whether I fare well or poorly in the future mainly depends on myself. Of course, my parents’ restrictions on me are much less than on my more favored siblings. I suppose there are pros and cons.”
Jiang Zhan couldn’t help but nod.
Not being highly valued by parents was an advantage!
He was too valued by his father, and even at his age, he was still watched closely, getting beaten at the slightest disagreement.
“So Brother Yu Seven came to the capital to make his fortune?”
Yu Jin was slightly taken aback but seized the opportunity to elaborate: “Yes, I plan to establish myself in the capital. This way, after marriage, I won’t have to live with my parents.”
Ahem, if a prince were to live in the palace after marriage, that would be a big problem. The censors’ spit would flood the imperial palace.
Jiang Zhan’s eyes lit up.
Fourth Sister had a cold personality and wasn’t good at pleasing others. If she married and didn’t have to live with her in-laws, that would be ideal.
“Brother Jiang Two, is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
Jiang Zhan cleared his throat: “We were just chatting casually earlier. I don’t have any particular thoughts.”
Asking too much would make it seem like he cared a lot—
“Anyway, my Fourth Sister is still young,” Jiang Zhan said with a straight face as he stood up. “I’m going to bed.”
Back in his room, Jiang Zhan flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and sighing.
It was so troublesome. The thought of Fourth Sister marrying a stranger in the future made him anxious, but the idea of her marrying Brother Yu Seven made him want to kick Yu Seven a few times.
Being a brother was truly vexing!
At this time, Jiang Si hadn’t fallen asleep either.
Exhausted from the night’s events, she was still eagerly anticipating dawn to meet Miss Li.
The clues about the female corpse in the Changxing Marquis’s garden were almost certainly linked to Miss Li.
Hearing Jiang Si tossing and turning, A-Man, sleeping on a low couch by the door, couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, can’t you sleep?”
As soon as she spoke, a sudden clap of thunder rang out, followed by a flash of lightning that lit up the window brightly.
For an instant, it seemed as if the earth itself trembled, terrifyingly so.
A-Man was startled, tumbling out of bed and running to Jiang Si’s side without even putting on her shoes, asking worriedly, “Miss, are you alright?”
Jiang Si sat up, her expression calm: “I’m fine.”
“Oh, Miss, you’re not afraid of thunder anymore?”
Jiang Si simply got up, slipped on her shoes, and walked to the window. She pushed it open and said softly, “Not anymore.”
She had been afraid of thunder since childhood, a trait both A-Man and A-Qiao knew well. However, after experiencing so much, she was no longer afraid.
Thunder was nothing compared to the terrors of the human heart.
Gusts of wind rushed in, making her long hair and clothes sway back and forth.
The sky was vast and distant, its inky expanse illuminated by flashes of light, revealing the scenery outside in stark clarity.
Soon, raindrops began to fall.
At first, one by one, but unlike the subtle spring rain, it quickly took on the boldness characteristic of summer showers. The raindrops, like beans, soon formed into streams.
Another clap of thunder sounded, and the rain intensified. Outside the window, everything became a white blur, with only the sound of rain like thousands of troops disturbing countless dreams.
This was truly a torrential downpour.
Aided by the wind, rainwater sprayed in through the window.
A-Man hurriedly closed the window.
“Miss, be careful not to catch a cold. You’d better lie down.”
Jiang Si remained standing, her gaze still fixed on the window even though it was closed.
Seeing this, A-Man simply lit a lamp, immediately brightening the room.
“This rain came quite suddenly,” Jiang Si said with a hint of a smile in her eyes, though no one noticed.
A-Man brought over an outer garment and draped it over her, looking somewhat worried: “Miss, with such heavy rain, will we be able to leave tomorrow?”
Jiang Si glanced at A-Man and smiled, “What’s the rush?”
A-Man’s eyes widened: “Someone died! Although the case has been solved, just thinking that the culprit was the acting abbot of Lingwu Temple is so unsettling.”
At this, A-Man pouted, her face full of disdain: “Since Lingwu Temple was a fraud from the beginning, it’s clear their incense offerings weren’t effective. What’s the point of staying at such a small, broken temple? There are temples everywhere in the capital.”
Seeing Jiang Si only smile, the little maid blinked: “Miss, am I wrong?”
“You have a point,” Jiang Si said, her mood good as she listened to the raging storm outside. “Go to sleep.”
She walked to the bed first, took off her outer garment, and lay down.
It was raining, and the downpour was even heavier than she had anticipated. She could finally sleep peacefully.
Seeing Jiang Si lie down, A-Man quickly blew out the lamp and tiptoed to her bed.
The rain battered the windows relentlessly, and the wind made the flowers and trees rustle loudly, but soon the even breathing of mistress and maid could be heard inside the room.
When Jiang Si opened her eyes, the first thing she did was listen intently.
She needed this heavy rain to naturally keep Miss Li, who was also staying at Lingwu Temple, from leaving. This would save her a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated. The storm outside was still raging, and Jiang Si’s heart finally settled.
There’s no need to detail the washing and dressing. As soon as Jiang Si walked out the door, she saw someone standing at the other end of the covered walkway.
Hearing the movement, the person looked over and smiled slightly at Jiang Si.
The young man had handsome features and a clean smile. It was undoubtedly Yu Jin.
Before Jiang Si could react, Jiang Zhan suddenly appeared from somewhere, positioning himself right in front of Yu Jin, blocking their line of sight.
Jiang Si was slightly surprised and looked towards the rain.
What had gotten into Second Brother today? Had he been running in the rain?
Yu Jin’s expression, however, didn’t change at all.
He had decided to be honest with Jiang Zhan last night, and that step hadn’t been wrong. The fact that Jiang Zhan hadn’t punched him a few times then showed that he was quite satisfied with him as a potential brother-in-law. As for these little actions now, heh, it was just a futile struggle. He had seen it many times before.
Jiang Zhan shot a warning glare at Yu Jin before striding towards Jiang Si: “Fourth Sister, did you sleep well last night?”
“It was fine. How about you, Second Brother?”
“Ah, I was fine too.” Jiang Zhan’s eyes flickered, the large dark circles under them making him look like he had spent the night in some unsavory places.
Jiang Si frowned: “Second Brother doesn’t seem to have slept well—”
Jiang Zhan quickly changed the subject: “Let’s go eat. My stomach is growling. This rain is annoying. It’s been pouring since last night and hasn’t stopped. It looks like we won’t be able to leave anytime soon.”
After the meal, the County Magistrate sent someone to invite them for tea. Yu Jin and Jiang Zhan had a good impression of the perceptive County Magistrate, and since they had nothing else to do on such a rainy day, they didn’t refuse.
However, Jiang Si found an excuse to stay behind. After the two left, she went to Miss Li’s door and knocked gently.
“Who is it?” Miss Li’s voice came from inside, unable to hide her hoarseness and nervousness.
“I’m Jiang Er’s sister,” Jiang Si replied concisely.
She wasn’t skilled at making up excuses, but it didn’t matter. The less she said, the more curious the other person might become.
Sure enough, before long, the door creaked open.