Shi Furen watched helplessly as Yan Qing led Ling’ai to the study, and she couldn’t help but glare at Shi Guang in frustration. Shi Guang acted as if he hadn’t noticed, his gaze fixed on Yan Qing’s retreating figure.

Luo Huaimeng glanced at the mother and son, then turned and walked to a nearby tea table to pour herself some tea.

Yan Qing brought Ling’ai to the study, where they found several rare volumes of traditional Chinese medicine texts. Ling’ai carefully opened one, first lighting up with excitement, then gradually furrowing her brow deeper and deeper.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Qing asked.

“I’m a little embarrassed,” Ling’ai said. “There are so many traditional characters here that I can’t read. Even though I’ve studied Chinese, I never learned the traditional script.”

Seeing her look of frustration, Yan Qing smiled. “It’s nothing difficult. I’ll go back and annotate them for you.”

“Really? Thank you so much.” Ling’ai’s eyes brimmed with delight. She excitedly took Yan Qing’s hand. “Right now? Are you free?”

“I’m free. My task right now is to accompany you.”

“Then shall we stay here, or…?” Ling’ai glanced at Shi Furen not far away, hesitating.

“How about we go to my courtyard?” Yan Qing suggested.

Rather than staying here watching Shi Guang, she would much prefer returning to her own courtyard where no one would bother them.

Ling’ai was naturally delighted and agreed immediately.

When Shi Furen heard that Ling’ai was going to Yan Qing’s courtyard to read, she was first startled, then quickly said, “Miss Ling’ai, there are still a few scenic spots here you haven’t seen yet.”

Ling’ai had no interest in sightseeing now — her mind was entirely on the rare volumes in her hands. Ever since coming to Xin Guo, she had been studying its traditional medicine, and in her eyes, it was a truly fascinating discipline. She had read many books and bought many more, and rare editions were her favorite.

Ling’ai hastily apologized to Shi Furen and pulled Yan Qing away.

“In that case, I’ll go prepare lunch.” Luo Huaimeng bowed to Shi Furen and also took her leave.

“You, you all…” Shi Furen pointed furiously at their retreating figures. “Look at these people — do they have any regard for me at all?”

“Mother, are you trying to arrange a match between me and this Ling’ai?” Shi Guang asked.

“Is that not a good idea?”

“Before doing this, Mother had better first find out whether Hui Cun would give his daughter to a divorced man. Whether it’s me or elder brother, we’ve both had a previous wife. If Master Hui Cun were unwilling, would he not regard this as an insult from you?”

Shi Guang’s words were like a bucket of cold water. Shi Furen suddenly realized: “You’re right. I really should make inquiries first. After all, Di Guo’s traditions are different from ours.”

Then she looked at Shi Guang warily. “Is there any need to have someone keep watch?”

“No need. Besides, that courtyard — we can’t reach it anyway.” Shi Guang stared at the direction Yan Qing had left, a sense of loss washing over him.

“Weizhi, be honest with me. Are you still pining for Yan Qing?”

Shi Guang smiled bitterly. “What does it matter if I am, or if I’m not?”

Shi Furen stared at him, momentarily speechless.

After Yan Qin had been sent back to her family, he was alone again. Even when he’d had a wife and concubines, he had always felt as though he stood alone. The only one who could fill the place beside him was her, and her alone.

Yan Qing brought Ling’ai to Shaolan Courtyard. The moment they stepped through the gate, Ling’ai was captivated by the scenery. Though the courtyard was not large, the unusual flowers, rare plants, and adorable little animals were almost too much to take in all at once.

Jing Zhi and Murong hurried off to prepare tea and refreshments. Erdан and Jianguo came bounding out together to circle around the two of them.

“How cute.” Ling’ai wasn’t the least bit afraid. She crouched down and held out her hand. “What are their names?”

“The big one is Jianguo, the small one is Erdan.” Though it was called the small one, Erdan had been growing at a remarkable pace and was quietly gaining on Jianguo in size. Because it was getting bigger and bigger — it was no longer a small cat at all — Yan Qing kept a close eye on it and wouldn’t let it easily wander outside the courtyard, for fear of startling others.

“Is this… a tiger?” Ling’ai stared in disbelief. “You keep a tiger?”

Erdan nuzzled against Ling’ai’s outstretched hand and wagged its tail.

Yan Qing: “…”

Please, a tiger ought to act like a tiger — how had it gotten so dog-like?

“Welcome!” A strange, quirky voice rang out.

Ling’ai gave a start, but immediately spotted the tiger-striped parrot. She promptly abandoned Erdan and Jianguo and strode over.

“Hello,” Ling’ai tried, calling out a greeting.

“Hello! Welcome!” The big tiger bounced up and down.

Ling’ai laughed until her eyes were nothing but crescents. “This place is so much fun — I love it here.”

“Let’s go to the pavilion over there,” Yan Qing said. “I’ve had refreshments and tea prepared.”

“Alright.” Ling’ai and Yan Qing walked up into the pavilion together. Jing Zhi brought out brushes and ink.

“I’ve really put you to trouble this time,” Ling’ai said apologetically.

“Not at all. I love these old books too.”

“Are you trained in medicine?”

“I’m a forensic physician.”

Ling’ai’s eyes went wide. She suddenly seized Yan Qing’s hand tightly. “I just remembered — Dr. Du once mentioned that a teacher with the surname Yan was compiling a textbook, and the medical college was going to establish a forensic medicine specialty. You’re also surnamed Yan — could it be…?”

“That’s me,” Yan Qing said with a smile.

“That’s wonderful!” Ling’ai looked tremendously excited. “I’m in my second year of medical school now. Once the forensic medicine program is established, I plan to transfer into it. I look forward to your guidance, Teacher.”

Yan Qing was torn between laughter and tears at being called ‘Teacher.’ “No need for formalities — just call me Yan Qing.”

Murong brought up the tea and refreshments and stood to one side, studying this young lady from Di Guo. She was quite different from what Murong had imagined — this Miss was bright and vivacious, without a trace of arrogance. Quite likeable, in fact.

“Yan Qing, was that your second brother just now?” Ling’ai was clearly a fast friend — after just a few exchanges, she had already decided Yan Qing was her friend.

“He’s my husband’s second brother.”

Ling’ai made a sound of understanding, then suddenly blinked and leaned in close, whispering, “I don’t like him at all.”

“Why not?” Yan Qing laughed.

“He’s not sincere at all. During chess just now, he was deliberately letting me win. Chess is a contest — you’re supposed to play your best. Letting me win is looking down on me, and I don’t like that kind of person.” Ling’ai sniffed.

Yan Qing looked at her clear, guileless eyes and said nothing.

She had assumed that Hui Cun’s daughter would be the spoiled, willful type. She hadn’t expected this kind of personality at all — but she liked it very much.

“If you don’t like him, just don’t spend time with him.”

Ling’ai nodded. “I can see Shi Furen is trying to match us together.”

Yan Qing was first caught off guard, then broke into a helpless laugh.

Shi Furen’s lofty and self-important ways still hadn’t changed. She always liked to treat others as fools, as though she were the only clever person in the world. Even after suffering great losses, her character remained exactly the same.

“Don’t worry about it. After today, she’ll be going into seclusion,” Yan Qing said, keeping her words deliberately vague.

Unexpectedly, Ling’ai’s eyebrows lifted and she looked rather excited. “That means she’s been confined to her quarters, right? I know about that — in your Xin Guo’s grand households, when people commit mistakes that can’t be openly punished, they get confined to their quarters.”

Yan Qing: “…”

This Ling’ai was quite the expert on Xin Guo!

“Yan Qing, can I come visit you here often?” Ling’ai blinked her large eyes, her expression full of earnest longing.

“Come whenever you like. I’m home every day.”

“Will it be inconvenient if your husband comes home?”

“He’s never home during the day,” Yan Qing smiled. “It won’t be inconvenient at all.”

“I know Director Shi,” Ling’ai said, sipping her tea. “My father says he’s a remarkable young talent. Yan Qing, your taste is excellent.”

“What about you? Is there anyone who has caught your eye?”

Ling’ai immediately blushed and shook her head. “I only want to study more right now. I haven’t thought about other things yet.”

“Then let’s get to reading.”

“Yes.” Ling’ai happily picked up those old worn rare volumes.

At three in the afternoon, Ling’ai finally left with Hui Cun. The General and Hui Cun had gotten along splendidly and seemed to be in good spirits.

When Shi Ting came home, Yan Qing was busy in the small kitchen. It seemed today she was cooking again herself.

Every time she cooked, she managed to produce flavors he had never tasted before. He had no idea where she learned it all.

“What are we having today?” Shi Ting had somehow slipped into the small kitchen, startling Yan Qing.

“Numbing pepper fish,” Yan Qing said, blinking.

She pointed to a small bowl on the stovetop. “Just now I went to the kitchen and found fresh Sichuan peppercorns — they’ll be perfect for making numbing pepper fish.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No need,” Yan Qing laughed. “Murong’s already helping. If you’re bored, you can just watch.”

“Alright.” Shi Ting was more than happy to.

He watched Yan Qing slice the fish into thin, delicate fillets with her knife, and couldn’t resist picking one up and holding it up to the light — it was truly translucent.

“Director Shi is probably thinking that for a forensic physician, the knife work is quite impressive.”

“How did you know?” Shi Ting smiled.

“A guess.”

“Was Hui Cun’s daughter here today at Shaolan Courtyard?”

“This Ling’ai turned out to be quite different from what I expected — I actually rather like her.”

Shi Ting handed her a basin to place the sliced fish in.

“Shi Guang came back today,” Yan Qing said, setting down the fish slices casually. “How did his errand go?”

“He reported to the General that everything went smoothly — that the Di Guo people at the mining operation near Qian Guan Cheng made concessions and handed over most of the management rights.”

“The Di Guo people willingly handed over management rights?” Yan Qing was astonished.

“Which is why this matter is not simple.” Shi Ting said gravely. “I’ve already sent people to investigate, but Shi Guang will certainly have taken strict precautions. There probably won’t be any news for a while.”

“I don’t think he persuaded the Di Guo people. On the contrary, I believe he reached some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement with them to achieve this surface-level ‘success.'”

“If there truly is such an arrangement, it will certainly be uncovered.” Shi Ting’s tone was resolute.

Yan Qing seasoned the fish slices with the marinade. “The First Madam wants to arrange a match between Shi Guang and Ling’ai. To be precise, she originally intended to match Shi Qian with Ling’ai, but since Shi Qian has no interest in such matters, he pushed the task onto Shi Guang.”

Shi Ting gave a cold laugh. “The First Madam has been the head of this household for so many years and still can’t understand the General’s mind. The General befriends the Di Guo people only to make use of them — he has no intention of handing his power and territory over to them.”