When Qi Shuo reached the general’s mansion gates, he slowed his steps.

The familiar beast-faced copper ring gate, the familiar pair of stone lions, the familiar blue walls—everything before his eyes was no different from when he left the capital, yet he inexplicably felt a sense of timidity about approaching home.

“The Heir is here!” Seeing Qi Shuo standing motionless, the gatekeeper of the general’s mansion smiled and came forward to greet him.

Qi Shuo collected his thoughts and smiled courteously: “I’ve come to pay respects to the Old Madam and my mother-in-law.”

“Heir, please come in.” The gatekeeper enthusiastically ushered Qi Shuo inside.

After returning from the street, Lin Hao changed into a newly tailored beautiful dress and went to the main courtyard to chat with the Old Madam.

Lin Shi also gathered together, not forgetting to laugh at her daughter: “Look how anxious you are. After Prince Jing’s heir returns from the palace banquet, he’ll have many matters to attend to. Perhaps he won’t come until tomorrow.”

Lin Hao smiled with pressed lips: “He’ll definitely come to pay respects to Grandmother and Mother.”

Seeing her silly, happy appearance, Lin Shi shook her head: “You’re dressed up more festively than for New Year’s—aren’t you afraid the Heir will laugh at you?”

She’d suffered enough from being insufficiently reserved as a woman, so seeing her daughter like this always made her somewhat uneasy.

Lin Hao looked down at her pink-green dress embroidered with wild roses and smiled: “I’m dressing up prettily precisely to let him see.”

Lin Shi was about to say more when the Old Madam showed disdain: “Don’t lecture A’Hao anymore. A’Hao has far better judgment than you.”

Her foolish daughter was unreserved when she should be reserved, and awkwardly constrained when she shouldn’t be. If her granddaughter truly listened to her, she’d be led into a pit.

Just as the three generations were talking, a maid came in to report: “The Heir has arrived.”

“Quickly invite him in.”

Soon the gauze curtain was lifted. The Old Madam and Lin Shi looked at the young man walking in and couldn’t help but show smiles.

Qi Shuo respectfully greeted the Old Madam and Lin Shi, his gaze slightly turning to fall on Lin Hao’s face.

The exceptionally beautiful young woman wearing a pretty new outfit smiled at him, like a flower blooming in early summer filling his eyes.

He restrained himself and moved his gaze away, answering the two elders’ questions: “Not too hard, no difficulties adjusting, and achieving victory is most important…”

The Old Madam and Lin Shi asked many questions, all receiving serious and patient answers.

The Old Madam was extremely satisfied with this grandson-in-law and tactfully stopped delaying the two young people’s time together: “It’s good that you’ve returned safely. Your mother-in-law and I can set our minds at ease now. A’Hao, you accompany the Heir to walk in the garden.”

“Mm.” Lin Hao stood and walked to Qi Shuo’s side, her upturned face wearing a sweet smile. “Let’s go.”

The April garden was at its most beautiful, everywhere flourishing with flowers like brocade and lush vegetation. As if deliberately creating space for the two young people who hadn’t seen each other in so long, as they walked at this unhurried pace, apart from Baozhu following behind Lin Hao, they didn’t encounter a single servant on the road.

Before they knew it, they had walked to that wall.

Qi Shuo stopped, and Lin Hao stopped as well.

The two who had been quiet the whole way looked into each other’s eyes, both filled with joy.

“I’ve returned.” Qi Shuo spoke.

Lin Hao’s lips curved up: “I knew you would definitely come back.”

Those worries, anxieties, and uncertainties—on this day of reunion, they were all unnecessary things to mention.

Qi Shuo remembered Lin Hao’s reaction at the teahouse: “A’Hao, when you saw me, why did you hide?”

“Oh, my handkerchief dropped.” Lin Hao explained casually.

This didn’t fool the young princess, but Qi Shuo believed it, smiling with relief: “At the time I thought you were angry.”

“What would I be angry about?” Lin Hao asked with a smile.

Qi Shuo’s eyes lowered slightly, his gentle gaze enveloping the young woman’s porcelain-white face: “Angry that I falsely claimed serious injury, making you worry.”

Lin Hao nodded: “I did worry, but I knew the message sent back was exaggerated. The so-called serious injury should have been for the later plan.”

Rationally she thought this, but the worry was still real worry.

“A’Shuo, come sit over here.” Lin Hao pulled Qi Shuo around to behind the flower trellis blooming with wild roses. There was one table and two chairs there, exactly the same as that small corner in the prince’s mansion garden just one wall away.

When Qi Shuo had just left the capital, Lin Hao inevitably worried. When emotions accumulated badly enough, she’d bring Baozhu to climb over the wall to that small corner behind the flower trellis and space out for a while. Once her emotions improved, she’d return.

After climbing the wall several times like this, Baozhu asked: “Miss, why don’t we place a table and chairs on our side behind the flower trellis? Then we wouldn’t need to climb the wall.”

Although she supported whatever her miss did, since Prince Jing’s heir wasn’t even there, why did her miss climb the wall to the prince’s mansion garden to space out, when the scenery on both sides was basically the same?

Mainly she didn’t want to use the excuse of looking for shuttlecocks or beanbags to fool that silly servant boy anymore—it felt like bullying.

Reminded by this, Lin Hao had this arrangement made, but didn’t know why when spacing out in her own family’s garden, she still had the impulse to climb the wall.

Qi Shuo sat down. Before his eyes was an abundance of flowers and branches blocking the harsh sunlight. Clearly it was similar to the prince’s mansion side, yet he felt somewhat constrained.

It was almost like the feeling of being a scoundrel…

“What’s wrong?” Lin Hao asked with a smile.

Qi Shuo looked intently at the young woman sitting across from him: “I keep feeling it’s unreal, as if the previous moment I was still fighting on the battlefield, and this moment I’m chatting with you under the flower trellis. I thought—”

He paused, the smile deepening at his lips: “Thought we’d be separated for much longer.”

Lin Hao raised her eyebrows: “Wasn’t it long enough already?”

This silly fool!

“That’s not what I meant—”

A delicate hand reached before him, making him forget the rest of what he was going to say.

“I heard the north has many local specialties. Did you bring me a gift?”

Qi Shuo’s expression clearly stiffened for a moment. He honestly shook his head.

“I knew it.” Lin Hao sighed, but her eyes held no blame. Instead they brimmed with fine, gentle light. “A’Shuo, I prepared a gift for you.”

“What gift?” The guilt in Qi Shuo’s heart was increasingly stirred up.

The young woman across from him suddenly leaned forward. That face more gorgeous than wild roses instantly drew near, and a soft pair of lips pressed against him.

She kissed his sharp brow, his eyes with upturned corners, his high-bridged nose, then his cool lips.

His lips were very thin, the color also pale. Because of surprise they were slightly parted, welcoming the other party’s clumsy reckless charge.

After a brief daze, the man’s strong arms embraced the young woman’s slender body.

The pink-green skirt embroidered with wild roses spread out like rippling water waves.

Qi Shuo sensed his body undergoing changes. The hands circling the young woman’s waist moved upward to support her shoulders, pushing her away some distance.

Confusion flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes, her voice no longer its usual crispness but carrying a trace of huskiness: “What’s wrong?”

Qi Shuo’s gaze moved to the wild rose branches gently swaying in the breeze. Only after his eyes recovered their clarity did he look at the young woman before him.

“A’Hao, our wedding date should arrive very soon.”

Lin Hao moved closer a step, asking with incomprehension: “So I can’t kiss you now?”

Qi Shuo completely forgot how to react.