Lin Hao pulled over the stunned young man and kissed him.

Originally before A’Shuo left the capital, they had agreed to have a meal together, but a suddenly arriving urgent order made them miss that meal.

At that time she had thought, in the future she shouldn’t wait to do things she wanted to do, lest she create regrets in vain.

Right now, she wanted to kiss A’Shuo.

The summer wind picked up. Wild rose petals were blown loose, rustling down onto their clothes, carrying faint traces of fragrance.

Baozhu basked in the sun, becoming somewhat drowsy.

Suddenly something fell down, startling the little maid into opening her eyes wide. She discovered it was a brightly colored shuttlecock.

She looked around suspiciously, her gaze finally falling on that wall.

Could someone be kicking shuttlecocks over there?

Thinking this, the little maid skillfully took a running start and easily climbed atop the wall.

On the other side of the wall stood two servant boys, making identical upward-looking movements. Looking down from this high position, they resembled a pair of silly geese.

“Whose shuttlecock?” Baozhu held the pretty feathered shuttlecock and asked crisply.

“His!” Changning pointed at Changshun.

Changshun’s reaction was obviously slower. He hastily said: “His!”

“You also like kicking shuttlecocks?” the little maid perched on the wall asked curiously.

The two servant boys said in unison: “Don’t like it!”

If you don’t like it, why kick it? Baozhu frowned and tossed the colorful feathered shuttlecock back over.

Once Baozhu was out of sight, Changning extended his hand: “Hand it over.”

Changshun reluctantly slapped the money pouch into Changning’s hand, sighing with heartache: “How could it be such a coincidence?”

Just now Changning had bet with him, saying Baozhu would definitely be on the other side of the wall at this time. He didn’t believe it, and then… a whole pouch of money was gone.

Lin Hao and Qi Shuo walked around the flower trellis and came out.

“Baozhu, who were you talking to just now?”

Baozhu came forward with light steps: “Changning and Changshun. The two of them were kicking shuttlecocks and kicked it over to this side of the wall.”

Lin Hao looked at Qi Shuo.

Qi Shuo: “…” Why were his servant boys so abnormal?

Baozhu suddenly drew closer: “Miss, you have a leaf on your head!”

Qi Shuo’s face warmed slightly. He saw Lin Hao calmly lower her head: “Help me take it off.”

He couldn’t help falling into reflection: Perhaps… he was too constrained?

The next day, Princess Consort Jing personally went to the general’s mansion to discuss wedding matters with the Old Madam and Lin Shi.

“The prince and I think we should hold the ceremony for the two children this month. After all, it’s been delayed so long, and the two children aren’t young anymore. Of course it still depends on what the Old Madam and Madam Lin think.”

Although the prince’s mansion’s status wasn’t comparable to the general’s mansion, Princess Consort Jing’s attitude was very humble. This was also a kind of statement from the groom’s family about their satisfaction with the bride.

Lin Shi looked toward the Old Madam.

On major matters, she still listened to Mother.

The Old Madam naturally wouldn’t object: “The princess consort is right. It was already decided—no need to drag it out further. Everything needed for the wedding has long been prepared.”

If not for the Crown Prince’s death, the wedding would have been completed long ago.

Having reached agreement, the subsequent procedures were quickly and smoothly arranged.

The betrothal gifts sent from the prince’s mansion filled the general’s mansion’s courtyard. Among them, a pair of red coral trees taller than a person were most eye-catching—imperially bestowed items.

Not only that, Emperor Tai’an also bestowed a farm estate in the capital’s suburbs as a congratulatory gift for the new couple.

Before leaving home, Lin Hao invited several close friends for a small gathering: young Princess Qi Qiong, First Miss Chen Yi of the Huai’an Earl’s mansion, Fourth Miss Zhu Jiayu of the Yichun Earl’s mansion, Miss Tao Qing of the Xiliang Earl’s mansion, and two who had recently become familiar with everyone—one was Second Miss Kou Wan of the Weiwu Marquis’s mansion, and the other was Chi Caiyun, daughter of a wealthy family.

These two could become familiar with the others so quickly partly due to the Wuxiang Flower Essence Shop that Lin Hao had opened.

During these months when Qi Shuo wasn’t in the capital, Lin Hao naturally didn’t place her whole heart on missing her beloved. On the contrary, precisely because the feeling of worrying about someone was hard to bear, to divert her attention, she threw most of her time into the flower essence shop.

The Wuxiang Flower Essence Shop opened its fourth branch, and it was opened in the south.

Many things were just this absurd. Clearly chaos and war raged everywhere, yet the first three flower essence shops’ business wasn’t much affected. Even the newly opened southern flower essence shop turned a profit in an extremely short time.

As if as long as the flames of war didn’t burn right before one’s eyes, it was a peaceful and prosperous age.

Yet in reality, refugees had noticeably increased.

When encountering disaster years, apart from the government, wealthy families all had the custom of offering porridge. Lin Hao used the flower essence shop’s name to provide relief to refugees, helping them at least survive through the cold days.

After Qi Qiong and the others successively heard about it, they all joined in.

Their families had set up porridge stations large or small, but personally participating with their own silver, the feeling was completely different.

For instance, Chi Caiyun was a particularly earnest girl. In her excitement she took out all her saved pocket money, to the point she had no funds left to treat Lin Hao and Zhu Jiayu to crayfish.

Seeing how they only gave out without taking in, making it difficult to sustain long-term, Lin Hao had the idea of the fourth flower essence shop jointly opened by several people.

“I didn’t expect A’Hao would be the first among us to leave home.” Zhu Jiayu smiled as she raised her wine cup. “A’Hao, I wish you and Prince Jing’s heir a long, long time together, happiness and white-haired old age.”

In the cup was pale golden fruit liqueur, beautiful and delicious.

Lin Hao expressed her thanks and drank it all in one gulp.

The others also successively toasted.

Lin Hao looked at the several smiling faces. Clearly what she was drinking was fruit liqueur without much wine taste, yet she felt a warm, heady sensation.

Among those present, apart from Kou Wan and Chi Caiyun, all were betrothed. Among them, Chen Yi and Tao Qing’s wedding dates were also this year.

No matter what the future held, at least in this moment, everyone thought of the future with anticipation. Among them, some had walked step by step to the present, while others possessed lives completely different from their previous lives.

How wonderful.

Lin Hao drank another cup of fruit liqueur, thinking this.

After several people finished eating and seeing the sky was still early, they went together to the flower essence shop.

April was precisely when a hundred flowers competed in beauty. Women had also changed into light summer robes and paid even more attention to beauty in all aspects, so the flower essence shop’s business was very good.

Seeing the shop was too crowded, the several people didn’t go in, leisurely strolling the various shops lining the street instead.

Half an hour later, each person’s hands held many more things: delicate round fans, pretty oiled paper umbrellas, fresh-styled jewelry, sweet and sour preserved fruits and candies, crispy and fragrant sesame cakes…

Actually they hadn’t spent many silver pieces, yet their mood was exceptionally good.

Until they finished walking this street lined with shops on both sides, a little girl running headlong toward them knocked the packet of candied fruit from Chi Caiyun’s hand.

Peach preserves, orange cakes, dried apricots, green plums… the brightly colored candied fruits rolled all over the ground. Angered, Chi Caiyun grabbed the little girl’s wrist: “What’s wrong with you, running faster than an unbridled wild horse on the main street—”

The latter words stopped when she saw the little girl’s face full of tears and panicked expression.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” The little girl said repeatedly, glanced back in panic, broke free of Chi Caiyun’s hand, and ran forward.

And in this moment of delay, the people chasing from behind caught up.