As the morning passed, the day turned sultry.
Liu'er was flapping the fan with a rustling sound, watching as Baishao and Maidong arranged ice blocks in the room.
"Are these ice blocks not up to par? They should have picked the good ones to bring." She complained while fanning Miss Jun, "It's far worse compared to Funing."
Miss Jun was reclining on a beauty couch, reading her handwritten notes, and laughed upon hearing this.
"Even without ice blocks, Funing is still cool," she said.
Although she had never been there, she had heard her master talk about it.
As the thought flashed through her mind, she couldn't help but flip through the map of the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun again, thinking that many places there must be cool now.
Reflecting on it now, it seemed like her master's mentions were laced with reminiscence and longing.
Was the past of her master tied to the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun?
Miss Jun was carefully looking at the map, trying to discover features like the detailed depictions of military generals on an Array Map.
Unfortunately, a map is just a map, strict and devoid of any sentiment.
"Gongzhu."
Fang Chengyu's voice came through.
Miss Jun looked up and saw him standing by the window.
He must have just come back from outside; his face was shiny with a fine sweat.
"I hardly dare go out anymore," Fang Chengyu walked in, taking the towel Maidong offered to wipe his face, and casually sat down next to Miss Jun.
His remark was abrupt, and Miss Jun looked at him with a smile.
"Why don't you dare?" she asked.
"Every time I go out, everyone asks about you," said Fang Chengyu.
Miss Jun laughed out loud, pressing the handwritten notes against herself.
"So you think my limelight has surpassed yours, and you're scared?" she teased.
Fang Chengyu also laughed out loud.
"Gongzhu, you're really funny," he said.
Was she, who was so lackluster, really funny? Miss Jun pursed her lips and smiled.
Fang Chengyu's gaze inadvertently swept over the posted handwritten notes beside her.
"We should open a Jiuling Hall in Yangcheng as well," he pondered and then suggested.
Jiuling Hall was so famous; if it opened in Yangcheng, all of Shanxi would come for treatment, thought Liu'er proudly on the side—it would be both prestigious and profitable.
Miss Jun just smiled and shook her head.
"I don't find staying at home boring, you don't need to worry," she said.
Liu'er was taken aback. Boring?
Was Young Master's suggestion to open Jiuling Hall just because he feared Miss would be bored? Did his mind contain nothing but boredom and amusement? Was such a big matter really just about fun and games?
How childish, she thought disdainfully, no longer caring to listen, when suddenly she saw a little maid signaling to her.
Liu'er frowned, glanced at Fang Chengyu, who was laughing heartily over something, and walked out.
"Sister Liu'er, someone is looking for you outside," said the little maid in a low and ingratiating voice.
Someone was looking for her again?
Goodness, the Miss was too famous; even her maid is troubled by it.
"Don't see them, don't see them, who asked them to come anyhow," she dismissed with a wave of her hand.
The little maid hurriedly handed over a piece of paper.
"He asked you, Sister Liu'er, to look at this," she said.
Liu'er frowned, took the paper, and upon unfolding it, her eyes immediately lit up.
"It's from the lady..." she spoke.
But as her eyes swept across the words on the note, her voice cut off.
Xiaoding was sent by the gentleman with instructions not to be called out by you, Sister Liu'er, so as not to affect Miss Jun unfavorably.
To avoid causing any harm to Miss Jun, best not to say it.
Liu'er swallowed the rest of her words, waved to the little maid, and scurried off towards the door.
Of course, Old Lady Fang heard immediately when the note was passed from her own home's doorstep.
"How shameless can this scholar be!" she raged, "Is this not passing secret messages?"
"It's not entirely that way, Noble Son Ning and Miss Jun are engaged, so it's not a big deal for a betrothed couple to meet and exchange a few words, it won't affect Miss Jun's reputa..." Concubine Yuan began.
Her words were cut off as Old Lady Fang glared and spat out.
"What does an engagement matter? They are not a married couple until the day they wed," she retorted irritably, "Besides, Fang Chengyu has gone through wedding rituals."
Careless, Concubine Yuan let out a sound, realizing it wasn't Miss Jun's reputation she was worried about, but the Young Master.
"This kind of matter should be stopped by the gatekeepers." She immediately said indignantly, "What would people think?"
"They said they were looking for her; the gatekeepers didn't dare to stop them." Lady Fang said softly.
Previously, they were afraid of Zhenzhen creating a mess with her persistence, but now they were concerned about delaying Miss Jun's matters.
Old Lady Fang hummed.
"What is that Ning Family up to?" she asked.
Concubine Yuan and Lady Fang exchanged glances.
"The servant boy of Tenth Noble Son Ning muttered a few words to Liu'er, and no one dared to come close, so we don't know what was said," Concubine Yuan said, "and this time, surprisingly, Liu'er did not blabber everywhere, not even mentioning the term 'son-in-law'."
Liu'er was not this kind of girl; she would clamor about anything like it should be known to the whole world.
Old Lady Fang hummed again.
"It must be that scholar from the Ning Family that taught her." she said, "As for sneaking around, there has been no one better than scholars since ancient times."
This comment was truly blunt, and Concubine Yuan and Lady Fang could not help but laugh.
"Our Chengyu is so honest, he's no match for that scholar." Old Lady Fang sighed again.
Well... It's hard to tell just how honest the Young Master is, Concubine Yuan thought with suppressed laughter.
"Should I try to find a way to inquire about it?" she whispered.
Old Lady Fang shook her head.
"Don't go asking her this and that; it's not good," she said, "It's disrespectful."
Old Lady Fang is still very honest, Concubine Yuan thought to herself, nodding.
"... Just keep an eye on her," Old Lady Fang continued, her gaze flickering as she caressed the corner of the desk.
Alright then, Concubine Yuan replied with suppressed laughter.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Liu'er held her tongue until Fang Chengyu left before she came forward.
This was also what Xiaoding had repeatedly instructed her, not to tell anyone.
In Liu'er's eyes, aside from Miss, everyone else was 'anyone else,' and naturally, Fang Chengyu was no exception.
But Liu'er was initially reluctant to comply with Xiaoding's request.
"Why should we avoid others? Noble Son Ning cares for Miss, that's something everyone ought to know," she said discontentedly, "At the beginning, Miss did the same for your Young Master."
Indeed, back then, Jun Zhenzhen proclaimed so loudly that the whole city knew she liked the Tenth Noble Son Ning, but aside from her, no one else thought it was something to be proud of, did they?
Does she now expect Noble Son Ning to do the same, as a kind of reciprocal acknowledgement?
What a peculiar idea the child has, Xiaoding wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"The main reason is that Miss Jun is too well-known," he said quietly, "If everyone sees Miss Jun, won't they all surround her? How would Miss Jun be able to talk to my Young Master? Imagine them sitting together, surrounded by countless onlookers, does that look good?"
Liu'er imagined the scene, her eyes lighting up as she nodded.
It would be quite a beautiful scene.
Xiaoding nearly choked.
"But it's not meant for others to see, Noble Son Ning and Miss Jun have important matters to discuss," he said through gritted teeth.
Liu'er let out an "Oh" as she nodded.
"You should have said that earlier." she said, "So much fuss."
What do you mean 'earlier', what 'fuss'? Do you think my Young Master is seeking out your Miss just for everyone's entertainment? What on earth are you thinking, girl.
Xiaoding forced a smile at Liu'er as he bowed.
"Thank you for your trouble, Sister," he said through clenched teeth.
What Noble Son Ning let Liu'er convey was not the trivial prediction Old Lady Fang had made, but just one sentence.
"Inviting me to Luomei Pavilion outside the city?" Miss Jun said in response to hearing the message, looking at Liu'er, "What's the matter?"
Liu'er shook her head.
"Noble Son Ning didn't say, just that he is inviting you," she said, glancing around and lowering her voice, "Don't tell anyone else."
Miss Jun chuckled.
Is this 'anyone else' referring to Fang Chengyu?
Is it about how to resolve the marriage proposition? Considering the Ning Family's concerns, he probably doesn't want Fang Chengyu around.
"Okay." she nodded.
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Thank you to MAX Stone and the Ice of the South for the reward of the He's Bi, (*^__^*) thank you.
Thank you, everyone.
It's Thursday already, the week has gone by so quickly.