Chapter Sixty-Four: Xu Chumian Goes to See Xiao Qingyan's Grandmother

Therefore, after school, all the classmates left, leaving only Xu Chumian and Yu Shan in the school.

Qin Hua gave her a book. "The land of Monan is abundant, and the people love incense. They once bought spices from Daliang at high prices. This is a translation of a local record of Monan. The translator's handwriting is messy, but Miss Xu's regular script is excellent. If you have time, please help me transcribe it again."

Qin Hua's eyes held a faint smile.

Understanding Qin Hua's unspoken meaning, Xu Chumian readily accepted the offer. Her eyes flickered slightly: "Young Master Qin Hua has many capable people under his command, why did you choose me?"

Xu Chumian's spices are only sold in the capital, and now they can't even be considered well-known.

Qin Hua raised an eyebrow slightly: "It's just a matter of convenience. Besides, merchants are profit-driven. I have high hopes for Miss Xu's incense. What are you worried about, Miss Xu?"

Xu Chumian shook her head, smiling, "Then I look forward to the day when I can work with Young Master Qinhua."

Yu Shan couldn't help but say, "Gentlemen, if we don't leave soon, it will start snowing again."

Young Master Qin Hua and Yu Shan walked ahead, holding umbrellas.

Xu Chumian and Qiu Yu maintained a distance of five steps behind them.

Fewer and fewer students were coming out of the school gate. Xiao Qingyan guessed that Xu Chumian might have been kept behind for something, so he was not flustered.

When he looked up again, he saw Xu Chumian and Qin Hua talking to each other. Both of them held white umbrellas. Qin Hua had a gentle smile on his face and was talking about something. This scene attracted the attention of many people.

Xu Chumian was merely asking about the deadline for returning the copy.

Qin Hua simply said there was no rush, and she would give it to him whenever she finished writing it.

Xu Chumian nodded and saw that Xiao Qingyan had arrived. After bidding farewell to Qin Hua, she walked towards Xiao Qingyan.

Behind her, Qin Hua met Xiao Qingyan's gaze, and he raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Xu Chumian stopped beside the carriage, paused slightly, and looked at the man with her bright eyes, "What's wrong with Qingyan?"

Xiao Qingyan withdrew his gaze and asked casually, "Why are you so late?"

Xu Chumian talked about the translation.

Xiao Qingyan nodded and said, "Let's go up first and get out of the city so that the snow won't get too heavy later."

This afternoon I'm going to visit Xiao Qingyan's maternal grandmother outside the city.

Xiao Qingyan kept his horse level with the carriage the entire time.

Xu Chumian flipped through the translation; the cursive script was so thick that it would take at least a month to copy it all down.

She lifted the curtain and looked at Xiao Qingyan.

The man had a handsome profile, but he was frowning as he looked ahead. Noticing Xu Chuming's gaze, his brow relaxed. "Chumian, what's wrong?"

Xu Chumian's lips twitched slightly. "Qingyan, if something is on your mind, you should tell me."

The woman's tone was tinged with worry.

Xiao Qingyan's agitation subsided somewhat. "It's alright, you can rest for a while. We'll be there in half an hour."

Xiao Qingyan's maternal grandmother, Madam Li, lived in a small house by the river in the town. The location was quiet, with only two or three other households around.

Everything was covered in white. The house wasn't large, and it was filled with servants from what used to be a mansion in the capital.

The gatekeeper saw Xiao Qingyan's figure in the distance and shouted, "Young Master is back!"

The door opened immediately, and an elderly woman stood at the entrance, eagerly awaiting her arrival.

Xiao Qingyan helped Xu Chumian down from the carriage and immediately went to greet her.

"Grandmother".

Madam Li was rather thin, but her face was extremely energetic, and she seemed to be a kind and easy-going old lady.

Madam Li held Xiao Qingyan's hand, looking him over carefully, and coughed twice: "It's Qingyan who's back."

Xiao Qingyan's eyes reddened slightly. "Is Grandmother still not well?"

Madam Li: "It's the same old problem every winter, don't make a fuss about it."

After speaking, Madam Li looked at Xu Chumian with a kind and gentle smile.

"This is the first sleep?"

Xu Chumian smiled politely and said in a gentle voice, "Greetings, Madam. I am Chumian, Xu Chumian."

Xiao Qingyan looked at Xu Chumian, his face slightly flushed, and cleared his throat, saying, "Grandmother, let's go inside first."

Madam Li took a great liking to Xu Chumian and patted her wrist, saying, "Good, good, good."

Qiu Yu gave the gifts she had prepared in advance to the old woman standing to the side.

Madam Li frowned, her eyes showing disapproval. "Qingyan brought you to see this old woman, what else is there to prepare?"

Xu Chumian smiled and said, "Propriety should not be disregarded. I hope the old lady will not blame me for this small token of my appreciation."

Madam Li adored Xu Chumian. When she heard that Xu Chumian only had a younger sister, she couldn't help but sigh, "Good child, you've suffered so much these past years."

When Xiao Qingyan visited his maternal grandmother last time, he mentioned Xu Chumian in general.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. The kitchen caught a pheasant yesterday, so I'll make you some soup today."

After giving instructions in the kitchen, Old Madam Li took Xu Chumian to tour the mansion, with Xiao Qingyan following behind.

He knew that everyone who saw Chu Mian would like her.

Madam Li smiled and said, "I used to stay in this house when I came back to escape the summer heat in previous years. I've only been back for the last few years. When Qingyan was still in the capital, his favorite thing to do was to go fishing and swimming in the river. Qingyan has always had a good personality and a kind heart."

Xu Chumian hummed in agreement. She glanced back at Xiao Qingyan, her bright eyes and white teeth suggesting she could almost picture him as a boy.

"One year, when he was only eleven or twelve years old, he saved a little girl, I think she was Prince Chen's daughter, right, Qingyan?"

"That little girl is only seven or eight years old, and when she cries, she's louder than a hundred ducks."

Xu Chumian's smile faltered slightly as she quickly understood Xingyang's obsession with Xiao Qingyan.

A life-saving grace cannot be easily forgotten.

Xiao Qingyan's expression turned serious, and he coughed lightly, saying, "Grandmother, please give me some face and don't mention the embarrassing things that happened to me when I was a child."

Madam Li glared at him, then patted Xu Chumian's hand, "Chumian, I'll take you to see other places."

Xu Chumian agreed.

In the backyard is Xiao Qingyan's former training ground, which is still well preserved.

The old lady was in excellent spirits all afternoon, but she became listless after dinner in the evening.

She pulled Xu Chumian into the room and took out a lustrous and translucent jade bracelet from the cabinet.

Xu Chumian immediately frowned and said, "Madam, this is too precious."

The old lady glared at her.

"The eldest son's wife has one, and you can't be left out either."

"Grandmother knew why Qingyan liked you so much the moment she saw you. You are an honest girl with a strong sense of responsibility. If Qingyan does anything wrong, you should teach him a lesson."

Xu Chumian's eyes reddened slightly. "Old lady."

"Still calling her 'old lady'?"

Xu Chumian called out to her maternal grandmother.

The old lady smiled and nodded. "Let's go. I'll see you out. It's not safe to go back to the city late."

Xiao Qingyan had been standing guard at the door. When he saw that Xu Chumian's eyes were red, he panicked for a moment. The old lady patted him and said, "What's the rush? Be careful on your way back."

Xu Chumian said softly, "...Grandmother, then we're leaving."

Xiao Qingyan grinned.

Qiu Yu helped Xu Chumian into the carriage.

Xiao Qingyan mounted his horse.

Madam Li watched the two leave before entering the house.