Chapter 116 Exposure

Xie Qi chose a sandalwood box with a red velvet lining and put the South Pearl Gold Hairpin inside.

I promised Yuanzhu a few days ago that I would give her a lot of silver, but now the silver is temporarily put aside, while the jewelry is indispensable.

Although he lost a shop on Wanbao Street and suffered a significant financial loss, Xie Qi's mood wasn't inexplicably bad.

You can earn money anytime, but a hairpin of such high quality is rare.

I wonder if Yuanzhu liked this hair ornament when she saw it.

I returned to Qianxiang Courtyard with trepidation, only to find Shen Yuanzhu pruning the flowers in the courtyard with a small pair of scissors.

Xie Qi stepped forward and turned to shield her from the scorching sun by placing her in the shade.

"Why are you pruning the branches under the blazing sun? Aren't you most afraid of the heat?"

Handing the small shears to Xiaozhi, Shen Yuanzhu said, "If you don't come out soon, someone might come into the house."

Xiaozhi chimed in, "I don't know why, but today, groups of two or three old women came to Qianxiang Courtyard to gossip."

Xie Qi's expression hardened: "How did you all end up talking about Qianxiangyuan? What are you saying? If anyone continues to disobey the rules like this, just throw them out."

"Never mind, it's not a big deal."

Shen Yuanzhu patted Xie Qi, signaling him to go back inside.

The two walked side by side, and Xie Qi unconsciously stayed close to her.

Shen Yuanzhu was no longer surprised by this, and had even gotten used to it. She simply said softly, "It's not that hot since we just came out."

Xie Qi frowned: "Who came up next to you and was chewing on something?"

"Most of it was about Xie Xuchuan and Jiang Wansu's deep affection. I don't know if it was Jiang Wansu or Xie Xuchuan who pointed to someone and said it to me."

"..."

Xie Qi pursed his lips, not daring to say anything more.

After the two entered the house, Xie Qi pushed the wooden box in his hand towards Shen Yuanzhu.

"What's this?"

I promised to give it to you a while ago.

Opening the sandalwood box, Xie Qi took out the South Sea pearl gold hairpin. His smile was shy and somewhat reserved.

"Shall I put it on for you?"

Shen Yuanzhu had seen many fine things since childhood, and even she rarely had anything more precious than this hairpin.

Where did Xie Qi get such a valuable item?

Thinking this way, Shen Yuanzhu asked directly, and Xie Qi replied gently, "I bought this for you with the money I earned."

If nothing had gone wrong with the shop on Wanbao Street, he would have bought it as a gift for her anyway.

Xie Qi didn't want Shen Yuanzhu to worry too much, so he didn't mention anything else.

"I'll help you remove the hair."

Gently undo her coiled hair, and her silky black hair cascaded down.

Xie Qi gently gathered his fingers together, and after a while he realized that wearing a hair ornament did not require removing the hair.

Somewhat flustered, Xie Qi stroked Shen Yuanzhu's slightly curly hair, at a loss for words: "Did I do something wrong?"

"It's alright."

Shen Yuanzhu raised her hand and neatly tied her long hair back into a simple bun.

Strands of hair brushed against his palm, light and ticklish, and Xie Qi couldn't help but smile.

He leaned down slightly, pressing his body against Shen Yuanzhu's neck, and then took her hand. After a long and flustered process, he finally managed to put the hair ornament on her head.

"It suits you very well."

Looking at Shen Yuanzhu, Xie Qi couldn't help but reach out his finger and gently touch her face.

Shen Yuanzhu looked up, took his hand, and stopped him from causing trouble.

The two of them were simply in the same room, and Xie Qi felt genuinely happy.

"Miss……"

Mrs. Luo walked in from outside the door and stopped in her tracks when she saw the young couple so affectionate.

"The wet nurse probably needs to see me. I'll be right back."

Xie Qi nodded, still basking in his earlier joy.

Seeing that Shen Yuanzhu and Luo Shi had left the room together, Xie Qi picked up the silver hairpin he had just casually removed and walked to Shen Yuanzhu's dressing table.

Just as she was about to put the item in the jewelry box, she saw a half-embroidered garment on the dressing table.

The fabric is a dusty pink floral brocade, embroidered with twin lotus blossoms. It's light, soft, and not heavy at all, and should be very cool to wear close to the skin in summer.

Two soft ribbons hung loosely from her waist, dangling from the dressing table. Xie Qi felt her cheeks flush.

It was her undergarment, which was still unfinished...

Thinking that Shen Yuanzhu would be wearing it close to her body in the future, Xie Qi's cheeks flushed. He raised his hand to pick it up, preparing to fold the small garment that was about to fall to the ground and put it back in the sewing basket.

Just as I picked it up with my fingertip, someone walked in.

Xie Qi panicked and turned to hide in the canopy bed.

He had barely stepped inside when his expression froze.

Why does he look like he's guilty of something?

The soft silk, slightly cool, clung to Xie Qi's fingertips, constantly reminding him of what he was holding.

His cheeks were burning, and for a moment he didn't know how to explain it; the scene was really quite strange...

"Oh, neither Miss nor Mama Luo are here."

Ling'er was carrying a mahogany tray with a stack of clothes on it.

Xiao Zhi said, "Perhaps he's been busy with something."

Upon hearing that it was Ling'er and Xiaozhi, Xie Qi felt relieved.

Seeing his disheveled appearance would only make things worse. After a moment's hesitation, Xie Qi, his face flushed and cold, hid blankly inside the canopy bed.

Ling'er said, "These clothes can be put in Miss's wardrobe."

Seeing Xiaozhi walk towards the wardrobe, Ling'er spoke again: "Don't put it on top, just put it at the bottom."

"Put it up there so Miss can open and close the cabinet, but the son-in-law won't see it."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qi frowned.

Xiaozhi squatted down and folded the clothes neatly while saying, "Why did Mama Luo suddenly ask the weaving workshop to make so many clothes, shoes and socks for the son-in-law?"

"Summer clothes are fine, but there are also autumn shirts, and seven or eight pairs of shoes and socks have been made. With so many, is the young master going on a long trip?"

Ling'er shook her head: "It's not a long journey. A couple of days ago, Mama Luo saw that the young master liked the set of clothes that Miss prepared for the Third Master before the wedding, so she thought of asking the embroiderer to make a few sets for the young master as well."

"Perhaps she wanted to cheer up her son-in-law; Madam Luo felt sorry for him..."

Xie Qi stood inside the canopy bed, and when he heard Ling'er mention the Third Master, his face instantly darkened.

Although he didn't understand what was going on, he knew that there was something he was being kept in the dark about.

Why did Shen Yuanzhu make clothes for Xie Jingyuan?

Lifting the gauze curtain, Xie Qi asked in a cold tone, "The clothes prepared for Third Master? What does that mean?"

Ling'er and Xiaozhi hadn't expected Xie Qi to be in the room. When they saw him, they screamed as if they'd seen a ghost, and their clothes fell to the ground with a crash...