September 10th, Shuxian County.

A carriage entered the city gate and stopped at a fork in the road. Since it was the first time the driver had come here, he got lost. The woman in the carriage lifted the curtain and asked a passerby for directions. Only then did the carriage continue turning its wheels. Fifteen minutes later, the carriage came to a complete stop in front of a house.

The woman was helped down by her maid.

This person was Liu Yunwan.

"Thank you so much, young man. Please wait at the door. I'll be right back with my maid," she said to the coachman.

This carriage belongs to Yan Xia, and the driver is a servant of the Yan family.

"You're too kind. It's my duty to wait for you. I'll wait here." The coachman said, seeing how polite she was.

He was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly.

She even had a fawning smile on her face.

"Alright, find a shady spot to wait. It's very hot now, don't catch a heatstroke." The carriage set off from Shuangqiao Town before dawn, and after queuing for inspection at the Shuxian city gate and asking for directions, it was delayed for a while.

It will be noon in half an hour.

"Oh, right, this is a gift that Master asked me to bring. Please take it." Liu Yunwan had just turned around with Nan'er when the coachman hurriedly called out to her.

The coachman pulled a bamboo basket from the wooden box under his buttocks.

Don't let its appearance fool you; it's an exquisitely woven bamboo basket with a lid that obscures the contents.

"Look at me, I came to visit but forgot to bring a gift. Oh dear, my brain has been so foggy ever since I left home. Nan'er, why didn't you remind me? I've been feeling like I've forgotten something these past few days."

Liu Yunwan patted her forehead.

He said, annoyed.

"Miss, I forgot too..." Nan'er stuck out her tongue awkwardly. Although she looked a bit older, you could still see the innocence of a young girl in her bright eyes.

"Sister Yan is so thoughtful. I'll keep this gift for now and give it to Sister Yan when we get back. There's absolutely no reason for her to pay for it."

Liu Yunwan didn't stand on ceremony. She gave Nan'er a wink, signaling her to take the bamboo basket.

"I can't make the decision for you, Master. You can go back and tell him." The coachman bowed and drove the carriage away from the gate of the house, stopping in the shade by the alley.

Nan'er knocked on the gate of the house, then took a few steps back and stood behind Liu Yunwan with her bamboo basket in hand.

The two women, mistress and servant, waited for the gatekeeper to open the door. Above them was a large plaque.

The words "He Residence" are written on it.

The plaque has a red base and gold lettering, giving it a somewhat solemn appearance.

The He family had been running an incense and candle shop for generations. Although they were not as wealthy as Yan Xia, they were never short of money. After all, Feng Lanlan's family was well-off, and in ancient times, marriages were always between people of equal social standing.

He Shanhu, the head of the He family, was a good friend of Feng Lanlan's father, which is why Feng Lanlan married so far away.

Grandpa Feng had a daughter late in life. Given his age and a serious illness, he knew he didn't have much time left, so he quickly entrusted Feng Lanlan to a friend.

Marry her off as soon as possible.

The dowry was quite substantial, including 100 acres of land, 500 taels of silver, and two shops in Shuxian County. With this dowry, even if she didn't marry her friend's son, she wouldn't live a bad life.

After waiting for at least fifteen minutes, the door slowly opened.

What came into view was an elderly man.

Wearing drab, gray clothes.

His beard covered almost half of his face.

"Who are you looking for?" the old man asked them.

"Is Feng Lanlan here? I am her close friend and I have come all the way from Jiashu County to visit her. Please let me know." Liu Yunwan's attitude was very friendly. After all, it was her first time visiting, and she wanted to make a good impression. Even though the gatekeeper was a servant, if you offended him, you wouldn't even be allowed to enter the door. Having seen this since she was a child, Liu Yunwan naturally knew how to behave.

"Oh, you're looking for the young mistress? Wait a moment, I'll go inform her." After the old man finished speaking, he closed the door with a "thump."

The sound was unusually loud, like a city gate being closed, which startled the master and servant so much that their hearts trembled.

They waited for another 15 minutes, but the gatekeeper still hadn't returned, and their legs were getting sore from standing.

Fortunately, there was an eave at the entrance to block the sun, otherwise Liu Yunwan's rouge would have been ruined.

"Nan'er, look in the bamboo basket. I'll make it up to Yan-mei when we get back."

Bored while waiting, Liu Yunwan looked around and suddenly spotted a bamboo basket. She then instructed Nan'er to open it and take a look.

"Miss, are these two melons, and they're yellow-skinned ones too? Hmm~ They smell exceptionally fragrant, no wonder they're so heavy. Oh, and there's a jar of tea. Miss, you seem to have bought this before; it wasn't cheap. I remember it costing five taels of silver. Oh dear, this round fan is so beautiful; the embroidery on both sides is different. I've never seen anything like it before. Miss, this pot of wine doesn't look cheap either; it seems like we can only afford to buy it..."

Nan'er first took out the melon and smelled it, then took out the tea canister and the fan to look at them, and finally concluded with a sentence.

They can't afford to make up for it.

"Um... never mind, I owe Yan-meimei too much. I'll worry about it later when I've earned more money. It's always good to have more debts than nothing~"

Liu Yunwan looked somewhat embarrassed; it seemed she had spoken too soon.

"Creak—"

The wooden door suddenly opened, and the sound it made due to its age immediately silenced the master and servant.

A man walked out of the door; it was the same old man from before.

"Madam said you can come in first." After saying these nine simple words, the old man took a few steps back and opened the door a third of the way, allowing only one person to pass through.

Liu Yunwan frowned slightly when she saw the narrow gate, but since it was their territory, she couldn't say anything. She could only enter the He family's gate in two separate groups with Nan'er.

Upon entering, you are greeted by a wall.

Built of blue bricks, it was covered with weeds and moss, yet it was remarkably sturdy.

A maidservant, around twenty years old, was waiting by the wall. Upon seeing the two, she raised her chin and said, "Come with me."

His attitude was somewhat arrogant.

Liu Yunwan felt even more unhappy.

So she was given three hard times as soon as she arrived.

Anyone who didn't know better would think the He family had a grudge against her.

However, since the purpose of this trip was to help Yan Xia, Liu Yunwan swallowed her anger again and followed with Nan'er.

The He family was wealthier than her maternal family, and their house was much larger.

After walking through the connecting corridor, crossing a two-person-long wooden bridge, and passing through an arched doorway, you finally arrive at a main hall.

An elderly woman sat in the main room, and a slightly younger woman stood beside her; it was Feng Lanlan.

Liu Yunwan stepped across the threshold and went inside, her eyes meeting Feng Lanlan's. Both of them had smiles on their faces.

"You must be a good friend of the Feng family, right? I heard you're also from Jiashu County? What kind of business do you run?" Before she even sat down, the old woman threw out three questions.

Liu Yunwan felt like she was a prisoner being interrogated.

She twitched her lips and replied, "Yes, Lanlan and I grew up together and lived very close to each other. My family owned some shops and land, which we rented out to tenants. We were just landlords."