Chapter 3 The Slow-Returning Guest (Part Two) More than one gaze was observing her. ...

The residence of the Marquis of Yining.

Birds flapped their wings and flew over the eaves, glancing faintly at the treetops, making a rustling sound.

At this moment, a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old was sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard, her left leg crossed over her right knee, her cloud-patterned brocade boots swaying gently under her horse-face skirt: "Anyway, I don't care. Your master owes me, and if he doesn't pay it back, you will."

Chang Huai stood upright by the stool, his smile still respectful, but with a hint of bitterness mixed in: "Look at what you're saying, young lady. Just give me the order to do whatever you want."

Before he could finish speaking, he abruptly stopped, as if he had just noticed her. He hurriedly bowed and then stood aside, saying, "Young Miss, our master has urgent business and has taken Changhuai back first."

Just as Chang Huai was worried about how to get away, his companion came to his rescue. He quickly straightened his robe and bid her farewell, ignoring her shouts from behind, and strode towards Zhuoyun Courtyard without looking back.

Upon entering the room, behind the dragon-headed clothes rack stands a screen painted with landscapes. The afterglow of the setting sun streams in through the window, making the brushstrokes appear both real and illusory.

Changhuai walked around the screen into the inner room and saw Wei Yuanzhan. Only then did he feel relieved and take a couple of breaths.

"Lan Ye, with that mouth of yours, I thought something terrible had happened to you. You're perfectly fine." Saying this, she walked to the bedside, pulled the curtains open further, and looked down at the young man sitting cross-legged inside. "Where are you hurt, Master?"

It was dusk, and golden light streamed through the window, illuminating half of the boy's face. His long, straight eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.

Slowly regaining his senses upon hearing this, Wei Yuanzhan slipped off the bed and pointed to his waist: "Someone bumped into me, I just scraped my skin a little, it's nothing serious."

She paused, then glanced at Chang Huai, who was sitting on a round stool, and asked, "How did you get caught by Wei Mingying again?"

“You’re right,” Chang Huai stepped forward, helping him undress as he replied, “Don’t you know what kind of temper the young lady has? If she wants to do something, she’ll do it even if the King of Heaven himself stops her. If you hadn’t made her lose face the other day, would she be constantly making me apologize to her?”

Wei Yuanzhan chuckled upon hearing this, but before he knew it, two fingers pressed lightly on the wound on his back, causing him to gasp in shock.

Seeing this, Lan Ye immediately strode over and slapped Chang Huai's hand away: "I'll do it, I'll do it! Give me whatever medicine you want. You don't know your own strength. Are you plotting revenge against me?"

Chang Huai raised an eyebrow and stepped back, replying indifferently, "I don't know which idiot came along with me and served me like this. I asked you the whole way, but you still haven't told me what happened when I was hit by a car?"

The moment the words were spoken, both the master and servant looked displeased.

The fact that someone was hit is a minor matter, but the fact that the lost item has not been found is a loss of face for Wei Yuanzhan; and for Lan Ye, it shows that he is incompetent and couldn't even keep up with a child.

Changhuai and Lanye both entered the Marquis's mansion at the age of thirteen to serve Wei Yuanzhan, and have now been there for four years. He can roughly understand what his young master's every move means with just a glance.

Without showing any surprise or change in expression, she took out the medicine bottle and handed it to Lan Ye, then poured another cup of tea for Wei Yuanzhan: "Master, I heard from the eldest young lady this afternoon that there's a good show to watch at the Song residence these days. Would you like to go?"

The Song family and the Yining Marquis's family were related by marriage; Madam Song the Second and their Marquis's wife were sisters. The two families had a close relationship, but unfortunately, Wei Yuanzhan's relationship with his cousin from the Song family was cold. It wasn't that they were unfamiliar with each other, but rather that there was a tacit understanding between them that neither of them looked down on the other.

"What does this have to do with me?" He was still in a bad mood, his tone flat. After a moment, his eyes flickered slightly: "What, is my sister going to the Song family?"

"Why would the young lady tell me? She only mentioned it to the person next to her, and I happened to overhear it. But as I see it, the young lady did indeed mean it."

The fact that Master Song was going to bring a beauty from Jiangnan into his household might not be known to others, but it wasn't exactly news in the Wei family. So what was she planning to do at this particular moment when she went to the Song residence?

A speck of dust drifted to the boy's brow, causing it to sway slightly.

After pondering for a while, an impatient glint appeared in his bright eyes. He stretched and said hastily, "Who cares? Let her go wherever she wants."

"It's been raining for the past two months. Has the journey been peaceful?" Inside the Osmanthus Garden of the Song family mansion, the man helped up the two women who were bowing to him, invited them to sit down, and looked at them with tender eyes.

He wore a moon-white gauze robe, with a soft glow of the sunset shrouding half of his body, giving him the elegance of a scholar. However, his voice was slightly hoarse; if he were to speak seriously, it would be a voice that commanded respect.

This is Song Congzhao, the second master of the Song family.

Zhi Rou got separated from the old woman, causing Lin He and the other three to frantically search for her, for which they received a severe scolding afterward. Finally arriving at the Song residence, she was overwhelmed by its imposing grandeur and felt this was not the place for her; she desperately wanted to leave.

Now dressed in clean clothes, she stood next to Lin He, looking at the strange man in front of her with a curious frown.

Lin He had just greeted him, and she followed suit; Lin He addressed him as "Sir," but she didn't follow suit, remaining silent and curiously peering at this unfamiliar face.

Lin He nodded and replied, "The arrangements made by the master are thorough, and there were no problems on the way."

"That's good." Song Congzhao smiled slightly, looking at Zhirou with a hint of affection in his voice, "You don't know who I am, and you're wondering, aren't you?"

Their eyes met unexpectedly, and Zhi Rou was taken aback.

After a moment, she raised her chin, trying to hide her unease: "I know, you are the Second Master, that's what they all call you."

Upon hearing this, the servants in the room smiled slightly, unable to hide their amusement. Song Congzhao also raised his eyebrows and looked at her closely for a moment, then smiled faintly: "You're right, I am the Second Master."

This situation left her somewhat bewildered, and she glanced at Lin He in confusion.

Just then, a muffled sound came from inside the room. The little girl immediately opened her eyes wide, restraining herself from looking at her stomach, but two suspicious red marks crept onto her cheeks.

Song Congzhao gave his attendant a wink, and immediately the message reached the kitchen, instructing the cooks to prepare the dishes.

After answering the questions just now, he knew that Lin He had not yet explained her background to Zhi Rou, so it was inappropriate for him to stay and eat with them.

So he lifted his robe and rose from his seat: "It's getting late today, and you must be tired from your journey. You should rest for now. After breakfast tomorrow morning, I'll take you to see the old lady."

Lin He then stood up and returned the greeting. Zhi Rou lowered her head awkwardly, muttering something indistinctly, which was enough to show she hadn't been impolite.

Although Song Congzhao left, he left a few people in the courtyard, one of whom was about the same age as Zhirou, saying that he would serve the Fourth Miss in the future.

Why would Zhi Rou need anyone to serve her? After the meal was served, she ate it quickly and then quietly glanced at Lin He with a belly full of questions.

For example, why did she go to the capital, leaving the Jiangnan region where she had lived since childhood? She asked Lin He this question many times, but the answer she received was always vague.

At night, with lamps lit on all sides, Zhi Rou stood in disbelief beside a carved round table in the room.

Unaware of what was happening, her eyelashes fluttered slowly like a pair of butterfly wings as she regained her composure: "Second Master Song..." How did he become her father?

This is probably what it feels like to be struck by lightning; many things that were previously incomprehensible suddenly make sense.

Lin He felt ashamed and looked away. After explaining to her, he finally felt relieved.

Zhi Rou is a very inquisitive child. From a young age, she has asked many questions about "Father," both openly and subtly. Lin He has told so many lies that he sometimes can't remember what he said, and Zhi Rou has figured them out. Over time, he has stopped answering.

Candles were burning inside, illuminating the space brightly.

The atmosphere was somewhat unbearable when neither of them spoke. Lin He turned her gaze to Zhi Rou and saw that her eyebrows were raised and her face was puffed up, as if she was trying her best to suppress the matter.

A short while later, she suddenly said, "Mother, do we really have to stay in the capital? Is there something you absolutely have to do, or is there something else? Can we go back to Luozhou?"

Zhi Rou originally thought that her mother was unwilling to explain and insisted on going to the capital with the Song family because her mother might be related to the Song family.

People in the county often commented that judging from Lin Niangzi's behavior and mannerisms, she was clearly a young lady from a wealthy family. She must have made a mistake and been abandoned by her family, which is why she ended up like this.

As for what the "mistake" was, Zhi Rou heard it many times and gradually understood.

They stared at each other, the little girl filled with righteous indignation. Seeing Lin He's troubled expression, she realized she might have done something wrong and lowered her face in grievance.

After waiting for a long time, Lin He finally spoke, her gentle tone carrying a hint of seriousness compared to usual.

"Rou'er, listen carefully. The capital is where you should grow up, where you will settle down and make a living in the future. Master Song is upright and honest, a true gentleman. You must not be rude to him."

His gaze swept over Zhi Rou's face, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "I know you have questions. I'll explain them to you slowly when you grow up. It's getting late, you should rest. Tomorrow you have to meet the whole family..."

Zhi Rou could hardly hear what was said after that; she was so upset that she couldn't fall asleep at night.

The next day, as dawn broke, a rain fell, its patter on the ground like a bamboo fairy playing a zither. Zhi Rou got up at this moment, and Song Congzhao arrived just after she finished her breakfast.

Remembering Lin He's instructions, she did not act rudely, but the boss's reluctance was written all over his face, leaving him with no choice but to smile helplessly.

He had worried that she would be in the same state when they arrived at Wenrong Hall, but to his surprise, the reality was the complete opposite of what he had imagined.

Inside Wenrong Hall, Madam Song, Cui, sat at the head of the table, her aged eyes fixed on Zhirou, her gaze steady, even somewhat lifeless.

At the same time, several gazes were cast upon her, but she stood ramrod straight, displaying remarkable composure in the face of danger. When Song Congzhao summoned her, she bowed and greeted the old lady.

She behaved impeccably, without a trace of embarrassment, and what was even more remarkable was her accent. It wasn't Wu dialect, but authentic Mandarin.

Old Madam Song raised her eyes slightly: "Get up and come forward to speak."

A note from the author: