With Shen Zheng acting as a mediator, the young people became acquainted over just one meal.

Shen Jun received a meaningful look from his sister and quickly extended a warm invitation:

"Brother Huazhang, we've brought two carriages. Why don't you come and sit with us? We can chat, and Jun'er can even learn a few words from you. What do you say?"

If he only asked to sit down and chat, He Huazhang probably wouldn't agree, but if he asked to teach the child to write, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

Sure enough, He Huazhang hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement.

He knew that according to etiquette, this was not appropriate, but such a group of like-minded friends was truly a rare find for him.

He didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know these people; if he owed them a favor, he could simply do more things for them himself.

Apart from Shen Zheng, the rest of them are quite young. If I go there, they can help me out if needed.

But he later learned that those who dared to send their children out on their own were indeed not ordinary people.

When he first heard the surname Shen, he didn't think much of it. It wasn't until much later that he cursed himself for being so foolish. Going to the Northern Border, everyone with the surname Shen was so outstanding and elegant...

He should have thought of that sooner.

At this moment, sitting in the carriage in front, with the two Shen brothers beside him, He Huazhang did not feel awkward at all, but instead chatted happily with them.

However, a smiling face would occasionally appear in his mind, making him sigh that fate was truly wondrous.

Unexpectedly, Brother Shen, with whom I get along so well, is actually that girl's older brother, and now I am so close to her.

She said her name was Shen Xingyan, which sounded really nice.

"Brother Huazhang?"

"ah?"

He Huazhang was momentarily distracted and didn't hear what Shen Jun asked him. When he came to his senses, he quickly asked, "Jun'er, what's wrong?"

"I was asking if Brother Huazhang has any relatives in the Northern Territory? If not, how about he stays at our house? Then we can see each other every day."

He Huazhang quickly shook his head and said, "No, that would be too much of a bother, and besides, you have an older sister at home, so it would be against etiquette."

He already felt embarrassed to hitch a ride in someone's carriage; if he were to stay at their home as well, wouldn't that contradict his original intention of traveling such a long distance?

Seeing his straightforward refusal, Shen Zheng was even more pleased, thinking that his parents would probably like him too if they saw him.

However, their preferences don't matter; what matters most is that the younger sister likes it.

Seeing her unusually shy demeanor, he, as her older brother, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. However, after getting to know He Huazhang, he realized that he was indeed a rare and excellent candidate.

So I let go of that little bit of resentment and started interacting with him normally.

After talking for a while, Shen Zheng discovered that He Huazhang was a rare scholar who was both principled and not pedantic.

He admired some of their insights.

He seemed to be growing to appreciate this person more and more.

As summer approached, the carriage became quite hot under the sun. When they came to a small river, the caravan stopped to rest, and the group of men went to the riverbank.

Shen Xingyan had been sitting in the car for a long time when she finally saw the person she wanted to see. She immediately moved closer without making a sound and asked with feigned curiosity, "Hey, there are fish!"

Shen Zheng nodded: "Hmm, it's quite big. Want to eat it?"

Upon hearing that it was quite large, Shen Xingyan immediately perked up. How could something handed to her by someone else be the same as one she caught herself from the river?

She immediately rolled up her trousers, put her shoes aside, waded into the river, drew her dagger, and waited quietly.

He Huazhang was dazzled by a patch of skin so white it seemed to reflect light, and dared not look any longer. He wanted to look away immediately, but seeing her calm and composed demeanor while waiting, he couldn't help but wonder how she was going to fish with only a dagger in her hand.

Suddenly, Shen Xingyan moved, and the dagger in her hand shot out, pinning the largest fish in the vicinity to the mud.

Swift movements and extremely high accuracy.

This move greatly shocked He Huazhang; he had never seen such skillful kung fu in his entire life.

This is not something that can be mastered in a short time; it requires rigorous training, even in the coldest and hottest months.

It's incredible that such a thin girl could have so much energy in her small body!

After Shen Xingyan finished showing off her skills, she looked up and saw that Hua Zhang was indeed quite shocked by her performance. She couldn't help but feel a little smug.

She tossed the fish onto the shore, casually reminding him, "Brother Huazhang, you must keep a close eye on the fish, this is our lunch."

After the girl finished speaking, she smiled sweetly and began searching for her prey again.

Little did she know how much of a ripple her actions stirred in He Huazhang's heart.

What was originally just a vague feeling of affection was suddenly magnified infinitely, causing his heart to race wildly.

Not far away, Shen Xingmian and Xiao Yanyue stood under the shade of a tree watching, and couldn't help but smile like doting aunts. It seemed that her sister would soon get what she wanted.

If you fancy a man, why not just chase after him? Of course, it's much better to hook him up!

As she expected, along the way, even though He Huazhang tried his best to restrain himself, he inevitably began to focus his attention more and more on Shen Xingyan.

After getting to know He Huazhang over this period of time, the others were very satisfied with him and were quite happy to see the outcome.

They have finally achieved part of the purpose of their trip.

As for Shen Xingmian, she had basically made up her mind that she had no interest in other men. After returning home, she would simply wait patiently for Xiao Yanyue to grow up and for the parents to decide that they could get married.

She doesn't need to worry about anything else.

After finally arriving at the northern border with the caravan and settling the money, Shen Zheng disregarded He Huazhang's politeness and took him directly to his home.

Looking at the spacious and beautiful mansion, He Huazhang finally realized that they were indeed from a very wealthy family. They hadn't shown any signs of being rich along the way.

Faced with such a family background, he did not have too much self-doubt about whether he was worthy of such a girl.

He only thought about joining the army and developing his career. If one day he could be worthy of the girl without making her wait too long, then he would go to her door to ask for her hand in marriage.

If he is never good enough for her, then he will give up on this idea early on, so as not to delay her.

He was initially very reluctant to visit her directly, fearing that when he proposed later, people would think he had been eyeing her since that moment.

Unfortunately, although he was sturdy, he was no match for Shen Zheng. When Shen Zheng dragged him to his house, he couldn't budge him even with all his strength.

He had already gained some understanding of the skills of the others when they went fishing by the river, but he really didn't expect the difference to be so great.