Liu Shaoyi returned to his courtyard, but his cousin had already left. He asked the servant why his cousin had come, but the servant only replied, "Miss Yu did not say why she came."

Fearing that she might have something important to say, Liu Shaoyi sent someone over to inquire.

Yu Sirou was secretly pleased to see that her cousin hadn't forgotten to ask about her after returning home. She then said to Liu Shaoyi's servant, "It's nothing, I just wanted to see if my cousin needed anything. I don't have much else, but my embroidery skills are quite good."

The servant left after receiving the reply.

The maid beside Yu Sirou smiled and said, "Young Master is so caring towards Miss; even a biological brother wouldn't care more."

When Yu Sirou heard her mention her older brother, her smile faded a little. She then said, "Alright, let's not talk about this. Bring me my needle and thread. I want to embroider some things that my cousin might need."

Maid: "Yes, Miss."

Yu Sirou actually had something that no one else knew. Her mother had told her before she passed away that she had mentioned to her uncle's family that she wanted to marry her off to her cousin. Her mother also knew that after she passed away, her own marriage would be difficult.

It wasn't mentioned publicly at the time, and since the uncle and aunt passed away suddenly, there's no way to verify the details of the marriage.

Given her status, if she weren't a concubine, the only thing she could think of was marrying her cousin, which was also the purpose of her coming to seek refuge here.

But judging from today's situation, it seems unlikely that she will be able to fulfill this wish.

Although she was not a man, she knew that a man would not deliberately seek out an unmarried woman for no reason. Moreover, she had seen that Princess Tong, and she was a delicate and pampered young lady.

But who else could she have besides her cousin?

She is now like a drifting duckweed, helpless and longing for a good home. Her cousin is her best choice, and she is unwilling to give him up!

Two days later, Tong Cheng'er "bumped into" Liu Shaoyi, who asked, "What did you think of that storybook, Cheng'er? Did you enjoy reading it?"

The storybook was indeed captivating, but the one being read wasn't the one he had given her.

Tong Cheng'er then played a word game: "The storybook is good."

Liu Shaoyi smiled upon hearing this: "As long as they look good, I'll send you some more later."

Although Tong Cheng'er knew he didn't lack that little bit of money, she didn't want to waste any more bookshelves. Why would she want two of the same storybook?

So he declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Liu, but I have already spoken to the bookstore owner. They will deliver the new books to our door, so there's no need to trouble you, Brother Liu."

Liu Shaoyi: "Oh, that's good. If there's anything you want, just tell me."

Tong Cheng'er didn't agree. She wasn't short of money; she could just send someone to buy whatever she wanted. Why bother asking him?

After the two parted, Liu Shaoyi couldn't help but sigh, "Sister Cheng'er still hasn't figured it out."

The pageboy beside him said, "Young master, you are of exceptional appearance and character. It's only a matter of time before Princess Tong comes to your senses. Besides, Princess Tong has never rejected you, so she must treat you differently."

Liu Shaoyi nodded, feeling that what he said seemed to make some sense.

After nodding, he left with his page, and naturally, Yu Sirou and her servant, who were hiding behind the artificial hill, were no longer there.

Yu Sirou returned to her small courtyard in a daze. Looking at the bamboo sachet that was already partially embroidered on the table, she felt extremely bitter.

Yu Sirou finished embroidering the purse that very day, and the next day she went to Liu Shaoyi to ask about moving out. She was told that it would take some time before she could move out.

Yu Sirou couldn't help but wonder if her cousin was just making excuses so he could spend more time with the Tong family's darling.

What offered her some comfort was that the purse she had made was eventually accepted.

Yu Sirou left Liu Shaoyi's place dejectedly. After she left, Liu Shaoyi asked the pageboy beside him, "Why does my cousin seem unhappy today? Did she suffer some injustice?"

The pageboy shook his head: "This servant doesn't know either."

Liu Shaoyi didn't know why, but he immediately ordered, "Have someone hurry up and prepare two habitable courtyards over the house first."

His thinking was simple: no matter the reason, his cousin was one of his few relatives, and he treated her like a younger sister, so naturally he didn't want her to suffer any grievances.

The Tong family treated him well, and he knew their character well enough to know they wouldn't do anything to mistreat his cousin. He figured it must have been the servants who were gossiping about it.

The next day, Liu Shaoyi went to Shumulu's place to tell her about moving. Upon hearing this, Shumulu felt that it was all happening a bit too fast.

"Didn't you say the house was still under renovation?"

Liu Shaoyi said with a smile, "Those who get things done are quick and efficient, even faster than I can think of it."

Shumulu didn't suspect anything and nodded in agreement.

Since it was already agreed upon, she couldn't bring herself to say anything more about staying.

The day after Liu Shaoyi said that, the Tong family gathered together for lunch with Liu Shaoyi and his cousin Yu Sirou. In the afternoon, the two of them moved out with their luggage.

On the way to her new home, Yu Sirou sat in the carriage, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. Her cousin had decided to move after she asked him, which meant he must still care about her!

Otherwise, why would they have moved out of the Tong residence so quickly?

Upon arriving at their new residence, Yu Sirou looked at the new courtyard and found it somewhat inferior to the Yu family home in Jiangnan. Land was expensive in the capital, and good houses were hard to find. In addition, Liu Shaoyi himself did not have high requirements for the quality of housing.

As Yu Sirou entered the new courtyard, she recalled the wealth and prosperity she had witnessed at the Tong residence these past few days, and a sense of loss, which she couldn't quite explain, welled up within her.

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