Stepping out of the teahouse, Li Shiyue had already put on a veiled hat, with servants carrying wrapped tea leaves following on either side of the carriage.

"Let's go to Shunxiangzhai. My grandmother likes their fruit cakes. I'll buy some for her to take back and try later."

Fruit cake is actually made from hawthorn. It tastes sweet and sour and refreshing. In particular, after drinking herbal medicine, Mrs. Xu would eat a piece of hawthorn fruit cake to get rid of the bitterness in her mouth.

The coachman responded with a "Yes," and the carriage slowly drove along the long street. The bustling sounds of pedestrians coming and going outside the carriage reached his ears. Hearing the shouts and curses of the vendors, the carriage stopped. It was Shunxiangzhai.

This is the most famous pastry shop in the capital. It is said that nobles from the palace often come to buy from it, and once it opens, it never closes.

Chunling got off the carriage. There would probably be many people. Li Shiyue sat in the carriage, leaning against the soft cushions behind her, playing with the handkerchief in her hand.

"Chunling? What are you doing here? Were you in the carriage?"

Chunling held a food box in her hands, standing at the door and gazing intently at the teahouse across the street. She seemed to see Xie Biao's figure, but unfortunately, before she could see him clearly, her view was blocked by the person in front of her.

"Chang Shun?"

Chang Shun pointed to the carriage across the street: "The young master is here too. I thought the carriage looked familiar, so I came to take a look. It really is you."

Chunling carried a food box: "Miss went to the shop today and, thinking that the old lady likes fruit cakes, specially asked me to buy some to take back with her."

Chang Shun scratched his head. Coincidentally, he too had been sent by the young master to buy fruit cakes. He pointed to the carriage: "Is Miss Cousin here?"

Chunling nodded, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“The young master is in the teahouse across the street. Why don’t you talk to your cousin and go over for a chat? You can go back to the manor together.” Chang Shun chuckled, looking innocent and harmless.

"Then let me ask you, Miss." Chunling looked away in confusion and got into the carriage.

A moment later, the carriage door opened, and Li Shiyue stepped down. Chang Shun quickly stepped forward and said, "Please, Miss Li."

The teahouse was a private room. When Li Shiyue entered, only Xu Yunci was in the room. He was also surprised to see Li Shiyue.

Removing her veil, Li Shiyue was even more surprised and asked without thinking, "Is it only my cousin?"

She looked at Chunling suspiciously. Didn't she see other people? If she had known it was only Xu Yunci, she wouldn't have come over. It's not proper for a man and a woman to be alone together.

After removing her veil, she did not sit down immediately. She looked around the private room with a suspicious gaze. It was a private room where you could see the end at a glance, and there was nothing special about it.

Xu Yunci looked puzzled, as if asking her, "Who else could it be?" But since the person had been invited, he picked up a new teacup, poured some, and handed it over.

Li Shiyue looked on suspiciously and didn't get too close to him: "Chunling said she also saw Cousin Xie. I thought everyone was there. Maybe she was mistaken."

"What, you came over just because Xie Yizhi is here?" Xu Yunci's words were ambiguous. He glanced at Li Shiyue with a cold look, snorted, and then looked away.

"What? I thought my cousins ​​came out, and that everyone was here, so I came to take a look. Chunling must have been seeing things and misjudged."

Li Shiyue avoided his gaze. Whether in the Duke's Mansion or Guanqing Garden, the two of them were never alone in the same space, and a strange feeling gradually rose in her heart.

"I heard from Mother that you went to look at the shop today. How was it?" Xu Yunci raised his teacup, took a sip of the freshly brewed tea, and felt much better after listening to Li Shiyue's explanation.

After describing the tea shop, Li Shiyue looked at Xu Yunci's face, thought for a moment, and then told him what he had said to Steward Wang: "Cousin, do you think this method is feasible? Yunzhong County and Yunshui County are the most famous tea-producing areas, and they may be even better than the tea shops in the suburbs of the capital."

"If you want to try, then go ahead. If you don't have enough money, then come to me." Xu Yunci nodded. She hadn't expected that her little cousin's idea of ​​doing business was something even her mother hadn't thought of.

Li Shiyue glanced at Xu Yunci indifferently, with a hint of smugness: "I have money, and my aunt said that if I make any money, I can have it all, and if I lose any, she wants to take it for me."

Therefore, my cousin should save his monthly allowance for his wedding; my aunt said she wants to help him save for the dowry.

As soon as she finished speaking, her smug gaze suddenly stopped. Looking at Xu Yunci's meaningful gaze and the corners of his lips that couldn't be suppressed, she blushed and looked away.

Xu Yunci seemed unwilling to give up. After coughing lightly, he lifted his robe and made sure to straighten the jade pendant he wore at his waist so that Li Shiyue could see it.

Seeing Li Shiyue's earlobes getting redder and redder, Xu Yunci put down the jade pendant and stopped teasing her, afraid that if he teased her too much, even a kitten would scratch him.

As they emerged from the teahouse, the two men arrived in two carriages, one in front of the other. Xie Yizhi, who had just come out, happened to see them. The man beside him hurriedly said goodbye and left, but Xie Yizhi seemed not to hear him, staring thoughtfully in the direction the two carriages had gone.

The carriage stopped outside the Duke's mansion. Before Xu Yunci could even step into the mansion or get off the carriage, he was summoned away by people from the Jingzhao Prefecture.

It looks like something serious has happened, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry.

Li Shiyue didn't think much of it. She had Chunling take the food box to Shousong Hall, and then she went to the main courtyard to tell Yang about what happened at the shop that day, and to ask Manager Wang if he agreed. Then the matter could be carried out.

However, this matter is different from the last banquet. There are some things she's unsure about, so it's best to consult Madam Yang. Even if she has the ability to come up with this much money now, she can't afford to waste it; it's better to be well-prepared.

"cousin?"

Li Shiyue stopped in her tracks. Xu Lingqing, who was walking towards her, seemed very happy and ran after her as soon as she saw her.

When Li Shiyue saw Xu Lingqing, she was a little taken aback. Since learning about that incident, she had a new appreciation for Xu Lingqing's pure and innocent appearance. In addition, since the fourth branch of the family had moved out and no longer came to the Duke's Mansion every day, they naturally wouldn't meet every day. She never expected to run into her here today.

“I came to pay my respects to my grandmother, but I didn’t see my cousin. I guessed that she was learning how to manage a household under my aunt’s care, so I thought I’d come and try my luck.”

Xu Lingqing looked at her alone and glanced to the side with some confusion: "Where's Chunling? She's always with my cousin."

“I’ve been learning to read account books from my aunt for quite some time now. Today I went to the shop to take a look, and I was just about to go and tell my aunt about what happened today. On the way, I passed by Shunxiangzhai, and I asked Chunling to buy some hawthorn cakes to take to my grandmother.” Li Shiyue suppressed her doubts and didn’t let Xu Lingqing see anything.

Xu Lingqing suddenly realized something: "Then I'll go to my grandmother's to wait for my cousin. I won't disturb my cousin and aunt's business."