Li Shiyue had no choice but to soften her temper. It wasn't that she had any issues with Xu Yunci, but she remembered how busy he was during that time and almost got injured while he was away, yet he didn't mention it at all. She felt more sorry for him.

It's impossible to stop him from doing it just because I feel sorry for him.

Yang Hui glanced at her brother, stood up, and walked to stand in front of Li Shiyue. Everyone's attention was drawn to her, seemingly not understanding what she was going to do.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know the facts before and I said those things in front of you without knowing them. Today, my brothers and sisters from the Xu family and my brother are here to bear witness. Please forgive me, Sister Yan Yan."

After she finished speaking, she curtsied and performed the full curtsy.

Just as Li Shiyue was about to dodge, Yang Ke spoke up quietly, "Princess, just accept it. It's what she should do."

Yang Hui showed no sign of reluctance, but when she looked up, there seemed to be unease in her eyes, as if she were afraid of being rejected.

"Okay, I agree. Get up now."

Li Shiyue couldn't deny that although she was somewhat angry that day, Yang Hui's personality, while her temper was quite unpleasant when she was angry, was such that she would take responsibility for what she did and it was hard not to like her.

Upon hearing her say this, Yang Hui seemed relieved, and the smile in her eyes became much more relaxed. Even her body relaxed as she sat back down.

Yang Ke glanced at her younger sister and said quietly, "She's just silly. She just says whatever people say. This time, the county princess is magnanimous and won't hold it against you. If she had run into a tough opponent, she would definitely be crying at home."

"Brother, you're still talking about me. Weren't you caught by Father in the brothel? Be careful, Second Brother Xu might throw you into the capital and not even let Father and Mother pick you up."

Before she could finish speaking, Yang Hui, seemingly indignant, disregarded the presence of others and directly exposed her brother's past misdeeds.

When these siblings start talking, they really don't care whether the other person is alive or dead.

Today is the Lantern Festival, and I can see the bustling and lively streets through the window.

After leaving the teahouse, they walked in twos and threes, but all of them tacitly avoided disturbing the engaged or married couples.

The Lantern Festival falls during the coldest time of the first lunar month, so the cloak we wear is even thicker than the one we wore before the New Year.

The neckline of her dress covered her neck, gently brushing against her cheek, sending a ticklish sensation through her. A cold wind blew by, making her exposed ears even more numb, and suddenly she felt a heaviness on her head.

Li Shiyue raised her head and met Xu Yunci's gaze, which was lowered. His hand had just pulled down the hood of her cloak, covering her cold earlobes and cheeks.

Bright lanterns hung on both sides of the street, making the whole street brightly lit as far as the eye could see.

His eyes were exceptionally beautiful, classic phoenix eyes, so captivating that they made people stop in their tracks when he wasn't smiling. But right now, his eyes held a gentle, tender smile, drawing people in effortlessly.

Xu Yunci withdrew his hand, but slightly extended his forearm toward Li Shiyue, offering the hem of his robe to her hand.

"There are too many people, so please bear with Yan Yan holding onto my clothes for now."

He didn't want to make advances on his girlfriend in front of others in crowded places, and holding her hand wasn't allowed either, so he had to hold her clothes down first.

Seeing Li Shiyue hesitate, Xu Yunci looked around and said without any impatience, "There are a lot of people, I'm afraid we'll get separated. It'll be better if you hold onto our clothes."

Li Shiyue couldn't help but nod with a smile, grabbing his clothes and following his steps forward.

The full moon peeked out from the clouds overhead, its bright cheeks seemingly revealing a barely perceptible blush before quickly disappearing back into the clouds beside it, as if it had been chilled by the cold wind.

Today, most people are guessing lantern riddles. Every few steps, there are people guessing lantern riddles by looking at the lanterns, but Li Shiyue has no interest in these things.

Xu Yunci, on the other hand, was in high spirits and even won a fox-shaped lantern. When he returned home, Li Shiyue took the lantern and went to Shousong Hall first.

As I lifted the curtain, the warm air inside hit my face, a stark contrast to the cold outside.

"I hear some noise. Could it be that Erlang and Jiaojiao have returned?"

The figure of Old Madam Xu could be seen through the screen. Li Shiyue took off her outermost cloak, which carried away some of the chill from her body.

Still holding the fox-shaped lantern, she walked inside with a smile on her lips, only to find that Xu Lingqing was also inside.

Her cheeks were flushed, whether from sitting in the room and feeling hot or something else, she just looked extremely unnatural.

Madam Xu didn't mention it, and when she saw Li Shiyue enter, her smile became even more pronounced. Before Li Shiyue even got close, she had already reached out, taken her hand, and pulled her to sit beside her.

Li Shiyue looked at the lantern in her hand again and again, and when she met the gaze of Old Madam Xu, the smile in her eyes was something that Li Shiyue couldn't quite understand.

Following Madam Xu's gaze, she saw Xu Lingqing sitting opposite her, with a lamp on the small table beside her.

She had seen that lantern earlier at the riddle-guessing area; it turned out someone had won it and it was with Xu Lingqing.

It's more intriguing to know who sent this lamp, as it allows her to see such a genuine, girlish side on Xu Lingqing's face.

"It was given by the young master of the Yang family. Today, the young master of the Yang family invited Eighth Sister to go out of the mansion to enjoy the lanterns."

Old Madam Xu noticed Li Shiyue's confusion and spoke up about the origin of the lamp, her smile just as bright as when she had teased Li Shiyue before.

Xu Lingqing did not deny it, but lowered her head slightly. The corners of her mouth curved up and the shyness in her eyes unconsciously avoided the gaze of others, which was already an agreement with whether Old Madam Xu was right or not.

"It seems that the seventh son of the Yang family must be a very good person. It is not easy for him to win my cousin's favor. After all, he has had several outstanding cousins ​​since childhood. My aunt was joking with me earlier, worried that my cousin would not be interested in an ordinary man."

Li Shiyue covered her mouth and smiled faintly, moving her lantern behind her to shield it with her body.

As soon as she finished speaking, Granny Chang brought over a bowl of glutinous rice balls, still steaming hot.

"These are glutinous rice balls cooked at home. Please have some, Miss. The old lady specially saved them for you."

Li Shiyue likes to eat glutinous rice balls with peanut filling; they're so sweet, it's hard not to like them.

She looked up and glanced at it. Granny Chang knew what she meant and quickly said, "The old lady and the eighth young lady have already eaten. This bowl was specially ordered by the old lady to be cooked in the kitchen when the young lady returns, so that the young lady can have a hot bowl of glutinous rice balls."

“The flavors sold outside are nothing like the ones we prepare ourselves. They’re either too sweet or not sweet enough, and Miss doesn’t like them. The old lady remembers this and specifically instructed us about it.”