"What do you mean, 'Why did you come at this time?' What, you don't want to see me anymore?"

It's true what they say, like master, like servant. Chang Shun's resentful look was exactly like Xu Yunci's.

Chunling couldn't help but laugh, and subconsciously covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. She glanced at the closed door and pulled Changshun to the other side.

"What? You wanted to ask why you came to the inner quarters? Didn't you say that after the young master and the young lady got married, you and Chang'an didn't come to the inner quarters much?"

Chang Shun scratched his head, still raising his chin with a touch of arrogance: "Of course I have to come too. There are some things I still need the young master to tell me."

However, the prince he mentioned doesn't seem to want to pay him any attention right now.

Sitting on a rock to the side, Chang Shun wiped the area beside him clean with the hem of his clothes and looked up: "Sit for a while, it'll probably be quite a while before they call us."

Chunling didn't hesitate, and the two sat on a large rock, with a little distance between them.

“Granny Chang wants to adopt me as her daughter. I heard from you, Miss, that you and Brother Chang An were both raised by Granny Chang and Steward Chang.”

She didn't look up, but kept her head down, staring at the toes of her shoes peeking out from under her skirt.

The maid's shoes had no embroidery; they were plain and simple.

The pebbles underfoot were different in shape and color, and the darker color made the light-colored, plain shoe surface stand out even more.

She hung her head, seemingly lost in thought, and her voice betrayed neither joy nor sadness; she appeared quite calm.

“I lost both my parents when I was young and was brought back to the Yunyang Marquis’s mansion by the mistress. Seeing that I was young, she let me serve by the young lady’s side.”

“The old nanny who used to serve the mistress doted on me and treated me like her own daughter. But after the mistress passed away, the nanny was afraid that the mistress would be lonely, so she went with her.”

"Later, during my time at the Earl's mansion, I accompanied the young lady to the old lady's side. The young lady was very kind to me. She had asked me before whether I wanted to acknowledge Steward Chang and Granny Chang as my parents. If I did, I would have parents and two older brothers."

The elderly couple, Steward Chang and Granny Chang, had no children, only two adopted brothers, Chang An and Chang Shun. If they adopted Chun Ling as their daughter, then there would be three siblings.

However, Li Shiyue had asked her about her opinion beforehand, and she seemed to be closer to Chang Shun, as if Li Shiyue was very willing to grant her wish.

Whether she becomes Granny Chang's adopted daughter or has her own ambitions, Li Shiyue is willing to accommodate her.

Chang Shun remained silent. When Chun Ling, not hearing his reply, looked up somewhat displeased, she found that Chang Shun was staring at her.

His gaze was fixed on her, and just as she was about to turn her head away, Chunling noticed that his earlobes were red.

Why are your ears red?

Chunling pursed her lips, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

Do you really want to be Grandma's adopted daughter?

Chang Shun's voice was very soft. He lowered his head, looking somewhat troubled. Before Chun Ling could answer, he said, "But I don't want to be your older brother, nor do I want you to be my younger sister."

"Then what do you want me to do? I'm younger than you, I can't be your older sister, can I?" Chunling turned her head away, unaware that she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with what he said.

Chang Shun could hear the displeasure in her tone, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, I didn't mean to make you my older sister."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

Chunling turned her head away, her round face full of anger. Wasn't he supposed to be clever and eloquent? Why were his words so unpleasant to hear today?

Chang Shun lowered his head. The stone wasn't very high, and his legs were on the ground.

My gaze couldn't help but fall on the tips of her shoes peeking out from under her skirt; the girl's feet were all small.

He blushed and quickly looked away, realizing it was impolite.

"My brother said he wants to see me get married, but I actually wanted to ask you if you could not be my sister."

“I have been following the young master for a long time. Although I am not particularly capable, I have saved up quite a bit of my monthly allowance, enough for the two of us to live in the mansion.”

"Chunling, are you willing?"

After Chang Shun finished speaking, looking at her round face, he felt a little nervous and couldn't help but swallow.

I stared at her lips, afraid that I would hear a rejection from them.

Chunling suddenly turned her head away, raised her hands to cover her face, and stood up abruptly in disbelief.

With her back to Chang Shun, she seemed lost in thought, but judging from her back view, she appeared to be frightened.

Li Shiyue sat in front of the dressing mirror. She and Xu Yunci had just come out and looked at Chunling under the eaves. She was a little puzzled: "Why is your face so red? It's not even the hottest part of summer yet. You didn't catch a heatstroke, did you?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine."

Chunling quickly raised her head, her face full of righteousness, standing as majestic as the stone lion in front of the gate.

Li Shiyue looked puzzled, but despite her confusion, she didn't waste any more time.

Upon entering Shousong Hall, it was discovered that Madam Yang and Madam Zhou were already accompanying Old Madam Xu. Seeing the two women enter together, Old Madam Xu's smile deepened, her gaze shifting between them.

Although Li Shiyue kept her head down and couldn't see Madam Xu's expression, her cheeks grew increasingly hot.

Xu Yunci, however, sat down beside Old Madam Xu with a smile, as if nothing had happened: "It's really good to be at home. No matter how tired you are outside, you can sleep comfortably at home and feel like you have all the energy again."

"Erlang must have been exhausted from working outside. No wonder Yan Yan had the kitchen prepare food so early this morning. He should have some nourishment so he doesn't overwork himself."

Zhou said with a smile, "When I came here, I met the old woman at the stove. She said she specially made chicken soup and packed some for Erlang to take to his uncle when he leaves."

"Indeed, it's always good to have a close friend by your side. My sister-in-law is much less worried now."

Madam Yang smiled as she looked at the two of them, knowing perfectly well what was going on, but she herself had come from a young age.

I don't know what my son is like, and I know what my husband is like. We all went through the same thing when we were young, so there's no need to be so petty.

"Yan Yan is meticulous and always thinks of things more carefully."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Old Madam Xu, a smile playing on her lips: "Now that Yan Yan is in charge of the accounts, has Mother noticed anything different about the household?"

"It is somewhat different. A few days ago, the flower shop delivered a lot of fresh flowers, which made the house look more colorful. The flowers were blooming very well, with bright colors and an enticing fragrance. I was thinking of asking you where you got such good flower seeds."

Madam Yang smiled and said, "Mother, why don't you ask her yourself?"

"Oh? Was it Jiaojiao's idea?"

Madam Xu looked at Li Shiyue with surprise and joy in her eyes.

"Not entirely. It was more like I was using their flowers to curry favor. Manager Wang went to the tea plantation in the south and brought back some flower seeds, so he tried to cultivate them himself, and to his surprise, they actually grew."