April is early summer, night has fallen, and a sultry breeze blows in through the open window.

Li Shiyue frowned. She was wearing a small shirt with the collar overlapping to cover her skin, revealing her fair neck and collarbone.

It's been three days since I returned from the Feng family banquet, and it's getting hotter every day, with a stifling heat. The wind blowing in is stifling and doesn't carry away the heat; instead, it adds to my irritability.

Chunling walked in, carrying a sliced ​​watermelon.

The watermelon, cut into plump, red slices, was neatly arranged on a plate. Picking them up with a silver needle and putting them in my mouth, I experienced a cool, refreshing sensation that seemed to instantly chase away the irritability caused by the heat in my body.

She ate several pieces in a row and was about to eat another when Chunling suddenly grabbed the plate and held it in her arms. Her round little face was full of wariness. Chunling looked at Li Shiyue, afraid that she would come at her at any moment.

"Girl, watermelon is cold in nature, and it was put in ice before being taken out. You're eating too much of it, or you'll feel uncomfortable."

Li Shiyue's lips moved, she put down the silver needle in her hand, and her heart gradually began to feel irritable.

"It's so hot, I can't sleep."

Her voice was soft, with a slight tremor at the end, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Seeing that Chunling refused to give it to her, she simply leaned back resignedly, adopting a "what's the use of trying" attitude.

Hearing the commotion, Lian Dong came in and saw the usually polite girl sprawled out on the wooden couch, completely disregarding the rules. She couldn't hide the smile on her face, which Li Shiyue caught.

Li Shiyue snorted lightly, then turned around and faced away from the two of them. The night was sultry, and she threatened them with a sullen expression, "If you don't let me eat, I won't be able to sleep, and you're not allowed to leave either."

Chunling couldn't help but burst out laughing, but Li Shiyue turned her head and glared at her fiercely. Chunling quickly covered her mouth with one hand to stop herself from laughing out loud.

But she was happy inside. Since the girl came to the Xu family, she was gradually becoming just like her carefree self when she was young.

Lian Dong walked to the trunk, opened it, and for some unknown reason, got up and took out a thin quilt. She unfolded the quilt and covered Li Shiyue with it.

"It's getting hot, it's time to change the quilts. This is a new one. I'll put away the thicker quilts."

Li Shiyue was still thinking about the half-plate of watermelon; its icy-cold taste was truly unforgettable. She simply covered her face with the blanket and mumbled, "But it's still so hot."

The sound around her gradually faded away. She didn't know how much time had passed when Li Shiyue lifted the covers and got out of bed. Before she could say anything, she saw an unfamiliar object on the bedside table.

The golden bronze censer was round and heavy at the bottom, with four fan blades on top, mounted on a bronze rod about an inch thick in the middle. She looked at it and saw that there were partitions between the fan blades and the censer, so she couldn't tell how it worked at all.

Li Shiyue sat up straight, and the fan blades swayed slowly, stirring the surrounding air and creating a cool breeze.

It wasn't as refreshing as watermelon, but as the coolness gradually settled in, she felt much cooler after calming down.

"Where did this wonderful thing come from? Does Grandma have any?"

Lian Dong replied, "It was sent by the young master to each courtyard. He said that the weather was hot and he was afraid that the masters in the mansion would not be able to stand it, so he found this and had someone make more and send it to each master in the mansion."

"The young master said that bitter melon is refreshing to eat, but eating too much can make one feel unwell, especially the old lady. She also said that the young lady is weak and that if she eats too much bitter melon, the imperial physician will have to come. So we got two, one was sent to Shousong Hall and the other was sent to us."

"Once the rest are made tomorrow, we'll send them to the various departments."

As Lian Dong watched Li Shiyue's smile gradually fade, she pondered her words: "When Chang Shun delivered the gifts, he said that we must ask Miss to take good care of herself, otherwise if Miss falls ill or feels unwell, the Old Madam will also worry."

"The old lady is getting old and can't take much stress. She also told me to tell the young lady to use less bitter melon and to go directly to the young master if she needs anything."

Chunling's eyes lit up when she heard this, but when she saw Li Shiyue's calm expression, her smile disappeared.

"girl?"

Lian Dong also looked at Li Shiyue. She actually felt that the young master was paying too much attention to the young lady, even more so than the sixth young lady and the others.

Moreover, she knew that the old lady had recently been looking for a suitable marriage partner for her daughter, choosing one from the eldest son's or the fourth son's family. The heir would inherit the position of Duke of Rongguo in the future, and putting aside whether her daughter was qualified to be the matriarch of a family, it was another matter whether the old lady, who doted on her daughter, could bear to part with her.

The most likely candidates are Fifth Prince and Seventh Prince. Seventh Prince is the youngest son of the eldest son and the youngest son of the eldest branch. To be honest, the eldest branch is the one that Old Madam Xu trusts the most.

Fifth Master is from the fourth branch of the family. Although Fourth Master Xu is born out of wedlock, he has been raised by Old Madam Xu since childhood and can be considered half a legitimate son. Fourth Madam is on good terms with the Duchess of the State and is more favored by the Old Madam than the second and third branches of the family. She is also reliable.

Lian Dong looked up and met Li Shiyue's gaze. A thought struck her: perhaps the young lady had her own plans.

"My cousin treats me even better than family. I hope my cousin's wife won't be angry with me after we get married."

Li Shiyue looked at Lian Dong, her tone calm, but upon closer listening, it carried a hint of caution and helplessness.

Since returning from the Feng family that day, she knew clearly how popular Xu Yunci was. Feng Lanyin couldn't help but provoke her, and there were countless others who sized her up without jumping out.

If she had to choose someone, one very important reason for her choice of Xu Yunyao was that every time Xu Yunyao helped her out of a predicament or encountered her, he never took advantage of her kindness, but always respected her.

Even if the two of them don't have any romantic feelings for each other, with such character, it shouldn't be difficult for them to treat each other with respect.

But the thought of such an outcome gave her an indescribable feeling; it was as if something was twisting her heart, as if her heart was being tightly gripped, making it impossible for her to think.

Lian Dong said earnestly, “The Xu family has several young masters, not just the Fifth and Seventh Young Masters.”

“The young master is an outstanding person, and he has been the center of attention since childhood. There are more than a dozen sons and daughters in the mansion, both legitimate and illegitimate, but only the young master has spent a few years in front of the old lady.”

"The girl is actually quite good, what's there to be afraid of?"

Li Shiyue's pupils dilated, as if the deepest part of her heart had been directly touched by Lian Dong.

"If a person lives their whole life without even trying, can you be sure they won't regret it later?"

Lian Dong was trained by Granny Chang, so she had a unique perspective on some things. She wasn't in a hurry to listen to what Li Shiyue had to say, so she squatted down and adjusted the amplitude of the copper stove fan blades to a smaller range.