Jiang Segu's small boat circled the lake again and again, but he couldn't find the boat that Gu Songhan had told Qiaohe about.

"Qiaohe, are you sure you heard me right? We've gone around in circles so many times, but we haven't seen any boats with red ropes tied to them."

“I’m sure I heard right!” Qiaohe hurriedly replied, “Aunt, no, Young Master Gu did tell me to find a boat tied with a red rope.”

But what about the boat?

The son-in-law usually seems like a very capable person, so why is he so incompetent at crucial moments?

Jiang Segu felt a surge of anger. Looking at the scattered boats on the lake, his eyes felt as if they were being pierced by pebbles, causing a dull ache.

"go back!"

Jiang Segu turned and went back to the cabin.

Since they don't take her seriously, why should she wait here so long?

Qiaohe followed Jiang Segu into the cabin, glancing back every few steps. Seeing Jiang Segu's angry expression, she kept her lips tightly shut, not daring to make a sound.

The boatman was perceptive and knew his employer was in a bad mood, so he kept his eyes and ears open to make sure they didn't collide with other boats at this critical moment!

As the boat drew closer to the shore, the boatman suddenly shouted.

"Girl, a boat tied with a red rope is sailing towards us..."

Jiang Segu was immediately delighted, but then his face hardened again. "Row your boat properly and get to shore quickly!"

Qiaohe had been secretly watching Jiang Segu out of the corner of her eye. She saw that Jiang Segu first looked angry, then worried, then pretended to be angry, and then sighed deeply... She guessed what her young lady was thinking.

The young woman was angry at her son-in-law for breaking his promise, but after her anger subsided, she worried that something might have happened to him.

But then I thought I was worrying unnecessarily, but I was really afraid of what might happen...

Now that they know the small boat has appeared, they know the son-in-law is alright, so they can naturally put on airs again. Therefore, their words to the boatman to hurry to shore were just a momentary outburst of anger!

At this time, the head maidservant by the young lady's side would naturally be more clever and sensible.

"Miss, I'll go out and see if it's Young Master Gu!"

"What are you looking at? What's so interesting!"

Although Jiang Segu said this, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the cabin door.

Seeing this, Qiaohe quickly got up and left the cabin, giving herself a thumbs-up for her cleverness.

Not long after Qiaohe went out, her joyful voice came back, "Miss, it's Young Master Gu! Boatman, quickly follow that boat!"

The boatman nimbly changed course, caught up with the boat tied with the red rope, and rowed back towards the center of the lake.

She sighed inwardly: These young men these days are really troublesome!

When the lake became less crowded with boats, the boats tied with red ropes stopped.

Soon, the boat that Jiang Segu was on caught up and stopped beside it.

When Qiaohe saw Wendong, she pouted and asked, "Where is Young Master Gu?"

Just as Wen Dong was about to answer, Gu Songhan came out of the cabin carrying a food box.

With a light leap, he landed steadily on the boat in Jiangse Valley.

Qiaohe blinked her small eyes, her face full of admiration. She clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to clap and cheer, and gestured to Gu Songhan with her eyes: The young lady is angry, young master, please coax her well!

Gu Songhan nodded, gestured with his chin to go to his boat, and whispered, "Wen Dong bought plum blossom cakes on East Street!"

Qiaohe smiled and obediently moved to the ground.

Gu Songhan carried the food box into the cabin and saw the little girl sitting upright, but leaning to one side, leaving only her back and the back of her head to him.

Gu Songhan smiled wryly and stepped forward, placing the food box on the table before squatting down in front of Jiang Segu. "It's my fault. I'm late and made you worry!"

"Who's worried about you!"

Jiang Segu said coldly, but he still refused to turn his head.

Seeing that Jiang Segu was still willing to talk to him, Gu Songhan explained, "I came early this morning and saw you. I was going to get on the boat to catch up with you, but then I realized that I had forgotten something, so I had to go back to the manor to get it, which is why I was delayed."

Jiang Segu sneered, "Since Young Master Gu saw me and remembered he hadn't taken his things, why didn't he send someone to tell me? To put it bluntly, it's still in his heart..."

What she wanted to say was: You still don't care about me!

But then he felt it wasn't right, and for a moment he didn't know how to change his words, so he sullenly stopped talking.

Gu Songhan took out a sandalwood box from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I originally intended to give you this hairpin when you came of age..."

Jiang Segu glanced at the box out of the corner of his eye.

Gu Songhan opened the box, inside was a jade hairpin shaped like a lily of the valley.

The hairpin is warm and translucent, with several green flowers carved on the head. The stamens are wrapped with gold wire, and a pearl of good quality is inlaid in the center of the stamens. Several jade-carved lily of the valley flowers hang from the head of the hairpin with gold wire.

The hairpin has a beauty that evokes the image of a gentle breeze swaying a jade ring and cool dew dripping onto a piece of jade!

Jiang Segu only glanced at it once, but couldn't take his eyes off it.

"If you were planning to give it to her on her coming-of-age ceremony, why did you give it to her today?"

"I can't wait to see you wear it!"

The urgency and expectation in her tone made Jiang Segu turn around, and she suddenly met Gu Songhan's burning eyes.

Jiang Segu's body stiffened from the heat, as if a flame was burning all over her, instantly turning her face bright red and her long eyelashes trembling.

Gu Songhan felt as if her long eyelashes had brushed against his heart, making him feel both numb and itchy, and he wished he could step forward and use his lips to stop those raven-feather-like eyelashes from trembling.

Jiang Segu's lips moved, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out three words, "Thank you!"

Emotions surged in Gu Songhan's eyes, like a sandstorm in the Northwest desert, threatening to engulf him. He, too, wanted to succumb to these emotions and drag the little girl into it with him!

But eventually, he came to his senses and realized that now was not the time!

One day, he will be able to openly hold the young girl in his arms. When that day comes, why worry about not being able to have her? Her clothes will still be fragrant with musk, and her pillow will still be stained with rouge.

Thinking of this, Gu Songhan suppressed his irritation, got up, opened the food box, and took out plates of food one by one. "You must be hungry after waiting for me for so long!"

Jiang Segu pouted slightly, "There won't be a next time, otherwise..."

There will never be a next time. From now on, I will be the only one waiting for you, and there will be no time for you to wait for me!

His tone was solemn and earnest, and his eyes were full of emotion.

Hearing this through Jiang Segu's clothes, his heart suddenly pounded wildly, as if it were about to burst out of his body.

Even when facing Liang Shaojie in her previous life, she had never acted like this!

Panicked, Jiang Segu didn't know what to say, so he could only bite the bullet and say, "I'm hungry..."

The atmosphere between the two was a bit awkward, while Qiaohe was enjoying her meal immensely, thinking to herself: This son-in-law is someone I can get along with!

It was close to noon when the boats in Jiangse Valley slowly approached the shore.

In high spirits, she had just disembarked when Qiaolian, who was waiting on the shore, suddenly struck her on the head with a blow...