temperature

After Fuling checked the warehouse for any missing goods, she turned around and closed the door. Looking back, she saw Xinfeng coming down from the eaves and smiled.

"The young lady asked me to return to the mansion to explain some things. I left early today. I'll trouble you to keep watch here."

This was Xinfeng's job, so he didn't mind. He just had been lying on the eaves for too long and wanted to stretch his muscles.

"Why not? Since Miss Jiang has given the order, go back quickly. I'll be watching over you here, don't worry."

Seeing Xinfeng's agreement, Fuling felt relieved. She turned around to look at the warehouse standing under the dim sky again, then turned and walked towards Jiang Mansion.

There were people walking in groups of three or four on the road. Liangdu Pharmacy had recently started offering discounts again. Those who happened to be short of insect repellent went to the pharmacy to buy more Huangqi Ruisheng. At this moment, some people were taking advantage of the fact that it was still light before they got completely dark, carrying the newly bought Huangqi Ruisheng and walking towards their homes and fields.

The further you go, the more people there are on this road.

Fuling put aside her guard against the surroundings, raised her eyes and saw the Jiang Mansion. Thinking that the young lady was still waiting for her in the side room, she got up and hurried towards the place where her sight fell.

—

Jiang Nian finished writing the schedule for the competition days, placed the goat-hair brush on the pen holder, and rubbed his sore wrist.

The originally blank paper was now filled with a row of words, and the borders that had been previously shown to Xu Bo and Fuling were drawn on the edges of the words. She had made her instructions and arrangements very clear, and all Fuling and Xu Bo had to do was follow the rules written on the paper.

The moonlight outside the house outlined the figure standing in front of the lattice door. Before he could rest for a moment, Jiang Nian heard a knock on the door. He raised his eyes and casually responded, "Come in."

When the man heard Jiang Nian's order, he immediately pushed the door open and walked in.

The person who came was Fuling. Seeing Jiang Nian sitting behind the desk with a piece of paper in front of her, Fuling immediately understood: "Miss, do you have any instructions for Fuling to do?"

"Yes, it's this piece of paper in front of me."

Jiang Nian raised his chin and motioned Fuling to look at the paper in front of him, "These are the things you and Uncle Xu will be responsible for during the competition in the next few days."

"But since you also have to take care of the warehouse at the same time, you can spend less time watching over the warehouse."

Fuling nodded in response, not knowing what was written on the paper. She just closed the door calmly, reached out and picked up the paper to read it carefully.

After reading the contents of the paper from beginning to end, her pupils dilated slightly. She looked up and met Jiang Nian's gaze, and said in surprise, "Young lady, you actually want to expand the shop... Does the master know?"

Jiang Nian curled his eyes and said, "Father hasn't come back yet. I'll let him know when he comes back."

Apart from the issue of her identity, Jiang Nian handled all matters related to the pharmacy very well and never messed things up. Even her judgment on business operations was extremely sharp, as if she had been personally instructed by a master.

Fuling was now curious about the strange book that Jiang Nian had used as an excuse to mention earlier, so she asked, "Did you learn all these business methods from that strange book?"

"...Um."

Jiang Nian's smile paused for a moment, then calmly changed the subject: "I read it from the strange book. Is there anything you want to ask on this piece of paper? Just ask me directly."

Fuling shook her head and collected her thoughts: "No, I was just curious for a moment."

She lowered her head and carefully read the paper in her hand again, then nodded thoughtfully, "Miss, it's written very clearly. The content is self-explanatory. There's nothing I need to ask about."

Jiang Nian nodded. After finishing the matter, his thoughts immediately returned to Sun Dun. He said, "That's good."

"I'm afraid there will be a lot more customers at the pharmacy tomorrow than today. After all, it's the last day of the event. Those who didn't get any goods in the past two days will probably go buy them tomorrow."

"The warehouse is under surveillance by secret guards, and tomorrow I will lead the spies to the mountain, so there's no need to worry about anyone going to the warehouse to look for the insect repellent formula."

"So I think you don't need to go to the warehouse tomorrow. Go directly to the pharmacy and help Guizhi and Uncle Xu."

Fuling thought about how she had been running back and forth these days, leaving her with very little time to look after the pharmacy. Uncle Xu was very busy, and she was afraid his old body wouldn't be able to handle three days straight. She nodded and said, "Okay."

Then there is nothing else to do for now.

Jiang Nian looked up at the paper in Fuling's hand for a moment, then rubbed his brows and said, "Then I have nothing else to do. You can take this paper back first."

Fuling hesitated, wondering if the page filled with plans would be lost in her room.

Although he knew that the room he lived in was not far from Jiang Nian, only a few steps away, every time he entered Jiang Nian's room, he always felt a sense of security that his belongings would not be lost. He insisted on putting the paper in Jiang Nian's drawer before leaving.

—

After sending Fuling away, Jiang Nian once again reviewed the plan of how to find Sun Dun at the city gate tomorrow, lure Sun Dun up the mountain and deal with him, and then his whole body relaxed.

When you are in a room with no one else around, your thoughts tend to get distracted quickly.

There was nothing else to do at the moment, so Jiang Nian tapped the table with his head for a while, and suddenly Qing's hesitant look appeared in his mind.

...I always feel that he is different from before he delivered the letter.

Jiang Nian straightened up and recalled the expression he saw on Yu's face when he talked to her in the morning.

It was empty, like a puppet that could only move but had no emotions.

Qing and Yu used to be similar, so when Xiao Yingzhu sent Qing and Yu to guard her room to prevent the insect repellent from being lost, Jiang Nian always confused Qing and Yu.

Because they are twins, they are similar in height and appearance, except that Qing is slightly more lively than the lifeless Yu.

But the sunny weather in the afternoon was very different from the rainy weather in the morning.

It was as if a clay figure was given a touch of spiritual energy by the Bodhisattva, and the spirit returned to the body and came back to life.

The pupils that were once covered with dust will now appear clear and transparent.

It was like during the short journey of delivering the letter, I met someone, and because of what they said, I changed myself greatly.

Jiang Nian lowered the curtain and thought for a moment, then called Qing out.

She knew that Qing was waiting not far from the bedroom, and would immediately rush to her side as soon as she heard her name.

But it was true. Before I had waited for a moment, I saw Qing appear in my seat.

His expression was cold and indifferent, his gaze paused for a moment on Jiang Nian's distracted face, and then he asked:

"Miss, what can I do for you?"

?

He took the initiative to speak.

Even without her asking questions.

Jiang Nian carefully looked at Qing standing in front of him, tapped his fingertips on the table, and suddenly said with a hint of intimacy: "I have something I want to ask you now."

"But it has nothing to do with the matters Xiao Yingzhu is handling... If you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

As the saying goes, only when you know the ins and outs of something can you feel at ease.

The more Jiang Nian knew that Meng Jian was going to take action soon, the more she wanted to get to know the people around her who had direct contact with the insect repellent so that she could safely hand over the responsibility to them.

Although judging from Qing and Yu's reactions, and the fact that they are the secret guards that Xiao Yingzhu can trust, even if one can imagine that these two children are still orphans.

Otherwise, with Xiao Yingzhu being so suspicious, he would not have given them the task of guarding the deworming party.

Thinking about what Qing and Yu might have encountered in the past, Jiang Nian spoke carefully: "I want to ask...were you and Yu following Xiao Yingzhu from the beginning, or were you adopted by Xiao Yingzhu later in life?"

After all, with Qing and Yu's personalities, they are unlikely to be like Xinfeng Xuangui who would take the initiative to find Xiao Yingzhu to tell her about his needs, and then prove his abilities to Xiao Yingzhu before becoming secret guards.

Then the only two types of Qing and Yu who could become Xiao Yingzhu's secret guards are the ones she just mentioned.

Qing didn't expect Jiang Nian to ask this question directly. She was stunned for a long time before she replied, "Yu and I only started living with the master... halfway through."

Life?

So it's really adoption?

Seeing that Qing and Yu are not too old now, if they were younger... could it be that Xiao Yingzhu adopted them when she was nineteen or twenty years old?

Jiang Nian nodded thoughtfully, then changed the subject and asked, "I understand. Then when you returned to the mansion yesterday...did Xiao Yingzhu say anything to you?"

Qing paused for a moment, remembering that Xiao Yingzhu had told him personally that Jiang Nian was an important person, so when Jiang Nian asked these questions, he could answer them directly.

Her thoughts were connected, and Qing replied, "No, the master only read the letter written by the young lady and then told me to pass on the message to you."

"That is..." Wasn't Xiao Yingzhu talking to Qing? So, was that something Qing saw in the mansion, or was it someone?

But without permission, Qing should not rummage through Xiao Yingzhu's study, and with her attitude of obeying Xiao Yingzhu's orders, she should not look around carelessly either.

Jiang Nian remembered that when Xiao Yingzhu appeared in front of other people, they were frightened and immediately corrected their minds, as if they were afraid that Xiao Yingzhu would accidentally draw a knife and chop them.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Nian raised his eyes and looked at Qing standing in front of him: "Did someone visit Xiao Yingzhu's mansion last night?"

Qing didn't know how Jiang Nian's mind was so active, but thinking that Meng Jian was indeed a human being, she nodded and said, "Yes."

Who would go to see Xiao Yingzhu at this time?

Jiang Nian didn't intend to think about this. She subconsciously felt that anyone who could talk to Xiao Yingzhu was considered a partner of the alliance. Since they were partners, they should be people with high positions of power in Huandu, so she shouldn't think about this too much.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Nian said, "...I feel like you've changed a lot compared to before. Is it the people you've met along the way that have changed you?"

Since her reasoning didn't work, she couldn't find another way to start. Besides, she knew very little about Qing, so she couldn't think of anything to start with. So she just asked directly.

Qing was not surprised that Jiang Nian had such a discovery. She hesitated whether to say what she wanted to say, but she fell silent and just nodded.

Jiang Nian didn't have the habit of digging into other people's affairs. After getting a positive answer, he felt a little more at ease, even though he understood Qing a little better. He glanced sideways and thought for a moment, then sighed.

"Since I can live a more fulfilling life than before, it's a good thing... What about Yu? Will you tell him about what happened to you?"

Sunny and rainy have never been separated. Usually, when one of them knows it, the other will know it soon.

Right now, the sunny side has been changed by some things, but what about the rain?

It should be that warm expression that makes him feel a little closer.