Xu Zhuohua narrowed her eyes slightly and turned to look at Xinghua and Xiaohe beside her: "Take them out and let my younger sister and brother choose one."

As she spoke, she walked to the rattan rocking chair by the door and sat down. She then waved to Xinghua, who was eager to try, and said, "Xinghua, pick carefully. Tell me what color you like, and pick out several pieces. Once you've chosen them, make me a new one too."

Upon hearing this, Xinghua's eyes lit up, and two blushes appeared on her face. She nodded vigorously, "Yes! Okay!"

She followed the shopkeeper into the inner room, her steps becoming lighter—Xu Zhuohua hadn't bought new clothes in a long time, and now that she was willing to agree, it was clear that she was truly looking forward to this life.

The sunlight streaming in from the shop entrance was perfect, casting a golden glow that fell upon Xu Zhuohua, as if she were wrapped in a warm, cozy brocade, adding a touch of comforting warmth to her entire being.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at the dust floating in the beam of light, and suddenly reached out her hand, her fingertips passing through the sunlight, and gently cupped a warm palm.

A faint warmth emanated from my palm, as if something was quietly spreading through my veins—not intense, but very real.

After sitting for a while, Xu Zhuohua suddenly got up and walked out of the shop with light steps.

As her gaze swept over the old locust tree on the street corner, she paused almost imperceptibly, then narrowed her eyes, a knowing glint in them.

Without the slightest hesitation, she strode toward the street corner, walking faster and faster until she was almost jogging.

The moment she turned the corner, a figure came into view—Chen Hede was facing away from her, frantically trying to hide behind a tree, but he was too slow, half of his body was still exposed to the sunlight, and his face was full of embarrassment at being bumped into.

Xu Zhuohua stood a few steps away, her mind already perfectly clear.

The shopkeeper's words, "young lady," seemed ordinary, but they contained a deliberate familiarity, clearly indicating that he recognized her identity.

Furthermore, this old shop has always catered to the townspeople, with outdated styles and mostly dark, muted colors. How could it happen to have bright, light-colored new fabrics on hand? Such a "coincidence" seems far too deliberate.

If the shopkeeper is being manipulated by someone, besides Xu Shinong, who strictly forbade Chen Hede from approaching Nanhu Lake, the only other one is Chen Hede, who has been out of the public eye for a long time.

She should have realized that, given Chen Hede's personality, he must have planted spies in the town, using the occasion of buying apricot blossoms to gather information. Those spies became his eyes for spying on Nanhu.

It seems that he couldn't suppress his longing today, which is why he risked coming to this area, intending only to catch a glimpse from afar before leaving. Little did he know that she had seen through his little scheme.

Xu Zhuohua's voice has recovered to about 70-80%, but it is still a bit hoarse, like sandpaper soaked in morning dew, rough with an indescribable sense of vicissitude.

She looked at Chen Hede, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Chen Hede, how long do you plan to hide?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Chen Hede's face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

He had followed them all the way to town, thinking he had kept a low profile. When they passed the tailor shop, he caught a glimpse of her sitting in a rocking chair, basking in the sun—her eyebrows and eyes relaxed, a faint smile on her lips. He was so captivated by her beauty that he was caught red-handed in the blink of an eye.

"I... didn't intend to hide." Even he himself felt unsure of his words.

Xu Zhuohua looked up into his eyes, his gaze clear and slightly mischievous: "Nonsense. If you didn't want to hide, why did you come to Nanhu but not to the clinic? I haven't even had a chance to read the newspapers since you last came."

After Chen Hede disappeared, even the newspapers that allowed her to glimpse the outside world vanished, making her already mundane life even more monotonous.

Chen Hede's smile faded slightly, and he lowered his eyelashes, saying in a low voice, "Yes... Master Xu won't let me get close to you."

Xu Zhuohua gave a soft "hmm".

She could vaguely guess that Xu Shih-nong's concerns were not unfounded, and she understood them in her heart, so she couldn't blame Chen He-de.

But... "Then why are you disobeying me again and running off to Nanhu?" She raised her eyebrows slightly, her tone softening almost imperceptibly.

Chen Hede's face was almost contorted with embarrassment. His lips moved several times, but he swallowed his words back. He stared intently at Xu Zhuohua, as if a heavy burden was pressing on his heart.

Seeing his hesitant expression, and remembering how he dared to defy Xu Shinong's prohibition and sneak off to Nanhu, Xu Zhuohua's heart tightened suddenly, as if something was gripping it, and even her breath caught in her throat.

"What's wrong?" Her voice trembled involuntarily. "Xin Haicheng... has something happened to him?"

Chen Hede clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white. His Adam's apple bobbed violently before he slowly spoke in a hoarse voice: "Cheng Muyun... killed indiscriminately to protect Xiao Wuxin, completely offending those powerful figures with connections everywhere. Now, the entire Xinhai City is filled with marches and rallies protesting against the Dongzhou Army, and the shouts of killing are almost deafening."

With a "buzz," Xu Zhuohua felt as if her brain had been hit by a heavy hammer, and the arm that was gripping Chen Hede's clothes suddenly lost its strength and fell limply to the ground.

Her eyes instantly became vacant as she stared straight at Chen Hede, as if she hadn't seen anything.

These days, living a secluded life in Nanhu, she almost forgot the swords hanging over her head—Cheng Muyun's death was not far off.

After a long while, she finally found her voice, hoarse as if it had been sanded: "What exactly happened to Xiao Wuxin? Why did Cheng Muyun have to go to such lengths to save him?"

Chen Hede sighed and explained quickly, “Xiao Wuxin offended some powerful figures in Beiping and couldn’t stay there any longer, so he fled all the way to the south. Now, with the surge of new ideas, many people in various places are inspired by him and want to join his cause. But those conservative forces can’t tolerate him and see him as a thorn in their side. They are using this as a pretext to arrest people all over the country. Anyone who has even a little bit of new ideas can’t escape being implicated…”

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