I thought she was a beauty the moment I saw her from afar.

It's even more beautiful up close.

No wonder some people are unwilling to even go up and say hello.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Yao Zhijie admired him in his heart, then glanced back and saw that Pei Yanzhi had also stood up from the window.

He was walking slowly towards her.

"It's chilly and cold in winter, why not wear a cloak?"

"The snow hadn't melted yet, so it wasn't too cold, and it was only a short walk."

As Jiang Shuwan spoke, she waved the account book in her hand, then glanced at Yao Zhijie, "Husband, is it inconvenient for you? Perhaps I can come another day?"

"He's just a freeloader, don't worry about him."

Pei Yanzhi beckoned Jiang Shuwan in and led her to sit by the window, then handed her a gilded hand warmer.

"Warm up a bit."

Thank you.

Jiang Shuwan accepted it with a smile. The snow this winter stopped after two days.

There was no sun afterwards, and the snow just piled up. It didn't melt and it wasn't cold, but sitting by the window with a hand warmer was fine.

"Green apricot."

Upon hearing Jiang Shuwan's instructions, Qingxing quickly presented the gift box in her hand.

It contained Huizhou ink. Pei Yanzhi had previously said that he didn't have enough ink and didn't have time to choose, so Jiang Shuwan sent over a batch.

After nodding their thanks, the two sat down to go over the accounts.

Jiang Shuwan had previously collaborated with him, transporting a batch of dried fruit from the south. Now that it was all sold out, it was time to settle accounts.

"Look at this..."

"This is a store promotion, spend a certain amount and get the same amount free, this is on me..."

"With this profit-sharing arrangement, you are... I am..."

The two sat by the window talking quietly, sometimes whispering to each other, sometimes making calculations.

They started at a normal distance, but after talking for a while, they got closer and closer, their heads touching, looking very intimate. Yao Zhijie touched his chin and clicked his tongue several times.

"The way your prince is putting on this show. He used to not care about money, but now he's doing business with his wife and even keeping accounts in a very professional manner."

He whispered to Xiao Wu, "Is he possessed by a ghost?"

"..." Xiao Wu rolled his eyes. "Thank you for your kind words. I will definitely inform the Crown Prince."

"Ha, I said a few words to him and you're already defending him. What kind of behavior is this? Wasn't he all lovey-dovey with that cousin before? My goodness, he doesn't even let ordinary people into his library, but he let his cousin in to sit and borrow books for a whole hour. Goodness, what can't be done in an hour?"

"Young Master Yao—"

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. But seriously, it's not that I look down on your young master, but look at your young mistress's hand warmer. She clearly said it was for me, but I haven't even used it yet, and she just gave it to her. Look at my hands, do you know how hard I work?"

Yao Zhijie said with a look of disgust.

He has a good constitution and is not afraid of the cold, but he had chilblains on his hands once when he was a child, and he gets them every winter.

The hand warmer next to Jiang Shuwan was a gift from Pei Yanzhi, who saw that he had been working hard lately. He didn't expect Jiang Shuwan to come and pick it up today.

Hey.

He was no longer his once-over.

"Once you have a wife, you forget your brothers."

"You've got guts!"

Hearing Yao Zhijie keep humming, Xiao Wu quickly got him a new hand warmer to hold.

“My dear Yao, please keep your mouth shut so that the young mistress doesn’t hear you. For some reason, she used to avoid the young master, but these past few days they’ve gotten along better. She not only comes over for a stroll every now and then, but she also asked the young master for a few pieces of calligraphy and paintings he wrote himself, saying she wants to treasure them.”

"Your young master gave it to her? No, she just gave it to her because she asked for it?"

"I don't have any."

Yao Zhijie was furious, feeling like his good friend had been taken away.

After saying that, a playful and flippant smile appeared in his eyes. "Interesting. Is he successful in his official career and also in his love life? When did women become so generous? My sisters are always jealous of their husbands and other women. What do you think would happen if my cousin came over right now?"

"...What do you mean?" Xiao Wu looked at him in surprise.

"Coming to borrow books from your married cousin in the dead of night, I think your young lady is no pushover. Just wait, I don't believe she'll let your young master and young mistress's relationship get better and better..."

Just then, an old woman ran in from outside.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Miss Biao caught a chill last night and now has a high fever."

The sudden sound interrupted Pei Yanzhi and Jiang Shuwan's conversation. He had originally been saying that he would send more people to transport dried fruit next year.

The sudden interruption caused both of them to pause.

"Young Master, you should go and see her quickly. Miss Biao is so ill that she's talking nonsense."

"..."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Sorry, I'll be right back."

The opposite window was empty, and a cold wind blew in through the wide-open window, snowflakes rushed in, and Jiang Shuwan shivered from the cold.

"Why is it snowing again?"

She held a hand warmer to keep warm and asked Qingxing to close one window while leaving the other open for ventilation.

Looking up, I saw that the seat opposite Pei Yanzhi had been taken by Yao Zhijie.

He placed his hands on the table, looking at her with bright eyes.

Are you hurt? Are you sad?

"..."

"No, you really don't feel anything at all? Pei Yanzhi is the number one young master of a noble family, with the demeanor of a gentleman and unparalleled elegance. Every woman in the capital who has seen him is infatuated with him. You've been married to him for a year, and you haven't felt a thing?"

Yao Zhijie scrutinized her from head to toe, as if trying to find some clue.

Jiang Shuwan stiffened, sitting upright like a sturdy pine tree, her gaze cold. "It's our first meeting, Lord Yao, you've overstepped your bounds."

"Oh, tell me, I just can't stand seeing him so successful in his official career and in his love life. Here, I'll give you a secret."

Without waiting for Jiang Shuwan to refuse, he poked his finger into the box on the table.

“He’s lying about not having enough ink. Our office just received a batch of ink at the end of the month. It’s all the ink he uses every day. It’s enough for him to last until next year.”

"..."

My hand clenched, and some suppressed emotion welled up inside me again.

Before he could think further, Pei Yanzhi had already returned.

"What are you talking about?" He sat down next to Yao Zhijie with a smile, his eyes full of laughter.

Yao Zhijie felt a chill run down his spine from the look he was getting. He quickly stood up and said, "It's nothing. I just saw that your hairpin is pretty, so I was asking about it so I can buy one for my sister."

Having said that, he slunk away to the teahouse next door.

He patted his chest and complained to Xiao Wu, "No, what did I say? He looked at me like he wanted to kill me."

"Who told you to talk so much?" Xiao Wu said helplessly. "Young Master Yao, I advise you to behave yourself. Ever since you got married, the young master has been very different."

"How is it different?" Yao Zhijie asked curiously.

"I can't really explain it, but sometimes it just feels a bit strange."