Su Yun'er didn't take it seriously at first, until she heard the sound of something breaking coming from the study!

Su Yun'er's expression changed!

Realizing something was wrong, she quickly dropped what she was holding and ran into the room, where she saw broken porcelain shards scattered all over the floor of Gu Jingheng's study, apparently having fallen from the table.

Gai Xue stood amidst the broken porcelain shards, a book dangling from her mouth, her large eyes blinking innocently.

"Gai Xue, what bad thing have you done now!"

With quick reflexes, Su Yun'er swiftly stopped Gai Xue, who was trying to escape with a book in his mouth, and snatched the book away from him.

Gai Xue was naturally unhappy, meowing and twisting her body in protest. Su Yun'er raised her hand high and slapped the cat's butt twice.

Although she was angry, Su Yun'er couldn't bear to actually hit Gai Xue so hard.

So, without noticing anything, Gai Xue turned around to grab the book again, but Su Yun'er instantly stood up, making it out of Gai Xue's reach.

"You're always doing naughty things, why are you always so mischievous? This is a book, why are you stealing it, you little cat?"

Su Yun'er couldn't understand Gai Xue's unusual behavior, so she casually opened the book.

"Hmm, this content looks familiar?"

I remember now.

I've read this story before.

I had seen it at a roadside bookstall before, and later bought it. It was a storybook called "Jade Screen".

After flipping through a few more pages, Su Yun'er confirmed that this was the exact same story as the one she had lost.

This is actually a love story.

"I didn't expect that Gu Jingheng, who looks so serious, would also like to read these kinds of storybooks?" Su Yun'er smiled to herself, then casually flipped through another page.

Um?

wrong!

In the bottom right corner of one of the pages, there was an ink fingerprint. Seeing this familiar mark, Su Yun'er got goosebumps.

This...this is no other book, it is, it is the very book I bought!

The reason I'm so sure is because of this fingerprint.

I didn't realize the ink was still wet when I turned the page. My finger brushed against it, leaving this fingerprint on the paper.

The fingerprint is still faintly visible on the back of the page.

boom--

Su Yun'er suddenly felt a burning sensation on her face.

You should know that this is no ordinary storybook...

This storybook contains some content about men and women engaging in sexual intercourse, and the author even adds a few lines of poetry to accompany it.

The poems and essays were written in a way that was both veiled and explicit.

At first glance, it seems to describe scenery, but upon closer inspection, it's all about colors.

Later, Su Yun'er thought about it carefully and realized that it was no wonder the scholar was surprised when they were at the bookstall, wondering why a woman would also like to read this storybook.

The reason Su Yun'er kept walking and looking around while secretly laughing was because she saw the most wonderful passage of poetry, which was both elegant and explicit, making Su Yun'er feel shy, yet she couldn't help but want to read it.

That's why she would run away embarrassedly when she bumped into someone or when someone saw the contents of her book.

Because it's just too damn social.

But……

But……

I thought it was just a minor incident on a certain day, that we were just two complete strangers, and that I would never think of this book again. But then...

The person who caught me reading that embarrassing novel turned out to be my current employer!

No, don't panic!

He probably didn't recognize me!

By the way, I had my head down and even covered my face when I ran away, so he probably didn't realize that the person was me.

Thinking this, Su Yun'er's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

Just as Su Yun'er was holding the book, awkwardly recalling what happened that day, a voice came from behind her.

"What are you doing? What happened here?"

The voice was cold and authoritative, making Su Yun'er's calmed emotions tense up again.

Gu Jingheng has returned.

Gu Jingheng didn't like anyone entering his study, and besides, Su Yun'er was just a cook, and she hadn't come to these rooms at all these days.

At this moment, Su Yun'er inexplicably felt embarrassed as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Um, young master, Gai Xue broke your teacup. I came over when I heard the noise."

Why does this sound like making an excuse?

Shifting responsibility?

I'll just blame it on a cat.

Gu Jingheng's gaze swept across the ground, then fell on the bookshelf high up. He lowered his body to look at Gai Xue over there, and understood what was going on.

This isn't the first time this guy has done this.

Seeing that Gu Jingheng didn't speak, Su Yun'er thought he didn't believe her. Coupled with the book, she felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Young Master Gu, it's true, it wasn't me... I wasn't..."

Seeing Su Yun'er's nervous and incoherent appearance, Gu Jingheng couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't be nervous, Madam Su. I didn't mean to blame you. I believe what you said; it was Gai Xue who did it."

Gu Jingheng's voice was low and gentle, and he certainly didn't mean to blame anyone.

Su Yun'er had just breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Gu Jingheng's gaze falling on the book she was holding.

Coincidentally, this is the same page that was turned when we collided.

Spring arrives and flowers bloom in vibrant colors.

"With a swaying waist and a gentle unfolding of the flower's heart, the peony blooms with dewdrops."

Two lines of poetry came into view, and Gu Jingheng raised one eyebrow: "Lady Su is here..."

"I didn't see it!"

Before Gu Jingheng could finish speaking, Su Yun'er reflexively retorted!

Both of them were stunned for a moment.

When Su Yun'er came to her senses, she had already run back to the kitchen, muttering "There's fish in the pot, there's fish in the pot."

Even looking at Su Yun'er's back, Gu Jingheng could see her face turn bright red.

The corners of his lips unconsciously curved upwards, and Gu Jingheng's mood inexplicably improved. The frustration he had felt due to official duties also eased.

***

Since Su Yun'er became the cook, the meals for Gu Jingheng and his two servants have become noticeably more palatable. Although the food was also bought from Su Yun'er's shop before, firstly, Su Yun'er wasn't always the one who made it, and secondly, the food brought back always tasted different from when it was freshly made.

Gu Jingheng and Lian Ying were both satisfied, but Xu Meng gradually lost his spirit.

Because he no longer had an excuse to buy food at Su's Restaurant.

He hadn't seen Lin Moniang for a long time.

The summer heat was unbearable, and the children were sweating profusely as they read. Su Yun'er brought back some ice from the cellar to make iced drinks for the children.

Cut a crisp, sweet watermelon into chunks and juice the rest, then add crushed ice—it's the perfect way to beat the summer heat.

While making iced drinks, Gai Xue meowed and jumped onto the table, playing with a piece of ice with her little paws. Su Yun'er was working on her tasks while thinking about the children's schooling.

The three primers will be finished soon, and then the little tree and grass will need to find an academy or private school to attend.