Shen Congxin was taken aback by the question, and she shook her head in disappointment without saying a word.

Just then, Jiang Ling glanced out the window and saw Jiang Yaojie's figure flash by. Jiang Ling quietly got up, walked to the door, and looked outside.

"When did this brat learn to lie on the wall?" Jiang Yaojie was hiding under the window, peeking out and listening to Jiang Ling and Shen Congxin's conversation.

Jiang Ling ignored Jiang Yaojie and went inside, raising her voice to Shen Congxin, "Congxin, where is your betrothal gift list?"

"It should be in my stepmother's room. She usually keeps a box in which she keeps these kinds of receipts and papers!" Shen Congxin said after thinking for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling nodded and said to Shen Congxin, "Congxin, now you can only go back and steal that list as evidence against your stepmother. There is no other way!"

Shen Congxin seemed to have thought of this as well. She nodded and said to Jiang Lingsuo, "Auntie, can you take me to Guangping County tomorrow? Don't worry, if I get caught, I will never betray you!"

"No!" A stern male voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Jiang Ling and Shen Congxin looked toward the sound at the same time. Jiang Yaojie was standing at the door with a serious expression. His face was flushed and he was becoming increasingly uneasy. He kept rubbing the hem of his clothes, as if trying to justify his impulsiveness.

"Congxin, you can go out first. Tomorrow morning, you can ride with us in Uncle Lu's oxcart!" Shen Congxin nodded, and when she walked to Jiang Yaojie's side, she paused for a second and glanced at Jiang Yaojie.

"Come here!" Jiang Ling looked at Jiang Yaojie with a cold expression.

Jiang Yaojie was now regretting his impulsiveness. It was strange, even though he was perfectly fine, he always lost his composure when he heard the words "Chen Congxin".

Moreover, every time he sees Shen Congxin, his heart races, especially today when he heard his mother telling Shen Congxin to go back to her house alone to steal things. He couldn't help but rush in.

“Mother…” Jiang Yaojie opened his mouth and made a somewhat dry sound.

"Come here!" Jiang Ling raised her voice again, her face looking even worse than before.

Looking at Jiang Ling's cold face, Jiang Yaojie knew that Jiang Ling had probably seen through all his little schemes.

He immediately lowered his head, walked nervously and awkwardly to Jiang Ling's side, and after a long while, he called out dryly, "Mother!"

"Do you know you were wrong?" Jiang Ling's tone remained stern, creating a strange sense of pressure.

“I…” Jiang Yaojie didn’t know how to explain, so he could only stand there without saying a word.

"Do I need to say it again? Or should I tell you what you just did in front of you?" Jiang Ling felt that Jiang Yaojie was already quite old, turning sixteen after the New Year, and didn't want to embarrass him too much.

"Mom, I...I was wrong!" Jiang Yaojie's straightforward answer made Jiang Ling shake her head.

"Okay, then let me ask you what you did wrong?" Jiang Ling glanced at Jiang Yaojie, who was still feeling very uneasy, and asked.

“I…I…I…I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on your conversation with Miss Shen. I…Mother, I don’t know why, but every time I see Miss Shen, I…I feel very strange.”

Although Jiang Yaojie's words were incoherent, Jiang Ling understood them clearly.

Jiang Ling knew that Jiang Yaojie was experiencing his first love. His calm and composed appearance would make anyone feel a sense of pity, let alone a big kid like Jiang Yaojie.

In this day and age, people around Jiang Yaojie's age are usually engaged, and in another two years, they will most likely get married and have children.

Jiang Ling had asked Jiang Yaojie about this issue before, but he had always refused. It wasn't that he didn't want to look; it was clearly that he hadn't met anyone who moved him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling couldn't help but worry. The Shen family was, after all, a merchant family. Although merchants were ranked last in the social hierarchy of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants," they were well-off. People like Jiang Ling, from humble backgrounds, probably wouldn't even look at them even if they went blind.

Moreover, in ancient times, matching social status with one's spouse was of utmost importance.

Jiang Ling's face grew even more gloomy. Jiang Yaojie, standing beside her, thought Jiang Ling was angry with him and quickly explained, "Mom, I...I was wrong, I'll never do it again!"

"Oh well, Yaojie, you accompany Miss Shen to Guangping County tomorrow." Then Jiang Ling told Jiang Yaojie everything that Shen Congxin had told her.

Jiang Yaojie was also shocked. He even dug his ear with his hand and said in an almost stuttering tone, "Mother...Mother, you...you are real?"

Jiang Ling sighed and rubbed her forehead, saying, "Why would I lie to you? If you don't want to go, just keep an eye out for me tomorrow, I'll go with Miss Chen!"

"No! No need, I can do it! Don't worry, Mother!" Jiang Yaojie said to Jiang Ling, suppressing his excitement.

Jiang Ling had long seen through Jiang Yaojie's little tricks, so she didn't say anything more and just waved her hand to send Jiang Yaojie out.

In Pingxi County, Jiang Ling did not have Uncle Lu drive the oxcart to her shop this time. Instead, she asked Uncle Lu to go to Guangping County and instructed him to bring the two children back.

Although Lu Bo found it strange, he nodded and drove the oxcart toward Guangping County.

Jiang Yaojie's face was flushed the whole way, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles in Uncle Lu's oxcart. He couldn't understand why the girl in front of him had such fair skin, like the moon in the night sky. He also couldn't understand why the girl always had a faint fragrance on her body, a fragrance that was more fragrant than any flower he had ever smelled.

And so, Jiang Yaojie would occasionally glance up at Shen Congxin. Shen Congxin looked at Jiang Yaojie, who was behaving strangely, and asked, "You... is there something strange on my face?"

"Ah...no...no!" Shen Congxin's question almost made Jiang Yaojie lose his train of thought. He waved his hands frantically and looked around guiltily.

Seeing Jiang Yaojie acting strangely, Shen Congxin became even more puzzled. She rested her chin on her hands, stared at Jiang Yaojie with her big, watery eyes, and said, "Your face is so red. Are you sick?"

"No, no, it's just hot!" Jiang Yaojie's face was so low that it was almost buried in his chest. At this moment, he really hated himself for being so spineless. He had never been this flustered when he was negotiating with those restaurant owners.

"Alright, we've arrived at Guangping County! Where are you headed?" Uncle Lu's voice broke the previous awkward silence.

Jiang Yaojie looked up at Uncle Lu as if grasping at a straw. In fact, he wanted to look at Shen Congxin, but he didn't have the courage.

"Uncle, you can wait for us here at the door!" Shen Congxin said after thinking for a moment, not wanting to involve too many people.

"Okay, then you all need to be careful!" Uncle Lu said, securing the oxcart.